by Stacey Lewis
Stroking my finger along the center of her panties, I have to force myself not to go too fast. Even through the silk covering her, she’s soft and warm. I want my hands all over her. My next pass over her, I press a little harder and feel the rise of her clit under my fingertip. The rougher touch has her moaning against my throat, then she presses her lips against my skin and sucks lightly.
My excitement rises at her response and I carefully pull the edge of her panties over to the other side so I can see what I’m doing to her pussy. Just looking at her does something to me. She’s so pretty and pink… and so goddamn wet. I want to make her drenched, make her messy. It’s a feeling I’ve never had before and one that’s a little shocking, honestly.
Instead of going right for her pussy now that it’s bared to my gaze, I stroke my hand up and down her thigh, enjoying the goosebumps that raise in my wake. Hailey starts to squirm harder against me and muttering words I don’t understand. They sound a little desperate, like she’s close to begging me to touch her, so I stop teasing her.
The first touch of my finger on her slick flesh makes her moan loudly, the inside of her thighs quivering against mine as I stroke her. Her pussy is clean-shaven and her clit is a hard little knot that’s dying for my attention.
“Mitchell, please,” Hailey moans. Her head lifts, the lust in her eyes crystal clear. Keeping my eyes on her, I run my finger around her clit, careful not to touch it at first, before pinching it between my fingers.
Her whole body trembles against me as she erupts in orgasm. Her eyes close and she throws her head back, beautiful in her release. It takes everything I have not to come myself. I wanted this to be all about her because I’m guessing that hasn’t happened to her very often. From what she’s said about her ex, he’s a selfish bastard who probably didn’t make sure she came at all.
Hailey’s attention slowly focuses back on me and she looks well-pleasured with her eyes at half-mast and a pretty blush on her face. Her lips are puffy, both from my kisses and her biting them. As I watch, her blush deepens. She’s starting to realize where she is and what I just did to her and I can see the lust turn to embarrassment before my eyes.
“Baby,” I start, but she tenses at my voice and looks away. Grabbing her waist with both hands, I snap, “Hailey.” I shouldn’t be so hard when I say her name, but I can see her starting to panic which is the last thing I want.
Saying her name that way gets her attention and she turns back to face me. I lean in and press a soft kiss to first her top lip, then her bottom, before kissing the tip of her nose and finally both her closed eyelids. She relaxes in my hold with each small kiss, and when her eyes open, they look less troubled.
“Hey,” I say softly, not wanting to scare her off again. “What we just did? It was the best moment of my day… maybe even my year.”
Her eyes fill with tears and I worry for a second that I said something wrong, but she wraps her arms around my neck and hugs me to her. My hands go around her waist and I pull her in as close as I can, enjoying just holding her against me.
We sit like this for a few minutes, but all too soon I have to break the connection. Hailey sits up straight to look at me, and as much as I hate to do it, I tell her, “I should probably get home. Ben’s with Evie, but I didn’t plan to stay as long as I have.”
She nods, climbing from my lap and standing in front of me with one arm wrapped around her stomach like she’s trying to protect herself. The pose is defensive and makes me run what I just said through my head again. Shit. That did not come out the way I meant it.
“Hey,” I tell her, pulling her arm free with one hand and putting the other under her chin to make her look at me. I don’t want there to be any confusion. “I meant what I said, Hailey. Leaving you right now is the last thing I want to do, but I can’t leave Ben there all night with Evie. They aren’t old enough for that.”
Her eyes narrow and she pulls her face away from my hand. “I know that, Mitchell.”
“Then what was with the…” I trail off and wave my hand near her stomach “…that.”
Rolling her eyes heavenward, she sighs heavily before explaining. “Just because I know why you have to leave doesn’t make it any less awkward. This—” now she’s the one doing the gesturing, from my body to hers “—wasn’t something I planned on happening tonight and now that it has, I don’t know how to act around you.”
