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“Her last check was mailed from somewhere near San Francisco.”
“So she does give you money?”
“When she remembers to, yeah.” Another pause. Another bitter smile. “And even though she’s so selfish, it’s me who feels guilty about not being able to give the kids a better life. They are so great, you wouldn’t believe it. Ariel is so smart. She sees everything, and she acts way older than twelve. I hate myself for sometimes letting her take on too much responsibility. Cooking’s her new passion, which is amazing, but also means I’ll have to make sure I don’t rely on her too much for that. Florian is a real handful; he loves being outside and exploring everything. He also loves music, and I really wish I could afford some lessons for him. Tiana’s like Florian. She loves to be outside running around. Hates brushing her hair. And just you try getting her to wear a dress. No way.” She stopped with a rueful smile, taking a sip of wine. “Sorry, you’ve got me started now.”
“No, I love it. What about Belle?”
Her smile softened. “She’s an absolute darling. So sweet. And creative. She was a dream baby, too, slept through the night really early on, which was a blessing for me. She’s always drawing or painting, and the best gift in the world is a Belle Special. She’s getting really good with her art now and would really benefit from lessons.” Her smile faded, and she fell silent.
It took all my willpower not to steam in and say I’d pay for guitar and art lessons, cooking lessons. Fucking everything. Anything she wanted or needed. But I knew enough about her by now to know I would get an emphatic ‘no thank you,’ in reply, so instead, I said, “It’s a lot for you, Esme.”
She took another sip of wine before continuing. “Honestly, I don’t mind taking care of them. In fact, a lot of the time, I love it. I love them and they love me. It’s just hard sometimes because it’s just me and them all the time. It feels like I’m constantly juggling plates just to keep us afloat.”
That urge to rush in and fix everything for her almost overwhelmed me. “It sounds like you do your best with what you have. You are their rock, whether or not you realize it.” That sounded so fucking lame.
She gave me a grateful smile before adding in a low voice, “But sometimes it doesn’t feel like enough.” Draining the last of the glass of wine and putting it on the glass coffee table, she said, “Wow, that really brought down the tone of the evening.”
I wanted to protest, because I heard the note of self -derision in her voice and I hated that. I wanted to tell her how much I admired her. Her strength, her grace, her sweetness, her determination. All of her. I could sit here all night and listen to her talk.
“All of that to say, that’s why I can’t have a relationship and why I just wanted this one night with you.”
“I see.” I gave in to the urge to touch her, running the tip of my finger along her collarbone.
“Which, you know, has been pretty amazing so far.” Her voice was low and breathy, whispering over my skin.
Clearly, we were done with talking. Reaching over, I wrapped my fingers around her slim wrist, pulling her gently. She came willingly, her eyes already dark as she straddled me.
CHAPTER20
Esme
My heart fluttered as Wolfe’s lips touched mine, and I felt my body melting against his. His hands cupped my face gently, sending waves of warmth through my veins. His kiss was like a drug, making me tipsy with pleasure. Electricity shot through every nerve ending as his tongue explored my mouth. Desire shivered through me as if setting fire to my soul, eliciting a longing for something more than just this moment between us. I buried it deep, some part of me remembering that this was just for one night.
Wolfe’s hands swept down my back possessively, skimming over the soft fabric of my dress, pulling me closer to him until I could feel the heat emanating off his body. My own hands roamed hungrily over his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath the thin silk of his shirt. He groaned softly into my mouth, sending ripples of pleasure through me.
I reached for the buttons on his shirt, frowning when he covered my hands with his own, stopping me. “Hey, that’s not fair.”
His dark eyes were hooded with desire, and I could feel myself getting lost in them. “I just want to do something first,” he said. His hands trailed up the outside of my thighs, pushing the hem of my dress up and his long fingers moved between my legs. With expert skill, he teased and stroked me until I was moaning with pleasure. His touch sent electric shocks of heat throughout my body as he circled and pressed my sensitive clit. I gripped onto him harder, my fingers digging into his shoulders as my legs trembled. A low moan escaped my lips, and he leaned forward to capture it in another passionate kiss as he continued to tantalize me with his touch. “Fuck, you are so hot. So wet. I want you to do something for me.”
“What’s that?” I gasped out.
“I’m going to keep my hand right here.” He kept his hand still between my legs, his fingers lightly touching my clit but exerting no pressure. “And you’re going to do whatever you’ve got to do to get yourself off. You’re going to show me exactly how you like it.”
“I think you know how I like it,” I replied breathlessly, pressing my hips down against his hand. Ohh, fuck. This wasn’t going to take long.
With his eyes dark and intense on my face, I moved my hips some more, letting my eyes drift shut as pleasure spiraled inside me. “Don’t close your eyes. I want to see it all.”
I forced my eyes open, shifting to get a better angle. “I want…”
“Tell me.”
“I want you to kiss me.”
He did, tangling his tongue with mine in a hot, luxurious kiss. I increased the movement of my hips, trying to drag out my orgasm, but I could feel the pleasure blooming in my core, radiating out.
“I want your…”
“Yes, Esme?”