Incinerate

by Tessa Teevan

  Our games have always been a father/daughter thing, but he’s had random friends drop by occasionally. I don’t think it’s a big deal if Knox comes. I hope not, at least, because after last night, I’m not ready to spend any time apart. I mean that in the least clingy-girlfriend way possible.

  I’m still a little dazed from the fact that we’re together and I don’t want to spend the first day as a couple in separate places. Holy shit. We’re a couple. My phone vibrates before I can give it any more thought.

  Dad: He can come if he prevents you from buying light beer, but if you show up with it, he’s not stepping foot in my house. And if he’s an Auburn fan, don’t expect me to not rub in the 49-0 ass whipping we gave them last year.

  As if it’s perfect timing, I hear the water turn off, and I can see Knox in the bathroom mirror. All thoughts about football and Dad wash away as I watch, unable to take my eyes off him. Cue the ‘80s porn music. He’s drying off with a towel, and I swear he’s doing it in slow motion just for my benefit. Something about watching him rub the towel over his muscles, down his abs, and in between his legs is such a turn-on, and I’m tempted to push the sheets and comforter off me because I’m getting so damn hot.

  “Hey, babe, you hungry?” he calls from the bathroom, and there it is again. Babe.

  Before I can answer he walks out of the bathroom, absolutely no shame as he faces me in all his naked glory and rubs the towel over his head. Looking him up and down, I’m licking my lips as I realize that yeah, I’m definitely hungry—but not for food.

  Catching my sultry look, he crosses to the bed and leans in, giving me a kiss. I try to deepen it, but he pulls away, leaving me disappointed. I let the sheet covering my breasts fall to my waist, hoping to get him to come back to bed. When he sees my naked chest, he groans, shaking his head. He goes to his dresser and throws a t-shirt to me as he pulls on a pair of boxers.

  “Woman, I need food. You took every bit of energy out of me when you jumped on me last night,” he says.

  I put the t-shirt on as I give him a dirty look. “I’m pretty sure you pressed me up against the wall the moment I walked in the door, so if anyone did any jumping, it was you.” Getting off the bed, I leave the room, heading to the kitchen to make breakfast for my man. My man. I can’t help the grin that crosses my face at the thought.

  “Yeah, but you loved every second of it!” I hear him yell from the bedroom, and I can’t say that he’s wrong.

  A few minutes later, I feel Knox walk up behind me as I’m getting ready to flip the bread in the skillet. He wraps his arms around my waist, his head resting on my shoulder as he nuzzles into my neck.

  “Do you have any idea how sexy you are right now?” he growls into my ear, his breath tickling me. Shaking my head, I press back into him, and he showers my neck with light kisses.

  “Tell me.”

  AFTER THROWING on a pair of shorts, I walk to the kitchen to join my girl. Yeah, I’m fucking ecstatic I can finally call her that, and I don’t mind one bit. When I reach the entrance, she’s standing at the stove, wearing nothing but my t-shirt, jamming to the radio that’s playing country songs as she cooks. I know I told her I needed food before anything else, but seeing her like this makes me want to toss her on the island so I can get between her knees and feast on nothing but her.

  Knowing that I need to eat but wanting to be close to her, I walk up behind her, grabbing her around the waist. She pushes back against me, and I’m struggling to keep my hand from sliding underneath the oversized t-shirt to get my fingers inside her sweet pussy. Instead, I ask if she knows how sexy I think she is, to which she asks me to tell her.

  Leaning down, I whisper in her ear. “I never knew I wanted this until I walked in and saw it. Sweetheart, I don’t know if I’ve seen a more gorgeous sight than you barefoot in my kitchen, cooking me breakfast in nothing but my shirt.”

  She turns around, leaning back against the stove. Stabbing me in the chest with the spatula, she looks up at me, an amused grin on her face as she tries to play angry. “I swear to God, if you call me June Cleaver, you’ll realize I’m so much closer to Lorena Bobbitt.”

