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“Rowan,” I tell him and he shakes my hand before looking at Ellie.
“Hey, Ellie.” He smiles wide, revealing his teeth, and I’m instantly on the defense, irritated that this guy might be trying to flirt with her.
“Hi, Paul.” She smiles politely and I’m grateful I don’t see the look in her eyes she had last night when she was looking at me.Or any time she’s looked at me for that matter.
“I was hoping I’d see you today. I wanted to say thank you for the tip about the chicken piccata, it was—” I’m interrupted from listening to their conversation by River ushering me away closer to the sideline.
I turn back to look at them even as we’re walking away before I turn my gaze to River in question. “Why are we moving?”
“Give them some space, jeez.” He doesn’t take his eyes off the game before he continues. “Would you want some dudes hanging around when you’re trying to flirt with someone?”
“And why is he flirting with my nanny?” I ask, not even trying to hide the irritation in my voice.
“I guess, you won’t accept the obvious answer which isbecause she’s hot?” he jokes, smacking my arm.
I clench my jaw and turn my head again to see them talking, and although she’s smiling, she meets my eyes briefly before turning back to him. “He’s not married?”
“Recently divorced. He seems like a pretty decent guy. I’ve talked to him a few times—good defense!” He claps before turning to me. “What’s crawled up your ass?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head before running a hand through my hair as I try to calm my frustrations. I look down the sideline and manage to catch the look of a few men staring behind me. Some of them are hiding it better than others but a few of them are obvious in the fact that Ellie has their attention. “Why are they acting like they’ve never seen a woman before?”
He follows my gaze and chuckles before turning back to me. “Because twenty-five-year-old women that look likethatrarely come to a ten-year-old’s soccer game, and if they do, they are rarely single.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have to deal with that.”
“Deal with what? I can assure you that Ellie is no stranger to male attention.”
Her comments last night come rushing back to me and feelings of protectiveness bloom in my chest. “You don’t know that.”
“Let’s see, she’s gorgeous and smart and charming and great with kids. No, you’re right, mennevernotice her. You’re being real fuckin’ weird. Like—” He pauses and moves to stand in front of me so he can look me in the eye. He turns his baseball hat he’s wearing backward to really study me before his brown eyes narrow. “No shit! I fuckingknewit,” he whispers before punching me softly on my arm. “I should kick your ass, you hypocrite.” He points at me as a wolfish grin pulls at his lips. “You saidIwas too old for her, but what you really meant was, ‘no, River,youcan’t stick your dick in her becauseIwant to!?’”
“Lower your voice,” I grit out. Glancing behind me, I notice that Paul or Pat or whatever the fuck his name is still talking to her, so I’m sure they can’t hear us, but I still guide my brother even further away from them. “And don’t talk about her like that,” I snap.
“Did you guys hook up?!” He claps his hands together once. “Oh, we are getting a drink later tonight. How? When? I need to know everything,”he says excitedly and I’m sure he’s probably the only person as excited about this revelation as I am.
“I’m not telling you anything.”
He snorts. “If you don’t, I’ll go over there and ask Ellie myself.”
“You won’t.”
He raises one eyebrow at me and I’m not even sure why I said that because I know for a fact that River absolutely would. “Watch me.” He starts back toward her when I grab him by the arm to stop him from moving.
“You’re such a fucking pain, you know that?”
“Did you guys fuck?!” he asks excitedly as he joins me back at my side.
“No,” I tell him, trying to focus on the game and not the way Elianna felt in my arms when she ground her cunt against my dick.
“But…” He looks at me as if to say,I know there’s more to this.
“Well, not yet.”
“Oh shit. So, you’re going to?”
I sigh, knowing that I’d probably end up telling him eventually. “We probably would have last night, but Isla woke up.”
He groans. “I swear that’s why I don’t have kids. Always cockblocking. What were you doing?”