He leans forward, kissing me softly but holding my chin firmly in his palm. After a moment, he pulls back. “Thank you.”
I press my lips to his once more, relief and joy filling my heart. “Thank you for telling me. I know you’re scared.”
A thought occurs to me, and I smile as I lean back. “Is this why? I mean, why you don’t date?”
He dips his head once, smirking a little. “Carsen has already had it so tough. Too many deaths, and then she’s forced to keep this big secret so that her life can stay the way it is. That’s heavy for a kid. She’s happy the way things are, so I want to keep it that way. I promised to keep my focus on her and my music, make things as simple and easy for her as I can.”
I sit back on my heels, putting my hands on top of my thighs and tilting my head questioningly. “But what about you? Don’t you deserve to be happy too? It’s good for kids to see their parents loved and in love. That’s how they learn what a relationship can be. Did it ever occur to you that by locking yourselves away, you’re taking away both of your opportunities to have that? You’re teaching her that to be a good parent, you have to be a martyr.”
“No, I never thought about that until recently,” he admits, looking a bit shell-shocked by what I’ve said. “Giving Carsen a normal life has just always been the priority. But it seems you and Sarah share the same point of view. She said something very similar to me. Let’s say it pushed me over the edge toward us . . . you know.” He lets out a huff. “This is all just a bit overwhelming.”
“Points for your sister. I owe her a box of chocolates or something,” I reply. “You’re not the only one feeling overwhelmed. Because I just found out that the guy I’m head over heels for is not only majorly out of my league, but he’s a fucking awesome dad who takes great care of his daughter.”
He smirks at me, leaning forward, and his aura of confident command slips back into place like a familiar glove. “Head over heels?”
I bite my lip, again blushing furiously. “Uhm, can we pretend like you didn’t hear that? I feel like we’ve maybe done enough expose for the moment. Oh, speaking of expose . . .”
He looks at me, his eyes narrowing, but I at least seem to have distracted him from my slip of the tongue. “Two things. One, on the article front . . . we really are going to have to come up with something more exciting than fishing as a hobby. I don’t know, maybe like you’re into bows and arrows or something?”
“I’ve shot a bow three times in my life,” Keith says but shrugs.
I grin, figuring we can come up with something. “And two, can you maybe tell Carsen I’m not the boogieman? She looked terrified of me.”
He laughs a bit, and it sounds foreign after the deep conversation we’ve just had. He pulls me into his lap, my legs hanging off the side of the chair as he wraps his arms around me, his hands resting lightly on top of my ass.
“What’s wrong with fishing? I like to fish. And yeah, I can talk to Carsen about you. She knows to avoid questions, so I think she felt bad that she accidentally spilled the beans.”
I smile, feeling something pressed against my panties that certainly tells me Keith’s accepting this more and more. “Well, she probably wasn’t expecting to find me in your kitchen in the middle of the morning.”
Keith growls, nuzzling into my neck. “I think I like you in my kitchen. And in the living room. And in my bedroom. Shit, definitely in my bedroom.”
He nibbles at me, tickling my neck, and I squeal, squirming as I playfully fight back even though I love it. He pauses, looking at me intensely. “Are we okay, Elise? Really?”
I scratch my fingers through the morning scruff on his face and over the slight prickle of hairs on top of his head as I meet his eyes. “Yes, Keith. We’re okay. Except that Sarah and Carsen are going to be back soon and I’m still wearing just your t-shirt and nothing else. Awkward. Especially since you’re making my panties wet again.”
Keith hums, squeezing my ass tightly. “Can’t have that, now can we?”
With a single exhilarating swoop, he stands, holding me with one arm under my knees and one behind my back. “Seems like a quick shower is in order. Maybe I can help with your back?”
I purr, scratching the back of his neck lightly. “You can help everywhere.”
Chapter 14
Keith
Even though Elise is dressed again, in the same leggings and pale blue sweater she wore here yesterday, it’s still awkward when Sarah and Carsen pull up out front as I’m kissing Elise good-bye.