Chapter 13
Chapter
Thirteen
“Okay,” Marley said, clapping his hands together as he walked into the kitchen, because he needed something to take his mind off the woman who’d just walked out of the door. “Your mom is gone. Who wants to watch a movie?”
Addy had chocolate smeared all over her lips. It hadn’t taken her long to dive into the snack cupboard as soon as Kate’s attention was elsewhere. Marley bit down a smile.
“Can I go play on my Xbox?” James asked.
“Yes, but on your own. Your mom says you can’t play with anybody else online,” Marley told him. “Until you’re not grounded.”
“He does already,” Addy whispered. “I heard him last night.”
James shot his little sister a wounded look. “I was talking to myself.”
“Is your name Ben?” she asked, putting her hands on her hips.
Marley bit down a smile, because these kids were killing him.
“I’m not gonna play with anybody else, I promise,” James said to Marley. “Please?”
“Okay. But if I hear you talking…” He’d probably do nothing. But he was the babysitter here. He needed to assert some authority.
“I won’t.”
Ethan walked into the kitchen, his cartoon presumably over. “I’m hungry,” he said. “Can I have a burger?”
“We just had dinner,” Addy said. “You ate seconds.”
“Yeah, well I’m hungry again.” Ethan frowned. “I can cook us burgers on the grill. I know how to.”
Marley blinked. “Ah, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“You’re not allowed to cook on the grill without Mommy. She told you that,” Addy said in a singsong voice.
Marley loved the way that Addy was a little tattletale. He needed that.
“How about we make some popcorn?” he suggested instead, spotting the box in the pantry. “We could watch a movie.”
“A scary one?” Ethan said hopefully. “One with lots of gore?”
“I don’t like scary movies,” Addy said, her lip wobbling. “I get nightmares.”
“That’s because you’re a baby,” Ethan told her.
“I’m not a baby,” she shouted back at her brother. “Mommy told you not to call me that.”
“Yeah, well Mom’s not here, is she?” Ethan asked. “What are you gonna do, tell her? Snitch.”
“Hey, hey,” Marley took a step between them, noticing the redness in Addy’s cheeks. “Let’s calm down. Ethan, do you know how to work the microwave?”
“Of course I do. I’m not a baby.” The kid looked almost wounded.
Marley tried not to sigh. “Okay, so you make the popcorn, and Addy can start looking for a movie for us to watch.”
“How come she gets to pick the movie?” Ethan asked. There was a whining note in his tone.
“She doesn’t. We all have to agree.” Marley let out a breath. He felt exhausted already. “But we need to start somewhere.”
“I don’t want to watch any with princesses,” Ethan warned.
“And I don’t want to watch any of your stupid cartoons,” Addy countered.
“At least my cartoons aren’t for babies.”
Okay, the baby thing was starting to grate on his nerves. Marley gave Ethan a pointed look. “Start the popcorn. Come on, Addy, let’s go see what we can find.”
She slipped her hand into his and nodded. “Okay.” And it was weird, but that little gesture made his heart feel like it was too big for his chest. They walked to the living room and Addy grabbed the remote, jumping onto the sofa and turning on the television.
Then his phone vibrated. He pulled it from his pocket.
The Eagle Has Landed. – Shana.
There was a photo attached. He could see Kate sitting at a table, and the back of a guy’s head. Kate looked nervous. She was holding a glass of water; her knuckles bleached. He zoomed in, but couldn’t see anything of the guy apart from the bald spot on his head. Kate looked uncomfortable, though. He liked that way too much.
Thanks. – Marley
A moment later he sent another message.
Keep me posted on how it’s going. – Marley
I intend to! – Shana
God, he hoped Kate didn’t like this guy. He pushed that thought away and tried to concentrate on the kids.
“I’ve got an idea,” he said to Addy. “You remember Delilah, my niece?”
Addy nodded. “She’s super cool.”
“She is. And her very favorite movie in the world is Jumanji .”
“ Jumanji ? Isn’t that scary?” Addy asked him.
“I think it might be a little. But it’s also funny and entertaining, and I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Okay. But if I get scared, I’ll need to stay up until Mommy gets home.”
“I think I burned the popcorn,” Ethan called out from the kitchen.
Marley let out a sigh. “Don’t move,” he told Addy. Fuck, babysitting was like herding cats. “No problem,” he called to Ethan. “I’m a firefighter. I can deal with burned stuff.”
Allen liked to talk, Kate realized. About himself mostly, but he was also very happy to weigh in on anything that required an opinion. Right now he was telling Kate about his vacation to Europe last year, which involved visiting France, Italy, Spain, and the UK. She was desperate to hear about the cities he’d visited, the museums he’d seen.
