5. Rejection
CHAPTER 5
REJECTION
MILES
I watch her run away with my heart pounding and blood rushing to my cock at the thought of a kiss. A kiss.
Delilah is feisty, and she doesn’t stand down when she wants to make a point. At least, not until she realizes it’s turning into something else entirely. Hell, that even caught me off guard, but I have never wanted to kiss a woman so badly in my life.
What the fuck?
I hear her door close and take a deep breath, telling myself not to go to her. This needs to end right now and I grab some cold water, downing it to cool my heated skin.
“You can’t do this with Delilah. Andrew trusts you.” I close my eyes. “She’s good with Lola, even though I can’t tell her that.”
I find myself standing at her door, the silence of the hallway amplifying the wild thrum of my heartbeat. My hand hovers just inches from the wood, hesitating as every logical part of me screams to turn around, to walk away. But the memory of her—those fiery eyes challenging me, her lips parted in frustration—has a hold on me that I can’t break.
Before I can stop myself, I knock. The sound is soft, almost tentative, but it feels deafening in the stillness. The door opens, and there she is. Delilah. Her breath catches the moment she sees me, her eyes widening with a mix of surprise and something else that sends a rush of heat through me.
We stand there, suspended in the tension, neither of us saying a word. My gaze falls to her lips—slightly parted, just like they were when we were arguing, but softer now, more vulnerable. Slowly, as if drawn by a force I can’t control, I reach up, my fingers brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. My touch lingers, tracing the line of her jaw before I cup the side of her face.
She doesn’t move, her breath coming in shallow, shaky inhales as I step closer. Our bodies are almost touching, but it’s our faces that move even closer. Her eyes flutter shut as my forehead rests gently against hers, our noses brushing in a tender, hesitant moment of intimacy.
I feel her breath against my lips, warm and inviting. My other hand slides to her waist, pulling her just a fraction closer as we continue to breathe each other in. My nose nuzzles hers, a slow, gentle caress that sends a shiver down my spine. She tilts her head slightly, her lips just grazing mine, and it’s like an electric shock that jolts through both of us.
And then, finally, our lips meet—softly at first, just a tentative brush, exploring the unspoken connection between us. It’s slow, deliberate, each of us savoring the taste, the feel of the other, as if we’re afraid this moment could slip away if we rush it.
Slowly, I begin to suck on her tongue, enjoying the way she melts into me, her body pressing even closer as she surrenders to the sensation. Each gentle suction draws a quiet moan from her, the sound vibrating against my lips and making the connection between us even more intense. I relish every second.
Somehow things stop before getting too far and I stumble off to bed, tossing and turning as I play back the kiss.
I get up before my daughter and guzzle enough coffee to keep me going, planning to spend the day with Lola. My daughter.
My entire life.
When Lola wakes up, I get her dressed for the day and go into the kitchen for breakfast. I’ve been doing this for six months and it’s nothing new.
The knot in my stomach is new, and it tightens when I hear footsteps in the hall. I’m conflicted inside after the kiss and not sure how to act with Delilah today; I tell her I’ve got things handled without even making eye contact. I don’t want her to leave forever, but I just need Lola today.
I shouldn’t be surprised when Delilah leaves, but I’m also not relieved. Last night was intense and there’s no denying it.
Lola eats and talks about everything and nothing as I smile at her, not catching everything.
My phone rings in a couple of hours and I grab it since Lola is playing.
“Hey Andrew.”
“Good morning, Miles. You sound chipper. Feel like hitting the gym for a while? I can feel the restlessness kicking in.”
Andrew loves hockey as much as I do, but he has the luxury of focusing entirely on his career.
“I’m with Lola today.”
“Yeah, and you have my sister working for you. What’s up?”
I think about my answer and tame my voice.
“I gave her the day off. With the season coming up, I just wanted to be with Lola and get my fill of her. It’s going to be tough leaving her.”
“Delilah isn’t even there? She left?”
“Yeah. I let her have the day off.”
I didn’t even tell her she had the entire day off, but why wouldn’t Delilah take it after last night?
“Is everything cool there?”
I can hear the suspicion in my friend’s voice and my heart rate picks up quickly, but I take a deep breath.
“She’s been keeping busy, so she deserved a little break. Your sister is a great nanny, Drew.” I’d like to tell Delilah that in person, but my stubborn ass can’t seem to do it. “You know how busy we get during the season. I want to spend time with Lola for the next few days.”
“I think I’m still getting used to you being a dad, much less a single dad. So, Delilah is doing a good job?”
“She is. Lola’s happy with her being here.”
“Don’t get any ideas, Miles. My sister is amazing, but it’s hands off. I did you a favor by suggesting Delilah as your nanny.”
The warning in his voice makes me close my eyes. I’ve already broken his trust by kissing Delilah last night. We stopped it and I came back to my room alone but I can still taste her.
