With a deep breath, I scooped up some oatmeal. “Does your hand taste good?”
“Ba ba baba…,” Libby chanted happily.
“Alrighty then. How about we try this spoon instead?” I made a show of moving the spoon in her direction before saying, “Nope?” I sighed dramatically and puffed out my cheeks, my lips vibrating loudly. She giggled. “For me then?” Once again, the spoon was moved slowly, this time toward my face.
Libby yanked her fist out of her mouth and reached for my hand. “May may may may.”
“Yours, huh?”
She nodded so fast I was worried her head was going to bobble off. “May may may.”
“You sure?” I took the spoon to her, and inwardly fist pumped when she opened her mouth wide and smacked her lips around the spoon. I pulled out the empty spoon to her mmmm sounds.
“You know that’s just beginner’s luck, right?”
I peered up at Davis, who was at my side, his heat brushing over me a welcome warmth. I winked. “I have the element of a fresh face, something of a new shiny toy that she can con and no doubt decorate with oatmeal when I least expect it.”
He snorted and set my coffee on the table out of Libby’s reach. “For you.”
“Thanks.” I nodded and spooned in more porridge when Libby opened her mouth wide for me.
“I swear, she’s going to have all guys wrapped around her damn finger.” Davis pulled a chair next to mine. “She generally feeds herself, she’s so independent, but every now and again she’ll allow us mere mortals to fawn over her.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Isn’t that right, Libby?” From the gummy smile she threw my way, she knew exactly what we were talking about. “So she’s better?”
“Yeah, thanks. One tooth has finally cut, another is almost there, but her fever’s down and she hasn’t thrown up for about five hours, so I’ll take it as a win.”
I nodded. “That’s great.”
“And thank you.” Davis reached out and placed his hand on my arm when he spoke. I watched, mesmerized, as he squeezed lightly. “For yesterday.”
I nodded, my eyes traveling across to him. I didn’t need or want him to say any more. Yeah, I was a little embarrassed by my actions of yesterday. I felt like a dick for rushing out to do something nice for him, which was ridiculous, I knew. When had doing something nice for someone meant you were a dick? But still, his reaction was worth it. Rather than rambling and giving reasons and excuses, I bit my tongue and composed myself. “You’re welcome.”
The moment passed as he handed me my coffee. I smiled when I took a sip; it was made just how I liked it. That he knew something as mundane as how I took my coffee felt good. Outside of work, I’d never had that before, had never allowed myself to be in a situation where someone could get close to me.
I attempted to shrug off my thoughts of wasted years and focused instead on the present, the guy at my side who had me in knots, and his baby girl who was crazily adorable. No sooner had I finished the thought than the half-full bowl upended on my lap, splattering on my tee and somehow managing to land on my face, my arms, my jeans, and my shoes.
“Holy crap,” Davis said with a laugh, jumping out of his seat and racing into the kitchen proper. His laughter trailed behind him as I looked at a wide-eyed Libby, who was leaning over and looking at her upturned bowl that sat on my groin. She seemed to contemplate the situation a moment, taking it all in, my reaction, the mess, her dad’s laughter. Understandably, she found the whole damn thing hilarious.
I was standing by the time Davis returned with a cloth. With the damp material in hand, he pressed his lips together and scanned my body. “I don’t think this is going to cut it. I’m so sorry.” Amusement laced every word.
“Uh-huh, you seem truly mortified over there with your clean, naked chest.” I paused. “Why is it you’re partially dressed again?”
His smile turned wicked. “That may have been Libby’s second bowl you were feeding her.”
I snorted. “Of course it was.” I was legit covered in oatmeal.
“Come on. Both of you need hosing off.” He unfastened Libby, who was happily chattering about her perfect aim and expressing how grateful she was that she had us for entertainment. At least, that was how I interpreted her delighted baby chatter. Once she was in his arms, he indicated I should follow. I did so, walking like some sort of deranged oatmeal monster, trying not to leave a trail of oats behind me. He led me to what I quickly figured was his bedroom.
