in for a kiss, my lips striking her warm mouth like an asteroid hitting the sun. I parted her lips and kissed her like we were alone together, giving her a bit of my tongue, a bit of my warm breath.
Instead of pushing me away, her arms circled my waist, and she kissed me just as hard, forgetting about Derek as he picked out the things he wanted.
I had to force myself to pull away, to remove my hand from her hair and step back. But the look in her eyes matched what I felt inside, the need, the desire. I’d never intended to make out with Cleo in front of Derek, but I did want Derek to see the way a man treated a woman, the way he showed affection, the way he took care of her. Because my marriage to Valerie didn’t show any positive qualities. He had no idea what a happy relationship looked like, what kind of woman to look for, and how to treat the woman he did find. My father loved my mother with everything he had, even when he didn’t say it or show it. It was obvious in the subtle things he did around the house, when we were out to dinner, all kinds of things. I wanted Derek to see that too.
Cleo looked at me like she wanted the kiss to linger, but she let the touch dissipate.
I dropped my hand. “What were you saying?”
“Uh…” She shook her head. “I can’t remember.”
Derek came back to us. “Dad, what’s this?”
I looked down at the silver instrument. “A compass.”
“No, it’s not.” He held it flat, like he was trying to find north.
I chuckled. “A geometry compass. You don’t need that right now. Put it back.”
“Alright.” He walked back to put it away.
I turned back to Cleo. “Do you like the beach?”
She stared at me blankly, like she didn’t understand the question. “In general, yes. But I can’t remember the last time I went to any beach, to be honest. Sometimes, I plan parties in the Hamptons for my clients and I can see the water, but my feet never hit the sand.”
“I was thinking of buying a beach house in the Hamptons. Derek had a lot of fun last time we went.”
She tilted her slightly. “It’s a great idea, especially as an investment. But honestly, I think Derek prefers the cabin. It’s different, unique, something he’s not used to.”
“And what do you prefer?”
She stared at me blankly.
“It’s only forty-five minutes away, so it’s much closer. It’d be easy for us to get away.”
Both of her eyebrows rose. “As romantic as that sounds, I’m happy just having you in my apartment. All I need is a bed…and the occasional burrito.”
I chuckled slightly. “I thought it would be nice to have two places.”
“Well, my heart is already pretty soft for the cabin…”
As was mine. “Do you know of any properties available?”
“Babe, shouldn’t you know by now that I can do anything?”
My eyes narrowed at the nickname, which I enjoyed. “Babe?”
“Sorry.” She glanced at Derek, who was out of earshot.
“No, I liked it. Just never heard you say it before.”
“Yeah…I guess it just came out.” Her cheeks had a beautiful rosy color to them, a blush that usually happened when we were in bed together. She obviously wasn’t on the verge of coming at the moment, so it must be a sign of a different emotion. “I’ll look into it. Is there something you specifically had in mind?”
“Something on the sand. Distanced from neighbors. Privacy.”
“Okay. Pool or anything?”
“Not a bad idea. And an outdoor fireplace.”
“Got it.”
Derek returned with a bundle of things in his arms. “Look at all this stuff I picked out.”
I nodded to the cart. “Put everything in there.”
He dropped the stuff into the metal basket.
I put his backpack in as well. “Remember, you’re going to have to carry all of this every day, so don’t get too much.”
“Oh yeah.” He looked at the pile and picked a few things to return.
Cleo smiled as she watched him go. “He’s been great today. Maybe we should take him somewhere fun after this.”
“You have the time?”
“Yeah…I already cleared my schedule.” She continued to watch him.
“Any ideas?”
“How about the movies? Or the arcade?”
“I’ll ask him.”
“Then we can go to dinner.”
I nodded and watched Derek return with more supplies. “Hey, little man. Would you want to go to the movies after this?”
“Really?” he asked. “Duh!”
Cleo chuckled.
“Anything you want to see?” I asked.
“Something good.” Derek walked away and continued