by Julia Black
My body relaxed some more. “I completely agree.”
A small smile spread over her lips. “I wonder how a third time would be.”
I smiled back at her. “Give me a few minutes to recover and we can find out.”
She moved her hips, provoking me. “Can’t wait.”
CHAPTER NINE
Kiera
I heard a ringing noise far away. Then another ringing noise right beside me.
What the hell?
Groping my nightstand, I reached for my phone.
“What?” I answered, without looking at the caller ID first.
“Aren’t you home?” Charlotte asked.
“I am,” I mumbled, eyes still closed.
“Then open the door for us,” she said, her tone irritated.
I opened one eye and spied the time on my phone. Damn, it was 10:05. We had agreed to have brunch together at 10:30.
Groaning, I rolled out of my bed. “I’m going.”
I hung up and dragged my feet to the door. I opened it, making sure I stayed hidden behind it in case any other neighbor walked by. I didn’t need anyone else seeing me in my pajamas and with my hair looking like a snake nest.
Giving me a once over, Charlotte stepped in. “What happened to you?”
Ella closed the door for us. “Are you sick?”
I let out a hollow chuckle. “If you mean fucking my hot blond neighbor all night long means I’m sick, then yeah.”
Ella gasped and Charlotte smiled. “You screwed him again? Atta girl!” She punched my shoulder as if high-fiving me.
“Is he here?” Ella asked in a low voice, glancing to my bedroom door.
I shook my head. “We were in his apartment. I came back here in the middle of the night.”
“Hm, why?” Charlotte asked.
I groaned. “Can I take a shower and get ready so we can leave for our brunch? You can play twenty questions when we get there.”
“You’re no fun,” Charlotte teased me. “I think my curiosity can wait.”
I flipped her over, then dragged my feet back to my bedroom.
I took a quick shower, washed my hair, brushed my teeth, and put on simple skinny jeans, a dark green blouse, and flats—all the while trying, and failing, not to think about Josh.
Holy crap, Josh and I had had sex three times last night. The first time started against the wall and ended on his bed. The second was when he was recovering and invited me to take a shower with him, after all he hadn’t washed from his run yet. Of course, we ended up fucking in the shower. Then, after a quick snack of crackers and nutella, we went back to his bed and had sex again. And it kept getting better. Each time we had sex beat the previous one. How? How could sex keep getting better? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. The only explanation I could think of was that Josh was some kind of sex god. That had to be it.
I sighed. Lucky for the woman he chose to be his future girlfriend and wife.
Pushing those ridiculous thoughts out of my mind, I went back to the living room, where Charlotte and Ella waited for me.
“I’m ready,” I announced.
“Finally,” Charlotte said, turning to the door. “I’m starving.”
“You’re a model,” Ella said, opening the door. “You’re always starving.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “True.” Before her gigs, Charlotte dieted like crazy for days. However, when her anxiety hit her hard, she couldn’t help herself and dove into food and gained it all back in thirty minutes. It was a struggle for her. What never made sense to me was the fact that she was super slim, and yet, for certain jobs, she had to be even more. I would never understand the life of a model. Charlotte was at the door, then she whirled back inside the apartment. “Maybe we should stay in and eat a salad.”
Ella scrunched her nose. “A salad? Who eats a salad for brunch?”
“People like me,” Charlotte said.
“Charlotte, stop worrying,” I told her, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the open door. “Enjoy your food, just try not ordering the entire menu. Then tomorrow you work hard on your pilates class.”
“If it was that easy …” She continued mumbling, but let me pull her out the apartment.
I let go of her and turned to lock the door.
“Hey.”
His voice fell over me like mix of chill and warmth. I froze, my hand on the knob.
I heard the girls’ sharp breath intake as I turned to Josh. He walked to me, and I couldn’t help but stare at him, but admire his beauty in black slacks and a blue shirt. His hair was a little damp, probably from a shower, and he had a deep frown in between his brows.
“We … we’ll wait for you downstairs,” Ella said.
Whispering, the girls walked away, their footsteps echoing in the hallway.
“Hey,” I said, feeling too self-conscious.
“Are … are you okay?” he asked, still frowning. “Are we okay?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
“Why did you leave last night?” There was a sharp bite to his tone I didn’t particularly like.
“Because I wanted to be home in case Mercedes needed me,” I explained. And it wasn’t a lie. Just wasn’t the entire truth either. “It happened before. Luana had a bad dream, and Mercedes couldn’t calm her down, so she brought Luana over in the middle of the night.”
He nodded, his brow smoothing. “I thought you—”
“Josh, I have to go,” I interrupted him. Whatever he was planning on saying—if he was going to dismiss me or ask for a repeat—I wasn’t ready to hear it. “The girls and I have reservation at a restaurant for brunch, and we’re late.”
He stepped back, like flinching. “Sure. Go ahead. Enjoy your brunch.”
I quickly locked the door to my apartment. “Thanks.” I smiled at him, as if it was all normal, as if we hadn’t had amazing sex the previous night, and I had left his bed in the middle of the night. “Bye.”
I turned and fled toward the stairs.
“See you around.”
