by Apryl Baker
It took about six months and a lot of work to make it a home. I pull into the driveway of my bungalow Craftsman. The siding is gray with navy shutters, and the front door is red—Delilah picked that out. All the landscaping was done by Delilah and my mom when my parents were here visiting last summer to spend time with their granddaughter and great-grandbabies. Mom and Dad moved to Florida as soon as Dad retired from John Deere.
“Wow. I really love your place,” Harley says as I lead her inside. My dad, Reece, his dad, and I had gutted the place and worked with contractors to give it an open layout. We went with light beige walls and laminate flooring throughout. My daughter and Mom decorated the place, giving it an arty, but manly, look.
The kitchen and dining room are a pale yellow. The kitchen has granite countertops and a matching island. The dining room table is long with plenty of room for my grandbabies. In the corner is a highchair and booster seat.
Hand in hand, I show her around. Harley stops and picks up a baby doll sitting in a basket next to the couch. “Yours?” She strokes her hand over the brown hair of the doll.
I hold up my hands. “You caught me. I love to play with dolls.”
She places it gently back in the basket. “I knew you were a dollaholic.”
“Dollaholic?”
Harley moves to stand in front of my bookcase, looking at pictures. “Yep, I just made that word up. I bet you play dollies with Charlie, don’t you?”
I step up behind her and grab onto her hips. She picks up one of my favorite pictures. It’s from last Christmas and Delilah’s tucked into my side with her head on my shoulder. She’s got my namesake sleeping on her lap, and Charlie is sitting on mine. “Your family is beautiful, Jack.”
My dick gets hard whenever she says my name, and this time is no different. “They are. Del didn’t have a very good momma, but that didn’t stop her from being the best.” She sets the frame back on the bookcase.
“Let’s finish the tour and then we’ll go sit out back.” I take her upstairs and show her the room I have set up for the kids. I take her into my bedroom; the walls are a grayish-white and my bed is a California king, but my room is big enough to hold it. My furniture is all distressed pine.
“Wow, that’s the biggest bed I’ve ever seen.” She walks up to it, turns around, and falls backward on it.
I walk toward the bed and fall back on it too.
Harley turns toward me and smiles. “It’s comfy.”
I turn so I’m lying on my side, and she does the same. “It is.” I grab Harley’s hand and bring it to my lips, kissing it. I want nothing more than to strip her bare and kiss every inch of her body, but I don’t—instead I get off the bed, grab her, and pull her to standing. “Let’s go get a drink.”
Downstairs I grab us both a beer and lead her out the French doors in the dining room that open to the back patio and pool. Once I flip on the lights, I don’t miss her softly said, “Wow.” I follow her as she walks down to the pool.
She pulls her wedges off and sits at the top of the stairs, sticking her feet in the water. “This feels so good.”
“I keep it lukewarm for the kids.” I take off my boots and socks, rolling up my jeans enough to dip my feet in the water as I sit down next to Harley. I grab the beers that I’d sat down and hand her one.
I watch her throat work as she takes a drink from her bottle before I take a drink of my own. The night is quiet around us, but it’s nice. I spend most of my days on the go, so it’s nice to be able to just sit and be.
“Earlier you said you didn’t have a family anymore. What did you mean by that?”
Harley looks down at her lap. “I meant that I don’t have a family. My mom died when I was little. Dad couldn’t handle it, so he dumped me and my brother with our grandma, and we never saw him again. My brother turned into a drug addict and a monster. I finally cut him out of my life, and when I was eighteen my grandma passed away, and now I have no one.”
She says nothing more, just staring out across the yard. “I think I’d like to go home now,” she murmurs.
I shouldn’t have brought them up—I should’ve just left it alone. “I’m sorry.” Harley just shrugs her shoulders, but I can tell she’s shutting down on me. She stands up and slips her shoes back on. I grab the beer bottles and follow her inside.
As soon as I pull on my boots, we head out to my SUV. Harley’s quiet while we head back toward her place. I grab her hand in mine and give it a squeeze. Thankfully she squeezes it back. I pull into her driveway, climb out, and come around to help her out.
