“How come you’ve never told me about your family?” I ask suddenly.

Tenn’s body stiffens slightly, but he tries for a casual shrug of the shoulders. “Guess we’ve been busy doing other things.”

I snort, because I know exactly where we’ve been spending our time and most of it has only led to dirty talk and touches. Which now that I think about it, makes me a little apprehensive. What if this thing with Tenn is no different from my other flings?

“We should talk about your family,” I say with desperation. “It’s what people in relationships do, right? They talk about things that are… you know… non-sex related.”

Tenn pulls me to the front of his body and wraps his arms around me. Leaning down, he kisses the top of my head and says, “Relax, Goldie. Those are all details we’ll continue to learn about each other. Things are fine.”

“But… I don’t want this to just be about sex,” I insist as I push away from him. I know my voice sounds desperate when I say, “Damn it… if I’m going to change my ways, I want this to be different with us.”

Tenn’s eyes soften in empathy and a hand comes up to stroke my hair. “It is different with us. You know that deep down, right? You feel it? And while the sex is fucking phenomenal, it’s also pretty fucking phenomenal to just hold you like this.”

“God, you’re really good at this,” I say with a dreamy sigh and rest my head on his chest.

“But you feel it?” Tenn asks again, and although he’s asking me a question, it’s almost a foregone conclusion in his mind.

“I know I feel something I’ve never felt before,” I tell him shakily. “Scaring the shit out of me half the time and making me paranoid the other half.”

He gives a hearty laugh. Pulling me away from his chest, his eyes twinkle at me with humor. He kisses me… hard… swift… possessively. “Well, I think you’re very brave, Goldie, to give it a shot.”

“Okay, I’m ready,” Zoey yells from behind us as she comes running. “Mom and Kip are going to stay in there and eat a late breakfast.”

Tenn releases me, turns to Zoey, and holds his arm up so she gets the message that he wants to tuck her into his side. She slams herself against him, her arms going around his waist, and he squeezes her in close.

God, that right there. That is so freakin’ sexy to me.

Tenn turns toward my Jeep, guiding Zoey along with him. He reaches his hand back, palm open toward me in a silent indication he wants my digits locked with his. I slip my hand into his grasp and we all walk back to my car, with Zoey now babbling a hundred miles an hour.

“I cannot wait to get on the beach. Oh, and I read online that they have wild horses up in Corolla. Can we go see those? And I’d like to try to surf… that looks really cool, and Dad said your brother was a professional surfer, right Casey? So maybe he can teach me. And Dad… I’m kind of hungry. Can we go somewhere for something to eat first? Then maybe the beach.”

Tenn shakes his head with a smirk on his face. He looks over at me and mouths the word, “Teenagers” at me.

“I bet there are a ton of cute boys on the beach, right Casey?” Zoey asks as her dad opens up the passenger door.

“And, that’s my cue to go back and get her suitcase,” Tenn mutters as Zoey hops in the back. He turns and gives me a grave look, “and you better tell her there aren’t any cute boys on the beach.”

Leaning in to him, I give a whisper, “I think she’s going to figure out on her own that there will indeed be cute boys. And trust me… she’s so pretty that she’s going to have them surrounding her.”

Tenn looks perplexed a moment before giving a confident shake of his head. “Nah… those boys will be too busy ogling you in your bikini and too busy being intimidated by her big biker dad to come anywhere near her. She’s safe.”

Sweeping his hand up to the passenger seat, Tenn says, “Hop in. I’ll drive.”

“Alpha man,” I quip as I jump into the passenger seat.

“Your man,” I barely hear Tenn say before he closes the door on me and heads toward Zoey’s suitcase.

“I’m so glad you’re dating my dad,” Zoey says from the backseat. “He really likes you.”

“Oh yeah?” I twist in my seat so I can see her.

“Yup,” she says with a grin as she leans forward over the center console to get closer to me. “Talked about you a lot. He wanted to make sure I was cool with him spending time with you while I was visiting, and also that we’d be staying at your house.”

“Um… yeah, about that,” I stumble a bit. “Your dad and I… we um… that’s to say, he’ll be sleeping on the couch.”

I have no clue if that’s true or not. Tenn and I didn’t discuss it much other than to agree that we’d have to be very discreet when we had sex, and we’d also have to be a whole lot quieter than we normally were.

Zoey rolls her eyes and gives me an admonishing look. “Puh-leeze. I know you’re having sex. It’s what adults do when they’re together. Plus, I heard my mom say that Dad was probably only interested in you for the sex.”

I blink at Zoey hard, trying to figure her out. My head spins a little. Did her mom really say that about me? Does Zoey believe that?

“But I think my mom’s full of horse shit,” she continues rambling on just as Tenn opens the back tailgate to put her suitcase in there. Zoey leans in a little bit closer to me and whispers, “I can see the way my dad looks at you. He’s never looked like that with any other women he’s dated. Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention to Dad I cussed just now.”

Wow. Just wow. She’s like a little supercharged dynamo.

Tenn throws the suitcase in and slams the tailgate shut, walking toward the driver’s side. I quickly whisper to Zoey. “I want to hear all about the women your dad dated in the past, okay? In return, I won’t tell him you cussed. Deal?”

I reach my hand back and hold my pinky out. She grins and loops her pinky with mine. “Pinky swear,” she giggles as Tenn opens the driver’s side door.

“What’s so funny?” he asks as he pushes my seat back and climbs in. He’s in uncharacteristic shorts today since he’s not on the bike and his powerful legs look magnificent as he folds into my Jeep.

“Nothing,” Zoey says coyly, shooting me a wink before sitting back in her seat.

I think it’s going to be just fine… having Zoey here. We’re off to a pretty damn good start.

Chapter 18

Tenn

The pounding on Casey’s bedroom door jolts me upward and out of bed. Before my eyes are even fully focused, I know… just by sensing… that Casey’s not beside me. Rubbing my eyes, I turn to her side and yup… she’s gone.

“Come on, Dad,” Zoey yells through the closed door. “Get up. Casey and I are ready to go down to the beach.”

Christ… what do the women in my life have against sleeping in?

“I’m coming,” I grumble as I roll off the bed and because I’m a complete dude and Casey’s not around to laugh at me, I go ahead scratch my balls as I lurch into her bathroom.

Of course, I scratch my balls through the pair of workout shorts that Casey insisted I put on last night before we went to bed, just in case Zoey came into our room unannounced. Fat chance, since I locked the door, but it made Casey feel better.

I made sweet love to her last night with my hand clamped over her mouth to keep her quiet and moving extra slowly so the bed wouldn’t creak or the headboard slap against the wall. Zoey had been asleep for a few hours, having been exhausted from the afternoon we had spent out on the beach together, but I didn’t want to take any chances she’d hear us. She’s a smart kid. She knows what’s going down between Casey and me, but I don’t want her hearing what goes on between us in private.

After doing my business, brushing my teeth, and not bothering at all to try to tame my hair, which is sticking up all over the place, I decide against shaving and get dressed. A pair of swim trunks I had bought last week and a t-shirt are good enough for someone who promised to spend all day on the beach with his daughter.