Page 13 of Reed

“Because of this.” He points out the window, and I gasp in surprise.

We are parked in front of a black iron gate. Reed leans out the window, punches in a code, and I watch as the gate opens. “Wow,” I say as his house comes into view. It’s a two-story, white brick, modern home. If someone were to ask me what my dream house was and then built it, it would be this. Two pillars frame a black, rounded front door. Two big picture windows on each side. There is an upstairs balcony with four windows, exactlylike the two downstairs, and a smaller version of the front door. The roof looks to be black metal and glimmers in the afternoon sun. From what I can see, spruce trees surround the house and stretch on for miles.

“Welcome home, Little One and my little men,” Reed says, parking in front of the house and getting out. I’m too stunned to move. So it’s a good thing he opens my door and lifts me out. I’ve tried hard not to pay attention to his body, but when it’s pressed against mine, I can’t help but notice. His chest and stomach are rock-hard with muscles. His shoulders are broad, and his arms are thick. I come up to the middle of his chest, meaning he has to be almost six foot five. Which makes me feel even smaller at five foot two.

“Home?” I ask, flustered. Reed goes to the back and grabs Caleb before going to get Jacob. I reach back inside and grab our bags, plus the food.

“Yeah. You and the boys will live here.” He starts toward the front door, and I follow him.

“Reed, this is absolute craziness. We don’t know each other. I can’t move in with you,” I say, sighing because everything has my head spinning. He ignores me and walks into a living room off to the right. He sits the boys down and turns on the TV.

“What do my little men want to watch?” He asks, and I give up on talking and put the boys’ cups on the small table. Then, I turn around and head into a kitchen that takes my breath away.

“SpongeBob,” they both yell.

I sit the undoubtedly cold food down on a table. Stepping into the kitchen, I run my hands over the stainless-steel fridge, along the smooth marble countertop, down into the sunk-in oversized sink, and stop when I get to a six-burner stove. The meals I could cook in this kitchen leave me wishing we could stay. I sense Reed before I hear him. I’m spun around and pressed up against the stove. He reaches down, grabs me beneath my ass, and lifts melike I don’t weigh close to two hundred pounds. My ass hits the stove, and the grates clang as they shift under my weight. Reed pushes between my opened legs and tips my head back with a finger under my chin.

“Now, back to what you were saying about how you can’t move in here with me,” he growls, pinching my chin to keep me from turning my head away.

“We don’t know each other,” I say through gritted teeth. My mind is telling me to grab my kids and run, but my body is telling me to pull this man closer, to wrap myself around him until I can’t see where he ends, and I begin.

“I don’t have to fucking know you, to know that I want you here.” Dropping his hand from my chin, he pulls me closer by my thighs. My ass scrapes against the grate, and I hiss at the sting. “From the moment you ran into me in the hall, I can’t get you out of my fucking mind. You are like a disease eating me from the inside out. We can get to know each other. But right now, I need you to stop fighting me. Someone is out there trying to hurt you, and I will be damned if I let them. Nothing in my life has ever made me feel like this. I walked around not feeling anything, that is, until you literally ran into me. I’ve learned the hard way not to wait around when there is something you want. We aren’t guaranteed a tomorrow. So when there is something I want, I go after it. And believe me, Little One, there is nothing I want more than you and those boys with me.”

Reed’s speech leaves me speechless and wanting. I feel his dick, long and hard pressed up against me, and it makes me ache in the best way possible. “This is crazy,” I say again because it is. I run my hands up his arms and sink them into his inky dark black hair. His eyes close, and a groan comes from his throat.

As I’m about to lean in and kiss him, his phone rings, interrupting us. “Shit, I have to take this Little One. But keep that thought for later,” he says, backing up and pulling me down.He answers his phone, and I leave him to check on the boys. They are sitting quietly, absorbed in the world of SpongeBob. A minute later, Reed enters the living room, ruffles their hair, and walks over to me. “I’ve got to head out for a little while. I’ll be back.” He bends down and brushes his lips over mine.

“Be safe,” I say, pulling him closer for a deeper kiss before letting him walk out. As the front door closes, I sink down into the black leather sofa and wonder what the fuck I got myself into. Only then do I remember I didn’t ask about my Jeep. I need to check my insurance to find out if it will cover the tow. After a quick call, I learned I do not have roadside service, so towing the Jeep will have to wait.

I don’t have Reed’s phone number, so I email him.

Reed,

I don’t have your number, but how long can my Jeep sit there until the school has it towed away?

Ali.

Instead of an email reply, my phone dings with a new text message.

Unknown number

Don’t worry about it, Little One. I’ve taken care of it.

Me

How do you have my number?

I save his number before heading into the dining room to grab the food he bought me. I’m starving and not about to let good food go to waste. I settle back on the couch, and the boys come over to help me eat the fries.

Reed

I have my ways.

Me

That doesn’t surprise me. Thank you, by the way.

Reed

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