AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She’s right. The kids love her, and I know she adores them. It would be silly to assume we could all walk away at the end of the summer and not be affected. Adding a romantic entanglement complicates the situation. We cannot have a casual, no-strings-attached relationship.
“Then, we don’t let them find out,” I say. It’s true, getting together with Hadley would be a mistake. It would be wrong since we’re much more than casual acquaintances. Except, I don’t care. I was so close to having her tonight, to feeling her body wrapped around mine, to knowing what her lips taste like when I kiss them. I’m not ready to give up.
“Are you kidding?”
I sit down beside her, careful to keep a respectable distance . . . for now. “No, I’m not. I’m an adult, Hadley. I know we have an end point, and when that time comes, I can handle it.”
“If Piper and Colton—”
I place a hand on her thigh. “Do you know how many secrets I have from my children? I’m capable of being discreet. Are you?”
“Of course.”
“Would you care to put that to the test?” I let my hand slide back until it meets her hip, dragging the fabric of her dress up her leg, revealing inch by inch of her body. When she doesn’t react, I start to think I’ve overstepped my boundaries; I’ve pushed her too far. “If you want me to keep my distance, I’ll do it. Whatever started between us ends tonight, right here, right now. We don’t go beyond these brief moments.”
“And what if that’s not what I want?”
“You have to be crystal clear with me, Hadley. Spell it out.”
She shifts on the couch, sliding across the small gap between us, and moves to straddle my lap. She slings one leg over me, settling herself on top of me. “Spell it out?” I nod. “C-O-C-K.”
I burst out laughing and immediately slap a hand over my mouth. Wasn’t I asking her a moment ago if she was capable of discretion? I can’t be the one to spoil this. “You’ve got a very sassy mouth.”
“There’s no point in pretending, right? You want me, I want you. I was simply doing as you asked.”
She holds my gaze as I brush her hair away from her shoulders, letting my fingers brush along the exposed ridge of her collar bone. “How about I spell out what I want?” My hands fall to her waist, grasping it tight as I lean forward and brush my lips against her jaw. “K-I-S-S.”
