Saying nothing, he nodded in agreement. His shoulders relaxed as they sat in companionable silence and sipped their wine. Lily looked as though she spent every day on that couchlistening to music and playing on her phone. The thought of seeing her on the couch daily brought a smile to her face. Sure, it might be a little early to start thinking like that, but she liked her.
“What are you smiling about?” Christian asked.
“I’m just glad we’re doing this.”
He placed his hand on her thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. Of course, her thoughts flashed to their night together on the phone, but she blinked the images away. His daughter was right there. With her hand covering his hand on her thigh, she continued to sip her wine while enjoying being near him.
CHRISTIAN
Chris held the door open and watched as Mallory padded into the hallway. He needed to talk to her in private, and the bedroom didn’t feel right with Lily sitting there. They really would be talking, but Chris was well aware of how the teenage mind worked. Hell, he knew how his mind worked, and teenagers were even worse.
“What is it?” Mallory asked once the door was shut.
Christian sighed as he tried to figure out how to explain what made him leave Florida. “I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with Lily, but whatever it is, Vivian doesn’t want me to know. I thought she was as clueless as I am, but as soon as Lily started to open up to me, Vivian barged in and interrupted, clearly not wanting Lily to tell me.”
Mallory covered her gasp with her hand. “Do you think it has to do with her mom?”
Christian bristled at the thought. “I’m not sure. But if it does, I’m going to jail.”
Her warm touch on his forearm took some of the edge off. “You don’t mean that. Why don’t you figure out what’s going on before you let your mind go there …”
Chris ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He was trying to keep calm. He was trying to be patient, but once he found out who was hurting his baby girl, he couldn’t promise to keep such a cool head about things.
“It’s so hard doing this alone,” he admitted. “Even though Vivian and I weren’t anywhere close to friends, we didn’t do terrible with the coparenting thing. But now? I just don’t understand. I know she’ll talk when she’s ready. But still.”
“You have me,” she reminded him. “And I’m here however you need me.”
“I could use a distraction about now.”
Mallory stepped closer and rubbed her hands across his chest, effectively distracting him. The heat from her hands traveled beyond where she touched and he wished he could lose himself in her, but they only had a few minutes. He pulled her into what was meant to be a quick kiss, but as soon as their lips met, he needed more.
She sighed and melted into him, her sounds reminding him of that night over Facetime. Holding her tighter, he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth with his tongue. God, he wanted her. When she moaned into his mouth, he forgot about control and shoved her against the wall, pinning her with his hips as he ran his hands over her body.
“Lily is right on the other side of the door,” she breathed.
“Then you’d better be quiet. Not being able to touch you isn’t going to work for me.”
He returned his mouth to hers, swallowing her cries. He felt the moment her last bit of control snapped. Wrapping her arms around him, she pulled him closer and threaded her hands into his hair, tugging as she pressed her body into his. It took everything for him to remember that they were in the hallway outside of her apartment and her neighbor was downstairs andhis daughter on the other side of the door. But another minute or two wouldn’t hurt.
He gripped her waist with both hands before sliding one hand up her body, over her breast, and stopping at her neck. With a gentle squeeze, he held her back so he could look at her. Her bright eyes shined with emotion as she looked back at him. She was breathing heavy, and her lips were swollen from their stolen moment. The feel of her delicate neck in his hand and the way she responded when he squeezed nearly caused his desperation for her to override all common sense.
“Fuck,” he breathed, leaning his forehead against hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever needed anything as much as I need to be inside you.”
Mallory’s breath hitched. “You can’t say things like that. Not when we have to walk back through that door without any of that happening.”
She was right. He adjusted himself as he realized Mallory wasn’t the only one being tortured. “Sorry. I guess we should get back.”
Even without getting everything he needed from Mallory, feeling her touch against his anxious body made him feel a hundred times better. Mallory had her hand on the doorknob, and he had to stop her from opening the door. She looked at him in confusion, but started laughing to herself when he straightened out her clothes and used his fingers to comb out her hair. After fixing his own clothes, he nodded for her to go ahead and open the door.
Chapter 20
CHRISTIAN
“So, welcome back?” Michael half said and half asked from his seat at the table across from Chris.
It was a painfully slow night, so Chris and James met up with Michael and his partner. In need of food, they skipped their usual coffee routine and settled on a diner. Chris ate his fries while his cheeseburger sat untouched. The slow night was not keeping his mind occupied the way he’d hoped.
“Thanks, I guess. I’m glad I’m back, but I’d feel better if Lily was with my mom,” he admitted.
