I turned off the engine and let my head fall back against the headrest. I was worn out, physically and mentally. I had spent the last few hours chasing Kash through ball pits and bounce houses while Corri went head-to-head with Kash on every video game he had challenged her to. I spent way too much on lousy pizza but the smiles on both their faces made up for it.

As my head lolled to the side, I caught sight of my girl, still clad in her workout gear with her disheveled blonde tresses, some covering her eyes. I didn't give her a chance to go home and change after we left the gym to pick up Kash, so she was still wearing the tight workout pants and tank top from earlier. I had to argue with her when she insisted she was too much of a mess to go to dinner with us. I did give her a hoodie from my truck when I noticed the way some of the dads in the restaurant were openly gawking at her impressive backside. She rolled her eyes at me and laughed, but finally tied it around her waist when I persisted.

Of course she wore stuff like that around the gym all the time and most of the guys there were respectful enough not to look, but Beau Bailey was obviously the exception. He was really having a good time at my expense, getting me riled up about what was nothing more than a friendly lunch. My heart had soared when Corri had wanted to tag along with me and pick up Kash. I was nervous at first because Katrina was always to be considered unpredictable and their relationship would forever be prickly, but I had hoped I could diffuse any situation that might arise if it meant I would be able to get more time with Corri.

"He's out cold," Corri observed as she peered into the backseat.

I turned that way as well, feeling the excitement of being near Corri when our bodies faced each other. I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and sighed. "I had a good time tonight. Thank you for coming with us."

Even in the darkened cab of my truck, I could see the pink tinging her cheeks. "I had fun too. Kash is such a great kid."

As I pulled my hand away, Corri grabbed it and held it between her palms. I watched in fascination as she pressed a kiss to the center of my palm and then gazed up at me through her long lashes. I opened my mouth to speak, but words failed me when her own eyes fell closed and she began to press more kisses to the top of each one of my fingers.

When she smiled up at me in that dreamy way of hers, I took her chin between my forefinger and thumb and lowered my face to hers. "I'm really glad we talked earlier. It was good to get some of that stuff out in the open. I hate that you would think I don't want you anymore, because that is so far from the truth."

Corri nodded slowly as her eyes drifted down to my mouth. "We should probably do more of that," she paused to run her tongue over her lower lip.

"More of what?" I prompted, leaning in even closer until we were sharing the same breath.

She blinked quickly, almost as though she were coming out of a trance. "Talking," she clarified, but the way she rubbed her lips together and stared at mine, I had a feeling that talking was the last thing we'd be doing.

"Dad? Are we home?"

Kash's sleepy voice from the backseat caused us both to pull away from each other. I sighed again, because I longed for the opportunity to spend some real time getting close to Corri again. She shot me a look that let me know she completely understood, but I still felt badly. "Yeah, buddy. We're here at my place. Did you want to spend the night?"

Kash made an affirmative grunting noise before he yawned and stretched in his booster seat. Corri laughed and shifted in her own seat so she could unbuckle her seatbelt, but I was able to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before she exited my truck. I gave her a warm look that promised more once we were alone.

I entered the garage with my sleepy son in my arms and glanced up the steps to my room with dread. "I should probably get him to bed," I grumbled in frustration. The last thing I wanted was to cut our night short.

Corri peered up at my door and then back toward the house and shrugged. "Or ...you could put him down on the pullout couch in Dad's office?"

Her tone was hopeful and her eyes gleamed with a wistfulness I hadn't seen in months. She was giving me an opening, a way to get closer to her and it was up to me to decline or accept. "Are you sure? I would hate for him to wake up and get into something in there."

"Like what?" Corri scoffed, already tugging on my arm and guiding me toward the house. "It's just old memories and boxing tapes. Kash knows better than to mess with that stuff."

I knew Corri had barely set foot in there since her father's passing, so this was a pretty good deal. I smiled warmly at her as she held the door open for me. Corri scrambled to change the sheets on the pullout while I tried to rouse Kash enough to brush his teeth. Once he was changed into the pajamas that Maria had packed, I carried him to Charlie's office and found Corri fluffing the pillows she had placed there for Kash.

I lowered Kash onto the center of the bed and let Corri fuss over him and then she tucked him, nice and snug. His eyes fluttered open and he grinned up at her. "Good night," he sighed with his arms stretched out, silently requesting a hug.

