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Mateo nodded, dark eyes serious. “Talk. Don’t keep quiet and screw it up like you did. Got it.”

Grateful for the drop in emotional intensity, Luke huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, something like that.” He draped an arm over Mateo’s shoulders. “Now let’s go and show Anna who is the best at shooting hoops.”

Mateo cackled. “You don’t want to do that. I’m bound to win and then she’ll want to smash me instead of you.”

Grinning like a hyena, Mateo scampered over to where Anna was sitting, watching them. Luke’s heart was in his throat as he waited for whatever was going to come out of the boy’s mouth. But the kid surprised him. “Do you shoot hoops, foxy lady?”

Anna bounced to her feet. “I sure do, handsome man. Why, are you up for a challenge?”

The boy bounced the ball. “Let’s play HORSE. Winner stays on and plays the big guy.” He smirked. “He thinks he’s good, but I figure he’s just tall.”

Anna convulsed into giggles, so much so that she bent over, hand on her chest.

Mateo was right, he thought as he watched her. The mass of reddish hair, the womanly curves squeezed into her usual leggings and crazy festive jumper, the creamy skin, the sparkling eyes. She was an extremely foxy lady.

As he was to discover over the next hour, she was also one hell of a basketball shooter.

“You know you only won because you’re like, two feet closer to the hoop than me and Mateo,” she argued as they walked back to the car.

“I know I won. Full stop.” He’d made her take a photo of him signaling W for winner.

She smirked. “God, so competitive.”

“A win is a win.” He opened the passenger door to his truck.

Just as he thought she was going to hop in, she turned, catching him unawares, and brought her warm, sexy body bumping right against his. “Oh.” Her breath hitched and arousal scorched through him, clawing at his insides. While he stared back at her, something heavy flooded between them and his dick tried to jump out of the confines of his jeans, getting caught on his fly.

Still she stood there, eyes on his, pink in her cheeks, her tongue . . . God, her tongue darted across her lips and left a glistening trail. She opened her mouth, inhaled a shuddery breath then closed it again as her body swayed towards him. Intentional or not, when her hips brushed his, her belly coming right up against the very hard, confined length of him, he knew he had to do something, fast. Or he’d end up jamming her against the door and kissing the life out of her.

“Get in the truck, Anna,” he said hoarsely.

“Umm, yes. I was just . . . umm, going to say—”

“Whatever it was, Do. It. In. The. Truck,” he enunciated slowly.

“Yes, right.” She turned, her rounded butt giving his fly one last, agonizing brush, and jumped in.

He took his time rounding the hood, hand surreptitiously adjusting himself before he finally slid into the driver’s seat.

The air inside the truck cracked with awareness.

“I was going to say I really like Mateo,” she said into the silence. “And I really love that you’re there for him.” She turned her blue gaze towards him. “Seeing you together, the way you talk to him. He’s lucky to have you in his life.”

Damn. He was not emotionally or physically prepared for the feelings she stirred inside him. “Thanks, but you can talk to anyone. I can sometimes connect with kids who are going through a tough time.”

Her expression turned soft and he didn’t trust himself to say anything further, or to listen to whatever she might say to that.

Taking a very a hard swallow, he turned on the radio.

And hoped her singing would quiet the thoughts that buzzed through his head.

December 9th

Coffee in hand, Anna sat at the kitchen table, waiting for Luke to turn up. After yesterday, and their little body bump by the truck, she wasn’t sure she could look him in the eye this morning.

There were other places she wanted to look. Whatever he was packing in those denims had felt mighty fine against her stomach. Mighty fine against her butt.

She crossed her legs as heat pooled in her belly.