Somebody Like You: A Small Town Single Mom Romance (The Heartbreak Brothers Book 4) Carrie Elks (free reads .TXT) 📖

“You could just Google me,” he suggested. “I’m not exactly a closed book. What you see is what you get.”

“I don’t believe that for a moment.” She smiled at him. “Your online presence is probably managed to death. And anyway, there’s nothing on the internet that tells me why you aren’t still dating Soraya.”

“So you have been Googling me,” he murmured, tracing his finger down her spine. “That’s kind of hot.”

“I notice you keep avoiding my question,” she said, tipping her head to the side.

“Okay. We met when I was doing a cologne commercial. I was the big brawny football player, she was the woman who stopped me in my tracks. You might have seen it. All dark with stupid music playing.” He’d never lived that one down with his brothers. And of course, he got at least one bottle of cologne from them every Christmas. It was like a thing now.

“And you fell for each other?”

He laughed. “We didn’t exactly fall. We talked and she was fun. We went out on a few dates. And then she got busy with her work, I got busy with the season, and it felt too hard. Neither of us was invested enough to coordinate our schedules. That spoke pretty loud. So we stopped seeing each other.”

“Did you have sex?”

He blinked, surprised by the question. “Yeah.”

“I guess you’ve had sex with a lot of people.” She smiled. “It’s alien to me, you know? You’re only my second.”

There was a wobble in her voice that belied her calm expression. Just the merest hint of insecurity. Somehow it made her even more attractive, more real.

He liked that she showed her flaws. He had enough of his own, after all.

“I’m thirty years old, so I’ve had a few partners. But probably not as many as you think.” And never one he wanted to see as much as her. He loved the way she made him laugh. The way she challenged him, made him work for what he wanted.

She shifted on his chest.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. He knew they were walking a tight line in this conversation. The most confident of people felt exposed when talking about their sexual history, after all. And she’d taken one of the biggest knocks of all.

“I’m being stupid.” Her eyes were warm, even though her voice was wary. “I just keep thinking about you being with supermodels, and then, me.”

“You think I compare you to them?”

“Honestly? I don’t think you do. But I compare me to them. And maybe that’s worse.”

He hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her against his naked body, until she was laying over him. Running his hands down her back, he pressed his lips against her throat. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,” he told her, sliding his palms over her behind. “You may not think it, because you’ve been through a lot these past years, but somewhere inside you have to know it. Because I knew it from the moment I saw you standing at the front door, your eyes flashing fire at me because I was chasing your kids. Do you know how fierce you are when you’re in protection mode? It was hot and scary at the same time.”

She laughed, running her hands over his short hair. “Come over any day at about six. You’ll see me really losing it then.”

“I’d come over to your place any time.”

“I know you would. And in a different life, that would work. But not this one.”

No, not this one. And it made his stomach feel tight, because for the first time in forever he could see another kind of life for himself. One where he had a kick-ass woman always beside him. With two kids who weren’t his but who were funny and clever, and saw him as something more than a coach.

A life that made him feel like he finally belonged somewhere off the field, the way he hadn’t in more than twenty years.

But he didn’t want to think about what he couldn’t have. He wanted to enjoy the moment, having her in his arms. Because her soft, sweet body felt amazing against his.

“We have an hour until you have to go,” Cam whispered, hitching her against him, as he kissed his way up her neck. “Let’s see if I can make you scream my name this time.”

Chapter Nineteen

It was almost six. How the hell had it gotten so late? Mia saved the document she’d been working on and searched through the papers on her desk for her phone. She was supposed to have left half an hour ago – to make dinner and finish working with Josh on his project. Like her, he had a big presentation tomorrow. And they were both as nervous as hell.

As she grabbed her jacket, she typed up a quick message to Michael.

Running late. Just leaving work now. Can you grab a pizza from the freezer and turn the oven on? Mom xx

She was rushing down the hallway when his reply appeared.

It’s okay, we’re going to order in. It’s all under control. You still like Hawaiian, right? – Michael xx

Okay, but check if there are any coupons before you order. – Mom xx

Chill. It’s all under control. See you later. Michael xx

Unlocking her car, Mia let her muscles relax. Michael was growing up. He wasn’t a man yet, but he was definitely more responsible than he’d been in Kansas City. Maybe the move had done him good after all. As promised, he’d helped Josh with his project this week. The three of them had sat at the table every evening, Mia working on her own presentation and her sons bent over Josh’s life size man ‘with his guts spilling out’.

Josh’s words, of course.

It had been sweet watching the two of them together. Not squabbling or ignoring each other, but actually having fun as they glued body parts and identified them with black sharpies. Now the body was complete, and tonight was