I dropped my forehead to the tile wall, the smack reverberating around me. The small, pulsing pain just served as a reminder that I needed to get my mind out of the damn gutter. And I needed to find out Penelope’s birthday as soon as possible. Even though my logical side knew I shouldn’t be lusting after a teenager, my body and heart had overruled the situation.
After shutting off the water, I stepped out of the spacious glass enclosure onto the heated travertine floor and grabbed a thick chocolate brown towel from the warmer to dry myself off with. When I faced the mirror, the person staring back at me looked much improved from what I’d seen that morning. The bags under my eyes were barely there, and I didn’t look so haggard, despite the scruff from not having shaved for a few days. I rubbed my chin and contemplated whether to rectify that but ultimately decided against it. I needed to check on Penelope and Tucker. Although it felt wrong, like a part of me was being ripped open, I needed to send her home. Surely, it was time for her to head home for dinner anyway.
It suddenly occurred to me that Mallory was unlikely to be home. Who fed my angel dinner? Anger at the prospect of her being ignored and left all alone began building inside me. A fierce need to protect her hit me like a solid wave, almost knocking me backward. Shit. I placed my palms on the counter, dropped my head, and took a deep breath. This was going to be more difficult than I anticipated. With a shake of my head, I pushed off the marble and stalked into the bedroom.
Once I was dressed in a loose pair of black sweatpants and a clean white T-shirt, I ventured out into the hallway. The first place I checked was the nursery, but it was empty. As I descended the stairs, the humming of a sweet voice reached my ears and a smile tipped up the corners of my mouth. I followed the beautiful melody to the den at the back of the house and found Penelope in the middle of the room, swaying from side to side. She had a swaddled Tucker cradled in one arm and was feeding him from a bottle with the other. Her face was tender as she stared down at my son, and adoration shined from her blue eyes. She looked incredibly beautiful. I simply stood there for a few minutes, leaning against the doorjamb, and watched. The scene felt so intimate and natural, as though this was the way life should always be.
But it wasn’t. Not for a while anyway. Speaking of… I pushed off the door with my shoulder and padded into the room. “When is your birthday, Penelope?” I asked softly, in lieu of a greeting. Subtle, Carrington. Real subtle. Her eyes lifted, and she smiled when she saw me. Though they were confused, the way they lit up at the sight of me had my dick stirring. Knowing she most likely wanted me as much as I wanted her was going to make this even more difficult.
“My birthday?”
“When is it?” I continued to approach her and was pleased when she didn’t back away. I was probably over a foot taller than her, and she seemed even tinier when she was close to my big body.
Instead, she smiled up at me, her pretty lips parting to show off even white teeth, and her eyes sparkling with amusement. “June eighth. Why?”
I shrugged, trying to act like it was just a random “get to know you” question. “Just wondering. Mallory mentioned that you were still seventeen but out of school already?”
Penelope nodded, her eyes shifting to Tucker as she set down the bottle and lifted him to her shoulder. “I graduated early,” she answered, her gaze returning to mine as she gently patted the baby’s back. “There really wasn’t any reason to stay in Lily Dale. My parents are sort of wrapped up in themselves and didn’t really care what I did. I wasn’t sure what I wanted for my future, so Mallory offered to let me stay with her while I figure it out.”
Tucker let out a decent belch, and Penelope giggled before twisting her neck to kiss Tucker’s little head. My heart squeezed, and I fought the urge to do the same to her.
“I’m pretty sure she’s hoping I’ll go to college here and then work for her company. But…” she trailed off, and I took another step closer. We were less than a foot apart now.
“But?” I prompted.
She stared at the floor, and her cheeks turned adorably pink. That blush. It was such a fucking turn-on. “To be honest”—she paused and dug the tip of one shoeless foot (even her feet were adorable with little purple-painted toes) into the plush carpet—”I’ve always wanted…well, I’ve been helping Blaire Kendall in the daycare at K-Corp, and I love it. I’ve always loved children and I”—the pink hue of her cheeks darkened—“I’d always just wanted to have a husband and babies of my own. And I wanted to stay home with them. To just be a full-time mom.”
At her confession, I lost the battle to keep my hands to myself. I placed the pad of one finger under her chin and lifted her head so I could look into her gorgeous eyes. “Why does that embarrass you, angel?”
Penelope shrugged, being careful not to jostle the now sleeping baby. “It just seems like a silly dream to have.”
“It’s not silly, angel. Just because Mallory doesn’t understand how you feel doesn’t mean it’s wrong. In fact, I think it’s amazing, and I know, without a doubt, that you’re going to have your dream someday.” Sooner than you think. In four months, my angel was going to get exactly what she wanted. What we wanted. We’d be married before she had our second child, but I was going to get a jumpstart on making her dreams come true.
It would take a little time to break in her tight, young pussy so I could ride her hard and often until she was breeding. My cock was trying its best to break through my pants, reaching for the heaven waiting for me between Penny’s thighs.
She beamed at me with a happy smile. “Thank you.”
Damn, I wanted to kiss her. It took every bit of my control to hold back. “You don’t ever have to be embarrassed with me, or be afraid to ask for what you want.”
“Well, for now, working at the daycare and”—she lovingly caressed Tucker’s back, and fuck, I wanted to feel those hands doing the same to me. Except I had other places in mind for her to stroke—”helping with this little guy will be a joy.” I was still tilting her head up, but her eyes darted to the side, her smile disappearing. “When—um—when will your...wife be joining you?” Her voice wavered, and I almost smiled at the clear disappointment in her tone.
I waited silently until her eyes returned to mine before explaining. I wanted to watch her reaction. “Tucker is biologically my nephew. But he’s been my son since the moment he came home with me. I’m not married...yet.” Her blue pools had started to glow when I’d said I wasn’t married. Then when I’d added yet, they’d dimmed and become a little shiny, as though she was fighting tears. I wanted to soothe her and assure her that the only woman I’d be marrying was her, but if I was going to survive the next four months, I couldn’t risk having her tempt me even more because she knew how I felt about her. In fact...as much as my mind and heart rebelled at the idea, I was going to have to put distance between us.
“Thank you for watching Tucker and allowing me to get some much-needed rest,” I said stiffly as I backed up several steps. The loss of her body heat was both a curse and a blessing. I extended my arms, and she carefully transferred my son into them. Her expression was sad, and I desperately wanted to kiss away her frown, so I took another few steps away. “I’m sure you need to get back home.” My tone was brisk, and I hated myself a little bit at that moment. The only thing that kept me from giving in was the knowledge that I would make it up to her eventually. When she was mine, she would never want for anything again.