Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Kinsley
I woke up to the smell of bacon. My body was sore, but I felt good. I stretched, remembering last night. How he went down on me in the shower, and how content I felt after so many orgasms. It was like he was breaking me apart with each climax, making me bare more of myself to him.
He said he was looking for something serious, but had he just said that because he wanted me now?
I got up, needing to know how things would be this morning. Would he pretend that nothing had happened?
My stomach sank at the prospect. I combed my hair, brushed my teeth, and pulled on sweats. I padded downstairs.
In the kitchen, Shep sat at the counter.
He turned his head when I walked in and smiled. "Morning, beautiful."
My heart was beating fast, and I felt a little lightheaded.
He stood and crossed the room to greet me, pulling me into his body and kissing me thoroughly. When he finally pulled away, my lips felt swollen. "Are you hungry?"
I blinked up at him. "Starved."
He bustled around the kitchen, preparing a plate for me and pouring a cup of coffee. I moved to stand near him, wanting to be close.
He lifted me onto the counter. "I want to feed you."
I spread my legs so that he could stand between them. "Okay."
He cut my eggs and lifted the fork to my mouth.
There was something about being fed like this that felt intimate. "I could get used to this."
"Me too." He didn't smile or add a wink to his comment.
"But it will be hard to feed me with Maya underfoot," I said with a smile.
He raised a brow. "But we can indulge ourselves when she's at Derek's."
I liked that he was talking about the future. That had to mean something, right?
We continued, taking turns feeding each other and laughing when something fell to the floor.
"I'd like to take you to bed and keep you there, but we have to work. We have deadlines to meet."
I felt happy that he wanted to take me to bed. He wasn't making excuses or pretending like nothing happened last night.
"There's just one rule today."
"What's that?" I asked as he took our plates to the sink.
"You have to wear my shirt with nothing underneath it."
"Are you saying I should lose the sweats?"
He gave me a look over his shoulder that could have melted my clothes off. "It will be hard to get any work done. I might fuck you against a wall…or two."
Were my panties already wet? "Was that supposed to be a warning, because I think I'm going to like that."
He came over to me, his hands on my thighs, his body between my legs. "You're going to love it."
"Mmm. Yes. Please." Shep was larger-than-life, bigger than anything I'd imagined. I'd lose myself in him if I wasn't careful. He was so good with women, and I had to remember that this could be an act.
No matter how sweet he was with my daughter, I wasn't sure I could trust him.
I'd set up my impromptu office on the bed in the guest room where he was working today. I sat cross-legged so anytime Shep walked in, he got a view of my panties.
He came into the room and said gruffly, "Next time, no panties."
Then he set the laptop on the nightstand, grabbed the condom he'd placed there earlier, and pushed me onto my back. He slid the offending panties off and entered me in one swift motion. He shoved the T-shirt up so that my breasts were exposed to him, and he sucked one nipple into his mouth.
I was primed for this and insatiable for him. I didn't know what would happen when Maya came home, but for now, we were cocooned in our own little world, and I was loving every second of it.
He threaded his fingers through mine on either side of my head as he thrust inside me, growing impossibly larger. And when I cried out, he followed me over.
He rolled us so that I was splayed over his chest. He cupped my ass and squeezed. "You're a naughty distraction."
I laughed. "Am I your excuse if you don't meet your deadline?"
"If you weren't wearing panties, I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did."
My phone buzzed, and I reached for it, reluctant to leave the warmth of his body. But I was a mom first, and Maya might need me. I showed him the screen where Derek had texted that he was bringing Maya back.
A crease appeared between his eyebrows. "I thought he wasn't supposed to return her until six."
"He probably wants to watch a game on TV, and she's not interested."
Shep stilled underneath me. "You're joking."
"Yeah, he acts like she's a product that you return when it doesn't work the way it's supposed to."
A rumble erupted from low in Shep's chest. Then he surged up, grabbing the phone from me. "I should tell him—"
I snagged the phone back. "You're not going to tell him anything because I'm always happy to get Maya."
"I want to see her. I missed her." Then a grin spread over his face. "We kept ourselves occupied in the most delicious way possible."
"Is it okay if I tell him to drop her off here? It'll give me time to take a shower."
"That's fine," Shep said.
"I'd better jump in the shower so I don't smell like sex when she arrives." I wondered if Derek would think something was going on between me and Shep. Would he even care? He'd never been particularly interested in our lives.
He didn't care if our landlord was giving us trouble, or if our house flooded and we didn't have a place to stay.
Shep slapped my ass as I walked out of the room. "Hey."
"I'll clean this up." He gestured at the rumpled bed.
I shook a finger at him. "And no following me into the bathroom. We don't have time for any more naughty distractions."
He grinned. "That's okay. Maya goes to bed early."
I laughed, even though I wasn't sure how we'd continue our sexual trysts with her in the house.
I showered quickly, twisting my still-damp hair into a knot on the top of my head. I dressed in a T-shirt and shorts and made it downstairs just as the doorbell was ringing.
I opened the door, and Maya flew into my arms. "Hey, sweet girl. I missed you."
Derek's gaze seemed to be fixated on my hair. "You're just taking a shower now?"
"We're renovating the bathrooms. It's messy work." Especially when you're sleeping with the contractor.
"Where's my girl?" Shep called from the second floor.
"Shep. Shep. Shep," Maya chanted as she dropped her bag on the wood floor and ran up the steps to find him.
Derek nodded toward the stairs where Maya had just gone. "She seems to be attached to him."