It smelled of his aftershave. I took in the room, surprised by how light and airy it felt, as he led me to an en suite bathroom. “Here. You can grab a shower in my room while I give Libby a superfast bath in the main bathroom. There are clean towels in the cupboard.” Before I had time to respond, he’d waltzed out the room with a grubby Libby in his arms and left me standing there all too aware I was going to be stripping off and taking a shower where he did.
Swallowing hard, I pushed the door closed, pulled out a towel, and then turned on the shower. I stripped down, wondering what to do with my soiled clothes. I really hadn’t thought this through. Too late to turn back, so I folded them up and placed them on the floor. Steam filled the room as I stepped under the spray. Just a quick wash would suffice to get the congealed oatmeal off the pieces of skin it had managed to attach itself to. Glancing around, I spotted shower gel and reached out for it. I sniffed it like a creeper, a rush of lust spiraling up my spine when the scent was familiar. After the light aftershave he sometimes wore, this was my second-favorite scent on Davis. Shit, I seriously was a creeper. That didn’t stop me from washing myself down and taking a few seconds longer than necessary to wash my balls. I should not have ventured there. This situation was not the right time to be getting turned on by Davis.
Pulling my hand away, I switched off the hot and gasped when the cold spray hit me, effectively shriveling my cock and sucking my balls into my stomach. I gritted my teeth and waited till all thoughts of a wet Davis in this shower were frozen from my mind before I turned off the tap and stepped out.
After patting myself dry, I edged toward the door. Nerves worked their way through my system. This shouldn’t be a big deal. With that thought, I stepped out into Davis’s bedroom just as he came through the door. He was still shirtless and looked hotter than sin. I held on to the knot in the towel around my waist, making sure it was secure. I didn’t need to humiliate myself by flashing the guy. “So, clothes?”
He nodded, his eyes no longer on my face but instead roaming my chest. I was confident it mirrored how I’d checked him out when I’d first arrived. His tongue darted out, giving the barest of licks to his bottom lip as his gaze traveled higher. It took a great deal of willpower not to allow my body to react as he perused seemingly every inch of exposed skin. “Yeah.” He nodded again.
When our eyes finally met, it was impossible to miss the flare directed my way. I just had no idea if now was the time to do anything about it. I cleared my throat and tilted my head. “Libby?”
“Bouncing around in her cot with some toys.”
I bobbed my head, unsure of my next move.
I needn’t have worried.
In three long strides, he was before me. His hand around the back of my head, he angled himself and pressed his lips to mine. I’d prepared for urgent, a clash of tongues, a bruising push of lips. Instead, the kiss was so much more.
Davis stroked his lips over mine, the touch so soft, so light that only the feel of his hand and the brush of his stubble kept me grounded. My eyes closed. He repeated the move with the gentlest press against my lips, until finally, his tongue darted out and connected with mine for the briefest of moments. Lights danced before my closed eyelids at the rush of sensation. The fumbling kiss as a teenager, the uncomfortably forced kisses with women, the disappointing kiss that one time with an unknown man… they were all meaningless, memories I was happy to let dissolve in this blast of heat.
Kissing Davis was everything I had always
hoped it could and would be since finally knowing him. The barest of caresses of tongues, the tender pressing of our mouths together. Not rough and hard, not now, not for this first time. I hoped to God there’d be time for that.
An unbidden groan left my mouth when my arm wrapped around his back, and I pressed closer to him. His heated skin touched mine, the hardness of his muscle combined with the scratch of the small amount of chest hair I’d previously admired feeling so right against me. As if sensing my growing need and urgency, Davis gently pulled back, dotting two more sweet kisses to my mouth.
With the small distance, my ears tuned in to his daughter chattering in her room. This was most definitely not the time and place.
Pulling back a little more, I focused on Davis’s face. A slow smile quickly found its way to his mouth, and his eyes connected with mine. Slowly, his hand released the back of my head, and he trailed his fingers to my cheek, then my lips. He stroked my bottom lip, and I was tempted to take one of his fingers into my mouth but resisted. Libby’s garbling voice was growing louder.
