5. Jenson
5
Jenson
When the doorbell rings I’m expecting it to be some irritating salesman at the other side that we seem to be inundated with at the moment. I panic when I see Amelia rush towards the door because those men could be anyone. I hate that I get so paranoid, but I can’t help it, my protective nature knows no bounds when it comes to my daughter. What I’m not expecting when I pull the curtain back to reveal who’s standing at our front door is Leah. Only, she doesn't look a bit like I remember because gone are the tiny gardening clothes she was barely covered by this morning, and in their place is a cute little dress which looks like something I might put Amelia in. My stomach twists as I’m reminded of how young my new next-door neighbour is and just how inappropriate my sudden crush is.
“It’s Leah,” Amelia squeals excitedly when she joins me at the window. “Quick, let’s invite her in for Cinderella.”
Amelia’s gone before I get the chance to make an excuse and when I catch up with her, she’s already at the front door twisting the key.
Glancing down at myself, I realise I should probably tell Amelia to wait and button up my shirt but ever hopeful that Leah might see something she likes, much like I do every time I’ve laid my eyes on her, I push the thought aside and pull the door wide.
My breath catches the moment my gaze lands on her. She looked beautiful through the window but being right in front of her is so much more intense. Her eyes hold mine and her lips curl up in a slightly shy smile before she holds her hand out and shows me something that gets me even more excited. A bag of veg!
I get a little overexcited about the fresh produce she’s brought around for me. She can’t possibly know my obsession with food from the few minutes we spent together this morning, so it’s either a good guess or she needed an excuse to come back. I like to think it’s the latter of the two options, but fuck knows why. I’m a single dad to a little girl who single-handedly embarrassed both of us only hours ago. Why would she risk coming back?
My obsession with the veg gets the better of me and I soon end up showing my inner food geek by relaying my detailed knowledge about the Birds Eye chilli, much to Leah’s amusement.
Thankfully my daughter rescues me, but in true Amelia style she manages to cause even more embarrassment when she insists that Leah does a twirl in her dress and she ends up flashing us both with her bare arse.
The second the fabric lifts and reveals her smooth, flawless, peachy arse, my mouth waters and I find myself biting down on my bottom lip, wondering how it might feel if it was her arse. My cock swells and I feel like a fucking teenager again getting his first look at a naked woman. It’s only her arse, Jenson. Get a grip.
“Shit... fuck. Oh my god, I’m so sorry. I should go. Shit. Grrr.”
Leah goes to take a step back, but I take pity on her, or at least that’s what I tell myself as I try to ignore the disappointment that floods me as I consider her leaving so soon.
“Wait,” I call. “Would you like to come in?”
“Yes,” Amelia squeals, “We’re about to watch Cinderella before I have to go to bed.” I don’t need to look at my daughter to know the end of that sentence came with an eye roll. “Daddy can make you one of his magical hot chocolates.”
The mention of chocolate seems to perk Leah back up a little, although it’s not enough for her to agree.
“Oh no, I shouldn’t intrude. I’ve got plenty to be doing.”
“Are you going out?” I ask, realising that she’s dressed up like she should be. “Date?”
Her cheeks flush. “Oh, no. I just... uh... my mum bought this for me so I wanted to…” she trails off and I feel awful. She’s already been through enough and between the two of us we keep making it worse.
“Please, come in. Don’t let that pretty dress go to waste.”
“I’ll go and put the DVD in.” Amelia’s gone before I have a chance to blink and Leah steps towards me.
“You think it’s pretty?”
“Uh... yeah, I guess. I mean, it’s the kind of thing that Amelia would choose, so…” I trail off feeling like a dick for comparing her sexy as sin dress to one belonging to my six-year-old.
“Riiight.”
“Um... you should come in before she comes to find you.”
“Sure.”
Stepping back, I allow her to enter. The second she moves past me her sweet scent fills my nose and my cock threatens to go full mast behind my zip.
“I was just about to jump in the shower. I’ll make the hot chocolate when I come back down.”
“Isn’t it a little hot for that?” Her eyes drop from mine to my bare chest for a split second and my brain misfires as I wonder what she’s talking about.
“Yeah... um... I’ll be back.”
Fucking hell, anyone would think I’ve never spoken to a female before in my life. I shake my head in frustration as I climb the stairs, my balls aching with my need for release like they have been since my eyes first landed on Leah in a heap on the floor in the garden.
Turning the shower on, I twist the temperature straight to cold. I need to get myself together before I go back down and try to act like she hasn’t sent my world into a tailspin. My focus needs to be my daughter and my business. I’ve no time to be fantasising about the girl next door, her tiny denim hot pants, and her black lace thong.
Shit, shit, shit.
I don’t allow myself to think about it; the second I step under the freezing cold water, I wrap my fist around my solid cock and tug. A groan rumbles up my throat but I swallow it down for fear of being heard.
I’m so worked up after having images of Leah in those damn shorts on repeat in my mind all day that it takes embarrassingly few pumps of my cock before releasing my seed into the swirling water at my feet.
