Page 19 of His for the Taking

“Okay, you stay on the toilet. I’ll be right back.” I hurry out of the bathroom, keeping the door open and my ear on any different noises that I’m not used to over the bath water, and grab paper towels and cleaning solution. My clothes will have to wait until Josephine’s bath is done. I’ll have to wash them and steal something of Jameson’s. I make quick work of cleaning up the mess on the floor. Really, she caught it as much as she could. The wetness seeped onto me, so there’s no trail, just a small puddle. It’s good as new in no time, and Josephine will be none the wiser.

I grab my phone off the counter. Ideally, I’d call Jameson and let him know right away, but he probably won’t hear his phone if he’s on a machine. Here’s to hoping he answers my text. If not, I’ll get ahold of Shaun. His watch is always on him and sends him alerts.

Me: Hey, JoJo had an accident. She’s okay and everything is cleaned up, but I’m going to need to wash my clothes. Do you mind if I grab something from your room?

“I done! Pwease wipe!” I no sooner get the text message sent, and I’m being summoned. I’m trying not to laugh, but she’s so independent until it comes to this part. Maybe it was Jameson, Emma, or Miriamwho instilled it in her to let an adult help. I can’t really see Josephine allowing anyone to help when she could do it herself, though the pile of toilet paper might have been the deciding factor in the grand scheme of things.

“Kody at your service, Princess Josephine.” My phone is still in my hand as I walk into the bathroom, greeting JoJo, who’s waiting for me, a happy smile on her face with how I announced her name.

“I ready for bath.” She wraps her arms around her chest, showing me she’s shivering, except it’s a bit exaggerated with the way she says, “Brrrr.” I take care of her as quickly as possible.

“You flush the toilet while I wash my hands.” I give her a task to keep her busy. She steps off the stool and does what seems to be every little kid's favorite thing to do—playing with water of some kind.

“Let me check the temperature.” Josephine is already standing close to the bathtub, so it comes to no surprise to me when I see her leg over the ledge, and she is wiggling her toes in the water.

“It good!”

“Hold on.” I plunge my full hand into the water just to be sure. “Alright, hop in. Did Nan or daddy wash your hair last night?” I’m guessing neither of them did with the state of her hair. It looks like she put her finger into a light socket. The frizz is one giant mess.

“No, you do?” she asks.

“Of course. Play with your toys for a minute. I’m going to answer my phone.” It buzzed in the side pocket of my leggings.

“Otay.” I pull my phone out and hope like hell it’s Jameson. In all fairness, I could load Josephine into my car after her bath and breakfast, stop at Shaun’s to grab a quick shower and change. That also seems like a lot of work, and there’s really nothing for JoJo to do there, which could be a recipe for disaster.

“Who dat?” Jo asks, playing with a few of her cups, filling up the water and tipping them over on her head.

I unlock my phone. Jameson’s text is on the screen.

Jameson: Damn, she hasn’t done that in a while. Is everything okay? You think something triggered it? Take whatever you need and call me when JoJo is taking a nap. I want you in my bed with nothing but my clothes on.

“It’s your daddy. He was making sure I didn’t fall asleep, and you weren’t painting the house.” I wink at her. She nods, then gets back to playing.

Me: I don’t think so. More like she got excited and forgot to go. As for your request, you’ll have to wait and see. Talk soon. I’ve got a little girl who is very demanding, exactly like her daddy.

“I no paint da house.” I get the shampoo ready to tackle her hair, knowing the conditioner is going to need to soak in before I can get the tangles out, and then leaving a bit in for her curls.

“No?” Josephine shakes her head.

“No, only da wall. Once.” She tips her head back, laughing at her joke, and I join in. Josephine Evans is one in a million and will always keep you on your toes.

