Page 39 of The Penalty

God, I want him. All of him.

His hands move to my ass as his mouth trails from my lips down to my neck. He quickly finds the spot that I love and sucks as I tilt my head back in surrender.

Suddenly, the alarm on the dishwasher goes off, signaling that the wash cycle is done.

It spooks Tyler. He practically pushes me away from him, both of us breathing heavily.

His chest heaves as he stares at me in disgust and shock. Embarrassment heats my cheeks. He kissed me. I didn’t do anything except kiss him back.

He looks away but speaks gruffly. “Go to bed, McKenzie.”

I nod, not sure what else to say. I turn and walk away as fast as I can without running. I don’t look back. I don’t want to see that look on his face again.

SIXTEEN

TYLER

I’m such a fucking idiot.

I pace my bedroom after I’m sure McKenzie is in her room. I crossed a line tonight. As the adult, I know I shouldn’t have kissed her. It was wrong and most likely against all sorts of school rules.

So why did it feel so damn good to kiss her?

I give up my pacing and take the quickest cold shower known to man but refuse to touch myself while thinking of the woman in my guest bedroom. I end up tossing and turning in bed all night.

When I finally get up for the day, I know exactly what I need to do to fix this.

Kylie is going to be mad. McKenzie, too. But I have to do it.

It’s better for all three of us.

After my run through the neighborhood, I make coffee and sip it on the back porch. Everything was going so well. My life was so uncomplicated before McKenzie barged in.

All I had to worry about was football and Kylie.

Now my mind is preoccupied most of the time with McKenzie. She’s only twenty-two years old. There’s a lifetime between us. Even if she wasn’t a student at La Vista, it would still be wrong. I know that. And yet. . .

I still want her.

I’m watching highlights on my phone from the games yesterday when I hear movement in the kitchen. I’m sure it’s McKenzie. She’s always up before Kylie. I don’t dare look through the glass door to confirm, though. I’m half expecting her to come out here and confront me about last night.

I would.

She wanted me to kiss her. I know she did. She licked her lips. She kissed me back. She ran her fingers through my hair.

There’s certainly not a lack of attraction between us. If only the circumstances were different. And she was a decade older.

Once my cup is drained and I’ve seen every important bit of football from our conference yesterday, I head back inside just in time to see Kylie sleepily walk down the stairs. I swear, no matter how much she sleeps, she’s always tired. McKenzie follows quietly behind her. She looks freshly showered in jeans and a hoodie, and her face is bare of makeup, making her look even younger than she is, which in turn makes me feel like even more of a creep for kissing her.

“Morning,” I say, trying to not convey my true mood this morning. Inside, my heart is thundering.

“Morning, Dad. What’s for breakfast?” Kylie asks as she sits down at the table.

I grab a box of cereal and put it down on the table before handing Kylie a bowl, spoon, and a carton of milk from the fridge.

She pouts. “You’re not cooking anything?”

I shake my head, not looking at McKenzie. “Not today, kiddo.”