It was a new job for me, yet one I had a feeling I wanted to claim for the rest of my life.
Theo’s happy laughter rang out as I splashed him in the wading pool. We were the only ones in it, the park much quieter now than when we arrived. The cool water felt good on my skin as he splashed back, his movements uncoordinated but close enough, some of the water landed on me.
Gabby’s eyes had grown huge in her face as I’d yanked my shirt over my head before joining Theo in the water.
“You’re going in like that?” she sputtered.
I looked down, trying not to laugh. “How would you prefer I go in, Tesoro?” With a wink, I ran my finger under the waistband of my board shorts. “If I take these off, I’ll be naked.”
She swallowed. “Oh God,” she whimpered.
I bent down, caging her between my arms. “Play your cards right, and I’ll show you later.” Then I kissed her and headed to Theo, who was impatiently waiting for me. I felt the heat of her stare burning into me. Every time I glanced up, her eyes were on me. Roaming over my chest, lingering on the way my shorts dragged low over my hip bones. The ardor of her stare warmed me, and more than once, I had to fight down my growing erection. Sitting down in the cold water helped a great deal.
The yearning I was feeling for her had been increasing all afternoon. Every glance, every smile, every touch was laden with desire. Even with Theo with us, the passion simmered just below the surface, ready to explode. I had never known this sort of draw to someone. The need to touch, to taste, to have, smoldered under my skin. I held myself in check, concentrating on Theo, on us as a unit, enjoying the day, but the need built, drip by drip, developing and morphing, taking on a life of its own every moment that passed.
By the time I carried Theo up the stairs, passed out from a day of sunshine, food, and too much ice cream, I was barely holding on. Everything was magnified. The sound of Gabby’s voice was lower, throatier. Her scent seemed to swirl around me, ensnaring me. Her casual touches felt like more. Her lips were inviting, her glances beckoning. I wanted her more than I could ever recall wanting another woman.
I laid Theo on his bed, watching as Gabby pulled off his sandals and tugged his shirt over his head. She slipped past me, returning with a damp cloth that she gently wiped over his face and hands, smiling.
“At least that will get the sticky off. He can have a bath tomorrow.”
She bent low, brushing his hair away and kissing his brow. She peeked up at me watching her. “He had an amazing day. Thank you.”
“And you?”
She straightened, twisting the hem of her T-shirt with her fists. She worried her lip, then met my gaze. “I don’t want the day to be over.”
I held out my hand. “Then come with me, Tesoro.”
In her room, I shut the bedroom door. “Can you hear him if he calls?”
She switched on a small monitor, and the sounds of his little-boy rumblings made me smile.
“Okay, good.”
Our gazes locked and held. The air began to pulse with heat, and still, neither of us moved. Gabby’s breathing picked up, her T-shirt suffering as she yanked and pulled on the hem.
“I think your shirt is bothering you. Maybe you should take it off.”
“I’d rather you took off yours.”
I tugged mine over my head, tossing it toward her with a smirk. I lifted my hands in supplication. “Anything else?”
I saw how her hands trembled as she pulled her shirt over her head. She wore a lacy camisole underneath, the soft pink feminine and alluring.
“You are so beautiful, Gabriella.” My cock lengthened, my shorts beginning to feel obscenely tight.
“I like how you say my name.”
I smiled, barely holding on.
She drew in a deep breath and popped a button on her skirt, the froth of lace and material pooling at her feet. As she stood in the light of early evening, her skin was like cream, the satin on the lingerie she wore moving like a whisper on her skin. I wanted to taste her.
“Are you, ah, really commando?”
“Why don’t you come over here and find out?” I murmured. I needed her to make the first move. To be right there with me in this moment. I knew it was going to change everything.
I waited, my heart hammering, not sure what to expect. Then she moved. Fast. Crossing the room and lunging into my arms. I caught her, lifting her up as our mouths crashed. I turned, pushing her against the door I had closed. She wrapped her legs around my waist, drawing me in tight to her body. I groaned at the feel of her heat. I slid my tongue inside her mouth, exploring. Tasting. Sweet from the ice cream she licked, tang from the mint she chewed, perfect because it was her. Gabriella.