  Backing away from her, I cup my junk. “I don’t even care if you’re kidding. That shit’s not funny. ”

  “That’ll teach you to mess with my French toast making,” she tells me before turning back around to work on her meal. I can’t help myself, wanting to be as close to her as possible. Once again, I move back behind her and place my hand on her stomach, pulling her back into me.

  “I think you like this too much to ever think of doing something like that,” I say, pushing my groin against her ass as I lean down. Pushing the t-shirt aside, I kiss her neck, down her shoulder, then back up again as I run my hands down her arms.

  As she flips the toast, she simply shrugs, acting cool. “Well, I have no desire to see the inside of a prison cell, so I suppose your dick is safe with me.”

  Laughing, I head to make a pot of coffee, but not before I press a kiss to her forehead. In the weeks we’ve lived together, it’s been comfortable, but it’s never been like this. This feels…real. Like she’s truly meant to be here with me—not just as my roommate but as mine. All mine, and it couldn’t feel more right.

  A few minutes later, we’re sitting across from each other at the island, getting ready to eat what she claims is the most amazing French toast I’ll ever eat. I take a bite, and I immediately love the subtle hints of cinnamon and sugar. Reminiscent of the way she was when she tasted my drunken spaghetti, I’m struggling to stifle a moan. I can’t remember the last time I had a home-cooked breakfast that wasn’t a hard-boiled egg. The taste of this is pretty damn amazing.

  “Umm, I’m not sure what plans you have for today, but every year Dad and I watch the Alabama games together. He makes homemade wings, and I usually get the beer. The first game is this afternoon, and I’d like you to come…if you want.”

  Even though it seems way too soon for the whole meet-the-parents thing, I’ve already met her dad and I respected the way he approached me. I kind of like that she’s comfortable enough with me to hang out with her dad, which surprises me, knowing I’ve avoided parents like the plague for the longest time.

  “I don’t mind watching football with my girl and her dad. Just don’t tell him I’m a Vols fan. We’ve been having a down couple of years.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. He was just hoping you weren’t an Auburn fan. I’m glad you’re going to come, Knox. Dad means a lot to me, and I know this is new, but it’d be great if you two could get to know each other.” She looks away from me as if she’s unsure of what she’s saying. Putting my fork down, I reach across the island and grab hold of her hand.

  “The guy gave me a guitar and had a hand in giving me you. I look forward to getting to know him.” I mean every word. Wade seemed like a good guy when I met him, and knowing he’s raised such an incredible daughter on his own makes me admire him even more. Jesus, I sound like a mushy fuck.

  She rewards me with the sweetest smile, and we both get back to eating in silence. Getting up to take my dishes to the sink, she stops me just as I’m rounding the island. Her hand reaches out to stroke my chest and her fingers graze over my tattoo. I’m actually surprised it’s taken her this long to ask about it, seeing as she’s seen me shirtless countless times.

  Looking up at me with soft, deep brown eyes, she finally asks. “What does it mean?”

  Instead of going to the sink, I decide to take the seat next to her. “I got it the weekend I graduated from EOD school. I had plenty of time to dwell on what happened, and when I heard the quote, it spoke to me. It’s Latin for ‘Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you,’” I tell her, looking directly into her eyes. It was actually something Jace had said to me in passing when we were both reeling from the loss of our women. When he said it to me, he had no idea about Megan. I think it was more of a mantra for him, but I couldn’t get the words out of my mind. At th
e time, I took it to mean that I’d take the pain from Megan’s betrayal and shut myself off. I’m starting to see it in a whole different light, thanks to Charlie. Like the pain of losing Megan was worth every single second now that I have her in my life.

  Her small hand covers mine as she gets up from her seat and positions herself on my lap. “I think it’s beautiful, Knox. But…I have to ask. Do you believe it?”

  Sucking in a deep breath, I look into her eyes to find them searching mine and I know the truth. “I didn’t think it was possible. But yeah, sweetheart, I’m beginning to think I do.”

  Her eyes light up and she twists in my lap so she’s straddling me. Leaning down, she places a soft kiss on my lips before she pulls herself closer to me, rubbing lightly against my groin.

