7. Sawyer #2
He winces, miming zipping his lips, then turns to Jonah. “Your mom has always hated spiders, even when we were kids. I used to prank her with fake ones all the time.”
“I’m sure that went over well,” I mutter.
His eyes go wide as if he’s had a brilliant idea.
“Nope. I know that face.”
“What face?” he says innocently.
“The one that tells me you’re up to no good. I want the woman to like me so she’ll let me help her. I like her. I’m not trying to get further on her bad side.”
“You like my mom?” Jonah asks.
Why can’t I keep these thoughts in my brain?
I didn’t mean to say that out loud. “I do. I mean, what’s not to like?
She’s confident and way more level-headed than I am.
She doesn’t put up with nonsense from people.
The way she has a witty retort locked and loaded is impressive.
Her eyes are the exact shade of blue as the summer sky after a rainstorm, and I sometimes stare at them longer than I should.
She’s smart, calm under pressure, and a good mom.
She seems like a great person to have on your side.
I like people like that.” I glance at the stunned faces around me. “I’ll stop talking now.”
“I think he more than likes your mom,” RJ stage-whispers, elbowing me.
My eyes drop to his arm, still jabbing me. “I’m gonna let that one slide.” The side of my mouth crooks into a grin.
“I like you. I want to see more of you,” Jonah says.
Well, fuck if that doesn’t hit me in the feels. “I think you’re pretty cool too.”
“I know how to get my mom to like you.”
“Thanks, kid, but I shouldn’t have told ya all that.”
Jonah smiles, like he knows something I don’t. “That’s why I like you. You don’t treat me like a little kid. You talk to me like an adult. And so does my mom. That’s why she’ll like you.”
“I talk to you like I do anyone else. I do the same with my kids.”
“Some people talk to me like a baby, especially when they find out I’m autistic. They treat me like I’m dumb, but I’m smarter than most people.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. And I’m confident you’re smarter than me.”
“You’re really nice. My dad was nice. Mom deserves someone nice,” Jonah says.
I look between them, pointing a finger. “Hold on. Before you two go all conspiratorial on me, I want it on record that I’m not on board with tricking Raven.”
“It’s not tricking. It’s giving her the push she needs to try something new,” RJ says.
I pause my movements. “New?”
He leans in. “Just trust me.”
“Not loving the smirk on your face.”
“This is a win-win for everyone. You help my sister with the house. Jonah gets the support he needs, and so does McKenna. You like my sister, she likes you.”
“That last part is up for debate,” I mutter.
“So how do we get her to date you?” RJ asks like he’s thinking out loud as he taps his chin.
“You’re asking the wrong person. My track record isn’t the best.”
“I know!” Jonah interrupts. “We could scare my mom with a fake spider. Then she’ll jump in your arms, and you can kiss her and… the end.”
“It’s not that simple, kid,” I say, offering him a smile. “But I appreciate the idea.”
RJ rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Raven loves pranks. She was a bit of a prankster when we were younger. It was kinda her love language.”
My head swivels between them. This is a terrible idea. “Not happening. I want no part of this.”
“Trust me. You can absolutely win her over with the perfect prank. She respects the heck outta someone that outsmarts her.”
“Oh, I’m definitely not smarter than her.”
“You don’t have to be. You just have to catch her off guard so she doesn’t see it coming. But it’s gotta be good since you only have the element of surprise once with her,” RJ assures.
“And you’re sure it’s not gonna make her mad?”
“I’m trying to help you. And I’m not trying to tick my sister off. Knowing Raven, this’ll probably be some weird foreplay to her.”
I shoot him a look.
“What’s foreplay?” Jonah asks.
“It’s something that’s very important,” RJ says, then cringes. “I heard it the second it came out of my mouth.”
“What prank are we doing? I wanna help.”
I exhale sharply, relieved Jonah is moving past RJ’s blunder.
“First, you’re gonna help with the house,” RJ says to me.
“I told you, I don’t want to force my way into her life if she doesn’t want me here.”
“She wants your help. I heard her tell the moms,” Jonah adds.
There’s a twinkle in RJ’s eyes as he claps his hands. “You’re going to show up here in two days. Act confident, like this was the plan all along. Trust me, she’ll go along with it thinking she forgot. Then you’re going to prank her, and I have the perfect one in mind.”
——————
He was close. Too close. Close enough to hear each ragged inhale and exhale.
Close enough to feel the warm puffs of breath against my cheek.
Close enough that his masculine scent was consuming me with each breath I took.
His eyes danced back and forth, searching mine for some kind of clue, something to let him know that he could proceed.
When they dipped to my lips, I groaned, needing him to put me out of this misery.
“Tell your husband what you need, darlin’. I need to hear you say it.”
Why was he teasing me like this? My need for him was all-consuming. It stole the breath from my lungs, the thoughts from my mind, and the words from my lips. But like hell if I was admitting any of that.
“It looks like my wife is in need. What do you need, wife?” He spat the last word like an insult, but it felt more like a claim. “Need me to fight your demons, gorgeous?”
My lips were practically numb from how hard I was biting them. Why had fate cursed me like this? Forced me to be married to the one man I swore I’d never let myself fall for. He was going to ruin me, and I would gladly thank him for it and beg for more.
Holy. Shit. This isn’t what I was expecting to find when RJ told me to read romance books. Why is it so fucking hot? His dick isn’t even out. They haven’t kissed, yet her need for this man is practically leaping off the page. Are all romance books like this?
“You’re blushing, Chief,” Hardy says as he walks into my office.
I slam the book shut, fumbling it like a hot potato. “Am I?”
Hardy reaches across my desk and swipes the book. “Hitched and Tied. Ayana Cox. I thoroughly enjoyed that one.”
“You’ve read it?”
“Nope.”
“Then how did you enjoy it?”
His head drops as he chuckles. “You don’t have to read the books to enjoy them, if you catch my drift.”
My eyebrows knit. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Bella reads them. I enjoy the aftereffects.”
“Jesus.”
He plops the book back on my desk. “Why are you reading smut in your office?”
“Well, I can’t read it in the break room. And I don’t think we’re allowed to refer to it as smut.”
“I think you’re right,” Hardy says, dropping into a chair.
I blow out a breath, debating what to share. Hardy’s been part of my crew for almost two years, but he’s one of my best guys. Dependable. Trustworthy. “I’m trying to impress a girl.”
He leans forward in his seat. “Fuck off. Who?”
“Raven… fuck. I don’t even know her last name.”
“Hawthorne. Don’t worry, I won’t tell her. She’s a little intimidating when you first meet her, but she grows on you. Not sure she’s the type to be impressed by the men in those books, though.”
“I have no clue what the fuck I’m doing, man,” I admit, dropping my head onto my forearms on the desk.
“Just be yourself. She appreciates authenticity. And a good dick joke.”
My head lifts in surprise. “Raven?”
Hardy chuckles, crossing his arms as he leans back in the chair. “Don’t let those moms fool you. They have these after-hours PTO meetings, and I’m telling you, they could drink and swear any one of us under the table.”
I look up at him in surprise.
“And if that fails, a well-timed good girl always works for me.”