Going Under (Wildfire Lake 2)

Violet takes the challenge, and she and KT stand side by side, then tip into handstands and start moving down the dock. I grimace, waiting for one of them to tip over into the water and wondering how KT’s stitches are holding up. Violet can’t move in a straight line, and she’s all over the dock. She eventually runs into KT, and they tumble over, laughing.

Emotions knot in my chest. Seeing Violet so happy is a balm for my heart. I know she misses her mom the most out of the three girls. And while Poppy and Jazz seem to bond to female adults easily, Violet doesn’t.

I have mixed feelings about KT being the woman Violet finally bonds with. Given KT’s aversion to commitment, there’s no telling when Violet will lose her as a strong female figure.

I approach the docks, and KT sees me first. She’s smiling as she sits up. “Hey.”

Before I can respond, Violet rolls to her feet. “Daddy, did you see me?”

KT’s face drops in surprise, her gaze darting between Violet and me. “Daddy?”

Obviously, Violet’s details didn’t reach KT. In some ways that makes their friendship even sweeter.

When Violet reaches me, I pick her up and hoist her overhead. “You being a stinker for your aunt today?”

“I didn’t mean to,” she says in a half whine.

I set her on her feet and put my hand on her head. “Thank KT and get home. We need to have a talk.”

Her shoulders slump. “Daddy—”

“Hey.” It’s all I have to say for her to turn to KT and thank her.

KT points at her. “Remember, we agreed.”

“No more attitude,” Violet says. “I know.”

I give Violet’s butt an affectionate swat as she turns toward the house, and watch her for a minute, at a complete loss how to handle her continued defiance. I feel like a new parent every goddamned day.

/> When I face the dock again, KT is standing with her arms crossed. “I didn’t make the connection.”

“She’s good at hiding things,” I say, sauntering closer. “Always have to keep a close eye on that one.”

“She’s beautiful,” KT says, a grin growing as I get closer. “Like her dad.”

That makes me laugh and warms my insides. Maybe there’s a longer expiration on a hookup than I thought. And, damn, she looks good. I’m tired, and all my defenses are down. I think about the week ahead, a mixture of work at the hospital and work at home, and yeah, I wish I had someone to bolster me. But this woman has made it clear she’s not up for anything serious or permanent, so I have to remind myself not to lean too heavily on her.

“Just get off work?” she asks. “Or are you just heading in?”

“Off.” Her arm is bandaged, so I’m assuming she still has her stitches. “You really shouldn’t be doing handstands with those stitches in your arm.”

“I need to have them taken out, just never find time.” She lifts her arm where she’s covered her bandage with kinesiology tape, also called KT, the letters printed in big black letters on bright pink tape.

“Look at that,” I say, “you’ve got your own brand.”

“I use a lot of it. Naming it after me is the least they could do.”

Silence eases into the space between us, and I find myself just staring at her pretty blue eyes, her long black lashes, her full pink lips. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

She smiles and eases into the space separating us. She makes a loose fist in the front of my scrub top, then slides it down my torso. That small sensation lights me up like a struck match and burns through my body. I want to kiss her. Taste her. And, yeah, I want to fuck her. It’s always been a foreign concept, but it sure as hell seems to work for me now.

“All dirty, I hope,” she says, her voice low and seductive.

“Dirty enough,” I confess.

“I was starting to think you forgot all about me.” Sexy heat slides through her eyes and dips into her voice.

“You’re not the kind of woman a man just forgets.”