Indulge by Georgia Cates Read Free Book Online

“I’m the oldest of five. Three brothers and a baby sister.” I like the way he calls her a baby. Sounds like the protective older brother I always wanted but never had. “Judd’s thirty-three. Next is Hutch who’s thirty. Then there’s Wilder who’s twenty-eight. Caroline just turned nineteen.”
    “Thirty-five to nineteen. That’s a big gap.”
    “Yeah. She was a surprise for my parents.”
    I bet she was. “A pleasant one, I’m sure. Any of your siblings married?”
    “No, but Caroline has a baby. A ten-month-old girl named Ashlyn.”
    I’m guessing that was another surprise. “Wow. That seems like such a young age to be responsible for a child.”
    “It is, especially since Ashlyn has Down syndrome. Caroline’s been forced to grow up faster than most girls her age.”
    “Does Ashlyn’s father help her?”
    “No. He’s a total asshole.”
    “That’s a typical teen father for ya.”
    “Anderson’s twenty-two.” Beau looks heated. “As you can imagine, I was exceptionally pissed off about him messing around with my teenage sister. I wanted to kill him, especially after I found out he had knocked her up. I still consider it when times are rough. But I wouldn’t change anything in the world for Ashlyn. She’s the apple of my eye.”
    Protective brother and uncle to a niece with special needs. He just stepped it up another notch on the hotness meter. “Sounds as though you help with her.”
    “We all do. It’s what family does.” It’s odd to consider Beau a family man. “What about you? Any brothers or sisters?”
    “One younger sister. Willa. She’s twenty-two.”
    “Do you see her often?”
    “Not as much as I’d like. She and my mom moved back to Mississippi a few years ago.”
    I miss my mom and sister so much. I wish they didn’t live six hours away.
    I’ve considered moving back to Mississippi to be near them but I have a good life in Georgia. No husband or family, granted, but many beloved friends. None as good as Meredith and Grayson by any means, but I can’t forget my co-workers and students. I adore them.
    “I’m close with my family. I fish, hunt, and play golf with my brothers and dad all the time but football is what brings the whole family together. We’re diehard UGA fans.”
    I’m no diehard fan but I am an alumna “I’m a bulldog too. Graduated from there two years ago.”
    I have Beau’s undivided attention now. “Hell yeah! Ever go back for football games?”
    “I’ve been once since I graduated but only because a friend had an extra ticket.”
    “We have seats in one of the suites. Never miss a game.”
    “Champions Club?”
    His eyes widen and he’s all smiles. Those damn dimples are killing me. “Yeah. You know it?”
    I have no doubt his family is well off. A donation for just one of those seats is crazy high, far more than my teacher’s salary will afford. “I was invited into one of those with a friend once. It was a pretty spectacular experience. I had no idea you could watch the game like that. I think I was most impressed with the food.” No hot dogs and chips being served in that place. Catered food only. And a dessert bar to die for.
    “It’s not bad.” Beau is unpretentious. I like that.
    “Not bad, my ass. It’s awesome.”
    “I’ll take you to a game this fall . . . if you’re interested. If not, no big deal.” And there it is. The invitation to extend this relationship, whatever it is, on the outside of this resort.
    This feels like something different. Not a hedonist who practices polyamory inviting a vanilla girl to a Georgia Bulldogs football game.
    I’m intrigued.
    I don’t think it’s possible for me to decline his invitation. “Sure. Sounds fun.”
    I move to lie on my back to float on the surface of the water. I close my eyes behind my sunglasses and my ears fill with the ocean. I hear nothing. See nothing. Think nothing. I’m weightless, floating like a particle in the air you can only see illuminated by