Page 133 of Mr. Infuriating

NotFlannigan’s.

I’d never risk pissing Derrick or Maverick off. My days of drinking my favorite tap beer for free would come to a crashing halt.

But I hadn’t met anyone I was willing to allow into my space, even for a night.

And now I’d not only welcomed Gretchen in with open arms, but I’d asked her to bring her son along, too. While one of my kids was here.

What the hell is wrong with me?

The difference is, I told myself, I’m not sleeping with her. Yeah, we’d hooked up before, but this had nothing to do with that.

So what if I’d just imagined covering her mouth with my hand as I fucked her from behind in the pantry?

I’m a guy. It didn’t mean anything. We fantasize about everything from football to fishing to fucking. It wasn’t like I was going to act on it.

It didn’t matter how much I liked her being there; I’d put boundaries in place on Friday night for a reason, and I intended to keep them.

No matter how fucking sexy she looked in my kitchen.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Gretchen

“Ms. Kelly, this is really good!” Brittany announced in between bites of the skillet beef macaroni and cheese.

Gabe nodded enthusiastically. “Delicious.”

“Thanks. You saw it was pretty simple to make.”

He choked out, “Thatwas simple?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I stabbed some pasta with my fork. “Well, yeah.”

“It’s like a gourmet version of the stuff from a box that Dad makes.”

I glanced over at him with a knowing smile, then told Britt, “I’ll send your dad the recipe.”

Jake happily munched away in the travel booster seat that was pushed up tight against Gabe’s kitchen table.

“Is it good, baby?”

He nodded enthusiastically and attempted another bite that ended up on his face before reaching his mouth.

Gabe smiled as he watched Jake, then told me, “I think I have p-u-d-d-i-n-g in the pantry for dessert. Although it’s the instant kind in a box, not in a cup.”

“I saw that. The instant is better anyway. At least in my opinion. Although, either way, it’s going to end up in his hair.”

“That’s what bathtubs are for.”

He needed to keep his kind eyes to himself. I wouldn’t be lulled into believing he felt anything for me other than polite indifference.

I tried to keep the conversation light.

“I can’t wait for summer at the Cape, and I can just stick him in the outdoor shower.”

Brittany sat up straighter. “Oh! Do you have a place there? My Uncle Maverick and Aunt Olivia just bought a summer house on the beach!”

“My parents do. My mom inherited it from my grandparents.”

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