Chapter 26
twenty-six
Cameron
Idon’t think I’ve ever been this excited to go to the park.
There was one time in high school when I snuck out to meet my friends for midnight sledding at the park in our neighborhood.
It rarely snows enough for good sledding in this part of Kentucky, but it had snowed all day and into the night, giving us just the right amount of snow for some fun.
I can still remember the exhilaration of sneaking out that night, and the feeling I have now is magnified times one hundred.
After our text exchange last night, I was really hoping Rosalie saying “let’s do it again soon” actually meant soon, so this is a nice surprise.
Rolling up to High Point Park, my heart jumps when I see that Rosalie’s truck is already here. I’m barely parked when Addison starts unbuckling her seat belt, something we’ll have to discuss later, but right now I’m just as eager to get out of the car as she is.
My body and my mind are currently at war because I want nothing more than to haul her up against me and kiss her senseless, but we have our girls here, and that complicates things.
As Addison and I approach, the desire to reach out and touch her becomes almost unbearable, and I’m irrationally jealous that my daughter gets to unabashedly run up to her new friend and give her a full-on, close-contact hug before grabbing her hand and running toward the play structure.
Once the girls’ backs are to us, I feel confident enough to slip my arm around Rosalie’s waist and pull her close enough to kiss her temple.
I linger in this position briefly and smile. “Good morning, Rosalie.”
“Good morning to you,” she says a bit shyly as her sparkling eyes meet mine.
I reluctantly bring my arm back to my side. But before I do, I let my hand skim along the small sliver of skin that’s exposed between her biker shorts and the hem of her cropped shirt.
I feel her shiver and take that as a sign she enjoyed my touch.
Placing my hand more firmly in the middle of her back to guide her toward the playground, I lean down close to her ear and ask, “Are you ready for a morning of laughter and squealing?”
Rosalie nods rapidly, and I wink at her before moving us toward the swings, where Paige and Addison are currently in a competition to see who can go the highest.
We stay at the park for a little over an hour watching the girls have the time of their lives, and I again feel grateful for the joy my daughter can experience despite the loss she’s endured in her short little life.
It turns my thoughts to Rosalie, who’s done nothing but smile and laugh with me at the antics of our girls, and I just hope this trend continues.
Wanting to prolong our time together, I instinctively reach over and squeeze Rosalie’s knee to get her attention, but when my hand meets her soft skin, I seem to short-circuit.
I’m staring at the place where my hand touches her skin, only to notice that her tight biker shorts leave very little to the imagination.
Without my permission, my gaze follows the smooth line of her inner thigh straight up to the apex where I’d love nothing more than to allow my fingers to follow before continuing up her toned body to where the barest hint of cleavage peaks out from her top.
A throat clears, and I look up to see a smirking Rosalie. I notice that her cheeks are pink, and I can’t help but wonder if that pretty blush has spread anywhere else.
“Did you need something, Cameron?”
Hell yeah, I need something. Preferably, some time without our kids so I can get my hands on more than just her knee. My thoughts trail off again to what she would look like with my hand between her legs, my mouth on hers, swallowing all of her needy noises.
Her hand comes down on mine with a squeeze, and I’m startled back to the present, realizing that my hand had, indeed, shifted a bit higher on her thigh with my thumb rubbing back and forth over her skin.
I refocus and slip my hand out from beneath hers to adjust the discomfort of my erection in my shorts.
I don’t even try to hide my actions. I’d rather she see it than scare anyone else at this very public park with the prominent outline of my dick.
Besides, based on the shallowness of her breaths and the intense eye contact she’s giving me, she seems to be just as turned on as I am.
I shake my head to clear my previous thoughts and make room for rational conversation.
“Would you and Paige want to go grab lunch with us?” My voice sounds a bit like I’ve swallowed gravel, but I have not once tried to hide my interest in this woman, so why worry about it now?
She gives me a serene smile paired with a mischievous twinkle in her eye and the combination is unnerving. “We’d love to, but are you able to keep that thing under control if I say yes?” She gestures to my crotch, and I burst out laughing. I’m glad to see this playful side of her again.
“I think I can manage, but you’re going to have to walk next to or behind me. The moment I get a glimpse of your ass and legs in those shorts, I’m not sure I can control myself.”
I, of course, can control myself. I’m not an animal, but I do love the shocked expression on Rosalie’s face with my brazen comment.
Her mouth closes and then opens again, but no sound comes out.
“So, lunch?” I repeat casually.
“Um, yeah, lunch,” she says, biting her bottom lip.
I reach out and pull it free, trailing my thumb down her jaw as I do, our eyes staying locked for a bit longer, before I reluctantly say, “All right, let’s get the girls.”
