“Thank you so much for helping out tonight,” she whispered, her arms crossed over her chest like she didn’t know how else to protect herself.
“No, Hope, thank you. For dinner. For taking the time to make all those lollipops. For letting me experience the best night I’ve had in a long time.”
For being you.
Her head shook, and her brow pinched. “I don’t know what to make of you, Kale Bryant.”
I let out the tiny huff of a laugh. “When I’m around you, I don’t know what to make of myself, either.” I smiled at her. “Good night, Harley Hope. Tell your little man I had the best time tonight. And you tell his mom that he’s lucky he has her, just as lucky as she is to have him.”
Her expression turned almost pleading.
Want and desire and that unbridled hope that radiated from her like it was a second skin.
It took everything I had to force myself to turn away and start across her porch. My footsteps echoing on the dense night.
She retreated, standing in the doorway. I could feel her staring back at me.
“Kale.” I heard it at the same time that intensity swept through the air.
A bolt of lightning.
Combustion.
I turned around just as the girl spun in the doorway, coming for me.
I was already moving back that direction.
We collided.
Fire.
I hoisted her up, and her legs wrapped around my waist as our mouths crashed together.
Her tongue swept against mine.
That sweet, sweet tongue.
Frantic.
Needy.
Desperate.
Laps and licks and frenzied strokes.
Winding a hand in her hair, I kissed her just as wildly as she was kissing me. Without breaking it, I carried her back across the porch and into the foyer. Held in the protective shadows of the short hall, I pressed her against the wall.
Ground my hard-on against her center, her skirt riding up, just her underwear and my jeans separating us.
Her pussy as hot as her fingers that sank into my shoulders.
As hot as her tongue that tangled with mine.
I had no idea how I was going to make it back from this. How I was ever going to stop craving it.
“Fuck, Hope. One touch, and you are already killing me. I want to disappear in you. Sink deep inside. Get lost in your body. Tell me you want that.”
God. What the fuck was I saying?
I rocked again.
Hope moaned. “Kale. Yes. Please.”
“What do you need?” I mumbled against her mouth, and she was mumbling back, “Make me feel good. You make me feel good. How is it possible you make me feel so good?”
“Because I know how to take care of you. You deserve a man who will treat you right.”
And I pressed myself harder against her, rubbing and rocking and driving her mad.
Which was the best kind of torture.
Complete, utter torture as she writhed and pitched and begged, the urgent thrust of her hips against my jeans and the delicious sounds from her mouth as she kissed and begged, bringing me to the edge.
That greedy, selfish place inside me roared, telling me it would be fine if I ripped open my fly and sank right in.
That she was right there.
I shoved the urge down and gave her what I knew she needed.
My hands moved to her hips, and I rode my palms up, cupping her ass so I could angle her just right.
Hitting her clit with each roll of my hips.
I was so hard I swore I was going to lose it right there.
Her nails cut into my shoulders and scratched at the back of my neck, and she whimpered, her back arching off the wall. “Kale, oh God . . . again.”
I dipped down and bit her tit through her dress.
Harley Hope caught fire.
Trembles rocked through her body, vibrating through me.
Her pleasure.
The sweet, sweet heat.
I could feel it radiating from her body and into mine. And I didn’t even care that I was in physical pain or that I was going to go home with the worst case of blue balls I’d ever endured.
Because watching her glow?
For a moment, the girl free and riding on ecstasy?
That was all that I needed.
She whimpered and moaned these tiny, perfect sounds, trying to keep quiet as she flew.
A stark reminder that we needed to hide.
That there was some pussy bitch out there who wanted to hurt them. Maybe not physically. But the kind of wounds he wanted to inflict cut just as deep.
I was right there to catch her when she came back down.
She was gasping tiny, uncontained breaths, her chest heaving from the wall as she struggled to find her control.
Swallowing hard, she stared at me through the shadows with a mix of awe and regret. “I lose myself when I’m with you. I am so sorry.”
I think I’m already lost.
I didn’t say it. I just peeled myself from her body and carefully set her on her feet. I touched her face. Softly. Hoping she got it. “For once in your life, Hope, I think it’s time someone took care of you.”
She set her hand over mine, pressing it tighter into her face. A blaze of affection smoldered in her eyes as she looked at me. “It feels good, Kale. You feel so good. You make me want things I know I shouldn’t ask you for.”
A smirk ticked up at the corner of my mouth. “I certainly hope it feels good. Wouldn’t want my knightly duties to be lacking, would we?”
The redness bloomed, the freckles across her cheeks sparking against her soft, soft skin.
I ran my thumb over her swollen lips. “And believe me, Hope. You have me wanting things I know I shouldn’t ask you for, either.”
I looked around the enclosed space, the house blanketed by the deep, deep night. “I don’t want to do anything that hurts you.”
And I didn’t even know what I was referring to. Putting her in a situation that might cause trouble with her ex or putting her in a situation where I bailed.
Because there I stood, tempted to tell her that her son terrified me but that I wanted to wrap him up and protect him anyway. Wanted to tell her I was terrified of failing again. That I might not be enough when I’d been struggling to be that man for all my life.
