He chuckled. “Am I on that list?”
“I can’t remember. It’s a long list in alphabetical order. A lot with H’s too. I’ll let you know.”
A horn honked, going in the opposite direction. I waved at Bella and so did Kael.
“You left a pile of dog shit on the Davidsons’ property. I’m pretty sure that’s frowned upon.”
I shot daggers at him and sped up my pace to a jog. “You’re frowned upon,” I mumbled. When I reached the house, I kept pace right to the front door, even when I heard his truck pull into my driveway.
Door shut.
Shoes off.
Jacket off.
I marched straight up the stairs to shower.
“Elsie, is that about the kiss?” he asked … coming into my house uninvited.
“Jeez … come on in,” I quipped as I turned at the top of the stairs to face him.
“Thanks. I just did.” He unlaced his boots.
“You’re not staying.” I eyed him through tiny slits.
He glanced up from his hunched position. “Why? Because Amber kissed me?”
“No. God! You’re so full of yourself. I have to shower and get to work.”
“Your store doesn’t open for two hours.” He stood straight and glanced at his watch.
“You have to leave.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
He prowled toward me, one step at a time. “Why? Because you’re upset that Amber kissed me?”
“No.” I rolled my eyes in exasperation.
“So … let’s take that shower.”
“No.” My feet moved backward to keep a safe distance between us.
“Take off your clothes.” He deposited his coat on the banister and shrugged off his long-sleeved tee.
I told my eyes they weren’t allowed to leave his face, but they ignored my request and drifted to his fantastic chest and abs as his hands worked the button and zipper of his jeans.
“If you’re not upset about Amber testing the waters with me, then take your clothes off. Otherwise, I won’t believe you.”
“Cocky bastard.” I ran out of steps to take, missing the doorway and bumping into the wall.
He ate my comment and returned a satisfied grin. When he ducked to kiss me, I turned my head. He made a second attempt, and I whipped my head in the other direction. Once he paused long enough to show a slight level of agitation in his narrowed eyes, I showed my hand.
Gah!
Why did I show my hand? I should have crossed his name off my sex list and moved on. Nope. I made a mom move by licking my fingers and wiping off his mouth—the mouth Amber had kissed.
His lips curled into a smile beneath my scrubbing motions. When I finished, he rubbed them together. “Do you want to urinate on me too?”
“Shut up.” I laced my fingers behind his neck and pulled him to me.
Our hands turned into frantic claws ripping off clothes as our feet tangled and stumbled, navigating to the bathroom.
I had sex with him to prove I wasn’t bothered by Amber—totally normal forty-two-year-old behavior.“I think I like you spying on me.” Kael ran a hand through his wet hair, towel loosely clinging to his waist.
“I wasn’t spying on you.” I buttoned my pink and white flannel shirt and tucked the front into my skinny jeans. “I was taking a walk.”
“Down a dead-end road?” He let the towel drop to the floor.
My gaze shifted to his exposed cock like it compelled me to do it. When I forced a sharp correction and found his eyes overflowing with confidence from my wandering gaze, I escaped into the bathroom to dry my hair. “It’s a nice wooded area. I’ve walked up and down that drive many times. It’s not unusual to spot deer or foxes around their property.” I turned on my hairdryer before he could quiz me anymore on my walking route.
By the time I finished drying my hair and applying a little makeup, he was nowhere in sight. I peeked out the window overlooking the front yard. No truck in my driveway.
Kael Hendricks was everything I thought I wanted in my so-called midlife crisis.
Sexy.
Kind.
Unattached.
Then why did I struggle so much with having exactly what I thought I wanted?Chapter FourteenI lived in the gray, answering all questions with “whatever, maybe, and doesn’t matter.” She said I never uttered the words yes or no. I fear I passed that gene to my son.* * *Round three of major snowfall hit Thanksgiving morning. It was an insane snow year—records breaking every week. I gave thanks that my three boys made it to Epperly the night before with their girlfriends. It was the first holiday that any of my children had invited a significant other, and then all three boys did it the same year.
Eight of us total, yet I felt completely alone Thanksgiving morning while making the gluttonous meal for the day as my boys slept in with their girlfriends and Bella cut potatoes with her headphones on.