Uncompromising (Age Gap, gxg)

Chapter 17

The blonde looked at Zee, then nudged her with her elbow. "Stop it!" she whispered loud enough for me to hear.

Zee shifted her eyes from mine, and I closed my own, just trying to enjoy the hug from Hollie while ignoring everything else. Fuck, who am I kidding? My mind was racing, my heart was thumping, and my core was throbbing at the memories that she'd instantly invoked within me. She was wearing black skintight jeans and a matching black cropped tank top that didn't help my gaze either!

Hollie finally broke the hug, stepping back with a smile as the little kittens twined around her legs. "Let me introduce everyone! These are my roommates, Raquel, and Zee." She pointed to the blonde first, then the gorgeous Cuban that I was trying not to stare at again. "Girls, this is my mom, and those are my sisters Gracie and Jashanna." I was happy to hear her referring to Jashanna as her sister already, but she'd been fully onboard with the plan when we explained it to her, so I wasn't too surprised that she had.

"Sisters are off limits, Zee," Raquel said with another nudge. "No trying to get them into bed. This isn't gonna be Fort Lauderdale all over again." Yeah, that made me think I'd been right in my assessment of her being a player back in the day.

Zee just shook her head before she dropped her gaze as her cheeks flamed red. "I know that. Give me a little credit."

"We're together anyway," Gracie told them. "We were dating before mom adopted Jashanna. But yeah, we're off limits! Oh, and those are Swiftie and Karma." She pointed to the kitties that were coming to investigate the newcomers as she and Jashanna were both grinning ear to ear at the scene unfolding between everyone. I was trying my best not to be flustered, but it wasn't easy.

"I'm so happy to meet you all, and I'm glad that you came down for the weekend. Just let me know if you need anything, okay? Hollie, why don't you get everyone settled in," I suggested. "Dinner should be ready soon, and then you can all hit the pool."

"Raquel, you can crash in my room if you like," Jashanna told her. "I'll show you where it is."

"Zee, take the couch," Gracie added. "Nobody ever sleeps in Nana's room, but the couch is super comfy."

My daughter was brutal. Yes, it was true that nobody slept in Elizabeth's room, because we always kept it open for her. But she'd conveniently placed Zee on the ground floor with me while everyone else would be upstairs. The couch would be less than fifty feet from my bed, with my door cracked open for the kittens to visit. I didn't know if I wanted a good night's sleep, or to hear Zee calling me mommy while I tried out my new toys with her.

Fuck. Is both an option?

Hollie, Jashanna, and Gracie all led Raquel upstairs with her bag, leaving Zee alone with me as we stood staring awkwardly in the kitchen. Gracie even threw me a wink as she disappeared, the little stinker. Zee stepped closer, and opened her mouth to say something, when the timer went off to remind me to flip the burgers. Her mouth snapped closed in frustration, and I smiled softly at her.

"Hold that thought," I whispered. "I think we need to talk." I opened the door to the deck, and then quickly flipped all the burgers on the grill. The scent of the sizzling meat added to the things my brain was trying to figure out, but I took a deep breath and went back inside to deal with the more pressing matter at hand.

Zee was waiting by the door, opening it for me when she saw me turn to come inside, and she tentatively reached out a hand for mine as I stood next to her. I reached out the rest of the way and entwined my fingers in hers. She breathed out a sigh of relief and then beamed at me. "Is this going to be a mess?" she wondered. "I don't want your daughters to hate you or think this is weird."