Chapter 9
PARTNER LEGO BUILDING = DIRTY TALK
ABBY
Just knock first.
Of course, I’m going to knock first. Who doesn’t knock?
I shake my head with an unavoidable smile because Jasper has an aura about him that pulls it out of me against my will.
His easy going personality is a sharp contrast from Wade’s, but there's something about Wade that I can’t seem to shake.
The moment he told me about his daughter, it was like he came to life. Sharing all the things they do together and everything she likes.
It’s crystal clear how great of a father he is and even more obvious how much pressure he puts on himself to be present for her.
I pause in front of his door, hearing the rustling of wooden drawers behind it.
I have no idea why he ran off like he did.
The video we did was great. All of the guys were totally engaged while recording and afterward, I was proud to give them the hockey tickets and jerseys that were donated to the station for the entire season.
They all seemed so excited, with the exception of Wade, who sort of just scowled at me and Jasper.
Apparently Jasper is a huge hockey fan so he was more animated than everyone combined and proceeded to get half naked to try on the jersey.
A nice little perk for my hungry little eyes. And I couldn’t help but take in every inch of his toned body while inspecting the lines of ink over his chest. I think I may have been drooling a bit.
It was fun, playful banter. Until I saw Wade in the same needy state I was staring at Jasper. Then he just stormed off.
I thought maybe there could have been something between them at one time but Jasper mentioned Wade hasn’t had a girlfriend since Lily’s mom left and that was almost two years ago, which was right around the time Jasper started working here.
I shake out my confused thoughts because I could overanalyze all of this until I’m dead and buried. All I know is the crush I had on Jasper from weeks back has yet to fade and I’m finding myself in quite the predicament with more than one crush.
Three in fact.
How is that even possible?
Raising my arm, I ball my fist as I attempt to knock on the door but it swings open before my hand can make contact. My arm flies forward hitting nothing but air, while Wade stands in the doorway with his jaw clenched as tight as his hand, making a white knuckle grip on the side of the door.
His eyes immediately soften, along with his tight shoulders that slouch slightly as he lowers his hands to his sides.
“Hey.” A question and a statement.
“Hi,” I reply.
A moment of silence passes as he dips his head forward and glances down the hallway, his brows furrow, then stands to his full height as his eyes meet mine again.
“Expecting someone else?” I ask playfully.
“No,” he says, defensively.
“Okay, I was just…” I pause, because this is awkward. I realize being direct is clearly a requirement in communication with Wade. So, I lift the bag between us, pushing it into his chest before stepping through the door.
“I want to build this Lego for Lily and you’re going to help me.”
I pass by him with my chin held high as my eyes glaze over the immaculately organized and clean room. It surprises me considering it sounded like the zombie apocalypse invaded here earlier with the aggressive banging that resonated through the hallways from this room.
There are two full size beds on each side of the room, with a small reading chair and a two person table placed in the corner.
“Ah, this is perfect.” I walk over and pat the tabletop as he stares at me, bag in hand. He finally shuts the door shaking his head, but not enough to hide a small smirk that he attempts to cover up.
“Okay, sweetheart. You’re the boss.”
“No, insert it here. Yeah, push it in. Yup, right there. Yeah, that’s good. Ooh, perfect.” My mind goes in the gutter with his direction as Wade praises my Lego building work, peering over at me with a smile.
The past hour has been a complete one-eighty from how Wade acted during breakfast and in the garage. He’s been calm, kind, and so patient.
It’s been a long time since I’ve built a Lego so there were moments of confusion. Wade stepped in calmly, reviewing the instructions and guided me through it. His understanding and patience level is seriously unmatched.
I had to refrain from wanting to toss the thing across the room.
“So, Lily loves the rain, huh?” I ask, as I peek at the instructions and snap on another piece.
“She does. It rarely rains but when it does, she runs and grabs her bright purple rain boots, and once those things are on it’s full blown mayhem. I’ve never known anyone to love an actual mud bath, but she’s out there practically shoving herself in human size potholes.”
I toss my head back and laugh. “It can’t be that bad. She’s a kid, of course she’s going to get dirty.”
He cocks his head at me with a lopsided frown and raised eyebrows. Slipping his hand in his pocket he brings out his phone, tapping on the screen, then turns it around to face me.
A photo of an adorable baby girl with bright platinum hair wearing purple rainboots and a yellow jacket is laying stick straight in a muddy puddle.
Actually, I can’t say it's really a puddle. There’s definitely more dirt than water and there are large blobs of thick mud plastered all over her body.
She’s got a beaming smile as her bright blue eyes look at the camera with pure joy.
“Oh my, she’s living her best life,” I reply, grabbing his phone and pinching the screen to zoom in on her adorable face.
“She is.” He chuckles. “I’ve never been a fan of the rain, but she makes me look forward to it,” he says with a grateful smile and I can see how much he loves his little girl.
“She’s lucky to have you.” He glances up at me and doesn’t say anything, but I can feel how much he appreciates what I said.
“Is her mom around?” I ask, curiosity winning over my willpower.
He shakes his head, “She left when Lily was just a baby.” He glances over at me with a sad smile, but it doesn’t feel like it’s for him. It’s for Lily. “But, my mom and sister help out a lot when I’m at work, so she’s got amazing women in her life.”
