“I don’t know.” His voice pitches. “She won’t tell me! But I told her she’s not old enough to be dating or kissing or any of that shit.” His expression buckles, his eyes taking on a vulnerable quality as he gazes down at me. “I’m right, right?She’s still my baby girl. I don’t have to deal with boyfriends yet, do I? Please, Sen. Please tell me I don’t have to deal with that. I’m not ready for any of that shit.”
I give him a sympathetic smile, cupping his cheeks and softly reassuring him. “I agree that she’s young. And I’m not ready for her to hit the dating scene either. Especially with a boy who is old enough to drive.”
“Oh, thank God.” His arms wrap around me, pulling me into a tight hug.
I can feel him quivering against me and squeeze him around the waist. Thanks to Zander’s first and only year at Kelsey U, he’s ultra-sensitive about protecting his daughter. The way his teammates treated those girls at that college was deplorable. He’s paranoid about the same thing happening to Zoey, but we’ve trained her well. And we’re not done yet. Thankfully, she’s still got three and a half years before she flits off to college.
“I was hoping you were gonna say that. She’s still my lil’ bug.”
I ease out of his embrace to give him a wincing smile. “She’s kind of not your lil’ bug anymore, babe. We knew this day was coming.”
“Yeah, but not yet. She’s fourteen!”
“Yeah. Just a little peewee freshman. And she should not be catching rides with some guy we don’t even know. I’ll have a chat with her.”
Zander growls. “Good luck. She definitely didn’t want to talk to me.”
“Probably because you started withyou’re not old enough.” I give him a knowing smirk, and he frowns. Adorable. Even after all this time, he can still melt my heart. My Zander. The love of my life.
My one and only.
Myonly.
Lurching for his lips, I quickly deepen the kiss, needing to drink from him, erase the feel of Davis on me, the way he tried to take what wasn’t his.
Zander moans, sounding pleasantly surprised as he meets my desperate kisses with swipes of his tongue, his arms circling me in a tight hold once more.
Yes, baby. Make me forget. Wash away this gross feeling that’s still roiling in my stomach.
“Mommy! Do I really have to take a book with me this weekend? Logan says we have to do homework on this trip!” Olly sounds highly disgusted. “Is that true?”
I pull out of the kiss, Zander snickering while I rest my forehead against his chest.
He rubs his hands up my back, and I can’t look at him as I mumble that I need to take a really quick shower.
“Okay.” He kisses the top of my head. “I’ll sort the kids, and we’ll leave as soon as you’re dried and dressed.”
He tips my chin, forcing me to look up at him.
My eyes glass without my say-so, and his expression buckles with concern. “Sparks. You okay?”
“Mommy! Is it true!” Olly shouts down the stairs.
I force yet another smile at my husband and quietly rasp, “We’ll talk later, okay?”
Zander doesn’t like my deflection, but he lets me go and I walk up the stairs with a sniff, quietly assuring Olly that he doesn’t need his schoolbook.
My little boy’s face puckers into an angry little scowl, and he runs toward the twins’ bedroom, yelling, “Logan, you little liar!”
Zander bolts up the steps, gently pushing me toward our room. “Go shower. I’ll deal with this.”
“Thank you,” I murmur, rushing away from him and already dreading the conversation we’re going to have later.
Before today, Zander was the only man to ever kiss me. I mean, there was that unwelcome peck from my old roommate years ago, but Davis shoved his tongue into my mouth. He fucking ruined everything.
I’m equal parts pissed off and shaken.
Sure, I’ll get over it. Thankfully, it was nothingmorethan a kiss. But that’s kind of not the point. He took something that I wasn’t willing to give! That shithead! Thank God I never have to see him again.
