For the rest of the week, I didn’t see Tate at all. He was always out before I arrived, and I left before he came home. Beatrice was sleeping at the house and spending the day with us. I wasn’t sure why, but I certainly didn’t mind; having this extra time with her was a gift.
I found an excuse to stay later than six every evening, and not just because I hoped to get a glimpse of Tate. Beatrice seemed in way over her head watching Paisley, who was full of energy even after spending the whole day outdoors.
Besides, Beatrice was a hoot. She was like the grandma I never had, giving me advice for everything, be it food or dresses. She even taught me how to make apple pie.
Now it was Monday, and I was buying cherries for yet another pie.
On the drive to the house, I also checked in on my parents. They weren’t big on phone calls, but we had a WhatsApp group where we shared random pics, mostly of food. Snapping a photo of the cherries, I sent it to them along with a message.
Lexi: I’m learning to make cherry pie today.
Mom: Yum. Good for you. Send me the recipe, and I’ll try it too. I’m feeling great today.
Dad: I’ll help.
Mom: No you won’t. You’ll be in my way.
I chuckled at their banter without interfering. They had a healthy relationship.
When I arrived at the house, Beatrice and Paisley were in the kitchen.
“Tate already left?” I asked, looking around.
“Yes. About half an hour ago,” Beatrice said, relieving me of the bag of cherries. “How is your mom feeling, Lexi?” she asked as we prepped them.
“She’s recovering, slowly.” And despite Mom insisting that I didn’t have to help with the medical bills, I could hear the relief in both their voices whenever we spoke. That meant the world to me.
“That’s good to hear. By the way, I wanted to ask you—are you dating anyone?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Paisley perk up.
“Uhh… no, I’m not.”
I wasn’t lying, technically. Tate and I had just kissed. And flirted.
Beatrice eyed me speculatively. “Haven’t found the right one yet? It’s good to be picky. Two things in life you never have to chase: buses and men. There’s always another one waiting just around the corner.”
I burst out laughing. This was exactly the grandmotherly advice she liked to dish out.
She glanced at Paisley, who was perched on a chair at the island coloring in her book. “Don’t tell your father I said that.”
Paisley grinned. “I won’t, Gran. I promise. But you and Grandpa were together for a long time, right?”
“Only twenty-five. He was young when he passed.” She looked away, but not before I noticed the sorrow in her eyes. I wanted to hug her. I hadn’t known she’d lost her husband so early on. “But I had to kiss a lot of frogs until I found him. Was like that in my time, and I can’t imagine it’s gotten easier. Also something you shouldn’t mention to your father.”
Paisley’s grin widened.
Midway through the baking process, my phone beeped with a message. Washing my hands off, I took the phone out of my back pocket.
Tate: Morning, beautiful. This week is getting out of hand too.
Lexi: ☹
Last week we’d barely texted, even on the weekend.
Tate: I want to see you. Can you stay until later this evening?
My heart rate sped up.
Lexi: Yes.
Tate: Great. I’ll tell Gran she can go home in the evening.
Lexi: Oh, so whatever you have in mind requires us to be alone?
Tate: Yes. Fuck, yes.
***
That evening I experienced Paisley’s bedtime routine for the first time. I’d never been here for it. When I spent the night at the house after the thunderstorm, she’d fallen asleep right away. She liked to wash her hair and wear her fluffy teddy bear coat, and she needed some persuasion to change into pajamas afterward. She also wanted to have someone read her a story.
“Does your dad do this with you?” I asked.
“Oh yes, every evening,” she said, comfortably snuggling against me as I started reading her the story.
I was only three pages in when the rhythm of her breathing changed. It was more even now. I glanced down at her, and her eyes were closed, but I still continued. I loved the feeling of her small body next to mine, nuzzling against me like she’d found all the warmth and security she needed. I loved this little squirrel and was already missing her, even though we still had the rest of the summer ahead of us.
I’d always hoped to be a mom by this age. I wanted to have someone to read stories to every night and watch fall asleep, console when they scraped their knees, and hug when they were afraid. She’s not my girl, I told myself, but sometimes, like now, it was easy to forget that she wasn’t really mine even though I knew her favorite color and her favorite toys, and she’d confided in me that she was still a bit afraid of the dark. I needed to remember that I wasn’t part of her life in any meaningful way.
I read for ten more minutes but then stopped because I was afraid my voice would wake her up. I slid out of bed carefully, tiptoeing out of the room, and then stood in the doorway for a few minutes watching her sleeping peacefully before closing the door. I nearly checked my phone, but Tate didn’t say anything about already being on his way, so I assumed his dinner with the clients was going to take longer.
He said I could make myself at home and even go to the wine cellar, but it felt wrong to be there without him, like I was snooping. So instead, I went to the kitchen. I didn’t want to have wine while I was technically still working, so I poured myself a glass of orange juice.
