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But now wasn’t the time for such heavy thoughts.
Dean reached out to Vivian, gripping her waist as he pulled her close to him. “You make me want to be a good man.”
She smiled in response, as they leaned toward each other. Kissing her was another thing that was starting to feel natural between them.
A few days ago, when he was here, he’d felt as if he’d managed to grasp an unexpected second piece of pie, one that he’d intended to savor without the expectation of receiving more. Now, he wasn’t as worried about this being the last time. He wondered if that was because they seemed to somehow keep finding a way back to this place.
They undressed leisurely, then they climbed beneath the duvet.
Vivian didn’t bother to turn the light off, shyness not a problem for either of them. He’d grabbed a condom and slipped it on before joining her in the bed. She was ready for him, her legs parted as he started kissing her again, guiding his cock to her entrance.
They both sucked in a sharp breath of pleasure as he slid deep. Dean held himself on his elbows, carrying most of his weight so he didn’t crush her. He was a good six inches taller than her, but that difference in height wasn’t a problem. In so many ways—physically and emotionally—they fit together, something he’d never experienced before.
He took her slowly at first, their lips locked together as she closed her fingers around his neck. Eventually, the pace increased, as did the depth of his thrusts. Vivian craved the rougher touches, same as him.
Within minutes, she was there, coming hard around his dick. Dean tried to hold back, but he had spent too much of tonight staring at her gorgeous face glowing in the firelight.
Giving in to his own climax, he held steady, fighting to regain his strength for a moment or twenty before dropping down to her side.
The room was quiet and peaceful.
His thoughts were not.
Vivian turned to face him, and he was reminded of their night in the hotel. She reached out, placing her hand on his chest.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes before he broke the silence.
“Should we discuss this?”
She nipped her lower lip, not nervously but more consideringly. “Do we have to?”
He looked at her, then shook his head. “No.”
“Good.”
Dean sighed, uncertain if he was relieved or troubled. They hadn’t settled anything, and he knew not talking was a mistake. Every hour he spent with her made walking away feel less possible. Watching her laugh in Victor’s backyard, seeing her in action as Pip’s mother, teaching Pip how to ride a bike.
Nothing that was happening here felt temporary, and that was a problem.
He had spent every single one of his adult years building a life that belonged only to himself. He’d never made room for someone else. At least not until McKenna moved to Baltimore. He’d chiseled space for her, and it had felt surprisingly good and right.
But spending time with his very independent, grown daughter was very different from entering a relationship with a woman. Not to mention, he wouldn’t just be adding Vivian to his life. He’d be adding Pip as well.
That was when Dean realized it wouldn’t be as hard to open his life to them as he suspected. Sure, he could attempt a relationship with Vivian. However, could wasn’t the right word.
Again, the question was, should he? His track record with relationships indicated that he was a bad risk. He’d never made it over any significant hump, always heading to the door before things even got close to approaching real.
So there were two big questions hovering over his head.
Could he be the very good man Pip and Vivan deserved, capable of sticking around for the long haul? Obviously, that was something only he could decide.
Unfortunately, the other question took precedence, and the answer to that one rested solely on Vivian’s shoulders.
Did Vivian want him to be that man? Or had that spot been permanently filled by her beloved late husband?
For the first time in his life, there was a good chance that he was the booty call.
And that bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
