Page 26 of One Touch

“Can you cook?” I asked.

“I can make coffee.”

“Can you drive?”

She gave me a look. “If I’m not driving a car with badly modified brake calipers, yes, I can drive.”

Fuck. I was going to regret this.

Reluctantly, I nodded. “We’ll try it. On probation.”

“You are not going to regret this!” she said, her eyes widening with pure delight. She threw her arms around me in an impulsive hug, her soft curves pressing against my muscular frame. I inhaled sharply, her intoxicating scent filling my nostrils. Strawberries, ginger, a hint of spice. Then, I felt her grip tighten slightly as she whispered, “Gosh, you’re so much more muscly than Vlad.”

Her breasts squeezed up against my chest as I struggled to do everything—breathe, think, smile—as a normal human being and not a horny teenager.

It’s an innocent hug, Ethan. Nothing more than that. She’s happy that you’re giving her a job. Don’t read more into . . .

She kissed me on the cheek. The entire right-hand side of my body crackled with electricity. My cock throbbed and grew, nudging against her insistently. Shit.

She pulled away from me slightly and our gazes locked.

“Sorry, Ethan,” she said softly. “I got carried away. I just—”

Without thinking, I cupped her face in my calloused hands and crashed my lips against hers in a passionate, hungry kiss.

She let out a soft, sudden yelp of surprise, that changed subtly into a whimper of yielding pleasure.

Fuck.

I hadn’t kissed a woman in years. I’d been missing out on so much.

The taste of her as I gently pushed my tongue between her lips. The smell of her ivory skin. The feel of the fabric of her summer dress, shifting beneath my fingers as my hand traced its way down her slender back.

My other hand did what it had dreamed of doing for so long—it grabbed a tangle of her glossy hair, and I marveled at its silky texture as I pulled her in tighter toward me, pushing my straining cock against her belly.

The lust was overwhelming, and I knew she felt it too, because her hands roamed, just like mine. Over my back. My abs. My ass.

“Daddy?”

Ava’s voice pierced through the haze of desire, shattering the moment like a bucket of ice water. I jerked away from Lily, my heart pounding as I turned to face my daughter, who—thank fuck— hadn’t yet emerged from the house.

Lily and I sprang apart, and she smoothed down her hair as my heart pounded in my chest.

“You okay, Ava?” I asked, my voice breaking.

“Uh-huh. Internet’s out. Gabby’s buffering.”

“Right,” I said, scratching my head. “I’ll come fix it.”

How had I let that happen? Didn’t I have any self-control? There was no way I could let this happen again.

“I think you should go, Lily.”

“Yep,” she said.

“I think what we discussed . . . we better leave it.”

Her face fell, hurt and disappointment flashing across her delicate features. But she nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. “Of course, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have . . .”

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