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"Dean likes you."
I looked at Todd to see if that bothered him. "How can you tell?"
"He looks at you when you talk to him, and he actually expressed something in a full sentence. Thank you for that, by the way, because I was beginning to wonder if I was going to have to take him to a speech therapist or something."
He was being humorous, but I could still see sadness in his eyes. His gaze turned to the restaurant, tracking Dean through the arcade. "I'm really worried that I fucked my kid up."
I squeezed Todd's hand. "There's no doubt that he has issues. He's probably angry, but I don't think he's beyond your reach."
He looked at me with hope in his eyes. It was like I'd tossed him a lifeline and he was eagerly grabbing onto it. "You think so?"
"I think so. But it's not going to be easy. More than anything, he's going to need time, which means you're going to need a lot of patience with him. You can't undo in a day or week, maybe not even a year, what took several years to create."
He nodded. "You probably think I'm the worst father in the world."
"Not the worst, no. I think you made some mistakes, but what parent doesn't, right?"
"I'm not quite sure how to undo them."
I squeezed his hand again. "You just keep doing what you're doing, knowing that it's going to take time for him to believe that you are really here for him."
Todd gave me a sheepish grin. "You know, if this marketing thing doesn't work out for you, you have a career in parent counseling."
I arched a brow. "Are you saying my career in marketing is in jeopardy?"
"Hell no. I plan to keep you forever."
In my chest, my heart started bouncing around like a ball in a pinball machine. It heard something entirely different from what he meant. He meant he wanted to keep me in the job, not me personally. But oh, how I wished it could be different.
Dean joined us when it was time to eat and then ran off again to play more games.
When the night was over, they drove me back to my apartment, and Todd walked me up to my door. I really wished he would kiss me goodnight, but with Dean in the car, I understood why he couldn't or wouldn't. Hell, maybe he didn’t want to kiss me at all.
"I'll see you Monday at work?" he asked, his gaze drifting down to my lips, telling me he did want to kiss me.
I considered tossing all caution to the wind and launching myself into his arms, but I stepped through my open doorway. "I'll be there. I'll be working on the next TikTok campaign."
He laughed and shook his head. "Now you're making me feel old."
"It's time for you to go home, Gramps."
He let out a laugh and gave me a wave as he turned and headed back to the car.
It wasn't too late, so I decided to end the evening with a glass of wine and soak in a hot bath. I loaded the hot water up with scented bubbles and lit a few candles, turning out the light as I sank into the water.
There had been a moment in the hotel with Todd when I wondered what it would be like to be in the tub with him. I imagined soapy water sluicing over his skin. Just the thought of it made my pussy come to life with arousal.
Whatever the chemistry was between us, it continued on. But Todd's focus was Dean, and so I was certain that our little affair was over. All I was going to have were memories and fantasies.
But what good fantasies they were. The best. For as reckless and foolish as I’d been to sleep with Todd, I couldn’t regret it. Every woman should have a man make her feel the way he’d made me feel when he touched me at least once in her life.
I drew my hand down over my nipple as the memory of his lips sucking and tugging on them filled my brain. I pinched my nipple, sending sweet sensations down my body. With my eyes closed and my mind filled with Todd, I took myself back to the hotel and the wildly erotic things he did to my body.
His lips trailed down my body, over my belly and lower. My fingers flicked over my clit, imagining it was Todd’s tongue. My hips rocked as need filled me. His hands pushed my thighs apart, his mouth sucking on the soft, sensitive skin on my inner thighs. It drove me wild with need.
“Todd.”
“Yes.” His lips slowly moved along my thigh, closer to my pussy.
