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28

JASON

“Carli!” I shouted, chasing after her as she ran through the house with my pocket knife. “Get your ass back here!”

She giggled, squealing as she ran around the corner and down the stairs. I’d barely pulled on my jeans when I saw her sneak out of my bedroom with something in her hand. It was only when I looked at my nightstand that I realized I’d emptied my pockets and left the tool there for her to snatch.

I was still dripping with water from my shower and Izzy was supposed to be here any minute. I chased her down the stairs, scared she was going to fall from how fast she was moving.

“Carli, stop right now! That’s not a toy!”

She spun around and held the pocket knife out like a weapon. It was fully closed, but that didn’t matter to her. Ever since we saw that movie about the princess and the knight, she thought everything was a sword.

“Daddy, stop or I’ll cut you down!”

I skidded to a stop and narrowed my eyes at her. “You wouldn’t.”

A devilish look crossed her face, then she screamed and ran at me, plunging the closed knife into my stomach. I gasped, holding my side as I looked at her as I collapsed to the ground.

“Daddy?”

“Why?” I asked, pretending I was really injured.

“Daddy!”

I looked down where my hand was cupped over my side, then back to her. Tears swam in her eyes as she yanked my hand away and saw everything was fine. Her eyes jerked up to mine.

“You lied!” she screamed, beating her fists against my chest as she wailed.

I grabbed her hands in mine and forced her to look at me. “Carli, stop right now.”

Her tears instantly dried up and she halted at the seriousness in my voice.

I grabbed the knife from her and unfolded it, showing her the sharp blades. “Do you see these?”

She nodded, biting her lip.

“These could seriously injure someone. You could have hurt me.”

“But you were faking,” she cried.

I nodded. “To prove a point. Were you scared?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

“Why?”

“Because I thought I hurt you.”

“Exactly. Some things are fine to play with, but baby girl, this is a real weapon, and we never play around with weapons. Do you understand me?”

“I’m sorry,” she sniffled.

“I know.” I tugged her to me and patted her back as she cried. “You would never hurt anyone, baby, but accidents happen. That’s why we never play with anything that could actually hurt someone.”

She pulled away from me and wiped the tears from her face. “Like your gun?”

“Yes. Like my gun. You are never allowed to touch my gun or anyone else’s. Not until I show you how to use one the right way and you can prove to me that you can handle it.”

“Tomorrow?” she asked innocently.

I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Nope. Many, many years from now. Guns are used to scare away boyfriends.”

“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.”

I grunted in response, not really giving a shit what everyone else thought. I shouldn’t have to wear fucking swim trunks if I didn’t want to. This whole fucking thing was ridiculous, and if it weren’t for the fact that I was a dad now, I wouldn’t be going in the first place.

“Daddy!”

“We’d better go,” Izzy sighed. “Your daughter is very excited to get to the park.”

I grabbed her hand and stopped her as she walked past. “Thank you for coming with me.”

Those gorgeous eyes locked on mine, begging for all sorts of things that she wasn’t ready to ask for. It was fucking dangerous as hell to even look at her right now.

“Thank you for inviting me,” she whispered.

Fuck, I really wanted to kiss her, but I released her and stepped back. I watched her as she headed to the truck, her dress billowing in the breeze and showing off those gorgeous legs. And then I realized she was going to be in a swimsuit at the water park, showing off even more skin than she already was.

“I’m so fucking screwed.”

* * *

I was supposed to be listening to Carli as she told me every single thing she was going to do and in what order, but instead, I found myself gawking at Izzy as she toed off her sandals and slowly pulled the hem of her dress up over her head, revealing every inch of her beautiful skin.

The pink polka dot bikini she wore had every fucker in the park staring open-mouthed at her, drooling over her rounded ass and gorgeous tits. I was going to kill every fucking one of them, including Kavanaugh. He was just as bad as everyone else, even though I knew he wasn’t interested in Izzy that way.

I strode over to him, clapping him upside the head. “Get your fucking eyes off her,” I growled.

“Hey, there’s no need to be vicious,” he grumbled. “She was right there.”

“And she’s not for you to look at,” I snapped. “Get your own fucking woman.”

