Page 38 of An Unexpected Turn
She chuckled, planting a quick kiss on my cheek before ambling toward the door.
“Go do what you have to do and be with your son.” She opened the door, peering up at me with an expression I couldn’t decipher. “You can come back tomorrow to fix the wall if you have time.”
I allowed myself another minute to take in her flushed cheeks and swollen mouth. She’d be in my head as she had been for months, only now I didn’t have to wonder what her lips tasted like or the sounds she made when she came. I kissed her cheek and then the corner of her mouth. If my lips touched hers again, I was afraid I’d never leave.
I always knew that once I had a taste of her, I wouldn’t be able to stop or give her up—and that was the worst consequence of all.
SEVENTEEN
PEYTON
“What’s wrong?” Aunt Maya asked as I held my screen door open for her to walk inside.
“I’m fine,” I chirped with a little too much enthusiasm. When the doorbell rang, I hadn’t been expecting to find my aunt on the other side. I’d been keyed up all morning in anticipation of seeing Jake, and when I didn’t see those blue eyes searing through me when I opened the door, both disappointment and relief washed over me.
“It’s been a long week, but I’m happy to see you.” I pulled her into a hug. “Where are all the guys?”
I cracked up when she rolled her eyes. “Keith took them to the park early this morning. They all need to burn off some energy. I thought maybe we could have breakfast if you’re up for it. Plus, I’m a little nosy about Jake’s progress.”
Her lips curved as she glanced around the condo.
“It’s getting there.” My eyes kept drifting toward the door. I was already on edge, and Jake hadn’t even arrived yet. We hadn’t spoken about what happened between us—what I’d started. I was as shocked as he was when I blurted my confession, but once I began, it all poured out. I was half hoping he’d let me down easy and all I’d have to deal with was the humiliation of rejection.
The best orgasm of my life against my kitchen sink and figuring out what the hell to do about it after wasn’t even close to where I’d expected it would go. Then he kissed me so sweetly after, assuring me that our quick finish was because he’d wanted me that much.
I was the one who put a pause on trying to figure out how to deal with all that was going on between us, ushering him out the door all too easily, a big contrast to how little I’d cared about the aftermath when Jake crashed his beautiful mouth into mine.
Claudia said I had a type, and I guessed it was men I shouldn’t want but threw myself toward anyway.
Aunt Maya wore a light-pink hoodie and matching jogging pants, but she always looked like a model coming off the runway. She joked about my uncle’s energy, but anytime they were together, it was easy to see how ridiculously in love they still were. The last time I fell for someone, I had to keep it to myself. How was I going to hide it from her when Jake and I were in the room with them? Or hide it from my uncle?
Rage bubbled in my gut as to why I had to hide it at all. Maybe that was why I was so intent on telling him how I felt. I had a silly hope in the back of my mind that maybe it could be different this time.
In reality, it would be worse. I could quit a job, but I couldn’t quit my family. It made no sense, but I felt as if I’d let my uncle down. Out of respect for him, I should have found a way to resist. We both should have.
Despite the shame swimming through my veins, I didn’t regret it, and I wanted more. I’d been in this exact position once before, and it seemed like one time too many.
My stomach folded at the chime of my door.
“That’s probably Jake,” I said, pushing a smile across my lips that, judging by her narrowed eyes, I didn’t pull off as genuine. If I was bold enough to go after the man I wanted, I had to be brave enough to deal with what happened after. I sucked in a quick but deep breath that I hoped my aunt didn’t see and opened the door.
“Hi, Ms. Miller.” A stocky man with paint-stained sweatpants and a matching hoodie smiled back at me. “I’m Ralph. I work for Jake. He asked me to come here to install the drywall today.”
“Oh, sure. Come on in.”
“Thanks. Oh hey, Mrs. McGrath! How’s the chief?”
“Exhausting.” She chuckled. “Nice to see you.”
“You too. How’s the deck holding up?” he asked as he laid out all his tools in the hallway.
I was happy they were too busy making conversation to pay much attention to me. While I was relieved not to have to worry about my aunt picking up on anything between Jake and me, the sting of him not telling me beforehand that he was sending someone else and wouldn’t be here was what threw me. He never said he could come back today, but was he blowing me off? He didn’t seem to be last night, but a lot could change when a person had a chance to come to their senses.
Honestly, if he did, that was better for both of us. We’d learn to be around each other when we needed to be. I only had to worry about running into him at parent functions or if anything else happened with his son during school hours. If he was at my uncle’s house, I could manage for the short time we’d be in each other’s presence.
He didn’t owe me any explanations. It happened, and now we had gotten it out of our systems. Talking it out wasn’t necessary, especially since talking was what got me into trouble in the first place.
“You can leave Ralph here while we have breakfast. He’s spent many days alone at our house doing renovations.”
