Page 94 of Fiery Romance

Footsteps patter down the stairs. Bare feet. Then a pair of scrawny legs stick out of a pair of swishing gym shorts.

Abe freezes when he sees me. His eyes dart to the side as if he’s considering disappearing back up the stairs.

“Need something?”

He clears his throat. “Just… getting some water.”

“Want soda instead?”

His eyes widen. I don’t allow the kids to drink sugary things after six o’clock. It’s not good for their health, and it lights Regan up like a Macy’s parade. She doesn’t need that kind of adrenaline boost before bed.

“Yeah,” Abe says.

Apparently, the thought of drinking soda makes it more palatable to spend time with me.

I’ll take the victories anywhere I can.

After cracking the top off the sodas, I extend my bottle towards him. “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” he says, an excited flush spreading across his cheeks.

The first sip hits my throat with a carbonated sting. I chug and then let out a nice, manly burp.

Abe laughs.

“Don’t just laugh, kid. You’re up.”

“I can’t burp like that.”

“Sure you can. It’s easy.” I demonstrate by doing it again.

He shakes his head and scrunches his nose. At first, I think he’s going to bow out and reveal how much we really don’t have in common.

But then he lets loose a burp that wouldn’t disturb a frog on a lily pad.

I wallop him on the back. “Good start. We’ll work on that.”

He smiles and then seems to remember that he hates me. Quickly, his expression shifts. He turns his shoulder away and drinks his soda while facing the wall.

I rub the back of my neck, wondering if now’s the right time to bring up the play. When it comes to giving orders, I’m the king. But walking them back and changing my mind isn’t my style.

Island won our deal, so she’ll get what she wants.

Hell, she deserves a lot more than being saddled with more responsibility after sticking to me all day and keeping a cool head during the mission.

At the very least, I need to hold up my end of the bargain.

“Abe…” I begin uncertainly.

“If you’re going to scold me for smoking again, I’m going back upstairs.”

Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking, boy.The lecture is right on the edge of my tongue and I hold it back.

“Fine,” I say instead. Calmly, I sip my soda. “But I guarantee you that if you storm upstairs now, I’m changing my mind and you’re gonna regret it.”

His ears perk up and he turns to look at me. “What are you talking about?”

I wrap my fingers around the bottle and let the glass cool my skin. “Since there’s less than a week left on your suspension, I called the school and asked if it would be okay for you to attend rehearsals.”

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