Two Weeks of Sin

Riley turned around and stared at me, wide eyed, her mouth hanging open. “You're sleeping with our neighbor?” she said. “Eww. He's old.”

“Did you miss the part where I said I'm not sleeping with him, Riley?”

“But you want to, right?”

“Argh,” I put my head down on the table. No one was listening to me. “Honestly, my sex life is no one's business. No one's but my own.”

My mom's voice piped up as she entered the kitchen, “You're having sex? With who?”

“Can I go now?” I asked, looking at my dad with an exasperated look on my face. “Before the entire neighborhood deems it necessary to join in on this conversation.”

“Sure, you're excused, Emma,” my dad said softly. “But please, be careful around Marcus. He has a reputation with women.”

This again? I was no longer in the mood to argue. I grabbed another banana from the counter and hurried back downstairs, slamming the door behind me. I heard my dad telling my mom what we'd been discussing, and how I was not having sex. Not with Marcus. Not with anyone.

When would they all realize my sex life was none of their business?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MARCUS

The next morning, when my alarm went off, I stared at the ceiling and wondered what in the hell I had done last night. Had I agreed to take Emma's virginity? Had I really almost slept with her? My head was hurting from having too much wine and not sleeping very well. Not the best way to start a morning, but I was grateful I had a few hours to myself, although, it would be devoted mainly to work, before the kids got home from my mother's.

It was rare that they weren't home with me, and as I climbed out of bed, I caught myself still listeni

ng for their little feet in the halls and their giggles filling the house. The silence was strange, even though I had to admit that it was nice to be able to spend a few extra minutes in the shower without worrying about them making a mess or getting into some sort of mischief.

I decided to work outside again this morning. I thought a little sunshine and fresh air would help clear my head and get me thinking straight again. It was a luxury of living in Southern California; the weather was almost always perfect for being outside. I took my laptop and some coffee out back, set up shop on the picnic table I'd shared with Emma the night before, and booted everything up.

Someone was in the backyard of the Taylor home, and part of me was afraid it would be Emma. Running into her again, so soon, would be a bit awkward. Especially since I wasn't so sure what to make of the little agreement we'd made. But, it wasn't Emma, it was her dad, Dan.

“Good morning,” I said, waving at him.

He was working on the garden near our shared fence, so I was reasonably sure he'd heard me, but he didn't say anything at first. I let it go, assuming he was distracted as he pulled at the weeds, cursing under his breath.

Dan never cursed, he was always so serious, so reserved, and definitely not prone to cursing out loud. So, to hear him cussing up a storm meant something was wrong. I wondered if there had been some sort of drama in his family and decided that it wasn’t any of my business, so I focused my energy on my work. We had a proposal coming due this week and I needed to finish analyzing some of the financials, which had just made it to my inbox that morning. I wasn't the only one working on the weekend at least.

Finally, Dan stood up and wiped the sweat from his brow. His gaze was zeroed in on me, and I glanced over, smiled, and waved, only for him to scowl at me in return.

“Everything okay?” I asked him.

“Just stay away from my daughter, you hear me?” he said, the ferocity of his tone taking me by surprise. “You stay the hell away from her.”

“What?” I asked. “I don't know what – ”

“I see the way you look at her,” he said, shaking his head. “The way you stare at her. I know that look in a man's eyes. She's too young for you, Marcus. Find someone your own age and leave my daughter alone.”

“There's nothing going on between us,” I stammered. “She watches my kids, but that's it.”

“And the surfing lessons?” he added.

“I forgot about those, but yes, she's teaching them how to surf,” I said. “But it's purely professional, I promise you. I didn't even know she was going to be our instructor until we showed up the other day.”

Okay, it was purely professional except for what had happened the night before. And the agreement I'd made to take her virginity next weekend. That wasn't very professional. Not at all. I hated lying to the man, but he was my neighbor and there was no easy way to tell him I'd made an agreement to sleep with his daughter.

“Keep it that way,” he said. “I'm warning you.”

Never in all the years I lived next door had Dan Taylor been anything but pleasant toward me. I knew he was protective of his daughters, but this was a new one for me. He was downright angry with me. He went back inside and left me to my work.