“Okay?” His question had me flicking my eyes once more to his mouth, and I nodded silently.
He groaned, and my eyes widened before lifting to his. “Fuck.” After one quick, hard press of his lips to mine, he pulled away completely and backed toward the door. Lazily, he trailed his gaze down my body, and I became all too aware I was standing with a towel wrapped around my naked body with a raging hard-on. I didn’t even have to look to know I’d created a tent. He shook his head and groaned once more before spinning on his heel and leaving the room.
Alone, I exhaled loudly, then gasped for fresh air, welcoming the rush to my lungs. Holy shit. That just happened. I would have fallen onto his bed, needing a moment to regroup, but the fear of breaking my erection was real. I didn’t think there’d been a time I was this hard in my life. Instead, I looked down at myself, perplexed. I still hadn’t figured out what to wear.
When I heard Davis already heading downstairs, no doubt with Libby, I took the risk and tugged open his drawers. Bingo. Sweatpants. I took hold of a pair and pulled them on, then reached in the drawer below, hoping to find a tee. Smiling at my success, I removed a green T-shirt and put it on too. The time to dress gave me the moments I needed to cool off. Not wanting to overthink it, I headed downstairs and walked into the kitchen, slamming to a halt when I realized we were no longer alone.
Both Tanner and Carter spun in my direction, their eyes widening when they took me in, both pairs of eyes landing on my bare feet.
“I didn’t know you went to culinary school too, Scott. You really are a man of many talents.” Carter’s eyes lit with amusement, and I glanced down at the tee I’d selected.
My eyes immediately sought out Davis’s, who was on his knees cleaning up Libby’s breakfast mess. He winked at me and shook his head. With a roll of his eyes, he said, “Cut it out, wiseass. Scott had to change because Libby took advantage of his good deed.”
My shoulders relaxed a little, but I still noticed Tanner staring at me, hard.
“Hey.” I found my voice and headed further into the room, debating my next move. I side-stepped them both and reached for my cold coffee. Knowing I couldn’t stomach it, I took it to the sink. “I should get g—”
“No chance.” I whipped my head in the direction of Davis’s voice. “Ignore these jerkoffs.” He stood and clipped Tanner around the head. “Stop shooting fu—dging daggers at the guy, for Satan’s sake.”
“The hell?” Tanner jolted and rubbed his head. “I wasn—”
“You were, babe,” Carter agreed, reaching for Libby, who’d been tentatively wobbling over to him and had made a grab for his legs. He took her hands before she fell, a proud smile on his face at Libby’s walking.
Tanner shrugged and huffed out a sigh. “Aren’t you supposed to have my back, babe?”
Carter shook his head and tickled Libby under her chin, bobbing his tongue out at her. “Not when you’re being an a-hole for no reason.”
“It’s not for no reason.” He slammed his hands in his pockets, looking genuinely perplexed that he was being called out.
Carter snorted at the same time as Davis. “And what is the reason exactly?” Davis asked, coming to my side after throwing the dishcloth in the sink. His shoulder touched mine. He leaned back against the countertop, his hand landing behind me, his finger reaching out and brushing against my lower back. I tensed, surprised as hell I didn’t jump at the unfamiliar contact. His finger continued stroking until it dropped into the waistband of the sweatpants and tugged. I half stumbled, half stepped back so my ass was pressed against the counter.
There was nothing subtle about the action, nor anything subtle about Davis’s hand taking hold of my waist, squeezing lightly and then settling there. One finger managed to bunch the T-shirt’s fabric and found skin.
Both Tanner’s and Carter’s reactions were pretty priceless, if opposites. I was concerned Carter was going to hurt his face with how big his smile was, while Tanner’s frown deepened as he took us in. Me? I didn’t know what to do. It felt good to be at Davis’s side, for him to make such a physical statement in front of his friends, who I knew were as good as family. But we had only just kissed. There had been no declarations, no discussions, leaving me unsure of how anything that was transpiring really worked.
“And that right there is my reason.” Tanner’s voice was surprisingly level. There was no anger in his voice, but concern thrummed from his body. I got it. Truth be told, I was just as concerned. “Do you really think this”—he gestured the two of us—“is a good idea?”