Harley holds my hand as we walk toward her front door. “I’m sorry I ruined our night.” She looks up at me, and her eyes are shiny under the porch lights.
I reach out to stroke her cheek. “You didn’t ruin anything. I’m sorry about your family.” I know I’m lucky to have loving family. Were we perfect? No, but I never doubted my parents loved me.
She opens her door and pulls me inside. “Coffee?” I nod and follow her into the kitchen. I sit at the table while she fiddles with her coffeemaker, and then the sound and smell hit me as the coffee begins to brew.
Harley comes over and sits next to me. “It’s been a long time, and I don’t know why, but sometimes it still bothers me. I’ve thought about finding my dad, to see if he’s still alive. I don’t think I’d want to speak to him…or maybe I would, just to get answers.”
The coffeemaker beeps and she gets up, pouring us both a cup. “Do you want me to find him for you?” I ask.
Her head whips up. “You would do that?”
I grab Harley’s hands, leaning forward. “If you want answers, I’ll find them for you.”
She grabs me by my chin, pulls me to her, and kisses my lips. Then after way too little time, Harley pulls back until our lips are no longer touching. “Can I think about it?”
“Of course. You say the word and I’ll find him.” Harley throws her arms around me, hugging me tightly.
She lets go of me and covers her face. “I can’t believe I had a pity party on our date. God, you must think I’m a mess.”
“Fuck, no. Come here.” I pull her from her chair until she’s on my lap. “Don’t ever feel bad for your feelings.” I stand her up and do the same. “I’m going to go, but I’d like to see you tomorrow.”
Harley nods. “I’d like that very much. Thank you again for dinner, and I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but I love your pool.”
“How about tomorrow night I’ll grill us some steaks, and you can bring your suit? We’ll take a swim.”
“That sounds great.”
I bend down and kiss her forehead. “Pack a bag and plan on spending the night.”
“O-Okay.”
I shake my head. “No pressure—we could just sleep. Let’s just see how the night goes.”
As she walks me to the door, I tell her I’ll call her in the morning. I cup her cheek, bend down to kiss her lips, then I head out.
Harley watches from the door, and after I pull out of the driveway, I wave to her before heading home.
Chapter Seven
Harley
I hobble out to my car—okay, maybe I’m not hobbling, but I should’ve skipped the Brazilian wax and just stuck with the bikini wax. I’m not planning on having sex with Jack tonight, but you never know what could happen. I’m very attracted to him, and he’s attracted to me. Honestly, the idea of seeing him in nothing but swim trunks makes me a little hot under the collar.
He wants me to spend the night, and as excited as I am, I’m nervous. What if I snore in my sleep, or even worse…fart. I stop at the tanning salon and do the spray tan/tanning bed combo. If I’m going to be in a bikini—and yes, I bought myself a string bikini that is sexier than anything I’ve ever owned—then I need to look my best.
When I get back home, I don’t bother pulling into the garage since I’ll be leaving later. I walk up to the front door and hear a certain little girl’s sweet voice: “Hawey!”
I turn a
nd smile as Charlie comes running over in a pretty little sundress that shows off the tan she has. “Hi, sweetheart.” I squat down and she throws her arms around me. Standing up with her in my arms, I smile as Reece comes walking over. “Hi, Reece. Where are Delilah and Jackson?”
“They’re napping. Charlie wanted to come out and ride her motorcycle.” The smile he gives his daughter melts my heart. Did my dad ever look at me like that? My guess is that he probably didn’t if he could just discard me the way he did.
He holds his hands out to his daughter. I quickly kiss her cheek before handing her over to Reece. “Let’s let Harley go.” He smiles at me. “See you later.”
“Bye, guys. Tell Delilah hi for me.”
I watch them talk quietly as they disappear into their garage. Inside I put my stuff on my bed, and then get Fifty out of his cage. “Hi, my pretty boy, did you miss me?”
