Page 6 of At His Wife’s Behest
“Come on… you know you wanna.”
Kellan sighed. “A vacation is tempting.”
“Good. I’ll have all the arrangements made as soon as you tell me when you can get off.” She rose, striding for the door. “Or quit. Emphasis on the latter.”
Kellan chuckled, pulling on his shoes. Rising, he wished he could quit. With Emma’s newfound fortune, he could—but she would soon be his ex-wife and he wasn’t going to rely on her for his income. Was it pride? Sure. Kellan wanted to make his own way.
He needed purpose, too. Was the Cross Foundation that purpose? No, but it was all he had besides Abigail at that moment. He descended the stairs to find his daughter’s wild hair tamed into pigtails with her backpack already on, clutching her mother’s hand.
“I’ll take her to school today, Kel. I needed a break this morning and to spend a little time with this rugrat,” she said, tickling Abigail.
Abigail giggled, leaning closer to her mother.
Kellan stiffened. “But I always take her to school.”
“One day won’t be the end of the world.”
“I’ll be leaving for a week soon, so let me have my mornings until then,” Kellan said.
Emma sighed. “Fine.”
“Leaving for a week?” Abigail asked, her face screwing up.
“Daddy has to go somewhere to help Mommy. It’s just a short trip,” Emma said.
“Okay,” Abigail replied, tugging on Kellan’s arm. “Come on, Daddy. We’re going to be late!”
“Oh no!” he said, rushing out the front. He strapped Abby into her car seat and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. Emma snuck in a kiss, too.
“Have a good day, sweet girl.”
“I will!”
Kellan slid behind the wheel and glanced into the rearview at his daughter. “Let’s go see if Cecelia Bedelia has arrived!”
“What would you think of a week in Italy?”
Connor Quaid laughed as he sped down the interstate, late for work. “Sounds wonderful. When?”
“I’m still working on the date, but it’ll likely be a couple of weeks. Mid-May?”
“Kimber, you know I can’t go.”
“It’s all expenses paid, and the compensation is more than adequate. Worth your time.”
“You’re aware I have another job other than being arm candy for your rich clients.
That’s why I’ve specified nights and weekends only.
Or summers.” He glanced over one shoulder, slipping in between two cars and onto the offramp, horns blaring behind him.
“If they can push it to late June, I can go.”
“I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“Then ask someone else,” Connor replied.
Kimber sighed. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think you were the right man for the job.”
“Oh? And why am I the right man for the job?”
“This is an unusual case. Soon-to-be single dad who seems to have forgotten that he’s more than just a father. His wife is the one ordering him a date.”
“His wife?”
“She wants someone to be gentle with him. Remind him he’s more than just a dad, but a man with needs. I think that’s right in your wheelhouse. You understand parents and caring for children, so you can be empathetic.”
Connor pulled into the parking lot of Allton Academy, screeching into a parking place. “Let me think it over and get back to you.”
“End of day, Connor. I need to get this set.”
“End of day, I promise,” Connor said before ending the call and turning off the engine. He snatched his messenger bag and raced into the building.
Of course, Mr. Harding, the principal, was standing just outside his classroom as he speed-walked closer.
The man eyed his watch and scowled just before Connor slipped through the door.
Once he’d dropped his belongings on the desk, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d barely gotten sorted when the first of his students arrived.
“Morning!” he called, flashing them a smile. He received a few hugs and a couple of high fives as more meandered in.
“Mr. Q! The babies are here!”
All who’d arrived rushed to take a look.
“Guppies,” he corrected as he walked closer. Amelia’s guppies had indeed arrived. More than would fit as they grew. Wonder if I can convince some parents to take some home?
More students rushed over as they arrived, enthralled by the guppies.
“Daddy, look!”
Connor’s head swiveled at the sound of Abigail Rhodes’ voice.
Her arrival was always the best part of his morning—mostly because of her handsome father who usually dropped her off.
Connor was quite confident the man wasn’t one hundred percent straight, but he was married to Abigail’s mother and a class parent, so he was fully hands off either way.
I can look, though.
And he certainly was eye candy. Kellan Rhodes was maybe five-eight with dark brown hair and the bluest eyes he’d ever seen.
He always wore off-the-rack suits that didn’t fit as well as they should, which made it harder to tell what kind of body he had underneath.
The man had the kind of income to wear bespoke clothing.
Why he didn’t, Connor didn’t know. Frugality? Lack of self-awareness?
He caught Connor ogling, and his face grew pink. Connor grinned inwardly, enjoying the reaction. The father-daughter pair made it to the tank where Abigail pushed closer to see the guppies, too. Her father lingered behind the pack of children, hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Good morning, Mr. Rhodes. Lovely to see you this morning.”
“And you,” he replied, face growing a bit pinker.
How pink can it go? “That’s a beautiful tie.”
“Thanks,” Rhodes murmured.
“The same shade as your eyes,” Connor added, grinning slyly. “You’ve got beautiful eyes, too.”
The man’s eyes widened, lips parting. He pegged Connor with a stare, one that sent a thrill zipping through. He saw a flicker of something in the depths of those blue eyes. Connor couldn’t be sure what it was.
Oh, he’s definitely not straight.
Fuck! He’s a parent. Do not cross the line.
Kellan Rhodes was a temptation he struggled to ignore. A line begging to be crossed.
“Yours aren’t too bad yourself.”
Connor’s smile grew. Kellan had never responded in kind before. “I’m glad you like them.”
A hint of a smile curled up at the corners of the man’s mouth before it quickly faded. “I… I need to get to work.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s head. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Okay, Daddy!” Abigail said, gaze glued to the tank.
“Have a nice day, Mr. Rhodes,” Connor called out, watching the man depart.
Kellan Rhodes stopped at the door and turned to eye Connor. It was there that he saw it.
Pure, unadulterated desire.
Oh, he’s definitely, definitely not straight.
He exited, leaving behind a little heat in Connor’s belly.
“Mr. Q? Why is Amelia eating her babies?”
Fuuuuck! He whipped his head toward the tank, shooing some of the kids away to get a better look. Great… this is exactly the lesson I wanted to teach today. Animals eating their young.
Kellan slipped into the driver’s seat of his SUV and gripped the steering wheel tight.
Knuckles white, he attempted to regain control of his traitorous body.
Connor Quaid had been fantasy fodder since Abigail had started there.
That first day at Allton Academy, he’d slammed into the man as they’d turned a corner toward the kindergarten rooms and nearly knocked them both over.
Connor had reached out, steadying him, and incidentally pulled him closer.
One look and he hadn’t wanted the man to let go.
When he learned Abigail was in Quaid’s class the following year, it had given him a thrill—it made bringing his kid to school every day a little more enjoyable.
Connor was… gorgeous. And the complete opposite of Kellan, standing well over six feet with a body made for football, not first grade.
When he glanced at Kellan with those gorgeous hazel eyes wrapped in long, thick lashes, it caused a stir.
Connor’s button-down shirts struggled to wrap around his massive biceps and his sleeves were often rolled up, baring sexy forearms. His hair was almost the same shade as Emma’s, with a hint of a curl to it, especially when it grew a bit longer.
He’d envisioned sinking his hands in that hair while guiding those lips to his cock.
Stop! He’s off limits.
It took a moment, but Kellan regained control of himself and turned the engine on—all while knowing that later that night, he’d jerk off to the image of Connor Quaid calling his eyes beautiful, finishing with a vision of him writhing under the man’s body.