Page 123 of Single Dad Dilemma
“Fuck, Lily.”
I turned my face into my pillow and grinned. The power of Barrett King could not be underestimated. Two words and he gave me butterflies.
“Really naughty, then,” I said breezily. “Hold please.”
I was ready for this, which he should have anticipated.
Once I’d opened my camera roll, I chose the picture I’d snapped earlier when I was trying on my new bikini, a black strappy thing I’dpicked up after I got to Florida. Before I’d tied the top on, I remembered that I had a boyfriend and he was across the fucking country. On a whim, I’d grabbed my phone and arranged my hair, all solid black now that I’d trimmed the last few inches off.
I was kneeling on the floor, facing away from the mirror, my naked back and the high cut of the bikini bottom on my hips visible as I took the picture over my shoulder. My free hand sat demurely in my lap. It was in the reflection of the second mirror across the room that the shadowy glimpse of my breasts were clear.
I clicked send, biting down on my bottom lip while I waited for it to go through.
“Holy fucking hell, Lily,” he groaned. “Come back. Come back right now.”
My cheeks flushed with pleasant heat as I snuggled into the bed. “See? I told you long distance would be sexy.”
“It’s been five days,” he ground out. “I don’t think we can state that with any certainty yet.”
“You owe me a picture, sir.”
“I will never be able to top that, and if you think I’m taking a dick pic, you’re about to be disappointed.”
I laughed. “Before I go to sleep, you owe me something good.”
“I’ll send you a picture of my bed. It misses you too.”
My chest was tight and wonderfully achy. Being missed was a novelty that I found myself liking. A lot, actually.
“I’ll just watch that video I took on Valentine’s Day,” I sighed. “That should tide me over.”
“Deviant.”
I grinned. “What was I supposed to do? You were just standing there, shirtless, cleaning the kitchen after ravaging me on the counter. I needed it to keep me warm on all these cold, lonely nights.”
“The counter needed cleaning after the mess you made.”
“Whose fault was that? I’veneverhad that happen before.”
“Mine,” he answered, so smugly that I laughed out loud.
“Deviant,” I teased.
He sighed. “That’s your fantasy, huh? Me cleaning the counters?”
“After that performance? Yeah. It deserved to be immortalized. I’m pretty sure I blacked out.”
Barrett made that little humming noise, and my eyes fluttered shut.
I missed him. I missed him so much that it was causing me physical pain. That was novel too. The newness of it coiled around my stomach—not an entirely unpleasant sensation.
“I miss you.”
The way he plucked the thoughts straight from my head, feeling things exactly as I felt them.
We’d had a blissful month together in Buffalo before I had to leave. He took me on dates—real, grown-up, romantic dates. Being wooed was an absolutedelight.
Kisses by the front door when he walked me home at night.
