by Toni Aleo
He bit into his lip, his eyes roaming her body as he went back to getting dressed. “Me neither. Fuck, you’re hot. Reese. Cover yourself so I can leave.”
She laughed as she did it, but then he yelled out. “I was kidding! Jeez.” He came over to the bed, pulling the blankets away before framing her face with his hands and kissing her so deeply that her throat was thick with unwanted emotion. Stealing a few more kisses, he whispered, “Don’t ever hide this gorgeous, alluring body from me. I crave it. Like my favorite candy, which by the way is Reese Pieces.”
She laughed out loud before shaking her head. “Liar!”
“No really. Ever since I got your pieces in my mouth, it’s the only candy I ever want.”
“You’re so dirty! My niece calls me that, and now I’m gonna think of you every time she says it!”
A devilish grin came over his mouth. “Good.”
It had been hours since Phillip left, and Reese’s body was still humming with aftershocks from him. Jesus, that man curled her toes. Shaking out her limbs, she stretched and loved how relaxed she was. It had been the perfect morning. Breakfast was wonderful and the sex was burning hot. As she set herself up for a turn, she paused and her smile fell. She was going to miss Phillip while he was gone. Three long weeks without him? Without his kisses, his smiles, and most of all, his dick? That was so wrong to do to someone. He said he craved her. Well, she craved him right freaking back.
But she couldn’t think of that. No, not only was it pointless because it wasn’t going to make him stay, but she was getting too close and it was good that he was leaving. This would put some distance between them and halt her roaming feelings. Bastard ass feelings. What were they thinking?
Rolling her eyes, she went to the radio as the door opened and Claire strolled in with her bag on her shoulder.
“Hey,” she called out with a grin on her face.
“Hey, where’s Brian?”
Claire shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t know, I thought he would have beaten me here. Phillip was hell getting out of bed.”
A smile tugged at her mouth. She had nothing to do with that at all.
“He’s so tired; he’s asleep in the car. Weirdo,” she said with a laugh before dropping down to stretch.
Reese smiled. “Since he’s here, you should show him your solo. You said you wanted to a while back, but haven’t done it yet. Does he not want to see it?”
Claire looked away. She looked so pretty today. She wore a large Assassins’ purple sweatshirt that she had cropped and cut off the arms with tight, black shorts over a pair of purple tights. Her hair was in a high ponytail with a braid wrapped around the base. She was wearing makeup, more than likely wanting to impress Brian, which she would—she was gorgeous.
“He does, but I don’t know,” she said, letting out a breath. “I’m afraid he won’t think I’m good and then he’ll think he is wasting his money and pull me.”
That shocked Reese. Was this kid serious? “Claire, that is ludicrous. You are phenomenal, and I’m sure your uncle already knows that. I think it would be nice to show him.”
Claire shrugged as Brian strolled in. She shot him a grin before nodding. “Yeah.”
“Well, think about it. Let’s get this duet perfected first.”
Claire shook her head. “I want to show him. I’m gonna text him to come in here in what, forty-five minutes?”
Reese smiled. “Yeah, that’s all we need.”
Claire typed it on her phone quickly and then laid it down before stretching further with Brian. They got done earlier than Reese thought, and she knew that these two were going to clean up in Chicago. After saying bye to Brian, Claire went through her dance a few times. Reese could tell she was nervous. The girl could spin for hours on one foot but the day her uncle was coming to watch her dance, she was falling out a simple double. It boggled Reese’s mind, but she understood. This was big. This was going to help things for them. Seeing Claire dance to a song she choreographed with only minimal help from Reese was going to blow Phillip away and then in turn, he would reassure her how proud he was. The only issue now was that Reese was nervous herself. It was crazy, but what if he hated it?
No, there was no way that would ever happen. Claire was fabulous, and Reese was the best damn chorographer in Tennessee. Maybe even the south. She knew her stuff… So what was the explanation for the butterflies going nuts in her stomach and her heart beating in overtime? Ugh, she needed to get herself together. This wasn’t like her. She wasn’t the nervous, jittery type. She was confident, and she needed to exhibit that because if Claire saw she was nervous, then she would get even more nervous.
Looking across the studio, she placed her hands on her hips and called out, “Claire! Come on. It’s a double.”
Claire stopped, bracing her hands on her knees and taking in a deep breath as she looked down at the floor. When she looked up at Reese, she saw the tears in Claire’s eyes. Holding her hands out, Reese asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I’m nervous as hell,” she cried out, taking in a deep breath. “I don’t want to mess up, and that’s all I keep thinking about.”
“Even if you mess up, Claire, it’s okay.”
Reese and Claire both looked towards the door to see Phillip enter, walking in the carefree way that had Reese’s body tingling. Her body sang for his and soon she found herself taking a step to go greet him, but then remembered that Claire was in the room. That always happened for some reason. When they were in the room together, no one else mattered. Only her and him. It freaked her the hell out, but then again, she didn’t care. She liked him, and that was okay. She could like him and still walk away with no cares in the world. She wasn’t worried at all. Or at least she was trying to believe that.
