Page 88 of The Foul Out

At 450, I announced myself by stepping all the way into the room.

“Shh, Mommy. I’m counting. Four-fifty-seven. Four-fifty-eight.” Piper focused on each smack of the rope against the ground.

I leaned against a machine nearby, one I didn’t recognize and would never figure out how to work. The gym wasn’t my thing. But Kyle had made it clear he liked my soft thighs and stretch marks. So I just waited, enjoying the view.

“Five hundred,” Piper announced.

Kyle stopped the rope and bent in half with a huff.

“Why are you here?” Piper asked me. “It is only 5:05.”

“Work was slow, so I thought I’d pick you and Sam up early.” I stopped myself from brushing a hair off her forehead. “Look at you working up a sweat.”

“That’s ’cause I did six hundred jumps.” She nodded. “But I’m done now.”

“Me too,” Kyle announced, straightening but still breathing heavy.

“Yes, you did three hundred plus four hundred plus five hundred.” Her little nose scrunched up as she did the mental math. “You did 1200 jumps.”

Whoa, no wonder he was sweaty.

“That means I deserve a good-job hug.” He moved toward me, dropping the rope and holding his arms out.

“Wait, what?” I stepped back, but I wasn’t fast enough. From behind, he looped his arms around me and pressed his sweaty chest into my back. “Oh God, you’re gross.”

“Not what you said the other night,” he murmured, the vibration of each word sending a chill down my spine. “I even turn you on when I’m sweaty.”

I turned in his arms, and he loosened his hold so he could give me a quick peck.

“Yuck,” Piper complained. “You kissed my mom.”

My breath caught in my lungs, and my body flushed. Shit. What was I supposed to say to that?

Kyle stepped away carefully, like he understood that this could be a minefield. “I like kissing her. Is that okay with you?” he asked, his voice soft and even.

“If she doesn’t care.” Piper stepped off the trampoline. “It’s 5:10. We go back to the room now.”

“Yeah, we can.”

She hopped off the trampoline and led us out of the gym. She stayed five steps ahead of us the whole way, surrounded by anair of assurance that showed without words how comfortable she was here at Langfield Corp. She even waved to a security guard.

And when I smiled at the guy, Kyle dropped a sweaty arm over my shoulder.

I pushed him off. “No,” I warned. “You really are gross.”

He pouted, sticking his lower lip out. “Does that mean I can’t come for dinner like you promised?”

I rolled my eyes. “Well, I, uh.” I glanced at Piper, who was still charging forward, and swallowed. “I got my period this morning.”

He grasped my upper arm and pulled me to a stop. “Just because”—he glanced at Piper too, noting that she was still continuing down the hall—“we have a physical relationship now, doesn’t mean that’s the only thing I want to do. I’m not coming over for that.” He smirked. “I’m never going to turn that down. But that’s not the only thing I want from you.”

My heart tripped over itself at the sincerity in his expression. Wow, this man was way sweeter than the world at large realized.

“So you’re after my chicken and broccoli, then, huh?” I teased.

He chuckled. “That and your smiles and your laughs. I like hanging out with you and the kids.”

“In that case, you can come over. But…” I waved a hand in front of my nose. “Shower first, yeah?”

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