by London Hale
“I deserve a life filled with love,” I said, letting my voice grow louder. Letting my frustration at years of always being second place to his dreams and his career boil over. “I want to be someone’s first priority, not their burden. I want to know what it feels like to be taken care of and loved. I want to live the life I’ve always dreamed of, with family and friends and people who come home from work and actually want to spend time with me. That life includes Nathan—it requires him. If I ever decide I want more and need to chase after it—”
Nathan grabbed my hand. “I’ll chase right after you.”
“I know,” I whispered. Because I did know. Of that, I had no doubts.
“I never meant to leave you alone so much,” my dad said, suddenly sounding almost sad.
“But you did. I get it—you had your own dreams to fulfill. You wanted the occupational success and the power that came with your name on the letterhead where you worked. Those are good goals to have. They’re just not for me. Being with Nathan is my dream. The life he can give me is the only thing I want.”
My dad sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking completely lost for a moment. “Fine. If this is what you want.” He pinched his eyes closed for a second before shooting daggers at Nathan once more. “I don’t like it. I don’t. She’s an adult, so I won’t stand in her way. But I don’t forgive you for doing this. And I swear to God, if I find out you touched her one second before she turned eighteen—”
“I didn’t,” Nathan said. “And I hope you know enough about me to know I’m a man of my word. I said I wouldn’t hurt her, and I won’t. I’ll spend the rest of my life working to make her happy.”
My dad just shook his head. “Man, if Evie weren’t here, I’d beat the fuck out of you.”
“Dad—”
“Do it,” Nathan said, moving in front of me. “Take your best shot. I gave you one already before you knew the situation. I’ll give you one more now that you do.”
My dad clenched his fist, looking ready to attack, but then he glanced at me. I hung over Nathan’s arm, peeking out from behind his muscles with my hands still on that tattoo. Hoping like hell the two didn’t dissolve into a fistfight.
Dad held my gaze for a long, tense moment before unclenching his fist. “I won’t upset my Evie that way. But I will tell you this—you step one fucking toe out of line with her, and all bets are off. She’s going to school. She will graduate. And you will do everything in your motherfucking power to make her happy, or you’ll be dealing with me.”
Nathan gave a short nod. “Understood.”
I rushed forward, wrapping my arms around my dad’s neck and pulling him into a hug. “I love you, Dad.”
“I know.” He pushed me back, refusing to look at me. “I love you too, Evie, but I can’t deal with this right now. I need a little time to accept it.”
With nothing more than an arm squeeze for me and another glare shot at Nathan, he turned and stormed out the door.
“That went…” I trailed off, not sure how to assess the situation.
“Better than I expected,” Nathan finished for me. He grabbed me by the arm and spun me around, lifting me right off the ground with a hand cupping my ass. “So, you love me, huh?”
“I do.” When I said the words, his eyes lit up. “And you love me.”
He leaned in close, kissing me with enough passion to set my soul on fire. His hands kneading my ass, he stroked my tongue with his. Teasing me.
“Nathan,” I moaned when he moved to my neck.
“There you go, grinding your pussy on me again. You need my cock already? Did me telling you how much I love you get you hot to fuck?”
Such a filthy mouth. But I was learning. “No, you telling me you love me didn't get me hot. Your thick cock rubbing up against me did.” I leaned in and nibbled on his earlobe before whispering, “You've got me so wet, Nathan. What are you going to do about it?”
We were in motion before I got the final word out. Nathan carried me right to the bedroom, no more questions, no more words. Once in the room, he dropped me onto the mattress and moved to crawl over me, but I didn’t want that. I rolled him over, straddling his hips. He looked up at me with what I could only describe as wonder. Which was probably exactly the way I looked at him.
“My turn to be in control.” I rocked once, rubbing myself over where he was so hard for me.
“What about your breakfast?” he asked, the way his hands gripped my thighs and moved me against him telling me exactly what he thought—or rather didn’t think—about breakfast.
