Page 4 of Tiny Precious Secrets (The Brothers of Calloway Creek The Montanas #4)

Asher

Our breakfast arrives all too early. I don’t think we got more than a few hours’ sleep between watching videos, making more at better angles, watching those, and, well, it just went on and on.

Still naked in bed, I shovel eggs in my mouth then take a sip of coffee. A work text comes in, making me think of all the videos on my phone. Instead of watching them again, I set up a shared, password protected folder in the Cloud and move all the videos into it.

Shit. Just the knowledge they’re on there gets me hard, which surprises me considering how much of a workout my cock has gotten over the past twelve hours.

Allie looks over my shoulder. “Oh my god, please don’t watch those again. I think you broke my lady garden that last time.”

I snort out laughter. “Lady garden? Woman, I’d call it more of an organ grinder.”

She raises a brow. “I didn’t see you complaining at the time.”

“And I’m still not. The whole night was just…”

“Beyond.”

Our gazes lock onto each other. “Yeah.” When my cock swells further, I shake my head and look back at my phone. “Anyway, I was just making sure prying teenage eyes won’t ever discover these videos.”

“Good idea.” She shoves her phone at me. “Do it on mine, too. I’m always letting Charlie and Maisy play games on this. Can you imagine the wrath I’d get from my brothers if they came across one of these?”

He pales. “Maybe we should delete them. Your brothers would have my head on a spike if they knew.”

She swipes her phone back. “Delete them? Are you crazy? After all that time and energy we spent getting just the right angles? I was thinking we should change careers and get into porn production. Besides, you’re the tech guru.

I’m sure nobody will get past your algorithms and cookies and firewalls. ”

I take her phone from her once more. “Better leave the technical stuff to me. You really have no idea what you’re talking about, do you?”

She continues watching over my shoulder. I upload her videos to the same place, then show her how to access them.

“You’re sharing your Cloud with me? Big step, Ash. What’s next, a ring?” She giggles.

I don’t laugh with her. Because those words conjure an all-too-clear image in my mind of me down on a knee looking up into her gorgeous eyes while slipping a rock onto her finger.

What the fuck is wrong with me? It has to be the upcoming wedding. Every time I talk to my sister, it’s all she can talk about. I can’t wait to marry Dallas. The ceremony is going to be so beautiful. Charlie is going to have a dad again.

Not to mention Bug’s excitement as well. She’s going to be a bridesmaid. And she’s super excited about going to Antigua.

Even Allie talks about it. She’s a bridesmaid, too. Everyone in my life is all wedding this and wedding that . It’s no wonder I’ve got love on the brain. That’s all this is.

I’m silent for so long, Allie’s entire demeanor changes. “I didn’t mean…” She hops out of bed and puts on a T-shirt. “It was just a stupid joke.”

She’s totally misreading the situation.

“Sorry. I was just wondering if there were any ways someone could break into that private folder.”

“Oh.” She sits back down. “Bug doesn’t have your password, does she?”

“I don’t share my internet passwords with anyone.”

“Except me.”

I cock a brow. “Not really. I created a special password just for this.”

She taps her temple. “Smart. Because I’d probably go in and watch all your sex videos.”

“You’d be hard pressed to find any. These were the first.”

“Reeeeealy?” she says, as if not quite believing a man so much older than she is hasn’t done such a thing.

I nod. “Don’t let my age fool you, Al. Last night I experienced a lot of firsts. First sex tape, first blow job in an elevator, first… what did you call that position?”

“Reverse cowgirl.”

My cock twitches. “We are definitely doing that again.”

Her nose turns up. “It wasn’t very flattering on video.”

“Are you kidding? That might be the one I watch the most.”

Her head tilts. “Are you really going to watch them?”

“Hell yes.”

“Don’t guys prefer to watch girl on girl porn?”

I tug her against me. “I’ll put up our videos against anything any day of the week.”

She smiles proudly, but her words have my mind cycling.

“Hey, that reminds me. Apparently Bug’s best friend is gay. Should I be worried?”

“Worried that she’ll influence Bug’s sexuality?”

“No, I don’t think that’s a thing. But she is growing up, and now I’m worried about someone… anyone … trying to make a sex tape with my kid.”

Her eyes roll. “You worry about her too much.”

“She’s thirteen. That’s a very worrisome age. You have no idea because you’re not a mom.”

Allie swallows, her playfulness gone in an instant like a curtain is drawn over her face. Maybe my words offended her because she’s a tried-and-true aunt who spends a lot of time around kids. A lot. It makes me wonder if she’s ever thought about having them herself.

“Hey.” I run a hand down her arm. “Just out of curiosity, do you see kids in your future?”

She blows out a long, drawn-out breath, as if I’d asked her the meaning of life. “Children aren’t in the cards for me.”

“Ever?”

She shakes her head.

“But you’re so young.”

“Ever,” she reiterates in a tone that tells me this is not a topic for discussion.

I’m not sure if the question freaked her out because of us , or if it’s something deeper.

Can she not have kids? Does she have a medical condition that would prevent her from getting pregnant?

With as much as Stella and I tried and failed to give Bug a half-sibling, I know personally how hard it can be for some people.

Sensing the need for a change of subject, I say, “Bug can’t stop talking about the wedding. She’s never been out of the country.”

Allie’s shoulders visibly relax, apparently glad I’m not pressing the situation. I guess I need to learn to keep my mouth shut when it comes to talking about the future. Because maybe she just doesn’t see me in hers.

