“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” I release an exhausted laugh.
“It’s no problem,” Griffin insists.
“Ooo! Please, Mom! Please!” Noah jumps up and down, pulling on my arm. “Can we take your motorcycle?” Noah asks Knox.
“That’s up to your mama,” Knox answers.
I tilt my head. “You have a motorcycle?” I should be more worried about my son riding a motorcycle, but I’m still a bit muddled by the half-naked bodies in front of me.
I think I’ve found my weakness—the lickable muscles on my boss’s bodies.
Knox nods. “Yeah, I park it in our garage.”
My focus goes back to Noah. “How do you know he has a motorcycle?”
Noah’s ears turn red. “He rode it after he showed me how to throw.”
Forcing my mom brain to turn on, I think over letting Knox take Noah to school and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Pleeeeeeease,” Noah begs. He folds his hands together and holds them in front of his face, wearing his best puppy eyes.
I nibble on my lip and turn to Knox, making up my mind. “No speeding.”
“Of course.”
“He has to wear a helmet,” I add.
“That’s a given,” Knox confirms.
“No weaving around cars.”
“Wouldn’t think of it,” Knox soothes.
Releasing a heavy sigh, I look down at Noah. “Listen to everything Knox says, no talking back, and no asking to stop at Mystic Beans.” Kat has gotten Noah hooked on the pastries there. Every time we go, she gives him one for free.
“Thank you!” Noah exclaims with a huge smile on his face and takes off toward Knox’s garage.
“I’ll keep him safe, Darlin’.”
The unease in my gut settles. “Thank you.”
Knox takes a step closer, and it’s like every nerve in my body is humming. I want no space between us. But my front yard is not the place for the kind of things my body wants.
He gently grips my chin and bends down. His lips grace my cheek. So soft, so tender. He doesn’t wait for my reaction. Instead, he turns and strides off after Noah, slipping his shirt on as he goes.
My cheeks flush again when Griffin clears his throat. He has yet again been privy to an intimate moment between his brother and me. Histwinbrother.
“Go back to bed, Sunshine. There’s still time before the library opens. We’ll get Noah to school.”
Griffin mimics Knox’s step forward. But instead of my cheek, his lips touch my forehead, lingering. I close my eyes and allow the peace he gives me to spread through my limbs. The gesture feels intimate. He’s not even really kissing me, yet I feel like we need to find a private room. Like this public display of affection would make an old woman clutch her pearls.
“Sweet dreams,” he whispers against my forehead. He swiftly steps away, pulling his shirt over his head and stalking to his driveway, where Knox has already fitted Noah with a helmet.
My stomach tangles itself in knots.
It’s just for fun. They wouldn’t want me if they knew everything. Don’t get attached.
Knox starts the engine with a kick and heads down the driveway on his motorcycle at a slow pace with Noah tucked safely in front of him. When they pass, Noah wildly waves goodbye, and I return the sentiment by blowing a kiss to him.
