More Than I Could (26)

Finally, after a long couple of moments, Chase breaks the silence.

“As long as you’re in my house, I can’t touch you, Megan.”

The words are strained as if saying them is as hard for him as hearing them is for me.

But I get it.

Tabitha returns to check on me. She says something about my grilled cheese, and I smile and nod in return. My head continues to process Chase talking about fucking me. Or not fucking me.

My breath wavers.

As soon as she leaves, Chase switches gears. He’s all business.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that to you,” he says, “but you asked for the truth.”

“I did, and I’m glad you told me. It’s an ego boost if nothing else.”

He tries not to smile.

“But in light of your admission, do you think this is a good idea?” I ask. “Your attraction is reciprocated.”

He lifts his chin.

“When you consider that along with how we seem to communicate …” I shrug. “It might be a recipe for disaster.”

He shrugs. “It might be. I can’t swear it won’t.”

I fall back into my chair. What do I do?

“We’re adults,” he says, his voice holding steady. “We can control ourselves. Right?”

“Yeah.”

He looks around the room before dropping his gaze onto me again. “Kennedy is going through a phase right now that’s making me want to drink. I’m trying to give her boundaries and a routine, and expectations. I’m trying to save her from herself. The last thing I want to do—that I will do—is confuse the kid more than she already is.”

“What’s going on with her?”

“Hell if I know,” he says, running a hand over his head. “She’s fine one minute, then skipping school the next. I found cigarettes in her room. She’s snuck out more than once and has a group of friends that need some discipline—shit that I don’t understand. She tried to forge my signature and get a fucking tattoo.” He groans as if he’s at his wit’s end. “Why would she act like this? What am I not doing? What am I not giving her to make her act like a vigilante?”

I giggle even though it’s not funny. What is funny, or endearing, is how sweet he is when it comes to Kennedy … and his complete lack of understanding of a teenage girl.

“It might not have anything to do with you,” I say. “I don’t know why she’s acting like that because I don’t know her. But this is normal teenage behavior.”

He blinks. Twice.

“Well, rest assured that none of that has stamped her ticket to juvie,” I say.

He sighs. “Do you see the problem? It doesn’t matter how badly I want you. I’m not willing to risk either of us getting distracted and losing Kennedy in the process. So my focus is on her. That’s why I need help—to keep Kennedy on the straight and narrow.”

The worry etched on his face pulls at my heart. Suddenly, some of his reaction to me makes sense.

I bet Chase was irritated with me last night. Helping a random woman at the end of a long day while trying to get home to his worrisome daughter must’ve been a hassle. And finding me in his house the next day? He had to have been as surprised as I was.

Although I understand where he’s coming from and his reasons for not wanting to act on his attraction, that doesn’t mean we can ignore it. Ignoring it would only make it worse. We’ll have to find a way to ignore it while acknowledging it.

“She’s my priority,” he says. “If I’m open to messing around with you, that leaves room for mistakes.”

“I understand your point. For the record, I respect that. It seems like you are a good dad, and I wouldn’t want to do anything besides help you with Kennedy.”

He sinks back into his chair. Relief washes across his handsome features. “Mom swears you’re the right person to help with Ken and, honestly …” A grin twitches against his lips. “I might not disagree.”

“You might not, huh?”

“Well, I mean, in your favor, you seem like you’ll be hard for Kennedy to steamroll.”

I laugh. “That, I assure you.”

“So we have a plan then?”

I study the small cut on his bottom lip and the calluses on his hands as he folds them on the tabletop. I want to do this. But I don’t want to have it turn into a soberfest.

“Okay,” I say, smiling. “We have a plan. No action on the attraction. Besides, not knowing what your cock feels like in my mouth will make it easier to focus on your daughter.”

He adjusts himself. “Seriously, Megan?”

“Kennedy isn’t here, and I don’t officially work for you yet.”

“Fine. Then for the record,” he says cockily, leaning toward me and lowering his voice, “not knowing what your pussy tastes like will make it easier when you’re asleep a few doors down the hallway from me every night.”

I tug at the hemline of my shirt to get some air around me. Did it just get hot in here?

“That’s what we’re doing, then?” I ask, fanning my face. “I’m staying in your house, and we’re going to move around each other like we’re two people who didn’t just confess we want to perform oral sex on the other?”