“Earth to Tor?” she says, giggling, nudging my leg with her boot.

“Huh?” I drag my eyes away from her mouth. “Kids?”

“Yeah.”

“Someday, yeah.”

“You’d make a great dad.”

“Think so?”

“Definitely. Look how good you were with me all the time when I was little.”

No. I can’t think about that. Thinking about that makes me feel sick and twisted. I can’t think about shoving my cock into her mouth one minute and then remember rocking her to sleep when she was a baby the next. Standing, I throw the rest of my cone in a garbage can buzzing with flies. What the fuck am I doing with her? Why am I playing with fire and tempting us both with something we can’t have? I wonder if I should see a therapist about this mess I’ve got myself into, to help me figure out if what I’m doing is completely fucked up or if it’s actually acceptable if we both want it. And we’re both consenting adults now. And we love each other.

But she’s still my best friend’s daughter. Regardless of all those other things, that fact will never, ever change.

She wants to see the dog and the kitten, so I bring her back to my place instead of straight to her house after our ride. I didn’t tell her about the kitten; I surprised her by letting her come over to clean when she got back from Maine, and the kitten was sleeping on the couch when she got there. She called me at the shop all crazy excited after she saw her and I told her about how I found the kitten in a box on the side of the road. Originally, I thought the kitten was a boy, but it’s actually a girl. Needless to say, Kenzi fell immediately in love with the kitten just like she did with the dog.

“Did you name this poor kitten yet?” She asks me, sitting on the floor with both the dog and the kitten crawling up in her lap for love. Kenzi is a like a pet whisperer. They all love her.

I sit on the couch and pull off my boots, thinking we’ll relax and have a bite to eat before I take her home.

“Yeah. Kitten. It goes with Diogee.”

She smirks at me. “That’s lazy, but it fits her,” she picks the kitten up and cradles her against her chest. “She’s so adorable, Tor. I want to kidnap her and take her home with me.”

“Your father will have a shit fit. You can come over here and hang out with them any time. I keep telling you that.”

She pouts. “It’s not the same. I miss having my own pet.”

“We could get you another bunny.” I offer. I considered surprising her with one, but wasn’t sure if it would just make her grief worse. I didn’t want her to think I was trying to replace Snuggles. After talking to Mom about it, we decided it was best to wait.

Putting the kitten down, she watches her walk off to chase Diogee’s tail and then pulls the clip out of her hair, unbraiding it and letting it all fall around her shoulders in soft waves. “I’ve been thinking about that, and I think I do want another one. I love the Lionheads.”

“What the heck is that?”

“It’s a breed of bunny with a really fuzzy face and head. They’re adorable, they almost look like little toys.”

“Find one and I’ll take you to get it.” I say without hesitation.

I move into the kitchen and open the refrigerator, rummaging around to see what we could have for dinner that’s quick and easy.

“You want hamburgers?” I ask, my head still in the fridge, when her warm hands slide up my back. I turn around and shut the door behind me, surprised at her touch. She’s being way more daring today than she ever has before.

“I’m not hungry.” She says, gently resting her palm on the center of my chest and peeking up at me, eyes burning with everything I want to see.

Her touch has pushed my last button. The last of my self-control crumbles, replaced with a mix of raging frustration and desire I can’t even begin to extinguish. I push her hand off my chest and slam her back against the wall, crushing my lips to hers, my hands gripping her waist. Her gasp against my lips should have been one of fear or maybe shock, but one glance at her darkening eyes tells me neither one of those is what she’s feeling. Not even close.

“Is this what you want, Kenzi?” I growl against her lips. “Is this what you’ve been begging for all day, touching me?”

“Yes,” she whispers breathlessly. “I want you.”

I slowly back away from her, torn between throwing her out and dragging her down the hall to my bedroom. “You don’t even know what that means.”