Unexpected Love

My eyes flew open, and I rolled onto my back to stare at the ceiling. “Son of a bitch!” I’d never get any sleep if my dreams were going to constantly torture me. Glancing down, I groaned when I realized I’d made a fucking mess of myself and the sheets. My eyes strayed to the clock, and I was surprised to see that I’d slept for over four hours. Gingerly—since I was still somewhat hard and extremely sensitive—I scooted to the side of the bed and stood. Then I quickly stripped the bed and threw the dirty sheets in the hamper before returning to the bathroom and taking another shower to rinse all the sticky come from my body. I squeezed my cock to release anything lingering, and as I watched it disappear down the drain, I couldn’t help but think about what a waste it was.

I dropped my forehead to the tile wall, the smack reverberating around me. The small, pulsing pain just served as a reminder that I needed to get my mind out of the damn gutter. And I needed to find out Penelope’s birthday as soon as possible. Even though my logical side knew I shouldn’t be lusting after a teenager, my body and heart had overruled the situation.

After shutting off the water, I stepped out of the spacious glass enclosure onto the heated travertine floor and grabbed a thick chocolate brown towel from the warmer to dry myself off with. When I faced the mirror, the person staring back at me looked much improved from what I’d seen that morning. The bags under my eyes were barely there, and I didn’t look so haggard, despite the scruff from not having shaved for a few days. I rubbed my chin and contemplated whether to rectify that but ultimately decided against it. I needed to check on Penelope and Tucker. Although it felt wrong, like a part of me was being ripped open, I needed to send her home. Surely, it was time for her to head home for dinner anyway.

It suddenly occurred to me that Mallory was unlikely to be home. Who fed my angel dinner? Anger at the prospect of her being ignored and left all alone began building inside me. A fierce need to protect her hit me like a solid wave, almost knocking me backward. Shit. I placed my palms on the counter, dropped my head, and took a deep breath. This was going to be more difficult than I anticipated. With a shake of my head, I pushed off the marble and stalked into the bedroom.

Once I was dressed in a loose pair of black sweatpants and a clean white T-shirt, I ventured out into the hallway. The first place I checked was the nursery, but it was empty. As I descended the stairs, the humming of a sweet voice reached my ears and a smile tipped up the corners of my mouth. I followed the beautiful melody to the den at the back of the house and found Penelope in the middle of the room, swaying from side to side. She had a swaddled Tucker cradled in one arm and was feeding him from a bottle with the other. Her face was tender as she stared down at my son, and adoration shined from her blue eyes. She looked incredibly beautiful. I simply stood there for a few minutes, leaning against the doorjamb, and watched. The scene felt so intimate and natural, as though this was the way life should always be.

But it wasn’t. Not for a while anyway. Speaking of… I pushed off the door with my shoulder and padded into the room. “When is your birthday, Penelope?” I asked softly, in lieu of a greeting. Subtle, Carrington. Real subtle. Her eyes lifted, and she smiled when she saw me. Though they were confused, the way they lit up at the sight of me had my dick stirring. Knowing she most likely wanted me as much as I wanted her was going to make this even more difficult.

“My birthday?”

“When is it?” I continued to approach her and was pleased when she didn’t back away. I was probably over a foot taller than her, and she seemed even tinier when she was close to my big body.

Instead, she smiled up at me, her pretty lips parting to show off even white teeth, and her eyes sparkling with amusement. “June eighth. Why?”

I shrugged, trying to act like it was just a random “get to know you” question. “Just wondering. Mallory mentioned that you were still seventeen but out of school already?”

Penelope nodded, her eyes shifting to Tucker as she set down the bottle and lifted him to her shoulder. “I graduated early,” she answered, her gaze returning to mine as she gently patted the baby’s back. “There really wasn’t any reason to stay in Lily Dale. My parents are sort of wrapped up in themselves and didn’t really care what I did. I wasn’t sure what I wanted for my future, so Mallory offered to let me stay with her while I figure it out.”