“Then sit down and let me peel you a grape,” I quip. She laughs and sits down, grabbing a handful of grapes.
“Thanks, but I think I'm good like this,” she says. “The idea of skinless grapes makes me think of testicles.”
“And you’ve officially ruined grapes for me,” I chuckle.
“Thanks for this, Nick. It means a lot,” she says. “The downside of us dating is that we don't really get to do things like a normal couple would.”
“A couple, huh?” I tease her.
She flushes, which makes me chuckle. “Don't be embarrassed. I think it's cute that you think we’re a couple.”
She stares at me, mortified. “And now you're making me wonder if I’ve got everything wrong. I know we've never really spoken about us, and what we want…but…” She stops for a second to think about what she wants to say. “I'm just not really the kind of girl who does short-term flings.”
I stare at her, a smirk on my face. “And you think I'm that kind of guy?”
She flushes again. “No, of course not. I just…” She shakes her head. “Why are you making this so hard for me?” she groans.
I smirk and sidle over to her. “Would you like me to make something else hard?” I murmur. She makes a face and playfully slaps me across the arm. I laugh and rub it, pretending she hurt me.
“Nick, will you just be serious for a moment?”
She focuses on a spot on the blanket and doesn’t look at me. I can see she is getting worked up, so I cut all the crap and lay my cards on the table.
“I like you, Anna. I think you know that and I think you know that I'm not the kind of guy who is into flings either. If I seem interested in you, it's because I am.” She raises her head, her eyes meeting mine. I’m relieved because that sparkle is back.
“Okay,” she says simply. “That’s all I wanted to know.”
With a single finger resting beneath her chin, I tilt her face up to mine and press my lips against hers. I sigh as she smiles, her eyes locking on mine. We kiss for a little bit longer until my hand creeps under her shirt. I’m trying to stop myself from taking it any further because I’m trying to prove to her that I'm serious about us. Every date can't be just about sex. It needs to be getting about us getting to know one another, too.
Even though I've known her for years, I feel like I don't know her at all. She's this beautiful, stunning, intelligent woman who continues to amaze me every time she opens her mouth—and not just like that.
“I better get some work done,” I groan, nearly two hours later. Where the hell had the time gone?
I get up off the floor and turn around to help her up. She takes my hand, pulling me back down and then climbs on top of me. I don’t resist as she kisses me, gently grinding herself against my erection. I groan because she obviously has no intention of letting me go.
“That isn’t fair,” I grumble. “You know how excited that gets me.”
“How about I release some of that tension, then?” she says with a grin.
“Tension that you caused?” I tease.
She shrugs and slowly moves downward until her mouth is at my cock. I groan as she takes me in her mouth, sucking along the shaft with her blue eyes on mine. I groan at the sight of her ass up in the air, hair all wavy and those luscious red lips wrapped around me. She keeps sucking, alternating between using her mouth and her hands. Both feel good, but there's something extra special about having her mouth on me.
I run my fingers through her hair, clutching her shoulder to keep her there. She smiles like she enjoys me holding her there. I groan, my legs tensing as I guide her mouth along my cock, faster and faster. She sucks me harder, pushing me toward the edge and then letting go. I gasp as I climax.
I grab her hand and drag her back up my body, kissing her roughly on the lips. She sighs and rolls over, her nipples so stiff that they’re sticking up in the air. I reach over and tweak them. She giggles and shrugs away.
“Didn't you say something about work?” she asks, rolling me and onto the couch. Her blue eyes sparkle as she stares at me. I groan, knowing that I really don’t have a choice. I have to do something, or I’m going to have nothing to show at the planning meeting next week.
“Okay,” I sigh. So much for having a date without sex. I’m disappointed in myself for not stopping her—as amazing as that was.
“Can I stay and watch you work?” she asks.
“Sure,” I shrug. “You’ll get to see what a whizz I am with a pencil.”
