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DAKOTA HAD ONE last final exam to take as part of her college term at noon. After finishing up breakfast, she had to hurry over to campus to get there on time while I volunteered to clean up the kitchen in her place.
"I'll help her." Jordan volunteered next, instantaneously setting off my nerves.
"Thank you, Jordan." Nik nodded curtly at his son just before his phone rang and he left the room to go attend it.
"You don't have to help," I told Jordan once we were left alone together and he started collecting our used utensils. "It's not a lot of dishes to clean up. I can do it myself."
"I don't doubt that." Was all he said as he carried the stack of dirty dishes towards the sink in the kitchen. I trailed after him like a lost puppy and he turned his head back to frown at me. "The syrup and stuff goes in the fridge. Why don't you take care of those?"
Heat stained my cheeks. "Yeah, okay."
When I came back to the kitchen carrying stuff that went into the fridge, I moved my eyes across the room and looked over at where Jordan was scrubbing our plates down over the sink. A tall guy with tattoos and piercings acting so domesticated struck me differently.
"You done with the fridge, princess?"
"Yeah." I quickly quipped before making my way over to his side. "You want me to dry or take over washing?"
"You asking me what I want you to do?" I saw him looking down at me through my peripheral vision and when I tipped my head up to meet his eyes, my chest tightened. His lips were slightly parted and a few strands of his dark hair fell into his eyes, but other than that nothing should have compelled me to feel the way I was feeling.
"Yeah . . ." I pushed the word out, taking my sweet time to inhale air back into my lungs.
"Would you really do whatever I tell you to do?" His voice had gotten more hoarse, but he turned back to look down at the soaped-up plate he was rinsing like his words weren't at all suggestive.
Refraining from narrowing my eyes at him, I resolved to keep my response casual. "I don't have a preference for either washing or drying, so, yeah, I'll do whichever." Satisfied that my response had redirected us from any innuendos, I met his eyes again with confidence.
"Take over the washing." He nodded after a moment of hesitation.
"'Kay." We swapped spots and as Jordan moved behind me to give up his spot by the sink, he brushed his front against my back. My eyes closed and rolled behind the lids while I clenched my jaw.