23

JAMESON

“Where are my girls at?” I shout, opening up the door to the house after getting off much earlier than I ever anticipated. The guys and I decided we’d work through lunch. We were all ready for an early day. Not taking an hour break then shooting the shit for another thirty minutes had us wrapping up early. It wasn’t until got in my truck and pulled out my phone that I saw the picture Kody sent. It’s a damn good thing, too. Jesus, the woman is going to give me a damn run for my money. Or a stroke. Or both. Either way, it’s a good thing I don’t do shit that’s bad for my health. Working out has been harder with Emma gone, and I need to make more time for it, especially with Kody in my life. The pictures she sent me have my damn heart nearly beating out of my chest, dick staying in a permanent state of hardness, and if I don’t get some cardio in somewhere, I’ll keel over. The latest image from her, I’ll be saving forever. Hell, I might even get it framed and make it a permanent fixture in my bedroom. Kody in nothing but my shirt on, nipples pebbled through the thin white cotton, sitting on the edge of my bed with a fuck-me look on her face. Son of a bitch, it didn’t end there either. Her legs were straddling the mattress, legs open on either side, hands between them, giving the effect that she’s using them. But when you look closely, she’s holding the shirt in place, which molded my borrowed shirt to her curvy little body. It didn’t leave much to the imagination; at least it didn’t to me, especially after having my mouth on her bare cunt. I want one of her completely bare. The only thing covering her tits and pussy will be her long dark hair, strategically placed.

It wasn’t only her body made my cock swell and decide to make me detour to Shaun’s. It was the look of desire written in her soulful eyes and pouty lips. A quick phone call to Shaun and a fifteen-minute trip out of the way had me stopping at his place to pick up a few of her things. Then I was on my way to the house. I should feel like a damn creep going through her drawers and picking out what she’d have to wear tomorrow, along with a few toiletries. I don’t, though. I grabbed a bag Kody had hanging on the closet doorknob and deposited everything in it, forgoing pajamas because she’ll be sleeping in my bed tonight, naked.

Now I’m home, and the house is quiet; the television isn’t on like it usually is. There’s an aroma of dinner in the air, and I can’t quite put my nose on what’s simmering on the stove. I kick my boots off, close the door, and walk further into the house. My first stop is going to be the kitchen. After skipping lunch, I’m more than ready to eat an early dinner. The house is in its normal state, picked up except for a few toys on the floor and other stuff on the coffee table, usually a puzzle, but today, it looks like a board game. I mosey toward the kitchen, find a pot on the stove, and I lift the lid. Damn, Kody’s the fucking best. She’s got a stew simmering, and now that I know what we’re having for dinner, a dinner I didn’t ask for her to cook, my stomach grumbles in hunger. She took that upon herself, and fuck, am I loving it. I put the lid back on and make my way out of the kitchen and toward the hallway. On the islands sits a new piece of artwork, and judging by the lack of anything new lying around, I’d guess my girls didn’t hit up the store like Kody mentioned she would.

“Dat my mom,” I hear JoJo’s voice once I’m at the entrance to the hall. I’d like to say my house has a split floorplan, one where the master bedroom is on the other side of the house. Sadly, it’s not, and when I bought the place, I wasn’t exactly thinking about having a woman here all the time, especially not Kody. Now I’m going to have to wait to hear her let go. Twice now she’s had to be quiet, only allowing a quiet moan when all I want to hear is her scream my name when I finally fuck my thick cock into her tight pussy.

“She’s very pretty.” There’s a picture of her and Emma in Josephine’s room on her nightstand. I’m sure she’s talking about Emma to Kody. For a while now, I’ve worried JoJo would forget her mom. Add in the fact Kody’s here, watching her and we’re dating, the gnawing edge of worry settled deep, especially since Josephine hasn’t asked about Emma since the day after the wake.

“Like me.” My little girl does not lack confidence. I love that about her.

“Yes, exactly like you,” Kody responds. I peek my head around the frame of the door. Josephine and Kody are sitting on the floor, JoJo has the frame in her hands, and the two of them have a few toys in front of them.

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