But he was too busy talking about the woman he’d gone with. His ex of ten years. And how she’d managed to ruin everything.
Was it time to go home yet?
She glanced over to see Shana watching her in the corner. Her friend lifted her thumb up and then down, trying to work out how the date was going.
Kate shrugged. She wasn’t going to give a verdict yet. It was her first date in almost fifteen years, and her first date since losing Paul. She should at least give the guy a shot.
“So then she told me she’d found somebody else. We were standing at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. And I was like, ‘excuse me, we’re in the most romantic city in the world, couldn’t you at least wait until we’re in Barcelona?’”
“She ended things with you in Paris?” Kate asked. Okay, maybe she felt a little sorry for the guy.
“Oh no, things were over before we even went. She didn’t want to go, but I’d already paid for the flights and hotels. So I insisted.”
He insisted? Kate took a mouthful of her water, really wishing it was wine.
“I pointed out how ungrateful it was that she was telling me about another man while she was on a vacation I paid for. And do you know what she said?” he asked. “No, you’ll never guess. She actually told me that if I wanted to pay for somebody to be romantic with me I should have taken a hooker. Can you believe that?”
“No,” Kate squeaked.
“And then I told her that at least a hooker would have put out during the trip. Rather than making me sleep on the floor, because all those expensive hotel rooms in Europe don’t have two beds.”
Kate checked her watch. It wasn’t even eight-thirty yet. “Um, I just need to go make a phone call. Check that my kids are doing okay.”
Allen blinked. “How many did you say you have again?”
“Three.”
“Only one’s a teenager, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hmm. A handful, I bet.”
“He’s a good kid.” She wasn’t going to tell him about the teenage growing pains. She felt stupidly protective of him right now.
“You don’t look old enough to have a fifteen-year-old.” Allen said, looking at her. “How old are you again?”
Kate opened her mouth to tell him, but then shut it swiftly. Because it wasn’t any of his business. She didn’t like him, and she really wanted to go home. But she’d finish her dinner and leave.
“I’ll be right back,” she said, grabbing her clutch and walking outside. The air was cooling, finally, and it felt like a caress to her skin as she stepped into the inky dark night.
“Hey, everything okay?” Shana asked, following her out through the door. “Are you leaving already?”
“Did he see you follow me out?” Kate frowned. Not that she cared what he thought.
Okay, she did care. But not for that reason. But because she still had all that training from childhood inside her somewhere. Don’t make a fuss. Be a good girl. Men like it when you’re nice.
“No. But what happened?”
“It’s fine,” she told Shana. “I’m not leaving. I’m just going to call Marley to check on the kids.”
“They’re all good. I’ve been messaging him,” Shana said.
Kate’s stomach tightened. “You have? Why?” The thought of the two of them chatting without her made her feel weird.
It made her wish that Shana was the one on the date and she was the one messaging him.
“Just to keep him updated.” Shana shrugged. “They’re watching a movie.”
“What movie?” Kate asked, wishing more than ever that she was home with them right now.
“I don’t know. But you don’t need to call them.” She tipped her head to the side. “So how’s it going? What’s Allen like?”
“He’s… nice?”
“You don’t sound so sure.”
Kate took a long, calming breath. “I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”
“Why not?” Shana sounded almost disappointed. “Is it the bald spot?”
“No.” Kate shook her head. “I’m not worried about his hair.” She didn’t care about that at all. “He’s just very, I don’t know. He likes to talk.”
“Isn’t that good? Better than silence?”
“I guess. I would just like to get a word in sometime.” She gave her friend a smile. “Listen, your work here is done. He’s fine. He’s not a serial killer. But he’s also not my type. I’m going to finish dinner and head home.” She hugged Shana. “Thank you for being here.”
Shana tried to hide her disappointment. “You want me to leave?”
“Yes,” Kate said firmly. It was painful enough sitting with that man. She didn’t need her friend watching.
“So there’s not going to be a wedding soon?” Shana pouted.
Kate laughed, because she knew her friend only wanted the best for her. “No. And there wouldn’t be, anyway. I’m just dipping my toe in the water.” And now she wanted to dry it off and go to bed. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
Shana nodded. “I’ll go pay my bill and go home, then. If you’re sure…”
“I’m certain.”
“I should have stayed at your place with Marley and the kids,” Shana said, sounding wistful. “It would have been more fun.”
There was that jealousy again. Kate shot her friend a grim smile and walked back into the restaurant to rejoin her date. Because yeah, it wasn’t going anywhere but she wasn’t going to ghost him.
And she was definitely going to split the check.
