I look over my shoulder at her. “Thank you for this. You’re the best.”
“This is what aunties are for.” She gives me a smile, and not for the first time, I’m reminded how thankful I am for having them in my life.
I grin the second I see James’s SUV pull up in front of the shop. One look at him through the windshield, and I can see how tense he is. The poor guys walks through life carrying toomuch worry on his shoulders. I want to be the person who helps him relieve it. I get more out of that than I would ever have expected.
Hannah twists open the lock, and I slip out the door just as James gets out of the driver’s seat. He gives me a nod before the back door opens and a tall, lanky teenager steps out. Nash bends over and says something to his sister, and a moment later the other back door opens, and Sadie appears. She looks little for her age, unlike Nash, who seems big for his.
Nash walks with her as they approach the building, James on the other side of her.
“Hey, I’m glad you guys made it. I’m Colton. Nice to meet you.” I hold my hand out for Nash, the kid staring at it for a few moments before reluctantly shaking it. “And you must be Sadie. Tash and Hannah are both super excited to meet you. Tash was so happy when your brother called to make an appointment.” James hadn’t been the one to set it up, but they don’t need to know that.
“Thank you,” she replies, the nerves clear in the tremble of her voice.
“Come on. Let’s go in.”
Hannah and Tasha are waiting right beside the door for us. The second we’re inside, they’re introducing themselves to James, Nash, and Sadie.
“Can I?” Tasha asks, motioning to the hair tie, and Sadie nods, giving her permission to take it out.
James wasn’t lying when he said she had a lot of hair. Tasha begins running her fingers through it, looking at the ends and things like that. “Your hair is gorgeous. I’m so excited I get to play with it.”
“Really?” Sadie asks.
“Yes. Absolutely. Have you ever had a haircut?”
“Nash tried to do it a couple of times.”
Tasha smiles. “That’s okay. We’ll get you all fixed up. Auntie Tasha is here now.” She holds out her hand for Sadie, who immediately takes it, the two of them walking over to Tasha’s chair. Sadie looks over her shoulder, beaming at her brothers before climbing into it.
“You can trust Tasha with her,” Hannah tells them. “She’ll get her fixed up right.”
“Thank you. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this—you being willing to help and coming down to the shop on Tasha’s day off and everything. We’re incredibly grateful.”
“No problem. Any friend of this idiot is a friend of mine.” Hannah nudges me.
“See how nice she is to me? Calling me names already,” I tease back, then look at Nash. “You thirsty or anything? They have some soda in the fridge.” I look at James. “And water for you, of course.” I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him drink anything except water.
“I’ll take a Coke,” Nash says.
“Great.” I don’t wait for a response from James before getting Nash’s soda and James’s water. Nash is sitting in the chair beside Sadie, asking questions while Tasha gets her cape on.
“I’ll, um…be right back,” Hannah says, not looking suspicious at all. I roll my eyes, then signal to the chairs in the waiting area, and James and I sit down.
“Does she know about us?” he asks quietly, looking at Sadie and Nash instead of me.
“Not everything. She knows what I like, and before I found out who you are, I told her about a sub I really liked playing with but who didn’t seem that interested in doing it again.” He looks my way, and I shrug. “It’s true. I wanted you, but you were done with me.” I wink. “But on a more serious note, I’m sorry if that’s something you’d have liked tokeep to yourself. I never expected the two of you to meet. When I went to class that first day and realized you’re my professor, I needed someone to talk to, and I told her my hookup was now my professor. Now she knows we talk, but I haven’t told her what we do. I promise we can trust her. There’s no one in the world I trust more. We’re safe with Hannah and Tasha both.”
He shifts uncomfortably and nods but doesn’t look convinced. Only time will prove it to him, and I sigh, fingers twitching on my thighs to reach out and touch him, to massage the tension from his shoulders and ease his worries. “Drink some water,” I say, his bottle still closed. That earns me another look from James, his pupils wide and hungry before he nods and does as told. “You’re such a slut for being bossed around. You really fucking love it, don’t you?”
“I shouldn’t, but I do.”
“Why shouldn’t you?”
“Why should I?” he counters.
“We don’t have to have a reason to like the things we do. It’s just who we are. I like who you are, James.”
Damned if that doesn’t make him flush, which is a huge fucking turn-on, before he clears his throat.
