Page 18 of One Little Kiss

“Women’s rights,” I mumble. “Family law, I think.”

Surprise crosses his face, but he recovers quickly. “Have you always wanted to be a lawyer or is this, ah, new?”

“I thought I would be a therapist.” I laugh, but it’s humorless, and I shrug my shoulders to ease some of the tension that settled there when I wasn’t paying attention. “After everything my mom has gone through with my dad, I realized I wanted to help people, but in a different way. My psychology degree didn’t exactly prepare me for law school, though, so I’ve been taking a few classes to get ready.”

“Does your mom need an attorney?”

The way he asks, I get the feeling he would have one at my doorstep if I said the word. It’s an odd feeling to get from a stranger, but peering into his intense gaze, I know I’m right.

“Not right now, but my dad is always doing stupid shit. He threatened to sue her for custody of Wes not that long ago. He would never win, but it scared us both.”

“You’re an incredible woman, Winnie.” His words hold a conviction that brooks no room for argument.

He’s going to make a great partner someday. The thought of him with a wife and kids makes my stomach clench, and I have to get myself under control.

It doesn’t help that my body preens under his praise, so I force myself to avert my gaze. Thankfully, we’re interrupted by my phone buzzing in my lap. Glancing down, I see my mom’s face and I fumble with my phone, attempting to answer it quickly.

“Hi, Mom. Everything okay?”

Her face comes into view, and I frown. She looks exhausted. “Sorry, hunny. Wes is missing you. You know how much he likes his routine.”

“Shit. His song.”

She smiles, but it’s forced. “Yeah. You have a minute to sing to him?”

“Of course.” Colton’s leg presses into mine, and I realize with a start that I’m about to completely embarrass myself in front of the hottest man I’ve ever met in my life. Internally I cringe, but there’s not much I wouldn’t do for Wes.

As I stand, I feel Colton studying me. Taking a few steps, I prop the phone up on the windowsill and move into the frame just as Weston’s pudgy, little face appears.

“Bubba! I miss you, buddy.” Warmth fills my chest for this little guy. “Ready for na-nights?”

“We-We!” He does his best jazz hands, and I plaster on a smile as I sing the Violent Femmes, “Blister In The Sun”.

Colton’s bark of laughter adds to the soundtrack of my humiliation, but staring into the happy face of my baby brother, I force myself to continue. When I hit the chorus, I reach to the ceiling, doing my best impression of a tree in the wind, and as the tempo picks up, I shake my jazz hands like my life depends on it. When the song winds down to a whisper, I lower my voice but continue the same dance routine I’ve done nearly every night since he was born. Weston follows along as best he can while his eyelids become heavy.

After a few minutes of whispering the chorus, his eyes remain closed, and I know he’s out. The screen pans to my mom, and she whispers a thank you. I do the same and blow her a kiss.

I take a few deep breaths before I garner enough courage to face Colton. When I do, his face is an unreadable mask.

“You sing your baby brother to sleep with a song about masturbation?” Humor laces every syllable.

“That’s never been proven,” I say haughtily. “Even Gordon Gano hasn’t confirmed it, and someone asked him point-blank in an interview.”

Colton stands with a smirk on his handsome face and closes the space between us in just a few strides. “Is that so?” he queries when he’s close enough to touch.

“Yes,” I reply, defiantly raising my chin in a huff.

“Baby, I haven’t listened to that song since I was a teenager, but I can promise you, it’ll now be the soundtrack to my late-night fantasies for an entirely new reason.” His voice is low, gravelly, and it hits every nerve in my female anatomy.

This man is sexy, and I’m playing with fire, but I’ve never been one to back down either. I’m used to taking care of myself so I can hold my own in this battle of sexy innuendo.

“Big hands, Colton. They may blister in the sun, but can they light the inferno between the sheets?”

He growls. His eyes blaze with a carnal need I’ve never experienced in real life, and I take an involuntary step back.

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

The way he drawls the word fucking has a squeak sneaking out of the back of my throat.Maybe he won this round after all. My gaze follows his as he glances at his watch. A predatory grin on his face.