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A fter safely landing in Syracuse, Lottie called Wes and Ellie to check on Reya while Chaz rented an SUV. They assured her the little girl was having a blast and, after putting her on the phone and exchanging “I love you’s,” Lottie felt better. She’d never been away from Reya for longer than a work shift at Old Glory, so it felt incredibly strange not to hear her incessant chattering. Feel her weight in her arms.

After hanging up, she punched the cabin’s address into the GPS. It would only take around an hour to reach the location bordering the Finger Lakes region. The pictures she’d looked up of the area were beautiful, and although Lottie had lived in Manhattan for a while, she’d never had the time or money to visit that part of the state.

Her attention drifted over to Chaz and she focused on his big hands wrapped around the steering wheel. The man oozed competence and strength. A million butterflies took flight in her stomach when she remembered how his thick fingers had moved her panties aside, slid inside her body, stretching her and—

She gave her head a shake. She couldn’t allow herself to go there. He wasn’t on the same page as she was, and she couldn’t expect him to be. Why would an almost fifty-year-old bachelor want to suddenly burden himself with baggage? Chaz was the kind of man who enjoyed his freedom, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Except there was the small problem of her lusting after the big, grumpy former Delta Force man. Maybe she shouldn’t be thinking so hard and pushing for forever. She was doing alright, living with her mom and raising Reya by herself, wasn’t she? Perhaps she’d be better off focusing on the here and now.

And right now there was a very gruff teddy bear of a man within her reach who she would be all alone with for the night. There would be no interruptions. They were clearly attracted to each other, so why was she thinking so hard about it?

She couldn’t deny it—she wanted to sleep with him. Explore what else those hands—and other parts of him—could do to her. What she could do for him. And this was her perfect opportunity.

I’m going to do it , she decided, barely suppressing a squeal. Tonight, she was going to unleash the grizzly bear.

Turning in her seat, she studied him closely. His T-shirt cut into his thick biceps and his broad shoulders practically spanned the entire width of a doorframe. He had a strong profile and she knew he had an angular jaw hidden beneath his beard. When they’d first met, he only sported some stubble, but over the past few months or so, he’d grown a full-on beard.

Lex had called it a crisis beard. Lottie called it sexy as sin.

He must’ve felt her ogling him because he paused chewing his gum and cast a glance over in her direction. “Everything okay?” he asked.

Never been better , she thought. Sometimes she obsessed too hard about things that should be a no-brainer. Sleeping with Chaz tonight? A total opportunity she couldn’t let pass her by.

“Mmhmm.”

He gave her a funny look before returning his attention back to the road. “Almost there,” he grunted.

Once Lottie set her mind on something, she couldn’t stop thinking about it. Since she wasn’t on birth control, she wondered if Chaz carried protection. He was a very attractive man who must get ample offers from women. Although, the only place he really hung out was Old Glory, and she’d never seen him leave with a woman. Lex was the one always flirting with the female customers and wandering off with a pretty girl.

She’d have to ask him. Being upfront and honest would be the best way to approach it. Because, one, they were both consenting adults who were clearly attracted to each other. And, two, she wasn’t ready to have another baby. Not yet, anyway.

“Chaz?”

“Hmm?” He kept his attention on the road.

“Do you have protection?”

“Yeah, Glock’s in my duffel,” he answered.

“Um, not that kind of protection.”

“What?” He choked, his head spinning in her direction fast enough to cause whiplash.

She smothered a smile. “Did you just swallow your gum?”

Coughing, he thumped a fist against his chest. “Yeah.”

Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she pointed to the side of the road. “Maybe you should pull over for this discussion.”

Immediately pulling to the side of the road, he put the car in park and gave her his full attention. “I thought sex was off the table?”

“I mean, if you want it to be—”

He shook his head hard. “No, I want it on the table. Definitely. No doubt about it. Put it back on the table!” he practically shouted, and she chuckled.

“Okay, it’s on the table.” She let out a soft breath. “I’m very attracted to you. And I’m pretty sure you’re attracted to me, too?”

He nodded, looking more than a little astonished and slightly dumbfounded. But in the most adorable way. It took a moment, but he finally found his voice and it came out gritty. “Since the first moment I saw you.”

Ohh . Her heart sped up at his admission. She could feel her cheeks heat up with satisfaction.

“You lit up the whole goddamn room, Sunshine,” he finished.

“You can be so sweet.” She had a feeling not many people, if any, saw this softer side of him. In a way, she felt honored that he shared it with her.

“Only with you,” he confirmed, as though he’d heard her thought.

That wasn’t exactly true because he was an absolute teddy bear with Reya. “I’ve been thinking about what you said about taking things slowly—one step, one day at a time—and I’m okay with that.”

His green eyes seemed to glow. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she whispered.

He mulled over her words for a minute. “You don’t owe me anything for helping you out. You know that, right?”

She nodded, blonde curls bobbing. “I know.” She locked eyes with him. “I want to be with you, Chaz…in every possible way.”