My muscles relax for a beat but as soon as the thought of her sitting downstairs with Amelia enters my head, it feels like it was all for nothing. I fear nothing short of having her under me is going to fix my current situation.
Stepping out, I wrap a towel around my waist and head out to find some fresh clothes. I automatically reach for a pair of jersey shorts but when I notice my cock’s already tenting the towel once again, I think better of it. That fabric shows enough at the best of times, I don’t need to be walking down there—where my daughter is, I remind myself—showing off my semi.
Sounds of their joyful chatter fills the air as I descend the stairs and head towards the kitchen for Amelia’s nightly treat. Leah was right, it is a bit hot for it, but Amelia insists and who am I to take that little pleasure away from her?
I make Amelia’s standard mug, swirl cream around the steaming chocolate and then sprinkle a few marshmallows to finish it off before turning to grab a bottle of coffee liqueur to spike the adults’ drinks with. Placing all three on a tray, I carry them through.
The sight in the living room stops me in my tracks when I get to the doorway. Amelia and Leah have made themselves a den—or knowing my daughter it’s probably meant to be a castle—and they’re both laid out surrounded by sofa cushions with a blanket precariously draped over the top, watching Cinderella.
My heart aches. Amelia should have someone she can do this with every day. I thought I hated her mother when she first left, but now understanding everything Amelia is missing out on because of her mother’s selfish actions makes me hate her even more. I’ve no idea how I didn’t see it prior to her falling pregnant. Not that it would make a difference because I can’t regret any of it. I’ve got the most incredible daughter and right now, that’s all that matters.
I step a little into the room and their heads come into view. I can’t help the laugh that falls from my lips when I find them both wearing tiaras and Amelia with one of her dress up dresses over the top of her pyjamas.
“Oh the hot chocolate's here. You’re going to love it, Leah. Daddy makes it perfect.”
Leah glances up at me. My heart pounds the second our eyes connect and I swear hers darken as our contact holds.
“Well, I can’t wait for a taste then.”
The ache I’m becoming used to when I’m around her starts up and the tray trembles in my hands.
Thankfully, the sight of Amelia scrambling from their makeshift castle catches my eye and she races over to take her mug.
Leah is slightly more elegant as she crawls from beneath the blanket, although it doesn't mean I don’t get a great shot straight down the front of her dress.
“Hmmm... smells incredible,” she all but moans when she gets to me and takes the closest mug.
“I made yours extra special,” I say with a wink.
“Well, I can’t wait to experience it. Thank you.” Her words might sound perfectly innocent but the dark, hungry look in her eyes as she says them is anything but and it sets off my imagination once again.
How long is it until Amelia’s bedtime?
I sit myself at the opposite end of the sofa to Leah in the hope her alluring scent might fade but it never does. It also means she’s constantly in my line of vision every time I so much as glance at the TV. Not that I need to, I could recite Cinderella word for word with the amount of times I’ve been forced to sit through it over the years.
There are a million and one things I want to ask her, the most pressing is whether she’s single or not, but Amelia ensures there’s no time for adult conversation as she starts a debate with Leah about which Disney princess is the best and which one’s hair they each would like. I’ve never wished for bedtime to come more in my life but having sat here with her almost in touching distance for the past hour is stretching my patience. I know that I probably shouldn’t be alone with this woman but fuck if rational thinking isn’t my priority right about now.
* * *
“Can Leah read my bedtime story tonight?” Amelia asks when I eventually get through to her that it’s bedtime. Even the tooth fairy visiting hasn’t been enough of a pull to get her away from Leah. I’m strung too tightly right now to have an argument about her staying up later.
“Of course, but only if it’s okay with her.” I look to Leah, silently begging for her to agree and not to leave so I can do it myself.
“Um... sure. Although I’ve never read a bedtime story before. I might not be very good at it.”
“It’s like riding a bike, right, Dad?”
“Uh huh,” I agree, just like I’m hoping sex will be after so long.
After kissing my little girl goodnight, I watch as they both leave the room. Amelia’s still chatting away ten to the dozen.
Once they’ve rounded the corner, I stretch my tense body out and rest my head back against the sofa. What the hell am I playing at? She’s too young and sweet for the likes of me. I should have let her leave earlier. I should have probably done a lot of things since I first saw her in the garden yesterday but I’m not totally onboard with following my own rules at this very moment.
Needing to keep busy in an attempt to get thoughts of her out of my head, I take the dirty mugs through to the kitchen and place them in the dishwasher. The bag of veg she brought around catches my eye and inspiration strikes out of nowhere. Grabbing one of the many notebooks that litter my kitchen for such a moment, I start listing out ingredients for a potential new dish.
I lose myself in creating something new and it’s not until a soft voice sounds out behind me that I realise I have company.
“She’s exhausted; she fell asleep before I’d even finished.”
Turning, I find Leah with her hip resting against the door frame with her eyes running over every inch of my body.
And fuck, my cock awakens yet again. It’s not only the chilli causing temperatures to rise around here.