Special Delivery by April Wilson
Chapter 12 - Philip
Philip Underwood
Standing on the front steps of Shane’s country house, my fist poised to knock on the door, part of me is wondering if I shouldn’t get back into my truck, turn around, and head back to the city.
I have no idea if she’s going to be here.
I know her dad’s here, and his girlfriend, Erin. But I figure the odds are fifty-fifty that Mack’s daughter—Haley Donovan—is here with them.
Fuck.
Part of me wants to walk through these doors and find out. Part of me doesn’t. Because being around her is nothing short of agony.
Mack’s warning keeps looping in my head: “Stay away from my daughter, Phil. She’s too young for you. I won’t tell you again. Next time, we’ll have a problem. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
As his dark eyes narrowed, he got right up in my face to make his point. “Do you want to have a problem with me?”
“No, sir.”
Now, to be honest, I’m a tad bigger than Mack Donovan. Yeah, he’s a big guy, but I’m bigger. I’ve got at least twenty pounds more muscle than he does. Still, he’s Haley’s father. I can’t go behind his back. And I sure don’t want to get her in trouble. I need him on my side, not against me.
“Can I help you, son?”
I turn to face a man standing behind me on the drive. He’s tall and sturdy with a silver buzz cut and a gruff voice, dressed in a pair of dusty overalls. I swear, he came out of nowhere.
“Phil Underwood, sir. I’m here to see the new baby.”
The old man gestures to the door. “Go on in and join the party.”
“Thank you, sir.” I open the door and walk into a spacious foyer that opens to the second floor. I know Shane is wealthy, but damn. This place is unreal.
It takes me a minute to get my bearings. There’s a curved staircase to my left that leads up to the second floor, and an elevator to my right. They have an elevator? Really?
The old guy follows me in and points straight ahead down a long corridor that leads into a large room. I can hear voices.
“Right through there, son,” he says. “Most everybody is in the great room. I’m afraid you missed dinner, but if you hurry, you can get some pie—if there’s any left.”
Smiling, I thank him and proceed in the direction of the voices. I pass a library to my left and a huge dining room to my right, then a door to the kitchen.
When I reach the great room, I pause at the entryway and do a little reconnaissance so I know what I’m getting myself into.
I recognize pretty much everyone here. Immediately, I spot Mack at the bar—he’s hard to miss—but his back is to me so he hasn’t seen me yet. His girlfriend, Erin, is seated on one of the sofas next to Sophie.
There’s no sign of Haley. I guess I should be relieved, but actually I’m disappointed. I haven’t seen her in weeks. The only time I have a chance of running into her is if we cross paths in the apartment building where her dad and I both live. She’s probably forgotten all about me and moved on to one of the legions of boys at her high school who’d surely give their left nuts to date her.
I know I would.
My shoulders fall a bit as the tension seeps out of me and I start to relax.
“Philip, hi!” Erin says as she waves me over. “I’m so glad you came.”
Nearly a dozen pairs of eyes turn my way as I head toward Erin. They all seem friendly enough—well, except for one. Mack has definitely spotted me, and he doesn’t look happy.
I walk up behind the sofa where Erin is sitting and gaze down at the new baby.
“Her name is Ava Elizabeth,” Erin says with a huge grin on her face. “Isn’t she precious?”
I nod. “She is.” I nod to Shane, who’s over at the bar with the other guys. “Congratulations, man.”
“I wasn’t expecting you to show up here tonight,” Mack says as he joins us. His voice is arctic.
I’m not exactly sure why he sounds so hostile. I look around—Haley’s not even here. I turn to face him head-on. Show no fear. “Shane invited me. I’m part of Jake’s team now.”
Mack’s dark eyes narrow on me, and when I hear voices coming from the foyer, I realize why he’s pissed that I’m here. A second later, three girls walk into the room—Lia and Hannah McIntyre, and none other than Haley Donovan.
As soon as I spot Haley, my breath catches.
Holy shit.
Haley Donovan in a bikini.
I’ve never seen so much of her before. She’s got long, long legs and amazing curves. Her dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and her dark eyes are wide as she stares right at me. She’s stunning. She’s gorgeous.
“We’re going swimming,” Lia announces to the room at large. “Anybody want to come with?”
Liam says he’s in. So does Jamie. Jonah says yes. So does Erin.
I stand frozen in place, my gaze locked on Haley, who’s staring at me like a deer caught in headlights.
Look away, I tell myself. Quit staring for god’s sake.
“Don’t even think about it,” Mack growls low in my ear. He’s standing right behind me now.
Seemingly over her shock at seeing me here, Haley walks right up to me—apparently, she wants me dead. “Hey, Philip. There’s an indoor pool downstairs. Come join us.”
My palms start sweating, and I swallow hard. Tell her no. “Um, sorry, Haley, I can’t. I didn’t bring my swim trunks.”
Her eyes glitter as she smiles. “That’s okay. You don’t need them.”
I hear Mack clear his throat behind me. “Haley—”
She laughs. “Just kidding, Dad.” Then to me, she says, “Don’t you have some shorts you can wear? If not, I’m sure Jake or my dad can lend you a pair. You guys are about the same size.”
My heart is pounding, and I can’t believe I’m even considering her invitation. I must have a death wish. “Well, yeah. I brought a pair of workout shorts.”
I’m a dead man.
Erin stands and slips her arm around Mack’s waist. “Then it’s settled. Come with us, Philip. It’ll be fun.”
* * *
I head outside to my truck to grab my rucksack. Liam shows me where my assigned room is up on the second floor, and I stow my gear in the closet. After changing into a pair of knit workout shorts, I follow Liam down to the lower level.
