God, he's such a romantic.
“But I still need to take this slowly. For the girls’ sakes.”
“I can keep doing slow.”
“Can you?” I ask, doubtful.
He smiles. “I can try. For you, I’ll try.”
“Thank you. We need to be careful. Discreet. Especially around Grace.”
“Understood. If you think the girls aren’t ready to see you dating yet, I can be patient and give them as much time as you think they’ll need, but…” He trails off.
“What? But what?”
“No matter how hard we try to hide it, Grace is going to see right through us. She may not figure it out today or tomorrow, but eventually she will. She’s so fucking smart and perceptive. Our days are numbered, Jeopardy. I’d hate for Grace to feel like we lied and deceived her.”
I place my forehead against his chest and take a few breaths. His concern regarding Grace is spot on. We can try to act like we’re only friends, but I know that one of us will slip up in front of the girls. We’ll think we’re being covert, but Grace will pick up on the minute changes between us. A lingering touch, a heated glance, a murmured endearment. She’ll notice, and she won’t let it go.
Especially because those are things she rarely witnessed between her father and me.
“Let’s just get through the holidays first, and then we can tell them. I want to give them time to get acclimated to seeing us together. Ease them into the idea.” I pause, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. “Please make me one promise, Hayes.”
“Anything.”
“If we don’t work out, please promise me you’ll stay in the girls’ lives in some form or fashion. That you won’t desert them.” He cuts in, but I hold up my hand to stop him. “I know that’s asking a lot, but my greatest fear is that they'll lose another important man in their lives.”
“Baby, I know it’s scary to open yourself up and let me into your lives, but I promise you won’t regret taking a chance on me. As much as I love you, I love those girls just as much. I wouldn’t be in this if Ididn’t love all three of you. I can’t imagine a future that doesn’t have you by my side. Butifsomething were to happen between us… I’d still want to be in their lives, Yankee. I mean it.”
Hayes places a chaste kiss on my forehead before releasing me and nudging me toward the large, glass-enclosed shower. Hayes leans against the bathroom counter, eyeing me through hooded lids for a second before he slaps my ass and adds, “Go shower now, Yankee, or else I’ll have to postpone breakfast so I can fuck you again.”
“Hayes!” Scandalized, my cheeks flame from his words.
I turn my back to him. Switching on the shower, I step in as steam bellows around me, enveloping me in warmth. It’s amazing how Hayes’ fancy shower immediately spits out hot water.
“Only speaking the truth, baby.”
Shaking my head at his antics, I lean under the spray of water to wet my hair. I feel the heat from Hayes’ stare as he watches as water sluices down the valleys and plains of my naked body.
Checking his watch, he smirks that lopsided grin that always makes my heart flip-flop. “Actually, we probably have twenty minutes until the girls wake up.”
The next thing I know, he’s stripping off his T-shirt and sweatpants and stepping into the shower to join me. Drawing my back to his front, his hands skate across my body, one banding across my breasts and the other burying itself between my legs. His talented fingers play my body just as expertly as he plays the guitar, and I come apart faster than I thought possible.
Just as my breathing normalizes, Hayes has me pushed against the tile wall. He doesn’t so much thrust into me as he impales me on his cock, stretching and filling me in the most delicious way. As he moves, withdrawing and slamming back into me, I feel every inch of him. His face is next to mine, and in between his whispered sweetnothings and dirty mutterings, I hear his breath growing more ragged. The knowledge that I make Hayes lose control is such a powerful aphrodisiac.
But when he reaches down to strum my clit, all thoughts of how I make him feel fly out the window as my inner muscles grow taut, like a string being pulled tighter and tighter until it finally snaps. My hips piston in time with his, as his movements grow faster, harder, deeper. My pleasure blooms before it finally bursts forth as Hayes moans my name.
Right after I climax, Hayes slides out of me, shooting a thick rope of cum onto my back.
Sliding my wet hair from my neck, Hayes places gentle kisses and caresses from my jawbone down to my shoulder. We rushed our shower sex, but Hayes is taking his time with my aftercare. He grabs the body wash and squirts it onto his hands, rubbing them together to create suds, before he smooths and lathers my body. His hands roam freely, touching and caressing every crevice, as I lean against him.
Once my body is clean, he works shampoo through my hair, gently scratching and massaging my scalp before rinsing and combing the conditioner into my locks.
“Careful, Hayes. I could get used to this kind of spoiling.”
Nibbling my earlobe, Hayes replies, his rumbling voice setting off a shiver that rolls down my back, “Get used to it, Yankee.”
Turning off the water, he wraps a towel around me before securing his own. Kissing me on the cheek, he admonishes me to hurry, since the girls will be up soon.
