Vulnerable [Suncoast Society] (Suncoast Society #29)(16)

“Is this something kinky?”

“Nope, just a very tightly knit group of friends who are like family to us.” He draped one arm around Noel’s shoulders, and one around Scott’s. “Closer than family.”

After saying his good-nights, Leo headed out, deep in thought as he returned to his apartment.

What the hell am I thinking?

Was he really going to do this?

Instead of going to bed, like he’d planned, he fired up his laptop and researched the club. Yes, Venture had a website, a calendar, and a list of classes. The annual membership wasn’t very expensive at all, and neither were the door fees.

They had educational articles on their site, too. By the time he realized he was yawning and barely able to keep his eyes open, he was startled to find it was after midnight.

Shit.

He needed to be in the shop at seven in the morning to get an early scheduled job knocked out.

But as he laid there in bed—alone—he realized his cock had other plans. Closing his eyes, he started stroking himself, now able to conjure Jesse’s face in his mind instead of a random hot celebrity or some guy he’d happened to notice in a store.

The sound of Jesse’s voice.

Imagining bending him over the bed and reddening his ass before he f*cked it, hard, fast, viciously—

The force of his orgasm, as well as its sudden arrival, startled him. As he lay there with his softening cock in his hand and cum drying on his abs, he realized something.

He absolutely did want to see Jesse again.





Chapter Six


Laurel wanted sushi again on Friday night.

Leo didn’t mind. As he started to take Laurel out to his car, Eva stopped him.

“We don’t really have anything planned for tomorrow night. You…could come over for dinner, if you want.”

Shit.

He’d actually spent all day excited about tomorrow night, getting to see Jesse again.

On the other hand, he absolutely did not want to ditch his daughter. Especially when Eva was clearly making an effort to be civil.

If he had a third hand, however, he’d be stupid not to take Eva’s motivations into account. The last time he’d let her talk him into dinner at the last minute like this, she’d managed to get four glasses of wine into him before he realized it and he’d ended up spending the night in the guest room because he couldn’t drive.

And Eva had been particularly bitchy to him for the next couple of weeks, after failing to talk him into sleeping in the bedroom with her.

In what had been their bed.

With her.

He wasn’t an idiot.

“Um, I can come over, but I already made plans yesterday with some friends from one of the marinas I do a lot of work for. I’m meeting them for dinner at seven. I can come over about four. Would that be okay?”

He could still spend time with Laurel, and it would give Eva a strong hint that he was starting to move on in some ways.

Eva did a good job trying to hide her disappointment, he’d give her credit for that. “Oh. I thought you were coming over to mow tomorrow.”

“I am. In the morning. I was going to go home after, though.”

She looked down at the ground. “You could bring your clothes and shower here. Just stay here all day. We’ll grill hotdogs for lunch.”

Shit.

“We could go swimming, Daddy!” Laurel piped up.

Great. Way to help out Daddy, sweetheart.

He couldn’t say no without hurting their feelings. “Okay, but then I need to leave earlier. I have to do laundry.” He’d actually found a clean but ratty pair of briefs in the back of his drawer, and had once again procrastinated laundry.

Eva brightened a little. “Bring it with you. I’ll do it for you.”

The laundry room at his complex would be busier than shit on a Saturday, too.

He knew when to put up the good fight and when to capitulate. “Okay. Thank you.” It would mean a day spent with Eva trying to coax him into sliding back into their usual routine, and likely getting her feelings hurt when she couldn’t talk him into staying all night.

Unfortunately, with Eva standing before him, compared to the fire he’d felt burning in his belly—and his cock—over Jesse and barely knowing the guy, he knew he had to stand firm.

He could never be what Eva needed, even if she thought he was and could.

The easy path would be to let her talk him into staying, let her talk him into bed, pretend she was Jesse and make love to her, and let her talk him into dropping the divorce and come home to be a family again.

Written all over her face, that plan was one he had expected for a long time and was surprised it’d taken her this long to try again.

Unfortunately, he knew he had to walk the difficult path. Difficult for now, at least. He could only hope Eva would soon meet a nice guy who wasn’t a dick to her and Laurel, and then Eva would finally start her true, deeper healing.

He got Laurel into the car, buckled her into her booster seat, and they headed off to sushi.

“Daddy, are you going on a date tomorrow night?”

His gaze flicked to the rearview mirror and back onto the road again. “No, I’m going out with several friends I don’t usually get to spend time with, sweetheart.”

Technically, none of that was a lie.