AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It felt like a date. A date with my daughter who adores you. It felt perfect.” I smiled as she squeezed me.
“I felt like that, too. It wasn’t because of your friend, was it?” Riley asked as I stared thoughtfully at the ceiling.
“No. The anger that he made me feel was new, but it only made me realize that I do care for you.” I laughed. “I’ve never felt jealousy before. I have only been protective of family, but I knew tonight that I was going to keep you away from him.”
“He was just being a stupid guy. Don’t worry about it. I’d never fall for that approach to begin with.” Riley assured me as I looked over at her.
“What did it for me?”
“You took up the room when I walked in here. You were so confident and loved your daughter so much. That’s what started it for me. I meant to hide it as well, but something snapped in me.” There was a happy tone in her voice as I grinned.
“It was the gym, wasn’t it? You couldn’t resist this body.” She laughed and turned to face me, kissing me hard. We ended up making love again with her straddling me, rising me until I filled her for a second time.
I tucked the covers around us when we were done, securing the alarm from my room before I fell asleep beside her.
We spent the next day together at another local beach, getting lunch from a deli beforehand. I loved watching Ella and Riley frolic in the sand at the water’s edge, laughing together. I took a drink from my cup and smiled at how much I was enjoying this. I never had this with anyone before, particularly with Ella.
I heard a scream and looked over to see them both drenched. I stood and hurried over as they walked away from the waves. Ella was crying, and I stepped up to them as Riley gazed at me.
“What happened?” I asked as Ella reached for me, sobbing.
“A wave came out of nowhere. I managed to grab Ella and run away but it was so strong.” Riley looked scared, her skin pale. “I never think about that. What if I didn’t get her?”
“You did get her. Don’t think about that,” I told her, slipping my free arm around her to hug her. I led them to our towel, and we sat down as they dried off. Ella stopped crying when she was wrapped in a towel and in my arms as Riley stared at us.
When we drove home, Ella fell asleep. Riley was resting against the seat, her eyes closed. I reached for her hand at a stoplight and squeezed it, watching her smile weakly.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Riley. You picked her up and took her away from the water. If anything more had happened, I’d die saving either of you,” I assured her as a tear slid down her cheek. “It’s okay, baby. We’re all safe.”
Riley opened her eyes and looked at me. I had to drive, but I kept her hand in mine as I pulled into the intersection. The idea of anything happening to them left a knot in my stomach and I had to focus on my words. I told myself that it happened at a beach and someone would have been there to help. I would have helped. We got back to the house, and I carried Ella up to her bed while Riley collected the trash from the car.
When she was tucked in and her door closed, I hurried downstairs to the kitchen where Riley was. I needed her right now. I wanted to be inside of her and I pressed my body against hers at the sink where she was rinsing sippy cups. She froze, and I kissed her neck softly, gripping her hair with one hand. Riley let out a breath and turned towards me slowly, gazing into my eyes. I kissed her, tilting my head so I could taste her mouth as she parted her lips. I dragged her against me, my erection.
“I need to have you now.” I told her as she pulled away to look at me.
Riley looked behind us and I moved her to a part of the counter that she could sit on. We both ripped her shorts down and I slipped my own clothes off before lifting her to the counter. I didn’t give a fuck that the maid was just here. Riley kissed me as I slid inside, gasping her name. I fucked her in a way that I never had before, still holding her close. I just needed the physical proof that she was okay. She let me, holding on tight as I gave her all my stress from today. Riley came first, crying out my name hoarsely as I followed her.
“Fuck, I needed that,” I moaned as I stilled, holding her close to me. Eventually, we slipped back to the floor, and she went to the downstairs bathroom with her shorts to clean up. When she came out, I went in and got dressed before coming back out. Riley was drinking water, her hair messy from the sex and I took her in with a smile.
“Feel better?” She turned to look at me and I ran a hand through my hair. I opened my mouth to speak but stayed quiet, scared of the thoughts in my head.
“Much. That was stressful.” I reached for a beer in the fridge and popped it open, taking a long sip before she asked what I wanted to do for dinner. We decided to grill some chicken and veggies, staying home for the rest of the day.
Chapter 19: Riley
The week passed with days spent with Ella and nights spent in Nathan’s bed. I got attached quickly and had trouble thinking of sleeping without him. The day at the beach had frightened me, making me wonder if I was good enough to take care of Ella. He reassured me with words and actions, calming me down enough to get ready for dinner on Friday with my family. I went to buy steaks and chicken for the guys to cook outside and a bag of salad to mix together. Emery was bringing dessert, and I cleaned up lightly as Ella played in the living room.
They were arriving just after Nathan and I changed into a long, loose skirt and tank before getting Ella into a cotton dress. I knew the kids would play hard, but I wanted her to look cute as well.
I was getting bottles of wine from that fridge when Nathan walked in. He kissed me and then picked up Ella, telling her how beautiful she was. Nathan went upstairs to change into shorts and a t-shirt as I checked to make sure everything was ready to go. I heard the house phone ring and answered it, letting them in as warmth filled me. Ella was upstairs with her dad and I walked
to the door to open it, throwing my arms around James first. I walked with them to the kitchen, a niece in each arm before Emery put down the pie and I could hug her.
James and Emery both gushed about the house, walking around as Nathan came down the stairs with Ella in his arms. She screamed when she saw the girls and he let her down, watching her run towards them with a smile on his face.
“You must be James and Emery. I’m Nathan. It’s great to have you here.” His smile was warm, and he looked happy as I watched their exchange.
“This is a beautiful house. What a great place for her to grow up.” Emery smiled towards the girls as Nathan nodded and looked pointedly at me.