The biggest smile ever spread across Corri's face before she leaned down and cradled my boy in her arms. "Good night," she whispered breathlessly into his soft, blond hair. "Thanks for letting me play all those video games with you."

Kash nodded as he fell back onto the large pile of pillows behind him. "You're welcome. Maybe we can go back another day and you could actually beat me?"

Corri tossed her head back and her musical laughter filled my ears. She fussed over him a bit more before giving me a sultry gaze and slipping out the door. I snuggled up next to my son, but it only took a few minutes before his breathing slowed and he was drifting off to sleep again.

I crept out of the office and left the door open a crack. I went off in search of Corri, trying to tamp down the excitement bubbling under my skin at the thought of finally being alone with her. I found her in the kitchen with her back to me, struggling to open a bottle of wine.

I stepped up behind her and covered her hands with mine. Together, we pushed the corkscrew in and twisted the curved top until it wouldn't go any farther. Then we lifted the sides until the cork released with a loud pop sound. I reached over Corri's head to retrieve a wine glass from the top shelf and watched over her shoulder as she poured herself a glass. It was only then that I stepped back and gave her some space.

Her hair was wet and wavy, hanging past her shoulders. I could smell her citrus shampoo and the scent of body wash on her clean skin. When she turned to face me, I noticed her face was bright and clear of any makeup. She was wearing a pale pink tank top with spaghetti straps and no bra. God. One of the straps had slid down over the smooth curve of her shoulder and before I had realized it, I was reaching out to push it back into place. My other hand curled around her waist, fingers brushing against bare skin between her top and the gray and pink plaid pajama pants she wore. "Good?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"What?" Corri sighed, as she lifted the glass to her mouth.

"The wine," I clarified with a chuckle. "Is it any good?"

Corri took a sip and when she pulled her lower lip into her mouth to taste an errant drop of the sweet liquid, I groaned in response. "Do you wanna taste it?"

Her loaded question had me lowering my mouth to hers. "I wanna taste you," I murmured, shocked at my own boldness.

Corri's hazel eyes warmed at my naughty request and my worry over having overstepped a boundary between us was squashed when she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to mine. Her kiss was hesitant, as if she was testing me to be sure I wanted it just as much. I answered her tongue at the seam of my mouth by opening up for her and tasting the sweet remnants of the wine and what was essentially this girl. Actually screw that because the more we kissed and I felt her hands gripping at my chest, the more I knew she wasn't the same girl who had waited years to kiss me. No, this was a woman who would not be deterred by indecisions. She wanted this...wanted me and I wasn't holding back anymore.

She gasped into my mouth when I lifted off her feet, cradling her backside with one hand while the other swiped the nearly full bottle of wine from the counter. I carried her to the couch, because I wanted to take her to bed, but the timing wasn't right. And I was too afraid to let my desire for her overrule my thoughts. My thoughts were that this was too soon and even if she wanted me as badly as I wanted her, jumping into sex too quickly could ruin all the progress we had made. So I settled onto the couch with her body still wrapped around me. We continued to kiss, but I backed off a bit, trying to get my needy body under control.

Corri broke off the kiss first. She gazed down at me as she sat astride my lap. I curled my fingers around the stem of her wine glass and tipped it toward my mouth so I could take a drink. Her eyes never left mine as I swallowed the sweet Moscato. "This is good." I didn't usually drink wine, definitely more of a beer drinker for sure, but the taste of it would now always make me think of the way she tasted when I kissed her. And that alone had me itching to lower the straps of her tank top and see her naked chest.

Her nipples were already protruding under the soft fabric, pulling it tight and making it nearly impossible for me not to stare. Instead I busied my hands by pouring her another glass of wine and shifting slightly so she couldn't feel how the sight of her on top me had me hard, way too hard from just making out. I felt like one wrong move would send her skittering off of my lap and out of my life. I certainly didn't want a repeat of those days where she had her walls up so high and refused to let me get close to her. No, this was much better. Having my mouth and my hands on her felt like pure heaven.

Corri took the wine glass from me and finished it off. She placed the empty glass and the bottle itself on the coffee table behind us and then tucked her face into my neck. I held my breath when I felt her hands sneaking behind my back and pulling me close. A soft humming noise came from the back of her throat as she snuggled into my arms. I let my own hands slide around to her back as well, smoothing up and down her spine in a soothing manner. When my hands dipped lower, brushing against the bare skin on her lower back, she sucked in a deep breath. And just like that, my hands curled around the swell of her ass and jerked her close to me.

