* * *
“Come inside for a minute, freckles,” Joey hollered. “How about you help me make a milkshake while we wait on your mama? Then we’ll go in the pool.”
“Milkshake!” She ran inside and he carried her onto the kitchen counter as he worked on making himself a protein shake. “That looks gross.”
“I saw you put gummy bears inside your grilled cheese yesterday, and this is gross?”
“Gummy bears are deeee—lishes!” she licked her lips and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Alright, little miss gummy bears, vanilla or chocolate shake?”
“Bof,” she said, pointing to both cartons. He put a scoop of each flavor into the blender.
When he finished, he poured her a cup and then he sat next to her on his kitchen island sipping their shakes.
“Are we gonna live here now?” She had a big foamy chocolate mustache above her lip.
“No. You’re just staying for a few days. Is that okay with you, freckles?”
“Does it mean I don’t have to go to school anymore?”
He laughed. “Actually, I think your teacher sent your mom some schoolwork. You can do it here.”
“Why?” she whined.
The kid was curious, of course she was. And he didn’t want to scare her. “Your mom is having some work done in your house. You have to do your schoolwork while we’re here.”
“What is she doing in the house?” She slurped some of her shake and licked her lips as she did this.
“Putting in a new alarm and . . .”
Her eyes opened wide and he had to catch the cup before she dropped it. “And a pool?! She bought a pool?”
“No, freckles.” He laughed and handed her the cup back. “Sorry to disappoint. But you’ll have some cool cameras on the outside and some new lights.”
“That’s boring.”
He pretended to be shocked. “The lights turn on when you move. That is not boring.”
She seemed to be thinking about that, because she didn’t say anything for a while and kept drinking.
“My friend Samantha, she didn’t have a daddy either, and then her mommy moved to her new daddy’s house and she had to change schools. Do I have to go to a new school now?”
Where was Olivia? This was a landmine.
He cleared his throat. “You don’t have to change schools, Soph. You’ll be back home very soon and you can come visit and get in the pool any time you want.”
“Why can’t we all live in the same house, like Samantha and like Peppa Pig? You can be the daddy.”
Holy shit.
He almost choked on his drink and his heart began to pound, wildly.
“Are you giving my daughter more sugar?” Olivia grabbed a napkin and wiped Sophie’s mouth.
Now she decided to come down!
He shook his head and placed his drink on the table. “I’m going to put on my swimsuit. Be right back, meet you in the pool.” He said it quickly and in one long breath.
“Pool. Pool. Pool.” Sophie chanted. She was literally running in place with energy.
“Did I thank you for feeding my kid sugar?”
He smiled, not really feeling humorous. “You may have grumbled something.”
“You okay?” Olivia asked.
“Fine. Fine. Be right back.”
He jogged up, taking two stairs at a time. Once he got to his room he shut the door behind him and leaned against it, taking gulps of air into his lungs.
You can be the daddy.
Shit. That’s what Olivia had been trying to tell him but he hadn’t fully understood. This was confusing for Sophie. Of course it was, how could it not be? He was the first man who’d come into her life, since she’d never met her father.
He breathed in and out and thought it through like he did everything in his life.
She was great. Cute, energetic, funny, and so smart. She questioned everything and thought things out, even though she was only five. She was also unique, which he adored. Was he ready to take on this daddy role?
It was too soon. Way too soon.
But did it scare him? The thought of being in this little person’s life? Catching lizards, showing her how to dive, coloring unicorns . . .
No. It didn’t scare him.
In fact, he could clearly see a future where he woke up and sat on a sofa eating Cheerios with Sophie. And it wasn’t scary at all.
What was scary was that he would get attached and her mother would push him away. That suddenly became scary.
But at least he’d come to terms with one thing . . . he didn’t just need to win Olivia over, he wanted to win Olivia and Sophie over.
By the time he walked outside he felt better about his revelation and smiled when he saw Sophie was doing cannonballs into the pool.
“Be careful, Soph. Don’t run,” her mother yelled.
But Sophie was already running, and Olivia was sitting on a lounge chair with his robe wrapped around her.
“She can swim,” Olivia said as he neared. “Not great. But enough so that you don’t have to go in with her if you don’t want to.”
“Good to know. But I want to go in with her.”
“Okay,” she said, sitting back and relaxing a little. How she’d managed to have such a consuming career while raising a child was amazing. But it was moments like this, where she relaxed and let him take control of the situation, that he loved most.
* * *
Olivia had tried really hard not to stare at him when he walked out shirtless wearing only navy blue swim trunks that hung dangerously low on his torso. He grabbed a metal pole and began to scoop out some leaves from the pool using a net. Every time he brought the pole up, the muscles on his shoulders and biceps contracted. His gait was long and confident and . . . “Holy shit,” she whispered.
“Mommy? You said a bad wod.”
She looked down at her daughter who was right by her feet inside the pool and patted her head, unable to concentrate. “Sorry, sweets. Why don’t you go see if Joey needs help?”
