Page 102 of Single Dad Dilemma
“You’ve got some nerve,” I said, chin raised.
Of course, his face was even. Patient. So was his voice when he said, “And was it preferable to letting you freeze over there?”
“Well, no. But you could have talked me into it like a normal person.”
He leaned in, gaze so unflinchingly potent that I felt it tug behind my belly button. “Because you were so keen to listen.”
I ignored that, gesturing between us. “And while we’re on the subject oftalking to people,” I said, enunciating the last three words with just a little bit of extra oomph, “wouldn’t it be nice to reveal a certain little factoid about yourself ahead of time? Like,Oh, hey, Lily, there’s fucking two of me in this world. And you won’t be able to tell the difference between us even if you’re staring the other one right in the face?”
Was I yelling?
I was yelling.
While he tilted his head, eyes studying my face, I rolled my lips together and tried to dredge up some sort of calming ritual. Deep breathing. Something.
“I told you I had a brother.” He crossed his arms. “I even told you my brother was here.Andinvited you to dinner last night, where you could have met him. I wasn’t trying to keep it a secret. I just don’t ... I don’t know, walk around proclaiming it to people.”
“Why not? You should.” Hysteria crept into my voice while I replayed all the absolute nonsense I’d spewed at his brother. Had he told Barrett? If he did, I was just going to lock myself in his guest room and not come out until the power returned. “I feel like the universe is punishing me. Can’t handle one Barrett King? Too bad! Behind this curtain, there’s another one,” I said, holding my hands out like some cheesy game show host.
His eyes gleamed. His lips twitched.
“Don’t,” I said in a low voice, even stepping closely enough that I raised a shaking finger and poked it into the hard expanse of his chest. “Don’t youdaresmile at me for the first time aboutthis.”
“Why not?”
The slight bend to the corners of his mouth was driving me out of my mind. It wasalmostthere, and my chest almost fucking caved in imagining it.
I’d lose it. I’d ... I didn’t even know. Would I slap him? Would I kiss him? Honestly, it was a toss-up. But I was already driving the anger train straight through this storm—why stop now?
“Would that drive you crazy?” he asked, taking a step closer tomenow. My breath hitched, and he heard it, his gaze shifting heatedly to my parted lips. “It’s only fair, given your mouth has driven me out of my fucking mind since the moment we met.”
Oh.
Oh.
We were admitting things. Not dancing around them or skirting the edge of a line.
“Are you thinking about kissing me right now?” I whispered, head spinning like a top.
“Yes.”
“Oh.” I licked my bottom lip.
“Oh.”
“Do ... do you have an angry-woman fetish or something?”
His eyes, dark and fathomless, stayed right on my mouth. “No. I think it’s just you.”
“That’s interesting, and I’m not entirely sure what to make of that, now that we’re stuck in your house with no kids or family to distract us.” Barrett’s gaze moved up to mine. But I couldn’t stop. Words spilled out even though a blaring siren in the back of my head was telling me to shut. The fuck. Up. “Are you just thinking about kissing me because I’m here, or do youwantto kiss me?”
That asshole didn’t answer my question, simply kept his broody sex eyes right on mine and spoke in a ragged sex voice that all went very nicely with his big, tall sex body. “I’ve racked my brain trying to figure out what would happen if I did.” His tongue darted out, lickinghisbottom lip in the same way I had, and I realized exactly how much of a tease that was. “Why don’t you tell me?”
My fingers curled into fists at my sides. “We’d probably have sex,” I whispered. “M-maybe even right in your kitchen because we couldn’t wait. On the floor. Or the counter. Or ... maybe the couch since it’s easier on the joints.”
A noise came from the back of Barrett’s throat, like he was urging me on.
My verbal filter was gone, and if I’d stopped to think even for a moment about how good that kitchen sex might be, and how pleasant this weekend could turn out for my lifetime orgasm count, I might not have said what I said next.