The house was silent when she slid her key into the lock and pushed open the front door. Kate slid her shoes off and wriggled her toes, letting out a sigh at the relief at not wearing heels anymore.
Had Marley managed to get the kids to sleep without an argument?
Maybe he should come over every night and do the bedtime routine for her.
That thought sent a little thrill through her body that had no place being there. But she couldn’t help but imagine him walking out of the kids’ rooms and over to her, his lips brushing her own as he told her that the night was now theirs.
She needed to stop this train of thought. It was just a response to the date being so mediocre. Because that’s what it was. Not bad enough to tell a story about. Not like Shana’s terrible dating dramas. Just a little sad, a little boring. Not a single tingle in sight.
Pushing the living room door open, she noticed the television screen was the only light glowing. It was on the home screen, waiting for the next selection to be made. And then she looked over at the sofa and her heart did a little thud against her ribcage.
Because Addy and Ethan were there. Curled up on either side of Marley. And all three of them were fast asleep.
Addy’s little head was nestled against Marley’s chest. Her rosebud lips pursed as she softly exhaled, her cheek pressed against his dark t-shirt.
Ethan’s head was against the sofa, but his side was pressed into Marley. Like he was seeking warmth even in sleep.
As for Marley, he looked almost serene in his slumber. His eyes were closed, his jaw relaxed, his mouth slightly parted. His denim-clad legs were stretched out, whereas Addy and Ethan were curled up.
She could see the outline of his thigh muscles through the denim and it made her cheeks flush.
Addy let out a sigh so full of contentment it made Kate’s chest tighten. When did her daughter last fall asleep against a man? James hated her trying to cuddle with him. She was used to Kate’s embrace. Soft and warm.
But she looked so peaceful. So safe right now. It felt like a shame to wake her up, but Marley needed to get home. Kate tiptoed over to where her daughter was sleeping and touched her shoulder.
She’d take her up to bed first, then Ethan. If by some miracle Marley didn’t wake between her trips, she’d deal with him last.
“Addy,” she whispered. “It’s time for bed.”
“Mommy, I’m sleeping.”
Kate’s lips twitched because that was so Addy. “Come on, honey. Get up. We need to get you into bed.”
Grumbling under her breath, Addy let Kate pull her to standing. And yeah, she was way too big for Kate to carry up the stairs. Maybe she should have called James for help, but then she wasn’t sure what he would have thought at seeing his brother and sister all cozied up down here.
“Wait, what?” Marley’s eyes opened. He immediately reached out with his fingers, as though grasping for something. “Where’s my phone?”
She’d been a firefighter’s wife for enough years to know exactly what he was thinking. “There’s not an alert,” she whispered to him. “I’m just taking Addy up to bed.”
Marley was fully awake now. He sat up and gently moved Ethan from him. “You’re home,” he said, his expression unreadable.
She smiled at the sleep-thickness of his voice. “Yeah. Let me get the kids to bed and then I can say goodbye to you.”
“I can help.” He glanced at Addy. “Want me to carry her up?”
“I want a carry,” Addy nodded, looking suddenly awake. “Yes, please.”
Marley stood and easily lifted her daughter into his arms. Addy melted against him. Kate reached for Ethan, shaking his arm. “Honey, it’s bedtime.”
“Mom?” he muttered, his eyelids fluttering.
“Yep?”
“We’re watching a movie,” Ethan muttered.
“It’s over now.” A smile played at her lips. His eyes were still closed.
“I didn’t see the end.”
“We can watch it again tomorrow,” she promised.
She and Ethan followed Marley and Addy upstairs. They were both so tired they barely put up a fight as she helped them into their pjs and quickly brushed their teeth for them, like she used to when they were little.
Marley went back downstairs as she knocked on James’ door.
“Come in.”
He was sitting in bed, scrolling on his phone.
“Hey honey. Everything okay?” she asked, leaning on the doorjamb.
“Yeah, all good. Just going to sleep.” He looked up at her. “How was your date?” he asked.
“It was…meh.” She wrinkled her nose. And James gave her a sleepy smile.
“Maybe next time, hey?”
“Maybe,” she said. “You should get some rest.”
“Yeah. I only waited up to make sure you got home okay.” Then by some miracle he did what she suggested, putting his phone down and snuggling under the covers. She walked over to kiss his cheek.
“Night, sweetheart.” She felt touched by his protectiveness.
“Night, Mom.”
When she went back downstairs Marley was in the hallway. He had his shoes on.
“Want a coffee before you leave?” she asked him. “To keep you alert for your drive?”
He looked at her for a moment before nodding. “Sure. Sounds good.”
It was warm in the kitchen. She opened up the back door to let the late evening breeze in, and grabbed two pods – a decaf one for her – and switched on the coffee machine.
