by Rye Hart
Sean stood over me, his eyes glassy from his orgasm, his hand still tangled in my hair. Once his breathing slowed down, he collapsed next to me and pulled me against him.
“That was fucking amazing,” he said.
I smiled and curled against his side, glad I wouldn’t have to pull out my vibrator tonight.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - SEAN
I could barely sleep that night with the taste of Emily still on my tongue. When I finally drifted off, I dreamt of her the whole night. My dreams revolved around our moment of blissful reality and then moved further.
I dreamed about sliding my cock inside her sopping wet pussy and losing myself in the feel of her. When I woke up the next morning, I could still taste her. Grinning to myself, I glanced down to see my cock was at full attention.
The sight made me groan and picture Emily’s mouth. The way her lips had felt wrapped around my dick had been amazing. I’d forgotten how good it could feel to be sucked off like that. Though I’d wanted badly to make love to her, I hadn’t let myself. It had been a bold enough move on my part to take her to my bed at all. I needed to be 100 percent ready to sleep with her before I could. Now, as I laid in bed, watching the morning sun seep through my curtains, I wished had explored her body further, to learn every curve and every freckle on her skin. I closed my eyes and moved my hand to my cock, seeing Emily’s bright blue-green eyes in my mind.
I could still picture the look on her face when she orgasmed the night before. Her eyes flew wide and her mouth hung open in a silent scream. I understood why she buried her face in the pillow, but I wished she hadn’t. I desperately wanted to hear her cry out my name. Just as I began to stroke myself, imagining Emily’s perfect lips wrapped around my shaft as they had been last night, I heard footsteps upstairs. In an instant, the footsteps moved to the staircase and thundered downward. I could hear Sarah and Tommy laughing as they ran into the kitchen, and I knew Emily would be right behind them. I groaned and rolled to my side, hitting the bed with my fist in frustration.
My frustrated desires would haunt me throughout the entire day, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. If I lingered in my bedroom for too long, Sarah would come searching for me. She always did.
With a sigh, I climbed out of bed and pulled on my sweat pants and a T-shirt. My cock was still hard, but it was slowly going down. I lifted it and tucked it in the waistband of my pants so no one would see before I left my room.
“Daddy!” Sarah said when I walked up to her.
I kissed her head and ruffled Tommy’s hair as I sat down in my usual chair.
“Good morning,” I said. “How’d you sleep?”
“Great!” Sarah said.
“Is Uncle Philip still here?” Tommy asked.
“Yup.” I nodded. “He’s probably still asleep.”
“Can we wake him up?” Sarah asked.
I laughed and shook my head. Emily brought over a full plate of eggs and some bacon. The kids helped themselves, but I waited until Emily was sitting down before I joined in. Our eyes met across the table, and she winked.
I smiled to myself and ate my breakfast in silence, my eyes rarely leaving her face. She looked even more beautiful than she did last night. There was a mischievous look in her eyes that made me wish the kids weren’t around.
When breakfast ended, I sent the kids upstairs to wake their uncle. I knew Philip wouldn’t care. Normally, I would have let him sleep in, but I needed a minute alone with Emily. It was killing me to be so close to her and yet, so far away.
The second the kids disappeared upstairs, Emily stood up and walked into the kitchen. She carried her plate and set it in the sink. I followed her quickly, grabbing her around the waist and spinning her around to face me.
I didn’t give her a chance to speak before my lips descended upon hers with a desperate hunger. She moaned softly and ran her fingers through my hair. I gripped her hips and pushed her backward against the counter. Her butt slammed into it, and I lifted her by the hips onto the countertop. Our kiss was deeper than ever, our tongues moving desperately against each other. My boner, which had only just subsided, came back with a vengeance.
“We can’t do this here,” Emily whispered. She pulled away from my lips to speak, but I immediately moved to her neck.
She giggled softly while I kissed her sensitive skin. Her legs wrapped automatically around my waist and pulled me close while I continued to lick and nibble her neck.
“Sean,” she groaned. “They’ll be back down any minute.”
“We’ll hear them,” I said against her skin.
She groaned again and tried to push me away, but I held her close.
“You’re evil,” she said with a laugh.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” I said.
My lips moved back up to claim hers. She gasped and then sunk into me, tightening her legs around my waist and running her hands over my back.
She dug her nails into my shirt, scraping my skin and feeling my muscles. I could feel the desire in her touch, and I wanted nothing more than to rip our clothes off and take her right there. She grabbed my bottom lip between her teeth and pulled gently, growling deeply.
I smiled and kissed her again, leaning her back on the counter so I could kiss her neck again. Her shirt was just low enough that I could shove it aside. She wore a red lacy bra. I moaned when I saw it and buried my face in her breasts, kissing and biting them through the material.
When I nipped at a nipple, she gasped loudly, and I reached up to cover her mouth. She was right about one thing, we couldn’t let the kids find us.
I knew it would take a while for them to rouse Philip, but they would be back down any minute. Still, I couldn’t tear myself away from Emily’s body long enough to care. I cupped her tits in my hands while I kissed her lips again. My tongue trailed lightly over her bottom lip. She shivered and moaned, grinding her hips against my hard cock.
