Page 128 of Skate the Line

There’sa dusting of snow covering the road, but that doesn’t keep me from heading home. Practice was long and grueling, despite the fact that we have a game tomorrow. Coach doesn’t believe in going easy on us the night before. He says it builds stamina, and I don’t disagree.

I back off the brake as I travel down the snowy street. I’m driving a little faster than usual, despite the snow, and that has nothing to do with the fact that Ellie and Sunny are at home waiting for me.

Okay, fine.

They’re probably notwaitingfor me.

But I’m waiting to be home with them.

My hands tighten on the wheel.

I mean, Ellie is at home waiting for me. Not EllieandSunny.

I exhale.

I’m fucked.

I should have never gone back to the kitchen last night, and I most definitely shouldn’t have touched heragain.I broke myrule. A rule that’s been engraved in my bones since the first nanny crept into my bed.

As soon as I get home, I’m redrawing the line.

The same line that I drew the moment she started working for me.

It was my fault. I’m the one who crossed it—not once but twice.

No more, though.

We have to go back to our normal, platonic relationship. Friendly, casual, but for the love of God, I cannot keep picturing her wet pussy with my fingers inside her. I can’t crave her taste either.

“Fucking shit,” I mutter.

I turn onto the quiet street without a single tire marking against the layer of snow. A sense of ease backs my movements when I park and climb out onto the sidewalk. Home has never felt more welcoming.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to come home after a practice and not immediately tense with what’s waiting for me. It’s less taxing to have someone I trust around to help me with Ellie, even if I do have to mentally hold myself back from touching her.

I walk inside, and Sunny’s classic scent hits me. If I were a blind man, I’d assume we were at a beach resort instead of a home in Chicago with snow covering the streets. Sunshine and coconut fill the air, and I’m pretty sure she has made dinner, because there is a hint of spice too.

“Hello?”

The house is too quiet.

Where are they?

I walk toward the kitchen, spotting a big pot on the stove. My stomach rumbles with hunger. I’ve told Sunny countless timesthat she wasn’t required to clean or cook me meals, and for a little while, she listened.

But over the last week, she’s made sure to make extra of whatever she’s eating so I can have some too.

A squeal of excitement catches my attention. I glance out the back door, and something unfamiliar burrows inside my chest.

My breath catches.

Jesus.

Look at them.

Sunny, with nothing but a thin coat on, has snowflakes trapped in her brown hair with a smile on her face that’s so warm I’m surprised it hasn’t melted the snow-covered deck. Ellie, who I can’t help but notice is fully bundled up in her snow gear, runs around her with snowballs corralled in her gloved hands.

She throws one at Sunny, who acts like she can’t dodge them. She’s hit in the chest, and her smile grows wider as she looks at my daughter. When she bends down, she swoops up a pile of fluffy snow and flings it toward Ellie.

---