Now I’m the one who’s depressed.

“So how’s it going to work when we’re there?” she asks. “Is it going to be like when the two of you come to Cal Creek?”

“You mean are we going to avoid each other so you aren’t on the receiving end of my kid’s wrath?”

“She’s not stupid, Asher. You know she suspects something. It’s why she won’t let me call her Bug.”

“I guess we’ll have to figure something out. Ways to keep her occupied.” I pull her close. “Because I’m not about to be stuck in a tropical paradise without making love to you under the stars.”

Finally, she cracks a smile again. “Under the stars, huh?”

“And maybe in the ocean.”

Her nose crinkles. “Water sex is overrated.”

I stiffen, trying not to think about any sex she’s had in the past. I brush it off. “Is that so?”

“Most of the body’s natural lubricants are water-soluble, so it can get pretty abrasive down there.”

Okay, so no water sex. But not because of any so-called abrasiveness.

My thoughts are overstepping the boundaries of our relationship. Who am I to be possessive about a woman I haven’t even had one single conversation with about the future?

“You know”—she smiles deviously, oblivious to my internal musings—“I think I have a way to keep Bug busy. My whole family will be there. Lucas and Regan are making a honeymoon out of it. Dallas and Marti will be busy with preparations. Blake and Ellie will probably treat it like a second honeymoon.”

“Yeah, so?”

“So they all have kids. And they’ll need babysitters. Say… some teenager who would be happy to earn twenty bucks an hour for playing with children.”

I lean in and kiss her below the ear. “It’s brilliant.”

“I’m just protecting myself, Asher. I do not want to end up on your kid’s shit list. The things you’ve told me she’s done to the other women in your life.” She gives me an exaggerated shiver. “What was it you said about her replacing your cologne with fish guts?”

I laugh. Bug is nothing if not creative. “It was fish-gut water. And holy shit, I couldn’t get the smell off me for days, even after showering.”

“I take it you never went on that date.”

“Oh, I did. But after explaining to my date what happened, she ghosted me. I guess she didn’t want to deal with a rambunctious ten-year-old.”

Her eyes widen. “She did that when she was ten? Geesh—gotta give her a little credit. She’s determined.

” She giggles and shakes her head slightly.

“I love the one when she called the restaurant and had the staff put the wrong name on a birthday cake and then had them tell your date you arranged the entire thing.”

I shake my head at that too. “At least that one waited to dump me until we left the restaurant. Did I ever tell you about the one where Bug had a drink sent to me at dinner along with a note thanking me for ‘last night’?”

“And your date read the note?”

“The waitress who brought it over made sure to drop it in the center of the table. Guess she thought I was a lying, cheating pig. I tried to explain to my date that it was my daughter. She threw the drink in my face and yelled at me for blaming my daughter to try and cover up my manwhoring.”

Allie giggles. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be laughing.”

“Oh, it gets worse. She used my phone more than once to reschedule dates via text. The women thought they’d been stood up. And then there was the time she had flowers sent to a woman and put the wrong name and details of an encounter on the card.”

She covers her mouth, trying not to laugh again. “Is it wrong that I like Bug just a little more now?”

“She’s the sweetest kid, Al. I wish you could see that side of her. She just doesn’t want a woman in my life.”

“It’s understandable. Her birth mom signed away her parental rights, and then her stepmom divorced you after she’d bonded with her for years. I think it’s more about not wanting a woman in her life than in yours.”

I stare at her, wondering if she’s onto something. “I don’t know. I think a lot of it is her not wanting to share me. She’s gotten used to it being just the two of us. And maybe a part of her is protecting me from another Stella.”

“But she’s really protecting herself. Her heart. She doesn’t want to be let down by a third mother figure.”

I sigh and run my hands through my hair. “Do you think I’ll have to wait until she’s eighteen to bring someone into her life?”

“Eighteen?” She guffaws. “Try thirty-five. I’m twenty-eight and still think my dad walks on water. If he and my mom weren’t together, I’d… well, I’d probably still be pulling adolescent pranks to keep him single.”

I deflate like a balloon. “I love my daughter more than anything. But capitulating to her insecurities for another decade or more just feels like I’m letting her walk all over me.”

“You are.” She leans in and kisses my cheek. “But it’s kind of sexy how protective of her you are. The sexy single dad. The ‘penetration tester.’ The secret meetings in the city. I’d say I’m one lucky girl.”

And there it is. She likes it this way. Secret meetings. Me keeping my life with Bug separate from… this.

Me? I hate it this way. I want to be here with Allie and be home with Bug. I want both of them. I want both of them all the time. Together .

But even knowing Allie doesn’t share my feelings, my desires for a future, my hopes and dreams, I still find it hard to get myself out of bed and walk away from her.

And I know as soon as I walk out that door, I’ll miss her even more than the last time I left.

Because the last time I left, I missed her more than the time before.

These feelings I’m having are too much too soon. Yes, it’s been almost sixteen months. But we’ve only really been on fifteen dates, if you can even call them dates. Hookups maybe. Encounters. But damn, I remember every single detail about each one of them. And this one, this one tops all the rest.

I push my emotions aside and climb on top of her, wriggling against her. “The next time I see you, you’ll be wearing a bikini on the beach.”

She shimmies her hips up into me, licks her lips, and raises a sultry brow. “Or maybe I won’t.”