“I want you,” she breathed heavily.
“Emily,” I groaned. “You have no idea how—”
There were footsteps on the stairs, and I jumped away from her. She hopped off the counter and fixed her shirt, tucking her tits safely away. I adjusted my pants to hide my erection and then turned on the sink while Emily rushed over to get the other plates off the table. By the time the kids and Philip appeared, neither of us looked like anything at all had happened.
“He’s up!” Sarah announced as Philip walked in behind her.
“I see that.” I laughed. “How’d you sleep?”
“That mattress is a fucking dream,” Philip said.
“Language,” I said, shooting him a look.
“A freaking dream,” he corrected. Tommy laughed but Sarah didn’t seem to notice.
“Are you hungry?” Emily asked. “I can make you something.”
“Nah,” Philip said. “Just coffee will do.”
“Are you sure?” Emily asked.
“Yup.” Philip nodded. “She must spoil you, Sean. Always cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids. Do you do anything around here anymore?”
“Not really,” Tommy said honestly.
I ruffled his hair, and we all laughed easily.
My mood had drastically improved after Philip’s arrival. Our conversation last night really made me see how stupid I was being. Emily was the best thing to happen to my kids in a long time. She helped them in ways I never could. Without being their mom, she mothered them well. Plus, it didn’t hurt that her presence made me happier than I could remember being in years.
As I watched her joke around with Philip and the kids, I didn’t know why I’d spent so long fighting it. She obviously wanted me just as much as I wanted her. Being cold and distant with her was a waste of time. I couldn’t wait to spend another night buried between her legs.
Her moans played through my head the entire day, and when the afternoon rolled around, I was desperate for the kids to go to bed.
“I need a drink,” Philip announced.
“Any good bars around here?”
“You guys go,” Emily said. “I got the kids.”
“Are you sure?” I asked.
“Of course.” She smiled. “Have fun.”
Philip and I said goodbye to the kids and made our way into town. I hadn’t had a chance to check out the bar scene in Telluride so we walked through town until we found something appealing. It was a small, hole in the wall place that looked to be about a thousand years old. When we walked through the door, the light from outside immediately disappeared. The bar was covered in a layer of grime, and there was dust on the liquor bottles.
“This is nice,” Philip said sarcastically. “I can see why you moved here.”
“The bar scene wasn’t really a deciding factor,” I laughed. “Besides, this place has character.”
“Hey,” Philip said. “If they serve booze, I’m good.”
We each ordered a doubt shot of whiskey and sipped it slowly. Philip told me about his work back home and the women he’d been dating. In fifteen years, I’d never once seen Philip come close to settling down, but it never seemed to bother him. He was free. Independent.
“So,” he finally said when we exhausted all the subjects involving him and his life. “Are you going to tell me what happened last night?”
“Nothing,” I said too quickly. Philip snorted and waited for me to tell the truth. “Fine, you got me, but I’m not giving you details.”
“I don’t want details,” he said. “We aren’t chicks, man. I just want to know if you closed the deal.”
“No.” I shook my head.
“Whoa,” Philip said with an approving nod. “Taking it slow. I like it.”
“You do?” I laughed. “You don’t take anything slow.”
“I’m not a widower with two kids,” he said, pointing his glass at me. “You need slow right now, my friend. I’m just glad you finally got the balls to go for it. Even though she made the first move.”
“How do you know?” I asked suspiciously.
“I eavesdropped.” He shrugged.
“That’s disgusting,” I said.
“Not on that part,” he said. “Just on your little talk in the living room. She seemed pretty determined.”
“Yeah.” I grinned. “I guess she got tired of waiting.”
“Good for her,” Philip said with another approving nod. “I knew I liked that girl.”
“Off limits,” I said firmly.
“Like I would ever,” he said, rolling his eyes. “She’s sweet and all but definitely too young and innocent for me.”
“True, I would never say young and innocent was your type.”
Philip laughed and raised his glass. “To aged whores,” he said.
I laughed and clinked my glass to his. “You know that’s not what I meant.”
He nodded and sipped before looking at me thoughtfully.
“What?” I asked when his eyes settled on mine.
“Try not to fuck this up.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - EMILY
Sean and Philip made it back home just before bedtime. I was on my way upstairs with the kids when Sean walked through the door and insisted I relax.
“I’ll put them to bed,” he said with a kind smile. “You’ve done enough today.”
I was still surprised by the relatively sudden change in his demeanor, but I didn’t complain. With a smile of my own, I stood back and watched Sean disappear upstairs with the kids. He turned around when he reached the second-floor landing, his eyes finding mine. I winked and turned toward the living room, falling onto the couch with a sigh.
“Long day?” Philip asked, sitting down beside me.
“They all are.” I laughed. “But those kids are worth it.”
“That they are,” Philip agreed.
“They’re amazing,” I said. “I’ve been babysitting and nannying on and off for years, but I’ve never grown so attached to two kids so quickly. They’re special.”
“I would have to agree,” Philip said. “But then again, I have known them since the day they were both born.”