This place is unbelievable. We pass a movie theatre and a workout room down here before we come to the pool room.
Good grief.
It’s huge.
The girls are already in the water, laughing and splashing each other.
Haley swims up to the side of the pool and hangs on the edge, her chin propped on her arms. “I’m glad you came. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here.”
Her smile makes my belly clench and my cock stir—definitely not what I need right now. “I would have been here earlier, but I had to work late.”
Her bare arms are sleek with a hint of biceps. Her long dark hair is wet, and her smile is radiant. I try not to look down at her cleavage, but my efforts are pretty lame. Her breasts are sweet, round globes that I have no business looking at. I don’t know how in the hell I’m going to survive seeing her in a bikini without incriminating myself and possibly getting killed over it. My dick is already reacting.
“Come on in. The water’s fine,” she says, and then she kicks back from the wall and does a backstroke to the center of the pool where she joins the other girls.
Just as I’m about to dive in, I catch a glimpse of Erin coming out of the changing room wearing a blue floral one-piece swimsuit. Wherever she is, Mack won’t be far away.
* * *
Once I’m in the pool, I synch up the drawstring of my shorts to prevent them from slipping. The last thing I need is to flash my junk in front of Haley. Word would get back to her dad, and he’d kill me for sure.
I’m attempting to keep a respectable distance from Haley so I don’t look like I’m trying to monopolize her time or that I’m staring at her cleavage. But the farther away I move from her, the more she drifts in my direction. I don’t want to hurt her feelings or make her think I’m not interested, because—damn—I am. But if word gets back to her dad that I was hovering over her in the pool, I’d have to deal with an irate co-worker. Or worse yet, if Mack came down here and saw me with her, he’d blow a gasket.
I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t.
“Haley!” Lia yells her name from the far end of the pool, the deep end, where the diving boards are. She motions for Haley to come join her and Hannah.
With one last look at me, Haley swims down to the deep end of the pool and climbs out. I watch as the three girls talk for a moment, and then Lia points at the high dive. Hannah nods enthusiastically, Haley not so much.
Lia climbs the ladder to the top of the high dive and walks out to the end of the board. She turns her back to the pool and then does a backward dive off the board, her body arcing perfectly as she falls. Lia hits the water like a knife, slicing cleanly through the surface.
Hannah’s up next, and she runs the length of the board and does a cannonball into the water, sending a geyser of water spraying everywhere.
“Your turn, Haley,” Lia calls from the edge of the pool, where she’s treading water.
Haley doesn’t look too sure of herself as she climbs the ladder up to the high dive platform. She walks out to the end of the board, bounces on her toes a couple of times, and then stares over the edge at the water far below.
“Jump, Haley!” Lia calls out.
As Haley hesitates, her gaze seeks me out. She looks scared. Before I can even ask her if she’s okay, she pinches her nose closed and leaps into the air.
Her terrified scream as she drops sends a chill down my spine.
Her free arm flailing, Haley hits the water hard, sending a huge spray of water into the air. Promptly, she sinks to the bottom of the pool. On instinct, I walk closer to the deep end of the pool.
When she breeches the surface, she’s coughing and gagging on water, floundering.
Shit!
I dive into the pool and swim right to her. The moment I reach her, she throws her arms around my neck and continues coughing so hard she can’t keep herself afloat.
“It’s okay, Haley. I’ve got you.” I roll her to her back and tow her to the side of the pool where a small crowd has gathered.
When we reach the edge, she grabs hold and rests her cheeks on her arms as she tries to catch her breath.
“Are you okay?” Lia asks as she crouches down in front of Haley.
Hannah’s there, too, and now Liam and Erin.
Out of nowhere, Mack enters the picture. He reaches down to grab Haley under her arms and haul her out of the water. After checking her over briefly, he folds her into his arms. “Are you okay, honey?”
She coughs again. “Yeah.” She sucks in a ragged breath. “I guess I swallowed too much water.”
Mack looks down at me and says, “Get out of the pool.”
Well, damn.
As they say, no good deed goes unpunished.
Erin wraps a towel around Haley’s shoulders and walks her over to a chair and sits her down.
Mack tips his head, motioning for me to follow him. He walks several yards away, far enough that Haley won’t overhear us.
“What part of stay away from my daughter do you not understand?” he asks me, his hands on his hips, his posture hostile.
“She was struggling in the water, Mack. What was I supposed to do? Leave her to fend for herself?”
He scowls. “No, of course not.” He crosses his arms over his chest. He still looks far from happy as he glances over at his daughter, probably checking to be sure she’s okay.
She seems fine. The other girls are fussing over her.
“Philip.” He pauses a moment as if he’s collecting his thoughts and deciding exactly how he wants to say something. “She’s an impressionable young girl, and you—” Frowning, he pauses and motions toward me. “You are just the kind of guy to catch a young girl’s eye and fill her head with fantasies. You get my drift?”
I think that’s a backward compliment. “Yes, sir.”
“Look, I don’t want to be the asshole here, but you’re too old for her, and it’s never going to happen. She’s still a minor. But if you keep giving her ideas, you’re going to break her heart. Is that what you want?”
A lump forms in my throat as I shake my head. “Of course not.”
Mack nods. “I didn’t think so. It’s fair to say we’re on the same page then, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” When I glance over at Haley, I see her smiling at something Lia said. She’s okay.
Mack’s hard gaze is still locked on me. “I think you should get dressed and go find somewhere else to be. Don’t you?”
I nod. “Yes, sir.” I turn and head for the exit.
I shouldn’t have come.
