Chapter 17
Chapter
Seventeen
“Do you like pasta?”Delilah asked as she opened the front door to Cassie later that week. She was wearing a tiny apron with a unicorn on the front of it. “Because I love pasta.
“I do like pasta,” Cassie told her, her expression serious. “Is that what you’re cooking?”
“Yes. And I’m making a salad and garlic bread. But you can’t eat too much of it because then your breath gets smelly. Or at least my dad’s does. He pretends he’s a dragon and breathes on me and I have to run away.”
It was impossible not to smile at this little girl. Especially when she was giving away all of Pres’ secrets. “I’ll remember that after dinner. Do you have a good hiding spot?” Cassie asked.
“Um…” Delilah frowned. “We could call Granny and go over there?”
“Are you going to invite Cassie in?” Pres appeared behind her. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a Henley, unbuttoned enough that she could see the ink on his chest. “Hey.” He smiled softly at her.
She smiled back. “Hi. I brought chocolate and flowers.” She held them out to him.
“Ooh,” Delilah said. “Those are pretty.”
Pres took them and glanced at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever been given flowers before.”
“There’s a first time for everything I guess.”
“I like it.” His voice was thick.
“We’re making pasta fredo,” Delilah announced.
“Alfredo,” Pres gently corrected her.
“That’s what I said, silly.” Delilah walked back to the kitchen counter and clambered onto a stool, kneeling so she could reach the bowl. “Do you like tomatoes?” she asked Cassie.
“Yeah,” Cassie nodded.
“I hate them. But they look pretty in a salad, don’t they?” Delilah continued.
“They sure do.” She looked over at Pres. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“I got it covered. But thank you. Would you like a drink?”
“A soda would be great.”
He pointed at the stool next to Delilah’s and she took it.
“How was work?” she asked him.
“Tiring. Our current customer is pretty demanding. We’ve had to retile the bathroom twice.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Ugh.”
“Right? How was your day?”
“It was good. We started a new dance today.”
“Do I get to do a new dance?” Delilah asked. “I’ve got class tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you will.” Cassie nodded. “I think you’ll like it.”
“Can you show me it now?” The little girl was oozing excitement.
Her eyes met Presley’s. He looked like he was biting down a smile. And yeah, she knew how much he liked watching her dance.
He’d told her so last night when he’d called to invite her for dinner and they’d spent an hour on the phone, including him listening to her getting ready for bed.
And into bed.
And then him asking how often she touched herself in bed.
Was it getting hot in here? She tried to push away the memory of his low, dirty talk as he persuaded her to touch herself as he told her what he wanted to do to her.
In every way possible. With his lips, his teeth, his fingers. And of course the hardest part of him.
Inside of her. In her mouth. And it reminded her that she still hadn’t gotten to make good on her promise. It was difficult to find alone time when you were sleeping with a single dad.
But they’d gotten to talk a lot on the phone this week and she’d liked that. He made her laugh, and sometimes she made him laugh too, and when she heard his throaty chuckle it felt like she’d won something big.
Something nobody else got to see.
“Cassie!” Delilah said, getting impatient.
“Sorry, did you say something?”
“Please dance for me. She should dance, shouldn’t she, Daddy?”
His mouth curled into a half smile. “Yeah, I could live with that.”
Of course he could.
“How about Daddy dances for us,” Cassie suggested. “I’ve never seen him dance before.”
“You’ve seen me on stage,” Pres pointed out.
“You play guitar and sing. You don’t move your hips.”
He smiled as he grabbed some onions to chop up.
“What do you think?” she asked Delilah.
Delilah’s brow wrinkled as she thought through her answer. It was kind of sweet how long it took her to decide. It reminded her of Pres, the way he always got trapped in his head before he could actually say what he thought.
Speak of the devil, Presley’s gaze flickered to hers. She could see the heat there.
She felt it too. And she needed not to because this dinner was supposed to be strictly PG rated. She’d eat, probably help clean up, and then go home. She was here as Delilah’s teacher, not as Presley Hartson’s booty call.
Damn, she liked being his booty call though.
“I think…” Delilah finally said, looking from Cassie to her dad. “That you should both dance.”
She could see Presley’s shoulders shake as he burst into laughter.
“Okay,” she said to Delilah. “That works for me. But you have to dance, too.” Mostly because she couldn’t let herself get that close to him. Not here. Not in front of his daughter.
“Sure. We can all do it. You show us and we copy, right?”
“Right.” Cassie nodded. “Where’s your biggest space?”
“I’m not doing it,” Pres told her.
“Yes you are,” Delilah said. “You promised.”
“Did I?” He frowned. “I don’t remember doing that.”
“Daddy, please…”
It was funny how his expression changed at Delilah’s pleading. Like he really wanted to say no, but he couldn’t.
She got the feeling he could be strict when he wanted to be. He probably had to be, as a single dad. But it didn’t stop his daughter from having him wrapped around her little finger.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” he said.
“It’ll only take ten minutes,” Cassie promised, trying not to smile at his horrified expression.
