Chapter 4

In the morning, the boys acted just as before: as if the pool had been but a dream. Bleary-eyed and wincing, Stanley had given her a lingering deep kiss before leaving early for the office. Boobs flopping and hair flailing, her curves had ridden him hard. Twice. The second time, right before dawn. After an intense dream she couldn’t recall, his morning wood had been like a sleek, warm siren call.

After collapsing with perspiration cooling on her skin, she’d called that good enough to count for a workout. He’d been silent while trudging for the shower. And even quieter as she slipped past him, shaving at the sink afterwards, to take hers.

Once downstairs, coffee mug trembling in both hands, she’d seen Donal and Edward off to the bus. At work, unpacking new merchandise, uncontrollable shaking had the hangers rattling in her fingers. Luckily, the store was empty and, after a nervous grin at Elaine’s raised-eyebrow stare, she returned to the boxes.

No matter how much she tried to distract herself, the tremors refused to slow. Over and over, they’d ripple through her. Yes, she’d fucked Stanley, but these tremors were from no aftershock. No, they had a far different source. One lurking in the deepest, darkest forests, smelling of car leather and sandalwood.

In addition, as the day wore on, the heat inside her simply would not die. Neither the clinking ice in her tea, nor sitting in front of a small fan, whirring at its highest speed, helped. After the torturous shift, she was once again in the driveway, staring at her house. No muscle would respond. All she managed were quiet gulps as the world wavered around her.

“This has gotta stop,” she whispered at last while clutching the steering wheel so hard her knuckles whitened. “He can’t ... It’s not right.”

She’d confront Donal. Put things straight. Command him to leave her alone. After a slow inhale and a slower exhale, she started to leave the car. But the chirping phone jolted her. It was Stanley, reminding her the boys would be late. They were at a friend’s for dinner.

After a muttered curse, she shoved through the front door. Once collapsed with her back to the chilly wood, a lengthier sigh escaped her. It’d be okay. The confrontation could wait. Plus, her husband would be there. She also must...

“No, I can’t tell him.” Her eyelashes filled with tears as she stumbled up the stairs and into the bedroom. “I just can’t. It would mean...”

Everything. The details of that night had to be divulged. Donal’s true father. The dreams. The fantasies. All of it.

“To what end?” she murmured before unzipping the dress and letting it slip from her.

As she inspected her reflection in the mirror, a niggling little worm deep in her brain awakened. Not the sliver. No, that was already wide awake. While running both shaky palms along her slender flanks, she sighed.

“Really?” she whispered.

Not resting on good genes, she worked hard maintaining her figure. Despite being a mother twice over, her breasts remained both firm and proud. And large. She chortled under her breath. “Way, way more than a handful” was how Stanley had described them. God, the awe in his voice when they’d filled his sweaty palms on their second date. After gathering long honey-blonde tresses in a hand, she held it above bare shoulders. Her skin glimmered in the light. She didn’t look thirty-eight.

“Maybe, twenty-eight?” A nervous giggle escaped.

But that little cheerleader, Sherry Lindstrom, was beyond cute. Besides, with her shorter but similar honey-tinted hair, she resembled a younger Sheila. If that was his thing. What of the other girls eyeing Donal? All of them were probably gorgeous. Plus, his age. Not to mention, also not his mother. After a slow smack of her lips, she turned from side to side.

“Why me?” A heavy sigh left her as she reached for a pair of loose shorts. “He could have any of them.”

The rest of the week, that question floated through her mind. However, each time she gathered the courage to speak with Donal, one flash of those lasers and it would melt away. Plus, Edward was always nearby, watching.

Friday night, the next slide down the slippery slope occurred. Beside her in bed, Stanley was studying something on his tablet while she enjoyed music videos. At a sudden burst of raucous laughter echoing up from the back deck, she looked over at him.

“The boys?” he asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” she murmured.

“I’ll tell ‘em—”

“No.” She flashed him a smile she didn’t feel. “I’ll get them to quiet down.”

“You sure?” he said as she slipped from bed in only black silk panties.

With a nod, she lifted a pink flowered kimono. At his hand sliding up the back of her thigh, she trembled. Like two steel rods, her nipples tightened, scratching beneath the delicate material.

“Mmm, yes.” She turned while sinking her teeth into her lower lip. “Gonna miss me, big boy?”

After a wink, he chuckled as she cinched the belt. While giggling, she sashayed from the room. Those soft giggles ended as she made her way along the dark hallway. It was time. As she crept downstairs, her pulse skyrocketed. She must tell him. And Edward.

“Enough’s enough,” she murmured, ignoring the heat building inside her with every quiet footfall.

As she crossed the ground floor, their guffaws getting louder didn’t help settle her nerves. When she shoved open the rear sliding door to step onto the brightly lit rear patio, tremors were zipping through her.

Right as she appeared, Donal flashed a look at his brother. With only their smiling heads above the swirling surface, both were soaking in the tub. As she stormed nearer, Sheila’s fists balled tight. She had one chance. Had to be quick. Straight to the point. There and then, stop whatever stupid game he was playing

“Hi, mommy,” left Donal as his gaze wandered her.

“Don’t, um ... Don’t you ‘Hi, mommy,’ me, Donal Henderson.” Her voice cracked. After clearing her throat while halting beside the steaming jets, she smacked her lips. “We need to talk. And you too, Edward. What you did. Both of you. That’s not—”

She froze when Donal’s hand rose from the water, dripping rivulets of foamy suds. With his eyes focused on her, it came ever nearer. Although she attempted to step away, her feet wouldn’t move. When a finger landed on her, Sheila’s breathing hitched.

“Wh-What are you doing, young man?” she muttered as the fingertip glided over the belt tight to her waist.

“Mommy, I’m only doing what you want me to do.” He chuckled under his breath. Those glinting lasers bored deep. So like his father.