Just One Dare (The Kingston Family 5)

Nick rose to his feet. This guy was an ass—he didn’t owe the man answers. “Who are you?” he asked in return, stepping closer to Aurora. Posturing? Yes. Necessary? Also, yes.

She glanced between the two men, twisting her hands together, her anxiety about the entire situation obvious.

Shit. Nick didn’t want to make anything harder for her. He still wondered if the guy with the lean body and preppy look, his brown hair falling over his forehead, was her boyfriend but she wasn’t acting like that was the kind of relationship she had with this guy.

“Nick Dare,” he said, breaking the ice. For her sake, he extended his hand to the other man. “I’m an old friend of Aurora’s.”

“Mark Wheeler.” He shook Nick’s hand.

And Nick made sure to squeeze. Hard. Because he hated this Mark guy on sight. Hated how his gaze lingered on Aurora’s exposed belly. Hated how he assessed Nick and all but ignored the little girl flopping her pancake on the plate.

“Here.” Nick sat down and cut up Leah’s breakfast. “Do you like your syrup all over it or on the side?” Where had that question come from, Nick wondered.

He wasn’t used to dealing with kids and knew nothing about them. But he wanted Leah to be happy, he thought, as more foreign emotions flooded his body.

“All over, Mr. Nick,” she said, picking up the plastic bottle and handing it to him.

Nick did his job, saturating the pancakes as Aurora’s voice interrupted thoughts.

“Mark lives next door,” she said. “He has a daughter Leah’s age.”

Fucking swell.

“Mark, Nick and I were just catching up. Can we talk another time?” Aurora asked.

“I suppose.” The man looked from Aurora to Nick, clearly not happy as she escorted him to the front door.

From what Nick could deduce, Mark had a hard-on for Aurora and the feeling wasn’t returned. In fact, Nick wasn’t sure she was even aware of the poor sap’s feelings.

Well, if the neighbor thought he had a chance with Aurora, that notion would end now. He’d make sure of it.

Chapter Three

Aurora let Mark out, refusing to engage in conversation with him about Nick. Their daughters were friends, which was their main connection. And they were next-door neighbors, nothing more. As an ex-cop turned security guard, Mark tended to look out for her and Leah—and she appreciated it. But she had to admit, his behavior today had been odd. Over the top.

With Mark gone, she returned to the kitchen to find Leah eating her pancake, which brought Aurora back to the moment Nick had ended the men’s pissing contest in favor of sitting down and cutting up Leah’s pancake so she could eat breakfast. He’d even asked her how she liked her syrup poured. Aurora’s entire body had heated at the sight of him giving her daughter his full attention.

Their daughter—something she was sure he’d already realized.

She stepped into the room to find Leah engaging Nick in conversation. “My birthday party is soon!”

“When is her birthday?” He glanced at Aurora, obviously confused and she understood why. They’d met over the summer. She’d had Leah nine months later.

“April twelfth!” Leah said.

“We had a painting party planned indoors but Leah came down with a fever and a cold and then croup. She was sick for a week so we had to postpone. Only the place we’d planned to have it was booked every weekend for the next month,” Aurora explained.

“So Mommy said if we waited till almost summer, we could have it outside and Ariel could come!” Leah said, barely catching her breath. “Now I want Cinderella because Mommy and I watched the movie and now she’s my favorite princess. But we already promised Ariel she could come and Mommy said we don’t want to hurt her feelings.” Leah’s explanation involved hand gestures and a lot of rambling.

The twitch of Nick’s lips as he tried not to laugh was nothing short of adorable. She’d thought he’d been hot last night in his tuxedo. But the guy sitting in her kitchen, wearing dark jeans and navy tee-shirt, was sex on a stick. Muscles she hadn’t known he possessed bulged in his arms, and the razor stubble on his jaw took her breath away.

“When is the party?” he asked.

“It’s in two weeks on Saturday.”

“I also want to invite the prince but Mommy said he’s busy.” Leah put her fork down and looked over, giving Aurora a view of her sticky face and hands. She was about to suggest they wash her up when Leah’s eyes lit up. “Mommy, can Mr. Nick come to my birthday?”

“Yeah, Mommy. Can Mr. Nick come to her birthday?” Nick parroted, similar eyes to her daughter’s sparking with laughter.

“We’ll talk,” she said to both troublemakers.

It took another hour for Aurora to get Leah washed up—which included a bath because her hair had been sticky too—and dressed. Then she’d called Melly and asked her to take Leah for the day, so Aurora and Nick could talk.