I was a bit restless, and I knew what I needed. I was about to start the music, and then I remembered Paisley was sleeping. I didn’t want to risk waking her up, so I put in my earbuds and turned the volume loud, and then I danced.
Oh yeah.
I loved dancing. It was such a playful way to get rid of excess energy. I even did dance workouts sometimes. I shook my booty and my hips, lowering myself to the ground, then pushed myself back up to the kitchen counter, all the while focusing on keeping my mouth shut. Yep, I was one of those who felt the need to sing along every time.
But I danced and danced, twirling my hips, doing a pirouette, and then a second one until I slammed against something. Against someone.
Oh shit.
Blinking my eyes open, I realized that someone was Tate.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” I exclaimed, scrambling to take out my earbuds and dropping them on the counter. Only then did I realize Tate had an arm around my waist. His pupils had dilated a bit.
I was flush against him, and I didn’t want to pull away even one inch. In fact, all I wanted was to get even closer.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” I whispered.
“Clearly. I called your name a couple times.” A smile was playing on his lips.
I felt every word reverberate in his chest and against my breasts. I smelled his cologne, and all I wanted to do was lean in some more to kiss that spot where his neck met his shoulder.
“You do love your dancing, huh?”
“Yeah, but I was wearing my earbuds because I didn’t want to wake up Paisley.”
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he exclaimed. With a start, I realized my pelvis was pressing against his erection. “You drive me crazy, Lexi.”
I swallowed hard, looking up at him. “You do the same to me.”
He feathered his mouth over mine, leaned in, and fully kissed me. My body was covered in goose bumps by the time he pulled away.
“Tell me to stop,” he said.
“Don’t stop,” I whispered.
“Lexi, tell me to take a step back.”
I shook my head again. “I don’t want you to.”
He groaned, sealing his mouth over mine in a fierce kiss that obliterated every thought. My mind was blissfully blank. I couldn’t think at all. I could only feel his mouth on me, his lips on my own, his tongue coaxing mine.
He moved his hands from the small of my back to my waist. One slid toward my ass, cupping it and pushing my hips even closer into him. I groaned when his erection nudged me. Little tremors shook my body as the aftershock of pleasure reverberated through me. He groaned, deepening the kiss. I was desperate for him, for all the things he could make me feel.
I opened the top button of his shirt, needing to feel skin-on-skin contact, trailing my fingers down to the next button. He covered my hand with his, and I stilled. Heat rushed through me when he pulled back and looked directly at me.
“Are you sure, Lexi?”
I nodded, too desperate for words. I leaned back in to kiss him.
My lips barely brushed his when he took control over the kiss again. This kiss was surreal. It was like learning to breathe again, learning to live, as if I’d been in a sleepy haze until now and this was the first time I truly felt alive. Desire pulsed through my veins—a desperate need for him.
Before I knew what happened, I felt my toes leave the floor. He was lifting me by my bottom. I immediately nestled my feet and ankles under his rear, pressing my inner thighs against his torso. He kept kissing me and kissing me, and I lost all sense of time and space, except that we were going up and up.
I tore my mouth from his, looking around us before grinning down at him. “Someone’s super strong, carrying me up the stairs like this,” I whispered, stroking his arms. “It’s sexy.”
“You’re sexy,” he whispered back. His eyes were hazy with lust, just as I imagined mine were.
I realized we’d headed to the same bedroom where I’d slept last time. I lifted a brow. “Why are we here?”
“Because it’s farther away from Paisley’s room. You don’t have to be quiet.”
I licked my lips at the promise in his voice. “I’ll try anyway.”
“You won’t be able to, Lexi. I’ll give you so much pleasure that you’ll lose track of everything—where we are, who you are.”
I pulled him closer to me, undoing the second button of his shirt and then the third one. When he groaned, I looked up in desperation.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I only have condoms downstairs.”
Jutting out my lower lip, I let my hands drop. “Go,” I said. “I’ll wait for you here.”
With a wolfish grin, he said, “I’ll be quick.”
As soon as he left, I turned to look at the bed, taking off the covers. After a brief minute, I decided to take off my clothes too. He wouldn’t expect it, and I grinned, imagining the expression on his face when he saw me butt naked.
I lay down on the bed in what I hoped was a seductive pose. I was lying on one side, with one leg straight and the other bent. My breath hitched when I heard him come up, and I realized this was it. After tonight, there was no going back. And even though I had no idea where we were heading, I knew I wanted this. I wanted him.
“Lexi, fuck,” he whispered when he came into the room and saw me naked and on display. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
“And you’re still wearing clothes,” I said in a taunting voice.
He came up next to the bed, pulling me up until I was on my knees. He lowered himself with one knee on the mattress, tilting my head up because he was still towering over me, and sealed his mouth over mine, dominant and demanding, leading the kiss just as I knew he would lead everything tonight.
“Know one thing, Lexi,” Tate said in an authoritative tone. “After tonight, you’re mine.”
