What the hell just happened?
And more than that… how screwed am I now?
* * *
I’m standing with a circle of the dads—some from the neighborhood whose kids have grown up with Lina, and a few from my office with kids of their own who go to school with her.
On the far side of the yard, Lina and the other kids surround Tilly in an excited huddle, tugging on her skirts for attention, their faces eager as she crowns them each one at a time. Every girl gets a different sparkly tiara, and every boy gets a different golden crown, which shine so bright my eyes hurt just looking at them.
She’s instructing them on the game they’re going to play next, some new version of tag with dragons and knights and princess—or, in Lina’s case, “Princess Knights”, because she wants to be one of the people chasing the dragons. I’m grinning ear-to-ear, and not only because Lina is happier and more excited than I’ve seen her in weeks.
It’s also because I can’t help being impressed by how easily Tilly guides the herd of kids. I know it’s her job and all, so I shouldn’t be that surprised she likes kids, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a woman act like this with Lina. Joking, winking, leaning down to whisper secrets in her ear—but sharing those secrets with the other girls too, so nobody gets too jealous or upset.
She’s a natural at this. I watch her shout to start the game, and the kids scatter, and she straightens. Now, my thoughts trip back to the place they skirted around in the hallway.
Because just based on the way she moves, the way her hips sway and she stretches her arms comfortably, I can tell she’s at ease in her own body. Sexy in a simple, uncomplicated way—she’s not showing off or trying to lure anyone in. This is just how she is, naturally.
And it’s damn fucking attractive. I can’t stop thinking about what she must look like without the Party Princess getup. I can’t stop thinking about how I’d like to tear all that off her, catch her alone in my room and toss that dress on the floor, then kneel in front of her and press a kiss to her soft belly, my mouth moving lower as she drops her hands to bury them in my hair and gasp in that sexy, soft voice she has…
Then, almost as though she can feel my stare, Tilly turns around and flashes me a grin across the yard. It’s a cocky, off-center grin. The kind of smile that tells me she knows exactly what kind of trouble she’s causing.
I grit my teeth. Any more of this and I’m going to have to find a quiet corner to sit in until my body calms the fuck down. Until all the blood in my head stops racing straight to my dick.
Beside me, Bill from accounting coughs and casts an eye around the yard for his wife. “Damn. If I’d known you hired such fucking hot entertainment, Killian, I’d have come to this party solo. Please tell me the princess is staying for an adults-only show after this.”
All that blood racing south reroutes in an instant and pounds through my temples instead. I ball my fists and round on him. “What the hell is wrong with you, Bill?”
“Whoa.” He takes a step back, hands raised, his eyes wide with surprise. “Hey, I was just joking, Kill.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” I spit.
To my annoyance, his surprise melts into something worse. A sort of confident, knowing smirk. “Oh I see how it is. Party girl’s already spoken for. My bad.”
“That’s not—” I sputter to a halt and clear my throat hard. “It is not appropriate to speak about women like that, Bill. She’s just doing her job. How would you like it if someone said that kind of shit about your daughter once she’s all grown up?”
He scowls, the smirk melting away. “You know, you used to be fun, Kill. Back before all this crap.” He waves a hand at the yard.
“This crap? My daughter happens to be the most important thing in my life,” I respond, voice pitched low. A couple of the other guys glance our way, but I don’t care. I glare at Bill. “Not my fault you didn’t change at all when you had a child. You should figure out what’s really important to you, Bill.”
He storms away from me, stung. I couldn’t care less. I watch him beeline into the house toward the fridge where I keep beers for the adult party guests. Let him stew, who cares.
One of the other guys, a father I don’t know too well, one of Lina’s friends from school, sidles up to me. “Thanks for saying something,” he murmurs. “I think most of us wanted to.”
But hearing him say it about her…
I glance across the yard to Tilly. She’s joined in the game she started, and is currently being chased by Lina, the latter of whom has a plastic sword in her hand she’s brandishing with an almost tribal yell. I swallow hard, throat dry, unable to tear my gaze from Tilly’s face, lit by the bright sun overhead, her mouth open in an ecstatic laugh, her blue eyes flashing.
She is fucking gorgeous. Perfect.
At that moment, our eyes lock again, and she flashes me a wink, right there in front of half the yard. At that moment, I know in my gut I’m fucking screwed.
* * *
This full-length novel contains a stone-cold-fox single dad who's ready for a second chance at love, and the sassy but sweet woman who compliments him perfectly. NO cheating, lots of kindle-melting action, and always a happily ever after!
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Books By Penny Wylder
Filthy Boss
Her Dad’s Friend
Rockstars F#*k Harder
The Virgin Intern
Her Dirty Professor
The Pool Boy
Get Me Off
Caught Together
Selling Out to the Billionaire
Falling for the Babysitter
Lip Service
Full Service
Expert Service
The Billionaire’s Secret Babies
Her Best Friend’s Dad
Own Me
The Billionaire’s Gamble
Seven Days With Her Boss
Virgin in the Middle
The Virgin Promise
First and Last
Tease
Spread
Bang
Second Chance Stepbrother
Dirty Promise
Sext
Quickie
Bed Shaker
Deep in You
The Billionaire’s Toy
Buying the Bride
Dating My Friend’s Daughter
Big Man
My 5 Bosses
Good Girls Say Yes
His Big Offer
Dangerous Love
The Roommate’s Baby
Perfect Boss
Cowboy Husband
Knocked Up By Her Brother’s Enemy
Flirt
Lust
Claim
The Wife Arrangement
Big Mountain
The Baby Maker’s Club
Prom King
The Single Dad Arrangement