Trent’s seat was currently at my apartment, and although I didn’t want Wasp to know where I lived, I saw no way around it. Ironic that I finally knew a man who cared about my kid’s safety, and I was having a hard time trusting him with something as simple as our address.
Strangely enough, I did trust Wasp. He just had an undeniable good guy vibe and protective tendencies. I couldn’t help but wonder if that came from being a soldier, or if I was just wishful thinking because he had an incredible body and charming personality and I was lonely.
Regardless, if I expected him to help us get through this day, I’d have to trust him at least a little. Blowing out a breath, I nodded. “My apartment’s a few blocks from the Copper Penny.”
He cocked his head to the side and grinned at me. “This is all just a ploy to get me back to your place, isn’t it? Carly, if you want me in your apartment all you have to do is ask.”
“Keep dreaming, soldier boy.”
His sexy smile and ridiculous joke relaxed my shoulders. He was already affecting my body; there was no way I was letting him into my apartment. He and Trent could stay in the car while I ran up to grab the seat. No big deal. I had this.
“It was worth a try.” He set Trent down on the ground. “You about ready, T-man?”
“Yep!” Trent stuffed the last of his cone in his mouth and smiled around the disgusting mess.
Wasp laughed at the sight (he would, he didn’t have to clean it up) and led us to his Jeep as I pulled out a wet wipe and started de-gooping my child. Once finished, I buckled Trent in (a seatbelt would have to do until we reached my apartment) and headed for the passenger’s seat, but Wasp stepped in front of me, cutting me off.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” he asked.
“Uh, not that I’m aware of.”
He gestured at his arm. “He got ice cream on me, too.”
I pulled another wipe from the container and handed it to him.
Refusing to take it, Wasp held his sticky arm out toward me. “Nope. I want the full-service treatment.” He winked at me.
Wondering what the hell I’d gotten myself into, I wiped down his arm feeling his muscles flex against my touch. When I finished, his eyes were darker, his expression more serious.
“I’m glad you called me,” he said.
It was still too soon to know if I’d made the right decision, so I nodded. “Thank you for coming.”
Wasp
I’D DEALT WITH enough stage five clingers over the course of my life that I’d developed rules to protect myself from them. In addition to never giving out my phone number and never doing repeats, I never allowed women on my bike or in my Jeep. Since patching in with the Dead Presidents, my hookups only ever saw my bed at the club, so it made following my rules easy.
But now, there was Carly.
I’d offered her and Trent a ride without thinking twice about it, and although it shouldn’t, breaking my own damn rule felt like the most natural thing in the world. I wanted them in my space, just like I wanted to see their apartment. I needed to find out what made this girl tick, and I was willing to break all my rules to do it.
Why? I had no fucking clue, and I didn’t want to think too hard about it.
Carly wiped the ice cream off my arm, her touch a temptation that only made me want her hands on me again. She finished and pulled away, but not before her breathing had sped up and fingers had stroked my arm.
She wasn’t immune to me after all.
The thought gave me hope as I hurried to open the passenger’s side door for her and waited. The confused look she gave me made me wonder if anyone had ever opened a door for her in her life. Making me wonder what sort of mannerless savages she hung out with.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice small and uncertain as she slid into the seat.
“Yeah, no problem.” I got behind the wheel and asked, “Do you guys have plans? Anywhere specific you want to go after we grab Trent’s seat?”
Carly glanced over the seat at Trent and shook her head. “Nope. We already went swimming and climbing at the Y.”
The strap of her bathing suit was peeking out from under her sexy little dress. Wondering if she was wearing a bikini, I decided I needed to see it. Racking my brain for the best possible way to get her out of that dressandbrighten Trent’s day, I considered taking them to the waterpark, but quickly dismissed the idea. The slides would be too busy, and I wanted them to myself, as selfish as that sounded. Then, the perfect idea hit me. “A buddy of mine owns a kayak rental shop and has been bugging me to try it out. You guys ever been kayaking?”
“Kayaking?” Trent asked, stumbling over the word as he looked to his mom for an explanation. For being so young, he sure spoke well, no baby talk or whining. He was just a smart, fun, rad little kid.