I can see that telling me that embarrassed her even further, especially when she mutters, “And I’m so glad you just made me explain.”
“So, we’re good then?”
The looks she gives me is glacial. “Yes, Mitchell, we’re ‘good.’” This is said complete with finger quotes, which should tell me she doesn’t mean it, but she’s already said she does, and I don’t want to question her again.
Stepping forward, I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her into my embrace. I lean forward, stopping with my lips barely touching hers to say, “Good,” one last time before I kiss her one last time.
After we break apart, I kiss her forehead, then take her hand and lead her to her front door. “I’ll text you later?”
Hailey nods, and once I’m through the door she shuts it behind me. I wait to hear her twist the deadbolt before walking away, my head replaying what happened and wishing I didn’t have to leave right after. One time, I swear we’ll be able to finish this, and I’ll be able to stay all damn night. Once with her won’t be enough, I already know that.
Ben’s sitting on the couch playing a game when I walk back into our apartment and doesn’t even look up when I come in. I drop down beside him, reaching over to hit the button to pause on his controller and wait for him to complain. Surprisingly, he doesn’t.
He barely turns, looking at me out of the corner of his eye. “Everything okay?”
As much as I know it will irritate him, I mess up the hair on his head before saying, “Yeah, I think so. Connor’s dad wants to see him, even though it’s been over a year. Since you and Evie will be with your mom, I’m going to go with Hailey, so she isn’t alone with him. He’s a dick.” Fuck. I’m supposed to watch my mouth around the kids, but I suck at it. It’s not like they don’t hear the words all the time anyway, especially Ben, but Tabitha will be pissed if he repeats my words.
“Alright bud,” I look up at the clock and realize it’s way past his bedtime. “You need to get in the shower and get in bed.”
Ben groans, but doesn’t argue, so I’m left sitting on the couch and staring at the blank television with my thoughts.
Chapter 24
Hailey
I’ve spent all week dreaming about the night Mitchell followed me back to my apartment to find out what was bothering me. The only thing about my dreams? They don’t end with Mitchell leaving after putting his hand in my panties. No, these end in my bedroom when he’s laid me down on my bed and started taking his clothes off.
I always wake up right before his pants come off. It’s so depressing… and sexually frustrating. I’m in danger of wearing out my vibrator. Good thing it’s one of those ones that has a cord and is rechargeable otherwise I’d probably be broke.
Today is just one more morning where I wake up hot and bothered, but unlike every other morning, I don’t have time to take care of my problem. I’m supposed to meet Seth at ten-thirty because he’s evil and believes in meeting early in the day on a freaking Saturday, probably just to inconvenience me further.
I didn’t tell him about Mitchell coming with me. Maybe I should’ve, but I don’t really think he’ll care very much. He might be bothered by Mitchell knowing he’s a shitty father, but not because he cares about his parenting skills. Seth is just way too focused on his image and what people think about him. You’d think that would mean he’d put forth an effort with our son so people would praise him, but he hasn’t thus far. I’ll honestly be shocked if he actually shows up this morning. It would be just like him to make the plans, force me to get myself and Connor up, ready, and out the door
so early just to stand me up.
Getting Connor up, dressed and fed before we have to leave is an ordeal. If we didn’t have somewhere to go, the kid would have been up at six and wanting to play. Because I need him up and pleasant, he fought me on getting up and then screamed the whole time he was getting dressed. He didn’t want to wear the clothes I picked out, and after trying to force his stiff limbs into the shirt and jeans I pulled out of his drawers, I let him pick his own.
Talk about regret. Connor clearly wants his dad to think I’m color-blind and homeless. The shirt he insists on wearing has a rip near the hem and stains I’m afraid to even attempt to identify. For pants, he’s wearing a pair of sweats that are almost too small for him, so I let him stay in just his underwear until breakfast is finished. I’m hoping he’ll let me put real clothes on him before we leave because there’s no way I’m showing up for the first visit with his father in a year with him looking like I can’t afford to buy clothes for him.
