Page 43 of Unexpected

I chuckled. “I’m a one-ball wonder, baby,” I joked.

“That you are.” And I felt her body shaking with silent laughter.

“That was part of it,” I admitted. “And because I hadn’t been with anyone in a while, and you’re, well…you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” She sounded more curious than anything.

“Surely you realize how sexy you are? But it’s more than that—you’re intelligent, savvy, sophisticated, an amazing mom. You could have your pick of men. Men who are much more experienced than me.”

“Experience is meaningless without chemistry, without connection. I feel that with you. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so…alive. So cherished.”

“I feel it too,” I said, pulling her close to me as I stared up at the sky.

We lapsed into silence, both lost in our thoughts, until she said, “Can I ask you something?”

I tucked my hand behind my head. “Anything.”

“You’ve been in remission for over a year. You really haven’t dated anyone in all that time?”

“No. I—” My throat felt tight. “I was in a relationship when I got sick. She said she loved me, would stay by my side no matter what. But when it really came down to it, she couldn’t handle it.”

“She broke up with you while you were going through treatments? Fighting for your life?” Alexis’s voice was calm, but I could hear the anger raging just beneath the surface. She was livid.

“Honestly, it was for the best.”

“How can you say that?” She propped herself up on her elbow to stare down at me. Her hair fell across my face, curtaining us like a waterfall. Her scent surrounded me, perfuming the air like the jasmine that grew on the trellis outside my bedroom window.

“Cancer has a way of revealing who your true friends are. It sucked, but I can be grateful that it brought clarity to my relationships and my purpose.”

“And what is your purpose?”

“To support and encourage the people I love. And to support those going through cancer themselves, specifically pediatric cancer patients.”

“You—” she leaned in, nuzzling against me “—are an incredible man, Preston Hawthorne. And I’m lucky to know you.”

“And you’re about to get even luckier,” I teased, needing to lighten the moment.

She rolled her eyes but laughed anyway as I pulled down the straps of her dress, kissing every inch of skin I could find. As she sank down on top of me, making love to me beneath the stars, I felt like the luckiest man alive.

Chapter Thirteen

“Hey, Mom,” Sophia said from her perch on a barstool. Her attention was on whatever concoction she and Preston were whipping up today. Pancakes, if I had to guess.

“Good morning,” Preston said, his eyes lingering on my breasts, my hips. “Did you have a good workout?”

I nodded, taking a sip from my water bottle to cool myself off. Who was I kidding? Nothing was going to help the way he made me heat from the inside out. If I’d thought sleeping with him was the answer, it only seemed to fuel my addiction. It was like sugar—the more I got, the more I wanted.

“It was…hot.” I smirked, dabbing at my forehead, then my neck, with a towel. I knew he was watching me, knew he wanted me.

“I can see that.” He smiled at me over Sophia’s head, and I smiled back.

“Guess what?” Sophia asked.

“What?” I rested my elbows on the counter, giving Preston a good view down my sports bra.

“You’ll pay for that later,” he mouthed, to which I merely smirked.Good.

“Preston’s going to let me practice flipping the pancakes this morning. And then, we’re going to the aquarium.”