Page 14 of Just a Little Crush

Stevie, I realized, made me very happy. Even now, just thinking of her and how well we’d clicked on so many different levels, how much she’d made me laugh andfeelmore than just mundane emotions, I had a goofy grin on my face. I could feel a few of my walls crumbling, that guard I was so used to maintaining falling to the wayside to let her in. I never thought I’d be able to get to a place in my life where I’d feel optimistic about the future again, but Stevie had changed my mindset.

Dating Stevie would certainly be a balancing act, considering the upcoming custody hearing for Owen, and Alyssa looking for any reason to create conflict. But I wasn’t ready to let Stevie walk away without exploring the possibilities, or to let our one night together be nothing more than that.

Those thoughts tumbled through my mind as I continued prepping everything for our breakfast, using the fresh mushrooms and chopped ham Marcel had left in the refrigerator. I sauteed them together, and just as they were done Stevie padded into the kitchen.

I turned off the stove and set the pan on a back burner, taking a moment to appreciate the way she filled out one of my T-shirts I’d given her to wear so she didn’t have to put her dress back on until she was ready to head home. It hung to mid-thigh, lightly skimming her curves and her full, unbound breasts. Her perky nipples poked against the fabric and made my dick twitch in my sweatpants.

The ends of her wavy blonde hair were damp and she’d washed the last of her makeup off in the shower, leaving her fresh-faced, which I found incredibly appealing because I could see the genuine flush of color on her cheeks.

She was a natural beauty, and even stripped down to basics I liked that she seemed comfortable in her own skin. It was a rare kind of confidence I found attractive and sexy. She wasn’t worried about trying to impress me or attempting to hide behind external trappings. Then again, after all the ways I’d fucked her during the course of the night, seeing and touching every inch of her, there was nothing left to hide from me.

“What?” she asked, looking around the kitchen wide-eyed and disappointed. “No personal chef this morning?”

I saw the teasing glimmer in her eyes and smiled at her. “Just because I employ a chef doesn’t mean I can’t cook. In fact, it’s something I enjoy but with my hours at the office, it’s easier to have well-balanced meals prepped for Owen.”

She glanced over at the stove, seeing the mushrooms and ham I’d already sauteed. “I’m impressed.”

Then, she sauntered over to me barefoot. Stopping in front of where I was standing, she lifted up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips softly across mine, no morning-after awkwardness for her. “Thank you for last night, and earlier this morning, and all the amazing orgasms,” she said, grinning playfully. “You’ve made my kitty very happy.”

I chuckled at her euphemism, and just as she attempted to step away, I wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her body flush to mine. “How about I make your kitty purr one more time before breakfast?”

I only had a few more hours before Alyssa dropped Owen off, and I wanted to enjoy every last moment with Stevie before reality intruded. Backing her against the granite island in the middle of the kitchen, I grabbed her waist and lifted her so she was sitting on the surface.

“Seriously, how do you have any stamina left?” she asked, already sounding breathless as I moved to stand in between her parted knees, her pussy perfectly aligned with my stiffening dick as soon as I removed her panties and shoved my sweatpants down.

“All I have to do is look at you, at the nipples poking against my shirt and those red marks I left on your neck from my morning stubble, and I get hard.” I gave her a wicked grin. “I like the thought of leaving those same abrasions between your thighs so you’ll think of me later, every time you walk and feel that slight chafe and burn.”

Her lashes fell half-mast, desire infusing her expression. “You just want to leave your markeverywhere.”

“Damn right I do,” I growled, not questioning the surge of possessiveness I felt when it came to her. I wanted her to leave here today looking well and truly fucked by me, with the memorable marks to prove it.

She rolled her eyes playfully, her hand lifting up and sliding along my prickly, unshaven jaw. “You’re such a typical man.”

But she wasn’t complaining, nor did she protest when I pushed my fingers into her hair and crushed my mouth to hers. With a soft moan, her lips automatically parted beneath the onslaught of mine and I slid my tongue inside, tasting the minty toothpaste I’d left out for her on the bathroom counter, along with a new toothbrush.

I dropped a palm to her knee, sliding it upward, and she made a soft, mewling sound of need as her hands stroked down my chest, along my stomach, and reached the waistband of my sweatpants.

In the back of my mind, an odd noise in the foyer barely registered through the lust fogging my brain…until I heard the sound of running feet. Confused, I jerked back, ending the kiss with Stevie as I tried to make sense of what was happening while watching Owen zoom past the other side of the kitchen island, heading toward the hallway with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Hey, Dad!” he said, raising a hand up in a quick wave.

Owen didn’t stop, didn’t even glance my way, his focus on getting to his bedroom so he could play on his Xbox, which was how every drop-off went. A six-year-old whose only care in the world was immersing himself in his favorite video game that Alyssa didn’t allow him to play when he was with her.

Normally, I would have called out to Owen to not run in the house, or even ordered him to come back and give me a hug after being gone for the week, but today I let him go, grateful that he’d remain oblivious to the awkward situation I’d found myself in with Stevie.

“Seriously, Caleb,” Alyssa said, her tone dripping with disgust as she walked into the kitchen and stopped on the other side of the island. “You openly fuck a woman in your kitchen on the day that your son is expected back home? I guess Cece was right about seeing you with a two-bit whore in the lobby last night,” she said of one of her friends who also lived in the building.

I flinched at her crass words and heard Stevie suck in a quick breath. Fury was right on the heels of that vulgar remark. I couldn’t even deal with or acknowledge my ex right now, though I had plenty to say in response. My only concern was for Stevie, who was still sitting on the counter in front of me in a very compromising position. I looked down at her, her eyes wide with distress as I watched the play of emotions flit across her face.

Her initial shock gave way to panic and mortification as she stared up at me. “I…uh, should leave you two to…talk.”

“Yes, you should,” Alyssa said in a haughty tone. “Caleb and I clearly have a lot to discuss.”

I wanted to tell Alyssa to shut the fuck up, that I didn’t need her unsolicited comments, but I wasn’t going to engage with her in front of Stevie. That was the last thing I wanted her to witness when I knew how vicious Alyssa could be. The best thing to do was to put Stevie in a safe place until I dealt with my ex.

I helped Stevie off of the counter, hating how tense her entire body was, along with that flush on her cheeks that had nothing to do with desire and everything to do with embarrassment.

I glanced at Alyssa, the smug look on her face pissing me off even more. “I’ll be back,” I said tersely.

---