Being hot and bothered wasn’t going to help me get back to sleep, though. Neither would my sudden hyperawareness of the sweat and grime of the day still covering my skin.
I stayed on my firm mattress for a few more seconds, staring at my dark ceiling and doing breathing exercises to calm my racing heart. Once it didn’t feel like it was galloping anymore, I sat up and tried to ignore the slickness between my legs so I wouldn’t go back to thinking about my dream.
A glance at the clock on my nightstand told me I’d only been asleep for about three hours. I needed to get at least three more if I wanted to function like a human being tomorrow morning. Plus, my sister made breakfast at seven every day. She’d have my head for dessert if I was late.
Mindful of that fact, I turned the faucet to lukewarm and stripped out of my uniform before climbing into the shower. Not even the cool water and the imminent threat of being murdered by Katie could quite snap me out of my dream completely.
I’d been in a dry spell for so long that I wasn’t surprised awesome sex had woken up my previously-thought-to-be-dead libido. Having a wet dream, though? That was a surprise. It had never happened to me before.
My nipples tingled as memories, fantasies, and dreams collided in my mind. I lathered my hands with shampoo and washed my hair, conditioned it, and reached for the soap, going through the motions as my brain tortured me and my body reacted.
Shit, has he turned me into some kind of sex addict? Why couldn’t I stop thinking about it?
I suspected I knew the answer, even if I didn’t want to pay much attention to it. Luna had mentioned to me when she and Cyrus first got together that the same thing had happened to her.
So I wasn’t an addict. I just couldn’t stop thinking about it because for the first time ever, I’d met a guy who knew what he was doing and wanted to do it to me. A guy who also happened to be nice, hot, and funny.
Strangely, I didn’t freak out about any of this. His reaction to my uncertainty over what we’d done had wiped away any doubts. I couldn’t keep freaking out about him, and as I stood under the cool water, I realized I was completely calm.
If anything, I was suddenly even more excited about tomorrow. We were going to have a good day with him, and if it was at all possible, I might even be able to convince him to re-enact my dream with me.
More tingles exploded across my skin and I smiled. Yeah, tomorrow’s going to be a good day, for sure.
Chapter 19
CHRIS
Early on Saturday morning, I was awake and ready to go. April and I hadn’t set a time, so I sat on a stool in my kitchen and fired off a text to her.
Me: I’ve got a full day planned. Can I come to pick you up in about an hour?
Staring at my phone, I waited for her response. Three jumping dots told me when she started typing, and the reply came through a minute later.
April: Ready whenever you are ;-)
I grinned, anticipation for the day I had planned buzzing through me. Since I’d been waiting for an acceptable time to reach out to her, I already had all my shit in my pockets.
The elevator for my penthouse was a private one, and it was already on my floor since I hadn’t moved after getting home last night. I jabbed the button, and the doors opened instantly.
April was waiting on the sidewalk when I got to her apartment. Her skin was glowing and there was a relaxed smile on her face as she ambled over to my car.
“You seem to be in a particularly good mood,” I said as I climbed out to get the door for her.
She shrugged but her smile turned coy. “I got some really good sleep last night.”
“That so?” I glanced toward the apartment building, frowning when I still saw no trace of Adi. “Is it just the two of us today?”
“Nope, Adi’s at my sister’s. We have to pick her up there if you don’t mind.” She rattled off her sister’s address. “She was already asleep by the time I got off shift, so she stayed over there.”
“Makes sense.” April surprised me by pushing up on her toes to kiss the bottom of my jaw before getting into the car. I closed her door and lifted my eyebrows once I was in the driver’s seat. “What was that for?”
“Like you said, I’m just in a good mood.” Her eyes were bright, shining like emeralds under fluorescent lighting.
“You had a late shift, and you slept that well?” I shifted the car into gear and merged into the traffic but kept an eye on her in my periphery. “I thought yesterday’s late shift was madness. I heard about the accident.”
“Oh, it was madness.” She shot me a half-smile. “But I had some very pleasant dreams once I finally got home.”
“Well, now you’ve piqued my interest. What did you dream about?” I glanced at her to find her looking at me with a faraway but very heated gaze.
“You.”
“Me?” Fuck. I shouldn’t have asked that. “What about me?”
“Things that made me realize it was better to meet you outside my building than have you near my bedroom.”
My head fell back against the seat as my cock started straining against the zipper of my jeans. “Don’t tell me more unless you want me to turn the car around and go straight back to your place. Do you think your sister would mind if Adi spends the day with her?”
“She wouldn’t mind, but Adi would. I told her we were spending the day with you, and she was really excited about it.”
“I can’t say I’m disappointed that she was excited to spend time with me. I am pretty disappointed that we can’t turn around if that’s the case.”
“We’ll have plenty of time to get into the specifics of the dream some other time. Don’t worry about it.”
“Why don’t you sound like you’re worried I’m going to take off at any minute anymore? Or worse yet, worried I won’t take off?”