But my hunger didn’t matter anymore. At least, not my hunger for food. My hunger for the man I was smiling down at was a whole different matter.
“We’ll have breakfast for dinner.”
I wasn’t sure how I’d lasted twelve months staying away from Eve, because the five days between her telling me she loved me and her permanently moving in to my house had been the longest five days of my life. I understood where she was coming from, wanting to allow Brandon a little time to get used to the idea of her and me together. Her relationship with her dad had always been distant, and this didn’t help. She didn’t want it to be damaged beyond repair.
I understood it, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.
All I knew was she was mine, and that meant I wanted her in my arms, in my bed, in my house. To hell with everything else, even if that everything else was my best friend.
But now she was here, her hair piled on her head, a tank top molded to her tits, her legs looking a mile long in the pitiful excuse for shorts she was wearing. Looking hot as hell. Looking fucking perfect in our house, despite trying—again—to haul the boxes into our bedroom that her dad was piling in the hallway.
“Eve,” I snapped when she reached for another. “Stop trying to lift the fucking boxes.”
She huffed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest. “I’m not weak. I can handle lifting some boxes.”
“I never said you couldn’t.” I stacked the box I was carrying on top of the one she’d tried to lift and hauled them both down the hallway to our bedroom.
“Show off!” she called after me, bringing a smile to my face.
After dropping off the boxes, I headed into the living room, coming face-to-face with Brandon as he set down one at the edge of the hallway. He hadn’t said anything, but he hadn’t had to—he might as well have drawn a line on the hardwood floor showing how far he was willing to step into the house now that Eve was living there. Apparently, the bedroom was a no-go zone. Couldn’t blame him—not after what I’d done to her in there last night.
Thoughts of her on the bed filled my head—her arms stretched overhead, wrists cuffed to the headboard, her legs spread, eyes hooded. But I shut those memories down before I could recall in great detail the feel of her pussy clenching around me, how she’d screamed my name when she came…
The last thing I needed right now was to get hard in front of her father.
“That’s the last one,” he said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking everywhere but at me.
Thankfully, Eve came around the corner from the kitchen and tipped her head in the direction of the box her dad had set down. “Is that it?”
“Yeah, pumpkin,” Brandon said, brushing past me to get to Eve. “I’m not doing anything with your room at home, so if things don’t work out…”
Eve glanced at me, smiling. “Thanks, Dad. But I’m sure I won’t need it anymore.”
I snapped my mouth shut and clenched my teeth so hard they hurt. What I really wanted to say was, “Yeah, fucker. She’s sure.” But I wasn’t going to add fuel to an already raging fire. Not when the person it would harm the most was the one I never wanted to hurt.
Brandon huffed. “Yeah, okay. Just…don’t be a stranger.”
“Never.” She rose up on her feet to kiss his cheek. “I’ll come for dinner this week.”
“After you finish registering at Temperance Falls College.”<
br />
“Dad,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“No. That’s the condition. I’ll accept this whole thing if you go to school. Period.”
“Fine. I’ll come by for dinner after I register so you can see my schedule.”
Eve’s phone rang, interrupting the moment. She pulled it from her pocket and frowned at the screen. “It’s Gen,” she said to us as she walked toward the kitchen. “Hey, why aren’t you here?”
I watched her walk away, partly because I loved her ass in those shorts and partly because I couldn’t stand to take my eyes off her even for a second. When she was around the corner, I turned back to find Brandon looking to where Eve disappeared before meeting my eyes. For the first time, he didn’t look furious. He didn’t even look hurt. He looked…resigned.
I dropped my arms from the defensive stance I was in and scrubbed a hand over my head, blowing out a deep breath. Eve was the best thing that had ever happened to me, and I wouldn’t change that for anything. But the friendship Brandon and I shared had been going on for longer than she’d been alive. I owed it to both of us to try to repair whatever I could.
