by Lia Lee
Rochelle sets her backpack down on the grass and lowers herself to sit cross-legged beside it, beckoning me to do the same. “Sugar, this sounds like it might take awhile. C’mon, take a load off. Next class isn’t for an hour.”
I sigh and sit next to her under the tree. “I met someone yesterday.”
“Oh, hell no. Let me call CNN. Who?”
“My new next-door neighbor. His name’s Logan.”
“Mmm, I take it he’s hot? What’s the problem?”
“He’s got a kid, A little girl.”
“A kid?” Rochelle repeats, her brow creasing. “So he’s married? How old is this guy?”
I shrug and pick nervously at the blades of grass around me. “I’m not sure. Older. Maybe thirty-five? Forty? I don’t think he’s married. There’s just the two of them.”
Rochelle’s eyes widen to show a circle of white around her deep brown irises. “Forty? That’s almost as old enough to be your father. How hot can he be?”
“Very,” I say, turning to look her in the eyes. “Is it bad that I think he’s hot?”
Rochelle blinks. “Hey, you feel how you feel. There’s no right or wrong, good or bad. If you’re into older guys, it’s no wonder I can’t get you interested in any campus sausage,” she says, nudging me with her elbow. “What happened that’s so embarrassing?”
“I went over to welcome them to the neighborhood, and I swear my heart dropped into my toes when I saw him close up—he’s so handsome. And ripped. He’s got muscles on top of his muscles. Just the sound of his voice made my insides turn to mush. We were talking, and when he got called into work, I offered to watch his little girl, Rose. He was only supposed to be an hour, but after two hours I put her down for a nap and went outside to cool off in the backyard. You know how it was yesterday.”
Rochelle nods. “And?”
“I turned on the garden hose, just to wet my neck, but…” I swallow the uncomfortable lump in my throat. “I pretty much ended up taking a shower. It felt so good I just kept pouring it over my head and shoulders. I thought I’d be dry again in a minute… but then he saw me. Caught me by surprise, all soaking wet, my nipples sticking out for the world to see. I thought I’d die of embarrassment.” I look over at my friend, hoping for some sympathy. Advice. Anything.
“And what did he do?” Rochelle asks.
“He got me a towel. But I saw how he looked at me. Just like the guys on campus. I felt like raw meat.”
As predicted, Rochelle bursts out laughing. “Well, he’s a guy after all. Of course he looked at you. You’re not exactly a tomboy, Quinnie. You’ve got curves that would put a rattlesnake to shame. Is that a bad thing? I thought you said you liked him.”
“I do like him, but Roch, I don’t want to be just a sex object or a one-night stand. What if that’s all he sees me as?”
“Well if he’s as good looking as you say he is, I’d say ‘bring it honey’,” she says as she laughs and grabs at her crotch to make her point. “I like a man with experience. But you…” she clucks her tongue. “I know you and your ‘Snow White’ analytic brain… not to mention your ‘Snow White’ virgin pussy. You want your first time to be all roses and rainbows and unicorns.” Rochelle shakes her curly head. “Sorry, sugar. This is the real world. If that’s what you want, be prepared to be disappointed.”
I frown at her cavalier attitude. But that’s Rochelle, slutty by nature. “So far, you’re not helping,” I say.
Rochelle shrugs. “What do you want? A guarantee? There are no guarantees. If you want to lose your virginity, I’m sure he’ll help you out. But if the idea bothers you, just stay away from him.”
“I can’t. He’s asked me to babysit again tonight, and I said yes.”
She admonishes me with a disdainful tilt of her head. “Well, then I suggest you be careful. But it sounds to me like you’ve already made a decision. If he’s into you, just enjoy it. I know it’s hard for you, Ms. Psychology major, but sometimes you just have to stop analyzing things.”
“You’re right.” I promise to take her advice as we leave the common, brushing grass off our legs, and I just hope I will be thinking as clearly when I come face-to-face with Logan Brenner again tonight.
***
At six o’clock I knock on Logan’s door. It’s another warm evening, and I’m wearing shorts again but made sure to put on a brassiere this time. I chose a baggy T-shirt so as not to call attention to any of my bumps, curves or protruding nipples.
