“Have you made that kind of mistake?”
“Picking the wrong person, you mean?” I asked, and Nova nodded. “You’re the only person I’ve ever picked, and things are going well. Sorry if I sound like I’m bragging, but I’ve nailed my one and only relationship choice.”
Grinning, Nova shook her head. “You showing up unannounced didn’t give me a chance to panic.”
“Why panic at all? You know me.”
“I know you from a distance.”
Grinning, I admired her and pointed out, “And I know you from a distance, but I couldn’t help wanting to get closer.”
“We’re wired differently.”
“You’re afraid of being wrong. Maybe that comes from your dad or your ex-husband or life in general. I rarely fear doing anything wrong, even after I spent time in jail. But with you, I put more thought into stuff. Offending you isn’t like saying something stupid to anyone else. I guess I might be nervous, too.”
Nova shuffled closer. “If this is how you behave when nervous, it’s a very good look on you.”
Unable to fight the temptation, I leaned down and kissed her cheek. My lips lingered against her soft skin.
Before I backed off, Nova turned her head and planted her lips on mine. This kiss was quick but promised everything.
Smiling, I murmured, “Look at your inner wild child coming out to play.”
Nova grinned and then said, “Skylar, Lyric, why don’t you find your favorite hat and glasses from your room to show Boone?”
The girls jumped up and ran down the hallway.
Nova’s smile widened. “They have a lot of favorites, meaning they’ll be gone for a few minutes.”
Quickly cradling her jaw, I covered her lips with mine. Nova sighed and wrapped her hands around the wrist of my hand caressing her face.
I deepened the kiss, flicking my tongue against hers and winning a moan. Nova’s hands left my wrist and slid across my shoulders. Her sexy body pressed against mine as her arms wrapped around my neck.
Without thinking, I lifted her and settled her sweet, round ass on the kitchen island. My arms wrapped around her, keeping her snugly against me as I kissed her like a man without a care in the world.
Despite their small sizes, the girls made a lot of noise as they ran down the hallway toward the kitchen. Hearing them coming, I bounced backward so abruptly that I nearly knocked Nova off the countertop. Steadying her, I tried to behave casually for the girls.
Skylar came to a halt and eyed us. Behind her, Lyric carried three different hats.
“I couldn’t choose,” Lyric said.
A suspicious Skylar asked, “Why is Mama on the counter?”
“I was tickling her,” I spat out before my brain told me to keep quiet.
Nova slid off the island and smiled. “Which glasses did you pick?”
“You don’t like getting tickled,” Lyric told her mom.
“That’s why I jumped back,” I said, unable to stop lying. “She was going to pinch me to make me stop.”
“You shouldn’t tickle Mama,” Skylar insisted and gave me a very impressive scowl that her little sister mimicked. “You can’t touch people if they don’t want you to.”
“That’s true,” I said and smiled at how she was putting me in my place. “I was being silly, but I’m sorry.”
Skylar eyed me as if I were up to no good. I appreciated her uncertainty. The girls had behaved like big softies. Based on the way they now studied me, these two were tough chicks ready to throw down to protect their mom.
NOVA
