Page 76 of The Maxwell Brothers
Rolling my shoulders back, I exclaimed proudly, “Fantastic Tate.”
His eyes bulged, and he pressed his lips together.
I pointed at him. “What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” His answer came too quickly. I was even more suspicious now.
“I work with kids. I’m an expert at interpreting nonverbal cues. You’re holding back a reaction. Out with it.”
“Lexi, that’s a sucky way to describe me.”
I blinked, taken aback, considering it. “Okay, maybe. I’ll drink coffee and think some more.”
He burst out laughing so wholeheartedly that I couldn’t help but join him. Hey, this was a win. I’d gotten him to laugh at the crack of dawn, shitty description and all.
The mattress caved as he shifted his weight. For a split second, I thought he wanted to grab food. Nope, he just wanted to grab me. He pinned me to the mattress, pushing my thighs wide apart with his knees.
“You’re rewarding me for coming up withfantastic?” I teased, rolling my hips into him.
He groaned, kissing down my chest. Pushing up my pink pajama top, he trailed his mouth around my navel. At the same time, he skimmed his fingers up my inner thigh.
“I want—” he began but stopped midsentence. At first, I didn’t realize why, but then I heard sounds from the living room.
Someone was inside.
Tate frowned, immediately rising to his feet.
"What's going on?" I asked.
A masculine voice chuckled from the living room, and a female voice said, "Someone must've aired the place out. It's not stuffy."
Tate groaned. "My parents are here."
Holy shit.
I was instantly awake. Adrenaline spiked my blood. I leaped off the bed, running a hand through my hair.
"What do you mean, your parents are here?"
"We take turns coming here, and there was nothing on the calendar. They probably assumed it was vacant."
My chest heaved up and down. Sweat dotted my forehead. I took a mental inventory of myself. Yeah, I was a sleepy mess. No way could I meet them like this.
"Can you keep them occupied and give me a few minutes?" I asked.
Tate chuckled. “Lexi, it’s gonna be fine. Don’t stress out.”
I made a strangled sound low in my throat. “It usually takes me forever to get ready.”
He stepped closer, cupping my face in his hands.
“Lexi. Relax.”
“Go, go,” I urged. “Before they barge in here and see me like this. They’ll know what we’ve been doing for sure and… and… oh my God! And I’m Paisley’snanny!”
He flashed me a smile before dropping his hands.
“Lexi, you’re making too much out of this.” He tried to comfort me, but I shooed him toward the door.
