She nodded and moved to the end of the island.I’d made all of Evie’s favorites to make sure she was in a good mood, and grilled corn on the cob was a summer treat we couldn’t get enough of.
I pulled the steaks out of the fridge to rest before I put them on the grill and checked the macaroni and cheese.Grilled asparagus was the last item on the menu.Reegan offered to bring dessert, and I tried to refuse, but she insisted.She asked what Evie liked, and I was more than a little appreciative that she wanted to make sure my kid was happy.
“I’m going to start the grill,” I told Evie as she tucked the aluminum foil ends around another ear of corn.
She nodded and focused on her task.
I walked outside and stopped.Reegan was standing on the edge of Ashlyn’s property and appeared to be talking to herself.The door closed behind me, and her gaze snapped to mine, color staining her cheeks.
“Hey,” she said, sounding less sure of herself than I’d ever heard her.
I closed the distance between us and reached for her.
She jerked away from my grasp.
I growled.
“I’m sorry,” she hissed.“But what if Evie sees us?”
I chuckled.“First, she’s already seen us.She saw us kissing, and she knows you spent the night.I don’t ask about my daughter’s sexual activity, but she’s nearly an adult, and she’s very aware of how things work.”
“She knows we had sex?”The panic in Reegan’s eyes would have been laughable if it wasn’t so endearing.
“I’m guessing she assumes we did.She didn’t ask, and I didn’t volunteer that information.I’m not ashamed of it, though.I want my daughter to have a good sex life.When she’s my age.”
A laugh popped out of Reegan’s mouth.“How old are you?”
“What?”
“How old are you?I never asked.Am I allowed to ask?”
I took a tentative step closer to her.She didn’t retreat, so I took another step and lifted my hand to her cheek.She nuzzled against my palm, her eyes falling closed as a look of pure pleasure relaxed her features.“You can ask me anything you want to know, Reegan.Anything.I’m forty-six.”
She drew a breath.I wasn’t sure what it meant, but I didn’t have to wait long to find out.“I’m thirty-seven.I don’t really think age is a big deal at this point in my life, but I don’t know how you feel about it.”
“Your age is the least important thing to me.Everything I need to know about you, I already know.”
“Like what?”
“Like you’re someone who is there for the people who matter to you.You’re kind and thoughtful.You aren’t afraid to stand up to a rude stranger when he’s telling you to get off his dock.”
She chuckled at the mention of our first meeting.
“You want people to feel comfortable and cared for.”I moved closer, bringing my lips to her ear.“And you taste like the sweetest honeysuckle I’ve ever had.”
Her hand tightened on my biceps.
I flexed, loving the way she gasped when I did.I’d intentionally worn a shirt with short sleeves so my arms were more exposed than usual.The feel of her warm hand on my skin had my cock stirring.
Hell, everything about Reegan made me hard.I wanted her.It wasn’t just sex.It was everything about her.I wanted to know about her past, her dreams for the future.I wanted to sweep her off her feet and carry her to my bed and keep her there for the rest of our lives.
I was done falling for her.I was already there.In love and fantasizing about a future we couldn’t have unless one of us gave up something major.
With that thought in my head, I forced myself to take a step back.
She lifted her brown eyes to mine, and I saw all the things I wanted reflected back at me.But I couldn’t ask her to give up everything about her life for me if I wasn’t at least willing to think about doing the same for her.
So I tore my gaze from her and kissed her softly, hating myself for it.“Evie’s inside if you want to go in.Or you can wait for me.I’ll only be a second to start the grill.”