Instead, I backed away, still looking at her, my smile gentle. “Now go . . . sleep. Rest. You deserve it.”
She gulped around the emotion that rippled between us.
I shoved my hands in my pockets so I wouldn’t reach out and take more and headed back out the door.
“Thank you, Kale,” she whispered, her soft voice riding on the night, hitting me from behind where she’d followed me out.
From the gate, I glanced back at her, at her silhouette on her porch.
The girl the best thing I’d ever seen.
“Good night, Princess,” I called quietly into the night.
Then I turned and forced myself to get in my car, start it up, and drive away.
15
Hope
I didn’t even have to look to know who it was when I heard the rustling in the foyer.
“Oh, now you decide to show up,” I called, glancing at her when I felt the force of energy burst in the room.
Jenna stood in the archway to the kitchen, arms stretched out and braced on the jambs, grinning from ear to ear. She glanced around at the disaster that had become my kitchen. “Looks to me like you had it all under control.”
Under control.
Right.
I didn’t think I’d ever felt so out of control in all my life.
Without an invitation, she waltzed in and went straight for the coffee maker. “Besides, some people need a little nudge in the right direction.”
I eyed her as I slid the wrappers over the lollipops. “And just what direction do you think you’re sending me?”
She poured coffee into a big mug a
nd then grinned at me from over her shoulder. “With the way that man looks, I’m hoping to the moon. Or maybe the stars. He does have big hands, after all . . . you know what that means.”
She wiggled her fingers out in front of her.
“Jenna,” I hissed. My eyes darted to Evan, praying he hadn’t been paying attention. I’d already been feeling itchy this morning, unable to believe I’d let that man bring me to orgasm right out in the open.
Twice.
This time in my foyer.
A shiver blazed a path down my spine, landing in that well of desire in my belly that was getting fuller and fuller. I had no idea how much more I could take before it overflowed.
Thank God, Evan was completely occupied where he sat in the built-in booth at the breakfast nook that curved under the big window.
His focus was trained on his iPad and whatever goofy pictures he and his friend Josiah were sending back and forth over Snapchat.
Their favorite way to communicate.
“What?” Jenna defended, giving me that look. “I already checked to make sure he wasn’t paying any attention.”
“But still.”
Her brows lifted as she dug into my fridge and pulled out the creamer. “But still, you need to lighten up. You’re strung up so tight that I bet one touch really would send you rocketing for the moon.”
A rush of heat flushed my skin. My thoughts were back there. To last night. God, I didn’t recognize myself around that man.
Jenna cocked her head, eyes going wide before she squealed in vicarious delight. “Oh my God. Did you two do the deed? Give me the details. I want them all. Don’t leave anything out. Please tell me it was right here on this counter.” She smacked it with the palm of her hand. “So hot.”
I shushed her, waving my hand in her face, my voice dropped to a manic whisper. “We did not do the deed.”
It wasn’t as if Evan could actually hear, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t hear. My son was about as clever as they came and could read body language almost as well as he could read lips.
“But you did do something. You would not be lookin’ like that otherwise, so don’t try to lie.” She circled her finger around me, her expression pure glee.
For a second, I hesitated before the muted words tumbled from my mouth. “He kissed me.”
Okay, so he’d kissed me before. But this kiss . . .
This kiss.
There was something between us last night that hadn’t been there before. Something beyond the attraction. Strong and fierce and overpowering.
My insides shook and, suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. I reached a shaky hand out to steady myself on the table.
Jenna loosed a knowing smile before taking a sip of coffee. “Whoa. That must have been some kiss.”
I nodded. “It was some kiss.”
Kale had kissed me in a way I hadn’t ever been kissed before. As if I was beautiful and right and he wanted me more than anything else.
With respect.
With adoration and desperation.
As if maybe I could be everything.
Was it foolish to want him to be that for me in return?
I sank into a chair. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”
Jenna washed her hands and plopped down beside me, sliding on a pair of gloves so she could help me put the wrappers on the lollipops.
Her voice was quiet. “You like, like him?”
I nodded slowly.
I liked him.
“So much.” I gave a harsh shake of my head before I peeked over at her. “Why do the best things have to come into our lives at the worst times?”
“I know sometimes it feels that way. But in the end, it turns out things happen exactly when they’re supposed to.”
In contemplation, I bit down on my bottom lip, wishing it were true. “Maybe. But I . . .” I glanced over at my son, my reason for living. “I just can’t do anything that would put Evan at risk.”
Jenna rolled her eyes at me affectionately. “Newsflash, Harley Hope, I don’t think you could do anything that would put Evan at risk. Your make up just wouldn’t allow it. He’s always come first, and he always will. And the fact that you are even considering something with that man should tell you something.”
“My instincts weren’t exactly spot on with Dane.”
“Dane lost his ever-loving mind, Hope. Seriously, that man was himself one day, and the next? Poof, he was unrecognizable. I don’t think your instincts could have warned you about him.”
