Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 533(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
My daughter already adores her, which makes me like her more than I did Saturday night, which was a hell of a lot.
I smile, releasing her face and sitting on my stool.
She rubs her lips together. “You’re killing me, Ozzy.”
“How so?” I start eating my food again.
“You’re a slow burn.”
“In your line of work, isn’t a slow burn a good thing?”
“Yes, but I don’t fuel the fire. You . . .” She stirs her water with the straw.
“I what?”
“Nothing.” Her cheeks redden.
“That look isn’t nothing.”
Maren’s gaze focuses in the direction of the restroom. “You made sure no one was hiding in the restroom.”
“I did.”
She slowly nods, shifting her attention to me. “You’re fueling my fire,” she whispers. “Every text. Every word. Every glance. Every touch.”
“Should I do something to extinguish you?” I smirk.
Again, she watches for Lola. “You should burn with me.”
Fuck me . . .
My mind reels, plotting, planning, desperately searching for a solution. I have to take Lola home and wait for her to go to bed. Then I can ride my bike to Maren’s. That’s another twenty-five minutes. Will her roommates be there?
Then it hits me. This is what she’s talking about. Right now, this desperate need to touch, kiss, and feel every inch of her is burning with her.
Misery loves company.
“Do you have hand sanitizer, Dad? The bathroom was out of soap,” Lola announces, returning to the table.
I shake my head. “Sorry, it’s in my backpack, but I didn’t bring it.”
“I’ve got you.” Maren digs a small bottle from her purse and sprays it in Lola’s cupped hands.
I was all talk at work with Ira because I don’t like borrowing trouble. But she wasn’t wrong. Maren has a high-risk job. Is it fair to bring someone into Lola’s life who could be ripped away from her like Brynn was? Could my heart handle falling for another woman only to lose her?
“Are you a mechanic like my dad?”
“No. I’m a pilot—a firefighter. I help control wildfires by dumping a special retardant onto them from a plane. Your dad keeps my plane in tip-top shape.” Maren winks at me.
I so badly want to kiss her again.
“That’s a cool job.”
Maren nods. “It is.”
“Is it scary?”
“I’d say it’s more exciting than scary. I get to feel like a bird in the sky.”
“Have you ever crashed?” Lola asks.
Jesus.
“I have not.” Maren doesn’t miss a beat.
Lola picks at her food, her face tense, like she’s formulating her next question.
“Why don’t you finish up, Lola? We need to get you home. Tomorrow is a school day.”
“I am. I am. I am. Besides, it’s almost summer break.”
Maren snickers, wiping her mouth, and I rest my hand on her leg, knowing that Lola can’t see it. She slides her hand over mine, interlacing our fingers and moving my hand a few inches higher and toward her inner thigh.
I clear my throat, adjusting in my seat because I’m getting an erection. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this sort of intimate contact with a woman.
My old friend has impeccable timing—three feet from my daughter, minutes before I have to climb onto a bicycle and ride home.
“I’m full,” Lola says, prompting Maren to release my hand.
I gulp down the rest of my water and think about Tia’s permanent scowl, roadkill, and the stench of vomit, just a few things that make my dick go limp.
“Thanks for dinner,” Lola says, hopping off her stool.
I stand, eyeing her until she smirks. My ten-year-old thanked Maren for dinner without a fatherly “What do you say?” prompt.
It’s a modern-day miracle. Is my little girl all grown up? Did Amos’s late-night porn and Dakota’s nosy opinions catapult her into adulthood? God, I hope not.
It has to be Maren; she must bring out the best version of Lola.
“What do you say, Dad?”
Damn! Now she’s making me look bad.
I chuckle. “Sorry, your sudden mastery of manners has left me speechless. Thank you, Maren. I’m so glad we happened to be eating at the same place tonight.”
Maren threads one arm into her thin pink hoodie, and I hold it so she can easily thread the other arm. That’s when I notice Lola eyeing my every move with a huge grin.
“Thank you,” Maren murmurs, eyes flitting between Lola and me like she’s a little nervous.
Lola leads the way to the door, and I nod for Maren to follow her so I can discreetly rest my hand on her lower back.
So her breath hitches.
So my pulse quickens.
So my fucking erection tries to return.
I remove my hand when we reach the door, just as Lola skips toward our bikes by the lamppost.
As soon as we’re outside, I step in front of Maren, keeping Lola at my back. “My head is messed up,” I say, hushed. “I’m ten feet from my daughter, yet I’m having very detailed thoughts about you.”