beneath, End looks like a wet dream—the very star of mine, in fact. Even from here, I can clearly see the muscles in his arms bulging as he carries long pieces of wood to and from a truck parked along the street. Hell, his skin looks like it’s glistening. I can practically see the beads of sweat rolling down his arms and neck.
I think about last night. The way his tongue stroked mine. Then my mind conjures images from the past, memories of that night at the creek, his tongue circling my nipples, his long, thick cock—
“You’re drooling. Isn’t your mom drooling, Luna?”
“Yup.”
I whirl back around and clear my throat, feigning innocence. “I’m not. I’m just hungry.”
Julia scoffs loudly. “Oh, I bet you are. You’re hungry for his di—”
“Okaaay.” I clap my hands together loudly, trying to drown out whatever Julia was going to say. “Enough about me. What about you and Griffin? Is there anything happening there?”
Julia rolls her eyes, waving me off. “Not even close. He’s fun, hot as all hell, but he’s also a manwhore. I don’t do those. A one-time ride with him to Spank Town was more than enough.”
My lips thin at her lingo. I shoot a quick look down at Luna, but she’s not paying attention. She’s much too busy dousing her waffles in more syrup and chocolate. As if they didn’t already come with enough.
“Do I sense some intimidation here?” I goad. Julia aims a scathing glare my way, which tells me I’m not far off. She’s always been the strong, speak your mind type, so the fact she’s getting pissy over this? It says a lot more about her “relationship” with Griffin than she wants to admit.
“Don’t play this game with me, Selene. I know all I have to do is mention Endymion’s coc—”
My stomach dips incessantly as I think about End and a certain appendage. I haven’t told Julia about last night, though I’m not sure why. It’s not like she’ll judge me, but a part of me wants to keep it a secret. For now, at least—just between the two of us.
I steer clear of boy talk, deciding it’s best to leave that talk for a girls’ night, definitely not in front of my daughter. “Luna, baby, how are the waffles?”
She smiles with a mouthful of food and chocolate syrup around her lips. “Really good.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I peek once more across the street at Endymion. His words from last night ring loudly in my head, making me feel guilty. I wait for Luna to finish her food before I broach the subject, unsure of how she’ll react. I’m not even sure I’m ready, but End was right. This isn’t fair to him, and this isn’t fair to her.
I want to believe that kiss yesterday changed things, but I can’t let myself back into his orbit. I need to stay strong and think about doing what’s best for Luna, and that means giving her and Endymion the chance to be a real family. It may not be in the same way he suggested last night, but this is the best I can do—until I can come to a decision about us.
“Luna Bella, how would you feel about staying the night at your daddy’s house. Does that sound like fun?”
Her little eyes widen. “Really?” she coos excitedly, vibrating in her seat. “Will you be there?”
I sober, tightness pulling taut across my chest. “No, I won’t. But if you need me to pick you up, I’ll only be a call away.”
She seems pensive, almost as pensive as I feel about this whole situation. “Well, I do miss Daddy a lot when he’s gone, but I’m going to miss you, too.”
My smile is borderline sad. “I’ll miss you, too, but I’ll be at work anyway, so technically, it’ll be like every other day when you’re hanging with Nana and Papa. Maybe when I get off, I’ll even stop by and kiss you good night?”
She mulls that over in her head, likely sifting through her fears. After a few solid beats, she says, “I like that idea, Mommy.”
It has a smile tugging at the corners of my lips and warmth curling around my heart. Such a strong girl.
Looking out the window, I feel somewhat better about my decision when I spot End. He deserves this. I may not be able to offer him a relationship, but I can give him this. They both deserve it.
“I don’t care what anyone says.