I’m determined to keep my cool and not let yesterday’s incident bother me, but I’m already compromised at the sight of a smiling Logan that greets me in the doorway wearing a sport coat, dress shirt, and slacks. He looks amazing. “Hi, you’re right on time. Come in.”
I step inside, and a rush of cool air meets me. It seems he’s managed to fix the air conditioning.
“Hi. I’ve brought a couple of movies that I thought Rose might like,” I say, and gesture to the portable DVD player in my hand. “I hope that’s alright. I didn’t know if you have your TV and stuff set up yet.”
“How thoughtful of you. I’m sure Rose will love that.”
As if on cue, Rose comes running from the other side of the room toward me with her arms open. “Kin!” she squeals. I laugh at her interpretation of my name. She’s adorable and seems to have taken to me despite only meeting me once. I set the player down and wrap her in a friendly hug.
“Well, it looks like you’ve gotten the official welcome,” Logan says, checking his watch. “I shouldn’t be too long. You girls have fun, okay? Bye Rosebud. Give Daddy a kiss?”
“Nuh-uh,” Rose says with a shake of her brunette head, seemingly unwilling to let go of me. “Bye, Daddy.” Now I’m convinced that her mother is not in the picture, given how much she seems to want my company, even refusing a kiss from Daddy. There I go, over-analyzing already. Logan feigns a hurtful look, sticking out his lower lip. I want to kiss those lips in the worst way, so I focus on Rose instead.
“Is your name Rosebud?” I ask in an exaggerated voice. “I thought it was Rose.” She giggles and squirms free.
“Come see my room!” she says, beckoning with her tiny fingers before speeding off down the hallway.
“I’ve been dumped,” Logan says good-naturedly. “You’ve won the heart of my princess, Lady Quinn. I bow down.” He splays a hand over his chest and leans forward.
“I’m sure you’re still the crown prince,” I say. “She’ll be missing you in about five minutes.”
Logan’s hazel eyes lock on mine for a moment, and I feel suspended in time and space. I want to get lost in their browny-green depths forever. But I don’t want him to know that. Or do I?
“I doubt that, but I know I’ll be missing her,” he says, his voice slipping into a sexy low register. “And her new best friend.”
What did he just say? I smile and wave off the comment, and whatever he intends by it. Any analysis of it might quash the little thrill it triggers in my heart, and I promised Rochelle I’d quit analyzing.
“You don’t want to be late,” I say, glancing toward the door. “We’ll be fine, don’t you worry about a thing.”
“I won’t be worried,” he says and turns toward the door. “Oh, wait.” He stops and reaches into the breast pocket of his jacket. “You might as well take this now—before I forget again.” He hands me a stack of bills. “Two hundred, as agreed.”
My fingers brush his as I take the crisp green notes from his hand. I’m probably imagining things, but a sizzle of electricity seems to bolt up my arm even from this innocent contact.
“Thank you,” I say, the same hot blush as yesterday rising up my neck.
“Thank you,” he replies, his gaze lingering on me before he finally turns and steps out the door. I breathe a sigh of relief as he closes it behind him. Now at least I can concentrate on Rose’s needs and not my own that seem to have settled in the region between my legs. Damn. Logan Brenner is one HOT papa.
***
&
nbsp; After three games of Chutes & Ladders, while sitting on the carpet in Rose’s room, I ask if she wants to watch a movie.
“Yeah!” she says, jumping up and scattering the playing board and pieces in the air. “Pock-corn?”
“Okay, but you have to get your PJs on first,” I say, gathering the game box and collecting the pieces. I hope there’s popcorn in the kitchen because I didn’t think to bring any snacks. After helping her into her pajamas, Rose finds some microwave packets in the pantry. I’m impressed at how tidy and organized the house looks since yesterday. Logan seems to be a good housekeeper in addition to an incredibly handsome man and a successful business owner. Man, talk about having the whole package!
We settle into the couch, and I let Rose pick a disc from the pile I’ve brought. I smile as she points to the Dirty Dancing cover. I’m sure she has no idea what the movie is about, but I’ve always loved it because it reminds me of my own mom. We always watched it together when Dad was working a lot. I know she would have been a dancer herself if she hadn’t decided to settle down and become the doctor’s perfect wife.