Marley was leaning against the counter, his eyes on her. “So?”
“So what?” She turned to smile at him and their eyes connected. He’d been looking at her. The thought made her stomach feel fizzy, like she’d just swallowed a whole bottle of soda.
“So how was he?”
“My date?”
He lifted a brow. “Yeah.”
She slid the first pod into the top of the machine. “He was… not suitable.”
The machine started to hiss as the water heated up.
“Not suitable?” Marley repeated. “Not suitable for what?”
“Anything?”
He chuckled. There was a strange expression on his face.
“Is that funny?” she asked him, but she was still smiling.
“Yeah. Kinda. I was expecting more of a description. Like did he make you laugh?”
“No.”
“Cry?”
It was her turn to chuckle. “No, definitely not. He was just different. We didn’t have much in common. And he sounded like he doesn’t like kids a whole lot.”
“I thought you said he’s a teacher?” Marley said, his brows knitting.
“He is. I guess he doesn’t like dealing with them outside of school.”
“So that’s him out of the running, then.” Marley definitely looked pleased.
“I didn’t realize there was a race,” she murmured, removing the first cup and sliding the second under the spout. She poured cream into Marley’s cup and passed it to him, then turned back to the machine to grab her own coffee. This time when she turned back around, Marley was so close she bumped into him, her coffee swirling around her mug, almost spilling over the rim.
“Oh.” He didn’t move. The sheer size of him felt almost overwhelming. He was big. His body was hard. She was so aware of the smell of his cologne.
“There’s a race,” he said.
She looked up at him, her lips parted. What did he mean? There was a race for what? Her ? She wasn’t exactly a prize. She was getting up the gumption to remind him of that when he put his mug down on the counter beside her, then took hers out of her hands and placed it next to his.
Her heart was slamming against her ribcage as he leaned in even closer, sandwiching her body between his and the counter. But she didn’t feel caged in. Weirdly, she felt as free as a bird. Like she was soaring.
He reached out to cup her face. His touch was tender. Almost reverent. Her heart was racing. And slamming. Was it even tethered to the rest of her body?
“Who’s in the race?” she whispered.
A half-smile pulled at the corner of his mouth. She was mesmerized by it. Couldn’t help but reach out to touch the way his lips curled.
Marley let out a rumble of a groan. Deep in his chest. It made her thighs clench. And then he was leaning forward, his mouth capturing hers, his hands sliding down to her sides to steady her.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was hungry. Wolfish. Like he hadn’t eaten in months. She wrapped her arms around him, marveling at his warmth, at the thick ridges of his muscles. Her fingers curled around the fabric of his t-shirt as his mouth moved against hers.
She parted her lips, ignoring the warning in her head that she shouldn’t be doing this. His tongue slid against hers and she shuddered, pulses of electricity shooting through her nerve endings. She wasn’t sure how long this could last. She was already getting breathless. He must be too.
But she didn’t want it to end. Didn’t want him to stop kissing her. Didn’t want these tingles all over her body to stop.
She moved her hands up, sliding her fingers into his hair and Marley let out another rumbling groan. Another wave of pleasure pulsed through her. This big, dominant man was kissing her like she really was the prize.
Like he’d won the race she hadn’t even known was taking place.
When they parted his eyes were dark. Darker than she’d ever seen them. His gaze was directly on her, like he was trying to work her out.
“Fuck it.” He leaned back in, kissing her again. And damn if she wasn’t the one to let out a moan this time. His fingers slid down her side, reaching her hips. And then he lifted her until her ass was on the kitchen counter and his body fit perfectly between her thighs.
He was already hard. She could feel the thick ridge of him pressing against her. It felt so good that she let out another groan. He was kissing her harder now, one hand on her chin, angling her head, the other gently kneading her side, his fingers so powerful it made her ache for him.
Kate’s hands were on his back. She could feel the powerful knots of his muscles, the warmth of his taut skin. And when he pulled away this time, she refused to let go of him.
“The kids,” he said. “What if they come down?”
And damn if that didn’t make her want him even more.
“Let’s go outside.” Her voice was sure. And yeah, there’d be bugs, but she’d worry about that tomorrow.
All she wanted in the moment was to feel this man’s body against hers.
He didn’t need telling twice. Before she could slide down from her position on the counter he was lifting her again, holding her tight against him. She clung to his neck and wrapped her thighs around his waist as he turned and carried her easily out of the back door.
She wasn’t going to overthink this. Not now, anyway. Maybe tomorrow, when there was daylight and shame and Shana to talk to. Right now she just wanted to kiss him. So she did, as he carried her outside.
This man was way too good to feel any regret.