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When he entered his bedroom, Ali was sitting with her back against the headboard. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine.” He removed his underwear and climbed back into bed. “My son decided it was a good idea to take a swim before bed.”
He pulled her against him, and she nuzzled against his chest. Brushing his lips against the top of her head, he lowered them onto the mattress and pulled the blanket to cover them. She ran her hand along his chest, playing with his hair, and he knew she was thinking. “My mom and I don’t have a great relationship.”
Daniel had wanted to ask about her mom for a long time, but it had never seemed like the right time. He’d picked up some bits and pieces over the time they’d known each other, like he knew her mom visited her on occasion, and it stressed her out. “Tell me about her.”
“She’s the exact opposite of me. Where I like schedules, she hates them. Grandma used to call her a free spirit.” Ali glanced up at Daniel. “That was her being nice.”
“Did you see her very often growing up?” he asked.
“Sometimes she’d stay for a week or two. A few times she even promised to stick around.” Ali paused. “That never lasted long.”
“I’m sorry.” His parents had always been there for him growing up. If he’d needed something, they’d done their best to make it happen.
“It’s okay. I had my grandma.”
He felt her smile.
“She was the best.”
“I’m glad you had her in your life.”
“Me, too.” Ali’s hand stilled on his chest. “I don’t want to ruin the relationship you have with your son.”
“You won’t.” He could feel the argument coming, so he continued, “He’ll come around.”
She pulled herself up, so her face was level with his. “And if he doesn’t?”
“He will.”
Her teeth dug into her bottom lip, drawing his gaze to her mouth. He brought her lips down to his.
Daniel threaded his hand in her hair, holding her to him. “I don’t want you to worry about this. We’ll figure it out, okay? I want you in my life and my bed.”
“I want that, too.”
Emotion rose in his chest. He loved this woman so much.
He kissed her again. “We need to sleep.”
She glanced over at the clock beside his bed, and he followed her gaze. It was almost eleven.
When she looked at him again, her eyes were full of warmth. Her lips brushed his. “Good night.”
“Good night, sweetheart.” I love you was on the tip of his tongue, but he bit it back.
Holding her against him, he combed his finger through her hair until her breathing evened out, letting him know she’d fallen asleep. He placed one last kiss on the top of her head and stared at the ceiling.
He had no idea what he was going to do with his son. While Daniel figured Bradley would be the hardest sell when it came to Ali, he hadn’t expected him to dig in his heels quite so much. He got where he was coming from. That was part of the problem. If Daniel were on the outside looking in, he might have the same reservations.
If someone had told him they’d been dating a woman for two weeks and she was now living in his house, he would seriously question the man’s sanity. But it wasn’t as if he and Ali had just met. They’d known each other for two years. They were friends.
And maybe that was the issue right there. Bradley didn’t know about their past, their history. They hadn’t lied about where they’d met, only the when.
His kids didn’t know about his lifestyle, and he planned to keep it that way. His sex life wasn't any of their business. He’d kept that part of his life separate from his family, including the women he’d played with.
Ali was the first woman he’d introduced to his kids since he and Jessica had divorced. Although he’d had a few arrangements over the years before joining the club, none of them had been serious. Not until Ali.