“Her dad is pretty amazing, too,” I reply with a smile, because I think he needs the reminder.
I swipe out of the zoomed in picture and the next one slides on the screen.
There’s a little heart at the bottom indicating it’s been favorited in his phone.
I tilt my head as I look at the photo. It’s a picture of the garage from earlier.
Jasper's entire body is in full frame with his back to the camera watching me as I walk up the side of the fire truck, looking into my phone with a smile.
“Oh, I— I was going to post about the donation.” He grabs his phone from my hand, clicking the side button making the screen go black, as he shoves it back in his pocket.
I pause for a moment, and wonder if I should ask why it was in his favorites folder, but decide against it.
“Tag me in it when you do, so I can share it. The community donation part of my page is my favorite thing to do.” I smile and he nods, holding the Lego truck in his hand, he turns it from one side to the other as he inspects it then places it on the table and pushes it toward me.
The table is dramatically less clustered now that we’ve fitted most of the pieces.
I pick up the truck, glance at the instructions and look up at Wade holding out the last piece in his palm. He saved it for me, which I find oddly endearing.
Pinching my fingers together I pick the final piece out of his hand, snapping it on, then tilt my head to the left and right as I push into each side, ensuring it’s snug.
“We finished it!” I stand excitedly and round the table to show him.
He turns to face my direction as I walk up to him with a proud smile. I haven’t built any Legos since my dad passed and my heart somehow feels a little fuller.
I hand him the fire truck, and he reaches forward to grab it. Our fingers overlap and the warmth of his touch as he grazes his fingertips over mine makes my breath hitch.
Our eyes connect and electricity moves between us. My heart rate picks up and the sound beats loudly through my eardrums.
I shift my gaze down and realize I stepped right in between his legs when I walked to his side of the table and we’re so close, my body is almost flush with his.
Gently pulling the Lego from my hand, he places it on the tabletop, then returns his gaze back to me. My tongue darts out to lick my bottom lip and my teeth graze over the bottom pulling it into my mouth.
His hazel eyes bounce between my eyes and lips before his thumb and finger pinch my chin, making my lip pop out.
He licks his own lips as he trails his thumb over the plump skin of my bottom lip.
He caresses it and alternates pressure as he moves it back and forth while his eyes bore into mine.
It’s like he’s debating a mathematical problem and the only way to solve it is never take his eyes off me.
Even though his gaze is trained solely on my face, I feel him everywhere.
Lowering his hands, he trails them down my arms, creating goosebumps in his wake. It’s soft and sensual, kind and calm, exactly like his behavior the entire time we’ve been building.
Both palms now press against my hips and his fingers bite into my sides, gripping firmly. His touch is hard but comforting, and somehow makes me feel safe…and incredibly turned on.
He leans in slowly, simultaneously pulling my hips flush with his and we’re only inches apart.
My eyes flicker to his lips and back up to his eyes. They’re darker than they were before, the honey hazel are now a deep amber and I’m addicted to the richness of them.
Our breath is heavy as he dips his head slightly to the left as I tilt mine to the right. We’re both cautious, as we lean in closer to each other. His lips are a feather width away. I purse my lips softly, as he grazes his over mine, then pulls me forward crashing our lips together.
His hand reaches up to cup my cheek, pulling me deeper into him as he moans and squeezes his eyes shut. Like he’s been dying to do this his whole life.
“You feel so good,” he whispers in disbelief in between kissing me. And he’s right, because he feels just as good. Our kiss is powerful, needy and all consuming.
I moan and nod, wanting to tell him the same, as my fingers tug on the fabric of his shirt.
Knock. Knock.
Jumping back, I’m startled and completely out of sorts. I got lost in the moment, being completely swept away by him and my mind is reeling. I look at Wade then at the door, wide-eyed and a bit worried because I shouldn’t be here doing this.
“Are you guys done building that Lego yet? Major agreed to play one of the board games down here but only if it’s all four of us. Let’s gooooo,” Jasper says with excitement as his voice fades down the hall.
An awkward moment passes between us before we both let out a soft chuckle. I feel like a teenager that just got busted in her room with her boyfriend and I think he probably feels the same.
“Well, I guess we should head down.” I pat my leggings like I’m looking for my keys. Clearly confused and out of it.
“Yeah,” he nods as he stands, “I’m just going to clean this up, I’ll meet you down there.”
“I can help.” I step forward but he interrupts.
“No…no, it’s okay, I…um, need a minute.” He smiles with raised eyebrows.
A breathy Oh, passes between my lips before I can hide my smile.
I head toward the door and sneak a glance back at Wade.
The strong lines of his back peek through the fabric of his shirt and he picks up the extra pieces from our fire truck.
His dark brown hair is a little disheveled, looking like how I feel but there’s a happiness to his body language that wasn’t there earlier and I can only hope I had a little something to do with that.
Wrapping my hand around the door handle, I pull open the door and take a step through it.
“Hey Abby,” Wade calls out and I pause to look back at him, “she’s going to love this.” He holds up the truck with a beaming smile and it makes me want to give him a thousand more kisses so he can give me more smiles like that one.