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Instead, I rushed outside and found Aden, working on the landscaping around the front office.
“Morning, beautiful,” he says, giving me a lazy smile. It’s weird—the things that hit you. Because, in that moment I realize that not one single person in my life has ever called me beautiful, except my dad.
The fact that Aden calls me beautiful fills me with warmth and other things, that again, I’m not willing to investigate just yet.
“Where’s Jack?” I ask, trying my best to ignore the warm tingles Aden’s smile and words send through my body. I’m not very successful at it, but I try.
“Your friend, Daria, came and picked him up about thirty minutes ago.”
“My friend…thirty minutes ago? Why would she do that and why so early?” I question, confused and not really understanding what’s going on.
“Babe it’s noon.”
“I like honey better…what… Noon? How?”
I screech the words, but I can’t help it. I never sleep in. Never. I didn’t do it before Jack was born and then afterwards there was no way I could. Plus, I’m a single parent. Single parents never sleep in. There’s no possibility in the world that can make it happen. I am all Jack has, and whether it’s getting up early for work, or to feed him breakfast, nurse him to health when he’s sick or just hold his hand while he gets what he needs from me to feel safe, happy and healthy, I’m there.
“You were tired, honey. I let you sleep. Your girl called and I explained you were sleeping and Jack and I were going to work on the flowerbeds and she didn’t agree.”
“She didn’t?” my eyes went round. Partly because I liked the idea of Jack and Aden working together on the flowerbeds, but mostly because I knew that Daria had to have guessed that I still hadn’t told Aden the truth. She knew—like I did—that when the truth came out it was going to be cataclysmic, horrible, frightening and perhaps world-altering for me…and for Jack. So I knew—because I knew Daria—that she was giving me an opportunity to try and fix some of the damage that would be done today. A smart woman would do that.
If history had taught me anything in the last three years, it was one thing.
I was not a smart woman.
“She said it had been too long since she had spent time with Jack and it was her day off, so she was claiming him for the day.”
“She did?”
“She did.”
“I should maybe call her,” I whisper.
“Probably, but first I need something from you.”
“You do?”
“Two things actually.”
“What’s that?” I ask, feeling like all I’m doing is asking questions—probably because I am.
“First, you need to kiss me.”
“I do?”
“Had your lips last night, slept with my hands full of you. Which I liked, but I wanted more of your body and I couldn’t allow myself that, so I didn’t take what I wanted. But, today, I definitely need your lips again, honey.”
I processed what he said. All of it was good, all of it made me tingly-warm, and my knees weak. All of it was something I had never had before in my life and finally, all of it was something I never knew existed.
All of it was something I liked.
So I gave him my lips. It was a sweet kiss, nothing hungry about it. It was slow, soothing, loving and it was delicious. It still made my heart-rate speed, my body heat and when we broke away his smile and dark gaze made that heat increase.
He held me close, his arms encircling me and his hands moving to my ass to hold me close to him. For a minute, I just allowed myself to be here, to be in this moment with him and not let the black cloud that was hanging over my head inside.
Then a thought occurred to me.
“You slept with me all night?” I whisper.
“Mmmm…” he almost moans and I can feel wetness pool against my panties. I had heard him make that noise once before and that was when he licked my juices from his fingers. I remember watching as he did it, hearing the moaning growl that indicated he liked the way I tasted, and I remember wanting more of him. I remember reaching down and guiding his hard cock inside of me and I remember the feel of him sinking inside as he stretched me. I remembered it because ever since that night, it had never left my mind. It haunted me because I wanted it again. I wanted him again. “Hope?”
“Sorry, I was…thinking…”
“If you keep looking at me like that…” he says trailing off, but the look on his face leaves no question as to what he means. I did want him to give me the promise of what was in his eyes, but I needed to remember I was a big fat liar, sitting on a case of dynamite, that was probably going to take me and everything in my path out… so I let it go.