After breakfast, he finally does let me put better clothes on him, but that might have something to do with the fact that while he was eating a waffle and banana slices I hid what he was trying to wear.
By the time we’re both finally ready to go I want to take a nap, but that’s not an option I have available. Besides, Mitchell is coming over to ride with us, and he shows up right as I’m debating on going back to bed and pretending today isn’t happening.
“Hey,” he greets me when I open the door. He’s cleaned up his beard since I saw him the other day when he dropped Evie off at school. It’s a good look on him and makes me want to see if it’s still as soft as it was when he was kissing me last weekend. Thoughts I shouldn’t be having right before meeting up with Seth.
Grabbing Connor’s hand after I return his hello, we follow him out to my car where he holds out a hand for my keys. I look up at him in question because it’s my car we’re taking today, not his, since mine has Connor’s seat in it already.
“I’m driving.”
Oh Lord, here we go. “Uh, no, you’re not. My car, I’m driving.”
Mitchell shakes his head and gives me a look like he feels sorry for me. “Sorry, Hails, but I’m not riding shotgun… ever.”
Of all the chauvinist… “Why?” I’m not sure why I ask the question because I’m sure I already know the answer. “That’s such a guy way to be.”
“Uh, sweetheart?” He runs a hand along his front. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am a guy.”
I wave him off. “Whatever. Just because you’re a man doesn’t mean you can’t be a passenger in a car.”
He huffs out a laugh before smirking over at me. “I know that. But, still, I’m driving.”
“Fine.” I hand over the keys even though I’d prefer to throw them right at his smug face. Once Connor is secured in his seat with his favorite two trucks, I get in on the passenger side, still grumbling about men and their inability to be reasonable. Mitchell ignores me of course, so I choose the radio station before he gets a chance to. “If you get to drive, I get to pick what we listen to.” His smirk turns into a grimace when I turn on the station playing the most bubblegum pop music I know of.
The ride to the park where we’re meeting Seth goes by way too quickly, and before I’m ready, we’re pulling into the parking lot where I can see his car already waiting. When I look down at my watch, I can see we’re ten minutes early, but because he was here first, he’ll probably still complain we’re late. And then there’s the fit he’s likely to throw when he sees Mitchell with me. Seth is the king of I don’t want her, but you can’t have her, so I just know he’s going to show his ass.
He's still sitting in his car when we pull up beside him to park and he doesn’t look our way, probably because Mitchell backs into the spot so he’s between us. I won’t deny I love him doing that. He’s putting himself in the middle like a buffer and protecting me from whatever bullshit my ex-husband decides to spew.
To get this meeting over with, I go ahead and get out of the car so I can let Connor out. By the time I set Connor on the ground, Mitchell’s beside me, taking the diaper bag out of my hand and carrying it himself. He also puts his hand in the small of my back when we start walking around the car to greet Seth, making it clear we’re a team.
Seth doesn’t get out of his car until we come back around to the area between the two vehicles. When he does, he looks Mitchell up and down with a disgusted sneer on his face.
The two men couldn’t be more different. Seth’s wearing a pair of light khaki pants, the last thing he should be wearing to chase a toddler around a park, paired with a pale blue polo shirt that I’m sure he picked because it matches the color of his eyes. His blonde hair is styled neatly, not a single hair out of place.
In contrast, Mitchell’s wearing a pair of faded, ripped jeans, the kind destroyed by lots of washes… not because he bought them that way the way Seth would. His shirt has the Harley Davidson logo on it and barely contains his muscular arms, and while his beard may be cleaned up, he still has it. His deep brown hair is just a shade too long and messy like he ran his hands through it while it was still wet but didn’t bother to even attempt to tame it.
Mitchell is the opposite of Seth in every way and until this moment I didn’t really notice. Not because it isn’t obvious, but because I’ve had other things on my mind than the differences between them.
