“How?” I whispered.

“Because I crave that tight, sweet pussy every fucking day.” He flashed a smile. I clenched in my panties, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip. Great. Now I was fully turned on. “Just the summer.”

I dropped my head, focusing on my toes. “Theo… I—I don’t know. It just seems so bad because of Izzy and how quickly it happened after Mrs. Black passed—”

“I know,” he whispered, cutting me off. “I know. And I understand.” I peered up. We looked at each other for several seconds, brown matching hazel, breath bated, until he pressed his palm on the glass and said, “Just… let it be. I’ll try if you try.”

“I’ll take it into consideration.”

One of his cheeks lifted, a half-smile on display. “Dream about me.”

I pressed my hand on the cool glass, a warm sensation flourishing from my throat to my chest. It burned in the sweetest way possible. I felt soaking wet below, in dire need for him to take me—satisfy me like none of those selfish college boys could.

I needed a man, but not just any man. I wanted the beautiful, glorious man that stood only yards away from me, craving similar temptations. “Goodnight, Mr. Black.”

He chuckled, and the hum of it made my stomach swirl with heated desire. “Goodnight, Miss Knight.”

TEN

Something vibrated on the hard surface beside me.

I groaned, my eyelids heavy. Through thin slit eyes, I took a peek at the alarm clock. 7:15. Way too early for any type of meaningful conversation. I shut my eyes, flopping onto my stomach, but my phone vibrated again.

“Seriously?” I muttered, snatching up my cellphone from the nightstand. The name Wild Child appeared on the screen, and I shook my head, answering groggily. “Mariah you better have a damn good reason for calling me this early.”

“Oh, I do!” Her tone was chipper and confident. “Guess what I’m doing?”

I sat up, raking my fingers through my hair and asking “What?” with a sigh.

“I’m riding with Tiny to Bristle Wave.”

My eyes popped open, all tiredness subsiding. “Bristle Wave?” I asked. “What? Why?”

“Well, shit, Chloe, all you ever did was brag about it. I looked into it some more and liked what I saw. Even got my dad to rent us a boat.” She was so full of herself, like she’d had everything going according to plan. Only, she didn’t. I was there to watch over my dad. The fun had to wait.

“Mariah, I told you I can’t leave from home much this summer.”

“Oh, come on. It’s just one night! We have nothing else better to do right now so why not have a few drinks on the boat. I heard there was a club there that everyone loves. Good drinks, good music. Know the name?”

“Brix,” I sighed. I knew all about Brix. It was the club all the college students hung out at when school was over and they were back at home. It was a way to get through the night in BW, drown in cheap drinks, and dance the night away. Izzy and I went once, and I hated it. There were a lot of older guys that reminded me of wolves hunting innocent sheep, half-dressed waitresses, and boys that refused to leave you alone until you gave them a dance. “You sure you wanna go there? There are way better clubs in L.A.”

“I thought about that, but you should be as close to home as possible, C. Come on I’m not that self-absorbent.”

“Yeah,” I laughed at that statement. Mariah was one of the most inconsiderate people I knew. She only cared about herself, never thought about how someone else would feel if she took the wrong action.

“Anyway, we have a hotel so you don’t have to worry about us popping up, but I would love it if you came out with me tonight. It’ll be fun, I swear. And the first two rounds of drinks are on me.”

I blew out a breath, my bangs flapping with the puff of air. “I will let you know. It really depends on how my dad acts today…” And if Theo decides he wants to hang out.

“Ugh.” She smacked her teeth. “Fine. Just let me know. Talk later!” She hung up, and I dropped my phone, staring at the sky-blue wall across from me. I sat there for a moment, realizing I had no plans for the day. I had planned to spend it out on the deck in front of the pool, catching up on a steamy novel by Maya Banks.

“Mr. Knight you have to get in the shower!” Margie’s voice cut through the silence.

“No!”

“Please, Mr. Knight!” she hollered. “It’s been three days.”

I frowned towards the doorway and hopped out of bed, rushing to his bedroom. He was standing in the bathroom, Margie blocking the doorway so he couldn’t escape. He tried pushing past her, but she was a strong little woman, holding her ground.

“What’s going on?” I asked her.

“I heard him through the monitor and came to check on him. He’s kinda smelly so I told him he needed a shower. At first he agreed, but now he’s putting up a fight. It’s been three days, Chloe. You would think the man would want to shower.”

“Three days, Dad? Seriously?” I stepped behind Margie, looking over her shoulder at him. He was now sitting on the edge of the tub, the shower running in the far corner. “You’re wasting water.” I maneuvered under Margie’s arm, going towards him. When I was directly in front of him, I lowered to a squat.

“You’re still here little girl? Stop calling me your dad. I’m not your dad.”

“Yes you are.” I remained patient. His words didn’t hurt as much. I knew he didn’t mean them. “I’m your daughter, Chloe. I am twenty-two years old. I am your only child, and you smell absolutely horrible right now.”

He fought a smile, folding his arms and looking away. The amusement was faint on his face. He wanted to laugh. I could see it in his eyes. Dad was still in there somewhere. “I do not,” he mumbled.

“Yes, very badly. I think it’s best if you listen to Margie and jump in the shower. Wash your man parts. We won’t look. We promise.”

His head turned, eyes meeting mine. I put a genuine smile on, but he only stared at me. “Fine,” he grumbled, uncrossing his arms. “But you two have to get the hell out. I need privacy.”

“Do you know which is the soap and which is the shampoo?” Margie asked, removing her guard.

“Yes. I can read!” he snipped.

I stood, going towards Margie and bobbing my head, gesturing for her to give him some space. “I’ll stay in the room,” I told her. I shut the bathroom door behind me, and she sighed. She still had on a lavender nightgown, half of her hair still in rollers. She looked exhausted. “You should go catch a few more hours of sleep. I think I can take over for a while.”

“Oh my goodness,” she sighed. “Are you sure? This is my job—it’s what I get paid for—”

“I know,” I said, interrupting her. “But everyone deserves a little break here and there.” I shrugged. “I can handle it.”

She capped my shoulders with her hands, her gratefulness on full display. “You are a lifesaver.” Releasing my shoulders, she turned for the door and said, “Let me know when you need me. I swear I’ll only sleep for one hour.”

I waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Margie. It’s all good.”

She gave me one more thankful smile and then walked out of the bedroom. I heard her door shut behind her and when it did, I looked at the TV. He was watching the news today. Walking towards the bathroom door, I knocked softly. “Dad, you okay?”

“Fine.”

“Let me know when you need me.”

“I won’t.”

I laughed, twisting on my heels and then climbing on top of his bed. Crossing my legs Indian-style, I grabbed his remote and flipped through the channels. I ended up on the cooking channel and immediately thought of Theo. Just the mere thought of him made my belly thrash with tiny butterflies. There was a swarm of them, fluttering around, proving just how much I, indeed, cared for him.