“Hey, listen to me. I don’t mind. You can throw them all like that, and I’ll just chase ‘em down. I could probably use the exercise.” Dominic laughed. It wasn’t a completely joyful sound, but it was better than that the misery he was showing before. I handed him the ball. “Here. Try again.”
I went back to my position, and Dominic threw again. This time it came right to me.
“Good job.”
Dominic smiled. We threw the ball back and forth a few more times, getting into a rhythm.
“You know, I’ve never done this before,” I told him.
“Never?” he asked, amazed.
“Nope.”
“My dad made me do it,” he said, frowning. “He always wanted me to be an athlete.”
I thought about his words for a moment. The next time he threw the ball, I caught and held it.
“So, do you not enjoy this?”
“I’m having fun with you,” he said quickly.
“I’m having fun with you, too.” I walked closer to him, until only a few feet separated us. “But we can have fun doing something else.”
“Dad always said that when I went to the park, I had to practice playing ball. That’s why I brought these,” he gestured to the gloves.
“Well, we’ve practiced. What else would you like to do?”
“I like to look for bugs.”
He looked thoroughly embarrassed as he admitted it to me, which made me believe that his father probably ridiculed that interest.
“Bugs, huh? You like to study them and all that?”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “I checked out a book from the library once all about them. My mom helped me make paper butterflies and moths to hang in my room based on the pictures in the book, but dad didn’t like them.”
I wanted to change the subject from his dad, despite the anger I felt every time Dominic mentioned the man.
“Well, bug hunting sounds like fun to me. Want to get your mom in on it?”
“Yeah!”
Dominic ran off to Erica as fast as his little legs would carry him. His excitement was obvious, and I didn’t understand how his dad could have stifled such a thing.
There were trees surrounding the outskirts of the park, and the three of us headed that way. We spent the next hour hunting for bugs to observe, finding ladybugs, a praying mantis, and two butterflies. Dominic loved it. I couldn’t help thinking that we were like a family, and it felt good.
It reminded me of the days that they’d stayed at my apartment. It was great, and I missed it. By the time we left the park a dusk, I was thinking it might be a good idea to ask Erica to move in with me when the time was right.
Dominic was exhausted by the time we returned to the duplex. Erica said it was a little early for his bedtime, but he seemed happy to go to bed. Erica was only in his room for ten minutes, and by the time she came out, he was already asleep.
“Thanks for that today,” she said, taking a seat beside me on her couch. “The whole insect thing used to be a big interest of his, but he hasn’t talked about it in a while. I thought he had just moved on to something else, the way kids do, but I guess it was Jeff’s influence. I should have known.”
“I’m glad that he had a good time. But I’m not going to lie. I’m even happier that I get you to myself for a bit.”
I trailed my fingers along her bare arm, smirking as I watched her shiver. Her eyes met mine, and her green orbs were liquid pools of desire. I let my lust take over, propelling me forward to take her mouth in a hard kiss. The couch creaked under my weight as I shifted my position, pulling my shirt over my head. Erica’s small hands ran over my bare skin, tracing my muscles, going lower and lower until she dipped her fingers into the waistband of my jeans.
I broke our kiss to trail my lips along her jawline and down her neck. She tasted so sweet, and I needed more.
Our limbs became a flurry of movement as we stripped each other, pulling and touching until we were both naked. The only light in the room came from a lamp, and her pale skin was beautifully illuminated in the faint glow. I was sitting on the edge of the couch while she stood before me. My mouth went to her chest, desperate to lick and suck. Erica threw her head back, gasping, but keeping quiet. We were both aware that there was a child sleeping upstairs, and this would have to be a silent fuck. For me, that knowledge made it hotter, knowing that she was going to have to suppress moans of deep pleasure caused my cock to throb.
