Page 131

“Ew. Daddy, boys have cooties.”
I looked at her, slightly offended by her observation. “I’m a boy.”
“But you’re my daddy.”
That was true, and at least she thought boys her age were gross. Not that I had time to discuss it further with her. There was a knock at the door just before Izzy walked in. I’d told her a few weeks back just to come in because half the time I was busy chasing Carli around. But right now, I was only partially dressed, and I wasn’t sure how Izzy would handle that.
I stood, realizing only too late that my jeans weren’t buttoned. Her eyes dropped down my wet chest, taking in the chiseled v leading down below the waistband of my jeans. Her cheeks flushed, but she didn’t look away. If anything, it was like she was memorizing how I looked for later tonight.
“Sorry,” I said, clearing my throat. “Carli got a little carried away with my pocket knife.”
She snapped out of her staring and brought her eyes to mine. Fuck, that look in her eye right now made me want to throw her over my shoulder and take her upstairs. But I had Carli, and Izzy hadn’t said a word about whether or not she was ready for more. So, no matter how hard I was, I would have to continue using my hand to get off.
“Um…no, it’s fine. I’m early, I think.” She looked away, studying my house like she’d never been here before.
“I’ll just run upstairs and get ready.” I strode toward her, sliding my hand across her waist on the way. Her eyes flicked to mine and the insanely lustful look in her eyes was still there, still begging me to kiss her. I lowered my lips and pressed them to her forehead, then took the stairs two at a time.
Pressing my hands to my dresser, I thought of everything possible to make my cock go down. I was so painfully hard with no outlet. Going into the bathroom right now to rub one out was not an option. I just needed to get myself under control.
“Get it together, asshole.” I pushed off the dresser and grabbed my shirt, tugging it over my head. Since fall was closing in on us fast, I decided to take Carli to the waterpark before it closed for the season. Only, when I told the guys I was going, they decided they wanted to go also. And then everyone else decided to go along.
I could hear Carli yammering away downstairs, probably driving Izzy insane. I should feel bad about that, but I needed to know if this was something Izzy could handle. As much as I wanted her, my daughter had to come first, and Izzy already made it perfectly clear that she didn’t want kids.
I grabbed everything I’d need for the day, along with Carli’s things. I hoped I had everything I needed. Hell, I’d never been to a waterpark in my life, let alone with a kid. Standing at the top of the stairs, I listened for another minute, trying to gauge Izzy’s reaction to Carli. She was listening intently, but seemed slightly uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure how to fix that.
“Daddy, are you ready?” Carli called upstairs.
I slung the bag over my shoulder and headed down. “Yep, let’s do this.”
Grabbing my keys, I held the door open for Izzy, but she stood there, watching me curiously. “What?”
“Are you wearing that?”
I glanced down at my jeans, then back to her. “Yeah. What’s wrong with it?”
She bit her lip, holding back her laughter. “Um…nothing. It just seems like an odd thing to wear to a waterpark.”
“Well, I don’t have any summer dresses like yours,” I said, nodding to the one she was donning.
“You could just wear shorts.”
Shorts. “Real men don’t wear shorts,” I growled.
“So, all the men out there who buy shorts every year?—”
“Pussies,” I snapped.
She held up her hands, still grinning at me. “Okay, if that’s what you want to wear.” Then she cocked her head at me. “You’re not going to wear them in the pool, are you?”
“No. I have swim trunks. Though, I don’t know why I should have to wear them.”
“Because you have a daughter who wants to play with you.”
“Daddy! Let’s go!” Carli called from outside.
“I could just as easily swim in my underwear.”
Red stained her cheeks as she walked toward me. “I’m pretty sure the other moms would be scandalized. Possibly the dads, too.”