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Now she felt bad, judging by the stricken look on her face. So of course, now I felt bad, too. Crooking my finger under her chin, I tilted her face up to mine, leaning in to brush a feather-light kiss across her lips. “A few pizzas for guests staying in my house is hardly going to break my bank account, is it?”
“No, I guess not.”
“It’s just one little thing. Let me do it.”
Blowing out a breath of resignation, she gave me a small smile. “Fine. Just don’t make a habit of it.”
“I wouldn’t dare.”
That made her laugh, and she went up on tiptoe to press a kiss to my lips. Such a small gesture that set my blood humming just the same.
I went inside to ask the kids what pizzas they wanted. Well, holy fuck, I wasn’t expecting their reaction. A full-scale argument was what I got. I’d had no idea these normally placid kids had such strong opinions on pizza.
“Hawaiian!” Florian all but yelled.
“No! Yuck! Fruit on pizza is disgusting.” Tiana made a very convincing retching sound. “I want beef and cheese!”
“Then get a burger!” Ariel put in. “Beef on pizza is gross.”
I couldn’t believe how quickly something so minor had escalated into an all out war and I didn’t have a clue how to deal with it.
“Enough!” Even though I knew she wasn’t talking to me, the tone in Esme’s voice still had me standing to attention, along with the kids. “We can get half and half on each pizza and then everyone’s happy. But there will be no pizza for anyone if these dishes aren’t cleaned up and the table set, and you’re all showered. We’re ordering now, so that gives you about twenty minutes.”
They sprang into action, racing around cleaning the kitchen and setting the table before bolting upstairs to wash up. Once they’d gone, I pulled Esme into my arms and nuzzled at her neck. “That was incredibly hot. You know that, right?”
Giggling, she wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned her head back to give me better access. “What was?”
“You, getting all bossy like that. It’s a real turn on.”
“You’re weird. But you can still kiss me.”
As soon as my lips met hers, she opened her mouth for me, tangling her tongue with mine, sliding her hands into my hair to pull me closer still. God, she set me on fire. More than any woman I’d ever known. It was only the threat of the kids coming back and busting us that stopped me from lifting her onto the counter and fucking her senseless. The idea of the kids catching us was enough to make me break the kiss and step back. “I’d better get these pizzas ordered, or we’ll have four hungry kids on our hands.”
“Yeah. And I guess I’d better go up and get dressed, or I’ll end up having dinner in my bikini.”
I let my eyes trail over her body, loving the way her nipples hardened and goosebumps pebbled her skin under my scrutiny.
“Jesus, I feel like you just fucked me.”
“You’d better go right now, or that’s exactly what I’m gonna do.”
She went and, still grinning, I grabbed the phone to order the pizzas.
The kids made quick work of dinner and not for the first time that day, or that week, I found myself reveling in the feel of having them all around me. They were so different from the austere formality of my own upbringing, and I loved watching how Esme was with them. She seemed to have an intuitive knack for knowing exactly how far to let them go before reining them in, so they never got too out of control, but they could still have fun.
“Okay, kiddos,” Esme announced after everyone had eaten enough, “time to clean up. Ariel and Florian, you’re on dish duty. Tiana, can you help me wipe down the table?”
“Sure thing!” Tiana chirped, grabbing a cloth from the counter.
“Need a hand?” I offered, as I stacked the pizza boxes.
“Um, yeah,” Esme replied with a smile, her eyes lingering on mine for an extra beat. “I guess you can pack up the leftovers.”
“Deal.”
As we all worked together, the laughter continued, drifting from one topic to another. At one point, Ariel recounted her epic cannonball into the pool earlier that day, causing everyone to break into giggles. The conversation went back to the age-old debate about the best pizza topping and the kids got into another heated argument. At least they didn’t let it get out of hand this time.
“Hawaiian is where it’s at!” Florian declared, waving a soapy hand in the air.