Ali shifted in his arms and her eyes flew open. A soft sigh left her lips, and her arms came up, circling around his neck. Her nose skimmed his collarbone, sending a shot directly to the part of him he was trying to talk down. Daniel tried to steady himself and his body’s reaction. He’d never had this much physical contact with her before and he desperately wanted to carry her into his bedroom instead of her own.
His feelings for her were wrong. He knew that. But it didn’t change anything, and it never would.
A soft smile graced Ali’s lips as she snuggled closer, and his heart clenched. If only he were twenty years younger...
Wishing wouldn’t change anything, however, and he needed to get her settled into her bed before she woke up. Or before he did something stupid.
As quickly as he reasonably could without waking her, Daniel carried her to her room. He lowered her onto the bed and gently removed her arms from around his neck. Her lips curved up in a tiny smile and he wondered what she was dreaming about. Then, he realized it was probably better if he didn’t know.
He pulled the covers over her sleeping form. Ali released a contented sigh and rolled away from him.
His brain was telling him to leave, but his feet wouldn’t move. He wanted to stay and watch her sleep, to listen to the sounds she made, but he knew how creepy that would be.
Turning on his heel, he walked to the door. Hand poised on the light switch, Ali said his name.
He looked toward the bed, but she was still facing away from him. “Sleep,” he whispered. “We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Okay,” she mumbled.
Turning off the light, he waited until her breathing slowed once more, then backed out of the room. He closed the door behind him and rested his forehead against the doorframe. He had to find her somewhere else to stay. Having her this close...
He took several steadying breaths. Last night he’d only imagined what she looked like lying in her bed. Tonight, he wouldn’t have to imagine.
Granted, she’d been clothed, but it wouldn’t matter. Daniel had a very vivid imagination where she was concerned. He could still feel the weight of her body against him and the sweet scent of her lingering on his shirt.
He blew out a deep breath and headed back to the living room. Another episode of the show she’d been watching played on the television. Picking up the remote, he turned it off, then made his rounds.
Daniel turned on his bedside lamp before ambling into his en suite bathroom. He removed his clothes, throwing them in the hamper, and took care of business. As he was washing his hands, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was getting grayer with every passing day. His dark hair was speckled with gray hairs and the stubble on his chin had more gray than brown these days.
His body was in decent shape. He tried to swim at least three days a week and could out swim most of the men half his age at the gym.
As he stood there, looking in the mirror, his mind went to Ali as it often did these days. What would she think if she knew the thoughts, he had about her? He’d volunteered to help Kim move because he’d known Ali would be there. And because he knew she’d be there, he’d spent most of the night before dreaming about her.
The way she looked at him sometimes made him forget all the reasons a relationship between them couldn’t work. But that didn’t change the real fact that it wouldn’t. Even if she was willing to try, what would his kids think? They were all adults now, but that didn’t mean they wanted to see their father with a woman not much older than they were.
He groaned, flipped off the light, and marched out of his bathroom. Moonlight illuminated the bedroom through the large French doors that led to a private patio. He was tempted to take a dip in the hot tub, but he knew it wouldn’t help.
Climbing into bed, he let the sheets cool his heated body. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. But, of course, the only thing on his mind was Ali.
Knowing it was useless to resist, he let his mind go where it wanted to. Normally, when he thought about her, they were at the club, but tonight they were in his living room. He was sitting in his chair as he had been less than an hour before, reading, and she was on the couch. She turned to look at him, her eyes bright and mischievous. He quirked a finger at her, indicating he wanted her to come to him.
Ali arose from the couch, her lithe body calling to him with every step she took toward him. She came to a stop in front of him and he wasted no time tugging her onto his lap. Her legs straddled him, and he could feel the heat of her sex as it pressed against his straining erection.
His cock ached and he slid his hand beneath the covers, taking himself in hand.
In his mind, she’d been wearing a skirt instead of leggings, and he pushed the fabric away so he could touch her. She was already wet, her pussy ready for him. “Please,” she begged. “Please, take me, Sir. Please, make me yours.”
His hand moved faster up and down his length as he imagined what it would feel like to drive her down onto his cock, to feel her pussy pulsing around him. Her hot, wet...
A strangled moan tore from his chest as he came, cum covering his hand. He rubbed his other hand over his face. This had to stop. He knew it did. Especially with her living in his house. But he had no idea how.
Daniel went to clean up, and then got back into bed. His cock, at least, was satisfied. The rest of him was a different story. He still had no idea what to do about, or with, Ali.
It was well after midnight before he fell asleep. He was out cold when a noise woke him. It sounded like something hitting the floor. Not quite a crash, but a...thump?
He shot out of bed, not bothering to grab his robe or put on any clothes. His alarm hadn’t sounded, which meant the noise had most likely come from inside the house. Ali. Thoughts of her falling and getting hurt had his heart pounding. She wasn’t used to his house. Had she gotten up in the middle of the night, half asleep, and fallen?
He rushed down the short hall to the main living area. What he saw stopped him in his tracks. Ali was on her knees in his kitchen, paper towels in one hand and his kitchen towel in the other.