CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T he hours moved quickly. Pick up from daycare had gone far better than drop off. Cameron had left Meagan his SUV and taken his Jeep to practice. The luxury automobile was fun to drive and getting April in and out of her car seat was a breeze. She’d taken the bus plenty since moving to the city three years ago, so she was glad to have the wheels. It was a windy, cold day.

The house was wired with surround sound. Music filled the room as April turned the dial, placing her hand on a red dot near her foot. “Your turn.”

They were on their second game of Twister. The first had ended badly for Meagan and this one fared no better. She reached over, spun and moved her foot onto the far yellow circle. Her legs were spread wide apart as she bent over, balancing on one hand. With her ass in the air, this was not the best position.

She looked over at April and smiled. “This time make sure your spin goes all the way around.”

“Are you saying my daughter cheats?”

Meagan looked through her legs to find Cameron standing directly behind her. She heard the laughter in his tone even without being able to see his face. Why did he have to come home now? Seeing her in an awkward and unflattering position after their last conversation. Her cheeks were stained a permanent shade of red.

“Hey, Daddy. I’m winning again. Can you believe it?” April took her turn and moved her left hand next to her right into a position she could stay in for hours.

“I’m not saying she cheats, but she is very creative with her interpretation of the rules. April, do you think now that your dad is home, we should go make dinner?” Meagan didn’t want to stay like that bent over with him there. Even upside down, he looked hot. All the blood rushed to her brain, making her light headed.

Cameron stepped closer until their feet practically touched. “She legit cheats. I call her on it all the time. Don’t let those dimples fool you.” He placed a hand on the small of her back as he laughed and leaned forward. “She’s a shark.”

His face was next to her. His minty breath caressed her cheek, throwing her off kilter. She couldn’t catch her breath. Meagan put her free hand down to stop from falling over. April squealed with glee. “I won again! You fell. You fell. We get pizza.”

She collapsed onto her knees as the Smith’s laughed at her. “Your dad distracted me, but you won fair and square. I’ll make your pizza.” She sat back and watched April launch herself into her father’s arms.

Cameron swung her around and kissed the top of her head. “I’m not sure we have the ingredients to make pizza. How was your day, princess?”

“I’m not a princess; I’m a super hero, like you.” She pointed her arms straight forward as she zoomed through the air, giggling the entire time.

“My bad, super hero April. What villains did you defeat today? For your information, villain is another word for bad guys,” he explained, setting her back on her feet.

“Hmm.” She tapped her chin, looking too cute as she pondered. “At daycare, I saved the Jello from the floor when Mackenzie pushed mine, and… and I don’t know what else, but super heroes eat pizza.” She flashed her dimples and batted her long lashes. A little heartbreaker in the making.

Meagan laughed and stood up. “I went to the store and grabbed everything we need to make pita pizzas. Your diet or health regiment, as you call it, had a list of acceptable foods. I tried as much as possible to stick to the list. Is that okay? If you had something else in mind, we don’t have to have a pizza.”

Cameron’s smile grew wider, his dimples entering their own time zone. “Sounds perfect. Thank you. Besides shopping what were you up to today?”

They all made their way into the kitchen. A place Meagan always considered the heart of the home. She debated the best way to answer his question. Telling him she spent over an hour rubbing the ache between her legs while in the shower wasn’t a good idea. Even thinking about it, made her hot all over again. She pulled the white t-shirt from her chest to fan her face before turning around to face him. “Let me think; grabbed groceries, as I mentioned already. I also chatted with my best friend. She moved overseas for school. We don’t get to talk as often as I’d like, so when we connect it’s usually for a couple of hours.”

“It’s rough being away from friends. My best buds are back in Sask, but I’ve made great friends since moving here.” He leaned against the counter, casually. The pose wasn’t meant to be seductive, but it turned her on.

She opened the fridge to cool down and gather the stuff to make dinner. The cool air blasted against her skin and her nipples hardened. “Are all your friends hockey players or do you socialize outside your sport?” She removed the veggies and sauce, placing them on the counter next to Cameron.

“I have lots of friends at daycare. If you need some, Meagan, I can share,” April offered.

“That’s the sweetest offer ever. Thank you, April. I have lots of friends too, but I have little time to see them.”

“Daddy says he has some, but they never come over.” She settled at the table and grabbed the coloring supplies. The book she wanted was stuck in the box so Cameron went over to help.

“I’d rather spend all my time with you.” He planted a kiss on the tip of her nose and handed her the coloring book. The love for his daughter came shining through like the rays of sunshine, lighting the room. “Do you like hockey, Meagan?”

“Growing up, we never watched hockey,” she answered while searching for the cutting board. “My father had little interest in sports. My parents preferred books to television. I guess that’s why I love reading. My sister was into dance and martial arts. My brother did everything. I never could decide what I liked, so I didn’t play any sports. I started watching in high school when my boyfriend invited me to his games. That relationship ended, but I fell in love with the game. Have you always loved it?”

“Always,” he said, joining her at the counter again. “I love being on the ice and being part of the team. This is the first year we have the chance to go all the way. Here.” Cameron handed her a knife and pointed her towards the butcher block island.

“All the way.” Her thighs clenched, and she swallowed hard, taking the sharp object but not moving.

He inhaled and smiled, flashing his straight teeth. “I can smell the Stanley Cup. Only a few more games and the regular season will be wrapped up. Then it’s playoffs, baby.” He gave her ass a small tap before he moved to the island to help make dinner.

