Page 151 of Never In My Wildest Dreams

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he kissed her cheek. “I’m not used to shacking up with someone. I like it.” He peeled back the towel, exposing skin rosy from the heat of a shower. “You know what else I like?”

Lifting her arms, she let it drop. “I might have some idea.”

Damn, he loved when she got all seductive like that. That sexy smile, those feminine curves. He filled his palms with her breasts and kissed her sweetly scented neck.

“Mommy, Mommy, Mommy, yookit.” Stevie’s feet pounded in the hallway. “Yook what Gampa gibbed me.”

He quickly snatched up the towel, and Hellcat had just enough time to cover herself before Stevie raced into the bathroom.

“Yookit.” When Stevie saw him, her eyes brightened. “Come on, Mister. We pway.” She held out a packaged pool float.

Kneeling, he examined the large flamingo head rising out of a pink ring. He lifted the brim of her floppy canvas hat to see her eyes. “Want me to blow it up?”

“Yes, pease.”

“Okay.” He stood. “Let’s do it outside.”

As they headed out of the bathroom, Hellcat said, “You better finish what you started.”

“Count on it.” He broke into a slow smile. “Pace yourself the rest of the day. Tonight, you’re all mine.”

In her pink and white-checked swimsuit with eyelet trim, Stevie stomped her little flip-flop-clad feet. “Pease, Mister? Pway wif me?”

There was zero chance he’d say no to that request. “You got it.”

But when they got to the pool area, Stevie noticed the kids playing in the sandbox and quickly ran over to them. The dads sat off to the side, letting the children do their own thing, but Booker wanted to be with his daughter.

So, he grabbed a water bottle, poured some in the sand and, together, they made cakes. With her already rosy cheeks, he was glad for the umbrella sheltering them. High altitude sun was no joke.

They played for about twenty minutes before she brushed the hair off her face with the back of her hand. Sand stuck to the sunscreen. “Mister?”

“Yeah, pumpkin?”

“I firsty.”

“I’ll bet you are.” He glanced at the other dads. “You mind watching her while I grab us some drinks?”

“Yeah, of course,” one of them said.

“Water good?” Booker asked.

Both men nodded in agreement.

“You got it.” As he got a handful of bottles from the cooler, he noticed Hellcat talking to the bartender. He and the chef had done an outstanding job with the food and cocktails so far. It made him happy to know these guys were right nearby. They were big, muscular bikers who might look menacing but seemed to have a soft spot for Hellcat.

She must’ve felt his eyes on her because she glanced over. When their gazes caught, a zing of excitement shot through him. They shared a smile, a secret knowledge of what they meant to each other.

Happiness rocketed through. But no, he was mistaken. It wasn’t happiness. It was even better.

It’s contentment.

I love this life.

I love everything about it.

As he approached the sandbox, he noticed Stevie playing with the other two kids. He heard the boy ask Stevie, “Where’s your daddy?”

Curiosity got hold of him. He had no idea how she’d answer that.

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