“Oh my gosh, you did it.”

Chloe looks at her hands and glances at me. Her smile is so much like her brother’s that it takes my breath away. I can’t believe I didn’t see the resemblance in them when I first noticed her.

“Woohoo!” she sings, shaking her rump.

I laugh and tuck the strands of the braid I’m working on in one hand so I can hold the other up for Chloe, but when she tries to do the same, she loses a chunk of the braid.

“Sorry,” she laughs, “but I’m really proud of this braid, and I’m not letting go.”

Instead, she bumps her hip against mine, and I feel like it’s some sort of secret handshake. I’m probably reading way too much into it, but I don’t care. Lincoln introduced me to his sister, and I’m pretty sure she likes me, and I don’t think today could get much better.

“That’s okay. Let’s keep going and see if you can finish this braid.”

I grab another section of hair, adding it to the intricate braid, and watch Chloe do the same. We keep working our way down, stopping a few times along the way so Chloe can work out what she’s doing with her fingers.

Lincoln disappeared somewhere, but I know he hasn’t gone far because every few minutes the hair on the back of my neck stands up, so I know he’s looking at me.

Chloe must notice it too because she grins. “He’s circling us like a hungry lion, and you’re the gazelle. If he wasn’t my brother I’d think it was sweet, but he is, so it’s kind of disgusting.”

We both laugh and she says, “Who did you think I was when you first saw me earlier? An old girlfriend? Someone hitting on your man?”

I feel my cheeks flush. I’m not normally a jealous person, but when I turned around and saw her wrapped in Lincoln’s arms, I about died.

“I wasn’t sure, but I didn’t like it. It’s a good thing you guys came over and talked to me because I was seconds away from going all Lara Croft on you in front of a bunch of kids.”

Chloe tosses her head back and laughs. “I’m glad you didn’t. I’m a lover not a fighter.” Her voice softens. “But I love that you’d fight for Lincoln.”

I finish the braid, secure it with a ponytail holder, and smooth a few wayward strands. “He’s wonderful.”

“I know.”

“And kind.”

“I know that too.”

Biting my lip, I look at Chloe and tell her something I’ve yet to tell Lincoln. “He makes me feel special.”

When Chloe finally looks over at me, her eyes are shiny. She blinks a few times and nods. “Just don’t hurt him, okay? He may act all tough, but he’s really just a big softy, and he’s been through a lot in his lifetime. He deserves some happiness.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Chloe nods and finishes off her side of the braid, securing it with a band. “A little messy, but not too bad for my first try. What do you think?”

“It looks great. If we work on it every time we meet up here, you’ll have it down in no time.”

“You’re coming back here, huh?”

I know without a doubt that I’ll be coming back, with or without Lincoln. “Absolutely. This place is great.”

“I’m glad you think so. Linc and I love coming here, and we love seeing Heather.” Moving around the chair, Chloe looks at the little girl. “Your hair is gorgeous.”

“It is?”

“Oh yeah. Wanna see?”

Heather nods, and Chloe stands up to take a picture.

“See,” she says, holding the phone out for Heather to see.

“Wow. It looks just like Rachel’s, only better. Don’t tell her that, though, because I don’t want to hurt her feelings.” Heather hands the phone back to Chloe and turns around to look at me. “Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome,” I tell her. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it.”

With the flick of her head, she spins and runs across the room to a group of girls huddled around the scrapbooking table. The girls fawn over Heather’s braids, and Chloe nudges me in the arm.

“You were great with her.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you two finally done?” Lincoln slides an arm around my waist, holding me close to his side.

Chloe looks at his arm around me and fights a grin. “We are.”

“Good. We need to go.”

I blink. “Why? I’m having fun.”

“Because something came up.”

Chloe takes a step toward her brother. “Is it Dad? Is everything okay?”

Lincoln looks at Chloe long enough to reassure her. “He’s fine. But we need to go.”

“Okay.” My mind is racing, trying to figure what could’ve come up that would cause us to leave Kid Connection early.

Did I do something wrong?

Lincoln gives Chloe a one-armed hug. “I’ll call you later. Don’t forget to register for graduation.”

She gives him a mock solute and smiles sweetly at me. “It was great meeting you, Adley. Maybe we can get together soon?”

“That would be wonderful.”

With my hand cradled in his, Lincoln all but drags me out of Kid Connection. Several kids and a few of the mentors holler out goodbyes, but Lincoln just throws up a hand, not stopping to acknowledge anyone.

“Lincoln, slow down.”

He doesn’t. He’s a man on a mission. I just wish I knew what that mission was.

Like the gentleman he is, Lincoln holds the truck door open for me and waits until I’m buckled before shutting the door and jogging around to his side. He slides in and buckles, and a second later we’re on our way home.

His eyes are trained on the road, as they should be, and his hands are fisted tight around the wheel. I can’t help but wonder again if I did something to upset him.

“Did I do something wrong?”

His grip on the wheel loosens, and he glances over at me. “No. Why would you think that?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you dragged me out of there like your ass was on fire.”

“I’m sorry.” He reaches across the center console and rests a hand on my upper thigh. “You did nothing wrong. It’s me.”

Was that some weird form of it’s not you it’s me? Because everyone knows it’s really the you person.

“I’m not sure that’s any better.”

“Shit. I suck at this.” Lincoln steps on the gas. “Just bear with me, okay? I promise this will make sense as soon as I can get you home.”

The rest of the drive is made in silence, and when we get to my place, he jumps out and holds my door open. With a hand on my lower back, he leads me to the front door. I unlock it and he follows me in, shutting and locking it behind us.

“I really wanted to wait until we got back to my house to do this, but I can’t.”

Next thing I know, his lips are on mine, and my back is against the wall.

“What do you want?” I pant between kisses.

“You.”

“You already have me.”

“I want all of you.”

Oh God, I want that too.

Lincoln’s teeth rake over my lower lip and then his tongue dips inside, sweeping against mine.

I reach for his shirt, needing to get rid of the layer between us. He lifts his arms enough for me to pull it over his head, and then my hands are roaming his chest. I can feel the fast beat of his heart beneath the palm of my hand, and it gives me a thrill to know he wants this as much as I do.

My nipples are throbbing, begging to be sucked and pinched and tasted. And my panties are soaked, and if he doesn’t get us naked soon, I’m going to combust.

With one hand on my hip, the other shoved into my hair, he pulls me to him. There’s a bite of pain when he fists my hair at the nape of my neck, and I whimper.

“I can’t wait,” he growls, the rugged sound shooting straight to the ache between my thighs.

“Please.”

I don’t know what I’m begging for.

His lips.

His hands.

His cock.

His heart?

But Lincoln doesn’t need anything more than that one word.

He scoops me into his arms and carries me down the hall with purpose. “You’re mine, Adley.”