Baby for my Dad's Best Friend (Seaport Billionaires #2)

12. Austin

12

AUSTIN

A knot forms in my gut when I walk into the kitchen and find Kaylee under Tom’s arm.

For an instant, I think about walking over there and ripping her away, but then I quickly remind myself that she isn’t mine.

If there’s anyone on this crew she should date, it’s probably Tom.

He’s the closest to her age, and he’s a nice guy.

The rest of the crew is either too old or too horny.

I’ve overheard them with her all week.

They all flirt with her, hit on her, or check her out every time she walks by.

I’m not the only guy on the crew who’s sporting a boner when she leaves a room. There’s something about her that none of us can resist.

She’s sweet and funny, and she drips innocence.

Maybe it’s her long blonde curls and big blue eyes, or maybe it’s because she teaches second grade.

She’s sexy as hell, too, giving off naughty-librarian vibes.

She might look innocent, but I know she’s willing to get dirty.

And because of that, it’s been one hell of a week of avoiding her at every turn.

I can’t get her off my mind.

I try to avoid her at work, but in turn, I end up thinking about her.

When I leave work, my mind is still back in the yard where I had her pinned against the side of the house, begging me to fuck her.

She haunts my dreams, too.

She’s reached inside of me, her hand wrapped tightly around the beast’s throat.

The more that side of me wants her, the weaker I get.

I’m not a saint.

I can only hold back so long.

And when I walk into work and find every guy on my crew drooling over her, it’s throwing gasoline on the fire that burns within me.

I get the guys back to work and watch her walk out the back door from the corner of my eye.

I’m not sure how far along she is on the cabinet doors. I don’t trust myself to go out and check.

The last time I tried to help her ended badly, so now I’m keeping my distance.

I’ve been keeping my head down and staying busy on gutting the downstairs bathroom for the past hour or so.

I wipe the sweat from my brow with the backside of my arm, and that’s when I notice how quiet the house is.

What in the hell are those guys up to?

A construction site should never be quiet.

I step out of the small room and walk through the living room, peeking into the kitchen, but there’s not a guy in sight.

I move up the stairs, sticking my head in the master bedroom, and that’s where I find them grouped around the window.

There are only supposed to be two guys in here, ripping out the master bath.

There should be two more in the other upstairs bathroom, and everyone else should be downstairs, checking the wiring, sanding floors, and sealing cracks and gaps in the floors, walls, and ceilings.

Yet, everyone is in this one room, huddled around the window, looking into the backyard. What is so interesting out there?

“Damn, she sure is nice to look at,” Chase says.

“I dare one of you to go after her with the hose. I’m dying to see that bikini top all wet,” Axel replies.

“You think she’s single?” Mark asks.

Chase scoffs. “She wouldn’t go out with your ass. If anyone here is asking her out, it’s going to be me.”

“Fuck you,” Axel says.

“What the hell are you guys doing?” I ask, letting my jealousy get the best of me.

They all jump and spin around.

As they stammer a handful of pathetic excuses, I tell them to get their asses back to work, moving deeper into the room so they can exit through the door.

When everyone is gone, I step to the window and look down.

There’s Kaylee, wearing a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a hot-pink string bikini top.

Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and she has a pair of headphones on as she works, oblivious to what’s going on around her.

Shaking my head at myself, I turn and march from the room, down the steps, and out the back door.

Her shirt is hanging over the handrail on the back steps, so I grab it as I move down them.

She must notice me approaching from the corner of her eye, because she looks up and moves her headphones around her neck.

I toss her shirt at her. “Are you aware that you’re out here, halfway naked in front of a bunch of horny construction workers?”

Her brows knit, and her mouth falls open.

“If you want this house done before summer is over, I suggest you keep your clothes on so you’re not distracting my guys.”

Without another word, I turn and walk back into the house, not giving her a chance to respond.

I’m done with today.

I can’t walk around here and ignore her any longer, and I won’t be able to keep my mouth shut if I hear another one of the guys say something about taking her out.

I find Chase and Axel, give them orders to keep the crew in line, and leave early.

It’s Friday, and I’m more than ready to get my weekend started. I need a distraction.