“Tanner—”
“No, Carter, I know you have a weird sort of friendship with this guy”—this guy? I supposed it was a step up from dickwad—“but, Davis, come on, really?”
Davis’s hand paused and he stood a little straighter. “Tanner, you need to back off. Nothing about what you’re saying or how you’re behaving is okay. I’m a grown-ass man, a dad—”
“Exactly—”
“—and because of that do you not think I’d have the good sense to make decisions without simply thinking with my dick? Do you not think Scott being here means I’ve already worked out, know he’s a good guy, good enough to be around my daughter, my fucking heart?” There was no censoring of his words this time.
Holy crap. I was going to vomit or swoon, one of the two. I’d never heard anything so hot or as equally terrifying before. I willed myself to stay strong. There was no way I could flake out on Davis after this showdown with Tanner. I clamped my mouth shut and concentrated on breathing evenly.
I didn’t know where to look. Carter looked stricken, kind of like how I thought I looked. He was biting his bottom lip, visibly upset, but I wasn’t quite sure if he was moved by Davis’s statement or wanting to kick his boyfriend. Tanner’s neutral expression softened a little, but I had no idea how his friend’s words were affecting him. I finally peered at Davis, who, probably feeling me move, turned to look at me. I’d never seen him look so serious, so fierce. That one look was all it took to strengthen my resolve. I moved the hand between us behind him and hooked a finger in the waist of his jeans. His eyes searched mine for the barest of moments before a softness entered his gaze. His taut body relaxed, and he squeezed my waist again. Turning his attention back to Tanner, his words came out calmer, quieter. “We don’t know what this is yet, but you need to trust me to navigate through this and know what’s best for Libby and me. You’re concerned. I get it. But you need to support me with this, and if you can’t, you need to keep your mouth shut when it comes to Scott. I love you, man, so what’s it going to be?”
Tension filled the room, and I held my breath, hating the guilt rushing through me at coming between them. After a few more beats, Tanner sighed. “Fine, I get it. I’m sorry.” He paused. “Scott, I’m sorry. I’ll back off, but I will kick your ass if you hurt either of them. Got it?”
“Tann—”
I cut Carter off. “No, it�
�s okay. I’ve got it.” My promises weren’t for him, though. Anything else that needed to be said was for Davis alone.
“Okay,” Carter said, dragging the word out. “If anyone else cuts me off, I won’t cook for at least a month, and I may just put laxatives in someone’s drink.”
Davis snorted, and I all but melted at his side as tension drained from me.
“We’re over to check on Libby.”
I frowned at that. “Aren’t you meant to be at the clinic?”
“I booked a couple of days off as there was a delay with a delivery Tanner was waiting for.”
“So you decided to spend precious boinking time being pains in my ass instead?”
“Boinking. Really?” I laughed as I angled to look at Davis.
“What?” Davis shrugged, not looking at all fazed. “Yes, boinking. I’m trying to curb my language a bit, when I remember.”
Tanner shook his head. “You’re such a dick. Since Libby’s redecorating your kitchen and whizzing about the place, she’s better, right?”
“Yeah, thanks.” I heard the warmth in Davis’s voice when he responded. While Davis had nothing like a traditional family, he was lucky to have Tanner in his corner. I couldn’t imagine how it was being a single parent, especially with a newborn, and knew Tanner had been something of a lifeline to Davis. Because of that, I’d take his threats, knowing every sharp gaze was because he loved Davis and his niece.
“In that case, come on.” Tanner indicated Carter with an outstretched hand.
“Are we not staying for co—”
“Nope.” Tanner took Libby and pressed a kiss to her cheek before placing her on the floor next to some of her toys. He then took Carter’s hand in his and led him toward the door. “We’ve got boinking to do apparently.”
Carter’s laughter drifted after them, and I smirked.
When the front door opened and then closed, Davis moved and stood in front of me, the barest of gaps between us. “Do we need to talk about Tanner or upstairs?”
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