Page 20 of Wolfish Desire
“Oh, I like it. Far too much, actually.” As I snuggle into his arms, he chuckles deeply. “It’s just with all these windows, the squirrels are going to be checking out my gorgeous hottie.”
He grabs my ass firmly, then captures my lips in a smoldering kiss that sends fire through my stomach and down my inner thighs. How can this man literally make my knees wobble in less than thirty seconds, and when I’ve barely had two sips of coffee?
My hand reaches down to grab his ass firmly. “The squirrels will also be seeing how hot you are. I think these pants look even better when you’re shirtless.”
I love the way Kingston’s chest quivers when he laughs. He begins to turn me in a slow circle, as if we were dancing. Then he quickly shoves me behind him and straightens up.
An all-too-familiar voice calls from the foyer. “Good morning! Not interrupting anything, am I?”
Dad.
How the…
I bolt up the stairs. No matter what this is about, it’ll be worse if he sees me barely dressed. While I throw on a t-shirt and jeans, I listen to Kingston speaking to Dad like they know each other.
This isso awkward.
Since Dad arranged this rental, it makes sense that he would have the code to the front door. Still, he could at least knock.
With all the Charlotte golf courses barely two hours away, I should have known he might use visiting me as an excuse to come to the area. Once again, I feel like a teenager, terrified of my father’s judgement.
I guess there’s no way to camouflage what kind of situation this is. What if Dad tells me to leave right now? I could probably pay for the rental for another few weeks myself, but Riggs as Dad’s acquaintance might tell me to leave.
Ugh. Hiding up here for much longer will probably make things worse.
I grab Kingston’s shirt and head back downstairs to see him handing Dad a coffee and laughing about some tech company they both know.
“Anyone who calls themselves ‘a consortium’ is probably full of shit,” Dad snorts, blowing on his coffee. Then he turns to me, amusement dancing in his eyes. “Morning, sweetpea.”
“Good morning. Um, what are you doing here?”
He shrugs. “Riggs contacted me to ask whether I approved of the extension to this rental you asked about. I wondered what the heck you were doing that would require several more weeks out here in the woods.” There’s a slight smirk as he nods towards Kingston. “But now I know.”
My face bursts into flames and my only wish is for a sinkhole to open up in front of me so I can throw myself into it. I would have expected Kingston simply to run, but his arms wrap aroundme as he whispers, “Do you want me to stay and help sort this out, baby? Or would it be easier if I left? It’s your call.”
He meets my eyes, waiting for my answer, looking happy to wait forever. As if my father and their business connection don’t mean a thing to him. As if all that matters in the world right now is my comfort.
It’s like a key fitting into a lock in my heart. Kingston and I are completely hot for each other, that’s obvious. But he also desires my contentment. He wants all of me to be happy, not just my body.
“Thank you, but I can take care of it,” I whisper, handing him his shirt. “I’ll text you later.”
His lips drift across my forehead, the tiniest whisper of a kiss. Then he casually slips on his shirt, half buttons it, and takes a last large swig of coffee. “Sorry I can’t stay for breakfast. I’ve got some business with my brothers to attend to.”
He turns to shake my father’s hand firmly. “Always great to see you, Mr. Cushing. Hope to see you down at the Vegas tech conference this winter.”
“We’ll probably speak before then, I would imagine.” Dad’s expression is difficult to read, but he forces a smile as Kingston waves goodbye and leaves.
Once we’re alone, I sit down across the table from him and take a sip of coffee, trying to steady my nerves.
“So, I see why you want to stay here longer—” he begins.
“He’s a big reason, yes. But also, you know how I love making natural arrangements for Chloe’s house designs.”
Dad openly scoffs. “You mean her genius habit of painting everything white, then adding one weird chair in a garish neon color? Sierra, your arrangements with all the branches and stones and stuff are the only interesting elements to her ‘designs’.”
It’s hard to keep my mouth closed. I didn’t know Dad paid any attention to what we did. “Thanks. Well, I was thinking about continuing that. There are a lot of tourists here that would like to take home a little artistic arrangement from the forest.”
“That sounds charming. It also sounds like a great excuse to stay here longer while you both fall in love.”
