Page 39 of Hale Yes (Highway to Hale #1)

But the kid has different ideas. She plucks the pickled beans from the cup and plops them into her orange juice. I grimace and glance at Helix, who has rolled his lips between his teeth to keep from laughing.

She clinks her drink with mine. “Now we’re twinsies again, Nicolette.”

“For sure,” I tell her.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Haywood urges. “Let’s go get some sliders to go with your, uh, creation.”

I set her down, and she waves before heading off with her grandparents, leaving Helix and me alone.

“I have to say, that’s the grossest mocktail I’ve ever seen,” he mumbles, still watching his niece.

“Not gonna argue with you. Reece is darling though.”

He gives me that lopsided grin that hits me straight in the nipples. “You have to say that since you’re her twinsie now.”

Taking a sip of the spicy drink, I return his smile. “You seem really good with her. Do you want kids of your own?”

Helix’s shoulders bunch and his jaw tightens. “I do but…” Pursing his lips, he blows out a stream of air that seems to make his body relax. “It’s complicated. How about you? You want munchkins?”

I nod. “I do. I’d love to have a kid or two.”

“You’d be a good mom,” he says quietly, locking me in his mesmerizing blue gaze.

“I hope so. I worry that because of my childhood, I won’t. I mean, what if I’m a shitty person who’s incapable of?—”

“You’re not a shitty person, Nicolette,” Helix interrupts harshly before softening his tone and brushing a stray curl from my cheek. I lean slightly into his touch as his voice goes raspy. “You’re one of the best people I know.”

The tender moment is interrupted by the PA system announcing the Dragons are about to take the field, so we retreat to the lounge and take our seats on a purple leather couch.

During the game, Helix introduced me to the only Hale sister, Perri, who sat in the lounge with us. She was the spitting image of her mother, Rebecca, with doe-like blue eyes and soft blonde hair. She was also a very energetic chatterbox, but I liked her.

“That was such a good game,” she gushes as time ticks down on the clock. “And I loved watching those female athletes shine. I wish I was athletic.”

The Dragons won a hard-fought victory, topping Orlando by a touchdown. The game had been fast and exciting and held my attention the entire time… when I wasn’t stealing looks at Helix from the corner of my eye.

“Agreed,” I say, clasping my hands over my head to stretch out my back after hours of sitting. My jersey rides up, and I don’t miss Helix’s gaze on the exposed strip of my stomach.

Unfortunately, Perri doesn’t miss it either. The smile on her pretty lips is loaded with mischief as she looks between the two of us. “Helix, I’m going to ride home with Mom and Dad. Why don’t you make sure Nicolette gets to her car safely?”

I lower my arms and wave a dismissive hand. “No, I’ll be fine.”

Helix’s brow furrows. “Perri’s right. I’m walking you to your car.”

So, I guess Mr. Bossy Pants has decided that’s final , I think wryly.

People start to file up the stairs of the suite, and Reece appears, dragging Phoenix by the hand and toward the door. “Hurry up, Daddy. Jordie said I can go on the field, and I want her to see my dragon wings.”

He rolls his eyes good-naturedly and waves goodbye as he lets his little one lead the way. Perri hugs us both and then bounces up and down on her toes before tossing her brother a very obvious wink.

Helix leans toward his sister and lets out a yap that sounds like the bark of a small dog, and she huffs, flipping him the bird before flouncing away.

“What the hell was that noise?” I ask with a laugh, and he grins widely, showing off that cute dimple.

“When Perri was little, I told her she was part chihuahua. You know, because she’s so high-strung? Then when she was eleven, I had her convinced I’d run a test on her and it concluded she had canine DNA in her chromosomes.”

“Stop it! No you didn’t,” I snicker, smacking him on the shoulder.

“Sure did. I even made up a fake lab report proving it.”

He guides me toward the exit, and we make our way down to the VIP floor of the parking garage. Helix gave me a parking pass earlier this week to get into this section.

“Thanks for inviting me,” I say when we reach my car. “The game was fun, and the food and drinks were fantastic.”

“And the company?” he asks.

I wobble my hand from side to side. “Meh. Not bad.”

He tries to fight it, but his smile seeps through.

“That’s not what you said on Thu—” Cutting himself off, Helix closes his eyes and shakes his head, unease taking some of the light from his eyes when he reopens them.

“Sorry about that. And up in the suite before the game. For the flirting, I mean.”

“Nothing wrong with some harmless flirting,” I reply, keeping my tone light. “If I didn’t like it, I would’ve told you.” In fact, I rather enjoyed it.

His nod is sage, though he still appears a little unsure. “I’m glad you came. My family liked you.”

“I liked them too. Your dad and mom are nice.” I wince when I realize my faux pas. “Sorry, I meant your stepmom. Does your mother get along with them?”

Helix snorts. “Not at all. There’s some bad blood there since the divorce.” He glances around to make sure no one is listening. People are filing by, but no one is paying us any mind. “Perri was born before my parents were divorced,” he says in a low voice.

“Oh. Wow. Okay, I never realized that.” Haywood Hale seemed like such a nice man, and I didn’t have him pegged as a cheater.