His words, low and dull, reached me, but I didn’t acknowledge them. Instead, I just climbed down the stairs faster.
***
Kiera
Oh my God, I was late. I was so freaking late.
I ran to my car as if the store was on fire and drove like a mad woman to the apartment building. It had to happen today, didn’t it? One of our regular customers had asked for my help while choosing and trying on clothes, but she was old and so slow and loved to talk about her life. She was very sweet, but today, she had arrived just twenty minutes prior to the end of my shift, and when I told her I would ask someone else to help her because I had something else to do—pick up my daughter at Mercedes’ house, for example—she was adamant that it had to be me. And, as my boss stamped in our brains several times a day, the customer was always right.
If it had been last week, or even any other day this week, it would have been fine, but today Mercedes had a doctor’s appointment, and she didn’t like to take Luana with her for those, so I had to be home before she left.
I had sent her a few texts saying I would be late, and was trying to work something else out, but she never answered.
My heart stopped when I drove in the parking lot and didn’t see her car.
Shit, shit, shit.
I slammed the door of my car and raced up to the third floor. I banged on the door of Mercedes’ apartment but she didn’t answer.
Shit, shit, shit.
I was late, Mercedes had to go, and she had taken my daughter with her. Several ridiculous things crossed my motherly and tired mind: Mercedes having to go for an exam and leaving Luana alone at the waiting room, Luana getting lost in the clinic, or worse, someone taking her from there. And she had gone in Mercedes’ car without a booster seat!
Fishing my cell phone from my purse, I turned around and leaned against the door. I called Mercedes’ number. After five rings and no answer, I turned it off.
“Shit.”
>
“Mommy, you’re saying a bad word again.”
I gasped, my heart seizing, and snapped my head in the direction of Luana’s voice. She was at Josh’s open door, with Josh right behind her.
She looked up at him. “I told you I had heard her out here.”
He smiled at her and ruffled her hair. “That you did.”
I rushed toward her and pulled her into a tight embrace. “You’re okay.”
She giggled. “Silly mommy. Of course I’m okay.” She kissed my cheek, then pushed against me. “Come on.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me inside Josh’s apartment.
I looked at him, and he still had a small smile on his lips. “What happened?”
He closed the door behind us. “I was getting home when Mercedes was leaving. She had Luana and looked very distraught, so I asked what was going. She explained you were late, but she had to leave, and it wouldn’t be good for her to take Luana, so … I offered to stay with her. I would have called you, but Mercedes had already left by the time I realized I didn’t have your number. I didn’t mean for you to worry, I was just trying to help.”
My brain didn’t have time to process his words as Luana tugged on my arm again.
“Mommy, look.” She let go of my hand and sat in front of a low glass table. Monopoly was spread over it. “Josh is teaching me how to play it. Want to play, too?”
I glanced at him, an eyebrow cocked.
He shrugged. “Sorry. I didn’t have any little kid friendly games, but I’m changing the rules so it’s easier for her.”
My heart squeezed and tears burned in the back of my eyes. I blinked fast, refusing to let them fall.
Josh sat down across the table from Luana. “Where were we? Oh yeah …” He took the dice in his hand and invented a ridiculous rule about buying an entire island with tea party tickets. Luana laughed out loud.
And my heart squeezed again. What the hell was happening here?
Josh was spending time with my daughter, and by the looks of it she was having fun. I stared at him, at his smile, and the changing intonation of his voice every time he came up with another absurd rule, and the shine in his eyes every time Luana laughed from his silliness. Oh my God, he was having a good time too.
No, no, no.
This was against my first rule, the most important of them all.
I inhaled deeply. “Luana, we should go. I’m sure Josh has lots to do.”
She pouted at me. “But we’re having fun.”
“I know, baby, but we can play something else at home, okay? You have to finish your homework and—”
“I’ve already finished it,” she said. “Josh helped me.”
I gaped at him. Would I ever stop looking at him in complete shock? I shook my head, trying to focus on rule number one. “That’s great, baby.” I made a point of looking at Josh and saying “Thank you.” He nodded, his smile gone, and I returned my gaze to my daughter. “But we have to go.”
“Actually …” Josh stood, his intense eyes on me. “I don’t have anything going on. Why don’t you guys stay? You two can play our fun monopoly while I cook something for us?”
I tried to show him how this was a bad idea with my panicked stare. “No,” I mouthed. One corner of his lips curled up.
“Yes!” Luana cried. “I liked that. Mommy, sit down. I’ll teach you how to play moponoly.”
Josh smiled at the way she said the name of the game, making my heart hurt a little more. He took two long steps and halted beside me. “Relax,” he whispered taking my hand in his. “I won’t bite. Unless you ask me to.”
“Josh!” I hissed.
He squeezed my hand. “Just … relax, Kiera.”
I pulled my hand from his. “You don’t even know how to cook,” I said in my normal tone.
“I can’t cook the kind of meals you make.” He winked at me. “But I’ll amaze you with my super breakfast for dinner.”
Luana looked up with huge eyes. “I love breakfast for dinner.”
“Look at her.” He waved his hand to Luana. “See her enthusiasm? Try to be more like her.”