“That helps.” I laughed. “I can tell they’re glad you’re here.”
“I am too.” He nodded. “When I insisted Sean get out of San Diego, I never expected him to go so far away, but I think it’s been good for him. I was worried for a while.”
“He had a hard time,” I said. “I don’t know him that well yet, but he was dark for a while. Cold in a way.”
“I know,” Philip said with a sigh. “You should have seen him back in California. There were months when he didn’t so much as smile, not even once.”
“I’m sure losing his wife was hard,” I said with sympathy.
Philip just nodded and looked away. There was something he wasn’t saying, but I was too afraid to pry.
Being alone with Philip for the first time opened up an opportunity for me. So many things about Sean’s past were still a mystery. I had a million questions burning inside me about him, the kids, and their mother. With Sean’s hard attitude, I never worked up the courage to ask him directly but now?
“You can ask me anything you want,” Philip said as if he could read my mind. “I can tell you’re curious.”
“I’ve wanted to ask Sean about his wife for a while,” I said softly. “But he’s usually so closed off that I get too nervous and chicken out. Even the kids don’t talk about her much. Sarah’s mentioned her a couple of times, but that’s it.”
“What do you want to know about her?” Philip asked, turning to face me with an open expression. “Ask away.”
“I guess I’m just curious what she was like,” I said, shrugging.
“Telissa was lively,” Philip said, a faint smile passing over his face. “She was always smiling, and she would laugh at anything. I think that’s what first drew Sean in, you know? She had this laugh that you just couldn’t ignore.”
“That sounds nice.” I smiled and sank deeper into the couch.
“She was,” Philip said. “Telissa was a lot of things, most of them good, but she was also restless.”
“Restless?”
Philip nodded. “She wanted more out of life. Nothing was ever quite enough for her. When she and Sean met, it was intense. Crazy in a way that seemed perfect, you know? They got married, had Tommy, and everything was going great. Until, one day, it wasn’t anymore.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Nothing shocking,” he said. “I think she just got bored. She was tired of living the same life every day. Tommy wasn’t even two yet, and she was exhausted. She lost herself for a while. Her restlessness got the better of her, and she had an affair.”
“Oh my God,” I whispered.
Philip was staring off in the distance, not looking at me. He kept talking, almost as if he were speaking to himself.
“She never told him about it,” he said. “Not for a long time. Even now, I don’t know how long the affair lasted. It could have been a couple nights or a couple years. I don’t even think Sean knows.”
“But he knows about the affair?” I asked.
Philip nodded. “She told him eventually,” he said. “After Sarah was born, Telissa got sick. She was diagnosed with cancer, and for three years, their lives revolved around treatments and hospital stays. Tommy and Sarah basically lived with me during that time. Telissa was weak and constantly sick, but she kept up her spirit, always trying to make people laugh. No matter how bad she felt, she would get on the floor and play with the kids. She refused to miss a single second with them.”
“She sounds strong,” I said reluctantly. I didn’t want to compliment the woman who cheated on Sean. “But I don’t know how he could forgive her for cheating.”
“I don’t know that he ever did,” Philip said. “When she finally told him, she was so sick that he couldn’t leave. Not without being a monster. Even when she admitted that Sarah wasn’t his daughter, he still stayed by her side. Right until the end.”
“Sarah isn’t
…” I trailed off.
Philip shook his head and sighed deeply. I blinked, unsure how to process what he said. In all my time with them, I never would have imagined Sarah wasn’t Sean’s biological daughter. He loved her so much. Everything he did proved that.
“I never realized,” I said, shaking my head.
“He doesn’t talk about it,” Philip said. “I doubt he’ll ever even tell Sarah. She’s his. To him, she’s his.”
I smiled and nodded, happy to hear Philip say that. When we sat down on the couch together, I never imagined he would tell me all this. My curiosity had been innocent, but it dredged up a darker past than even my imagination could have cooked up.
“Hey,” Sean said from the foot of the stairs. “Is he bugging you? Because I’ll kick him out. Just say the word.”
“Hilarious,” Philip said, rolling his eyes. “I’m heading up anyway. Have a good night.”
He squeezed my shoulder as he passed. I watched him disappear upstairs before I turned my attention to Sean. He was smiling at me, but when he saw my face, his expression changed. The smile slipped from his lips, and he took a couple steps forward.
“Coffee?” he asked, gesturing toward the kitchen table. I nodded and followed him over.
Sean poured us each a cup of coffee and slid one over to me as he sat down in his usual chair. We were closer than normal, but it still wasn’t close enough. After everything I found out tonight, I wanted to be right beside him, to hold him and be there for him.
“So,” he said. “What’s wrong? When I came downstairs, you seemed off.”
“I just—” I began, but I paused. There was so much to say. I didn’t know where to start.
A look of panic flashed across Sean’s face. “You’re not having second thoughts about last night, are you?” he asked.
“No!” I said quickly. “Not at all. Last night was as perfect as I thought it could be.”
He relaxed in his chair and let out a relieved breath.
“Then what is it?” he asked.