Page 56 of Wanting a Family Man

“I feel stupid,”Cloe said as they ambled down the road on their return to theStorm Ridge. It was the first thing she’d said besides a polite “thank you” as they had carefully untangled themselves.

“Why?” Trystan asked, concerned that her silence hadn’t been because they’d heard a family arrive while they dressed, complete with excited children and a couple of barking dogs.

They had skirted curious looks by avoiding the picnic area and heading back to the road through a side trail.

“I mean I literally can’t hold a thought in my head,” she said with a blank look on her face. “I think you screwed my brains out.”

“Oh.” He grinned, still feeling well oiled and dopey himself. “You’re welcome.” He’d had sex outdoors before, that was true, but never like that. It was kind of disconcerting how mind-blowing that had been.

Impulsively, he caught her hand, stopping her in the middle of the quiet road for a long, tasty kiss. He could get used to this, he thought dimly, as she stretched onto her tiptoes so she was a lithe line against him. He liked that. He liked it a lot.

And then what? His rational brain was rattling at the door where he’d locked it away so he could justify taking everything this woman cared to offer him.

That thought checked him. He kept her hand as they began walking again, but he kept thinking about how her emotional stores were on empty. She had said so herself. The rest of her life was pared down to almost nothing.

He wanted to believe she had taken as much or more from him than he’d taken from her, but now he wasn’t so sure. What did he have to offer her? At best, a long-distance relationship that involved weeks, sometimes months, of zero contact.

When the wharf came into view, Cloe gently pulled her hand free.

“Look, I was serious about not expecting… Well, you exceeded my expectations as far as, um, new experiences go.” She bit her smile and looked to the sky, then grew more solemn. “But I don’t want anything to be awkward for you. I can’t imagine your brothers would be thrilled to learn we fooled around.”

“I have never given one solitary fuck what my brothers think of my sex life.”

She blinked. Then rolled her lips inward as though holding back from saying something.

“What?” he prompted.

“I don’t know. Just that you’re pretty vocal with your opinions where Logan and Sophie are concerned.”

“That’s different. She’s my friend and he was a giant dick to her.” Although, now he came to think of it, both he and Logan had given Reid a healthy helping of shit when they realized he was getting busy with Emma.

Rule number one, he could still hear Reid saying on day one with Storm.No one fucks the nanny.

And he could already hear both of them saying the acorn hadn’t fallen far from the tree if they learned he was messing around with Cloe.

“I’m not trying to friend-zone you or anything,” she said. “I’m just saying that I don’t expect to be more than friends if that’s what you want. I’m also okay if you want to keep…expanding my horizons. On a boat. Under a coat.” She quirked her mouth, then her brows came together in a frown. “I’d rather not have outside expectations or speculation imposed on it, though. I’ve already had my sex life on trial.”

Right. He had forgotten about that.

“The speculation will happen whether we admit to it or not.” He scratched the back of his neck. Even a kid like Kristen had noticed the sexual tension between them. “But we can keep it low-key if you want. No grab-ass in the galley.”

It didn’t escape him that he was not only agreeing to an affair, but to keeping it secret. Given his family history, he knew damned well that if you couldn’t be open and honest about having sex with someone, you probably shouldn’t be doing it.

“See? I didn’t even know that grab-ass in the galley was something I wanted.” Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “We’ll have to save it for when we’re tied up between cruises.”

Now he couldn’t wait for this one to be over.

Chapter Fourteen

The next morningwas a lazy one. The day was overcast and windy, the ocean a dull gray as they motored up a long inlet. Everyone seemed to find a cozy corner and a cup of something hot where they chatted or read a book. Elodie played cards with the German boys while their parents went back to bed.

Everyone bundled up and went on deck when Trystan cut the engine, though. Porpoises were playing in the tossing surf, making everyone laugh at their antics.

After lunch, they visited another hot spring. No one seemed ambitious enough to try kayaking or hiking and they took turns going ashore so Cloe and Trystan didn’t have any time alone, not until they were at anchor for the night.

All the women had gone to bed, but the two married men were having a nightcap under Johnny’s watchful eye. Cloe had noticed that he and Trystan were not afraid to cut anyone off if they thought they were going to become a safety hazard.

She had just come out of the head after brushing her teeth and found Trystan standing in the open doorway of his cabin. He had already stripped down to the drawstring shorts he seemed to wear to bed anddamnthat was a lot of beautiful bronze skin.

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