“You didn’t.”
I cackled louder than I’d meant to and balled up my fist, biting into my finger to stop myself from laughing even harder. His face alone was worth the price. I didn’t have serious plans for him to wear them; I’d only wanted his reaction.
“What…. Oh my….Cam.” He shoved me, and I doubled over, my stomach hurting from the laughter. “I’m not wearing these.”
When I finally calmed down and straightened, his face nearly sent me into another fit. His cheeks were red, eyes so wide that he really did remind me of a scared rabbit, but there was also a touch of something else there—desire, maybe. I held up my hands to him. “It’s a joke.”
“I hate you,” he mumbled, turning his back on me and storming toward the kitchen.
I followed him, my stomach still hurting. “Do you like it?”
He threw me a mock glare over his shoulder. “Did you hear me? I hate you.”
I grabbed him around the middle and hauled him back against me. His warmth and the smell of fresh oregano and something else on him had me sighing. I’d grown so used to having him here when I got home, and I couldn’t imagine coming back to an empty house anymore.
“I’m sorry. I was teasing.”
“Yeah, I know.” He slapped my hand anyway, then raised it to his lips. He sucked on my finger, and I froze, my cock jumping in joy at such an erotic sight and touch.Fuck. How long before the girls were in bed? Not soon enough. He smirked at me because he knew exactly what he was doing. He’d grown balls over the last few weeks, taunting me when he could. “Go eat dinner, and if you’re good, you can eat something else later.”
My stomach grumbled at the same time my cock twitched.
Mark Fenson had me by the nuts, figuratively right now, and was not letting go. I fucking loved it.
14
Mark
Olivia stood in the kitchen—whatI was almost beginning to think of asmykitchen—with her back leaned against the counter as I put the finishing touches on a dish I never would have made under ordinary circumstances. It should have been odd to have Cam’s pretty ex-wife here in my space in a strappy yellow summer dress, but it wasn’t. She brushed her blonde hair back and smiled at me when I glanced over my shoulder at her. Hash brown casserole was nothing but a huge pile of potatoey carbs, and as much as I loved it, without someone like Cam, who could come along and—bam!—eat everything except what would still be a sizeable portion for me, it wouldn’t be reasonable to consider making it. It had taken me forever to find a dairy-free recipe that didn’t taste like an old shoe. I smiled to myself as I popped the dish into the oven, alongside the chicken I’d been slowly roasting most of the day.
“Uuuugh, I should just stay here and eat with you guys. It smells so good,” Olivia said as the girls thumped around upstairs, doing who knew what under the guise of collecting whatever they wanted at Olivia’s house tonight.
Biting my lip, I glanced at her to gauge if she was serious, and she cackled, even going so far as to turn around for a second to cough on one of her giggles before she spun back around to twinkle in my direction. “Oh, you must haveplansfor later.”
“Saturday night is date night,” I said, flushing hot. Okay, so it was a tad odd that she used to be married to Cam. I’d thought about the fact she was intimately familiar with every piece of his body—especially the part I liked inside me—but watching her laugh and carry on, I couldn’t really bring myself to be jealous. She reminded me too much of Addy and Eloise, and they’d already managed to chip away a piece of my heart and take its place.
“I’d love to ask what you’re up to, but that’s probably crossing a line.” She bit a corner of her mouth and begged with her eyes for me to go there anyway.
My heart stopped at the idea of sharing with anyone what Cam and I would be doing later. Her status as Cam’s ex had nothing to do with my hesitation. No, this was my personal hang-up. “Let’s just say it won’t be rated PG.”
She snorted delicately and glanced out the window at the sunset washing the world outside in beautiful colors. The grass and fence resembled an old-timey postcard. “Cam’s still at work, huh?”
“Yeah. Summer schedule. It’s horrid.”
She nodded, and there was some laughing and shrieking upstairs and the thumping increased, due to what I suspected was two little girls bouncing on beds even though they knew they weren’t supposed to do that. Neither Liv nor I raced up there to stop them. She picked up a glass of lemonade the girls had helped me make earlier and sipped at it, and I reached for my own on the counter, turning to mimic her stance.
“I’m glad you’re here, Mark,” she said, shooting me a long glance. “This has been nice for the girls and a break for me. Cam is a great father, truly, but the summers are… ugh. And it’s his job. He doesn’t really have a choice. But in the past I was mostly required to be fully front and center for parent duty almost every day.” She gave me a smile, then drained her drink. When she was finished, she fiddled with the glass in her hands. “I don’t want to meddle… but you and Cam seem solid.”
“It’s probably too soon to say. Cam and I haven’t talked about anything long-term.” My cheeks burned because I agreed with her assessment and wanted it to continue.
“Eh… he’s that way. He doesn’t screw around when he wants something.” Her smile dimmed. “I don’t want to dump on you or anything, but I’m glad to see the way he’s acting around you. He’s… enthusiastic? I’ve never really seen him quite this happy.” There was a tinge of what I thought might be regret in her voice.
My face heated and I sipped my lemonade. We were saved from the conversation turning awkward by a thud from upstairs that shook the ceiling, and more hysterical laughter that had us both smiling at each other.
“Yes. Cam’s been… an experience. One I want to keep having.”
She came over and gave me a friendly hug. “You’re so cute. I’m not even someone who goes after guys who blush like you do and I think it’s adorable.” I was surprised when she pecked a quick kiss onto my cheek.
“Excuse me, I do notblush,” I said, even as my face blazed warmer. “It’s my pale skin. The ginger curse. It’s not fair.” She only laughed as she walked over and dumped the ice from her glass into the sink, then put it in the dishwasher.
