Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 106173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106173 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“I’ll give the pantry one more pass, then,” Kitty offers.
“Sure. I’ll be right inside to help you.”
She pushes up on her tiptoes and presses her lips to the edge of my jaw. Then she parts her lips and follows it with a gentle bite.
I glance at her out of the corner of my eye, and she gives me a saucy wink before she disappears inside.
Parker watches her disappear around the corner before he punches me in the shoulder. I stumble back half a step, not because I don’t expect it, but because even his playful punches are hard. “Dude. Are you boning the Kitty Whisperer?” He thrusts his hips a couple of times.
Austin punches him in the arm, not playfully. “Asshole, we’re standing in the middle of a subdivision, and you’re basically a walking advertisement for our freaking team. You can’t make obscene gestures in public. And there are kids playing.” He inclines his head.
Three doors down there’s a woman standing on her lawn, while her toddler does circles on his tricycle on the driveway. She’s very clearly watching us. I raise a hand in a wave, and she waves back.
“Shit. Sorry.” Parker also waves. “But seriously, the Kitty Whisperer. Man, she’s even hotter in person than she is on IG. I bet she’s feisty in bed.” He waggles his brows.
I rub the back of my neck and fight with my lips not to move toward the sky, because she is, indeed, feisty in bed. “This isn’t the locker room, Parker, and while you might be okay with talking about your sexual exploits with everyone you know, I don’t kiss and tell.”
“So you are hitting that.” He smirks and nods knowingly.
“Can you stop being a frat boy for five minutes?” Josh grumbles.
“Can we get the trucks loaded?” I motion to the stuff on the porch. “And can you not flirt with Kitty,” I say to Parker. “You’re making her uncomfortable, and she’s too nice to put you in your place. And if you touch her or make any further inappropriate comments, I exercise the right to punch you.” I hold up a finger to stop him from interrupting. “And I won’t give you the low-down on New York’s defense, which is what we had trouble with the last time we played them.”
He holds up his hands. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t realize you two were an actual thing. I won’t flirt with her. Just don’t leave me hanging for tomorrow’s game. We’re having a solid run.”
I leave them on the porch and check on Kitty. Who I find in the pantry, filling another box. “Hey. Sorry about Parker.”
She sets a bag of fusilli inside the box. “He looks like he’s still in high school. Does he even know how to use a razor?”
I laugh. “He’s eighteen. He doesn’t know how to do much other than run his mouth.”
She chuckles.
“I told him to cut it on the flirting.” I lean against the door-jamb. “And if you don’t want him to post one of those selfies, I can tell him that, too.”
“I don’t care about the selfies, unless you do.” She tips her head, her expression questioning.
“I’m fine with it if you’re fine with it.”
She pushes up on her tiptoes, trying to reach a box of cookies on the top shelf.
I grab it and pass it to her. “And if you want tickets to a game, I can get them for you, no problem. Maybe you want to bring your sister or something. If she watches hockey. But no pressure.”
She steps closer and runs a hand up my chest. “I’d love to see what you do.”
“My job isn’t very exciting. The game is where all the action is.”
“I don’t know if I agree with that, but it would be fun all the same.” She wraps her hand around the back of my neck and pulls my mouth to hers.
I get caught up in the kiss until one of the guys comes looking for me. “Let’s put a pin in this until we’re alone again.”
We finish moving my mother’s belongings into the home early in the afternoon. I thank the guys and Kitty for their help by taking them out for lunch, and then Kitty and I head back to the home to finish unpacking.
The next day I move my mother into the home. We decided that it would be best to wait until she settled in before we brought Prince Francis over for a visit; otherwise, it could be confusing.
I carry my mother’s bag as we walk down the hall. She’s in one of the highly monitored wings of the home, with individuals who suffer from similar ailments. The staff assured me that she would have people her age to mingle with, and that while the first few weeks are usually the most challenging, she’ll adjust.