Page 14 of His Red Carnation

My jaw clenched involuntarily. “I want you. It’s just…it can’t be a thing.”As much as I fucking want it to be.

Her smile faltered, and the silence stretched between us. I wiped the cum off my hand into my boxer briefs and tossed them aside.

“I can keep a secret if you can,” she finally murmured.

I shook my head. “It’s too risky, Sloane.”

I swear I saw her eyes glisten.

“My dad’s too busy to notice anything,” she countered softly.

I sighed, shaking my head again. “Maybe. But everyone else won’t be as busy.”

She bit her lip, glancing away. “Are you married or something?”

I let out a laugh, the idea absurd.Yeah fucking right.

“No, baby, I’m not married,” I finally answered.

Her expression hardened. “Fine. I’ll make you change your mind. You’ll see,” she said with determination. “Meet me here tomorrow morning. I need another ride.”

* * *

I sat in the yellow oval room with Jake and Ana the next morning. I was tense—having to look Jake in the eye after fucking his daughter the night before had my conscience weighing heavily.

“I hope Sloane hasn’t been too much of a handful.” Jake laughed. “She’s a good girl. But she is very determined to get her way. I heard she made you take her to Crepeaway last night.”

My heart sank, and I cleared my throat, forcing a laugh. “It hasn’t been a problem. She’s…she’s a sweet kid.” My face heatedup as I glanced at Ana, only to catch her giving me a knowing look.

“Good. I just worry, you know? Now that she’s eighteen, I don’t want people to think…fuck, I don’t know. I don’t want her to be taken advantage of,” Jake continued.

I nodded, taking a quick sip of my coffee. “I get that.”

I could hardly look him in the eye; this was the man who’d saved my life when we were SEALs, and I’d repaid him by fucking his daughter.

“She’s going to tour Georgetown University today. We’d love to go with her, but we have to leave for Hiroshima for the summit meeting,” Ana chimed in, resting her hand on Jake’s thigh.

Jake glanced between Ana and me. “She’s interested in women’s and gender studies,” he added proudly. “Just like Ana.”

Ana smiled and shrugged. “I know she wants to get far away from D.C. Berkeley is her top choice. You’ll probably have to take her there this spring too,” she added.

I was too afraid to ask, but I did anyway. “Has she graduated high school?” Eighteen or not, if she was still in high school, I was going to flip the fuck out.

“She finished school early in the fall. She won’t officially graduate until next month,” Ana explained.

I blinked, nodding, not sure how to process that.

Jake looked over my shoulder. “Someone’s ears must have been burning.”

I turned, and my stomach dropped. Sloane walked into the room, wearing a white crochet crop top and ripped jean shorts that clung to every curve. The same white Converse she wore while we fucked last night stood planted firmly next to me.

“Good morning, baby.” Ana reached out to squeeze Sloane’s hand.

“Good morning,” she said to her parents, then turned to me with a smile. “Hey.”

“Good morning.” I smiled back, keeping my expression polite as I willed myself to stay calm.

“I was just telling Callan that he’ll be keeping an eye on you while Daddy and I are in Japan for a few days,” Ana explained.

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