Free Stripped by Abby Niles Page B

“You got dinner. I clean up. Go. Get the movie on before the kids riot. They’ll show you where everything is.”
    What she really needed was a few minutes away from him and his potency. She was damn close to jumping straight across this table and attacking his ass—kids in the room be damned.
    “Okay,” he said, chuckling.
    As he walked past, he trailed his fingers across her forearm. Goosebumps immediately rose on her skin as her lungs momentarily forgot to functions. Jesus. The man was winding her tight. She wasn’t sure if it was because it had been so long since she’d been with a man or if it was because of everything he had done or if she really was that attracted to Jaxon Sutherland.
    And she was suddenly terrified to find out which it was.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    Jaxon paced the small apartment, listening for any movement out in the hall. There was a definite stalker vibe to his actions that he wasn’t exactly comfortable with, but the only way he could “bump” into Madison would be to conveniently leave the apartment the same time she did.
    Of course, he could knock on her door, but what the hell would he say when she opened it? He’d never felt so far outside his element in his life. So he’d come up with this asinine plan to stage a run in.
    Why?
    Because he’d tossed and turned all night thinking about the woman and she’d driven him mad all morning. He had to see her— and the kids.
    That had not been the outcome he’d expected from his good deed yesterday.
    When he’d made the decision to get the pizza and rent a movie, it had been with nothing but good intentions but also with realistic expectations. He was a bachelor, knew nothing about kids or parenting. He wasn’t even sure if he liked kids or wanted any of his own. So, even though he was trying to do the right thing, a part of him believed, by the end of the night he’d be ready to get the hell out of there and go home.
    That was not what happened.
    He ate at the finest restaurants, drank the most expensive wines, hung out with celebrities, and yet eating that twenty-four-dollar pizza around a kitchen table in a miniscule apartment then watching a kid’s PIXAR movie on an uncomfortable hand-me-down couch with Madison and her two kids had been the best time he’d had in a long fucking time.
    It was simple. Relaxed. No airs. No pressure to impress. It was an amazing feeling.
    What had also been amazing was watching Madison and her children interact, especially during the movie. Noah had this infectious cackle that always caused his mother and sister to laugh. Watching the three of them laugh together had caused his chest to tighten more than once last night. He’d expected to feel like an outsider. But he hadn’t. Instead, he’d been included in their conversation…in their fun.
    After the movie, Madison tucked the kids into bed. He should’ve left then, but he couldn’t make himself get up and go. When she’d returned to the living room, she seemed vaguely surprised that he wasn’t leaving, but she didn’t feign tired or anything. They ended up back at the kitchen table, playing Rummy and talking bullshit until one in the morning. He finally forced himself to leave when she was yawning every two minutes.
    Forced himself to leave.
    She walked him to the door, and as they said their goodnights, he’d wanted to kiss her. It’d been a clawing need. Something he hadn’t felt in…maybe never. He didn’t though. He settled for a smile, thanked her for a great night, and left.
    Then went home and took a cold fucking shower.
    Now it was mid-day, he’d been up for hours and he’d not heard a goddamn peep from across the hall and it was frustrating the ever-loving piss out of him.
    The sudden ringing and vibrating of his phone in the back pocket of his khaki shorts caused him to jump.
    After he dug it out, he brought it to his ear without looking at the caller id first.
    “Hello?” he answered.
    “Jaxon,