“I’m not sure what she said or did to make you change your mind about all this,” I said, waving a hand around to indicate the two of us, “but it means a lot to her, so it means a lot to me. Thanks.”
“Yeah, well…I’m still not okay with all this. But I know you make her happy. Finding the person who does that…it’s sort of a gift. No matter how messed up it makes things, you can’t turn your back on it.”
The way he said those words set off my instincts, something in the tone of his voice indicating he wasn’t just blowing smoke up my ass but was speaking from experience. Before everything that had gone down with Eve, I would’ve asked him about it. Hell, before, he would’ve told me about it. But we weren’t there now. I didn’t know if we ever would be again.
He lifted his eyes to glance over my shoulder, his brow creasing. I turned to see Eve coming back into the room, staring at the phone in her hand, a frown marring her face.
“Baby?” I asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Gen’s mom was in a car accident. Her leg’s messed up, and she has to have surgery.”
“Shit,” Brandon hissed. “What can we do?”
“Gen asked me to pick up toiletries and some comfortable clothes since she’s going to be staying at the hospital for a while.”
“She’s alone?” Brandon asked.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s just the two of them and—”
“No.” He ran a hand through his hair, looking distracted as he started patting his pockets like he was searching for his keys. “I’ll go sit with Gen. You get her what she wants from her house. And food. She needs food. Maybe those chocolate candy ball things she likes so much.”
“Dad,” Eve said, following him. “What’s up?”
“Nothing.” He said it a little too quickly, but Eve didn’t seem to notice as he cleared his throat and met my eyes. He stared at me for a moment, then glanced at her before looking back to me. “I don’t want Gen left alone at a time like this.”
Without saying another word, he strode out the front door, shutting it behind him. I didn’t know if it was the cop in me, or the fact that we’d been best friends for two decades, but I picked up the signals he was giving off loud and clear.
Brandon was sweet on his daughter’s best friend.
Seemed we had a lot more in common now than we ever had before.
Eve looked toward where her dad just left, her forehead creased. “That was weird.”
“Was it?” I asked, brushing the hair away from her face. I bent and ran my nose up the length of her neck, breathing her in. Apples. “What’s weird is that I haven’t fucked you yet today.”
She put one hand flat against my chest, but she didn’t push me away. “Nathan, I told Gen I’d be there soon.”
“Mhmm, but your dad’ll be there with her for a bit. Besides, soon doesn’t mean now. Soon could mean an hour.” I gripped her hips and walked her backward down the hall to the bedroom. Bending down, I nipped at her bottom lip, then hauled her up against me, lifting her off her feet because I couldn’t stand not touching as much of her as possible. “I can do a lot in an hour, baby.”
Never miss a release, a giveaway, or a sale. Sign up to receive the Temperance Falls Gazette, the only place to get all the gossip from London and Temperance Falls.
www.londonhale.com/gazette
The DILF Sneak Peek
It’s Summer on the island…
Book two of the Temperance Falls series turns the attention on Eve’s dad. And her best friend.
Come, pick a spot on the dock, and grab some lemonade. Things are about to heat up on the island as we bring you the next story in the Temperance Falls world. Read on for a sneak peek.
She’s the definition of trouble
For as long as I’ve known him, Brandon has always been the workaholic single dad to my best friend. But one night, one evening alone with him, makes me ache for something I never knew I wanted. Makes me aware that he’s so much more than what I thought. He isn’t just a dad—he’s a DILF. One I desperately want warming my sheets.
He can’t stop fantasizing about her
I never should have looked at Genesis the way I do, never should have seen her as more than just my daughter’s best friend. I’m too old for her, too wrong. Dating the fiery redhead with the killer curves could end my career and destroy my relationship with my daughter, but I can’t resist her siren call. One night, and I’m a man obsessed. One night, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep her.
