I chuckle.
“We put Jasper in some pretty heinous outfits too, back in the day,” I say. “But I’m sure it’s worse when you’re a girl.”
Then, I offer Lucy the box, and she takes it. Our fingers brush against each other and she jumps as if she’s been electrocuted. I smile because to be honest, I felt it too. The touch of her skin against mine was a pure shot of adrenaline, but I maintain my calm.
“Can I get you anything?” she asks politely, still looking nervous, but I shake my head.
“I’m good, thank you,” I say while sitting down in a leather armchair. She hesitates, and then takes a spot on the couch across from me.
“Were you looking for Midge and Frank?” she asks belatedly. “My parents aren’t home, but they’ll be back in maybe an hour.”
The Churches are perfectly lovely folks whom I’ve met a few times. We get along great, but no, they’re not who I’m here to see.
“I’m good,” I say. “I’m only going to stay for a minute or two, I promise. I just wanted to talk to you about what you saw when you came to my house earlier this week.”
I thought that her blush couldn’t get any brighter, but Lucy flushes a deep red, nearly to the tips of her ears. It’s cute to be honest, but she looks like she’s having trouble swallowing.
“What I saw?” she manages, her eyes bigger than I’ve ever seen them—even when they were peeking through the crack in my bedroom door. “I didn’t, well I didn’t see anything, I swear…”
It strikes me how attractive she looks now, even with an expression of half-guilt, half-embarrassment on her soft features. Maybe she realizes that I’m not going to back off, because suddenly, she looks down, her head bowed.
“It’s okay, Lucy,” I reassure her in a deep voice. “There’s no need to pretend. I know you saw me making love to a woman.”
She looks up then, and I realize there’s something else in her expression.
Arousal.
Immediately, my cock starts to stiffen in my pants, and I shift uncomfortably in my seat. Shit. I’m obviously attracted to Lucy, but I’m not sure if she’s attracted to me as well. Yes, we’ve shared plenty of long glances, but that doesn’t mean anything. I half-expected that she thought of me as another father figure, but clearly, her arousal indicates otherwise. In fact, circumstances are completely different now. Lucy’s an adult woman, free of a relationship with my idiot son, and free of any other romantic relationships too, as far as I know. We’re sitting alone in her living room, discussing a very intimate subject.
She mutters a few words, and then licks her lips before looking away.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, still avoiding my gaze. “It’s just that—”
I cut her off.
“No, it’s fine, honey. No need to apologize. You had no idea what you were going to see, and in fact, I should be the one apologizing.”
Then, I stand up, cross the room, and sit beside her on the couch. Her proximity is utterly intoxicating; I can smell a light, floral shampoo, and my cock stiffens even more. A million alarm bells are going off in my head, but I ignore them.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” I say, and take her hand. “What you saw happens between consenting adults all the time. But I want you to know,” I continue, “that the woman you saw isn’t someone I’m dating. She’s someone I paid.”
Lucy’s chin jerks up and she looks at me, her lips parted. Then the girl blinks rapidly, her lashes fluttering. I can imagine that no one has ever discussed sex work with her out loud, and to do it with your ex’s dad is a particularly bizarre scenario.
“Oh,” she stammers, swallowing hard. “That’s… Um…” Her brows crease over her gorgeous dark eyes. “I’m sorry, but why are you telling me this?”
I don’t know what I’m going to say next. I don’t even know exactly why I’m imparting this information. I’m just going with my gut, and my gut tells me to be open and honest with this woman.
“Because,” I say finally, “I wanted you to know that that the woman you saw doesn’t mean anything to me. I don’t have feelings for her, nor a connection with her. I don’t care about her like I do about you, Lucy.”
The words are out before I can stop them, and I don’t regret a single syllable. It’s sudden, yes, but there’s no way I misinterpreted that look in her eye. The curvy girl wants me, and I need to make it clear that I’m single and available.
She looks at me from beneath her lashes, and her pink lips part a bit. They glisten slightly in the low light and before I can stop myself, I take her chin in my hand and seize her lips with my own.