Page 79 of One Touch

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to break any . . . rules.”

“What rules, Dad?” Ava asked, rightly confused.

“Oh, you know, they’re meant to be family dinners.” I tried not to sound flustered.

“Yay!” Ava clapped her hands together. Then, she grabbed the book and wrenched it out of my sight. “I need glitter pens,” Ava said, scampering off to her room.

I turned to Lily with a rueful grin. “You sure you’re ready for the McCoy family inquisition? They can be a bit . . . intense.”

Lily shrugged, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “I think I can handle it. Besides, it’ll be nice to see you in your natural habitat. And Elara will be there, too.”

“I . . . uh, spoke to Cole today. Just so you know. About . . . us.”

“Us, huh?”

“I guess I spoke to him about the lack of us.”

“Right. Makes sense. How did he take it?”

“Oh, you know Cole. Teased me mercilessly.” It wasn’t quite the truth, but I didn’t feel like saying, “He told me we should be together.”

“Sorry about that. Guess he finds us a funny pairing. . .”

“I think he’s amazed that someone like you would touch someone like me.”

“Oh?”

Suddenly, I became very aware of how close we were to each other. I could feel the heat from her, and smell that maddening scent of strawberries. “You know,” I said. “You’re a ten. And I’m a—”

“Hundred?”

We laughed together.

“Just remind me,” I said quietly, leaning in. “We had sex yesterday, didn’t we?”

“Have you forgotten already? Must be your age.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’m not going to forget what we did yesterday for a long time. I’m just double-checking . . . the rules. No sex two days in a row.” I arched an eyebrow. “What counts as sex exactly?”

She bit her lip. Her beautiful, pink lip. The very lip that had been stretched open around my hard cock last night.

Just then, Ava bounded back in, glitter pens in hand. “Come on!” she cried. “We’ve got work to do.”

***

Lily and I looked at each other hungrily over dinner. All I could think about was her.

I tried to make normal conversation, but it felt as though half my brain was missing. In its place was a giant billboard flashing her naked image like a Times Square ad.

After dinner, we all played Uno together. The two girls ganged up on me again, which was a strangely enjoyable experience. I don’t know why it was so fun being teased by them. Maybe it was because for so long, I’d had to shoulder the weight of our household alone. Now, seeing Ava laugh and bond with Lily brought a lightness to my heart I hadn’t felt in years. It was more than just the game; it was the sense of family returning to our home.

When the time came, Ava asked whether Lily could tuck her in. I agreed, and then I found myself alone in the kitchen, cleaning up the remnants of our dinner.

I could still feel the warmth of Lily’s presence lingering in the air.

A shitty thought hit me: one day, she wouldn’t be Ava’s nanny anymore. Once my training was over, and Susie and Dad were back, I would no longer need her. Plus, she didn’t want to play nanny forever. She’d no doubt find her mojo at work again and throw herself into that full-time. Plus, she would probably want to date again at some point. To fall in love and get married.

The sound of footsteps behind me pulled me from my thoughts, and I turned to see Lily standing in the kitchen doorway, her hair tousled and her eyelids heavy. She’d already changed into her pajamas, a light pair of shorts and a tank. Her smooth skin glowed under dim kitchen lights.

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