Chapter 328: Talk
*Love won’t hurt. And it will never ask you to lie to your dad. – Nessie*
“Daddy says that you like the spaghetti westerns.” Ashlyn said as she took her plate to the kitchen sink.
“I do.” Shiloh smiled at the girls. “My grandfather’s family comes from Italy, and he got me into them.”
“Is that why they’re called spaghetti westerns?” Alyssa asked. “Because they were made in Italy.”
“Not exactly.” Shiloh laughed. “The directors and production company were Italian, but they were mainly filmed in Spain.”
“That’s confusing.” Ashlyn complained.
“It is.” The woman agreed with a smile.
Pagan loved the way that she talked to them. She was not talking to them like they were babies or stupid. But like they were people. With thoughts and feelings and opinions all their own.
“Why don’t you girls go find a movie to watch with Miss Shiloh and I’ll clean the kitchen tonight.”
They each grabbed a hand and guided her into the living room.
“Which one is your favorite?” Alyssa asked.
“Probably *The Good, The Bad and The Ugly* if I had to choose just one.”
After cleaning the kitchen, Pagan walked into the living room and found girls were asleep on the couch with a cartoon movie playing on the TV. For a brief moment he wondered what happened to the western. Then he realized they weren’t fighting and that was a small miracle.
He motioned for Shiloh to come with him, and she quietly and gently slid out from between the two girls. He watched as she made sure that they were still asleep and covered them with their blankets. With her hand in his, they went out to the backyard.
The front was very Victorian. The back was very modern.
Karan had strung fairy lights in the trees. Large Edison bulbs hung on strands illuminating the yard in a soft glow. Cookie had promised to make patio furniture. Karan fell in love with an Adirondack set of chairs and tables at today’s market.
Sitting in one of the large Adirondack chairs with a skull shaped back, he pulled Shiloh into his lap. Before Pagan could do anything, her arms were around his neck, and she kissed him. With a soft moan, he held her close and kissed her back.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.” She softly admitted as he moved to her neck.
“Me too.” He murmured as he pushed her cardigan off.
Reaching behind her, she helped pull the sleeves off her arms. Then she was pulling her skirt up so she could straddle his legs. He pushed her shirt and thick padded bra down to tease her nipples.
Lightly tugging on the skeleton hand holding her nipple with his teeth, he looked up at her face. A look of pure pleasure crossed her face. Rocking her hips, she gave a throaty moan.
“Fuck.” Pagan pulled back and covered her up. He held her body close to him as he took deep breaths to calm down.
“Are you OK?” Shiloh asked gently.
“My girls.” He said quietly. “As much as I like where this is going, and i *really* like where it was going, I actually brought you out here to talk.”
“I’m sorry.” She started to move off him and he anchored her to him.
He leaned back in the chair and looked at her. “I need to know where we’re going. If we’re going to be friends with benefits, then the benefits can only be when the girls are out of the house. My girls come first, no matter what. You get me?”
“I do. And I respect that.” Shiloh answered. “I don’t typically get involved with men. My family is not exactly…” She sighed. “It’s not something that I get into with a lot of people.”
“Family can be complicated.”
“You have no idea.” She gave a dry laugh. “I only talk to my mom and her latest husband when I have to. I don’t know most of my siblings.”
“It’s OK.” He assured her. “We don’t have to divulge all of our secrets tonight.”
Blushing, she looked down. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He tipped her face up and kissed her. “My turn. I dated a woman last year who hurt my girls. Hurt them bad. I won’t put them in that position again.”
“Oh, Pagan.” Tears filled her eyes. “I would never do anything to hurt them. They are the sweetest.”
“They are.” He chuckled. “When they’re not fighting or taking their anger out on each other’s toys. And I’ll be honest, if we date, you have to know, they come first. They want a mom. Their own sucks. But I’m not going to make the mistake of dating just to give them a mom.”
“That’s what you did before?”
He nodded. “Ashlyn is turning into a young woman. Having Karan close helps. There’s things about being a girl that I don’t understand.”
Shiloh smiled at him. “You’re doing great.”
“I don’t always feel like it.”
“Trust me, you’re doing great. Do you always do a word of the day?”
He chuckled. “Blame my mother the third-grade teacher for that. She did it with us kids growing up. I do it because it makes me feel like she’s still here.”
“I’m sorry.” She murmured.
He looked at her strangely and then realized what she was saying. She was not apologizing, she was giving him condolences. With a giant grin, he gave a small alugh and shook his head.
“Oh, no. She’s still living. Driving my dad crazy as they drive across the country in their motor home towing her little bitch car.”
“Little bitch car?”
“A little beetle. You should see it. Big RV pulling a trailer with a hippie bug, complete with flowers and peace signs, and a Harley behind it.”
Shiloh couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s one hell of an image in my head.”
They both quickly made sure she was covered as she shifted in his lap when they heard the backdoor open.
“Daddy?” Alyssa said softly.
“Whatcha need, baby?” he asked as his daughter crawled into Shiloh’s lap.
Shiloh wrapped her arms around the little girl and kissed the top of her head. Alyssa snuggled into her warmth and went back to sleep. Pagan pulled them both close and held his arm out when he heard Ashlyn coming outside.
He and Shiloh moved so that all three of them were in his embrace. Ashlyn settled on her dad’s leg and laid her head on his chest. Shiloh reached out and tucked some hair behind the girl’s ear.
Pagan knew then that he was in trouble. His girls were already in love with Shiloh. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be right there with them.