“I mess up all the time, miss shots and all that. As long as you try, I’m going to be proud of you. Don’t worry. It’s me, I’m easy,” he said, making Reese’s heart blow up in her chest. She wanted to shake Claire for making this man work for her love the way she had, but she knew it had been rough on her. Things were tough when you were young. Everything seemed so life altering, and you found yourself pushing people away, but regardless, you learn that the people that matter would always be there. No matter what.
Phillip was that person.
For Claire, she meant.
Reese didn’t need anyone.
Shaking her head, she looked across the studio to find Claire wiping her face and nodding. “I just want to make you proud, to show you that your money is being well spent.”
Reese was surprised that she heard Claire. She whispered the words, and the words were laced with her tears. When she looked up, Phillip’s eyes were glued to Claire and Reese could see every bit of his heart. He loved this girl so much, and Reese wanted nothing more than for their issues to be solved. It would make them both so much happier. “I’m already proud of you Claire and as long as this makes you happy then I’ll spend as much money as you want. You know that. Don’t be scared. Don’t be nervous. Just do you.”
She took in a deep breath and looked over at Reese, then she asked, “Can I have a minute?”
Reese nodded. “Of course.”
Claire fell into the middle splits and when Reese looked over, Phillip was leaning against the mirrors watching her. Despite his assurance to Claire, she could tell he was just as nervous as she was. It surprised her how much she had learned to read him. Usually she didn’t care about a man and his feelings, but she cared about how Phillip was feeling. He kept running his hands through his hair, moving his hands down his pants, and couldn’t stay still for nothing. She wanted to go over and wrap him up in her arms. She wanted to reassure him that Claire wanted him there, that she was excited for him to be there, and that ultimately, this was going to help them. Claire had worked so hard on this dance. It was beautiful, and Reese knew that it was going to blow Phillip away. Hell, it blew her away.
When Claire turned with her back towards them, Reese reached out and took
his hand in hers. She squeezed it tightly before removing it and smiling up at him. “I’m glad you’re here. For Claire, I mean.”
“Me too,” he said, his eyes a stormy blue as they held her. “Thanks for this.”
She was breathless. All she could do was nod as she said, “Anytime.”
Fuck, something shifted in her chest as he smiled and she knew that was bad. Very, very, very, fucking bad.
Damn it.
PHILLIP WANTED to give Claire all his attention but it was hard when Reese was looking at him like that. The night before had been one thing:
Scorching
Every single breath, every touch, every thought, kiss, everything. It was all so mind altering. It was mainly her—she destroyed him. Their chemistry was earth shattering. The way they moved together, the way they fit, was just perfect. He had never been with someone that did that to him. That made him breathless and crave everything about them, but Reese was that. At first, he was scared of his feelings but, looking at her, getting lost in her beautiful brown eyes, he knew he was in every shape and form falling for this woman. He also knew she was falling for him. He could feel it. He could see it and when she asked about Alana, he knew right then that she cared about him.
She was just hard headed and didn’t want to tell him. She couldn’t mask it though. He could read her like the best play in the NHL, and he knew how to break that play up and make it his own. He was ready but before he pounced, he had to show her that it was safe to fall for him. That he would be there to comfort her, catch her, and love her forever. She was his real, forever kind of love.
The impulsive part of Phillip wanted to rush in and tell her his feelings right away but he couldn’t. He just needed to tread carefully because this one could run, could throw those walls up and instead of admitting her love, be miserable. She would lock him out faster than he could blink and he couldn’t have that. He would wait because he knew it was coming. He knew she was falling; she just needed time to realize it was okay and he was fine with that. He would wait and in the meantime worry about how this was going to affect his relationship with Claire. She was more than likely going to act like her life was over and he had to make sure that didn’t happen. And to do that, he had to guarantee that he and Reese were solid and he knew that would take time.
Time he had, because he was soon realizing that a life without Reese and Claire, wasn’t the life he wanted.
Pulling his gaze away from Reese, he looked out at where Claire had just stood up and turned to look at him. She looked so bright, so nervous but happy. Seeing her like that completed him. He had waited so long to see the girl he used to know and in some ways, he believed she was standing in front of him. It brought tears to his eyes, but since he was no pussy, he pushed those away and smiled as Claire said, “Well, here goes nothing.”
The music started, and it was the same song he always heard coming from her room. It was a cover of David Guetta’s “Titanium” by Madilyn Bailey. He had Shazamed it when he was trying to watch her once, not only because he wanted to know who the soft, beautiful voice belonged to, but also because he wanted to download it himself. The music was gorgeous, but his niece was awe-inspiring. He was breathless, mindless maybe, watching her move effortlessly across the floor. The emotion was so real that it made his heart pound in his chest. He was glad he was leaning against the wall, or he was worried he wouldn’t be able to stand.
Stopping, she looked towards him and he felt as if he wasn’t worthy to witness this beautiful girl dance in such a way that was natural to her. She then picked her leg up, balancing on her other foot, raising it by her head before falling back and then back up. He was speechless. She spun, jumped, and leaped with no cares in the world. This was the girl he remembered and again, the tears filled his eyes because he wasn’t there the way he should have been. He missed so much of this beautiful girl growing up and most of all, she didn’t have his support, his love, and that killed him inside.
