He pumped his fingers into her, loving the intense display of emotions crossing her face. When she started to whimper, her pussy going tight around his fingers, he pulled out of her and pressed his thumb against her clit.

  “I know you’re close, Daisy,” he whispered hotly in her ear. “But I want you to come around me.”

  A shuddery breath escaped her, and she fell forward into him, their lips meeting for a punishing kiss. When she broke away, she said, “Let me go get a condom.”

  He grunted, squeezing her hips. “I could kiss you right now.”

  “Do it when I get back,” she said with a wink, and wobbled off to her bathroom. She returned a moment later, shucked her panties, and tore open the condom wrapper. She took the lead and rolled the condom down over him, his mouth parting as he watched the delicate treatment. When he was sheathed, she surged forward for another passionate kiss.

  “You’re prepared,” he murmured, running his hands up the sides of her legs as she settled into place above him.

  “I was optimistic a few days ago when I went to the supermarket,” she confessed, “and look where that got me.”

  He laughed, but it faded quickly as she lined him up and started the gloriously slow process of sinking onto him. Her breathy gasps sent fire racing through his veins as she stretched and stretched to accommodate him. She was silk and heat wrapped around his cock as she engulfed him. Her brown eyes were hooded, edged with lust, both of them seemingly unblinking while she swallowed him whole.

  “Ohhhh, Daisy.” His voice was so gritty he barely recognized it. Once she’d taken all of him, he sank his fingertips into her ass cheeks, making sure she’d never leave again.

  Daisy buried her face in the hollow of his neck as she started a slow but intense rocking motion on top of him. His forearms went goose pimply as she rode him. His own orgasm was building with frightening speed. And it wasn’t just because it had been too long. He was crazy about this woman in all possible ways. Finally getting her wrapped around him, lost in her scent and that silky hair tickling the tops of his shoulders, was better than living in a fantasy.

  He grunted, matching her movements from below to find even more space inside her. Her breasts jiggled as they worked in tandem, breathy moans escaping her.

  “Fuck,” he groaned, tilting his head as he watched their bodies writhe together. “I’m so close, babe.”

  “Me too,” she breathed. James moved his hand between her legs again, seeking out that swollen nub, and massaged her while she rode him. Her pussy clamped around him, and she tossed her head back, a low moan emanating from her.

  This was his green light. He gave in to the orgasm that had been beating at his door for the past ten minutes and let himself fall into the abyss with her. He gripped her by the hips as he continued drilling into her, pushing her even deeper into the bliss. She whimpered and grabbed for him, writhing, a passionate mess on top of him as she came and came.

  By the time the pleasure had receded enough that he could think, he realized she’d collapsed on top of him. The feel of her nuzzled against him, matching breathing patterns, felt more right than anything he could have imagined for himself.

  He kissed the top of her head, drawing invisible patterns up and down her spine. After a long while she finally heaved a sigh, but made no attempt to move.

  It didn’t matter to him.

  He’d stay here forever if he could.

  Which just meant that his experiment in “seeing what happened with Daisy” had finally yielded the results.

  He was in over his head…and there was no turning back.

  10

  Once Tuesday rolled around, James felt antsier than normal for his day off. Usually, his main goal was to kick back and eat pancakes with Emma—which, to be fair, was still his main goal.

  But now, a strange anxiety filled him. While he prepped the typical Tuesday morning pancakes before Emma went off to school, he couldn’t stop thinking about Daisy.

  The weekend had been nonstop and full of football—as all weekends were. They’d eked out a win on Sunday, but he and Daisy hadn’t been able to connect—in all the possible ways there were to connect—since their Friday evening at her place.

  And at this point? James had half a mind to haul himself over to her condo once Emma was at school and spring a surprise date on Daisy.

  But you guys aren’t dating. You don’t even know what she wants. Hell, do you even know what you want? The questions cycled endlessly inside him as he finished the stack of pancakes. He looked up at Emma, sitting in the breakfast nook, and let out a sharp whistle.