Then he kissed my cheek. Just like that. In front of my child.
He smiled at me again before going to the kitchen.
Luana tugged at my pants. “Come on, mommy. Sit down so I can teach you our game.”
I sat down beside my little girl, and while I tried to pay attention to her silly instructions, I couldn’t help but steal glances at the man making us dinner.
He looked so relaxed and content while manning the kitchen. He had seemed so happy while playing with my child.
Shit, what was happening here?
I should have left. Even when Josh and Luana ganged up against me, I should have stood up, taken Luana in my arms, and left. This wasn’t right. I shouldn’t, I couldn’t, let Josh in my life, in Luana’s life.
Why then, did I feel like I was in a daze, like a fly caught in a spider’s web, and I had no strength to fight back?
CHAPTER TEN
Kiera
It didn’t matter how much I fought against it, Josh spent more and more time with us. In the last ten days, he had come over at least eight nights. He would come over and play with Luana while I cooked us a nice meal. He organized the kitchen while I put Luana to bed. Then he would help me with my lessons and projects and homework, and, when that was done, we jumped into my bed and enjoyed each other.
I had to confess, he was addicting. Everything about him was addicting. The way he laughed when playing with Luana, the shine in his eyes when he snuck a glance at me, the stolen hand touches and cheek kisses when Luana had her back to us, the way he leaned close and nipped at my shoulder while I should be focusing on my homework, and there was the sex. That was … my cheeks heated and my stomach clenched each time I remembered what we did in bed almost every night.
If someone had told me sex could be that good, that amazing, I would have laughed in their face. I had had sex a few times before, of course, and it had been good, but definitely not earth-shattering, I-want-to-scream-out-loud-fuck-the-neighbors good like it was with Josh.
Tonight though, I didn’t have any homework, and Luana was restless in bed.
“Does it happen often?” Josh asked. We were snuggling on my couch, him with a beer and me with a glass of wine. I had my legs up on his lap and he ran his fingertips from my toes to my knees, from my knees to my toes, making me shiver every few seconds.
I had put Luana to bed fifteen minutes earlier, and she had already called for me twice.
“Not that often.” I glanced at her closed door. “She had a nightmare last night. It was almost morning. Now she’s scared the monster is hidden in her bedroom, waiting for her to fall asleep.”
He frowned. “Shouldn’t you be in there with her?”
“Didn’t you notice I was there with her longer tonight? I’m not dissing her fears, I would never do that, but she has to go through this by herself.” The two times she called me, I had gone to her bedroom, showed her there weren’t any monsters hiding under the bed, inside her closet, or any other place, told her I would never let anyone hurt her, kissed her, stayed with her for another two minutes, then left. “If she calls me again I’ll sit beside her bed and stay with her for a little longer.”
He reached over and trailed his fingers over my cheek, down my neck. “You’re a good mother.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure I’m not that good. I learned everything about babies and kids alone. Well, Mercedes helped some, of course, but she wasn’t with me all the time.”
His hand stilled. “It must have been hard.”
It had been. There were days when I knew I was going to fail. That social services would come and take her from me because I wasn’t an adequate mother, or that my parents would find a way of taking her from me, and putting her up for adoption.
Which reminded of another fear of mine. “I got a call from her father this morning,” I said in a low voice.
He dropped his h
and and his body tensed under my legs. “What? Why?”
I shrugged. “He wants her to go spend a weekend with him.”
“Wait … back up a little. He just showed up out of nowhere and wants to spend time with her?”
I shook my head. “He wasn’t there for her for the first two years of her life. When she turned three, he started calling, wanting to know how she was. He said he had found love and was getting married, and would someday have kids with his future wife, and then he realized he already had a kid and she needed her father.”
“What did you do?”
“At first, I ignored him. But he was too insistent. ‘I’m her father, you know’ he would say to me. So I agreed to take her to see him every now and then. For the last eighteen months, I’ve been taking her to spend an afternoon with him. Usually to the movies or to get an ice cream.”
He gaped at me. “Was that hard for you? Letting her go when she barely knew him?”
“At the beginning, yes, very hard. I didn’t trust him. But I could see he was trying, you know? So, the last four times, I did. I left her alone for three hours with him. I instructed her on what to do if anything happened, poor kid, I’m sure I scared her a little.” I chuckled, a not very amusing sound. “But it was all right. She said he was a little awkward, and his jokes weren’t that funny, but she always liked the movies and popcorn and ice cream. And the last time, he took her to the build-a-bear store and got another bunny for her.”
Josh ran a hand over his hair. “And now he wants her to spend the entire weekend with him?”
I nodded. “He got married two months ago, so he hasn’t seen her since. He wants to make up the lost time.”
“How are you about that?”
“I don’t want her gone for that long,” I confessed. Tears burned my eyes at the thought of my little girl spending the weekend at someone else’s house. Even if he was her father. He was a stranger to me and to her. No, I didn’t trust him that much, at least not yet.
“Then say no,” he said, his tone sharp, rough. “He has no right to ask that of you. He lost all his power over her the day he dismissed you and left you two alone.” His eyes were hard and my heart warmed seeing how fierce he was about defending my daughter and me against her father.