Free Always My Hero by Jennifer Decuir

tutoring sessions. He wondered if she remembered how his mother had always served them homemade cookies and a tall glass of milk.
    “Are you going to make me earn my cookies?”
    Bree’s tutoring strategy had relied on a healthy dose of bribery. His mom would set the plate of cookies down and Bree would snatch it away, doling out cookies with each right answer. As they’d gotten to know each other and their relationship began to change, this wasn’t a bribery tactic, so much as it was pure flirtation. If he knew his parents weren’t paying attention, he would eat the cookie right out of her fingers.
    “I thought of that just before you got here.” She blushed and he could see she was remembering how he’d nibble on her fingers. “Sorry, I don’t have any cookies. But I do have Kisses. You can earn those instead.”
    Fire shot through his body, making him rock hard in an instant. Choking down a groan, he hobbled to the table before she could see how her words had affected him.
    “I beg your pardon?” he croaked out.
    “Oh, for goodness’ sake! Hershey Kisses? Chocolate? Not all women are as adept at baking as your mother.” She set a bowl of the foil wrapped candies on the table and slid into the chair across from him.
    Unsure whether her pink cheeks were from embarrassment or mutual attraction, Ryan hoped for the latter. He’d spent years trying to forget the one night they’d been together and now the more time he spent with her, the more he couldn’t stop thinking about it. But that wasn’t why he was here.
Focus, buddy!
    “I can’t thank you enough for tutoring me … again. Wes wanted to know why I was coming over here tonight, wanted to know why he couldn’t come with me. If we could just keep this between ourselves?”
    “Of course. I think Wes would feel awkward if he knew the lengths you were going to in order to connect. He’s a very lucky kid.”
    “No, I’m a lucky dad. I can’t imagine my life without him in it.”
    A look of intense pain crossed Bree’s features so swiftly that he almost second-guessed whether he’d actually seen it. Guilt clenched his gut. He knew she’d been expecting him to leave Haley after they’d admitted their feelings for one another. He’d wanted to. God, he’d wanted to. And then his son, who reminded him so much of Bree, might have actually been hers. Regrets? Yeah, he had a few thousand.
    Seriously, dude! Focus already.
    Bree reached for a book and began to give him an abbreviated version of the first year of Harry Potter’s life at Hogwarts. She quickly explained that he couldn’t hope to keep up his end of a conversation with Wesley by cheating and watching the films. She caught his eye at this point, showing him without words that she knew him better than he thought.
    As he learned the characters and who held what role, Ryan was rewarded with a Kiss, tossed across the table. Never mind that he would have preferred the skin-to-skin version. Spending time with Bree was a reward in itself. They got through the first book and she insisted they take a break for the night.
    “How about I make coffee?”
    Since he wasn’t quite ready to leave her company, he nodded.
    “If you’ve got decaf, I’d love some.”
    Ryan got up and wandered around while she prepared their drinks. The cheap little desk in the living room held a small laptop. She hadn’t bothered to close it, so he figured he wasn’t exactly snooping by checking out what was on the screen. He chuckled to himself.
    “You’re still trying to get on
Jeopardy
. That’s awesome. When the time comes, you better tell me. I fully intend to be in the audience to watch you become the next Ken Jennings.” He was proud of her, regardless.
    “I don’t know. I think it’s time to admit I’ll never be
Jeopardy
material. If I haven’t made it on there by now, then I probably never will.” She stepped up beside him, handing him one of the mugs she’d carried in with her.
    “Promise me you