Page 50 of When I Had You

Returning to the other block, my mom is nowhere to be found, and Marina sits on a stoop waiting for me. I approach. “Hey there.”

She stands on the first step when she sees me, dusting off the back of her jeans. “Hi. Your mom said she was tired and caught a car to her place.”

“She runs 10ks,” I say with a chuckle. “She wasn’t tired. She wanted to give us time alone.”

“Well, you shouldn’t out her like that. Next time, just play along.”

It’s the late afternoon cool air, the light that always seems to find itself shining in her eyes when she looks up at me, and a lot about her that has me gravitating closer. I want to rub her hip and hold her close with the other hand. I want to caress her cheek and kiss her.

That would cause a real scandal if anyone caught us. I can’t say that dissuades me though.

When I move a little closer, she asks, “So you like to be called Daddy?” She bites her lip while her eyes stare into mine, insinuating everything.

Damn . . .

She’s going to be the fucking death of me.

14

Cash

“I’ve never been one to play games when it comes to sex, but that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble.”

“That’s what I’m counting on, Daddy.”

Fuck me . . . I’m sure my gulp can be heard all the way in Brooklyn. I step back, rubbing the back of my neck before I do more than kiss her on these steps. I’m always in control, but she’s got me close to losing my last shred around her. “Yeah, we’re not going to do that.”

She looks me up and down. “You sure about that?”

The woman is a siren, and my dick has answered her call. The timing could be better than a street in the middle of Manhattan. There’s nothing covert about how I shift.

A grin cuts into her expression, and she asks, “You once mentioned your favorite place to eat but never said what it was—”

“Good idea.” We start walking, and I keep my eyes on anything but the beautiful woman beside me. Shred is putting it kindly. I’m being held together by the thinnest of threads because of her. Granted, it’s been a while. A self-inflicted exile, but that doesn’t change the fact that I find her so goddamn gorgeous.

I make the mistake of glancing over and catch her eyes already on me. “How hungry are you?”

“Famished.”

“Do you want to catch a car, or are you good with walking?”

“I’m good with walking. It’s something I miss when I’m on the West Coast. Not that I don’t walk. I do, for exercise, but New York forces you to get dressed and participate in life. It’s too easy to stay in bed in Vancouver and LA and order in.” I catch the sight of her tongue dipping out and licking the corner of her mouth before I look away, knowing I made a mistake. “Are you okay? You seem . . . I don’t know. On edge.”

As much as I enjoy her company, it might be too much. I stop and step off to the side closer to the building. “Look . . .” I glance down the street. It’s less busy in this section, and I’m not upset by the reprieve. “We could cause another catastrophe if we’re spotted together. It’s not something I considered with my son because I can usually walk around the city freely.” Swaying two fingers between us, I add, “But we’re a different story.”

“Maybe I look too different in real life for people to notice.” She laughs. “But I don’t get much attention here either.”

“You don’t see yourself clearly. You don’t see yourself how I do.”

“How do you see me?”

I take a slow and deep breath, believing kissing her will definitely be involved tonight. There’s just no way around it. “It didn’t take candy to get my attention from the other side of the street.”

Softly grinning, she steps a little closer. “No?”

“Nuh-uh. It was you. All you. Your beauty, and the way the last of the sunlight shone in your hair just before disappearing behind a building. Your eyes when you saw me—”

“What about my eyes?”

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