I go home, shower, and get dressed.

My stomach starts to growl, and I’d like a stiff drink, so I drive to the local bar and grill to have some dinner.

I sit at the bar and order a beer while I look over the menu.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Erica says, slipping onto the barstool to my right.

I offer her a friendly smile as I reach for my beer. “How have you been?”

She flings her long, blonde hair over her shoulder as she smiles up at me. “Same old. What brings you out?”

I hold up my menu. “Needed dinner.”

The bartender steps up and takes Erica’s drink order.

When she brings it back, I place my order. I wanted a distraction, but this isn’t what I had in mind.

“What are you doing out alone?” I ask, hoping she tells me she’s meeting friends or a date so I won’t be stuck with her all evening.

She shrugs, picks up her drink, and takes a sip. “Didn’t have any plans, so I figured I’d come out and see what I could get into.”

She crosses her legs and turns on her barstool so her body is angled toward mine.

She rests her elbow on the back of her seat as her hand moves to comb her fingers through my hair. Her touch feels good. “What do you say we skip dinner and leave together?”

And there it is.

I tilt my head away. She gets the hint and lets her hand fall back to her lap.

“I thought I explained myself during our last dinner?” I don’t bother looking at her.

“Just because we don’t have a future doesn’t mean that we can’t hook up from time to time. That is the only good thing the two of us are good at, and you know it.”

I take a sip of my beer. “Erica,” I breathe out her name before turning and looking at her. “You’re beautiful, and you’re kind. You deserve more than just letting me use you for sex.”

She frowns at that. “Maybe I’m using you for sex. Did you ever think of that?”

I nod. “I have, but that’s another reason why I said the things I did. I’m done with all that. We have nothing to share anymore. We’re not dating, we have nothing in common, and the physical side of things is over, too.”

She leans in to whisper. “I don’t know why you suddenly think you’re better than me. We’re the same person. We’ll never let ourselves be happy in a healthy relationship. That’s why we got together in the first place, so don’t try and make me feel like I’m a whore just because you suddenly got a conscience.” She nips my earlobe and anger swells in my chest.

I turn so we’re nearly nose to nose.

“That was not my intention, but since you can’t take no for an answer, I’ll spell it out for you: I’m no longer interested in what you have to offer. Stop embarrassing yourself and leave me alone.”

She rolls her eyes, picks up her drink, and stands, walking to the other side of the bar.

I breathe a sigh of relief.

I needed to get away from her as soon as possible.

Kaylee has kept me wound tightly this week.

I know all I’ll need is a few more drinks and I’ll be willing to let Erica have her way just to let off some steam.

I don’t need to keep getting involved with her; it gives her the wrong impression.

It makes her think that she can come to me any time for a booty call, and that’s not the way I want to live my life anymore.

I finish my beer just as Dave walks in.

My food is placed in front of me just as he takes the stool that Erica abandoned. “How’s it going, buddy?” he asks.

I nod, popping a fry into my mouth. “Pretty good. How have you been?”

He orders a beer and tells the waitress he’s picking up an order.

“Things are great. How are things coming along at the house? I hope Kay isn’t getting in the way.”

I chuckle. “She’s fine. The guys seem to get a little distracted, but I think it’s good that she wants to do all the work she can. You raised her right.”

I feel sick to my stomach.

I’m praising the way he raised his daughter, the same one I’ve been thinking about while jacking off all week.

The same one I just had my fingers buried in while I kept her pinned against the side of the house he grew up in.

He chuckles. “She’s great. By far the most responsible of my three children. Although, Kinsley is spending her summer doing an internship, and Parker is working full-time at the factory outside of town. Kay is busting her butt to get back on her feet. I just wish the other two would follow in her footsteps. I can’t remember the last time I was alone in my house with my wife.” He chuckles.

“Yeah, she told me a little about how she wound up living back there.”

He rolls his eyes. “That little bastard better hope I never catch him. I’ve wanted to snap his neck for years. I knew he wasn’t good enough for her.”

Seeing his anger makes me realize that if I’m not careful, it’ll end up directed at me one of these days.

This is the kind of reminder I need, at least until I get this job finished and no longer have to be around her again.