Without giving him a chance to reply, she darted out of the room and down the stairs. He walked into the hall and heard her say, “Mom, Charlie and I are going over to Mrs. Popovich’s house. Ben said that she was expecting us to come over for cookies. We can see if there is anything we can help her with since Ben is over here.”
“Oh… okay. Well, if Ben said she’s expecting you, then it’s fine,” Violet said.
His brow furrowed as he wondered why Lily had lied, but then he knew Babciu would love the company. He heard the back door open and glanced out the window to see the kids running through the yard and clambering over the fence, much to the delight of Bounder. They raced to his back deck and she opened the sliding glass door, greeting the kids with hugs.
“Hey.”
The soft voice from the doorway caused him to swing his head around and see Violet watching him. Smiling, he replied, “Hey, yourself.”
She stepped into the room and looked around. He could have sworn her gaze landed on the photograph of Lily and her father on the nightstand before her focus moved back to him. “I hope the kids didn’t bother you too much today.”
He stepped closer, his vision filled with nothing but her. “They’re no bother. They’re great kids. Smart. Inquisitive.”
She nodded, her gaze dropping to his lips, and she swallowed. “They went to Anna’s for cookies.”
Drawn by a magnetic force stronger than his will, he stepped closer until her head leaned back to hold his gaze. Lifting a hand, he cupped her cheek. “So, we’re alone.”
“Yes,” she breathed.
“I want to kiss you.”
“Yes,” she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper as her eyes dropped to his lips again.
Without fear of interruption, he bent and slowly kissed her, his lips molding to hers, the heat building in a slow burn. Just as he knew it would, she tasted of wild fruit and the scent of flowers from her shampoo filled his nostrils. Her lips were soft, and as she sighed, he slid his tongue inside, sweeping over hers.
His cock pressed against her soft belly, cradled as though they fit together perfectly. One arm banded around her waist, pulling her tighter, while the other continued to cup her cheek. The skin underneath his fingers was so soft, so delicate. Angling his head, he dove deeper, and her tongue tangled with his, sending jolts of electricity throughout his entire body. Wanting more of her soft skin, he slid his fingers underneath the bottom of her shirt, soothing his rough fingertips over her back.
Like a man who’d wandered the desert, he drank her in. All of his senses were firing… and misfiring. Unlike on a mission where he could separate his senses to keep absolute focus on the task, kissing Violet meshed the feel of her skin, her breasts crushed against his chest, scents, tastes, and sounds. Time ceased to exist. It didn’t matter that they were standing in her daughter's bedroom with boy band posters staring at them from the wall. All that mattered was the woman in his arms, giving as much as she was receiving.
Kissing wasn’t something he’d spent a lot of time doing, especially when the act of sex was just physical. While it might seem crazy, kissing was much more intimate than fucking.
But with Violet’s body pressed from chest to knee against his, the petal-soft skin underneath his fingertips, her lips moving over his, and her tongue devouring his mouth, he experienced for the first time in his life a kiss. An all-involving, senses-firing, emotion-exploding kiss.
The sound of laughter from the backyard crept into his consciousness, and he dragged his lips away from hers, sucking in oxygen. Breathing heavily, he felt as though he were back in boot camp at the age of eighteen having run his first ten miles in full pack. Staring down into her beautiful eyes that were hooded with lust, he smiled and touched his lips to the tip of her nose. “I never wanted that kiss to end,” he confessed.
She blinked several times as though trying to bring him back into focus before her lips curved upward. During the kiss her hands had crept to his shoulders, her fingers holding him tight. Now, her hands glided down, resting flat against his chest, and he had no doubt she could feel his pounding heartbeat.
“I didn’t want it to end, either.”
Not sure when the kids were going to return, he forced his legs to step back, immediately hating the cool air that moved between them but knowing his cock was straining against his jeans. Their heavy breaths continued for a moment as their gazes stayed locked. Finally, they stepped completely apart just as they could hear the back door open.
“What are we doing?” she asked.
He watched as doubt and fear started to move into her eyes, and quickly said, “We’re going to take the kids to dinner.”
She blinked at his response before a small giggle slipped out. “Okay.”
“Do the kids like pizza?”
“Do you know any kids that don’t like pizza?”
Now it was his time to chuckle. “Honestly? I don’t know a lot of kids. There was one back in California that I got to know, and yeah, he liked pizza.”
“Then pizza it is,” she agreed with a smile.
The kids came bounding up the stairs and ran into the room before they skidded to a halt. “Are y’all still here?” Charlie asked, his nose scrunching.
Ben noticed that Lily said nothing but stared between her mother and him, a slow smile playing about her lips.
Violet herded the children out of the room, asking about Anna, and telling them that they were going to get pizza that evening. Shouts and cheers met his ears, and he laughed as he followed them down the stairs.
13
Violet watched as her children ran around Pirate Ship Pizza, playing games while they waited for the pizza to arrive. They didn’t come often, but the kids loved the chaotic atmosphere even though in her opinion the pizza was mediocre at best, and the wandering pirate mascot was scary. It had not escaped her attention that when they sat at the table, Lily steered Charlie to sit with her on one side, leaving Violet and Ben sitting next to each other. Now, she glanced to the side toward Ben, unable to hide her grin as his eyes darted in all directions. “Are you okay?”
He jerked his head around toward her, his eyes wide. “How the hell do you keep up with everything here? I keep trying to keep an eye on the kids, and it’s impossible. It’s loud, it’s noisy, kids are running all over the place, lights are blinking, and that fuckin’ scary-looking pirate looks more like a murderer out of a crappy movie than a children’s mascot.”
She barked out laughter, his expression as comical as his comments. “Oh, my God, Ben. That’s hilarious. And you’re so right!” It took her a moment to control her mirth, then she placed her hand on his arm and offered a consoling pat. “We used to come more often when we lived in a neighborhood not too far from here. We rarely make it now, so it’s a treat for the kids. By the time we pay for the overpriced pizza, huge sugar-filled sodas, and buy the tokens so the kids can play all the games, it’s not a cheap night out.”
He placed his hand over hers that was still resting on his arm and squeezed. “This is my treat, so don’t worry about the cost. Those kids did a great job helping me today, so I’m glad to give them what they want. Plus, I’ve eaten plenty of crappy food in my life, so greasy, cheesy pizza won’t be a hardship. I just want to keep my eyes on the kids, but it’s almost impossible.”