I take Rosalie and Paige back to The Spicy Chicken and the memories of our “first date” come to mind. As if remembering the same thing, she smirks knowingly as I hold the door open for her and the girls, my hand giving her ass a quick tap as she walks by.
Her head whips around, but I lean down and whisper, “I told you I wouldn’t be able to control myself if you walked in front of me.”
She gives my shoulder a light push and giggles, making her way to the line to order.
Once we have our food and find a table, I’m quick to maneuver myself onto the same side of the booth as Rosalie. Neither Addison nor Paige complains as they excitedly sit next to each other and chat all about horses.
I watch Addison animatedly talk about the horse camp she goes to each summer, while Paige tells her all about the horses she lived with back in Colorado.
I shift my gaze to Rosalie and place my hand back on her knee under the table.
I know I told her I’d be good, but I quite honestly can’t keep my hands off her when she’s this close to me.
She shifts her leg closer to mine and I move my hand to the inside of her thigh.
Not enough to be indecent but enough to feel intimate.
“Are you having a good day?” I ask, smirking at her and moving my thumb in circles over her skin.
“I am, are you?”
“Fu—freaking fantastic day. Best day I’ve had in a long time,” I say with a bit of extra enthusiasm that makes her laugh.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the weekend?” she asks.
“I’m working on building Addison a tree house in our backyard. Well, that’s a bit of an overstatement. I need to start it this weekend.”
“That sounds like fun. I didn’t know the accountant had an alter ego as a contractor.”
I laugh. “I’m good with numbers, but I love working with my hands.” I give her leg a little squeeze.
She smiles and murmurs, “I bet you are.”
It’s quiet enough that I wonder if she didn’t mean to say it all; a fact that’s confirmed when I look over to see her eyes wide, face shocked.
I chuckle so loud I startle the girls, bringing their attention back to us.
“What’s so funny?” Addison asks.
“Nothing much at all, Addie. Paige’s mom is just really funny.”
“She is!” Paige exclaims. “You should see her when she sings “Defying Gravity” while running through our house on a broom.”
My head turns slowly to look at Rosalie, the smile on my face so big my cheeks hurt. She, on the other hand, looks truly mortified, body slumped down against the seat back and face buried in her hands.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?” Paige says with concern.
Rosalie sits straight in her seat before responding. “Nothing, Paigey. That’s just something Mommy likes to do at home to make you laugh. I prefer to keep those talents a secret between you and me.”
“Whoops, okay! Sorry, Mommy,” Paige says while miming zipping her lips.
She and Addison go back to eating, and I turn to Rosalie, ready to discuss this magnificent talent.
She must see the intent on my face because before I can even open my mouth, she puts her finger to my lips. “Don’t say a word.”
I smile and swipe my tongue out quickly against the pad of her finger.
She withdraws it, but I don’t miss the heat in her eyes.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Leaning closer, I brush my mouth against the shell of her ear and whisper, “But I can think of a million other wicked things I want to do with you.”
“Hey! Secrets don’t make friends,” Addison says with a pout, her voice pulling me back from Rosalie’s ear.
“Well then, it’s a good thing I’m your dad and not your friend then, isn’t it?”
Addie sticks out her tongue as Paige giggles.
The girls are done with their food, and I know my time with Rosalie is winding down. Disappointment flares and I’m combing through my mind, trying desperately to figure out how to see her again. Soon, and preferably without kids.
Suddenly, it comes to me.
Every Wednesday evening, Addison attends Pony Tales, a free horse camp run by the undergraduate equine science students at Winhaven University.
Each summer, they provide two hours of horse knowledge, crafts, games, and hands-on interaction with the horses, which is two uninterrupted hours I can spend with Rosalie by myself.
I’m so excited by this idea that I almost blurt it out to Rosalie right then, but instead I tamp down my excitement.
I don’t know much about Rosalie and Paige’s schedule, and I sure as shit don’t want to make her the bad guy if my suggestion doesn’t work out.
Then she’d have to say no to Paige right here, and I can’t be the cause of that kind of disappointment.
I’ll shoot her a text or call her later today and hope like hell it all works out.
We head to our cars to say goodbye, and as I bring Rosalie in for a quick hug to my side, I discreetly slip my fingertips under the back of her shirt and give her a quick squeeze.
She brings her arm across my body to wrap it around my waist, but as she steps out of my hold, she drags her hand along the lower part of my abdomen, and it takes everything I have to keep my dick under control.
“Thanks for today,” she purrs as she heads over to her truck with a little wave, a sway to her hips, and a knowing smile.