She shrugged again. “Because I’m not. You need to make a left up here.”
I followed her instructions and decided not to question this change of heart she’d had. It meant we were progressing, and I didn’t want to risk said progress by asking her too much about it.
April went up to get Adi by herself, warning me that her sister would spend the entire day interrogating me if I went up there with her. They were back less than five minutes later.
Adi skipped up to the car, and April carried a backpack over her shoulder. I got out to help her with it and to load it into the trunk for her, but then Adi threw her arms around my waist and hugged me.
“Hi, Chris. I’m so excited for today. What are we going to do?”
I was taken aback by the hug, but I returned it and grinned at her. “I thought we could go to the Statue of Liberty? Have you ever been?”
She looked up at me with wide eyes and shook her head. “Never but I’ve always wanted to go.”
“Then I’m honored to be taking you there for the first time.” I dipped my head at the car. “You ready? The lines can get pretty long, so the earlier we get there, the better.”
“This is going to be so cool,” she exclaimed, practically diving in when I opened the door for her.
We chatted about what Adi had gotten up to with her aunt the night before on our way to the statue.
April eventually turned toward me after we parked and got in line for the ferry. “What made you think of this? It really is a pretty cool idea for a day out. I just don’t think so many locals do it.”
“I like to come here every once in a while.” I looked out at all the boats on the water and the masses of people around us. “My father was an immigrant, and when he arrived here, he came right by this statue. Visiting it reminds me of my roots and the measures he went to so we could have a future here.”
Her eyebrows went up. “I never knew that.”
“I don’t talk about him much,” I said, then pointed at a souvenir stand. “How about we go get something to remember the day by?”
“Yes,” Adi replied without hesitating for a second.
April smiled but nod
ded. “You two go ahead. I’ll keep our place in line.”
“Let’s go shopping.” I took Adi’s hand to make sure she didn’t get lost in the crowd, then proceeded to deck her out in everything from a shirt, hat, and flag to a snow globe, pen, and miniature model of the statue.
When we got back to April, it was almost our turn for the ferry. She glanced at all of Adi’s choices and narrowed her eyes. “I’m going to pay you back for that.”
“No way. Get your own gifts for her. Those are mine.”
She sighed but eventually just thanked me and let it go. As we found space for ourselves on the upper deck at the very front of the ferry, Adi pressed her chest to the railing with April and me behind her. I slung my arm casually over April’s shoulders and she burrowed into my side.
Undoubtedly, this gave us the appearance of a family, but I didn’t give a fuck. I kind of liked it.
April and I pointed out landmarks to Adi and talked about them. Then we each took one of her hands when we reached the island. We spent the day learning about each other’s histories and running around together.
We ate corn dogs, drank lemonade, and laughed, and when we got back to the city, we decided to act like tourists for a little longer. When we were eventually done, I slid my hands into my pockets as we walked down the sidewalk to my car.
“Next on the agenda is dinner,” I said to April. “You’re going to love the place I chose.”
She glanced down at her jeans. “I’m not exactly dressed for a fancy dinner. Neither is Adi.”
I rolled my eyes at her and grinned. “Oh, ye of little faith. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. The only thing that matters is whether you’re still up for dinner after the day we had.”
“I’m starving,” Adi said. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” I whistled the rest of the way to the car, eager to see what they thought about what I’d done.
Pulling out all the stops wasn’t something I did often, but it was something I couldn’t seem to stop doing for them. I’d had to pull some strings again to make my plan work, but I was sure it would be worth it.
Unless it was all a bit too much for April.
Either way, the plan was in motion and I would just have to roll with the punches. The restaurant I’d chosen was only a few miles away, but it took us a while to get there with the traffic.
April started playing a game with Adi while I found myself marveling at how different she was once she defrosted. She was finally lowering all those guards without snapping them back up again a few minutes later.
Now all I had to do was hope I hadn’t taken it a step too far with dinner. I’d always wanted to do this, though. Having Adi with us had just given me an excuse.
“Is this a theater?” April asked when I parked in the designated spot that had been reserved for us right outside the doors. Her eyes were wide as she took in the neon lights and old-school facade. “Why are our names on the sign?” She pivoted in her seat to face me. “What did you do?”
“I booked the place out for the night.” I grinned. “It is a theater, but it’s also a restaurant. The servers perform pretty much any song you request, but their favorites are classic Broadway and pop. Adi said she liked pop, so I figured she might like belting out a few tunes.”
“I’ve heard of this place,” April breathed, her gaze never leaving mine. “It takes weeks to get a table.”
“I play poker with one of the owners every couple of months.” I shrugged. “He owed me a favor.”
“So you booked out the entire place just for us?” Her brows arched but there was excitement shining in her eyes.
“Yep. You ready to do some singing?”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled as she pulled on her door handle. “You’re going to be so sorry you ever asked me that question. We’re all going home with bleeding ears tonight, but it’s going to be so much fun until then.”
