Page 97 of Strictly the Worst

“You play?” Linc asks.

“She does not,” I say. “It’s too violent.”

The corner of his lip quirks.

“Can I see your tub?” Zoe asks.

Sure.” Linc inclines his head at the door and she rushes inside.

“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “She just hasn’t been anywhere like this before.”

“I’m kind of enjoying it,” he tells me, his hand still pressed against my lower back. “It’s nice seeing it through her eyes.”

“Can I take a bath?” Zoe shouts.

“No!” My cheeks start to heat up. “Zoe, go downstairs and take your things to your room, please.”

Linc is looking at me, his eyes crinkled.

“What?”

“The expression on your face. It reminds me of my mom. Do they teach that to you somewhere?”

“Yep. They take us aside as soon as we give birth,” I tell him. “We get the facial expression lessons, the tone of voice lessons, and the how to instill guilt with a single eyebrow raise as a bonus.”

His smile widens. “I knew it.” He slides his hand to my waist, his fingers trailing my hips as he pulls me closer. “How long did you say your bathroom was going to take?” he murmurs.

“I didn’t. Because I’m not staying here for the whole renovation. I’m really grateful you’re helping.” He has no idea how grateful. “But I can’t stay here all week.”

His lips brush mine. I tense.

“What’s the matter?” he asks. “You’ve gone all stiff on me.”

“Zoe’s downstairs.”

“And we can hear her talking on her phone,” he replies, leaning down to kiss the sensitive skin beneath my ear. “So what’s really getting you?”

I let out a breath. “You saw my place,” I say, my chest tightening. “It’s very different to this.”

He frowns, as though he doesn’t understand. “I love your place. And what you’re doing to it. It’s fucking amazing that in a few months you’ll be able to sit back and know that everything you look at has been renovated by you. This place isn’t even mine. It belongs to our family trust. I’m the third brother to live in it and none of us have left a mark.”

“Ask Zoe which one she’d prefer to live in,” I say dryly.

“With you. She’d prefer to live wherever you are. That kid loves you to death. I can see it in her eyes. And when I was a kid, I was the same way about my mom.” He blinks, as though a memory has caught him. “She had the small house, my dad had all the real estate you can think of. And it was her I wanted to be with every time.”

I try to imagine Linc as a kid. “Were you cute when you were little?” I ask him.

“I was a little asshole.” He huffs out a laugh. “But anyway, we’re not talking about me when I was little. We’re talking about us.”

“Are we?”

“Aren’t we?” he asks.

I don’t know. I close my eyes for a moment to center myself. Today has been… a thing. From the renovations to the bathroom fiasco to sexy times with Linc in my bedroom to this.

It’s like a whirlwind. So much for no drama. Except this time, the drama’s all mine.

“Why do you want me?” I ask him. It’s an honest question. I don’t understand why this man – who has all the money and women he could want – is pursuing me. A single mom with a dilapidated home.

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