Alex chuckled. “My last girlfriend had a daughter. She was so different from Calvin.”
“You’ve dated a woman with a child?” Her eyebrows jumped up. That was news.
“Yeah. It made me swear off kids for good.” Oh, well, notgoodnews then.
“It is a commitment for sure. You’re not the only man to run from a single mom. Is that why you broke up?”
“No. Walking in on her fucking my coworker was the breaking point.”
“Ouch, yes. That would be a deal breaker.”
He turned to her, and his eyes reflected the lust coursing through her. She didn’t protest when he kissed her. In fact, she practically jumped into his lap. His mouth was hot and urgent. She opened immediately and found his tongue. He tilted his head to take the kiss deeper, and within seconds, she was straddling him, his hands on her back and in her hair.
He kissed down her neck and stripped off her hoodie. Her burning body welcomed the cool air. She pawed at his shirt, desperate to touch bare skin.
A gnawing thought about what a mistake this was kept trying to claw its way forward, but lust pushed it away, saying, “Not now, prudent self.”
In the romantic glow of candlelight, they rolled onto the floor and into the fort where Alex and Calvin had laid blankets and pillows. He raised her T-shirt and placed a hand on her breast while continuing to kiss away the nagging doubts. It had been a while, and maybe she’d just forgotten what a gut-melting kiss felt like, but this seemed off the charts above anything she remembered.
She’d already decided love didn’t matter in her quest for a spouse. And if she planned to marry out of sheer obligation, she might as well enjoy herself first. It couldn’t hurt. He may not be husband material, but he was certainly a delicious distraction. Maybe she could take Ellie’s advice and just hook up with him until she found what she was looking for—no strings, just live in the moment and have some fun.
The way he stared into her eyes swept away all logical thought. Get. Him. Naked. She tugged at his shirt until he finally sat up enough to strip it off. She barely got a peek before he kissed her again. Her hands stroked his chest muscles. In the calendar photo, he’d been bare, but he had a light dusting of chest hair that she ran her hands over.
“They waxed you for the calendar shoot?” she mumbled as he ran his lips and tongue down her neck.
The nibbling stopped, and his laugh rumbled against her throat. “Oh, God. You saw that?”
“Mm. Hm.”
“I lost a bet. Not my finest hour. That was a long time ago. How’d you find it?”
“Ellie found it doing your background check.”
He pulled back and looked at her to gauge whether she was joking. “I’m kidding,” she said. “She did do an Internet search on you though. I mean, you were in trouble for assault, and Calvin liked you. I had to be sure.”
“Understandable. I take it I passed,” he said, returning to his business. His hand ran up her thigh and cupped her ass. She snaked a leg around his back and drew him closer. A moan escaped them both.
“Uh-huh,” she replied breathlessly. He began rocking into her, and her mind spun.
“Mom,” Calvin yelled from his bedroom. They both froze, staring at each other with wide eyes.
“Yes,” Julia called, not moving.
When he didn’t answer, she jumped up and repositioned her shirt. “Be right back.”
She grabbed a candle on her way to Calvin’s room, which was completely dark. Calvin lay still, breathing heavily. Apparently, he’d called out to her in his sleep. She set the candle on the dresser where he couldn’t reach it and pulled the comforter over his shoulders. It would get dang cold with no heat overnight. As she tended to him, reality set in, and she realized she couldn’t finish what she’d started with Alex.
When she returned to the living room, he’d put on his shirt and stood in the entryway. Reason must have hit him too.
“I should probably go,” he said.
“Yeah. Probably,” she agreed. It was for the best. Getting involved with neighbors was bad business.
“Let me know if you need anything, okay? I start work on Tuesday. Twelve-hour shifts for four days.”
“Thanks for everything,” she said, closing the door after him.
Damn, that had been close. Now that he was returning to work, she’d see much less of him. That was a good thing.