I blinked, knowing what she said was the truth. Not that it was even close to an excuse, but I’d always known Evan’s diagnosis had somehow sent my husband over the edge. Sparked a cold, cowardly wickedness in him that had been nonexistent before.
Jenna eyed me. “What about him bein’ Evan’s doctor.”
A sigh pushed free. “I don’t know. I would think . . . I’d think he’d have to stop seeing him as a patient if he were to get involved with us in any way. And the records . . .”
I gulped, fighting the sick, clawing feeling that took to my blood when I thought of the consequences of anyone finding out.
“No one’s gonna find out. We’re gonna make sure that divorce is final and then it won’t matter, anymore. It was just temporary, Hope. You know that.”
I did.
But I realized the closer Kale got, the more he knew, there was a chance I might be putting his career on the line, too.
Besides that, I hated the idea of Kale no longer caring for my son.
He was a good doctor.
I’d seen it the second he sat on that stool in front of Evan in the exam room.
We’d been through enough physicians that I instinctively knew when they actually cared. When they felt for their patients and would do everything possible to keep them healthy rather than treating them as another number or dollar sign.
“But honestly? My biggest concern about all of this is what Dane would do with the information if I started seeing someone. He wouldn’t hesitate to use it against me. Call me a cheater.”
Not to mention, the unease and obscured fear I couldn’t help but notice flicker in Kale’s eyes. A part of him I couldn’t really see. A demon of his own. Gone before I could establish exactly what it was. As if that sea of blue suddenly went murky, muddled with questions and reservations and panic before he forced it down into a secret place.
Maybe we both were complicated.
“Pssh . . . that asshole has been cheatin’ for years, Harley Hope. If he tries to use it against you, it won’t take much to dig up evidence to throw down your own accusation. Maybe you returning the favor and calling him out on in it court is exactly what Mr. Limp Dick needs.”
A wry grin took to Jenna’s face. “Hopefully his mama will be there for support so she can have a front-row seat. Dane Gentry III. Heir to the Gentry fortune and lousy cheater shoots himself in five seconds. Every. Single. Time. Poor boy wouldn’t know a clitoris if it smacked him in the face. Think we can bribe anyone to add in those few minor details? They may not be admissible in court, but I think it’s about time someone brought that horrible obstruction of justice to light.”
A giggle slipped free. “Could you picture his mama’s face?”
Jenna made a face like she was sucking on a lemon. “Well, I never,” she feigned the rich Southern accent, her hand pressed to her throat.
“I bet she never.” It slipped out before I could stop it, and my eyes bugged as my hand slapped over my mouth.
Jenna busted up laughing. “Oh my God, what has gotten into you, Harley Hope?” She leaned in closer. “Tell me it’s a big, huge, yummy dick.”
This time I did smack her, unable to keep myself from laughing. “Jenna. What is wrong with you?”
“The question is, what is wrong with you? A man like that wants you, and you’re sitting over here wrapping lollipops on a Saturday morning? Here we went through all that trouble to hire a manager to run the cafe on the weekends so we could have them
off, and we are both still working. You should be spending this time wrapping something else.”
“Oh, I think I have plenty of wrapping to do. We need to get all of these packaged by noon so Evan and I can drop them off at Kale’s place.”
She jostled her shoulder into mine. “Swapping addresses now, huh?”
I sent her a playful scowl. “Yeah, because of your meddling.”
And because of the meddling, the few evenings I’d spent with Kale Bryant had come to feel more profound, more important, than all I’d spent with Dane combined.
“Give that man a chance. You really need to move on and find what’s right for you and Evan.”
The concept of that flared in my chest, pressing out, wrapping me in warm, perfect ribbons. But I had no idea what Kale really wanted. Why he kept coming through my door, shaking up my world, tempting me with the kind of pleasure I’d never known before.
And if he did want it? Us? Would it be me who hurt him in the end?
“I’m not even sure he wants a chance. He said it himself when he asked me out. He wanted one night.”
“Yet, where was he last night? Here, with you, working on lollipops for your son’s charity, on a Friday night nonetheless. Doesn’t sound like a one-night thing to me.”
Warmth fluttered in my belly.
Wings of hope.
Still, my reservations were like an updraft. “And you know me dating isn’t only about me. Especially when Evan gets involved, which he already is. That man is his doctor. And Evan and I are a package deal.”
“Maybe he likes the look of your package.”
“Jenna.” It was pure exasperation.
“Just sayin’.”
I looked up when I felt the movement from the side. Evan was scrambling out of the nook, eyes wide with excitement as he bounced over to me, already signing frantically.
CAN I GO TO THE PARK WITH JOSIAH? PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE.
My phone started ringing before I had the chance to answer him. I held up a finger for him to give me a second, picked up my phone, and smiled when I saw the name on the screen.
“Chanda, hi, it seems our boys have been scheming again,” I said warmly.
Chanda laughed on the other end of the line. “Well, Josiah has been begging me to get together with Evan for the last week. Richard and I thought we’d take them to the park and then have a sleepover, if that’s all right with you?”
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