“If it’s anything like your tongue, I’m sure I’ll be impressed,” she teases.
I chuckle and watch her as she gets dressed, wanting nothing more than to remove every piece of clothing she’s putting back on. She smiles at me, laughing as I reach out and tickle her thigh. All I can think about is when I’m going to see her next and how hard progressing our relationship was becoming. Then it hits me. It’s the perfect plan.
“Come away with us,” I say suddenly. She turns to stare at me, her brow creased.
“What?” she says with a laugh. “With who?”
The more I think about it, the more I realize how perfect this idea is.
“Me,” I say slowly. “If you’re helping me with the kids, it’s the perfect excuse. We’ll have every night, just the two of us to get to know one another, without any interruptions or anyone getting suspicious. I’ve been meaning to take the kids somewhere anyway. I’m due for a vacation, and your spring break starts next week.” I stare at her, waiting for her to react.
She stares at me for a second, before a smile breaks out on her lips. Her eyes begin to shine. It’s like the more she thinks about it, the more she agrees it’s a fucking great idea.
“Okay.” She nods slowly, her eyes sparkling. “I guess it could work. Where would we go?”
“I have an idea.” I grin. “Leave it with me, and I’ll sort out everything,” I promise her.
“Okay.” She shrugs. She laughs and wraps her arms around my neck, kissing me. “Let’s do this, then.”
Anna hangs around for another hour, watching me flesh out my plans for the new theatre. I wouldn’t tell her which building it was, other than it was a big deal to have been offered the project in the first place. I’d been chosen out of a dozen other candidates to redesign one of the most historic buildings in the state. Of all the projects I’d done, it was this one I valued the most because it was the location of the last outing I ever went on with my Nan.
I wanted to surprise Anna with the new 3-D model when it’s ready next week. It’s so much more impressive than trying to explain my ideas on paper. If anyone were going to get it, though, it would be her. Just talking about this kind of thing with her was all the inspiration I needed. She brought out a creativity in me that I never knew existed.
“Now I really should get going,” Anna says.
At least this time it sounds like it’s the last thing she wants to do. I curl my hands around her neck, kissing her softly. She kisses me back and then pulls away, her eyes half closed. She smiles at me as I walk her to the door, but before I open it, I explore those lips again.
Once she’s gone, I take a break from work to organize our vacation. I’ve already hatched the plan in my head, I just needed to set it in motion. A cruise had the potential to be romantic and private. But then I take it one step further. A houseboat.
Yes, that’s fucking perfect.
My cousin and I hired one for a fishing trip a couple of years ago, and we had a blast. The only thing was, I couldn’t for the life of me remember the name of the company we hired it from. I did recall the owner being a friend of my cousin, but I couldn’t exactly ask him because he’d been deployed last week. I’m just about to give up on that idea when the bell above the front door rings. I look up and see Dan walking through to my office.
“You’re like the candyman,” I say with a chuckle. “I only have to think about you, and you appear.”
“I won’t ask what or why you were thinking about me
,” he retorts. “Hey, I need a favor. Do you still have that old camper thingo? The one that sits on the back of a trailer that you sleep in?”
“Uh, yes…why?” I say slowly. “Anna kicked you out?”
“No,” he retorts, narrowing his eyes at me. “I’m going to surprise Anna,” he says proudly. He sighs when I look at him strangely and elaborates. “I thought we could use some time alone together, and I figured camping would be perfect.”
“Okay,” I hesitate. I didn’t want to crush the guy’s dreams, but I struggled to think of anyone less suited to camping than Anna. I couldn’t imagine her holed up on the back of a trailer, sleeping in a bag, whilst swatting away bugs. “Uh, does Anna actually like camping, Dan?”
“Sure.” He shrugs, looking at me like I’m crazy. “What kid doesn’t like camping?”
“Come over whenever you like and get the camper,” I say, stifling a laugh. All arguing with him was going to do was make him ask questions. He sits down at my desk and glances around at my laptop screen.