“It’s not something anyone talks about. I think there were a couple articles questioning the timing a long time ago, but they’ve been pretty much buried.

Most likely the company’s damage control team.

” His nose wrinkles. “Of course, none of us condone cheating, but it’s been over two decades since all that happened.

There’s nothing that can be done about it now, so we all pretty much just roll with it since Perri is our sister. ”

“I can understand that.”

“It’s kind of strange, but my mom and Perri actually get along really well. Mom was always kind to Perri because she was a little kid and none of this was her fault.”

A smile curves my lips. I’ve never met Helix’s mother, but I think I already like her. “Are we still on for Friday night at the drag club?”

Helix pulls his bottom lip into his mouth and licks it. He seems uncomfortable. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that. Do you think it’s a good idea for us to, you know, hang out after…” He makes a couple vague loops with his right hand.

“After making circles in the air with our hand?” I ask, feigning innocence at his question.

His resulting laugh warms my insides. “No, I meant after Thursday.”

“Thursday… Thursday…” I tap my chin, pretending to think about it. “Hmmm, that was chicken spaghetti day in the cafeteria right?”

He drops a glare on me that makes my panties feel suddenly damp. “Nicolette.” My name growled from between his clenched teeth doesn’t help matters in my lower region one tiny bit.

“Ohhh, are you talking about…” I lean forward until our faces are inches apart. “The S-E-X?”

“You know damn well that’s what I’m talking about. Do you really think it’s a good idea for us to be together after work given that two days ago, I devoured your pussy, bent you over, and then fucked you until your cunt was raw?”

Well, when he puts it like that…

I shift my feet so I can cross my right leg in front of the left, attempting to apply a little friction to my now-throbbing clit. The needy bitch.

“Given that all that took place in the lab, I’d be more worried about us being alone together there. But if you'd prefer not to see me outside of work, I understand.” Surprisingly, my voice sounds cooler than I feel.

Helix seems to deflate, and his shoulders droop. “That’s not actually what I’d prefer at all.” One of his hands lifts and then falls, as if he’d been about to touch me but thought better of it. “I like spending time with you, Nicolette.”

“I like spending time with you as well, but if it makes you uncomfortable, we can just see each other at work.” I didn’t expect the wave of disappointment that washes over me when I say those words.

I’d developed a bit of a dependency on seeing Helix every Friday night, eating meals with him, laughing.

“I love working with you, but I like non-work Nicolette just as much. You’re easy.”

I tilt my head and arch my eyebrows. “Wow, you get railed by your boss one time , and all of a sudden, you’re labeled as easy.”

Laughter barks from him, and he lightly pushes my shoulder. “Stop. You know that’s not what I mean.” His smile turns boyish and almost shy. “I feel like I can be myself around you.”

A tingle of emotion forms at the back of my throat, and I swallow it down. “I feel the same. Would it be better if we took separate cars when we go out? Like today?” He’d had family stuff to do before the game, so I told him I would drive myself.

He crosses his arms over his chest, and frown lines appear on his forehead. “No.”

No? That’s it? Just no?

My lips twitch. “Are you pouting, Dr. Hale?”

“I don’t pout,” he says, still obviously pouting.

With a roll of his eyes, he uncrosses his arms. “Okay, maybe a little, but there’s no need taking two cars when we’re going to the same place.

As responsible members of the scientific community, we have to think about the environment and conserving resources. ”

“This is true,” I add, trying not to laugh at his apparent attempts to justify us riding together.

“I can still pick you up, and then simply drop you off at your townhouse at the end of the night. That way we still get to enjoy each other’s company without any of the, uh…”

“Any of this?” I suggest, crudely poking the finger of my right hand in and out of the circle of my left fist.

He snorts out another laugh and shakes his head. “Definitely no more of that.” His voice goes deeper, and… is he standing a few inches closer to me? “Not that I didn’t enjoy it very much, Nicolette.”

“I did too,” I whisper, feeling the sexual tension like a rubber band between us, stretching to its limits until it either breaks or snaps us back together.

I watch as Helix’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down a few times, and then he steps back, leaving me with prickles of sweat on my neck that have nothing to do with the humidity.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up at seven Friday night. Do you still want pizza since we’ll be all dressed up? Or I could make a reservation somewhere nicer.”

“Pizza sounds good. I like getting a little fancy and then going to regular places. Makes people wonder what you’re up to.”

He chuckles. “Daddio’s Pizzeria it is.”

I reach for my door handle, but Helix’s hand is already there, and I repress a shiver at the feel of his warm skin, remembering the expert way he touched me a couple nights ago. He swings it open, and I toss my small bag on the passenger’s seat before turning to him.

“One more request.”

He nods. “Okay, what is it?”

With a boldness that comes from god-only-knows-where, I stroke a finger from his shoulder down to his firm abdomen.

“Wear your suspenders Friday night… Dr. Hale.”

I don’t miss his low groan, and when I climb into my car and back out, I’m pretty sure I see him adjust his groin as he watches me.

We may not have sex again, but flirting with Helix is something I don’t think I can stop. It’s too much damn fun.