Persephone leaned against the dresser, folding her arms over her chest. “You’re a full-fledged parent now, Hill Tesano.”
“Yeah...guess I am,” his tone had gone rather absent. His eyes were then a bottomless jet and betrayed the destabilizing effect of lurking violet in their depths.
The searing stare coaxed a more prominent rise and fall of her chest, but Persephone was otherwise still. Inside...well inside every part of her was electrified.
He stood then, his manner betraying signs of uncertainty that, for him, were as uncommon as they were intriguing. Persephone waited.
“I hope I didn’t overstep this morning. Getting the girls ready...I know that’s your job but I didn’t want to try waking you so early and they still had on their stuff from yesterday…”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about. You did the right thing.” She kept her voice soft-mesmerized by his manner.
“...I let them shower on their own,” he was saying.
Persephone had to smile then at his awkwardness. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that, unsupervised, their girls had probably played more than they’d bathed.
“I’ll run them a bath soon,” she said. “I really should’ve gone in and changed them out of their clothes before this morning anyway.”
“You were exhausted, hardly turned over when I tucked you in.”
“Are you fishing for a compliment?” Something light in his canyon-deep voice had her in the mood to tease.
“Fishing for a compliment? Hmm...I don’t think I have to,” he was closer then, his fingers skirting the hem of her towel. The other had already drifted from her hand. “All those sounds you make when you’re coming are the best kind of compliments.”
Just like that, she rested her forehead to the center of his chest as though she were drained. Just like that and he had every part of her throbbing. That was a dangerous power to possess and that he possessed it over Persephone, thrilled, tempted and tormented her all in the same vein.
She submitted to a whimper when he used his middle finger to stimulate the seam of her sex. If he was distracted by the sudden flow of moisture on his fingertip, he made no move to investigate. The simple caress continued even when she shamelessly rocked against him in silent demand that he deepen his exploration.
He kissed her temple then and withdrew. “I should probably go before the girls call me,” he said.
Don’t hit him. Persephone silently commanded herself while blinking to shed her frustration. He knew what he was doing, the bastard. Torment at its highest and he was oh so supremely gifted at it.
“I’ll let you finish up,”
he brushed another kiss to her temple and then left her there like
he had no idea of the state he was leaving her in.
~~~
Persephone got a jump on the crowd the next morning and was the one occupying a lounge chair under the palms when Hill and the girls found her.
“You guys want breakfast?” She asked as they approached.
“We’ll be ready after our swim, right Babes?” Hill said while the girls gave eager nods.
“Come with us Mommy,” Layah urged.
“You already have your swim stuff on,” Leeya noted.
“You guys want me to swim or cook?” Persephone challenged.
“Cook!” The girls cheered.
“You guys go on ahead, but wait for me at the end of the trail,” Hill instructed.
“‘Kay Daddy!” The twins called in unison as they raced off.
“You’ve already got them in check,” Persephone complimented, smiling as she watched the girls bounding away with their ponytails flying.
Hill shrugged. “It’s easy when they’re good kids. Thanks Sef. You did a good job with them.”
Persephone didn’t know what to say. Taking credit didn’t seem quite right. She waited, sensing there was more he wanted to say.
There was, but just then Hill seemed more focused on Persephone’s pedicure than talking. When she tried drawing her legs up to get him to snap to, he followed their movement as though he were compelled.
“Hill?”
He gave himself an inward kick, Persephone’s voice having cut through the arousal clouding his brain. Her legs seemed to go on forever-long, toned in the flawless cinnamon brown that covered the length of her.
Her ‘swim stuff’ consisted of a shimmering turquoise two piece with a halter neck and string ties securing the sides of the bottom. If her plan was to make him regret walking away from the heights of pleasure he could have experienced with her last night, then she was doing an excellent job.
“Hill?” Persephone tilted her head and tried waving her hand before her chest where his eyes were fixed.
Hill shook his head clear and grimaced. The third mental kick had done the trick.
Persephone smiled, enjoying the affect embarrassment had on his face.
“Sef um, about last night…”
Persephone waved her hand once more. “It’s fine. I understand. You’re here to get to know the girls. Not to um...spend time in bed with me.” She shifted on the lounge when arousal had her clenching her thighs.
Hill’s sly, easy smile emerged and softly he cleared his throat. “Sef...that’s um, it’s not exactly what I was talking about. I came there last night to talk about something else. I thought we’d have time while the Babes watched their movie, but we uh-we got off-off track,” once more his gaze drifted to ample bosom outlined invitingly beneath the halter.