  “Emma girl, syrup time.”

  She smirked at the familiar ritual, sliding out of her seat to grab the maple syrup and butter from the fridge. They convened at the table, him with the steaming pile of pancakes and two forks.

  “Dang, this looks good, doesn’t it?”

  She smiled, eagerly serving herself the top pancake. “Of course it does. You make the best pancakes, Dad.”

  “Aw, you’re just saying that because you’re my daughter,” James teased. They both dug into heaping plates of pancakes then, chewing happily. After a while, James asked, “So, how’s school been going recently? Did those mean girls end up leaving you alone?”

  Emma shrugged, reaching for the syrup. “Daisy just tells me not to listen to them, so I don’t.”

  James chewed thoughtfully, nodding. “Well…that’s good.”

  “They pick on other people because they feel bad about themselves,” Emma said, straightening her back. “She says they’ll always find something to pick apart.”

  “That’s true,” James conceded, both relieved that Emma had someone like Daisy in her corner, but concerned about what her response truly meant. “So does that mean they’re still bothering you?”

  Emma sighed, shrugging like it was no big deal. He appreciated her mature response, at least. This was progress from over the summer. “They’ve been saying stupid things. On Friday they said that you didn’t love me because you didn’t come to career day. But I was the one who asked Daisy to come, so obviously that’s not true.”

  James nearly dropped his fork. “They actually said that to you?”

  “I told them how stupid that was. Like Daisy said—it’s clear they’re just unhappy.”

  James eyed his daughter with pride. “I’m happy you’ve been able to reach out to Daisy. I’m glad she’s been helping.”

  “We text a lot,” Emma said with a nod. “So when are you taking her out on a date?”

  Now it was James’s turn to be cagey. The question was a gut punch, and he hadn’t been prepared. He’d specifically gone to extra lengths to make sure he and Daisy weren’t affectionate in front of Emma—or anyone. Were they that obvious already?

  “Why do you think I’d be asking Daisy out on a date?” he asked, trying to keep his voice sounding casual.

  Emma cocked her head, narrowing her eyes in a way that could only mean Come on, Dad. “You get all goofy whenever she’s around. You like her, it’s so obvious.”

  Damn. Called out. James fought to keep the damning smile off his face. So his daughter was on to them. He supposed he wasn’t surprised, now that she mentioned it. He hadn’t been schooling his reactions around her. He simply thought that keeping his hands off Daisy would be enough. Wrong.

  “So, have you asked her out yet?” Emma pressed, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice. James smirked, jerking his chin toward her plate.

  “Eat up. You need to get to school.”

  Emma huffed and rolled her eyes but finished her plate as she was told. James worked on cleaning up before they got into his Escalade and started the familiar route to school. Once he’d left her at the student drop-off with a kiss and a “Have a good day, Emma girl,” he hit the road again and sank into his thoughts.

  Emma’s innocent question troubled him more than he’d expected. And it wasn’t so much his transparency that felt like a slap in the face—he supposed getting a little googly-eyed around a woman like Daisy was an inevitable part of knowing her—but the looming questions that resulted.

  Because what were they supposed to do now? James knew that after giving into their desires on Friday, there was no turning back. No, he only wanted more. A lot more. And he suspected Daisy felt the same.

  But the truth was, he didn’t know. And it wasn’t fair to anyone to dance around something like this without knowing that Daisy might be okay with welcoming not just James into her life in a long-term fashion, but also Emma. As it stood, Emma was already chomping at the bit to include Daisy. And if Daisy didn’t want the same things, well…this had heartbreak written all over it.

  As he drove through the congested Savannah streets, he realized he couldn’t keep twisting himself into pretzels over this. He was too old for the doubting, the wondering, the waiting. Hell, he was pushing forty. He needed to talk this over with Daisy now.

