A wrought-iron spiral staircase leads upstairs to Everly’s bedroom and another spare room—both with an en suite, of course. The basement has a workout room with mirrors and all the equipment one could want, plus a couple of more bedrooms and a theater room. The only part I didn’t get to see was the master bedroom through the kitchen, which is apparently where Mr. Fletcher’s office is as well.
That’s probably for the best. I had a hard time not staring at his sculpted forearms beneath those rolled-up sleeves during the tour. When my nose almost brushed with his ass as we climbed the spiral staircase to Everly’s room, I knew I needed to get out of this house as soon as possible. Visions of his abs have been haunting me since I started internet stalking him after Dakota left my room the other day. Those pictures coupled with his seriously expensive-smelling cologne are sending me into a bit of a state. I need to be focused on his daughter, not him. Damn Mercedes Lee Loveletter for stoking my smutty thoughts.
However, his bedroom has a slider that opens to the large back deck that overlooks the pool. When Everly and I came out here this afternoon, I caught a glimpse of him through the window at his free-standing desk talking on his phone. He has a perfect view of everything we’re doing back here, and it’s unnerving. I swear I can feel him watching.
I’ve felt so awkward that I haven’t been brave enough to take off my swim dress and get some sun on my pasty skin. Which is weird because I’ve never been one to feel self-conscious about my body.
I’ve always been on the bigger side, but I’m somewhat proportional, save for my DD breasts, so I still wear the clothes I want and rock a two-piece when the mood strikes me. I’ve never really been self-conscious with the guys I’ve been intimate with, so it’s unsettling that stripping down to my swimwear in front of Zaddy is freaking me out so much.
Luckily, Everly doesn’t seem to mind me not being in the water, so I’ll keep my jiggly bits to myself for now.
Everly swims over to where I’m perched on the edge in the deep end. She treads water in front of me and says, “Do you have a boyfriend, Cozy?”
“Ha!” I bark out a laugh. “That’s a big fat no.”
“Girlfriend?” she asks, completely straight-faced.
“Nope.”
“Which do you like? Boys or girls?”
I smile at her adorable inclusivity. “It’s always been men for me.”
She nods thoughtfully, her blue eyes matching the color of the water perfectly. “Why don’t you have a boyfriend?”
I frown and hold my foot out to her. “Will you come hold on to the edge of the pool? Watching you tread water like that makes me nervous.”
“I’m fine,” she says with a laugh but listens to me like the sweet little kid she is.
I exhale heavily and try to come up with an answer to her question. “I haven’t been back in Boulder very long, so I haven’t really made time to find a boyfriend.”
“Have you ever had a boyfriend?” she asks, her voice rising in pitch.
“I’ve had a few, yes.”
“Did you loooove any of them?” she inquires in a sing-songy voice that makes me want to squeeze her.
“Probably not,” I reply honestly. “I was too busy working to fall in love.” Too busy to fall in love. Too busy to dream. Too busy to even have thoughts of my own.
“You sound like my dad,” Everly harumphs and rests her chin on the concrete.
I poke her shoulder. “What about you? Are you old enough to have a crush yet?”
Everly’s eyes go wide, and she glances over toward her dad’s bedroom. I can see the outline of him standing at the window, looking in our direction while he holds his phone to his ear. “Don’t tell my dad, but I have a boyfriend.”
“You do?” I ask dramatically before whispering, “What’s his name?”
“Hilow. He lives down the street from here. Dad cannot know. He will flip out.”
My chin lowers conspiratorially. “Are you not supposed to have a boyfriend?”
Everly shrugs. “I’ve never asked, so I wouldn’t know.”
I laugh at that very creative logic. I’ve used it myself from time to time. “Well, I hope Hilow is nice to you.”
“Oh, we don’t talk,” she says like it should be obvious. “We are just boyfriend and girlfriend.”
God, I want to pinch her cute cheeks so bad right now. “Non-talking boyfriends sound like a great idea. I should try to find me one of those.”