His eyebrows shot up in surprise at my declaration. Yes, I had just fucking announced that she was mine, and I wasn’t going to apologize either. Just when I thought he was going to back off, he burst out laughing, slapping me on the back. I didn’t know what he found so fucking funny, but if he kept this shit up, I’d toss him in the water with his clothes still on.

“Hey, man. Don’t worry about it. Just friends.”

“Friends don’t stare at each other like you were looking at her.”

“I’m still a guy,” he pointed out. “I can appreciate the female form.”

“Not with her,” I growled. “Turn the fuck around and put your eyes on someone else.”

He saluted me, still fucking laughing as he walked away. I didn’t worry about it, though. I’d wait until he was relaxed and then I’d make my move. When I turned back to Izzy, she was watching me curiously.

“Daddy, can we go?” Carli begged.

“Sure, baby girl. Go play on the splash pad. I’ll be right there.”

With a grin on her face, she took off across the sitting area.

“Don’t run!” I shouted, watching as she slowed to a fast walk, doing her best not to run.

I stripped out of my jeans, feeling like a fucking idiot as I stood there in my swim trunks. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d worn anything like this. Sighing, I tugged the T-shirt over my head, but stopped mid-air when I saw Izzy staring at me again. Fucking hell, this was not the time to get a hard-on.

I tossed the shirt on the lounge chair and strode over to Izzy, tipping her chin back with my finger. “Sweetheart, you’re gonna have to stop looking at me like that. I’m trying to be patient with you, but you’re making it awfully hard.”

Her cheeks flushed yet again and she dropped her eyes momentarily before looking back at me. “That’s not the only thing that’s hard,” she said boldly.

A growl rumbled through my chest at her words, which didn’t help the situation down below at all. “Just remember, it’s frowned upon to fuck someone at a family friendly waterpark.”

“I think it’s more than frowned upon,” she sassed.

This playful side that was starting to come out made it harder to keep my hands to myself. I wasn’t sure where she was getting the confidence to say shit like this to me, but I was fucking loving it. I took another step closer, pressing my body to hers. Slowly, I tipped her chin up and pressed my lips to hers, unable to stop myself.

It was fucking hard as hell to control myself, but somehow, I managed to keep my tongue in my mouth and my dick in my pants. That is, until she slid her hands along my waist, dusting her fingers over my abs in the process.

I sucked in a breath and forced myself to back down. “This is not the place,” I muttered, gently pushing her back before I mauled her.

“We should…” She cleared her throat and stepped back, eyes darting around as if she just realized where we were. “I’ll go check on Carli while you…” Her eyes darted down to my cock for just a moment before she turned and scampered away.

I heard Johnny’s low chuckle before he appeared at my side. “Man, you have your hands full with that one.”

“Tell me about it,” I muttered, discreetly adjusting myself so I didn’t scare all the kids around here with my cock jutting out.

“When did she get so…bold?”

I had no fucking clue. “Not sure. Don’t know yet if I like it or not.”

Again, he laughed at me. “Maybe it’s a good thing. She’s stepping out of her shell.”

“Fuck, I think I liked it better when she was in her shell.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“No,” I sighed. “But why did it have to be today that she decided to wear a fucking bikini? Christ, every man around here wants to fuck her.”

“Not me,” he answered immediately. “Then again, I only have eyes for Tahlia.”

I appreciated that. I’d hate to kill him after how long I’d known him. “Where is—” I stopped talking the minute I looked at him. Hell, he was worse than me. He was wearing jeans with his cowboy boots and a hat. No shirt. “You know we’re at a waterpark, right?”

“So?”

“So, how the hell are you gonna go down the waterslides in jeans and boots?”

“Never said I was going to.”

“You’re gonna make Tahlia do all that?”

He grunted, not answering. “I don’t wear swim trunks.”

“It wouldn’t kill you.”

“Don’t give me that shit. I saw you leave in your jeans. You didn’t want to do this any more than I did.”

“But I’m here,” I pointed out. “In trunks. Fuck, Johnny, you still have mud on your boots. Is that cow shit?” I asked, getting a closer look.

“One of the neighbors needed help this morning,” he argued.

“Since when do you help neighbors?”

“Since I thought it might get me out of doing this shit,” he grumbled. “Alright, what are we doing here?”

I cocked my head at everyone running around, seemingly enjoying themselves. I didn’t get it. “It looks like you just…splash around and shit.”

