Page 64 of Shifted Desire

He groans. “I’m not going to admit I get off on being with a woman who is young enough to be my daughter.”

I brush my foot against his under the table. “That’s okay, I’ll get off on it enough for both of us.”

“Gods, Sam, just tell me about your damn hobbies.”

I let out a peal of laughter at his embarrassment. “Alright, fine, I’ll stop teasing.”

I sip my beer, trying to figure out what I do for fun. “I don’t really have hobbies. I kind of like working out, but I’m not a gym fanatic. Do you consider schooling troglodyte men on the internet a hobby? Because I enjoy that.”

He snorts. “That doesn’t surprise me at all.”

“I’m pretty boring, to be honest. I don’t really do much outside of work, or have cool hobbies or interests. I used to go on a lot of dates, but that’s more draining than fun lately.”

“You’re the least boring person I’ve ever met. You want to talk about boring? I didn’t know what to do with myself the other night so I watched an entire documentary miniseries about snails.”

“I’ve been wanting to watch that! Is it any good?”

He nods, eyes lighting up a little at my interest. “They’re actually pretty fascinating and the cinematography was well-done.”

“Gods, you’re a nerd.” I smirk at him.

Nathan frowns. “You said you wanted to watch it!”

“I do.” I poke him again with my foot. “I’m also a nerd.”

He chuckles. “Guess I should’ve expected that, given who your dad is.”

Tension suffuses the air the second the words leave his lips.

“Shit, sorry.”

I shake my head. “Don’t apologize. He’s part of both our lives, so he’s bound to come up. It’s awkward as hell, and I know you’re feeling guilty, but we’re allowed to have this.” I gesture between us. “What we have is separate from him, and just because we’re not telling him doesn’t make it wrong or bad. We’re both adults. I’m almost forty, for fuck’s sake. And it’s not like we’re in a relationship.”

His frown doesn’t go away. “True.”

“We’re good for each other. This arrangement is good, and my dad would want us both to flourish, so quit looking at me like that and tell me more about the snails.”

He cracks a smile at that, and I grin back.

“Well, there have been a good number of studies on the use of various snail venoms for medicinal purposes, such as pain relief…”

24

One drink turns into two, then Nathan insists on buying me dinner, if only to soak up the alcohol, which I only barely protest because I’m having too good a time with him. We head to the diner across the street from the dive bar, the scent of grease making his stomach rumble. I tease him about me being a bad influence on him when he orders a giant plate of chili fries that definitely aren’t approved by his nutritionist, but he only gives me a hungry grin that has nothing to do with the food.

There’s a corresponding pulse between my thighs. If he asked me to spread my legs for him right here on the glittery vinyl booth bench, or get on my knees on the cracked linoleum, I would without hesitation. The small growl he’s not able to suppress tells me he knows it.

So much for trying to tamp down my arousal before I head back home. Neither of us does anything about the flare of arousal, chatting about nothing while we wait for our meal. The whole time I’m silently begging him to grab me by the wrist and haul me into the bathroom for a quickie. I suppose I could be the one to drag him, but by the time I think of that, our food is dropped off by a grumpy-looking waitress who side-eyes us with undisguised judgement.

“Thanks for dinner, Daddy,” I say loudly the next time she walks by our table, which makes Nathan choke on a fry and gets a huff of disapproval from the waitress.

“Gods, you can’t call me that. Especially not in public,” Nathan hisses at me.

I grin at him, loving how his frown deepens when I slide my foot up his pant leg. “Why not, Daddy?” I ask with an exaggerated pout.

His eyes narrow and he grabs my ankle before I can reach his crotch, nails sharp as they press into my skin.

Gods, I hope he leaves marks. They’ll go well with the writing all over my body and the bruises on my ass that still sting whenever I shift in my seat.