Page 25 of Chasing Honor

“If she wants. But, Squirt, don’t be disappointed if she says, no. She may have to work today.”

“But it’s a Saturday,” she said, telling me something I already knew.

It had been almost a month since I’d first kissed Honor. And in the four-weeks since, there had been more stolen kisses after Carson had gone to bed. My hands had never moved from her face or back. I’d kept my promise and my dick in check. That didn’t mean after our goodnight kisses I’d hadn’t gone up to my room and jerked off thinking about all the things I wanted to do to her.

Honor, however, was getting braver; her hands roamed my chest as I devoured her mouth. Last night, as I had her pressed against her bedroom door, her touch had ventured south, and she rubbed my dick over the outside of my pants. Her tiny hand stroked over the material, and I was a moment away from coming when I pulled her hand away. She’d almost broken my will. I wanted her so badly I could barely stand to wait any longer. But I’d walked away, leaving her breathless, and both of us needing more. I had lain in my bed with my dick in my hand wondering why I was waiting. I could’ve walked back to Honor’s room and made love to her until we were both satisfied.

The truth was, I was scared. What if the excitement and anticipation waned after we had sex? What if she wasn’t as perfect as I thought she was? What if I fucked this up and hurt her? And what about Carson? Over the last few weeks, they’d cooked together, gone out back and Honor showed Carson how to use her camera, they’d painted together, they even went grocery shopping—just the two of them. I’d stayed home to set up Honor’s new TV and Blu-ray player for her, and the girls had left. Bottom line, Carson was attached; she liked Honor. Case in point, she wanted to invite Honor to come along with us to Savannah. This was our time, Carson had never wanted anyone to come with us on our trips to the city—not even my parents.

Fuck.

I was at a loss. Did I pull back and pump the brakes, or did I give in to my desires and lift the temporary ban on sex and go for it? And why the fuck was I mixing sex with emotion? We were both adults. Surly we could get hot and sweaty between the sheets and still behave like rational people. But, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, I knew why I was holding back. It had been a month, and I was already half in love with Honor. If I took her to my bed, I wouldn’t be able to keep my emotions out of it. I wouldn’t be fucking her, I’d be making love to her. She was so different from the other women I’d been with, they weren’t even in the same universe. I could see Honor in our lives for the long haul.

Carson jumped off my bed and headed for the door.

“Carson, if she says no, don’t batt your pretty eyes at her and try and convince her. She has deadlines, and her work is important.”

“Fine,” she huffed and went in search of Honor.

A few minutes later, as I was brushing my teeth, Honor appeared in the doorway of my bathroom,

“Hey there, handsome.” She smiled.

I had a mouthful of toothpaste, so I opted for a chin lift in response.

“Carson invited me to tag along on your big day out. I wanted to check that was cool with you. Last night you were excited about some one-on-one time with her. I don’t want to intrude.”

I rinsed my mouth and thought about what she’d asked. Honor was always careful not to intrude. She always asked before she did anything with Carson, she didn’t even take her into the backyard without permission. She respected my time with my daughter and would sneak away if she saw Carson and me cuddled on the couch, watching a show. I wasn’t sure if that made her the world’s most perfect woman, caring about my time with my kid, or if it made me an asshole because I’d made Honor think she was an interloper when I’d invited her into our circle.

Time to shit or get off the pot. With my mind made up, I dried my face and listened for Carson. The slamming of a cabinet door downstairs told me everything I needed to know. I was alone with Honor.

Two strides and I was face to face with the woman who’d plagued my dreams and turned my world upside down.

“I want you to come,” I told her. “I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel otherwise.”

“You haven’t, but your time with Carson is important.”

“You’re important, too.”

“Thank you, Ethan,” she whispered.

“Are you sure about where we’re headed? You want to try this with Carson and me?”

“I promise, I’ve thought a lot about it. It’s not just you and me. I’d never do anything to hurt Carson. Never. I like you.” She stopped and smiled. “A lot. I want to see where this goes. And for the record, I’m done with taking things slowly with you. But, I want my friendship with Carson to be separate from my relationship with you. Does that make sense?”

“It does.”

“It’s important she never feels like I’m taking her daddy’s time away from her. And I want her and me to gradually get to know each other better. I only have one shot with her and I won’t fuck it up by pushing; we move at her pace. It won’t matter if what we have is perfect, if Carson isn’t comfortable, that’s a deal breaker for me.”

Yep, world’s most perfect woman. I was happy she’d said exactly what I was feeling. Eight years ago, I gave my life to my daughter, I never knew how or where a woman would fit into our world, but Honor had shown me. One step at a time.

“I’m gonna kiss you, smalls. And, tonight, after I get Carson to sleep we’re taking our goodnight kiss behind closed doors.”

“Is that right?”

“It is. And just so you’re forewarned, you may need a nap. It’s gonna be a long night,” I informed her.

“You think so?”