The other big difference is size. Seth is lean, a runner when he chooses to work out, but one who doesn’t do any kind of strength-training, where Mitchell looks like he spends his time rolling those huge tractor tire things across the parking lot at his shop or bench-pressing hundreds of pounds in a gym.
Don’t get me wrong, he’s not huge, but his muscles are all clearly defined, and he has the body of a man who’s ten years younger than he is. Mitchell also has probably four or five inches on Seth, who’s only three inches taller than me. At least, that’s what he says. I’d say it’s more like one or two inches because we’re almost eye-to-eye.
“Hailey,” Seth says my name like it’s the last word he ever wants to say, or maybe just like he’s pissed I’m not here alone. That makes it harder for him to try to intimidate me, which is most of the reason Mitchell said he was coming. Maybe we should introduce my ex to his ex and let them make each other miserable.
Nah. I dismiss that thought quickly. They’re too much alike, they won’t ever get along.
“Hi, Seth.” I greet him but turn my attention to my son. “Look, Connor. It’s your daddy. Can you say hi?”
Connor ignores both of us, crouching down on the ground instead to run his toy trucks across the asphalt. Seth sighs, exasperated, and probably irritated by the fact that his son isn’t paying any attention, but he’s three. His attention span is about the same as a gnat’s.
When a few minutes go by and Connor still doesn’t acknowledge him, Seth turns his ire on me. “Really, Hailey? You’re just going to let him play in the parking lot where anything can happen to him?”
He did not just say that to me.
Before I can tell him to kiss my ass, I’m staring at Mitchell’s back because he’s suddenly standing between us. “Don’t even start, asshole.” His voice is a don’t-fuck-with-me growl that has the space between my legs turning damp instantly. I love that he’s standing up for me this way.
Letting Mitchell handle Seth would be great, but I know in the long run it will only make things more difficult because he won’t always be here to be the mountain standing between us.
As much as I hate to do it, I step around Mitchell and turn to face him. “Let me handle this,” I tell him in a low voice. He doesn’t want to let me; I can tell by the way he clenches his jaw to keep from telling me hell no.
Once I’m sure he’s going to stay quiet, I turn to my ex. “You act like I set him down in the middle of a busy parking lot and left him to go sit down and drink a margarita. Nothing could be further from the truth. He’s right here,” I point down to where Connor is sitting betwe
en us “I would never let something happen to my son.”
I expect him to say something, to argue further with me, but he doesn’t. After a quick look at Mitchell that has me clenching my hands at my side, because dammit, I’m the one he should be scared of right now, not Mitchell, he turns away.
While I could argue and try to force him to listen to me, it would cause more trouble than it’s worth. Instead, I pick Connor up despite his protesting. He doesn’t want to be carried, so he struggles the whole time I’m holding him and doesn’t calm down until I set him down in the soft grass of the playground.
This is when Seth decides he’s ready to actually act like a parent, so he walks over to us and crouches in front of his son, careful not to let his stupid pants touch the grass. He starts talking to Connor who’s still mad he’s not on the asphalt. The longer Connor ignores him, the more irritated I watch him become.
It shouldn’t amuse me, but it does. I have to bite down on my lip to keep from smiling because this is what having a three-year-old is like all the time. They might say the twos are terrible, but it doesn’t just suddenly stop on the third birthday. In fact, based on some of the ornery kids in my class, it might just continue until adulthood.
Mitchell’s warmth hits my chest and he takes my hand in his, leading me over to one of the picnic tables close by. “C’mon, let’s give them a little time to get to know each other. We can sit over here so you’re close to Connor, but don’t have to listen to him being a fucking pussy.”
His words make me laugh so hard I snort. Seth’s head snaps up so he can glare at us, but he wisely doesn’t make any comments, so I relax.
“It’s been a long week,” Mitchell starts, trying to keep me distracted. “I don’t know about you, but I’m glad it’s finally the weekend.”