When the last note played, she paused, her hands out, tears in her eyes and her body shaking. He wasn’t sure if it was adrenaline or what, but fuck, she was astonishing. Pride exploded in him, and he wanted to scream out that she was his girl. Because she was, and she always would be. No matter what. He was going to make up for the time he wasn’t there for her. He was going to make her proud of have him as an uncle as he was proud to have her as a niece.
A grin sat on his face as he watched her bite into her lip, her shoulders falling with each breath she took as she looked over at him. Reese shut the music off, and then clapped her hands.
“So, what do you think?”
Phillip couldn’t stop grinning as he slowly clapped. “Breathtaking, Claire. Simply breathtaking.”
A radiant grin covered her lips as she crossed her legs, her cheeks burning with color. “Really?”
“Yes, I am so freaking proud of you. You were made to be a dancer, so beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she said, shyly looking away.
“Awesome, I think she’s gonna kill in Chicago,” Reese added.
Phillip smiled widely at her. “I agree, make sure you get me the times. I hope I can be there.”
“You’ll be gone,” Claire objected.
“Yeah, but our last away game is in Chicago, so I am hoping I can swing it.”
Claire’s face lit up. “So you’ll be there!”
He nodded. “I’m going to try my hardest.”
“Awesome,” she said before doing a little twirl.
He smiled before looking back over at Reese. She was grinning at him, looking all sexy and edible. Damn, she was like a fucking candy shop to him. He wanted to savor each of her flavors and treats. He just wanted to devour her. All of her.
He needed to get out of there before he did just that. Looking back at Claire, he smiled. “Come on, let’s go celebrate. We’ll go to dinner and maybe a movie since Harper will be picking you up from school tomorrow.”
Claire smiled. “Awesome.” She then turned to Reese. “Wanna come?”
Reese looked over at her and smiled. He would love that. Both his girls at dinner? Hell yeah, but Reese shook her head. “Not tonight, Claire, he’s leaving. Spend time with your uncle. We’ll all go out in Chicago, hopefully.”
Claire made a disgruntled noise as Phillip said, “Are you sure?”
She smiled. “Yeah, thanks for the invite though. Y’all have fun.”
He wanted to change her mind, but he didn’t want to seem too eager in front of Claire. So instead, he looked away and waited for Claire to get her things before they turned to leave. When he reached the door though, he turned to look over his shoulder at Reese. She was smiling, pulling at the bottom of her shirt, looking so damn pretty it wasn’t fair. She waved, and he threw her a lopsided grin before leaving with the promise in his mind that one day soon, it would be all of them going out together.
As a family.
Shit, he was in deep, he thought as he reached the car where Claire was waiting for him. He slid into his seat and started the engine, noticing that Claire was on her phone. He wondered who she was talking to. Maybe that Brian kid, which reminded him.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I saw your dance partner guy.”
Claire looked up from her phone. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, I passed by him when I was coming in. Seems like a nice guy.”
“He is.”
“Do I need to talk to the kid? Warn him if he hurts you, he dies?”
Claire scoffed. “What the heck? Who said anything about hurting me?”
“He looks like one of those One Direction kids you like. I know you probably like him.”
She shook her head. “He’s a friend.”
Friend, huh? That didn’t work for him because he was in love with his supposed-to-be friend.
“Hmm.”
“Hmm what?” She laughed. “Nothing is going on.”
“You’d tell me?”
“Yeah. We’re cool, I guess, and I mean I l
ike him, but it’s not a big deal.”
Choosing her words carefully, he said, “You know you can tell me anything. No reason to be bulletproof or put walls up. I’m here for you.”
She looked away. “I am starting to believe that.”
“Good because I love you, and I am so proud of you.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Phillip.”
No, I love you back, and that stung, but he knew that he could change that. She just needed time. Everyone he loved needed time and that was fine, he knew he would get what he wanted in the end.
There was no other option but winning.
“I’m just throwing this out there,” Reese said from beside him with a big tub of popcorn in her lap and a large soda between them. “But if this is your last few hours home, don’t you think we should spend it in my bed or yours?”
He chuckled as he took a handful of popcorn and threw it in his mouth. His idea of a date at the movies was a spur-of-the-moment thing. He had planned to do just what she said, but he wanted her to see that they had fun together, that they worked. He had picked her up on his bike, since it was a gorgeous day. It was a little chilly, but they were both dressed for the weather and enjoyed the ride immensely. After taking her to sushi at their favorite spot, they headed to the theater. It was dead in there, they were early to the movie, but it seemed as if they were going to be the only people here and he didn’t mind that one bit.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he smiled. “You said you wanted to see this.”
She smiled. “I did, but we can wait till the BluRay.”
“Or we can come today.”
She pouted playfully. “But I want to get naked with you.”
He smiled. “This movie is only an hour and half. I don’t have to be at the airline till three at the latest. I will have plenty of time to get you naked and lick and suck every inch of you.”
Her cheeks reddened as her body caught on fire. . “Okay, sounds good.”
He laughed as he shook his head. “Horny ass.”