our daze.
“No. I’m sorry,” Selene says quickly, shaking her head. “Don’t apologize. I just…I just freaked out.” She looks down at Luna, who’s completely oblivious. Luna’s too busy studying the rest of the guys, probably trying to come up with a plan in her head to get one of them to agree to build her a playground or a pool.
The kid’s a fucking shark, I tell you.
“I get it. I was just going to walk her back inside with Gavin.”
“No, you weren’t,” Luna singsongs, making us both laugh. Selene’s lips twist ruefully, and I soak in everything about her. I follow the sudden trajectory of her hand. Delicately, she reaches around her neck for something, but it’s bare.
I’m struck by the sudden realization that she’s not wearing the necklace she constantly wore when she was a kid. That was the most vivid memories of our past. That damn moon necklace and that damn thick book she constantly carried around. Her hand flutters away, and she shifts on her feet, clearing her throat almost nervously.
“Well, we should probably head inside and leave you guys to it.” She quickly glances at the rest of the guys, before looking back at me, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red. It’s a struggle to hold back my grin at how cute she is.
“Mom,” Luna groans at the realization that she won’t be able to stay out here, and Selene rolls her eyes, sighing under her breath. I wonder how many times a day she does that? It wouldn’t matter. I’d probably never tire of seeing it.
They leave as quickly as they came, and the guys and I stand around for a beat, trying to process how odd of a start our morning is off to.
“She’s hot. That is a MILF I wouldn’t mind becoming a stepfather for. I would let that woman ride my cock until—”
I can’t help but glower at Griffin’s comment. I shoot daggers at the side of his head, his gaze still intently focused on the door Selene and Luna disappeared through. In a knee-jerk reaction, I smack him upside the head. Instead of being angry with me, he laughs.
The fucking bastard.
Internally, I berate myself for my reaction to what Griffin said. I chalk it up to my friendship with Gavin. I respect the man too much. There’s no way I’d ever allow anyone to disrespect his daughter. It has nothing at all to do with the fact she’s gorgeous as all hell, and I don’t want any of my men near her. Not even my best friends.
“Little girl looks familiar, no? I can’t for the life of me figure out what it is.”
I perk up at Bishop’s comment. His gaze is also solely fixed on the back door she disappeared through, but at least he’s wearing a confused expression instead of one filled with lust.
I nod absentmindedly. “I know. The first time I saw her, I swear I thought my sister had a kid she kept hidden from us.”
“Weird,” Bishop mumbles as he walks off.
Weird, indeed.
After measurements are confirmed, we break ground on the project. A few of the guys get to work on knocking down that back wall, and Griffin and Bishop are off to the side, cutting and measuring boards for the foundation we’ll need for the expansion. I’ve been running back and forth from the truck, carrying supplies and doing my damnedest not to think about Gavin or his daughter.
This is such an odd situation. I’ve grown close to Gavin over the years. The man is like family to me, so why am I suddenly thinking about his daughter, his pride and fucking joy, sexually? It’s wrong on so many levels. A part of me feels as though I’m disrespecting him with the thoughts alone.
I glance toward the back window again, and I don’t even bother hiding my smirk when I spot the curtains bunched up in the corner from where Luna keeps peeking through. She’s been doing it on and off, trying to get a better look at what we’re doing. She tried to sneak out a few times, but Gavin, his wife, and Selene seemed to catch on to her sneaky ways. Plus, they understand how dangerous it is to have a kid back here. It’s best she stays put and watches from there.
My smile slowly drops when I spot who’s behind Luna, and instead, a foreign sensation builds in my chest. Selene stands there, behind her daughter, observing the guys working on the