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“I just want to be clear about what my expectations are. If Miss Sophie says she’s too busy, you need to respect that, too.”
“I can do that.” Her head was bowed, and I couldn’t see her expression.
Silence fell in the cab for a few minutes while I contemplated the unexpected afternoon. Finally, I asked, “You really enjoy baking?”
She lifted her head, her eyes not focused on me but on the windshield. “I do.”
She was quiet for a bit and then finally added, “Mom didn’t have time to show me, or maybe she couldn’t bake. I don’t know.”
“I didn’t know your mom well enough to know, either.” I hated admitting that, but it was reality.
“I just can’t believe a real baker is teaching me. It’s so exciting.”
I don’t think Kendall had used words like exciting since we’d moved back. It was like she was bound and determined to prove how boring everything was. This town. Our new house. The school she’d be going to. The other kids.
I wondered how much of that was real and how much she was trying to convince me this was a mistake. Maybe this thing with Sophie was the secret to getting her to fall in love with this town, or at the very least, admit it wasn’t the worst thing that had ever happened to her.
The summer finally stopped feeling like an endless number of days with nothing to do. I was working on the shelves for Sophie, and Kendall had baking lessons to look forward to. I’d only been back in town for a short while, and Sophie had easily slid back into my life, reminding me why she was the only girl I’d ever had a connection with.
She was sweet and caring, responsible and organized, and now that she was grown-up, she was utterly irresistible. But if I wanted her to keep giving Kendall lessons, I needed to steer clear of any other thoughts about Sophie.
Any touching or kissing had the potential to ruin what I was building with Kendall. I didn’t want to destroy Kendall’s trust in me or Sophie.
The most important thing was that Kendall felt comfortable living in this town so we could stay. If she wasn’t happy, I’d do anything to make it better for her. I hadn’t realized I’d been so unsettled until I saw Kendall in the kitchen with Sophie.
She was in her element. She was happy. It settled some of the worry and anxiety and made it easier for me to breathe. I was ridiculously grateful for Sophie. It made my feelings for her even more confusing. I was more attracted to her than I’d been in high school. It would be so easy to fall back into her, but the stakes were too high.
My daughter was the most important person in my life, and I wasn’t sure I could let anyone else in. Work had been my priority for so long, but I owed it to Kendall to give her this time. I ignored the niggle in my brain that prompted me to question if I’d have to wait until she graduated from high school to pursue a woman.
Tonight, we had dinner plans with my parents, and I needed to be prepared to defend my choices.
At home, Kendall and I went our separate ways. I gave her some time on electronics while I took a much-needed shower. I’d enjoyed Sophie’s admiration when I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I took satisfaction in the fact she was checking me out.
I never thought much about my body other than being prepared to handle anything in my job. I was aware women appreciated a muscled physique, but it meant more that I affected Sophie.
I closed my eyes as the water sluiced over my body, cooling my overheated skin. As teens, I’d seen Sophie naked. We’d spent a lot of time exploring each other’s bodies in the bed of my truck, parked in some remote part of my family’s property. But it felt wrong to think of her back then. I wanted to know what she looked like now.
I’d felt her breasts pressed against my chest when she’d squeezed past me, leaving her office, and those leggings left nothing to my imagination. I gripped my cock, gritting my teeth at the sensation.
I hadn’t indulged in any self-care since I’d come home. Something about being the sole parent for Kendall had me on edge. But she was otherwise occupied, and I needed this release if I was going to be around Sophie and not make a move on her.
Something about not being able to have Sophie, the fact that any relationship with her was forbidden, made me more desperate. I stroked my cock to the naked version of Sophie in my mind—fair skin scattered with freckles, full breasts, and dusty pink nipples. Her waist dipped in, and her hips flared out. Her skin was soft, and she smelled sweet, like sugar.
I’d take my time with her, licking and touching every inch, reacquainting myself with her body. Noting the changes, the places she’d filled out, the things that made her a woman and no longer a girl, I groaned as I stroked harder.
Her legs would wrap around my waist, pulling me closer, insisting I press my weight on top of her as I nudged my cock at her pussy. We wouldn’t be fumbling teenagers, but adults who knew exactly what they wanted. The thought of being with her in that way set off my orgasm. It came barreling through me hard and fast.
Coming down from the high, I felt a little disappointed that Sophie would never be mine. Our timing was never right. How could something that felt so good be something we couldn’t hold on to?
* * *
At the dinner table, Dad was rattling off the developments in the business for the past ten years. I was listening with half an ear, and Kendall looked like she’d completely checked out. I wondered if he was building up to something important.
“Have you thought any more about what you’d like to do?” Dad prompted me.
“Not much beyond settling in and finding some friends for Kendall. I’m building shelves for Sophie at her bakery, and Kendall’s taking some baking lessons.”
“Oh?” Mom asked, and I realized too late my mistake.
