Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Sam
“So how are things with the new roommate, Mrs. Robinson?”
Pausing with her after-work cocktail halfway to her lips, Sam glared at the grinning woman seated across from her. “Do not call me that.”
Emma only smiled wider and sipped her own drink, her eyes sparkling with delight. “But you’re so cute when you’re riled.”
“And you’re a fucking brat.”
“Guilty as charged.” Setting her drink aside, Emma leaned on the table, her expression sobering. “But seriously. How are things? You spent the weekend in Atlanta together. How’d that go?”
“Amazing. He took me to the aquarium and paid for us to hang out with the sharks and sting rays.”
“Well that’s really fucking cool. And we love a man who makes plans.”
“It was genuinely one of the greatest moments of my entire life. I got to pet a shark. And a giant stingray. I was in heaven.”
“So… why do you look so grumpy?”
“I’m not grumpy.”
“Tell that to your face.”
Lifting her drink with one hand, she flipped Emma the bird with the other. Daddy couldn’t punish her for swearing if she didn’t actually say the words, right?
She didn’t think he’d actually buy that excuse, and the thought of confessing her supposed sins sent the butterflies in her stomach dancing. Which was ridiculous. She was a grown woman, if she wanted to drop a few f-bombs when she was hanging out with her friends, that was her right.
But the silent lecture did nothing to calm the butterflies.
“Real talk, Sam,” Emma pressed, her mouth dipping down into a frown. “What’s wrong? Did something happen after the aquarium? Do I need to go hunt this guy down and bust his kneecaps?”
“Jesus, Em. First of all, no, because we’re not in the freaking mob. Second of all, no, because he didn’t do anything wrong. Not really.”
“Not really?”
“Okay, not at all. I’m just being weird.”
“About?”
She hesitated, taking another drink to give herself a moment to think. This wasn’t information she’d share with just anyone but, well, if she couldn’t tell Emma then she couldn’t tell anyone.
And she really fucking needed to tell someone.
“We had sex. And before you ask, it was incredible. All three times that night, and again the next morning.”
Eyes wide, Emma leaned back in her chair. “Cheers to younger men with stamina, holy shit.”
“Right? I’m not sure I’ve ever been this sore. Or this happy.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“After the first time, he told me I’m the only woman he’s ever been with. And the only one he ever wants to be with.”
“You popped his cherry?”
“Do you have to be so crude about it?”
“Yes.” The grin returned to Emma’s face. “It’s part of my charm.”
Sam rolled her eyes. “I suppose it is. And yes, apparently I did pop his cherry. He said he’s been attracted to other people before, but nobody’s ever ‘been an itch under his skin, the burning in his veins’ like I have so he never acted on it.”
There was some satisfaction in watching Emma’s jaw literally drop. “Where the hell did you find this guy? And where do I get one?”
“I’m not sure they make them like him. Pretty sure they broke the freaking mold, as the saying goes.”
“At the risk of repeating myself, why the hell do you look so upset? He sounds fucking incredible.”
“He is. He’s hot and smart as hell and funny and thoughtful and I don’t know what the hell he sees in me.”
Emma blinked, then stared. “Are you kidding me right now?”
“No. I’m his best friend’s fat, middle-aged mom. He’s a young, sexy, talented scientist working for one of the largest biotech firms in the world. He could have anyone he wants. Why the hell does he want me?”
“Umm… let’s see. You are also gorgeous and smart and funny and thoughtful, so as far as I’m concerned you’re on equal footing there. You’re also one of the best people I know and any man, regardless of age, would be lucky as fuck to have you.”
“You have to say that. You’re my friend.”
“But when have you ever known me to blow smoke up your ass?”
“Never,” Sam admitted with a sigh. “It’s just hard to see myself that way, I guess. I haven’t been with anyone, not seriously since Ethan’s father and I split up. And he sure as hell didn’t see me as any of those things.”
“So you’re going to let that asshole rob you of something really great because he was too oblivious to see what was right in front of his face?”
Was that what she was doing? Letting that one bad experience—which had been admittedly really freaking awful—keep her from finding happiness with anyone else? “I hadn’t really thought of it that way before.”
“Well, maybe you should start. Or stop. Whatever way you want to look at it that ends with you embracing your inherent badassness and getting your freak on with the hot-as-fuck guy currently living in your house.”
Dylan
He’d resisted the urge to text her a hundred times while she was out with her friend. But they were closing in on two hours since she’d gotten off work and he hadn’t heard a peep from her. A little check-in wasn’t too much, right?
Dylan:
Hope you’re having fun, baby. Don’t forget to drink some water.
Not that he was overly worried about her drinking too much since she was driving home, and while she might be a brat she wasn’t reckless enough to drive under the influence. But now she’d know he was thinking about her and she’d remember who he was.
She’d remember he was her Daddy.
Which was something he was determined to remind her of as often as humanly possible, in as many small ways as he could manage.
Ever since he’d had that moment of clarity in Atlanta where he’d realized how tightly she was clinging to whatever shred of control she could, he’d made it his personal mission to pry every last vestige of it from her.
The how was turning out to be a bit trickier than he’d anticipated.
There were certain parts of her life he didn’t feel comfortable taking control of, such as her work situation.
As much as he wanted to step in, to tell her it was a toxic environment and she needed to find something else, he also didn’t want her to feel like he was trying to control her entire life.
Even if part of him wanted to do exactly that.
He loved how independent she was. How strong and resilient she was.
But he also wanted to give her a life where she didn’t have to be those things. Where she could rely on him for everything.
Maybe the key was to start small. Force her to give up control of things that didn’t matter all that much in the long run. So she could learn to trust him with the bigger things when the time came.
From the couch beside him, his phone buzzed and his heart did a little jump at the thought of seeing her name on his screen even if it was just for her to tell him he was being ridiculous.
But it wasn’t her name in his messages, and his stomach immediately twisted into a guilty knot as he scanned the incoming message notification.
Ethan:
Just checking in, making sure Mom’s not driving you crazy.
Fuck. He still hadn’t gotten around to telling Ethan about the change in his and Sam’s relationship, mostly because he didn’t want Ethan freaking out and scaring Sam off.
And because Sam deserved to be a part of that conversation.
Being her Daddy didn’t mean making decisions that impacted her relationship with her family without including her in those decisions.
But Ethan was his best friend, and he hated keeping secrets—especially such a huge one—from him. He’d have to talk to Sam soon, see how she wanted to handle it.
For now, he’d have to put his own guilt aside and talk to Ethan just like he would if nothing had changed.
Dylan:
Not in the least. She’s pretty cool to hang out with, actually.
There. Not the whole truth, but no outright lies, either. And he could start laying the groundwork, letting Ethan know he actually really enjoyed Sam’s company without telling him everything that was going on.
Ethan:
Really? Sure she’s not driving you crazy? You can tell me, I won’t be mad.
You definitely would be if I told you the truth.
Dylan:
She’s not driving me crazy at all. She's not even home right now.
Ethan:
What? She got a date or something?
Dylan:
No, just drinks with her friend Emma.
Ethan:
Oh, good. Kinda weird to think of my mom dating anyone. I gotta go but I’ll check back in again later, don’t let her boss you around too much.
Well, if he thought it was weird for his mom to be dating anyone, he was going to lose his mind when he found out who was spending the nights in her bed.
Ugh.
Ignoring the growing pit of unease in his stomach, he tapped out a final message.
Dylan:
I’ll try. Later
Crisis averted, for the time being at least. But that last text brought him right back to where he’d been before Ethan had messaged him.
Figuring out how to wrest those remnants of control from his babygirl’s iron grip.