Page 65 of The Penalty

He runs his hand through his hair. “Shit. Sorry. I’m an idiot. I should’ve asked. I saw your birth control in your room one time, but I still should’ve talked to you about it.”

“I’m clean too. Just so you know.” I haven’t been with many guys before, and I don’t know how I could ever be with anyone else again after what we just did.

“I am, too,” he confirms.

Then he lies down next to me and pulls me close to him. “You’re a dream, baby. A fucking dream.”

He nuzzles into my neck. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he would be unsatisfied with me after we had sex. Like maybe I couldn’t live up to his previous partners who were probably older than me with more experience. But hearing him say that, having him hold me like he always does, shakes any worries I had away.

“Are you alright?” Tyler asks after a few minutes of silence.

“I’m perfect, Tyler.”

“You are. Shower with me.”

It’s not phrased as a question, so I let him pull me off the bed. He leads us into his bathroom, where there’s a giant, two-person shower with built-in benches. I’m a little mad he’s been hiding this from me the whole time I’ve been here.

He starts up both shower heads, and I move to the one that’s very clearly not his “side.” We watch each other as the water washes over us and last about thirty seconds before he pulls me to his side and pushes me up against the tiles, his lips devouring mine all over again.

TWENTY-SIX

TYLER

The airport doors open, and Kylie walks out, rolling her suitcase behind her. I’ve missed having her around, but her return means McKenzie and I have to either stop sleeping together or start sneaking around. Both options aren’t ideal.

This weekend was everything I hoped it would be and more. Every spare second we had, we spent naked in my bed. Honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d have the energy, but we just kept at it, knowing our time was limited.

“Hey, Dad.” She hugs me, and I take her suitcase over to my truck.

“Hey, Ky. How was the flight?”

“Good, but they ran out of those little cookies, which was lame.”

I laugh. This girl has unlimited access to my credit card, but she’s worried about free cookies on a flight. “You know you can get those at the grocery store, right?”

“It’s not the same, Dad.”

I nod and get in the truck because I can’t argue with that logic.

“Where’s McKenzie?” she asks.

First mention of McKenzie, and I’m already sweating. We know we need to tell Kylie; I just can’t figure out the best way to do it. It’s certainly not easy to tell your daughter you’re sleeping with her best friend. It’s even worse when your job could be on the line because of it. McKenzie isn’t technically one of my students, but she’s still a student at the university where I hold a position of power. If it’s not completely against the rules, it’s certainly frowned upon.

“I think she had to work. She was gone when I left the house.” I know she’s working because I watched her get dressed after she rode my dick like it might be the last time.

“Bummer. I was hoping I’d get to see her today.”

“Yeah, she wanted to see you, too. She mentioned. In passing.” I cringe. Fuck that sounded awkward. Thankfully, Kylie doesn’t seem to notice or care that I sound like an idiot because she goes on telling me all about her trip. I listen as she talks about all the people I used to know so well. Shae’s family was basically a second family to me up until our relationship ended. I still hear from her parents from time to time. They’re good people, and I’m glad Kylie has them.

“Did you get to see Nana and Grandpa while you were there?” I know she did because my mom texted me a few pictures, making sure to tell me she wished I could’ve been there, too.

“Yep. We had dinner together. Grandpa let me ride his new four-wheeler.”

“Good. Glad you got to see them. And hey, we won our game this weekend.”

She groans.

“What?”