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"I can wrestle you, Frazier. I have three brothers," I said smugly. "I've had plenty of practice sparring with them as a kid, and I take working out seriously, so I'm in great shape to kick your ass."
He pulled me behind a palm tree.
"I'd love to see you try to wrestle me." His voice was low and a little gruff, sending a current of awareness right to my nipples. His cheeks were covered in stubble, and it made him look, if possible, even hotter.
"If we were alone, I'd sink into you right here, right now."
He kissed me then, his mouth hot and warm on mine. My body responded to him in a visceral way. I touched those fine muscles, lingering with my hands on his shoulders, then moving to his arms. Every inch of my skin seemed to come alive as this sexy and funny man did delicious things to me.
***
Graham
I tore my mouth away from hers only because I'd make a spectacle of us both if I continued.
"Let's set a date for when I can cook for you and Milo."
She immediately tensed in my arms.
"What's wrong, Lori? Talk to me." Was she pushing me away?
"I haven't thought through how to explain all of this to Milo."
"What do you usually say when you introduce a date?"
"I haven't dated in years, Graham. Dating is daunting enough for an adult, but parading men in front of a kid is not the best idea."
It took me a few seconds to absorb what she was saying, and then I felt a wave of affection for her. Not attraction. Affection.
I'd suspected her dating life took a back seat when she said it had been a while last night, but I hadn't realized she'd meant years. She wasn't pushing me away. This was simply new for her. I could work with that. Fuck, I had no clue what I was doing here either. I’d stuck to superficial entanglements after my divorce, but this was something else.
The thought of letting her go was scarier than the thought of getting hurt. I was man enough to admit that. This wasn’t only physical attraction. It had never been just about that. I wanted to get to know Lori better, even at the risk of getting burned. But could I risk hurting her? And her son? Elizabeth’s words rang in my ears. That I hadn’t been the husband she’d wished for. Could I do better? I wanted to.
"You won't be parading men," I assured her. "Just me. I'm very territorial."
She gave me a small smile. "Milo needs stability. He gets attached to every man in his life, like my brothers, or his soccer coach. Substitutes for the father he doesn't have."
That gutted me, because... what did I know about being a father, after all? Nothing. I hadn't had stellar examples, and kids didn't come with instruction manuals. But I knew Lori was right. Stability was important.
"I understand what you're saying."
"You do?"
"Didn't have much stability myself, so yeah. I understand exactly. We both have our issues, Lori, but what we have is special."
I pulled her against me and skimmed my hands up and down the sides of her body, lingering on her delicious breasts.
"You're very convincing," she murmured, nodding. I claimed her mouth and kissed her until I felt her rise on her tiptoes. I nudged her knees open, rubbing against her. "If you keep doing that, I'll forget what I'm actually here to do," she whispered.
"That's the plan, baby."
"You make me want to be wild. But I have to go back to supervising the guys. I need to leave here in an hour."
Instead of letting her go, I kissed her again.
"What are you doing?" she muttered.
"Giving you an incentive to come back. I know how to play my cards."
