Chapter 23
EVAN
Soon after we entered the house that evening, Chloe emerged from her bedroom. No doubt she’d been waiting for us to walk through that door so she could see the result of the games she’d played today.
“I got three bras!” Effie announced.
“You did?” Chloe’s eyes widened. I was happy she was pretending to be surprised. The least she could do after torturing me was let me take the credit.
“Yeah. Daddy changed his mind and took me shopping after school.”
“I’m so glad he came around.” She winked, and God help me, I had the urge to kiss that smirk right off her face.
“He bought you underwear like you asked him to,” Effie added.
Chloe’s mouth opened and closed before she turned to me. “You did?”
“Here you go.” I cleared my throat, fishing the panties out of the bag, rolling them up in a ball, and handing them to her.
She unfolded the bright yellow underwear. They looked about three sizes too big for her.
Chloe drew in her brows. “These are supposed to be for me?”
I glared at her, hoping she didn’t make an issue of it. “I’ll explain later,” I mouthed.
“Wanna see my bras?” Effie interrupted.
Chloe’s confused expression transformed into a smile. “I would love to.”
My daughter happily unveiled her three new bras, one white, one pink, and one white with little multicolored flowers. I hadn’t really taken a good look at them back at the store, and I was relieved to find that they looked pretty innocent—like she was. They were basically cut-up undershirts.
“What does yours look like?” Effie asked Chloe.
“I can show you one of mine, if you want.”
“Yeah!” My daughter nodded.
Oh, boy.
“Be right back,” Chloe said as she disappeared.
The next thing I knew, Chloe had returned to the kitchen with a light purple bra.
She handed it to Effie, and my daughter held it up.
Then Effie placed one of the cups over her head. “I could fit two of my heads into each of these.” She looked up at Chloe. “Are mine gonna grow this big someday?”
God, help me. I opened the fridge to distract myself from this scene.
“There’s no way to know,” Chloe answered.
“My mom has big ones, so maybe there’s hope.”
“Effie!” I whipped around. “Enough with the bras. Why don’t you go get ready for dinner?”
“Okay, Daddy.” She handed Chloe back her bra before heading to her room.
The second Effie was out of sight, Chloe propelled her bra at me like a slingshot. It nearly landed on my face before I caught it.
I fisted it in my hand before throwing it back to her. “No, thank you.”
“You’re no fun, Evan.” She chuckled, tucking the bra under her arm. “What’s the deal with the granny panties anyway?”
I looked past her shoulder to make sure Effie was out of earshot then whispered, “I used them to wipe sweat off my forehead after your texts, if you must know. Couldn’t just leave them there. Had to buy them.”
“Seriously?” Chloe covered her mouth in laughter. “You could’ve at least chosen something I might actually use.”
“Well, it wasn’t premeditated. I just picked them up out of a pile, not thinking.”
“I’ll use them as a dust cloth.” She laughed.
“That would be the most expensive dust cloth I’ve ever bought.”
“Can’t wait to tell my friend Liz that story.”
“Happy I can give you material to work with.”
She snickered. “Anyway, good on you for taking Effie. She’s happy, and you have that out of the way for a while. Win-win.”
I let out a long breath and admitted the other thing that had really bothered me today. “It should’ve been her mother.”
Chloe’s smile faded. “I know.”
Not sure why that thought suddenly rose to the surface. Chloe had a way of making me want to open up at inopportune moments.
“I almost offered to take her just because I’m female,” Chloe said. “But I didn’t want to overstep.”
“I would’ve let you in this case…” I chuckled. “Believe me.”
“I know you would’ve. But now she’ll always remember that you took her. She’ll remember it forever, Evan.”
“At least she didn’t notice me in the corner wiping my face with a pair of granny panties. That she definitely wouldn’t have forgotten.”
“Probably better that she doesn’t have that memory, yeah.” Chloe cackled.
“Thanks for the push. I’ve yet to regret a single one of your challenges.”
“I only regret one.” Her expression turned serious.
Fuck. She got me. I’d walked right into that one.
Chloe shook her head. “Anyway, you’re welcome.” She turned and went back to her room.
With both Chloe and Effie out of the kitchen, I could finally calm down after this long day. I popped open a bottle of beer and took a long sip, rubbing the back of my neck. The tightness I’d felt there all day started to ease.
I turned my attention to the next task and cooked up a simple meal of pasta and red sauce. Bra shopping had sucked all of my energy, so this was going to have to do.
When Effie went to take a shower after dinner, I stood at the sink doing dishes while Chloe wiped the table.
I still hadn’t been able to get our flirty text exchange out of my mind.
Rather than fading into the distance, the memory had only gotten louder.
And the only way I seemed to know how to combat it was to act like a dick.
At one point, Chloe came up behind me, and I shut off the water before turning to face her. “You really know how to torture me, don’t you?”
“Going bra shopping, you mean? I thought we were over that.”
“I was referring to your texts earlier. And then you bringing out your bra under the guise of showing Effie.”
“Wait a minute.” She placed her hands on her hips. “The texts might’ve been a tease, but showing her the bra wasn’t for your benefit, you cocky bastard. I wasn’t modeling the damn thing. What’s your problem?”
Not sure if it was the sassy way she was speaking to me right now or my slight buzz from the two beers I’d downed, but I had very few fucks left to give at the moment.
