Page 4 of Obsessed Daddy
Jesus Christ!Why does she have to look so good? Why does she have to be so cute? Rambling on about a lake monster in a few feet of water. Squirming in my arms as I carried her up the walk? Dripping wet in my doorway in a white T-shirt and tiny, pink shorts.
My fists clench, and I force myself to turn toward the linen closet, grabbing her a towel. “You know, you’re lucky I saw you when I did. Plenty of people drown in that lake. And if you don’t know how to swim, you shouldn’t be canoeing alone, or at the very least you should’ve worn a life vest.”
She narrows her brows and takes the fuzzy, white towel from my hands. “If you remember, I could touch.”
I shrug. “And I imagine you, of all people, can see how people drown in shallow water all the time.”
“Supervised baths going forward then, I guess.” She grins and pushes the towel through her hair and over the top of her body, the shape of her breasts clear through the white top.
I look away again, trying not to envision watching her bathe as I head toward the fridge to shove my fucking head inside. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, but damn, you have this place stocked. Are you living here while you renovate?”
I hold my head in the fridge until my breath fogs against the plastic containers of leftover takeout, until I feel the tension in my shoulders loosen, until I think I can look back without thinking perverted shit.
“Got the power on,” I grab a water bottle out of the fridge, “and got this gorgeous view. So, I figure I’ll stay here while Iwork. I’m trying to get everything accomplished in three weeks. We’ll see how easy that is.”
I hand her the bottle of water, forcing myself to envision the girl I knew a few years ago that was still in college. The girl that did sorority pledges and was on a debate team. It was obviousthatgirl was too young for me. I mean, it’s still obvious, just notasobvious.
What the hell am I even thinking?
“Three weeks? How the heck are you going to do all this in three weeks?” She glances around the cabin, studying all my work with narrowed brows. “You’re doing, like the whole thing?”
“The whole thing,” I say, nodding as the water drips from the faucet. I need to fix that still. “My buddies Rhett and Reed have been over to help every time they’re free. We have a small construction company we run between Whiskey Falls and Rugged Mountain. Odd jobs mostly.”
She tips her head back slowly as though she’s thinking over my words. “Sounds like a lot of work.”
“Yeah.” I nod and glance around the space, letting my eyes sweep over everything just to keep them busy. The wood floor. The large picture windows. The light that cuts across the table.
Again, why the hell am I noticing her? She’s young, very young, twenty years younger than me young. It’s sick that I’m noticing her nipples, her shape, her anything, especially considering she’s my ex-fiancé’s sister. That fact alone should have me slamming the door and forgetting her name. It should have me running for the fucking hills, admitting myself to a mental hospital, joining a fucking monastery to repent for my soul.
She hands the towel back toward me, her hair falling down over her shoulder, wet and stringy, that white T-shirt still clinging to her full breasts, her nipples hard and poking through like they’re demanding my attention.
What is going on with my brain today? She’s too young, too sweet, and not to mention… she’s my ex-fiancé’s sister! I should see a doctor soon. I must have had a stroke, because that fact alone should have me slamming the door and forgetting her name.
“Right,” she sighs as she drags her pretty brown eyes around the room. “I bet family reunions bring in big bucks for rentals around here.”
I shrug. “Not sure. I’m going to sell the place after I get it renovated. Someone else can deal with the drama of renters.”
“Oh!” she perks before sighing as though she’s relieved. “That makes sense.”
That was odd.
She takes a look around at the details of the moldings, like she’s an inspector looking for poor angles. “I like what you’ve done here. Is it new? We have a place that my grandparents left that we’re considering selling. What you’ve done here is incredible.”
“Those were already here. When we refinished the floors, they had to come off, so we just put a fresh coat of paint on them.”
She nods intently. “That’s good. You want to keep the charm of these old houses. So many times people buy a place like this and just tear everything out that makes the place special.”
“Isn’t that the truth? Enough about me, though. What about you?” I nod toward her once, keeping my eyes on hers. “You get that teaching job you wanted back in the day?”
“Yeah, actually! I teach preschool at Mountainside Elementary. I love it. The kids are great and I get summers off, so… living the dream.” She smiles again as she says, “June told me that I owe her my life after the call she made to the superintendent to get me the position. I don’t think I would have gotten it without her.”
June was always the type to do a favor in return for eternal servitude. It’s sort of her style and one of the things that stressed me out the most. The woman wouldn’t help a chipmunk escape a snake without requiring its undying loyalty.
“I’m sure you’d have gotten the job on your own too.”
“I don’t think so.” She shakes her head. “I was a first-year teacher, and there was a list of people desperate for the job, but the superintendent owed June a favor,” Bella laughs. “She keeps a ledger of these things.”
