I stuffed my dick into my jeans and wiped my face off against the bottom of her skirt. I was zipping up and praying I didn’t catch skin as I rose. “It’s?—”
The door creaked open. “Hello? I know it’s late.”
I spotted June’s underwear on the floor. I swiped them up and hid them in a pocket.
I lunged inside the kitchen to give June extra time to straighten herself. My shirt was hanging against the chair, but I didn’t have time to grab it. “Kirstin. What are you doing here?”
I sounded guilty as hell. This hadn’t been her home, but I’d always buffered her from how I’d felt about June. I had owed it to the mother of my children.
Kirstin closed the door behind her. Her dark hair was short in a chic, spiky style. Her black workout leggings disappeared into fluffy boots she wore most of the year and not just in the winter. With her puffy coat, she looked like she should be on a ski slope instead of photographing birds in Costa Rica.
“Oh, hey. There you are.” She pushed her suitcase toward the wall. “Listen, I saw something online and figured I needed to come back early—” Her gaze lifted to behind my shoulder. Her jaw went hard as she looked back at me. “I’m interrupting.”
I’d say no, but fuck yes she had interrupted. Since she’d spied June, I crossed to the table and grabbed my shirt. “The girls are with Wren. School got out this week.” Which she’d know if she were here.
“Right, the girls mentioned that when I called.”
I shrugged into my shirt. When my head pokedthrough, I found June hovering where I’d just been standing.
“Hi, Kirstin,” she said quietly.
“June Bee,” Kirstin said flatly. “I saw you were in town. Because my kids’ names were being thrown around on social media.”
Kirstin only followed artists and other photographer accounts. Either she’d been looking at June-related accounts, or the curiosity about June’s private life was pervasive.
If Kirstin could get internet for social media, why didn’t she call more?
“They didn’t get pictures of the kids,” I said gruffly and stuffed my hands in my pockets. June’s underwear was at the tips of my fingers. My erection almost made a comeback.
Kirstin lifted her chin. “You two were on a date, and they were where?”
“They were in the bathroom. Is there a reason you suddenly don’t trust me to keep our girls safe?”
June held her hands up. “I let my guard down and images made it to the internet. I’m sorry.” She hugged herself. “I should, uh, probably go. Let you two talk.”
Kirstin gave her ayeah, you shouldlook and stepped to the side to clear the doorway.
June pushed her feet into her sandals and disappeared out the door. I had to let her go. I had to stay and talk to Kirstin.
This was supposed to be my night. My fucking weekend. Hell, my two weeks, and my ex-wife had swooped into the country to cockblock me.
Kirstin took her coat off and slammed it onto a hook. “What thehell, Rhys?”
Was she upset about the girls’ names online or June being in my house? We’d been divorced for four years. “The girls are taken care of, and June and I are two consenting adults.”
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Buther? I leave the country and you think it’s safe to?—”
“It wasn’t like that, and you don’t know what it’s like because you aren’t here.”
She went rigid, and I gritted my teeth. I’d sworn to myself I would not make her feel bad for pursuing her career. I knew how hard it’d been for her to live in June’s shadow. After spending time with June, I could admit how not over her I’d been during my marriage.
“Look, we’ve had an amicable divorce, and I don’t want to ruin it. The girls deserve that.”
“You’re right.” Her demeanor softened and she went to the cupboard to withdraw a glass. “I never thought it was over between you and her anyway.”
“It was. It is.” At her dubious look, I nodded. “She’s not in town for long. I’m single. She’s single. Full disclosure—the girls love her.”
A sigh dragged her shoulders down. “Of course they do. The great and sparkly June Bee Bailey Kerrigan.” She tipped her head back. “You said she’s not going to be here long. How are Bethany and Hannah handling that? Or do they think America’s Country Sweetheart is going to be their new stepmom?”
