Page 64 of Home Field Advantage
I swallow, because Ihavewanted to learn. I hoped to find a video on the internet to teach myself, but it slipped my mind until now.
“You’d do that?” I ask Poppy.
She stares at me for a beat before she nods.
Grabbing her brush from the dresser and Sage’s hair tie sitting next to it, Poppy sits on the edge of the bed as Sage positions herself on the floor, sitting between her legs. I take a seat next to Poppy, and the energy shifts, feeling like an inferno.
“The first thing you’re going to want to do is brush out any knots,” Poppy explains and begins to brush her hair. My eyes bounce between the back of Sage’s head and Poppy’s face. I can’t not look at her. “Once that’s done, you’re going to want to separate the hair into three sections.”
“I love it when someone plays with my hair. Soooo relaxing,” Sage says, causing Poppy to chuckle.
“Me too,” she answers Sage before turning her head to face me. She opens her mouth to say something, but she pauses when she notices my gaze is already locked on hers. Her eyes trail the features of my face and linger a second longer on my lips.
Does she want me to kiss her?
Because I will.
“Uh. Yeah. Three sections. Even sections,” she practically stutters nervously.
I rest a hand on her thigh, silently telling her she doesn’t need to be nervous with me. But it startles her. Hell, it startles me with the zap I feel under my palm. It runs through my body rapidly and makes my head feel dizzy.
What the hell?
“What happens after the three sections?” I ask.
“Right,” she says, focusing back on Sage’s hair, who is completely oblivious to the tension swirling in the room. “You’re going to cross the outside section over this big middle section. Which now puts the outside as the new middle.”
I watch as she does the steps she mentioned before dropping her hair and placing two hands on her lap. Facing me, she smiles, and I eye her curiously.
“Let’s switch spots. I’ll talk you through it, and you can practice as I teach you.”
“Good idea,” Sage adds with a clap of her hands. “You’re gonna make the best braid.”
Sage scoots forward, keeping her back to us as Poppy and I stand simultaneously, almost butting heads.
She giggles, taking a step back. “Oops. Sorry.”
I grip her upper arms with both hands, steadying her, and lock my eyes on her, giving her a knowing look. Her eyes widen because she knows.
Leaning into the shell of her ear, I keep my voice low. “I don’t know who ever made you feel like you have to apologize for everything, but they need to be castrated. Immediately.”
I pull back, but keep my arms in place, maneuvering her so we switch places. She’s so close that her body is mere inches from mine, and the heat radiating from her is intense. It’s electrifying. It’s…exhilarating.
It’s also made me realize that this is the first time, probably in my life, that I haven’t acted on impulse when it came to awoman. Because if I had, she would’ve been in my bed weeks ago. We wouldn’t be sitting in my daughter’s room and braiding her hair because she’d be flat on her back in my bed right now.
It’s a wild and new feeling.
Bluestone Lakes is changing me, slowly and surely.
It’s making me want things that shouldn’t be in the cards for me.
I know for a fact I’m playing with fire, saying these things to her and touching her the way I am.
I’m playing a dangerous game.
But I’ve always loved the rush that comes with it.
CHAPTER 16