“Okay, ten minutes. But you…” he pointed at Delilah, “have to promise to go to bed on time tonight. No arguments.”
“I promise,” his little girl said excitedly. “Now let’s go dance.”
If the guys at the construction site ever found out about this, he would never live it down. They’d spent the first five minutes with Cassie patiently teaching Delilah three different moves for the new dance. And yeah, it hadn’t been bad watching as the woman he thought about constant-fucking-ly arch her back and lift her leg and spin around until he was dizzy just watching her.
She was so damn patient with his kid, too. That’s what he liked most of all. The way she didn’t blink when Delilah got frustrated. The way her voice stayed patient and calm.
And yeah, he liked the way his daughter responded to her. She clearly idolized Cassie.
He knew the feeling.
He’d spent the last few days alternately worrying that he shouldn’t be getting involved with his kid’s ballet teacher – and his band mate – and not being able to think about her without needing a cold shower because his body wanted her more than ever.
Truth was, it wasn’t only his body. He liked talking to her. He liked the way she’d tease him until he laughed. Like she’d found the little chink in his armor that nobody else knew about.
Their little secret.
Take last night. He’d called her to invite her to dinner because Delilah hadn’t stopped talking about it. It had been late by the time he’d called her because he wanted Delilah in bed first, or she would have begged to talk with Cassie.
And Cassie had admitted she’d just gotten out of the shower. And then she’d admitted that she’d touched herself a few times in there, thinking of him.
Fuck if that hadn’t made him as hard as steel. He needed to hear her do that again. So he’d sweet talked her into getting into bed naked. And touching herself the way he needed to touch her.
He’d talked her into an orgasm that made her groan his name out loud and damn if he hadn’t almost come in his pants even though he hadn’t touched himself at all.
“Are you hard?” she’d whispered.
“Painfully so.”
“I still owe you that blow job.”
He’d closed his eyes, thinking about the velvety warmth of her mouth. The way her eyes were wide and trusting whenever they were together.
And when the call was over, he’d stroked himself into oblivion. But it still wasn’t enough.
“You need to concentrate,” Delilah said, bringing him back into the here and now. “You’re the worst dancer, Daddy.”
“No he’s not,” Cassie said. “He’s just a beginner, that’s all. You were once, too.” She walked over, adjusted his position. Because yeah, he was in the first position, standing in his living room, his shoes off, his socks covering his feet as he tried to copy what his kid and Cassie were doing.
“Let me show you,” Cassie murmured, leaning down in front of him to reposition his feet. Her hands were soft, and he looked down to see her hair cascading around her face as she concentrated on him.
And then she looked up. “That’s it.”
“Show him second position,” Delilah said, clapping her hands.
“Ready?” she asked him.
“As I’ll ever be,” he muttered.
“Okay, here it is.” Cassie started in first – the one she’d taught him. Her heels together, her arms out in front of her and curved, like she was holding a large ball against her chest.
Then she stepped out, her feet still wide, her heels apart by about twelve inches. Her arms lifted, as graceful as a swan, until they were out to her sides, and yet still somehow rounded.
He could see the rise of her neck, the strong line of her spine. She was elegance in human form.
And all he could think about was that he needed her to dance for him again. All the fucking time.
“Daddy, your turn.”
He tried to copy, but dammit he didn’t have the grace.
“Your heels are too far apart,” Cassie murmured. She adjusted him again, and he let her, feeling the warmth of her hands on him.
Wanting them everywhere.
And then – thank God, the timer on his phone started to blast.
“Saved by the bell,” Cassie said.
“My kind of salvation.” He winked. “Gotta go finish up dinner. You two can keep dancing.
“Will you watch us?” Delilah asked.
“Sure will.” He walked over and switched the timer off, then grabbed some plates and silverware, putting them on the kitchen counter. He and Delilah usually ate here, at the breakfast bar, and he wasn’t planning on doing anything fancy tonight.
Sure, his mom could make a table look like a masterpiece when she set it, but he made it look a mess.
Delilah was trying to twirl, calling for Cassie to watch her. She was clapping her hands, giving Delilah encouragement and for a minute all he could do was be mesmerized by his girls.
No, not his girls. Only one of them was his. His heart tightened.
“Oh no!” Delilah called out, tottering on one foot before she collapsed to the floor. Cassie pretended to collapse next to her, then started tickling her. The two of them were in a fit of giggles and he had to take a moment.
Delilah would never remember moments like these with her mom. She’d never get to show off her dance skills or be tickled or loved by Jade.
And yeah, he and Jade had their differences, but she’d also given him the best gift in the world. The one thing he woke up for every morning.
Their daughter.
“Dinner’s ready,” he said, pushing the plates toward the stools where they usually sit and ate.
Delilah sat up. “I’m so dizzy,” she said.
“Come here.” Cassie reached for her, pulling her up to standing. “I used to get dizzy, too. But you can practice not to. Just by keeping your eye on one spot when you spin.”
“You can?” Delilah tipped her head to the side. “But isn’t getting dizzy part of the fun?”
“Not when you’re on stage,” Pres said. “Now come on, eat your dinner before it gets cold.”