Page 31 of Sacrifice
“Yeah, you need to wash your hands and wipe the dirt off your face.”
Thanks, kid, for looking out.
I quickly wash up and freshen up while I’m at it. I do a quick sweep of the house, telling Huxton to pick up his LEGO’s he drug out earlier and left scattered on the floor before I forced him outside with me.
I don’t expect Corbin will come inside, but in the event he does, I don’t want the house to look a mess.
A few minutes later I hear his pickup pull up outside and the nervous flutter I get in my stomach when he’s around returns.
“You smile a lot when you see Corbin,” Huxton says, staring at me. He still has a pile of LEGO’s on the floor in front of him, doing more playing than cleaning up.
“You better get back to work or Corbin’s going to wonder where his partner in crime is.”
He sighs, scooping up a handful and tossing it into the little Rubbermaid tote.
Corbin is dressed in a black t-shirt with the sleeves cut-off and a pair of denim jeans. I can’t imagine why he’d want to wear jeans in the heat of summer, but damn does he look good in them. He pulled on a baseball cap since he left the store. He’s going to make it hard to focus on anything but him.
His arms flex when he reaches for the handle of the tailgate, lowering it before jumping onto the truck bed to grab a few tools.
“I’m going to go see if Corbin needs any help. Once you’re finished, put your sneakers on and you can come join us.”
I slip outside, letting the screen door slam shut behind me, announcing my presence. Corbin looks up, twisting his baseball cap around backwards, giving him a better view of me.
“You need any help?”
“I think I got it, but I wouldn’t mind the company.”
I smile and nod. The combination of his backwards cap and the outline of his muscles flexing, covered in his tattoo sleeve, has me practically salivating at the mouth. Sweat dots his brow and I nearly choke when he lifts his shirt, wiping his face, showing off his stomach.
Corbin was stocky, built like a linebacker. He didn’t have those chiseled abs you’d see on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. He had meat on his bones and, man, did he have me wanting a taste.
He wouldn’t have a problem lifting me in his arms and carrying me right into the house.
The sound of his throat clearing, peering up at me from under his dark lashes, earns me a devious grin.
“What were you thinking about?” he asks, just as Huxton comes barreling out the front door.
“Hey, buddy.” He quickly changes the subject, his gaze still lingering on me. “Want to give me a hand? I could use one.”
Huxton kneels on the ground next to him, tilting his head down to look beneath the mower while Corbin got to work. I smile warmly at the sight of them.
Corbin may have it all down in the looks department, but watching him with my son, seeing how patient he is while talking through each step, may be the most attractive side of him I’ve seen yet.
Chapter Twelve
Corbin
It didn’t take long for me to figure out what was wrong with the mower. It turns out it wasn’t the carburetor; it just needed an alignment which isn’t too difficult to fix. Once we got the mower running, I encouraged Haelynn to tackle whatever else she had on her to-do list for the day. She hesitated, insisting she could take it from here.
When I insisted I wasn’t leaving until I took care of it, she shook her head and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. Nothing serious. It was no different than if Makenna were to stop over and help her with something around the house.
When she pulled back, the blush that tinted her rosy cheeks had me wishing I could pull her back for more.
She invited me to stick around for dinner as a thank you. I ran home to get cleaned up and met them back to eat. We decided to eat out on the patio, enjoying one of the last few warm summer nights. Fall is around the corner and soon the leaves would change, and the evening temperatures will turn brisk.
I stood in the kitchen while Haelynn tucked Huxton in for bed. She apologized when she added it would be a few extra minutes while she read to him. I didn’t want to take her time away from him, but I also didn’t want to miss out on the chance to get her alone.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the night of the bonfire. The way her body came alive when I touched her. I crave all the subtle ways her body reacts to me.