There was something disturbing about walking into a hospital when your reasons for being there were completely in the wrong. Still, I did it. Climbed out of my car after rushing across town, all because of a phone call. I’d seen this sort of nonsense on dramatic television shows—the whole one moment changes your life bullshit. But I guess it wasn’t bullshit, not really. Should have been. Would have been, but then I’d spent an evening with someone I shouldn’t have been alone with, and as cliché as it sounded, my world changed. My focus changed. In all the wrong ways.
So when the phone rang and the news that Lara McKay—mother of my daughter’s best friend—was in a horrible accident, that new focus sent me scurrying to find out what I could do to help. But again, for the wrong reasons.
Yes, Lara was hurt. Yes, she needed someone to check on her since she had no family here except her daughter. Yes, my being her daughter’s best friend’s father gave me access to more of her life than a casual acquaintance, so I felt comfortable coming when I found out about the accident. That was all fine. What wasn’t fine was the reason I chose to come to the hospital—because it wasn’t Lara.
It was her daughter.
Genesis.
One of the sexiest human beings I’d ever had the unfortunate luck to come across. Fiery, wild, bold—Gen wasn’t a woman you could ignore. Especially not when she turned those huge blue eyes on you. It was impossible. Until you remembered she was eighteen years old. Then…not so impossible. Hard for sure, just as she made me every time she looked my way, but not impossible.
Yet there I was, storming into the hospital because I knew she’d be alone. I knew she’d need someone. And I wanted that someone to be me.
“Lara McKay,” I said as soon as I approached the information desk. The man behind it, who wore an obnoxiously decorated sticker with the name Paul in the middle of it, frowned and typed, frowned and typed. Slowly. If he’d been an employee of mine, I’d have fired him already. And that was before he started humming to himself.
“Car accident,” I said, doing my best not to grit my teeth. “Came in through the emergency room.”
He nodded and pressed a few more buttons at the pace of a sloth. “Got it. Looks like she’s in the surgical ward. Are you family?”
“Yes, I am.” The lie came easily—too easily—but the fact that my own cousin was a surgeon here had taught me a few thin
gs. Like that only family was allowed in the surgical waiting room, and that the volunteers behind the desk would never ask for proof of relationship.
Paul did not disappoint. “Perfect. Okay, here’s a guest badge. Please wear it throughout the hospital. Surgery is up on—”
“Four,” I said, cutting him off as I snatched the plastic badge from his fingers. “Yeah, I got it. Thanks.”
I rushed to the elevators and jabbed the up button more times than necessary. The damn thing seemed to take forever to arrive and even longer for the doors to slide closed behind me. What was it with this place and obstacles?
As I stared at the lights telling me what floor we were on, my impatience burned hot under my skin, my need to get upstairs harsh and painful. I would’ve liked to have said it was for Lara. She was a nice lady, pretty and sexy. Between her looks, her charm, and the fact that we were the youngest parents on the PTA—fully a decade younger than the rest—it would have made sense for us to date. Hell, we’d even flirted a bit when the girls first met and we started seeing each other at playdates and birthday parties. Two single people in their early twenties trying to navigate the waters of being a parent and an adult tended to gravitate together. But no, she wasn’t for me. No one had been, really.
I’d kept any romantic connections private—very private. Temperance Falls was a small island with big eyes and even bigger ears. The last thing I needed was to start dating someone and risk my reputation. I had a little girl to raise, one I protected with everything I had. Lara had been barely more than a blip on my attraction screen.
Her daughter was a whole different story, and I was going to end up in hell for the thoughts I’d had about her. Those thoughts—fantasies, if I was being honest—had started recently. Really recently. Just since the night barely over a week ago, when she’d sat on my couch talking with me as if we were old friends. Leg up and tucked beneath her, far too much skin on display, red hair tumbling over her shoulders—she’d been a dream come true. A siren calling to the basest parts of me. And smart. The girl was charming, personable, witty…and sex on legs. I’d barely been able to resist her; the only thing keeping me from pinning her under me was the knowledge that my own daughter, Gen’s best friend, had been sleeping upstairs at the time. That and the fact that she was far too young for me. Probably.