Page 50 of Tangled with the Tight End

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Yes, Norah, there is.” I jam my finger into my phone and stab out a message to my brother. Marry, Sawyer, over my dead body.

twenty-five

NORAH

“You’ve gotto be fucking kidding me.” I stomp through my living room to the kitchen and yank open the refrigerator door. The condiment bottles in all shapes and sizes clink together. I yank out a carton of eggs, two sticks of butter, and the remaining half gallon of milk.

How dare he mention hiring a nanny for Gino in the same breath he mentions one of his friends married their nanny. I slam everything on the counter not caring if the eggs crack.

“The nerve of that asshole.” I march to the cabinet and drag the remaining ingredients for a chocolate cake out of the cabinets. Some people drink when they’re angry. I bake. And this is going to be the most delicious and smoothest fucking chocolate cake that’s ever been made.

Why did I pick up the damned phone? I swing open the lower cabinet door and jerk out a white mixing bowl, allowing a handful of containers to clatter to the floor.

Why did I answer his call? Because I’m stupid and weak. And I missed him.

As I contemplate smashing my fist into his face, I bake. The muscles in my back and shoulders scream as I whip the ingredients together with more fervor than the recipe calls for.What is it about Gabriel? Why am I drawn to him? Why in the fuck do I care who Gino’s nanny is?

I swat at a strand of hair that flips over my shoulder, slinging it back out of the way.

Yes, it was petty to throw out that Sawyer asked me to marry him, but if there was ever one ounce of hurt that he could experience, I wanted him to feel it.

Selfish? Yes. Bitchy? 100%. But the second he called, my heart skipped a beat, and a smile crossed my face. I was giddy as a schoolgirl despite the warnings I’d told myself. I was tired of denying what was happening. I’m falling for him. It doesn’t matter that I know it’s pointless or that I should stay away. My body and my heart aren’t listening.

And what happens? He pulls the rug out from under me. I pour the sweet-smelling batter into the pan and stop. A nanny? Some gorgeous college coed with long legs, perky tits, and endless games to entertain both the son and the father. And what am I left with? My shoulders sag. A battered heart and baked goods.

I sag against the counter and stare at the pristine white stove. Is this all I want? To stay in Evergreen Lake and cook? To spend the rest of my life alone? The green clock light ticks to the next minute as the internal temperature hums from preheat to ready.

No, it’s not. I want a man who worships me. A man who puts me first and makes my knees buckle when he looks at me. I want to be a mother. Gabriel and Gino’s faces flash before my eyes. But they’re going to find their own happily ever after with some perfect woman who doesn’t fight Gabriel for everything.

Tears sting my eyes. Why did I push him away? What if he could’ve learned to care about me? Three years isn’t the end of the world, and the football season is only half of the year. The oven buzzes, causing me to jump. It’s not like I don’t enjoy football.

Damn it. It’s too late. He’s excited to meet some new girl that drools over him and follows him around everywhere. I lift the first pan off the counter as the doorbell rings.

My heart lodges in my throat. Is it him? Please, let it be him. I step toward the door and stop. Unless he’s coming to tell me how he kept swiping until he found the perfect nanny for both him and Gino. Women can’t help but throw themselves at seeing single dads with adorable kids.

I drop the pan with a thump onto the island and march to the door, swinging it open. His eyes glitter with anger as he stalks into the room, slamming the door shut behind him. “You’re not marrying that guy.”

“Who I marry is not any of your business.” Despite my statement, my eyes rake over him, drinking everything in at once. His tossed hair. The dark circles under his eyes. The way his T-shirt sticks to his chest like a second skin. What woman turns down a man that looks like this even if it’s only for a couple of weeks? A stupid one.

He grips my chin, forcing my gaze to return to his face and stopping my lustful wandering. “You’re not marrying Sawyer. You don’t love him, and…,” He sighs as his jaw slackens. “It would be a mistake.”

I shove my hands on my hips. “How does that matter to you? You’re moving back to Kansas City and hiring some stunning beauty to nanny for Gino, and she’s going to fall all over you while sinking her talons into you.”

His thumb caresses my jawline. “And you’d rather sink your talons into me?” His eyes drop to my lips as my heart thunders in my chest.

It’s time for honesty. “Yes.”

He closes the small distance between us and holds my face in his calloused hands. “Tell me you told him no, so I don’t have to tell him for you.”

“I told him no.”

“Good.” His mouth lands on mine, and my knees shake. Why did I fight this? He tilts his head and slides his tongue along the seam of my lips.

When I moan, he takes that opening and dances into my mouth, lazily but thoroughly tasting and teasing me until I’m aching for more. “You fucking taste like chocolate.” His hands curl into my hair, tugging at the strands until my mouth opens further to him, and my body presses against his like a cat begging to be petted.

His hands drop from my hair and caress every inch of my body until they reach my ass, and he grinds his hard cock into me.

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