“A houseboat?” he says, confused. “What are you doing? Going away with the kids or something?” he asks.
“I was thinking about it,” I say. This was as good a time as any to mention the next part. “I invited Anna to come along, too. You know, help me with the kids.”
“A vacation will be good for you,” Dan says as if it's the most natural thing in the world for me to invite his daughter along. “Hey, I’ve got a great idea.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“Fuck the camper. I'll come along to your thing.”
My heart pounds. “You’ll what?” I ask, sure I heard wrong.
“It’s a great idea,” he enthuses. “You said so yourself that Anna isn’t the camping type, so this will be perfect. It’s a great chance for me to reconnect with her. You and I get to catch up, your kids get a break. Everyone wins. It’s great, huh?”
“I, uh, sure, it sounds great,” I mumble. I rub my head, suddenly feeling sick.
“Fantastic.” He rubs his hands together enthusiastically. “Let me know when it’s all booked. If you want me to do anything, let me know.”
He stands up and walks out, lifting his arm to hit the top of the doorframe along the way. I follow him, not saying anything because I’m still in shock. My heart is racing out of control, and I feel sick like I’m about to hurl.
“Later,” Dan says, throwing me a wave as he walks outside. I half-heartedly wave back, then go back to panic mode. I have no idea how I let this happen.
The worst part was I have to tell Anna, and I had no idea how I was going to do that. I feel sick just thinking about it. Picking up my phone, I stare at it for a second, then put it back down. I can’t tell her this over the phone.
This is something I have to do in person. I'd gone from planning the perfect little getaway with my kids and my new girlfriend to inviting her father along.
This isn't going to end well.
Chapter Eleven
Anna
I sit down at the table, helping myself to some of the toast that has been conveniently left unattended. Dad walks in and scowls at me.
“Help yourself,” he smirks. “I’ve only been lazing over a hot toaster all morning to cook that.” I roll my eyes at his lame dad joke.
“I'm surprised you even know where the toaster is kept,” I tease, raising my eyebrows.
He winces. “I guess I deserved that, but that's all about to change.” His excited expression is making me nervous because it’s usually bad news for me. Flashbacks of the weekend camping trip when I was twelve floats into my mind. All I wanted was to go to my best friend’s birthday party, but Dad insisted we needed to bond. We bonded ourselves all the way into hospital with hypothermia when he got us lost in the middle of a snowstorm.
God, I hate camping almost as much as I hate boats.
I frown at him as he sits down at the table, resting his palms flat against the table.
“Father,” I begin, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. “What have you done?”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” he says, waving my concerns off. “We’re going away. It’ll be great,” he continues. “A good old-fashioned family vacation.” He grins from ear to ear.
“What?” I say, confused.
“Okay, so Nick mentioned that he's taking the kids on a vacation. He said he asked you along, so I scored myself an invite, too.” He sits back in his chair, looking proud of himself. “It will be great for Max and Milly. They could really use a break, and what could be better than fishing, good food, and good company? It sounds great, doesn't it?”
“Sure,” I say my heart racing. What else can I say? “It's a great idea,” I mutter.
I throw the rest of my coffee down the sink, suddenly unable to stomach it. I wait for Dad to leave for work before I bolt next door in search of Nick. I find him just as he’s closing his front door. I glance at the car, where the kids are already strapped in.
“Hey,” he says with a smile. He frowns when he sees my expression.
“Do you need to tell me something, Nick?” I growl, with my hands resting on my hips.
The color drains from his face. “Fuck. He told you, didn’t he? I’m so sorry, Anna. I couldn't help it. He invited himself along. What was I supposed to say to the guy?” he asks weakly.
“Jesus, Nick. How about no?” I retort, still in disbelief.
“I'm sorry,” he protests again. “I really had no choice. Short of saying, ‘hey, I'm fucking your daughter,’ there was nothing that would’ve gotten me out of this.”