I inched closer. “What’s my problem? It’s that I wanted you to send me that fucking photo you cockteased me with. But I’m trying like hell not to encourage it, Chloe. It’s too damn dangerous and not fair to Effie.”
“How is me showing you my boobs in private going to hurt Effie?”
“Because it won’t end there, and you know it.”
“It totally could end there. There’s no reason we have to do anything. Why can’t we have a little fun as adults? I’m not a teenager anymore, Evan. So why are you still policing things so damn hard?”
I was damn hard, all right. She had no idea the thoughts running through my mind right now—and most nights lately. How I wished I could lift her up, carry her to my room, and show her just how little I cared about policing things. I’d bury my face in those beautiful tits and…
Focus.
I shook my head. “Why am I policing things? Because we’re not two strangers, Chloe. We have a lot of fucking history. It’s not like you’re someone I met on an app or in a bar.”
“No, those are the women who get to have fun with you, and I’m some girl you keep in the corner like I’m still twelve.”
“You think I still see you as a girl? You know that’s not the case.
You’ve caught me staring at you. I know you have, because you egg me on, then wait for it.
” I gritted my teeth. “And I fucking love it. I live for it. I wish I didn’t.
You’re an incredibly beautiful woman, and you know the power you hold. ”
Chloe’s cheeks reddened. Then she took a step closer and whispered, “Well, like I said in my text, if you ever want to see them, all you have to do is ask.”
Now I was sweating again, except this time I reached for a dish towel instead of yellow underwear to wipe my forehead. And Chloe fucking walked away. She must’ve been waiting for the exact moment I was about to lose it before deeming our conversation finished.
But then she looked over her shoulder. “Effie is still in the shower. Can’t you hear the water? We’re alone. Do you want to see them really quick?”
Is she out of her mind? She wanted to fucking show me her tits right now? What would that accomplish besides driving me absolutely mad and leaving me with a perpetual hard-on all night? So I gave her the only logical answer.
“Yes, please…” I swallowed, my voice throaty and desperate.
Chloe walked back toward me, stopping a couple of inches away.
My dick rose to attention, though she hadn’t even moved.
I wondered for a moment whether this was a trick, whether she was just pushing the limits to see how weak I was.
The answer to that, of course, was very damn weak.
But then she slowly lifted her shirt, and I lost the ability to think.
She hadn’t been wearing a bra under her T-shirt, but because the material was thick, this time I hadn’t noticed.
Now her beautiful, perfect, round, milky breasts hung freely in front of me.
Her mauve nipples taunted me as they pebbled in the cool air.
My eyes worked overtime to soak in every last inch, every last curve, wanting to burn the image of her into my brain for fear I’d never get this opportunity again.
“Christ, they’re beautiful. You’re beautiful.” I could’ve sworn drool dribbled down my chin.
“Do you want to touch them?” she whispered.
My mouth watered. I wanted to do much more than touch them. I wanted to lick them, suck them, and fuck them. The word yes had nearly rolled off my tongue…when I heard the shower shut off.
“Fuck.” I ran a hand through my hair, stepping back.
Chloe jumped and quickly pulled her shirt over her chest.
What the hell had I been thinking anyway, playing touch the ta-tas when she and I had only a matter of minutes alone? What the fuck was I, fifteen?
“I’d better go.” Chloe flashed a mischievous smile before she turned and headed to her room.
I leaned against the counter, trying to tame my dick.
Thankfully, I’d managed to handle it right before my daughter reappeared.
“Daddy, are you okay?”
I leaned against the counter. “Sure, yeah, why?”
“You look weird.”
“No. No. I’m good.” I feigned a smile. “Great, even…”
“Okay.” My ever-perceptive daughter stared at me for a few seconds before she added, “Thanks again for taking me shopping today.”
“Anytime, baby. I’m glad you got what you needed.”
Unfortunately, I hadn’t gotten what I needed. Nowhere near it.
Effie gave me a hug before she disappeared to her room.
A minute later, I was about to get in the shower when Chloe appeared in her robe.
“Are you gonna shower, or should I?” I asked her.
“I just finished,” she said, tilting her head. “Can’t you tell? My hair is wrapped in a towel.”
My head wasn’t in the right place to connect any dots right now. Mentally, I was still burying my face in her tits.
I cleared my throat. “I didn’t hear you in there. I’m gonna go now.”
She squinted with a smirk. “You look a little flushed. Are you all right?”
I gritted my teeth. “I get it now.”
“Get what?”
“You’re trying to kill me, aren’t you? As revenge for whatever it is you think I did to you a decade ago.”
“Killing you is definitely not what I have in mind, Evan.” She blushed, even as she spoke those bold words.
“But it’s okay. I know where you stand. You see me as a threat.
Going there with me would mean complicating your already complicated life.
You’ve always overthought things when it came to me. Nothing has changed.”
“It would be very easy to give in to how I’m feeling right now, Chloe. Trying to do the right thing is fucking hard.”
There it is again. Fucking hard. Why did I have to say it like that? Now that was all I could think about—fucking her hard against this kitchen counter.
She frowned. “Doing the right thing always seems to involve pushing me away.”
“I’m sorry,” I muttered.
She said nothing else before she escaped to her room.
I didn’t know whether we could sustain this living arrangement, given the sexual tension now rising to the surface between us. But as I stepped into the shower, there was one thing I did know: my weeks-long jerk-off ban was about to end.