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Yet, my feet carried me to the door faster than necessary. The camera showed her breath clouding in front of her, which meant she was cold, and that didn’t sit right with me. I unlocked the door and swung it open, feeling the cold hit my face…and something else.
Sweats my fucking ass. She looked…
Too pretty. Too fuckable. Too much.
“Where are the girls?” Haley asked, her dark brows drawing in together as she hustled inside and shed her coat. Tan skin met me as I caught sight of where her sweater cut off right below her breasts. I could see the bottom of her black sports bra, and those sweats were molded perfectly to her body. The waist cinched around her narrow hips, yet still tight enough that they showed off her high, rounded ass.
Jesus.
Clearing my throat, I looked down and tried to gather myself.
“They actually just went to bed. Knowing them, they’ll hear you and sneak down for water or something else they don’t need.”
She chuckled, slipping out of her boots. As she walked further into the house, she looked up and around as if she were surprised.
Shit, she probably was. My gym did look like it was falling apart, and I noticed her catch sight of my girl’s snow boots and clothes. She was probably curious why I lived in such a nice house.
“I bought it back when I was fighting.” I said curtly, moving down the hall.
She trailed me. “Oh…it’s nice. I wasn’t—” She trailed off, quietly saying, “Never mind.”
“Can I get you some water or coffee?”
I opened the cupboard, seeing her take a seat at the table out of the corner of my eye.
“Water is fine, thanks.”
Hopefully she didn’t have a problem with tap. The filter on the fridge had gone out, and I had yet to replace it. Oregon water wasn’t like California water, though, so drinking from the tap wasn’t that big of a deal for us.
I set it in front of her and moved around to the other side.
“Thank you.” She smiled up at me, taking a sip.
I hated how I mentally noted that she didn’t seem to be too good for tap water. I hated it even more that the weird fluttering sensation started up in my chest again.
Clearing my throat, I ignored how natural she seemed to look sitting at my table.
“I thought over your offer and wanted to explain why I hadn’t outright accepted. It’s not that I don’t trust you or want you near my kids. They seem to really like you, and I trust Cole like he’s my own brother. He cares for my girls like they’re his own, and I know he’d never let you watch them alone if he didn’t think you were capable.”
She seemed to visibly relax at that, which made me feel better. I didn’t like the notion that she thought I didn’t trust her. I hadn’t known her long, but she was Cole’s little sister and she seemed genuine. Even if I had been a prick and she’d said something that insulted me, it didn’t change that deep down, I knew she was safe for my kids.
“What was the issue then?” her small voice seemed to echo loudly in the kitchen.
I realized the sink was full of dishes, and the counter still had remnants of dinner on it.
Heaving a sigh, I considered how honest I wanted to be with her. I didn’t love looking destitute in front of anyone, let alone her. Not with her glossy lips, or those big green eyes. Fuck, were those dark lashes natural? The way her body moved…it was wrong that I liked it. She was too young for me. Twelve years was too much,wasn’t it?
“Honestly, I’ve run into some financial strains recently. So, keeping a consistent babysitter and paying them twenty bucks an hour to watch my kids just isn’t feasible at the moment. Usually, I just have the girls tag along with me to the gym but I have to meet with some pretty important people tomorrow so I can’t have the girls there, and well, I—”
“I’m not interested in money,” Haley muttered softly, dipping her chin to her chest.
I appreciated that she didn’t make it seem like it was nothing or wave me off like she was pitying me. It seemed genuine.
Pausing to take a sip, I watched her shift in her seat until the silence stretched long enough.
I asked, “Then what do you want?”
Haley’s long hair was falling out of the elastic she had used, and pieces framed her face as she pushed a few strands away. It left a clear view of how the tops of her cheeks flushed. It made me wonder if the tops of her breasts would flush as well, or if they had any freckles. She had four dark freckles on her face, and each one made me curious.