They set up beside one another and prepped dinner. April pulled a stool over near the end and helped add the toppings to the pita crusts. They joked around a lot and Meagan was surprised how comfortable she felt around them. Less than twenty-four hours ago, they were strangers. Being around him still gave her loose lips, and she rambled on about her life. She told them about the correspondence courses she was taking while trying to discover what and who she wanted to be when she grew up. Both early childhood education and culinary arts held equal appeal. Being indecisive had landed her a job as a nanny which was only supposed to be for the summer while she decided. She couldn’t and stayed on. If she’d been born during a different era, she would have loved to be a homemaker.

All the talk of school reminded her she was no closer to deciding for the fall registration. During dinner April revealed she wanted to be a hockey player like her dad, and Cameron admitted there’s nothing else he wanted to do. Hockey was in his blood. She loved seeing the passion in his eyes. He was seventeen when April joined the world and he was drafted the following year. In a short time, she’d learned a lot about the Smiths, except what happened to April’s mom and why she wasn’t in the picture.

“Go wash up. And use soap, April. I will smell your hands and see if you listened.” Cameron put his arms out to help April off the stool.

She reached out and knocked over her water glass. “Sorry!” Her eyes filled with tears.

The spilled liquid splashed across Meagan’s white top, soaking the front. “Go to the bathroom and I’ll get towels for Meagan. Don’t worry we’ve got this.” He placed her on her feet and she ran off down the hall.

“It’s okay. Really, it’s only water and it will dry.” She was wet from her chin to her stomach. She looked down to see her nipples were hard and the lace of her bra was visible through the damp fabric. When she glanced up, green eyes were fixed on her chest and the see-through shirt.

He approached with a towel in his hands. “I can’t say I’m sorry about that.”

“It will dry,” she repeated, fanning her top while staring at his lips. They were so close. She grabbed one of the towels he held out and pressed it against her stomach.

“Here,” he said, dabbing the towel against her neck. His other hand rested against her arm as he wiped the water from her chest. He grazed the top of her breast and her nipples puckered even more. He seemed to notice and his pupils dilated. A heated look passed between them.

Meagan licked her lips as his inched closer. His hands were on her as his breath ghosted across her mouth. She could almost taste him. The slow seduction was maddening. She closed her eyes, ready to feel more of him.

“All clean,” April yelled.

They separated quickly, and he didn’t say a word. The awkwardness was palpable. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“I should go… change and return a few calls. Have a good night you two. See you later.” Meagan raced out of the room.

The excuse to change had been lame, but she’d needed to get away. She also had to call her parents back, which was something she’d been avoiding. Hailey had left three messages and so had her mother. Both told her to call her father.

Once in her room she closed the door and sank onto her bed. If April hadn’t come back into the room, they would have kissed. Would that have been so wrong? She didn’t think so, and the more she thought of it, the more she hoped the opportunity would come around again. The way he looked at her renewed her confidence. With a smile on her face, she placed the call she’d been dreading.

The call lasted longer than expected. Once her father started tearing into her, he wouldn’t stop. She sat back, listening like a good daughter.

“I don’t like this.” Meagan’s father voiced his disdain at her lack of morals. A young, single woman should not be living with a man and his daughter. Work or not, people would talk and assume they were sleeping together. He didn’t want his daughter to be referred to as a floosy. His words, and she had to hold back a laugh. According to him, all her decisions were wrong.

His opinion mattered more than she wanted to admit, but nothing she did could please the Colonel. His recent retirement had put him in a cantankerous mood. Since she’d decided not to follow in his footsteps and enlist, nothing she did pleased him. She supported the men and women who served, but she didn’t have the stomach for it. She was too reckless and wasn’t brave like them. No matter what he said, this temporary assignment wasn’t a mistake.

“Thank you for your support,” she said, her own sass surprising her.

“Don’t take that tone, young lady. Spending all that time alone with a brigand, is not—”

“He’s not a bad guy.” She was tired of defending a man she barely knew. Her one night with the Smith’s had gone well, and she looked forward to spending more time with them. Living with Cameron and his daughter was part of the job. “I like taking care of kids. This is a career too.”

“For someone who can’t make her mind up about anything, you sure sound determined to do this. Let me remind you, playing hockey is not a profession. Playing house is not a job. Defending your country—”

“Cam makes millions playing in the NHL. You might not think professional athletes contribute to society, but we all play our part. I’m not interested in debating civilian jobs versus the forces again. We have to agree to disagree.” Meagan looked out the window and caught the hockey player and his daughter running around in the backyard. They smiled at each other and looked to be having way more fun than her. She needed fun in her life, and she was glad Mr. Northcote had asked her to help.

“There’s no debate. You will end this assignment. It’s for the best. I’ll speak with Spencer again and we’ll figure something out.”

“No, you won’t. You’re not thinking about what’s best for me at all. This is my job and if you go behind my back, I’ll resent you for it. This is my life.” She was shaking and as close to yelling as she’d ever been. She hated the way he dictated. More than anything, she hated the idea of leaving before she got the chance to know the Smith’s better. “Oh, the timer on the oven went off. I’ll call you next week. I love you. Bye.”

She ended the call before he could say anything more. The happiness she’d experienced before had shrunk into nothingness. His problem wasn’t with Cameron Smith, it was with her. Her father was a stubborn man. Wealth and status didn’t impress him. He believed in hard work and so did she. She’d prove to him and herself that her decision to stay was the right one.