“Fine,” I growl, knowing I can’t be angry at him for this. “So, what’s the plan?” I say, rubbing my temples.
“I hired a houseboat. For a week,” he mutters.
“A freaking houseboat?” I laugh, shaking my head.
“Jesus, keep your voice down,” he hisses, glancing at his car.
“You're telling me that for the next week, I'm stuck on a houseboat with my boyfriend, my father—who also happens to be my boyfriend’s best friend—and my boyfriend’s two kids?” Nick winces. “And you want me to keep my voice down?”
“Uh, is now a bad time to mention your dad just called me? He wanted to check that it was okay to bring Mandy.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter, shaking my head. “He must’ve called you the second he left the house.”
This just keeps getting better and better. I liked Mandy, but it annoyed me that he made this big deal about us spending time together only to turn around and invite his girlfriend.
What the hell am I going to do?
Kayla is in such hysterics that she's practically falling off the kitchen counter when I tell her about the mess that is my life.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” she huffs, barely able to spit the words out. “You've got to get me a ticket on that boat.”
“It’s not a fucking show, Kayla,” I growl. “There are no tickets.”
“Bullshit. This is going to be the show of the year,” Kayla giggles.
“Come on, please be serious, Kales,” I frown.
“I am being serious. You need me there,” Kayla says. The laughter is gone, and there is nothing but honesty in her voice. The thing I love about Kayla is as crude and blunt as she can be but when you need her, she’s there. “I can help out with the kids and buy you more time alone with Nick. You think you’re gonna get any time with him without me there to cause a distraction?”
I think about it. Maybe having her there wasn't the worst idea in the world. If something went wrong and I needed an out, I know Kayla would figure something out for me.
“I'll think about it,” I say. “You know my dad's bringing his girlfriend, don’t you?”
She rolls her eyes. “What? They’ve been together like a week,” she mutters. “Five minutes into the boat ride from hell, and she’ll be done with him. Hey, I thought you get seasick?”
I groan and shake my head, ignoring her commentary. This is turning into a
really badly written soap opera. Kayla shakes her head, a dreamy smile on her face.
“I’m still struggling to come to terms with the fact that you and Nick are together.” She grins. “That's crazy. I'm so jealous.”
I smile despite the situation. “It is pretty crazy,” I admit.
“So, have you…?” she wiggles her eyebrows, and I flush. “You haven't, have you?” she exclaims.
“I haven’t done anything other than give him a blowjob,” I mutter. She jumps off the counter and takes my hands and grins at me.
“You've got to tell me what that was like,” she says.
“He’s big,” I admit, feeling giddy just talking about it. “Like, I almost dislocated my jaw putting him in my mouth kind of big. But in the end, he felt kind of good in there.”
“You hussy.” She giggles. “And did he return the favor?”
I bite my lip and smile. “His tongue …” I shiver and groan at the same time. “Don't even get me started on the magic he can work with that.”
“Go you.” She grins. “So, when’s he going to see if he, uh, fits?” Kayla asks, her eyes wide.
“Kayla,” I hiss.
“What?” she protests. “It's a legitimate question. How is your relationship going to work if you can't have sex?” she shrugs. I guess she has a point.
“Not talking about this with you,” I say, shaking my head.
After I leave Kayla's, I head home. I’m still trying to come to terms with the impending vacation from hell. Only now I can add a new worry to my list, because the more I think about what she’s saying, the more concerned I get. What if Kayla is right? What if he doesn't fit? How can we possibly have a healthy, long-term relationship if we can't have sex? I know sex shouldn’t be the crux of a relationship, but it can’t be ignored, either.
When I pull into the driveway and see Dad isn't home, I jump the fence and walk up to Nick’s door. I go to knock, but then stop myself when I see the time. The last thing I want to do is wake the kids. I push the door and it opens. Wincing, I stick my head inside and quietly call out.
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