“I know, Drew. Where is this coming from?”
Deflection works, right?
“I just feel like there’s more to this. She didn’t start that long ago.”
“Yes, but Lola is really energetic, and I’ll be gone a lot more soon. Why not give her a break to get some time to herself? What’s wrong with that?”
It made sense to me, and I hope Andrew feels the same.
“Fair enough. Gym later when she’s back?”
“I’ll call you.”
I lean back on the couch, watching Lola for a moment. When will she come back, if at all? I didn’t create a friendly environment over the last few hours.
It’s late afternoon when I hear the front door. We’re on the couch watching one of Lola’s favorite movies for a break and my daughter is close to nodding off. Delilah steps into the living room, pausing when she sees me with Lola. There are a few bags in her hand, and I look at them, assuming she went shopping.
“Good day off?”
“It was. I met up with my best friend and we just shopped and stuff. How was Lola?”
“Busy, but it was nice to spend some time with her. We did just about everything she asked me to. You have my admiration.”
That could be the first compliment I’ve given Delilah, and her arched brow tells me she picked up on it.
“Yeah, well, you know what they say. Sleep when the baby sleeps.” She gives Lola a pointed look as her head drops back. “I got her something.”
Delilah walks into the hall to her room and returns after a moment; she sets what looks like a baby laptop down on the floor.
“What is it?” All the new toys are amazing, and I frown at the device.
“It teaches her all about animals and foods. Stuff like that. The reviews on it are incredible.”
Delilah left the house likely angry with me and she bought something for Lola that she researched.
“She’s going to be ready for kindergarten tomorrow at this point.” I offer Delilah a smile and she shrugs.
“That’s the plan.”
This would be a great time to talk to Delilah about whatever happened last night. Lola is out, and I lay her down on the couch carefully. Delilah left the room, but she couldn’t have gone far.
I realize how tired I am and stretch. Sleeping was light at best last night so I decide to take Lola to her bed and get a nap in for myself.
“I’m taking your advice.” I look into the kitchen, as she isn’t there. “Huh.”
I get Lola in bed and collapse into mine, leaving the monitor on so I can hear her. Delilah’s home, but I can’t expect her to automatically listen for Lola since we didn’t talk about it.
We don’t talk about anything.
I hear sounds in the kitchen when I wake up with Lola calling my name and go to grab her from her bed.
“Lilah?” she asks with a big smile.
“She’s back and I’ll bet she’s making dinner, bug. Want to go see what’s on the menu?”
We walk to the kitchen with Lola in the lead, squealing when she sees Delilah. I smell tomato sauce and hope to hell it’s her spaghetti.
“Hey, baby girl. How was your nap?” Delilah catches her in her arms, spinning her around. “Want spaghetti for dinner?”
“Yummy!” My daughter claps in Delilah’s arms and I can’t agree more.
“That sounds great. Thanks for cooking after your busy day.”
Delilah looks at me as if she’s trying to figure out if I’m being sincere.
“Not a problem. It’s relaxing for me after any day, and this kitchen is perfect.” She smiles. “You can help me later when it’s time to make the noodles.”
Lola drops the noodles in the boiling water with Delilah beside her and then they pick some fruit to cut to go with the meal. I know Lola is smart from being a part of her life since she was born, but this is impressive. She’s great in the kitchen for her age.
“Did your mom cook with you?”
We’re setting the plates on the table after I offer to help, to Delilah’s surprise.
“Mom and Grams. I was always in the kitchen with them both since I could stand. We started slow like I’m doing with Lola, but she’s a lot like me.”
Delilah glances at the table to take stock of what she needs and returns to the kitchen to get the cup she’s using for Lola now after hearing about it online. I get my daughter to the table and settle her in before Delilah looks at me from across the table.
“Dig in.” She smiles and I watch as she gets Lola’s plate started while talking to my daughter.
When the kitchen is clean and Lola is in bed for the night, I approach Delilah where she sits on the back patio. There’s a small glass of wine beside her and she’s looking at the stars.
“We should talk about last night.” I shift on my feet, and she doesn’t look at me.
“I’d like to know if you appreciate what I do here. It’s obvious Lola is happy and thriving even, and you see that, too. Stop being so condescending.”
“I’m trying. This is hard for me to hand her off to someone else, Delilah. That’s not what I want to talk about.”
“What else is there?”
Delilah is going to sweep this under the rug. Interesting.
“We got close to something last night and I know you remember. I saw you were looking at me the same way I was feeling inside. Are you going to pretend it never happened?” I stare at her, and she finally glances at me.
“We were arguing. It was just the emotions at the moment. I think we both know we’ll never go there, Miles. There’s a lot at stake.” She shrugs. “I don’t feel anything for you, Miles.”
The memory of her eyes last night tell me she’s lying to me. Delilah wanted the kiss as much as I did, but she’s lying about it.
Is that the best way to handle this? Where could it go?