Chapter 18
GRAHAM
I tore my mouth away from hers only because I'd make a spectacle of us both if I continued.
"Let's set a date for when I can cook for you and Milo."
She immediately tensed in my arms.
"What's wrong, Lori? Talk to me." Was she pushing me away?
"I haven't thought through how to explain all of this to Milo."
"What do you usually say when you introduce a date?"
"I haven't dated in years, Graham. Dating is daunting enough for an adult, but parading men in front of a kid is not the best idea."
It took me a few seconds to absorb what she was saying, and then I felt a wave of affection for her. Not attraction. Affection.
I'd suspected her dating life took a back seat when she said it had been a while last night, but I hadn't realized she'd meant years.
She wasn't pushing me away. This was simply new for her. I could work with that. Fuck, I had no clue what I was doing here either. I’d stuck to superficial entanglements after my divorce, but this was something else.
The thought of letting her go was scarier than the thought of getting hurt.
I was man enough to admit that. This wasn’t only physical attraction.
It had never been just about that. I wanted to get to know Lori better, even at the risk of getting burned.
But could I risk hurting her? And her son?
Elizabeth’s words rang in my ears. That I hadn’t been the husband she’d wished for. Could I do better? I wanted to.
"You won't be parading men," I assured her. "Just me. I'm very territorial."
She gave me a small smile. "Milo needs stability. He gets attached to every man in his life, like my brothers, or his soccer coach. Substitutes for the father he doesn't have."
That gutted me, because… what did I know about being a father, after all? Nothing. I hadn't had stellar examples, and kids didn't come with instruction manuals. But I knew Lori was right. Stability was important.
"I understand what you're saying."
"You do?"
"Didn't have much stability myself, so yeah. I understand exactly. We both have our issues, Lori, but what we have is special."
I pulled her against me and skimmed my hands up and down the sides of her body, lingering on her delicious breasts.
"You're very convincing," she murmured, nodding. I claimed her mouth and kissed her until I felt her rise on her tiptoes. I nudged her knees open, rubbing against her. "If you keep doing that, I'll forget what I'm actually here to do," she whispered.
"That's the plan, baby."
"You make me want to be wild. But I have to go back to supervising the guys. I need to leave here in an hour."
Instead of letting her go, I kissed her again.
"What are you doing?" she muttered.
"Giving you an incentive to come back. I know how to play my cards."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Well, you'd better behave. I'll call you tonight after we finish at Universal Studios and we'll set up a date for that dinner. Sometime this week?"
"Okay. I'll leave you to handle things here."
I stepped back, even though those lips were tempting the hell out of me.
I wanted to pull her close again and kiss her hard, lift her in my arms, and take her inside the house.
I'd sink inside her before we'd even make it to the bedroom.
I hadn't gotten nearly enough of this woman last night.
Not just her body, but the way she'd filled my house with her laughter and her warmth.
A selfish part of me regretted not keeping her up until morning.
I'd wasted those last few hours sleeping instead of enjoying her.
A strong breeze came from the ocean, ruffling her hair, bringing a few strands in her face.
On instinct, I pushed them away, tucking them behind her ear.
Lori darted the tip of her tongue between her lips.
Her nipples pushed against her shirt, suddenly greeting me.
I rubbed her earlobe between my thumb and forefinger, touching her bare arm when I lowered my hand.
"Go, before I get other ideas," I said.
I shoved my free hand in my pocket to keep from touching her again. She turned around and walked toward the workers, her hips moving seductively with every step. Did she have any idea how innately sensual she was? Did she know how crazy it was driving me to let her walk away from me?
"Guys, extra care with the flowers. Please! I told you already." She was magnificent, strolling around, dishing instructions. She was a strong woman, raising her son alone, making her own way through life.
I walked back inside the house, bringing the plates to the kitchen.
Looking at the counter, I smiled. We'd fought over the last bite of our snack last night.
I'd let her win. I climbed the staircase, making a beeline to my bedroom.
The bed was unmade, and seeing the rumpled sheets brought another smile.
The house hadn't seemed too big last night with Lori in it.
I usually spent Sundays going out for a run and watching soccer games.
Occasionally, I also went over pressing sponsorship contracts, but as a rule, I avoided working from home.
From there, it was an easy path to becoming a workaholic, and I didn’t want that kind of lifestyle.
The club was rendering millions in profits the way I ran it, which was by working a solid nine to five, with the occasional phone call or meeting after hours. I didn’t need or want more money.
Today, I'd broken that rule. After completing my run and watching the third quarter of the latest game, I scrolled through my e-mails, answering the most pressing ones.
And I still couldn't stop thinking about Lori.
Last night had been incredible. I'd effortlessly opened up to her, and I felt deep in my bones that my life was going to change in a fundamental way.
I wanted to make that change. I was so deep in thoughts that I barely heard my phone buzzing. Amber's name flashed across the screen.
"You're on your honeymoon. Don't you have better things to do than call me?"
"Wanted to make sure everything went smoothly today."
"Everything's fine. You wouldn't even know there was a wedding here."
"Graham, I know I've said it before, but thanks so much for everything. And this honeymoon, you shouldn't have. It's too much."
Ah, there it was. I knew we'd been having this conversation.
"Enjoy it."
"You've been sneaky about it."
"Was the only way." I hadn't given them any details about their honeymoon, just made it sound as if they'd be getting a weeklong getaway in a spa resort in the Los Angeles area. It was half true. They were in a resort… in the Bahamas. I got to my feet and headed outside, descending on the beach.
"So, Lori's gone already?" she asked.
"Yep. Three hours ago."
"Counting the minutes too, huh?"
"That obvious?"
"Saw how you were looking at her last night, but I was too busy enjoying the spotlight to call you out on it."
"Right."
"You going to see her again?"
"Definitely."
"I sense a 'but' in your tone."
"No buts, only… can I ask you something?
Do you think I could make a good father?
" I shoved a hand in my pocket, fingering a coin I found there.
My feet sank a few inches in the warm sand.
For a second, all I could hear were the waves and seagulls chirping in the distance.
I wondered if I'd only said that in my head. I'd never voiced that fear before.
"Graham, you're a great man. I've known you for almost twenty years. You're not like your dad or your grandfather. Get those ideas out of your head, or I'll call Nana."
The corners of my lips twitched. "Don't call Nana. She'll hand me my ass."
"And you'd deserve that for doubting yourself. We're not doomed to repeat our parents' mistakes, you know. Or I'll end up with a bad perm after the age of sixty, or a slight wine addiction. Or both. Imagine the horror."
"I already have a divorce on my resume. First move in following in the steps of my infamous forefathers."
"No. That was the wrong couple at the wrong time. You and Elizabeth weren't compatible. Sometimes it takes time to realize that. I have to go, or Matt will start wondering what I'm up to."
"Enjoy your honeymoon."
"Oh, I intend to. It's either that or feel guilty that you're spending so much money on us. I've decided to enjoy it."
"Good girl."
After saying goodbye to Amber, I sat on the sand and scrolled through the photos on my phone, pulling up the one Lori sent me, with her and Milo at the concert. That little boy had her eyes, but his hair was a light brown.
You made this little boy very happy, Lori had written after the concert. And last night, Lori had definitely had fun. But was I what they needed long-term?