It wasn’t a coincidence that I now smiled as I drove home from work, knowing that both my girls were here waiting. Shit. I should be terrified, should be doubting, should be questioning everything I was leading us towards.

Instead, I was simply grateful for the ease at which everything seemed to fall into place. Yes, I wanted Bailey. But it wasn’t just the need to fuck her—which was my normal drive for thinking about any woman. I wanted her with me when Lettie was fevered, wanted her in the stands when I scored, wanted to sit and watch her paint with my daughter. I wanted everything that I’d forced out of my head as even an option when Helen walked out.

I wanted it all—the sex was just the bonus.

It was going to be a ridiculously hot bonus, I had no doubt. Hell, we were on fire the minute we touched, like two live wires that simply waited to spark, but it wasn’t just the attraction I had to her—no matter how incredibly sexy she was—it was also the friendship we shared, the mutual respect that made me pause before I made any rash decisions when it came to us. Fuck, it felt like teamwork, and family, and...perfection.

Shit. I was already with her in everything but name—and sex. Bailey was the one I came home to. The one I told about my day. The one I tucked my daughter in with, laughed with and kissed the hell out of. It wasn’t like I was seeing anyone else—if I could even get it up for anyone else. Right now everything I wanted was centered in that petite brunette who drove me wild with a single smile. We might not have put a label on what we were, but that didn’t change that we were already in a relationship...as complicated as it might turn out to be.

So now all I could do was my best not to fuck it up.

Or at least wait as long as possible for the inevitability of me screwing this up.

“Hey, you need any help?” Bailey asked, opening my bedroom door just a crack.

“I think I have it, but come on in,” I said, straightening the tie.

“Well, hello, Captain Von Trapp,” she said, with a grin.

“Hello, Maria,” I answered, my hands framing her tiny waist. “Is it wrong that I’m already wondering how long it’s going to take me to get these skirts above your waist?”

Her eyes darkened, and I was instantly hard. How the fuck could she do that to me without so much as touching me? It wasn’t fair. I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers once. Twice.

Then I groaned and sank into her, cradling her face, and trying to remember not to fuck up her braided hair. She opened for me, and I stroked her tongue with mine, tasting the peppermint of her toothpaste.

She pushed into me, and I gripped her skirt with one hand, and sent the other under it, feeling the silky smooth skin of her thighs. “Fuck,” I groaned when I encountered a shorter, lacy skirt underneath. “What are you wearing under here?” I asked against her mouth.

I could feel her smile against my lips. “If you’re a good boy, I’ll show you after I get back tonight.”

“Jeanine’s party,” I remembered, a slight pout entering my voice. I’d never waited so long to get inside any woman I’d been interested in, but I’d never wanted anyone the way I wanted Bailey. “You’ll come home after?”

She nodded and stepped back. My hands slid along the smooth skin just under her ass, but I gave up my hold as her skirts covered her again. “I’ll be home after. You sure you don’t want to ask your mom to sit? You could come with.”

I shook my head. “Mom is here handing out candy. I don’t want to ask any more of her.”

She stroked her hands through my hair, finger-brushing it to the side. “I know you take a huge amount of pride in caring for Lettie, but you know it doesn’t make you any less of a badass if you let people help you out every once in awhile.”

“I have you,” I said, pulling her toward me. “Then again, the way I feel about you borders on sexual harassment. Do you feel like I’m taking advantage of an employee?” I joked, but there was a hint of seriousness in the question.

She shook her head. “Trust me, it’s more like me wanting to take advantage of you.”

Her tongue traced the line of her lower lip and it took every ounce of restraint not to jump her. Fuck, I wanted this woman. I needed this woman.

“You know, if Captain Von Trapp felt the way about Maria that I do about you, I have a feeling it wouldn’t be such a family-friendly film.”

She laughed, and I couldn’t help but join and marvel at the fact that I was as hard as I’d ever been for a woman, ready to lift her ass to my dresser, shove her skirts aside and bury myself inside her—and yet we could laugh like the friends we were.

“Daddy? Bailey?” Lettie called out. “Is it time?”

My gaze dropped to Bailey’s.

“Yeah, it’s time.”

 

“Lettie, wait!” Bailey called out as Lettie tried to lurch ahead for the next house. We’d already covered five of the blocks on our streets and two blocks over. The kid was the candy-bandit.

“There’s so much more!” She said, her tiny hands pointing to all the houses. “This is the best night ever!”

“You know she thinks she’s going to get to eat all this candy tonight,” Bailey said as Lettie ran a few feet ahead to the next porch.

“Those Reeses are mine.”

Bailey’s jaw-dropped.

“What? There are some perks to fatherhood on Halloween.” I shrugged as Bailey laughed. “Besides, I’m going to need some massive calories to get me through that giant swingset.”

“I’ll have her out of the house all day tomorrow as planned. Are you sure you guys can get it put together in that amount of time? Her party is the day after tomorrow.”

“I have half the Sharks coming over. We’ll be okay.” I blinked. “We probably need to pick up some beer.”

“You guys are a giant, overgrown frat.”

“Just without the regulations,” I agreed.

Lettie ran back down the sidewalk, “Look, Daddy! I got you another Reeses!”

“High five!” She met me mid swing. “See,” I said to Bailey, “she knows.”

Bailey rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable.”

“You are just too adorable!” an older woman said as she knelt down to Lettie. She had to be in her late sixties. “Gretl, right?”