  “I’m beginning to think that all the pain from my past was worth getting me here, too,” she says, and her words penetrate my heart. Something shifts inside me, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m starting to fall for this girl. I’m going to fall hard.

  HOW THE hell did I get here? I’m wondering as I browse the beer aisle for Charlie’s dad. When we got to the store to buy beer for the game, she went straight for the Yuengling Light, and I had to shake my head at her.

  “Are you trying to make your Dad hate me? He’s already going to find out that we’re together. There’s no way I’m showing up at his house with light beer.”

  “Oh, come on, Knox. It’ll be funny. You know, puff out your chest or something and stick it to the man. He can’t order you around about what kind of beer to get. Tap into your inner alpha or whatever it is you guys call it when you get all pissy from someone telling you what to do,” she says, waving her hand in the air in front of me. “Plus, once he sees Evelyn, he’s probably going to try to find some sort of dowry so I’ll be barefoot and pregnant in your kitchen in no time.”

  Surprisingly, the thought of her carrying my child doesn’t cause me to panic and run for the door like it usually would. With Charlie, I’m finding myself opening up to things I never thought I’d want. I’m not saying I want her to have my kid anytime soon, but I’m hoping she’ll be in my life for the long term, whatever that ends up meaning.

  “Umm, Charlie, I know I don’t have much experience dating, but there’s no way in hell I’m going into your dad’s home for the first time, especially as your boyfriend, bringing him something he doesn’t want.”

  I take my attention from the beer and look at her as she stands up from the bottom shelf she was looking at. She looks at me, a silly grin crossing her face.

  “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I ask as she throws her arms around me. Standing on her tiptoes, she leans up for a kiss, and I don’t mind planting one on her right here in the middle of the store.

  “I like that. Boyfriend. That sounds almost as good as Rugged,” she says as she pulls away. She’s tapping her chin as she looks me over, checking out the jeans and Braves t-shirt I’m wearing. “Hmmm, Rugged Boyfriend. Yeah, I think that’s perfect.”

  Shaking my head, I decide on a couple of different kinds of beer. Charlie isn’t helpful when it comes to what her dad likes, so I’m hoping that he likes at least one of these.

  I’m surprised when we pull up to a modest one-story ranch on a huge plot of land. I don’t know why, but I just assumed that an officer, especially a physician, would live in something extravagant. I must have a weird look on my face, because Charlie touches my arm.

  “Not what you expected, right?” I nod, wondering how she read my expression so well. “Don’t worry. Dad gets that a lot from his colleagues. He says he doesn’t need anything bigger than this and he doesn’t want to feel lonely in a huge house by himself.”

  I can understand his reasoning, and the more I learn about Wade Davenport, the more I respect and like him. Getting out of the car, I grab the beer and follow Charlie to the front door where Wade opens it and greets us before we can knock. Eyeing me up and down, he looks at my Braves shirt.

  “All right, son. Nice choice. It might not be a Crimson Tide shirt, but I can get behind the Braves. Get your asses in here. It’s almost time for kickoff. If it weren’t, I’d be taking that gorgeous baby out for a spin, but there’s time for that later.” Obviously Charlie wasn’t wrong, and if Evelyn is the way to his approval, I don’t mind whoring her out for him.

  He leads the way to the kitchen, where he advises me to place the beer on the counter. I take the six-packs out of the bags and wait anxiously as he looks them over. I have no idea why I’m nervous, but part of me wants her dad to like me, and this is the first step in making that happen. After a couple of moments, he puts me out of my misery when he grins at me and then at Charlie.

  “I knew you’d be able to follow orders better than my daughter,” he says, grabbing a Guinness and handing me one before putting the rest in the refrigerator. “I bet she even tried to get you to buy that light shit.”

  Laughing, I nod my head, earning a glare from her. “You definitely know your daughter, sir.”

  “Come on, Knox. We talked about this. No sir bullshit when we’re not in uniform.” I nod, remembering that exchange, and follow him to the living room where the pre-game show is playing on the big screen.

  Wade sits in a recliner in the corner while Charlie and I settle into the couch. They start arguing over the merits of their quarterback, and I can only sit back and watch them interact. I can see where Charlie’s stubbornness has come from. A part of me feels jealous at how close they are, and I wish, for the first time in a long time, that I could have a relationship like this with my own parents.

