Page 29 of Parentmoon

“I’m sorry you didn’t feel welcome at the table when Michael and Keli announced their engagement.” I’m sorry that he didn’t feel that the love present included him, or could have included him, had he stayed seated. Or been more engaged during other dinners and conference calls.

“Thank you, darlin’. Apology not necessary but accepted.” He winks at me, closing the door on this topic.

Slowly, he sits upright and slips to the end of his lounger. “Get up,” he gently demands, patting my foot. “Let’s swim.”

I don’t really want to swim but the day is hot, and my mind is a muddle.

The water covers my waist, and after a few minutes of simply wading back and forth in the shallow end of the refreshing pool, I say, “It’s a shame we can’t swim in the ocean.”

Dallas leans against the pool wall, observing me, always watching. Then he tips his head. “Come here, darlin’.”

The command in his tone makes me want to obey. The timbre of his voice is seduction in itself.

When I near him, he grips my hips beneath the water. “I want you to trust me.”

Despite hearing the plea in his voice, I shake my head. “It’s not you. It’s me.”

Dallas roughly chuckles. “Not falling for that line.” He stares at me. “Seems your asshole ex has a lot to answer for.” He pauses before stressing, “I’m not him, though.”

I chew my lip. “My walls are kind of thick. I feel sorry for any man trying to get close to me.” The admission is more than I planned to tell him. However, the truth was a relief to share with someone, even if that was a someone I slept with mere hours ago. I’m not a fool. Sleeping with Dallas might have been stupid, but he isn’t likely to try to scale the walls I’ve built around me. He isn’t going to be more than a fling. We’ll depart here next week and go back to living as separate entities: Keli’s father, Michael’s mother.

Dallas still watches me, assessing me before he squeezes my hips and leans for my ear. “I want to touch you.” The sensual ruggedness signals an end to discussing emotions.

I glance around again. “Someone could see us.”

Dallas shifts our positions, moving me so my hands brace on the tiled ledge of the pool. He stands behind me and lowers his face into my neck.

“I wouldn’t ever let anyone hurt you.” He kisses me on the side of my throat. “Besides, no one can see underneath the water.”

Dallas slips his hand around my belly and lowers between my legs. “Close your eyes. Relax, darlin’.”

He nibbles my neck while two fingers press at my sensitive spot. I don’t know how this will work beneath water, but I take a deep breath and exhale, melting into the firmness of him behind me. Trust him.

Letting my back press against his chest, I tip my head to his shoulder. He continues to kiss along the side of my neck. Loosen up.

“Think of me entering you. Sliding into you.” His rugged voice is like a hot stone massage over my skin.

My body trembles.

“Fuck, you felt so good this morning. Wet. Hot. Tight.” He moves his fingers, dipping them below the band of my bathing suit bottoms. Slipping one finger into me, I buck back, nudging the hard length in his suit. He presses forward, forcing me into the wall of the pool. Humming at my ear, he slips a second finger inside me, filling me.

“I’m hard just thinking about it. Your wet pussy around me. You clenching at my dick.” He grinds against my backside, and I rock into his fingers. His thumb eases under my suit as well. Soon, I’m humping his fingers and clutching at the edge of the pool. My eyes are closed against the bright sunlight. I’ve never done anything like this before.

Dallas Cole is reckless, and my heart already recognizes the potential for breaking me.

My body, on the other hand, is a traitorous bitch.

“Dallas,” I warn, hands grasping the lip of the pool deck while I press back against his hard length. I ride his fingers, suddenly unable to stop myself, unable to control the wildness he’s bringing out in me.

I thrust my hips forward, squeeze my thighs together, and come with his fingers buried inside me.

“Hmm, darlin’.” He bites my neck at the juncture of my shoulder. “I like when your wall crumbles a little bit.” He slips his fingers from me, righting my suit bottom as he withdraws.

Quickly spinning, I capture his face in my hands and tug him to me, kissing him with everything I have. This kiss is my gratitude. Not trust. I’m not there yet, but the things he’s doing to my body are crippling my resolve a little bit. Reminding me I’m a sexual being with needs that deserve to be met. Why not let it be Dallas, a man with a ton of experience and his own fortress against emotional attachment.

I lower one hand for his thickness, squeezing him through his suit.

Dallas breaks our kiss and catches my wrist. “Someone might see,” he teases, as he steps back.