A New Enemy (Enemies 1)

Oh. I furrowed my brow, wondering how fucking dim-witted I came off as.

“I don’t have kids because I never wanted any,” I said. If we were gonna chat, I didn’t wanna just stand there. So I jerked my chin toward the lake and started swimming leisurely. “I love working with kids, I love helping out where I can, but raising one of my own…” I shook my head. “Teddy’s different.” In every way imaginable. “I didn’t exactly plan to have him in my life. He just kinda stumbled into it, and then there was no looking back.”

Blake hummed. “He has that effect.”

He sure did.

“What about you?” I asked.

“Nah.” He took a long stroke and spun onto his back. “I prefer to be the uncle. And the crazy dog lady.”

That had my attention. “You have a dog?”

“I have three.” He closed his eyes and smirked. “Fucking hate being away from them.”

Well, hell. I was a fan of people who were fans of animals.

He told me they were staying with his parents and probably being spoiled rotten. Especially Oppy and…Percy.

Those names couldn’t be a coincidence.

“You named your dogs after Mars rovers?”

He turned around again and grinned. “Fuck yeah, I did.” He was surprised I recognized the names, I could tell. I wasn’t sure whether to be offended. I watched the damn news. “Two of them, anyway,” he said. “The Yorkie mutts. I’ll show you a picture of them later. They’re the shaggiest, laziest little shits. But they’re tiny and fuckin’ adorable—not much larger than your Lily. They got Daddy wrapped.”

Goddammit. If he kept this up, I was gonna find him irresistible in no time.

“But my ticker beats for Rosie,” he admitted. “I’ve had her for almost ten years. These days, she prefers to just lie on the porch.”

He missed them. I knew that look in his eyes. I felt it whenever a buddy of mine called me up for seasonal work in Alaska. The money was too good, even if it meant spending a few weeks away from the boys.

“By the way, I’m goin’ out tonight,” he mentioned. “Soph recommended a few bars in…Cedar Valley?” Of course she had. “You should come with. Nothin’ wild—just a couple beers. I gotta be able to drive after.”

I raked my teeth over my bottom lip and glanced back toward the beach. Going out with Blake…just the two of us? Way too tempting.

I cocked a brow and smiled lazily. “You lookin’ for a wingman?”

He chuckled, and he had too much sexy charm swimming in his eyes. That color brown—I couldn’t explain it. Indecency mingled with warmth.

“I’m lookin’ for company.”

Yeah, I bet he was.

“All right.” I nodded slowly and submerged myself to cool off. Then I surfaced again and wiped at my face. My forehead felt hot, so clearly I hadn’t applied enough sunscreen at home. “Pick me up at eight. Just because you gotta drive after doesn’t mean I have to.”

Blake laughed. “What a dick move.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll have a shot for you too.”

I was gonna need it.

Five

Blake was about to discover that I sucked royally at being on time if work wasn’t involved.

After my shower, I wrapped a towel around my hips and hurried down the stairs. All my black tees had been in the hamper, and I wasn’t going out without one.

I crammed myself into the laundry room under the stairs and removed the tees from the washer. Blake would be here in twenty minutes; the dryer needed thirty. Next, I went back upstairs again and into the bathroom.

I ran a towel over my head until I wasn’t dripping wet, then snatched up a rubber band and pulled my hair back like usual. Going out tonight meant I wanted to smell extra nice in case I…caved and brought Blake back here. At this point, I didn’t even know why I was resisting. It hadn’t been fully intentional in the first place. More like a hesitation on my part because of his relation to Sophia. I didn’t want any drama to fuck shit up.

Deodorant, cologne.

I needed some music. I could feel my going-out mood building, but I needed more. I’d grown comfortable since Lily was born, because I had to be here. I’d canceled guys’ nights and dinners to take care of her. And now, when she and the boys were with Bob, I had no excuse. It was time to get back out there. In more ways than one.

Back in my bedroom, I skipped underwear and stepped into a pair of jeans.

I put on my watch and checked the time. Fifteen minutes to go. Condoms—definitely—I grabbed two from my nightstand. Because if Blake was more interested in a cute bottom somewhere, I was gonna have to find a bathroom hookup to get rid of the tension. Which was his fault.

Before I went downstairs again, I put on a couple leather bracelets Teddy had given me for my birthday.