“I can do that.” She swallowed hard and nodded.
“Then we have a deal?” Vic leaned back, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Yes, we have a deal.” Tachina laughed. She wiped the lone tear away that had started trailing down her cheek. “So what are we going to do? Shake hands to seal the deal?”
Vic extended his hand for her. She slid her smaller one in his. His breath caught at the heat that radiated up his arm from her touch. They shook firmly, then she removed her hand. He immediately wanted it back in his. He cleared his throat and chuckled. It look a lot to keep from taking her hand back.
“We are now officially co-parenting for roundtwo.”
“Round two.” She grinned and leaned forward slightly.
Kian’s laughter came from the living room. Just being here with her and his son gave him a warmth he didn’t generally have. The days when it was just him in the big mansion were lonely. He loved hearing Kian’s laughter and giggles. It was the one thing Vic looked forward to when he came home.
“And I’ve been tracking my cycle,” she said. “Lucky me, I’m regular as clockwork. I’ll be ovulating soon.”
Vic’s throat went dry. Vivid images flashed in his mind. Explicit memories of their times together years ago. His mind wandered. Would they have that same chemistry as before? He could still remember the way her skin smelled and felt against his.
His cock stiffened. He pushed down those thoughts. They were discussing things right now. He needed to focus on the conversation at hand.
“Don’t look so tense. I don’t need to drag you upstairs right now.” She giggled.
Why did she say that? Hell, if she tried to, he’d go willingly.
Just for them to practice at least once before the real deal.
The air crackled with electricity. Their smiles suddenly faded as they stared at each other. His fingers itched to run along her cheeks. He remembered how soft and supple she had felt underneath his hands.
“Hey, Daddy!” Kian came bounding into the kitchen. “Can we go outside and kick the ball?”
Vic tore his gaze from Tachina. Kian stood next to him with his soccer ball. His son bounced up and down.
“Sure, bud.” Vic pushed up from the table and went to grab his bowl, but Tachina waved her hands at him.
“I’ll get the table. You boys go outside and have fun.”
The backyard quieted as the sun dipped lower. The sky was a mixture of soft hues of golds and pinks. Kian must have burned off his late-afternoon energy. The two of them had flopped down on the grass and stared into the sky.
“Daddy! Look, a dragon!” Kian pointed to a drifting cloud.
Vic squinted to try to see what his son saw.
“Maybe a sleepy dragon.” Vic snorted.
They lay there laughing at the different shapes of clouds that floated by. A shark. A banana. Time slowed in the way it only ever did when he was with Kian. He glanced down at his watch and blew out a deep breath.
“Hey, bud. We need to head in. It’s getting late.”
Even though he didn’t want to leave.
He could feel the warmth of Tachina’s kitchen, the smell of the food, and remembered the feeling he got in hischest as she’d filled his bowl. It was the simple things that he appreciated.
“Kian! Time for your bath, babe!” Tachina called out from the door.
“Aww, do I have to?” Kian groaned.
They walked up the back stairs of the house. She rested a hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. Vic recognized the look on her face. She was putting her foot down.
“Sir, you have been ripping and running all day, and now you smell like outside,” she said firmly. She tousled his hair as he walked past her. “You can pick out your jammies and a few toys for the tub.”