I tried to slow it down but when her sweet mouth began to nip and suck at the sensitive skin on my neck, all bets were off. My head fell back against the cushions of the couch and all that access had her licking and sucking my neck with even more excitement. "Fuck," I swore quietly through clenched teeth. My hips began lifting off the couch with a need that had been dormant for so long. My hands loosened from her backside when I felt her grinding against me. I had to be sure it was her doing it and not just my greedy hands forcing her hips to undulate in time with mine.

I was getting too worked up, too far gone for any sort of rational thought when my phone started ringing in my pocket. Corri froze and then lifted her head and peered down at me with a needy gleam in her eyes and her lower lip trapped between her teeth. She climbed off of me with shaky legs to carry the wine bottle and glass to the kitchen. I yanked my phone from my pocket and barked out a "what?"

I could hear Katrina's voice on the other end of the line. "Colt? Do you have Kash?"

Shit. I totally forgot to text her and let her know I had picked him up. "Yeah. I got him."

"Well thanks for letting me know," she sighed with what sounded like relief and irritation. "Can I come pick him up?"

"No," I snapped. "He's already asleep."

"And you didn't think to let me know you were taking him?"

"Nope. Because you couldn't be bothered to get home before your aunt had to be at work, she called me to come get him. So you don't get to bitch now." My tone with her was harsh, but I was pissed. Not only was she shirking her responsibilities as Kash's mom, but she was also cutting into my time with Corri.

"My phone died. I'm sorry."

"Whatever," I sighed deeply. "He's with me. He's safe and sound. I'll bring him back sometime tomorrow."

"Fine," she snapped. "I just think you could've let me know where he was."

I bit back a response and hung up instead. I had wasted enough energy on someone who couldn't even be bothered to be home when she was supposed. I had a lot more I wanted to say to her, but I could hear the slur in her voice and it wasn't a stretch to assume she had been partying, just like her aunt had suspected. No, I would bring my concerns to her in person and give her the option to step up for her son or I would take further action. I wasn't sure what that would look like under my current living situation, but I definitely needed options.

I cringed when I realized that Corri had undoubtedly slunk off to her room while I was arguing with Katrina. I sauntered to her doorway and leaned against the frame, not quite sure what kind of mood I would find Corri in. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, phone in hand, but her attention snapped to me after only a moment of standing there.

"Is everything okay?" she inquired with a soft voice, that indicated to me she didn't want to come off as nosy.

"Yeah...it's okay now," I sighed, pushing my hand through my hair and sighing deeply. The day was catching up to me and I could feel the exhaustion creeping in. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

Her expression immediately fell and she glanced away with a look of disappointment. "Stay with me," she blurted as I began to walk away. "Please?"

I gripped the door frame with both hands, leaning in slightly but not letting myself fully inside her room. "Kash wakes up early."

"So we'll get up early," she retorted with a devilish smirk. I watched as she rose from the bed and approached me. Her hand was outstretched and I had to follow her. I could think of a thousand reasons why this was a bad idea, but voiced none of my concern. I stripped out of all my clothing except for my boxer briefs and climbed into bed where Corri had pulled back the blanket and made a space for me.

I wrapped my arms around the middle of her and rested my cheek against her chest. Like a magnet, her fingers dove into my hair, smoothing and soothing me all at once. We stayed silent for a while, just the sound of our breathing filled the darkened room.

"If you were smart, you'd get far away from me. Everything with Katrina is so complicated and messy. She's the epitome of 'baby mama drama' and I can't figure out why you'd subject yourself to that when there's plenty of good guys out there with no kids, no drama, no bullshit..." My voice trailed off when I felt laughter rumbling from deep inside Corri's chest.

I lifted my head and gazed down at her, all wide eyed and blonde hair splayed like a halo around her angelic face. "What's so funny?" I challenged.

"You," she giggled, reaching up to hold my face between her palms. "I'm never letting Katrina run me off again. Do you understand me? I won't ever allow her to keep me from something I want. And believe me, Colt, I want this."

After a speech like that, I couldn't not kiss her. I angled my mouth over hers, sealing my lips around that smile of hers. I was proud of her declaration and I was excited at the prospect of what would come next. But I was also worried about how I could keep Kash close to me, prove I could give him his own space in my home without having to leave the one woman I'd waited six years to return to me.

I was so close to having it all and I didn't want to choose between Corri and Kash. It wasn't fair to either one of them.

.....