She needed a moment to just enjoy the view. He was tall and lean but still muscular, not in a bulky way, but in an I can kick your ass but look fan-fucking-tastic in a tuxedo sort of way. Very James Bond, she thought as she wiped at the little bit of sweat on her forehead. When he finished he put the pole back and then padded toward her.
“Come in with us.”
“I don’t think I should. Stiches.” She pointed to her chest.
“You can dry the area afterward and you’ll be fine. It’s been two days.”
“I don’t want to risk an infection.”
He sat on the chair next to her and her eyes went to his bare feet. Maybe it was to avoid drooling over all those abs, but she’d never thought of feet as sexy before.
“I hope we’re not crashing any plans you may have had,” she blurted out, suddenly flushed from being too close to him when he wasn’t wearing much.
“I had no plans. Spending a hot day lounging around the pool with you and your daughter is the plan for today. A good plan, by the way.”
They were both looking at each other, the attraction electric, when cold water splashed around them, wetting them both. “Gotcha!” Sophie giggled.
Joey wiped his face dry with his palms and then looked at the giggling little girl. “Of course you picked the biggest water gun I have.”
“You can’t get me. Nani nani poo poo,” she sang, sticking her tongue out at Joey and then running back excitedly. Joey jumped to his feet and grabbed a little plastic water gun from the trunk.
Olivia watched with a huge smile as he filled the little gun and then walked with it in his hand as if he was still in the military. With every step he took forward, Sophie took one back with a nervous little giggle. She tried to shoot him again but her gun had run out of water. “Ha!” Joey said, and then ran full force, grabbing her over his head and making as if he was going to toss her in the pool. “One . . . two . . .”
Sophie was l
aughing so hard she couldn’t even speak. “And three!” he yelled, but didn’t toss her. Instead, he gently put her back down on her feet and then started squirting her with water.
At one point, Sophie started chanting, “Get Mum. Get Mum.”
Olivia stood up, putting her hands up in surrender. “Oh no. No no no,” she laughed, and when Joey, who’d been aiming the little gun at her, fell silent she looked at him puzzled. His eyes had moved down and she noticed the robe had opened and he was staring at her bikini-dressed body.
The way he was looking at her . . . it wasn’t the stare of a man who gave a shit about stretch marks or scars or stiches. It was a look of lust and want and her pulse spiked. She quickly closed the robe and ducked just as Sophie started wetting her.
It had been the best day.
After the pool, Joey had grilled some steaks and they wanted to eat outside but the putrid stench coming from the ocean was horrible, so they had to move things indoors.
By eight o’clock, Sophie had been so exhausted she fell asleep watching a home renovation show in the living room. Joey had carried her to the room and the two of them tucked her in.
“How about some wine?” he asked, once Sophie was in bed and they were back in the living room.
“Sounds good.” He poured her a glass and he took out a beer for himself.
“I had fun today,” he said.
“So did we. You absolutely made Sophie’s day.”
“She’s a great kid, Livie.”
It wasn’t time to get into anything heavy but she did have a life to get back to and she needed to know when she could get back to it. “So, what’s the plan? When do you think it’ll be okay for us to go home? Any update with the cops? I can’t help but feel like I knew the guy’s voice. I’ve been replaying it over and over in my mind.”
“Is there anything that would help? An accent, or maybe he called you something unusual?”
“No. Nothing I can put my finger on. It could be my mind playing tricks on me. Anyway, so what next?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t like saying that because normally I have a plan. A clear precise plan of action. But this time, I don’t know. I’ve been trying to break into the account he left you while the cops have put the photos from the cameras into some facial recognition software, but nothing’s popping up. Technically, your house is safe now. All the security is in place, you have cameras, patrols in the area, we replaced some of the downstairs windows with high impact ones. But the truth is, I don’t feel comfortable with you leaving when I don’t have a handle on things. I don’t have a motive, a name, or a good clear photo. Nothing.”
“But what if you can’t find him? We can’t stay here forever, Joey. I mean, I have a job, Sophie has school. What do we do?” It wasn’t accusatory, it was a real concern. “And you? We’ve completely inserted ourselves into your life. I’m sure this can’t be comfortable for you.”
He shook his head and took the wine from her hand and placed it on the coffee table.
“You’re not getting it, Livie.”
She let out a breath. “I am getting it, Joey. I’m not dumb. You find me attractive. I find you attractive. But what is it that you want, exactly? I can do sex, but I don’t know if can do a relationship.”
He let out a humorless laugh. “You had not kissed anyone in five years, darlin’. You cannot do just sex.”
“Of course I can. We . . . well, you did a lot of stuff to me already and I’m dealing. I’m not all weirded out and clingy.”
He sat back and took a big gulp of his beer and tipped his chin up a little. “Tell me again why it can’t happen. Why only sex?”
“Jo . . .”
“No, seriously. Don’t do your Jedi mind fuck on me and twist shit around. Tell me the honest truth.”