I grab some greens out of the refrigerator and sit on the couch to feed him. He nibbles away on his snack while I turn on the TV and pull up the latest episode of MasterChef. As scary as he is, I’ve always found Gordon Ramsay incredibly hot.
Once the episode is over I clean out Fifty’s cage, and then I begin to clean my house. It doesn’t need it, but I’m nervous about tonight and I need to burn off some energy.
By the time I’m done, I’ve alphabetized the books in my bookcase and rearranged my office a little. It’s only noon, and I decide to lie down and take a nap.
It’s three o’clock when I wake up. I climb into the shower where I scrub and shave every inch of me that didn’t get waxed. After rinsing off, I wrap a towel around myself and walk across to my bedroom. I dry off and then lather myself in my favorite cocoa butter.
Since we’re just staying at Jack’s, I wear a pair of khaki shorts, a red tank top over a white one, and finish off with a pair of my Birkenstocks. In the bathroom, I add light makeup to my face and decide to wear my hair in a knot on top of my head.
I grab my duffel bag out of the closet and grab a pair of boxers to sleep in and gym shorts to wear home tomorrow. I grab my contact lenses case and my glasses and sit them on top of my clothes. I grab my toothbrush and face wash and add them before zipping up my bag.
I carry the bag out into the living room, and look at the time—I need to head over to Jack’s. I step into the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror one more time. “You can do this. Just be cool.” Ugh, what am I doing?
I double-check that Fifty’s fed and watered, grab my bag, and head out to my car. I’m just climbing in when I hear my name called, and this time it’s Delilah. “Where are you off to?” I don’t miss the twinkle in her eye.
“Ummm…I-I’ve got a date.”
“Oh God, I’ve embarrassed you. I’m so sorry—sometimes I can meddle and I don’t mean to. I know you’re going to see my dad, and I just wanted to tell you to have a nice time.” She quickly hugs me—well, the best she can with her growing belly. I watch her disappear into the garage and smile as I finish settling into the driver’s seat.
I punch Jack’s address into my navigation system since I don’t really remember where he lives. When I finally pull into his driveway, he steps out onto the porch while I climb out of my car. When I reach him, he bends down and kisses me.
When he pulls away, I whisper, “Hi.” I’m such a dork.
“Did you find it okay?” He takes my bag and then leads me inside.
“I did, thanks.”
Jack disappears upstairs with my bag while I walk over to the French doors. The pool is even more beautiful during the daytime. I feel him step up behind me and love it when he wraps his arms around me. “I got us some filets, twice-baked potatoes, and asparagus. Does that sound okay to you?”
“That all sounds delicious. Can I do anything to help?”
He shakes his head. “It can all be done on the grill, except the potatoes. You just sit and keep me company. Would you like a drink?”
“Sure, what do you have?”
I watch Jack go to the refrigerator. “I’ve got beer, wine, and I made margaritas.”
“I’ll take a margarita.”
“Okay, go get comfy out on the deck, and I’ll be right out.” He comes to me and kisses me quickly on the lips before opening the door for me.
I sit on the wicker love seat that sits right across from the grill. Since it’s light out, I glance around the yard and smile when I see toys in the corner by a shed. Jack comes out carrying a beer and a glass. I take the glass from him. “Thanks.” I take a sip and sigh.
“Does it taste okay?”
“It tastes great, thank you.”
While he grills, I sip my drink as he tells me about growing up in Wisconsin and that he used to play sports. “I’m not surprised you were a jock. What did you play?”
“Soccer, baseball, basketball—you name it, I played it at some point. Baseball was the sport I was best at. What about you?”
I knew he’d ask. “No sports. I was more of a bookworm. Plus I wasn’t very athletic—even now I just stick to yoga or walking because I only run if someone is chasing me.” God, did I just say that?
“Hmmm…that could be fun.” He gives me a grin that makes my belly tighten.
I take a huge drink of my margarita. I need to be careful though because I’m a lightweight, and I don’t want to get drunk and make a fool of myself.
