Page 64 of Rebound

I grin at the memory, and I don’t bother apologizing. He showed up at the hotel where I worked because Aiden called him. When he introduced us, I shook his hand and wiped mine off after.

“Ask,” he says.

“What happened to Jasmine’s mother?”

The spoon stops halfway to his mouth. He blinks twice and looks at me, then he shoves the spoon in his mouth. After about another minute he sighs. “She passed away,” is all he says.

“I know that. I heard from Jeannie, but what happened? She was young and young people don’t just drop dead. Was she in an accident? Was she sick?’

“I honestly don’t know. I don’t think she was sick,” he says. “I got a call from her sister, Brandi, a few days after she passed. Brandi’s the one who told me to keep Barbara away from Jasmine.”

“Who is Barbara?” I ask.

“Jasmine’s maternal grandmother. She’s a pain in the ass and demanded that I let her raise my kid, and when I told her no, she called me all kinds of names. I thought it was grief and that after some time, I would call her so she could at least see Jasmine. She came over once and said she was there to take her home. She started calling her Charlotte, which was Jasmine’s mother’s name. I asked her to leave. I got a text from Brandi reminding me that I shouldn’t let her mom near Jasmine. I took her advice and that was that.”

I don’t know what else to say about that, so I drop it. I extend my hand to him and he takes it.

“You’re a good father,” is all I say. He sits up and looks at me without letting my hand go. “You are.”

He gets serious, leans back in his seat, and says, “Yeah, you’re right.” He nods and I roll my eyes. “It’s a complicated scientific formula that I use.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t think there was a formula for parenting.”

“There is. You’re not smart enough to figure it out though.” When I laugh he says, “If you doubt me, refer back to my report cards. Anyway, the formula is this. I’ll simplify it for you andyour average brain. I ask myself, what would my father do, and I do the opposite of that. It works every single time. Go figure.” I look at him and we both burst into laughter. I don’t have it in me to offer any words in defense of Pete today.

“That’s probably a good strategy,” is all I can think to say between giggles. He tugs on my arm and gestures for me to come to him. I do, and he pulls me onto his lap.

“You’re pretty,” he whispers, and I blush. I’ve been told that before, but it’s usually from a family member. “And you’re sweet too, even though you can be a real bully with a big mouth most of the time,” he says. He pulls my dress to the side and kisses my shoulder. “And you’re really good with Jasmine.”

“Jasmine’s a doll,” is all I can think to say. He kisses and gently bites my shoulder. I can feel myself start to moisten at the feel of him. He swells underneath me, and all I can do is hope Jasmine falls asleep soon so I can have my way with him.

“And you take this dick like a champion.”

I gasp at his crassness. He throws his head back and laughs like it’s the funniest thing.

“You’re so disgusting,” I say as I try to get up, but he tightens his hold around me.

He stands with me still in his arms, and once I’m on my feet he pins me against the railing of the balcony, pressing his body into mine. He puts his hands on my shoulders and slowly slides them down my arms until he gets to my hands, and we intertwine our fingers. I look up into his eyes, and he looks down at me.

I marvel at how good-looking he is and how vibrant his eyes are. I look down, but he lets go of one of my hands and puts a finger under my chin. He tilts my face back up, and I make eye contact with him again. I don’t know why, but I feel a blush spread over my entire body. This man has seen me naked. He’shad his head between my legs. He’s had me bent over while he fucks me and slaps my ass, but this moment here is the most intimate of my life. This moment, where we’re outside, fully dressed with his child only a few feet away. This moment with his body pressed against mine and our hands meshed together. I can feel the beat of his heart against my body. I can smell him and boy does he smell good. He lets go of my hands, and I rein in my disappointment, but then he wraps both his arms around me and holds me firm against his body. I press my face to his chest and give in to the hug. There’s music down below, and we both start to sway.

I look up, and he smiles down at me, and I do the same to him. The entire time, we never stop swaying. Not until Jasmine starts to hit the sliding glass door. Seth breaks the hug, but he takes one of my hands before he opens the door, and Jasmine comes out. She wraps herself around one of her daddy’s legs, and he lets go of my hand to pick her up.

“Ugh,” he says, making a face. “Someone needs a diaper change.” He tries to hand her to me, but I run away.

“I’ll let you handle that one,” I say as I run to the master bedroom to shower and change.

Chapter 38

Seth

After giving Jasmine a second bath due to a diaper explosion, I give her warm milk and rock her to sleep. I finally tiptoe out of the room and return to the master bedroom. Layla’s in bed, wearing a big pair of glasses and flipping through the TV channels. I peel off my shirt and take the fastest hot shower of my life. I dry off with a towel, but I don’t bother with pajamas.

She’s in the middle of the California King when I return.

“Do you think Her Royal Highness can move from the middle of the bed so I can get in?” She turns my way, and I’m sure she has a flippant response ready for me, but no words come out of her open mouth. All she does is stare at my naked body. Her eyes travel from my chest to my semi-hard dick. I wrap my hand around it and give it a good tug. She gasps as if she’s a virginal prude and looks away, but she slides over so that I can get in bed with her.

She’s in a pair of shorts and a matching short-sleeved button-down shirt. The pajamas are an ugly floral print, but I keep my mouth shut about that. Once I get comfortable in the bed, I pull the glasses off her face and put them on mine.

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