“Jedi mind fuck?”
“Yeah, your political mumbo jumbo that makes people somehow believe that what you said was for the best. But, it wasn’t.”
“It is for the best. I have a daughter. I can’t have her getting attached to you to just have you walk out of her life. And your job is dangerous. She’s already been through a lot. She doesn’t deserve that.”
“She or you, Livie? Because if my math is right, her father died when she was only days old. She didn’t even know him. And how about me, huh? How about when I get attached and you pull the rug from under me? I have a dog in this fight too, you know. Why are you just assuming I’m going to leave?”
“I don’t know. I’m nervous, I guess. What if you left and I got attached? I just . . .” It was a terrible response but she didn’t have any other one.
“And you got attached? Funny, I’m already attached. I’d already be devastated if you left.”
“Joey . . .” she breathed. God, he was so wonderful.
“What about you, Olivia? What do you want? All the excuses have been about Sophie and your career. How about you, Olivia, the woman? What do you need? What do you want? Why are you so scared?”
“I don’t know, Joey. I’m . . . well, I’m busy. I need a man who understands that I work and that I have responsibilities that may, at times, come before him.”
“So basically, you’re saying you don’t want some guy whose entire life revolves around you. You want a man who understands you have a career, an important one, and supports it instead of making you choose.”
Neil never really understood this about her. She loved him, with all her heart, but he wanted to come first. He didn’t understand why she had to go to meetings and speeches every day. He didn’t necessarily want Suzy Homemaker, but he did want her to be home at a reasonable hour every night and spend time together. It wasn’t as if that was an unreasonable request, but it just wasn’t the way her life had gone.
Her job was important and it wasn’t just important for her, it was important to her constituents. What she did mattered, and it mattered in a real way. Now she was single, and had been for a long time, and she wasn’t going to settle for a man who didn’t understand this. It was one of the many things causing her to hesitate.
“Yes. I work late and sometimes I’m drafting speeches, or editing them, at one in the morning, sometimes I get calls at three in the morning, sometimes I . . .”
He put his index finger over her mouth to shut her up. “Baby, I don’t know what kind of man you had before, but I’m not the kind that is scared off by a strong woman. All due respect, do not confuse me with whatever insecure man you’ve dated or married in the past. Your schedule doesn’t scare me.”
He reached for the back of her neck and pulled her head forward and kissed her. He ran his tongue along her lips then pushed it inside, tasting her, holding her tightly against him, and showing her all the ways he was a man who wanted to ravage her—Olivia, just a woman he found attractive, not a politician or a widow or a mom, but a woman he wanted. When she was heady with need and her hand gripped the front of his shirt, he pulled away.
“Go to bed, Livie,” he said, running the pad of his thumb along her swollen lips. He kissed her head and stood. “Sleep well.”
And he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving her discombobulated.
* * *
Joey splashed water on his face. He’d almost ripped off her clothes and fucked her senseless on the couch with her daughter sleeping in the next room. That wasn’t what he wanted and he wanted to show her it wasn’t just sex. Not for her, and certainly not for him. His cock was rock hard and he had to close his eyes and count to one hundred before walking back out. After finishing up in the bathroom he grabbed a blanket and pillows from the linen closet and went back to the living room. He lay down on the sofa to watch television, trying not to think of the woman who would be sleeping in his room, on his bed, her hair on his pillows, her scent on his sheets . . .
He groaned when his cock hardened again. By the time he walked back to the living room she was gone. He set up the couch for a long sleepless night with the world’s biggest hard-on. But it was her tu
rn to come to him. He couldn’t be the only one to continue to push for more.
* * *
The first sign there was something amiss was a creaking noise, followed by light footsteps as if someone was trying to walk quietly. He had his weapon tight in his hand and was adjusting his eyes to the darkness. He felt the warmth of another person nearby and then saw the figure move closer to him. He hadn’t moved a muscle, well, except to inconspicuously reach for his weapon, as he lay on the sofa waiting and calculating his move. The only thing he knew for certain was that whoever was there would not get close to Olivia or Sophie.
As the person approached slowly and quietly, he was able to see the outline enough to calculate his next move, which he executed quickly and with trained precision. He had the person . . . pressed up against him, her back to his front, and his armed arm around her neck. “One move and I’ll shoot. Who the fuck are you?” But as soon as he felt her, he let go. He knew that body, that scent . . .
“Shit,” he grumbled, then put his weapon away. “Did you come here to try to seduce me, Madame Governor?”
She rolled her eyes. “Obviously, I’m not good at seduction if you have to ask. Or if you try to shoot me.”
He stared at her. She was in a threadbare T-shirt, her nipples poking through, and her long legs were bare. But the best part was how her hair hung loose and long over her shoulders. He loved when she had it down. It was rare to see it that way, but he’d already gotten to see it a few times and couldn’t wait to feel it on him.
“What was your plan? When you walked out here, what were you going to do?”
Kiss Kiss Bang (Iron-Clad Security) Page 13