"He's great with her." In other words, he doesn't send her somewhere when he wants to watch TV or hang out with his girlfriend.
"I asked Maya if she wanted to watch the game or go home, and she chose to come home."
I barely restrained myself from rolling my eyes. "Derek, you have her until six. It's your choice to bring her back."
"So…what? Are you living with Shep Kingston now?"
The implication was clear. I was a single mom living with the island's most notorious bachelor.
"He's one of my bosses and offered us a place to stay after our house flooded. Now, is there anything else you wanted to talk about regarding Maya?"
"No—"
"Great. Thanks for bringing her back early. We're excited to spend time with her." Then I ushered him out and shut the door. He was a nonentity to me at this point. He saw her for part of his weekends, and he wasn't there for us in any appreciable way.
I didn't need to talk to him about what he thought of Shep or my living situation.
Shep was good to Maya, and she was blossoming under his attention in a way she never had with her father.
I had a feeling he made her feel like she was an imposition instead of an integral part of his life.
I was seeing things more clearly now, and I didn't want to waste a second on Derek.
It was his loss. I headed upstairs, not bothering to check to see if Derek had driven through the gate. I found Maya in the bathroom where Shep was telling her how he framed and tiled the bathroom.
When I appeared in the doorway, Maya asked, "Did you get it on video, Mommy?"
"I sure did. You can watch the clips I edited."
Her lower lip protruded. "You did so much without me."
Shep hung his head. "There's so much more to do. I'm so glad you're home. I couldn't get it done without you."
"I'll go change." She ran into her bedroom and shut the door.
"You're sweet to her."
"She deserves it. Especially after that ass—I mean jerk returned her early. What kind of message does that send to her?" Shep asked, disgust lacing his voice.
"Not a good one."
"She probably thinks he doesn't want her or doesn't want to spend time with her. That's messed up."
My chest tightened. "It is."
"She'll never feel that here," Shep said firmly.
My chest loosened at the conviction in his words.
"Did he say anything to you? I wanted to go down there, but it's not my place. We've only just—" Then he waved his hand, and I wished he'd finish his statement, but he didn't.
"He said something about me just taking a shower. I guess he was insinuating that I was being lazy. I don't know."
Shep nodded. "He knew we were together. Men can sense it."
I raised a brow. "Are you saying he knew we had sex because my hair was wet?"
He nodded. "Men can sense those things. You probably seemed more relaxed, happier than usual."
My nose scrunched. "Why would he care?"
"No matter how he's treated you over the years, he doesn't like that you're moving on."
Was I moving on? Was that what this was? A warm sensation flowed through my body. I was living in this amazing house with Shep and my daughter. I couldn't wait to share more days like this one with a man who was becoming one of my favorite people.
Shep touched my shoulders, turning me so that we were facing each other. "Are you okay?"
I scanned my body, feeling lighter than I had in a long time. "I think I am."
"Then no more talk about that asshat. He gets her every other weekend, and he shouldn't take up any more of our precious brain space."
I smiled. "I like that."
Maya's door opened, and she tore down the hall. "What are we doing next?"
"You want to learn how to lay some tile?" Shep asked her with a grin.
Her eyes widened. "Yes."
"You'll need gloves, knee pads—"
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Don't forget your hat."
He helped her into a new pair of gloves, knee pads, and finally, the helmet. Then he showed her his process for tiling the floor. We'd chosen larger pieces so there wasn't as much cutting and work to do. I loved the effect; it was modern yet traditional.
I'd offered to help earlier, but he said I couldn't be half naked and do construction. I think he preferred me on the bed. He liked coming out to enjoy breaks with me.
It was different with Maya home. There were more shared looks over her head, and we were dressed at all times. But there was still a connection there. One that hadn't been before.
I filmed them together because they made the sweetest picture. She was decked out in safety gear, and he was in his usual worn jeans, boots, and a Kingston Construction shirt stretched tight across his shoulders.
A few short hours ago, he'd been inside me. I could still feel the slight pain from the stretch. It felt good to be with him like that. And now he was being so sweet with Maya. I was going to fall hard and fast for this man, despite my reservations.
The contrast between Shep and Derek was striking. It was easy to see that Derek was never the man I'd hoped he'd be. I couldn't change him. I had to find someone who could be the man I needed. And I was starting to think that man was Shep.
No matter what his family thought about him, I saw a different side. One that was sweet and caring.
I sat on the bed with the computer in my lap, but I spent more time observing them working. He showed her how to cut the tiles, then let her set the tile into the space.
He treated her like an equal, a true assistant.
I posted the first video of them talking about the design of her bathroom to Kingston Construction's social-media pages. I was nervous as my fingers hovered over the word Post. But I was excited to see what people would think.
Maybe they wouldn't even see it. Or they'd think it was amateurish. I'd never done that much marketing on social media. I hoped I didn't make the company look bad. I just wanted to share these two with the world.
It was possible that I was the only one who thought they were endearing. I was biased after all. But I suspected that others would be enraptured by them too.
I didn't tell Shep what I'd done because he wasn't comfortable being on film. I had a feeling he'd only agreed because it was part of my job and he didn't want me to get in trouble.
I was grateful to him regardless. And he truly seemed to enjoy working with Maya. He never got impatient with her.
He was a good role model. I just wasn't sure how long he'd be around.
Eventually we'd need to move out. What would happen then?
Was this just a convenient fling for him?
He said he wanted something serious last night.
But what if he changed his mind? What if he wasn't cut out for serious relationships and he wanted to go back to how things were?
But I didn't want to think about the what-ifs. I just wanted to live in this moment.