  He pressed the Call button on his dash and said Daisy’s name. A moment later, the phone was ringing through the interior of the car. Daisy picked up quickly.

  “James. Good morning.”

  Her husky, breathy voice immediately brought a smile to his face. Yep, there you go again, looking goofy. “What are you up to, Daisy?”

  “Don’t laugh but…I’m about to get a manicure.”

  His mind flashed to that sexy nude color she’d been sporting recently, and his cock twitched. “Why would I laugh? That’s hot. Now I want to know what the next color is.”

  “You’ll just have to wait and find out,” she said.

  He cleared his throat. “So what’s the address of the nail salon?”

  She laughed. “I’d tell you, but I want to show you when it’s just you and me.”

  Heat streaked through him, reminding him of why he’d called in the first place: seeing more of Daisy. A lot more of her. “All right, Ms. Katrakis. We’ll do it your way. But I wanted to talk first.”

  “Oh?”

  “My daughter asked today whether or not I’d asked you out on a date yet.” Daisy’s soft laugh pushed him to continue. “I didn’t want to tell her about the date we had on Friday night, though I’m not sure that counts.”

  “No, it counts,” she reassured him.

  “Well…she got me thinking. The cat’s creeping out of the bag, Daisy. If Emma is catching on, it won’t be long before others do too. So I figure this is as good a time as any to figure out what the hell we’re doing here.”

  When she spoke, he could hear the smile in her voice. “And you want to talk about this while I’m at the nail salon?”

  “I’m an old man,” he teased. “I don’t have time to beat around the bush. Besides, I only get one off day a week, so I need to know now so I can arrange what I plan to do to that gorgeous body later.”

  Her soft chuckles only made him smile harder.

  “All right, Sullivan,” she said. “You make a strong point.”

  “So what do you want, Daisy? Where do you see this going?”

  Daisy sighed. “This is the worst conversation to have in public, but…I’m crazy about you. Undeniably. I just don’t know how we should handle…the rest of it.”

  “The rest of it?”

  “Our jobs. Our social obligations. The ridiculously obvious mixing of professional and private.”

  His blinker ticked as he hung a left turn back into his neighborhood. This was the complicated shit. But he knew there had to be a way forward. “I know. I’ve been thinking about that.”

  “Well, let me ask you the same question, then. What do you want?” she asked.

  He expelled a burst of air, shaking his head. “I want one thing. You.” The words were so easy to speak. No hesitation. He was pure confidence when it came to that part. But there was more to the picture than just wanting to be with her.

  “Well, it sounds like we’re on the same page, then,” Daisy murmured into the phone.

  “We can figure out the rest soon. Together. And now…Ms. Katrakis…may I formally ask you out on a date? I want you to myself, as soon as humanly possible. Just tell me when you’re free.”

  Desire pumped through his veins as they set the date—today—and time—late lunch at the food truck park. As he pulled into his driveway, he realized he still had four hours until they were scheduled to meet up.

  It was an eternity.

  Which meant he was truly head over heels for Daisy.

  11

  A few weeks later, Daisy and James were firmly in the holy shit, this is heaven phase of dating.

  Emma knew. How could she not? Daisy had taken to spending the night at James’s house on occasion, with the understanding that it wouldn’t be all the time, and it usually involved Daisy slipping out, Emma none the wiser due to their early wake-up calls.

  But the mornings after Daisy did spend the night…like this slow and reverent morning at James’s side…were becoming too delicious to bear.

  She sighed deeply as she nestled into his insanely soft bedsheets. The man just had a higher standard for the basics in life, which she appreciated. He might not drive a flashy sports car, but he had expensive-as-hell bedsheets that could change a woman’s life.

  “You awake yet?” His gritty just-woke-up voice shivered through her, making her thighs tense. She wiggled her butt against him as he spooned her, squeezing those big arms around her. Bathed in the darkness of the early morning, this was bliss. Soft kisses tickled her neck, and goose pimples flared.