Practically flying out of the car, she laughed and let out a sound that wasn’t at all like her. My brows went up, and I twisted around in my seat to face Adi.
“Do you know what’s going on?”
She nodded, giggling as she looked out the window at her mother. “Your ears really are going to bleed, but she loves stuff like this. So do I. I hope you’re ready.”
Both of them kept hoping I was ready. I kept telling them I was, but now I was getting to the point where I was starting to look forward to knowing what they hoped I was ready for.
Chapter 20
APRIL
“I haven’t had this much fun in forever.” I grinned at Chris and collapsed on my seat across from him. “Thank you for this. It’s incredible.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you don’t find it too extravagant that I booked the place out. I just thought if I was going to call in a favor, I might as well go all out.”
“Oh, it’s totally too extravagant, but it’s also amazing. I’m not about to complain when Adi’s smiling like that.” I jerked my head in her direction.
The servers had formed a line on either side of her on stage and were letting her take the lead in performing a song from her favorite musical. “She’s having a blast.”
He turned slightly in his seat to have a better view. “I’ve accomplished my mission then. Are you going to go up there with her again?”
I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and shook my head. “Not right this minute. I need some water and maybe an energy drink.”
His eyes lit up with amusement when he brought them back to mine, and he pushed a bottle of water across the table and arched a brow. “An energy drink, huh? Age catching up to you?”
My eyes widened in surprise. Then I stuck my tongue out at him before I could think better of it. “Pretty sure you’re older than me. Is that why you haven’t been up there at all?”
“I’m more of an after-dinner, headline performer,” he said, totally deadpan in his delivery. Only the slight crinkling of the corners of his eyes afterward let me know he was trying not to laugh.
“In that case, I’ll be awaiting your performance with great anticipation.” I sat back in the plush upholstered chair that was more comfortable than any seat I’d had in a restaurant before, and I snagged a piece of bread from the basket between us. “What song are you going to perform?”
He smirked. “That’s for me to know and for you to wait for with great anticipation.”
“Fine.” I pretended to pout but it only lasted for a second. I was having too much fun to keep from smiling for longer than that. “As long as it’s Broadway or Pop and not Rock, you’ll fit right in.”
“I could sing heavy metal and I’d still fit right in,” he said confidently. “What’s your next choice of song?”
“I’ll see what I’m in the mood for after my break.” I propped my forearms on the table and leaned in, capturing his gaze with my own. “For now, I’d like to get to know you better. We haven’t had much time to speak one on one recently.”
“What would you like to know?” He spread his arms out over the back of the booth with an easy smile. “Ask me anything.”
“You mentioned your father immigrated here. It sounds like an interesting story. I’d love to hear more about him, where he came from, and if he’s happy here now.”
His expression shuttered and he didn’t move a muscle except for a small twitch below his jaw. “Let’s leave that topic for another day. We’re having a good time. I’d rather not get into it now.”
The reply puzzled me, but if anyone understood that certain topics were off-limits when one was having a good time, it was me. “Has Adi told you she’s going back to school soon?”
Chris’s eyebrows rose like he was surprised by the sudden change of topic, but then a relieved expression swept across his features and he relaxed once more.
“No, she hasn’t.” He grinned. “Is she excited?”
“Very much so.” I rolled my eyes. “You’d swear being at home with me has been
a hardship. Don’t kids usually beg to stay home from school?”
He shrugged, glancing at her having a ball up onstage again. “Some kids, maybe. If Adi’s dedication to her therapy is any indication of her approach to school, I can understand why she’d be eager to get back.”
“She really is.” I turned away from him to look at Adi as well. I didn’t think I’d ever seen a wider smile on my daughter’s face.
In fact, despite her injury, she’d been happier than ever since Chris had come into our lives. It made me a little worried that she might be getting too attached to him.
And it wasn’t just her getting attached either.
But I refused to let a little worry get in the way of our evening together. Chris had gone all out for us. If I kept thinking about what the fallout might be if he should suddenly be done with us once Adi’s therapy was completed, I was going to ruin the effort he’d gone through.
I also didn’t truly believe it would happen that way. Adi needed a good, stable male figure she could depend on to look up to in her life, and Chris looked like he might just be that person.
He and I talked while Adi performed with the servers. Once dinner had been served and I’d eaten more than one person should be able to fit in, Chris finally took the stage.
The song he chose was a classic, and although he didn’t have the best voice I’d ever heard, he managed to carry a tune just fine. The fact that he never took his eyes off us while singing about how he was standing before us in the dark, knowing this was his chance to show his heart might have contributed to my feeling that it was the best performance ever.
Even I got teary, and Adi and I both hugged him when he came back to the booth. We performed another song each before it was time for us to hang up the old microphones.
It wasn’t that late by the time we left the restaurant, but Adi was exhausted after all the excitement and so was I. Chris helped her into the backseat before coming around and closing my door.
She’s Mine Now Page 13