“Why do kids need us for that? Can’t they do that on their own?”

“According to Carli, it’s supposed to be fun for me too.”

Jack called to us from across the park, waving his hands at us. He was all decked out in his swim gear, carrying Parker around on his shoulders and smiling like a lunatic.

“What the fuck is he smiling about?” I grunted.

“Looks like he’s all domesticated and shit.”

“And shit is right.” I sighed heavily and looked back at Carli, who was sitting on the ground of the shallow pool area under a giant bucket that looked like it was about to spill over at any second. “She’s gonna get drowned,” I muttered, tensing up.

“What the fuck is she doing?”

I shook my head and took off, busting my ass to get over to her before the damn thing tipped over and drowned my kid. “Carli!” I shouted, but she didn’t hear me. Fear crashed through me as I saw the thing about to tip over. I was too far away and she couldn’t hear me. “Carli!”

My legs ate up the space between us, but I wasn’t fast enough. I shouldn’t have let her go off alone. This whole fucking park was a danger zone. I should have seen it from the moment we walked through the gates.

I shouted for her again as I entered the pool, my feet splashing water everywhere as I dashed between kids. My gaze locked on the bin as it started to tip, and then I spotted Carli, only this time she wasn’t alone. She was standing next to Izzy, holding her hand as they looked up with grins on their faces. I got to Carli just as the water spilled over, cascading over us at a deadly rate. I did everything I could to block my little girl from being crushed by the force of the rushing water.

It poured over me—not nearly as forcefully as I thought it would— and hit Carli and Izzy, making them squeal with laughter.

“Again, again!” Carli cried out, jumping up and down. “Izzy, let’s do the slides!”

I was confused as hell, wondering why they were so happy. Was this normal? “Why would you stand under that, Carli? You could have been hurt!” I scolded.

She covered her mouth, giggling at me as she took Izzy’s hand in hers. “Daddy, you’re all wet!”

“Well, yeah. I just saved you from being crushed by a waterfall.”

“That’s what it’s supposed to do,” Izzy laughed. “That’s why it’s so fun!”

I didn’t get it. “It’s fun to have water dumped on you?”

Carli laughed again. “Daddy, you’re so silly.”

I was about to ask Carli what the hell made me so silly, but never got the chance. My eyes locked on the water dripping down Izzy’s body, sliding over her smooth stomach and soaking her barely-there swimsuit. Her pink bikini top barely covered her tits, and her nipples were pebbled and hard, nearly poking through the thin material.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered, unable to take my attention off her breasts.

Carli gasped, tugging on my hand. “Daddy, you said a bad word!”

I did, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it right now. Hell, I couldn’t even take my eyes off Izzy’s body. Coming here today was a fucking terrible idea. We needed to leave now.

“Carli, get your stuff. We’re going home.”

Izzy’s face dropped and Carli instantly started whining. “But Daddy! We just got here!”

“Did I do something?” Izzy asked quietly.

Fuck, I was making a mess out of everything. Stepping closer, I slid my hand around her waist and pulled her against my hip so I could whisper in her ear. “Baby, there isn’t a single fucking thing you did wrong. But how the fuck am I supposed to behave myself in front of all these kids when you’re wearing that fucking scrap of material you call a swimsuit?”

Her hand gripped my forearm, holding tight as she sucked in a breath. “Should I have worn something else?”

“Wouldn’t fucking matter,” I grumbled. “You look so fucking tempting.”

Despite being surrounded by little kids and other parents, I couldn’t hold back. She had to know what she was doing to me.

“What I wouldn’t give to take you somewhere private and tear off that thing you call a top, and suck those pretty nipples into my mouth.”

Her nails dug into my arm as I slid my hand up her collarbone, cupping the back of her neck. With a brush of my thumb over her pulse point, I knew she was either fucking turned on or scared as hell, but based on how she was breathing, I was going with turned on. I’d seen the lust in her eyes already. I knew there wasn’t much holding her back.

“I’m trying to be good, Izzy, but you’re fucking testing me. You’d better decide real fucking fast if you’re ready for more, because if not, I have to take you home right after the water park so I don’t take you to bed and have my way with you.”

I stepped back, my gaze roaming over her gorgeous body again. “Tonight, Izzy.”

She gave a slight jerk of her head and swallowed hard. “Tonight.”