  The invitation to the Labor Day party that Megan gave me is in my kitchen somewhere, and I’m wondering if I should go. If I have Cohen and Charlie, I’m sure I could get through it. Who knows? Maybe this could be a path to reconciliation. I’ve spent years being angry, avoiding this, but part of me feels that its time. If I’m honest with myself, I miss my family. So if I have a chance of getting to know them again, how can I not take it?

  They finally agree to disagree, and I take the moment to thank Wade for letting me take part in their tradition. He waves me off, taking a drink of his beer before watching the television.

  “Don’t sweat it, Knox. In fact, I have a friend who will be joining us, too, so I’m glad you’re here.”

  Charlie’s eyebrows lift up, and she leans forward, giving her dad the stare down.

  “A friend, huh? Is she a doctor? Gorgeous hair, flawless skin, last name can be found on a tree?” She’s teasing him, and he nearly chokes on the sip of beer he just took. We haven’t talked about it, but I’m guessing this is new territory for him, and I feel bad for the guy.

  Placing my hand on her thigh, I try to help him out. “Sweetheart,” is all I get out before Charlie’s silencing me. It’s too late though, and Wade’s narrowing his eyes as they zone in on my hand touching her.

  “Sweetheart? I know it’s been a while, but I thought you told me you were just roommates. That nothing else was going on and you had no interest in my girl.” He’s challenging me, knowing I never said that last part.

  Charlie’s looking back and forth between us like she’s confused about what he’s saying. Grabbing her hand, I bring it to my lips and plant a kiss on it as I look him right in the face.

  “I never said I wasn’t interested, but at the time, I didn’t think anything would happen. Our relationship has progressed since then, and well, we’re together and I’m lucky as hell that she’s mine.”

  Silently, he watches us for a few moments before a huge grin spreads across his face. “Well, you’re damn right about that,” he says before turning to her. “Guess you finally found a soldier with some balls. Nice going, Charlie.”

  I’m not even sure I want to know what that means. I’m saved by the bell when the doorbell rings. Wade’s about to get out of his chair, but Charlie quickly jumps up. “I’ll get it, Dad,” she says before she scurries out of the room.

  Shaking hi
s head, he looks at me and lifts his beer in my direction. “She’s all yours now,” he says, and I grin as I raise my bottle. I have no problem toasting to that.

  Charlie reenters the room with a shit-eating grin on her face. I’m about to ask her what’s going on when Dr. Branch comes into view. I almost lose it when I see what she’s wearing. She looks different out of her lab coat and dress clothes, but the fact that she’s in jeans and an Auburn jersey makes me want to kiss her.

  Wade rises from his chair, but not before he lets out, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Charlie is failing at trying to contain her laughter as she rejoins me on the couch.

  When Wade approaches Olivia and greets her with a kiss on the cheek, I have to fight the urge to take out my phone and snap a picture of these two in warring jerseys. Leading her to the loveseat, he takes a seat next to her.

  “You never told me you were an Auburn fan,” he says accusingly.

  Setting her chin, she glares at him. “The way that I see it, it only matters on one day of the year, so instead of getting you all in a huff, I decided to keep that little fact to myself.”

  Holy shit. Go Dr. B! Wade shakes his head as Charlie and I try not to laugh. I kind of feel like a voyeur as I watch them, but when I see Wade grin as she leans back against him, I know things will be just fine—at least until the Iron Bowl. Watching Wade and Olivia in the same room as their rival teams play each other should be pretty interesting.

  Surprisingly, I find that I’m enjoying being around Charlie and her dad. For the first time, I feel like a boyfriend and it doesn’t bother me. We spend the afternoon watching Alabama crush Virginia Tech, but the way Wade and Charlie are acting you’d think they were winning the National Championship. Once the game is over, we get up to leave when Dr. Branch—or well, Olivia as she told me to call her since I’m no longer her patient—invites us to go to dinner with them. Charlie looks at me, and I shrug, not caring either way.