We lapse into a comfortable silence, and after he flips the steaks, he shuts the lid and sits down next to me. “Do you sit out here a lot?” I ask.
He rests his arm on the back of our seat. “Not as often as I’d like. Mostly I’m out here when the kids are here. Sometimes when I can’t sleep or my hip’s bothering me, I come out late at night and swim laps.”
“What’s wrong with your hip?”
He scrubs a hand over his hair, making it stand up. “You know I’m ex-Special Forces?” I nod. “It was the last time I was deployed. Actually, Reece and I were on a mission together when I got shot. Our team was hit by a sniper, and me and a couple other guys were hit.” He looks out across the backyard. “I thought I was dead.” Jack doesn’t elaborate, but I’m not surprised.
I place my hand on his. “I ended up with a hip replacement,” he continues, shaking his head. “Anyway, that’s that story. Will you go check the potatoes while I check the steaks and asparagus?”
“Sure.” I stand up and head inside to peek in the oven. The potatoes are done, so I grab the potholder and pull them out just as Jack comes in with the steaks and asparagus.
He’s quiet while he washes his hands in the sink, and I wish I hadn’t asked him about his hip. I can’t even imagine what they saw when they were deployed. I’m sure it does a lot to someone to stare death in the eye. I can guarantee his thoughts at the time were all about Delilah and not wanting to leave her.
I stand next to the stove and feel completely unsure of what to do or say. Should I act normal, or my version of normal? Should I apologize?
Luckily I don’t have to think too long, because he comes over to me with two plates filled with steak and asparagus. I grab the spatula and scoop one potato up and place it on his plate and then put one on mine. “Do you want to sit outside?” he asks, picking up both of our plates.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Do you want another beer?” Jack nods so I grab him a fresh one and carry it outside to the table he’s got outside. He sets our plates down and grabs my drink, sitting it in front of my plate.
Always the gentleman, he pulls out my chair for me. I give him a smile and sit down. My stomach chooses that moment to growl. The food looks delicious, and I lean down to inhale the delicious scent.
As he sits down, he picks up his phone and then music starts playing from somewhere. I look around and he laughs. “Hidden speakers.”
“Ahhh…gotcha.” I recognize the beginning chords of “Everlong.” “Foo Fighters, nice.”
I cut into my steak and moan as soon as it hits my tongue. There’s a light coating of salt and pepper on it. I l
ook up and Jack’s staring at me. “I’m sorry, it’s just so good.”
Jack smiles before cutting into his own. I clean my plate, savoring every morsel. He gets me another drink after clearing our plates. When he sits back down, I thank him for dinner. “Everything was so delicious.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” He reaches out, grabbing my hand. “Did you bring your suit?”
I nod, because suddenly it’s extremely hot out here.
“Good.” He takes a pull from his beer, and I can’t stop myself from staring at him. The thought of seeing him in nothing but swim trunks makes me so hot that I can’t stand it. I grab my drink, draining it with a quickness. “Come on, I’ll show you where you can change.”
I grab his offered hand and follow him inside. He leads me upstairs and into his bedroom. “I’ll grab my trunks and change in the hall bathroom.” Jack grabs his trunks out of his dresser and disappears out into the hall.
I dig the extremely tiny bikini out of my bag and quickly change into it. I step into his en suite and look at myself in the mirror. This suit is black with red cherries all over it, and it accentuates my curves but makes them look better.
I step back into his bedroom and feel the butterflies take flight in my belly. I take a deep breath and open the door, stepping out into the hall.
Chapter Eight
Jack
I step out into the hall as soon as I hear my bedroom door open, and I almost swallow my tongue. Harley is wearing the tiniest bikini I’ve ever seen. I thought she was gorgeous before, but now, she’s a fucking knockout. I realize I’m staring and shake myself out of my lust-filled stupor.
“You look incredible,” I tell her, but Harley’s eyes aren’t even on me—they’re directed at the crotch of my swim trunks. Can she see I’m half-hard?
“Ummm…what?” Her cheeks turn red as she looks up at my face.
I smile. “I just said you look incredible.”