  “Yes…no…maybe so,” she said softly, relishing his attention. They were sleeping fully nude these days, which meant she had skin-to-skin access to his stiffening cock against her lower back.

  “Don’t tease me,” he warned playfully, one of his hands venturing down over her belly and down between her legs. His fingers swirled over the small patch of hair there. “Or I’ll have to find out myself.”

  “Mmm.” She rocked her hips, urging contact between his fingers and her groin. “Maybe you should.”

  He nibbled on her earlobe as he danced his fingers over the folds of her pussy. They’d had sex last night, of course, but she was more than ready for it again, even at four thirty in the morning.

  “Hmmm.” He circled the nub of her clit without actually touching it. She bucked her hips, wanting more. “Not sure if you’re awake yet.”

  “Better keep testing.”

  James plunged his fingers into the slick heat of her, gently yet confidently, using his palm to massage her needy nub. Daisy gasped softly, burying her face in his pillow as he fondled her.

  “Oh, Daisy,” he murmured, dragging kisses along her neck. “I don’t know. You could be asleep, but just dreaming about sex.”

  She smiled, turning slightly so they could kiss on the lips. “You know if I’m dreaming about sex, it’s with you.”

  James grunted, and he eased his fingers out of her slowly, then back inside. Her lids fluttered against the glorious sensation as he dipped down to take a nipple between his teeth. “Then how about we make it a reality?”

  Daisy flipped onto her back, more than ready to have him filling her again. These past few weeks had been endless exploration—as schedules permitted—of their bodies and this sizzling chemistry, and still it wasn’t enough. Would it ever be enough? Her head was spinning with how much she needed more. And even though they’d sworn to figure out how to navigate the path before them, all they’d accomplished was giving Coach Scooter a heads-up while keeping things pretty quiet otherwise. It seemed the only option for now.

  James buried his face in the hollow of her neck as he eased himself into position on top of her. He pressed a steamy kiss to her lips before reaching over to the nightstand to dig out a condom. She could only tell he slipped it on from the sound of the wrapper ripping and the soft exhale escaping him as he resumed his warm position between her legs.

  “This is the best way to start our days,” he murmured before capturing her lips in a kiss. She couldn’t agree more, but any response dissolved on her tongue as he pushed himself inside of her. She arched to receive him, to feel him more deeply as he plunged into her. She whimpered, careful not to make too much noise at this ungodly hour, though she knew Emma was probably sleeping like a rock.

  James’s hands wandered up and down the sides of her body as he made long, purposeful thrusts that jiggled her entire body. She wrapped her legs around his waist, welcoming him deeper, loving the heat of his skin pressed to hers, the powerful weight of him above her. He felt like a natural extension of her; a part that she’d been missing without realizing. The thought occurred to her more and more over the past couple of weeks—how right this seemed. How close they’d grown.

  She matched his movements from below as his pace increased, their soft exhales the only noise in the silent darkness. James scooped his hands beneath her back and lifted her up, so that they could find an even deeper angle. Heat threaded through her limbs, prickling with promise of what lay ahead. His thrusts turned more forceful. Daisy dug her fingernails into the ropy muscles along the sides of his body, anchoring herself there, desperate to hang on for the ride as long as she could.

  But James knew what made her tick. He’d learned that she loved having her nipples teased toward the end, and that she came fastest when he drilled into her paired with a kiss. It was refreshing—finding not only a man who actually gave a damn about her orgasm, but one who could see it through. James moved his hot palm over her breast, squeezing gently before taking the hard tip between his lips. He sucked and licked at one then the other until she was biting back her moan.

  The friction between them was delicious and unbearable. When his thrusts increased and his lips met hers, she was a goner. The pleasure spilled over, coating her, and she just drank it in until it damn near drowned her.

  James’s thrusts slowed a few moments later. Daisy smiled through their kiss, cupping his face, writhing against him while she locked her thighs even tighter around him.