When Rose starts to nod off in my lap, I carry her back to her bedroom and tuck her in. She rolls over and falls fast asleep. It’s just after eight o’clock, and Logan’s not back yet, so I curl up on the couch and indulge in the rest of Dirty Dancing and bittersweet memories of my beautiful mother, Erica VanderKemp. I can’t help but shed a nostalgic tear when I hear the line, “No one puts Baby in the corner!” It was her favorite, and it only underscores how much I miss her. I wonder if Rose even knew her mother well enough to miss her. I doze off trying to imagine what circumstances surrounded the absence of Mrs. Brenner.
Chapter Six
Logan
Forbidden Fruit
I slide behind the wheel of my truck and start the engine, desperately thankful to be out of the restaurant at last. Two hours of arguing with a supposedly reformed alcoholic and drug addict have tested the limits of my nerves and my temper. I’d been reluctant to agree to this meeting without the mediator present, and I regretted it now more than ever.
Jolene claimed to be a changed person, but she wasn’t fooling me. Not this time.
“I have a right to see my daughter!” she’d demanded, pounding her fist on the table. Her agitation only proved how unchanged she really was. The off-color stares of the patrons around us supported that. Always one to make a scene, I recalled with bitter clarity. The only thing worse than having this deranged woman as the mother of my child would have been to have her as my wife. Thank God I never married her.
I told her she’d have to take me to court to get visitation rights, then paid the check and left. I’m a reasonable man, but betrayal by the two women I’d loved most in my lifetime has eroded my capacity to forgive. Or forget.
All that mattered to me was Rose’s well-being, and I knew from bitter experience that exposing her to an unbalanced individual like her birth mother at this stage of her young life would only be damaging. Rose has no memory of Jolene, and I intend to keep it that way.
I step on the accelerator to get out of the area and back home as quickly as possible. I’m already overdue, and this emotional meeting has escalated my need to be with my daughter; to protect her and keep her safe.
Yet I’ve left her with a near stranger. Ironically, I trust the neighbor girl whom I only met yesterday more than Rose’s own flesh and blood. Though I’d let Lila back into my life after Rose was born, it doesn’t change how she’d treated me all those years growing up. The twenty-pound chip on my shoulder won’t be dislodged that easily, no matter how good a grandma she tries to be.
The lights are dim inside the windows of my house as I pull up at the curb, and it reminds me that I have no blinds or drapes yet. I make a mental note to hire one of the decorating contractors I know ASAP. Though curtains aren’t much of a barrier, with the specter of Jolene potentially haunting us, I need to shield my daughter and me in every way I can.
The door is locked when I try the knob, and as I fish for my key, I’m glad that it is. At least someone else is taking the welfare of my daughter seriously. Quinn seems to have a good head on her shoulders; if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be in a Master’s program at University. Education means everything these days, and that’s one thing I intend to see that Rose gets, no matter the cost. Surrounding her with educated people is important too, and Quinn certainly fits that description.
However, educated isn’t the first adjective that comes to mind when I think of Quinn. The image of her soaking wet body in my backyard is burned into my brain forever. I know it was all a misunderstanding and horribly bad timing, but I’d hardly be a man if what I saw didn’t make me hard as hell… make me want her in every way.
But that would be wrong on so many levels.
I step inside the darkened house and slip off my shoes and jacket. All is quiet, so I know Rose is asleep, and by the light of a lone table lamp, I see Quinn’s blonde hair splayed across her prone form lying on my couch. She’s fallen asleep too and looks as beautiful and blissful as an angel in her repose, but as I step closer, my attention is caught by something much less angelic. The loose V-neck of her oversized T-shirt has slipped aside to reveal a lacy white bra, and my insolent cock twitches to life at the sight of the soft mounds beneath. They rise and fall gently with each slow breath.
I should look away, but for all my good intentions, I can’t. I’m transfixed by this sleeping beauty. I chuckle at the thought of waking her with a kiss, just like the fairy tales my daughter is so fond of. And in our own little fairy tale, the blonde princess would awaken, express her gratitude for breaking the slumbering spell by declaring her undying love for me and my little girl and becoming the mother and wife we always wanted but never had.
