Page 35 of Rush

Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted to see Linc too.

After their very revealing talk, Nora wasn’t sure where Linc’s head was at, but hers had been in the clouds during their very silent dinner after which Linc took Sophie to get ice cream. She’d been invited to join, of course, but had declined, taking the easy way out to hide in her room.

Never in her life could one person produce within her such a wide range of emotions. From joy to anger, her feelings for Linc ran the gamut and would usually change at the drop of a hat. The man was charming, intelligent, and sexy as hell. But on the flip side, he could be cocky, bossy, and frustratingly infuriating.

In a nutshell, the man made her emotionally exhausted.

And left her with a buildup of sexual tension.

Kicking off the covers, she got out of bed and made her way to the door, poking her head out. All was quiet upstairs so she quickly took the few steps to the bathroom she shared with Sophie, emerging fifteen minutes later freshly showered and wrapped in a towel.

She didn’t escape back to her room undetected. Linc was leaving his room just as she stepped into the hall. They both froze in unison, the length of Sophie’s bedroom the only distance separating them.

Nora noticed Linc’s gaze flick down her body for the briefest of moments before flying back up to make eye contact. “Morning.”

Clutching her pajamas to her chest to keep the towel in place, Nora responded, “Good morning.”

“I was about to make breakfast. French toast.”

“Sounds good.”

Awkward silence covered the distance between them.

She broke it by saying, “I’ll get dressed and come down to help.”

“Thanks.” He dipped his head and continued to the stairs, jogging down them.

Nora watched for a few seconds then hurried to her room. She appeared in the kitchen less than five minutes later, wet hair in a ponytail and having thrown on shorts and a tee. “What can I do?”

Linc stood in front of the stove, flipping French toast with a spatula. “I’m just about done here, but you can heat some syrup in the microwave.”

Nora got busy not only heating the syrup but also setting the table and the food was dished up by the time she finished.

Silence filled yet another meal. Oblivious to the tension, Sophie attacked her food and Nora couldn’t help but smile at the little girl’s gusto.

When she finished eating, Linc wiped syrup off her fingers and face with a wet napkin. “Why don’t you go watch TV while I clean up. Then we’ll take a trip to the ducks and feed them the rest of the bread. Okay?”

In answer, Sophie ducked under the table and crawled out from beneath it, running into the living room.

“It’s good to see her eat so well,” Nora said, cutting into her own French toast and swiping it through the syrup on her plate.

“It is. She’s improved in so many areas. Now I just wish she’d start talking.”

“She will. Just give her more time.”

Linc nodded then pushed his cleaned plate away. “Listen, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Happy to talk about anything, Nora set her fork down. “Okay.”

“Next Saturday is the team’s Super Bowl ring ceremony. It’s a big deal. Everyone will be bringing their wives and girlfriends.” He raised an eyebrow. “And fiancées.”

Nora pushed her own plate away and picked up her coffee cup. “I get it. You need me to come.”

“After last night I wanted to make sure you’re still on board with the plan.”

“As long as we’re both on the same page and stay there, I am.”

His head dipped. “You made things very clear last night.”

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