◆◆◆

Whatever his Lottie wanted, she would get. The fact that she wanted him? His mind was officially blown.

She was too good for a big brute like him. He did his best to remember all the reasons why they shouldn’t be together, and he couldn’t recall one. All he could remember was how sweet she tasted, how responsive her small body had been in every single way.

“Fuck,” he hissed, slamming the car into drive. He hit the gas and the SUV lurched back onto the road, tires kicking up gravel.

Lottie bumped against the back of her seat. “In a hurry?” she teased.

“Find me the closest convenience store, Sunshine,” he ordered.

She chuckled and checked her phone. Once she found one, she directed him there. Spinning the wheel, the car squealed into the parking lot a few minutes later.

“Be right back,” he said, hopping out. His boots hit the pavement with purpose, and he jogged across the parking lot and stepped into the store. It was small, off the beaten path, and had a little of everything.

His mind swirled with anticipation as he headed down an aisle, searching for the condoms. If he woke up and discovered this was all a dream, he would be pissed as hell.

Lottie wanted to spend the night with him. Holy shit. His heart was pumping so damn hard, he needed to pause and catch his breath.

Don’t keel over from a heart attack, old man.

Normally, he’d just grab the lubricated, large, 12-pack. But this was Lottie. His Lottie . He paused, scanning the other choices, and there were quite a few. After a very quick debate, he grabbed the pleasure pack which had an assortment of ultra-ribbed, ultra-thin, her pleasure and double ecstasy, whatever that meant.

Okay, did he need a box of forty condoms?

He sure as hell hoped so.

Maybe he was pushing fifty, but he had the pecker of a twenty-year-old. No problems under the hood. Thank God . He also decided to be optimistic and hoped whatever happened tonight would lead to more.

More nights, more feelings, more orgasms, more everything.

On his way up to pay, he grabbed some bottled water, a couple of freshly-made ham and cheese sandwiches, potato chips and a big bag of Hershey’s Kisses. A couple of sports drinks, too—he was going to need his electrolytes for the night he had planned. It wasn’t every day your dream girl asked you to bang her.

After the cashier rang him up, Chaz grabbed the bag and jogged back out to the SUV where Lottie waited patiently, a smirk on her luscious, pink lips.

“You seem to be in a hurry,” she murmured, batting her lashes at him, taking the bag from his hands as he settled into the driver’s seat. She peeked inside, her eyes widening. “That’s a lot of condoms.”

“I got the variety pack. So you could pick whatever you like best,” he added gruffly.

“I’m thinking the ultra-thin,” she murmured quietly.

Chaz slammed on the gas. They hadn’t come all this way to have a fuck fest, but she was giving off seriously sexy, come-hither vibes. Despite that, he needed to maintain his control for a little longer. They had a job to do first. Figuring out why her ex had left her the deed to a cabin was their number one priority. Well, it wasn’t exactly his top priority any longer, but it was important.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the cabin. Fairly secluded, it sat behind some trees and down a long driveway that he’d nearly passed. As they drove up to the small structure, he arched a brow. It looked old, a little rundown and like it needed more than a few repairs. Hell, if it was as big of a dump on the inside as the outside, they’d have to find a hotel. Why in the world would he give this shithole to Reya? It almost felt like an insult.

And that made Chaz dislike her fucking ex even more…if that was even possible.

“He said there’s a key under the pot,” Lottie said, scanning the letter.

Chaz saw the dead plant in the terra cotta pot to the left of the front door and knelt down, knees cracking. He tilted it back and, sure enough, there was a key. Swiping it up, he grabbed onto the doorframe and hauled his big ass up, trying not to feel self-conscious about his bad knees and all the noise they made. He sent Lottie a self-deprecating look. “Fair warning, now that fifty is in sight, I’m beginning to fall apart a little.”

“Oh?”

“But not where it counts,” he added quickly, and she chuckled.

He stuck the key inside the lock, turned it and pushed the door open. “Let me check it out first.” Stepping inside, he did a quick sweep, and finding nothing out of the ordinary, he motioned for Lottie to come inside.

“Wow,” she murmured, trailing a finger over a dusty end table. “Not very impressive, is it?”

“No.” The entire place couldn’t be more than six hundred square feet, and that included a tiny bathroom and minuscule bedroom barely the size of a large closet. The location could’ve been better, closer to a lake, and he didn’t think she’d be able to get much money if she tried to sell it.

“I don’t understand,” she murmured thoughtfully, wandering around, checking the place out. “Why give this shack to us? We’ve had zero communication since I left New York. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe there’s more to it,” Chaz said, trying to make her feel better. Although, if there was, he had no idea what it could possibly be. The cabin was a piece of shit and she probably wouldn’t be able to give it away. It definitely wasn’t worth anyone following Lottie, ransacking her apartment, or putting her life in danger by running her off the road.

A part of Chaz wished Andy the Asshole was still alive. So he could punch him in his stupid face.