I watch Rhodes kick ass on the ice and even though embarrassment burns through me every time I see him, every time I remember my fever-drenched whisper in the dark, I keep watching until sleep drags me under.
And when he carries me upstairs and tucks me into my bed much,muchlater that night…
I want so badly for him to have given me what I begged for.
But even as I drift back into sleep, I know that will never happen.
Twelve
Rhodes
Movie night wasn’tmy idea.
Finn is still recovering from being sick and Chloe is tired from her sleepover, and the game last night was long and brutal and ended in a loss to the Hawks.
And yet, I’m currently wedged on the couch between my four-year-old daughter and the woman I’ve spent the last few days trying very hard not to think about kissing.
Not that Finn has been making it particularly easy for me to ignore the urge.
She’s wearing leggings and one of those soft oversized sweaters that slides off her shoulder every time she leans over to help Chloe with something. Her hair is escaping as usual from its messy knot that shouldn’t be sexy—yet somehow is—and while she still looks a little pale from being sick, she’s still absolutely beautiful.
Kiss me, Rhodes.
Those lips curving into a smile.
That mouth pressed flat, her teeth nibbling at its corner.
Tempting.
She’s. So.Fucking. Tempting.
“Like this,” she says, leaning over me again to help position Chloe’s hand on the fabric she’s teaching her to tie. “Make an X and then fold it over. Then make another X and pull it tight.”
Chloe nods and repeats the movements with Finn’s help.
And because my dick is an asshole, I’m not thinking about how cute it is that they’re working together—I’m thinking about how good it feels to have Finn pressed against me.
And wondering what I’d do if she said those words to me when she was fully awake.
Kiss me, Rhodes.
“Daddy!”
I blink and drag my focus back to my daughter.
“What?” I ask, my voice like gravel.
“You’re not paying attention.”
“That,” I say, “is a bold accusation coming from a girl who’s currently making a blanket instead of watching the movie she picked out.”
“Iamwatching the movie.”
“It seems likeyou’remaking a blanket.”
“I am. But I’m also watching the movie.” Her chin comes up. “Because I’m m-multi-tasking.”
Finn giggles from beside me.
