Playing for Keeps by Jamie Hill Read Free Book Online

finally forced herself to pull away . "Moving ahead might be fun."
    He smiled. "Yeah. A little tricky, but fun. I have to be careful because of Sophie."
    " I understand. She's your first priority."
    He ran his hand down her back and squeezed her behind. "Not that you could tell it lately. I've been a bit, shall we say, preoccupied."
    " We'll find a balance."
    He nodded, opened her car door, and closed it once she was inside. He leaned in for one more kiss. "I'll call you tonight."
    "Looking forward to it already." She winked and headed down the driveway.

 
     
    Chapter Three
     
     
     
    "I'm glad to hear your voice," Maddie told Rob that night when he phoned her. "Here, in my quiet little apartment, there's no evidence that my fairy tale weekend ever happened. Everything looks the same as it always did, but I don't feel the same inside."
    " I know what you mean. Sophie came bouncing in like nothing's different, but everything feels different to me. Everywhere I look, I see you. You're this sexy ghost that haunts me."
    She laughed. "I like the sounds of that."
    "My pillow smells sweet, like you. Makes me miss you even more."
    " We'll just have to find a time to get together. Think about it. We'll figure something out."
    " I'll definitely give it some thought."
    She said in a soft voice , "Thanks so much for this weekend, Rob. It was truly wonderful."
    " Spectacular is another word that comes to mind. Thank you ."
    " I guess I'll see you tomorrow."
    " Bright and early. Well, early if not bright. It's Monday, after all."
    Maddie laughed . "Good night."
    " Good night, gorgeous."
     
    * * * *
     
    Monday lived up to its reputation. Maddie's kids were rambunctious after two days away, and no one wanted to nap. She breathed a sigh of relief when they were on the playground, and the kids could burn off their energy. Burn was an appropriate choice of words—it was mid-June and already almost ninety degrees. Maddie fanned herself with a book as she watched the children scramble around, seemingly oblivious to the weather.
    " Where do they get all that energy?" Rob appeared next to her, looking as hot and irritable as she felt.
    Maddie smiled at him. "If someone could bottle it, I'd buy a case."
    " I think someone tried that. It's called speed. Or maybe caffeine."
    She touched the brim of his ball cap. She would have liked to run her hand over his stubbly face, but knew she couldn 't. Besides, he looks grimy . 
    Rob grinned at the look on her face. "Yes, the bloom is off the rose. I didn't clean up before I got here today. It's too damn hot. I just want to go home and hop in the shower."
    " Ooh, me too." She batted her eyes at him.
    He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Sweet Jesus, you're doing it to me again. I'm not going to be able to take this everyday without getting my hands on you at some point."
    She raised her arms. "I'm right here."
    He rolled his eyes again, and looked at his daughter climbing the jungle gym.
    "Hi, daddy!" Sophie waved wildly.
    " Hey, munchkin," he called back, and looked at Maddie. "So tell me, Miss Stewart, do you get a lunch hour?"
    " Lunch half-hour, I'm afraid. We have a floating sub cover for each of us during naptime. I usually bring a sandwich and eat in the break room."
    He thought about that. "Thirty minutes, huh? Well, I can take an hour if I need to. And tomorrow, I think I need to. Let's see—it's about two minutes to your place, allowing thirty seconds to climb in and out of the truck. That gives us twenty five minutes alone at your house."
    Maddie 's eyes lit up. "Twenty five minutes? Sounds like heaven."
    He sid led up next to her and whispered, "Sounds like about twenty minutes more than I'm going to need once I get my hands on you."
    Maddie grinned and looked down when Sophie appeared between them, her face red and flushed.
    " I'm thirsty," she announced.
    Maddie brushed the hair back from Sophie 's face. "Show your daddy where we get drinks inside. You'll need a nice long one before you go