As I rein in my crazy runaway thoughts, I realize I’m now sitting on the edge of the sofa, hovering over this innocent girl like Dracula over Lucy. I shake my head. I need to send her home. Safe. And unravaged.
“Quinn,” I whisper, placing my hand on her arm. She stirs and inhales a quick breath as her eyes flutter open. They’re dark and misty with sleep, and my erection swells to full mast. The scent of her soap and shampoo wafts beneath my nostrils, driving my lust higher. I’m unsure who is in more danger at this moment, Quinn or me.
“Hey,” she whispers in a husky voice that sends shivers up my spine and down through my legs. “Sorry… I fell asleep. What time is it?”
“Almost nine. Sorry I’m late. I may owe you overtime,” I reply with a smile. “I hope Rose wasn’t any trouble?”
“Oh no,” she says, waving a hand and returning a sleepy grin. “She’s an angel. But I should get going.”
I stand and offer her a hand up, grateful for the dim light so that my aroused condition won’t be so obvious. She accepts it, but as I pull her upright, the DVD player slips off the edge of the sofa and lands on her foot.
“Ow…” she swears. I catch her in my arms as she lurches forward and falls against my chest. “Sorry… still asleep. Damn. Hope it isn’t broken.”
“Your foot?” I say, holding her close, reveling in the warmth of her body pressed to mine.
“No, the DVD player,” she says with a soft laugh.
“I’ll buy you a new one if it is,” I say, my hand stroking her back seemingly of its own volition. My stiff cock is pressing into her flesh, but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, her face tilts upward, her eyes, nose and luscious full lips outlined in the soft shadows thrown from the lamp. Her gaze is soft and needful, and I cup her chin in the V between my thumb and forefinger, pinning her pretty visage in position. Before I know it, my lips are crushing down on hers, my tongue parting them and thrusting past her teeth to explore and devour.
Her arms snake around my neck, and to mine and my ever-growing arousal’s satisfaction, she responds to my invasion with equal heat. Her tongue intertwines with mine, both seeking and inviting me deeper, and it’s an invitation I can’t refuse. My rationalizations of earlier
are shot to hell, and in a blaze of blind excitement my fingers are popping the button on her waistband and pulling the zipper.
Quinn’s moans are trapped in her throat as our lips continue to explore, but she doesn’t resist as I slide her denim shorts down over her hips to land in a heap around her ankles. My hand slips between her hot thighs to stroke the material of her panties that are already wet with arousal. Her scent fills my senses, and I’m gone.
Long gone.
In a flash my own pants are unzipped, my cock exposed and I’m lowering her onto the sofa, gripping one of her sexy thighs in one hand so that I land in the sweet cradle between her legs. My throbbing dick rubs against her soaked panties, and my hands are full of her ample, gorgeous tits, testing their ripeness like grapefruits at a market. I’ve denied myself any female contact for so long that my body is in mutiny against my brain, unheeding and unstoppable.
I pull up her shirt and pop the convenient front closure of her lacy bra, releasing her delicious heaving breasts which tumble out, unfettered, into my needy grasp.
“Quinn,” I murmur as I move to lick and suck at her nipples that have turned to stiff spikes of flesh under my ministrations.
“Oh, Logan,” I hear her voice respond, quivering with emotion. Her legs are spread and encircling me as I continue ravaging her lovely tits, nipping and plucking the nipples with my teeth. I pulse against her wet pussy with my hips, the thin layer of her silky underwear the only barrier between us. I tear myself away from her only to do away with this last obstacle, rising up to grip the flimsy material and pull it away.
I gaze down at the incredible sight before me—Quinn’s tight, youthful pussy spread out in full female glory and her chest heaving up and down with each excited breath. Her eyes are dark and pleading, and her arms rest languidly over her head, surrendering to me completely. Her long hair is spread in a golden swath across the couch pillows, and my imprisoned brain rallies one last desperate appeal to my senses. I reach into my pocket for my wallet and the long-forgotten condom that still hides there; God knows why I even kept it all this time.