Page 54 of Worth the Risk

“Yeah.”

“Do you make good pancakes?”

“You’ll have to judge that for yourself. When are you off next?”

“Monday. I swapped days with one of the other waitresses who had a thing.”

“Perfect,” he practically purred, the sound of content making her smile. “You can judge for yourself on Tuesday morning after spending the night in my bed. Pack a bag and come over tomorrow evening around seven, after the kids leave. I’ll text the address.”

Nowhere in what he said was there a question or polite invitation; it was an order. But she didn’t mind because she wanted to be at his house, waking in his arms, anticipating pancakes after a night of passion—no remote orgasms allowed. Things were progressing fast between them. That was a little scary, but she’d never felt as connected with someone as with Dan, so she whispered, “I can’t wait.”

Chapter 12

MAKING DINNER WASN’Tpart of the plan, but here he was, browning a pound of ground beef he was lucky to have found in the freezer for the taco kit he forgot he had in the cupboard.

Allison had messaged that she was running late picking up the kids. Big surprise. He could count on one hand how often she’d been on time since sharing custody. She always wanted to change the negotiated schedule for her convenience, but he had a job that wasn’t conducive to flexibility, and he refused to shave off a few minutes of what little time he had with the kids.

“Cade! Emily! Let’s eat!” Dan shouted from the bottom of the stairs. A second later, he heard one of them running. Likely his boy because, at thirteen and practically growing before his eyes, Caden was an eating machine.

He headed back to the kitchen, glancing at the clock on his way.

Having them an extra hour wouldn’t have been a problem most nights, but tonight he was expecting Bella. He was stoked about seeing her after four long days. What he didn’t need was for his much younger girlfriend to meet his kids and his bitch of an ex-wife as a surprise on the same night.

Not that he and Bella had anything to hide, but he didn’t want to spring her on his kids on their way out the door. Planning and finessing the first meet and greet were imperative to them getting along, and he’d rather shield Bella from their mom until the end of time.

As he got plates, silverware, and cups of ice and brought them to the table, he couldn’t help but reflect on the disaster his marriage had been from the start. They’d met when he was still new to the lifestyle. He knew what he wanted in the bedroom and thought it was what Allison wanted, too, but it seemed as soon as the ink dried on the marriage license, she did a complete about-face.

Where she’d been adventurous in the bedroom while dating, after theI dosshe turned into a nun. Hearing his two children’s feet on the hardwood in the living room, he had to admit that was an exaggeration. But she refused to consider anything close to kinky and, worse, she didn’t have a submissive bone in her body. Compromise wasn’t in her vocabulary. They clashed constantly, made each other miserable, and everything had fallen apart.

With Bella, everything was different. There was a spark between them, an instant connection, and, despite her denials, she was submissive and willing to explore with him. Most important, he felt alive with her like he never had with Allison.

“Taco Tuesday!” Caden cheered as he skidded through the kitchen door in his sock feet.

“Where’s your sister?” Dan asked.

“I’m here, Daddy,” she said, making a much calmer entrance compared to her brother.

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