Chapter174 This body’s been working for you

Chapter174 This body’s been working for you
Chloe

We were almost out the door. Julian stood by the front door with Liora balanced on his hip, her chubby hands fisting the fabric of his T-shirt while I double-checked the park bag.

Sunlight slanted through the windows, promising a perfect Saturday afternoon, and he wore that relaxed smile he saved for our rare family outings.

“Got her water bottle?” he asked, adjusting Liora so her little feet kicked against his stomach.

“Yep. Extra wipes too.” I slung the bag over my shoulder and stepped in for a quick kiss on Liora’s cheek, but Julian tilted his head and caught my mouth instead. The kiss lingered, his free hand sliding down to rest low on my hip.

“Been looking forward to this,” he murmured against my lips. “Quiet afternoon, maybe an early nap for her, and then I could finally get my hands on you without any interruptions.”

Before I could respond, my phone rang with the work ringtone. Julian’s smile faded.

I answered, and the meeting invite hit my screen like a slap. “The handoff meeting got moved up. They need me on the call immediately,” I said after hanging up. “I have to go in.”

Julian didn’t release my waist. He set Liora down on the play mat and crowded closer, arms braced on either side of me. His T-shirt clung to his chest, the outline of his pecs sharp from all the push-ups he squeezed in during her naps.

The scent of baby lotion mixed with his cologne hit me, that impossible combination of strong man and devoted dad that always made my stomach flip.

“You sure you have to go?” His voice dropped, low and coaxing. “We could stay in. I’d put her down early and bend you over the couch before you had time to change your mind.”

He took my hand and pressed it flat against his stomach, then guided it higher so my palm slid over the hard curve of his chest. “Feel that? Been hitting the gym hard while she sleeps. All this is yours if you stay.”

I swallowed, heat pooling low. The way he held Liora earlier, rocking her with those powerful arms while making silly faces, had already left me restless.

Seeing him like this—muscles carved from stolen gym time, yet still carrying the soft, protective energy of a father—made something primal twist inside me. I wanted to shove him down on the bed and ride him until he begged, wanted to mark that perfect body and remind myself it belonged to me.

“Julian, they’re already waiting on the call,” I said, though my voice came out thinner than I meant.

He leaned in, lips brushing my ear. “Then go. But know what you’re leaving behind.” His hips pressed forward, letting me feel the growing hardness there.

“I’ve been thinking about you all morning. How you’d look riding me. How I’d let you take whatever you want from me.” He flexed deliberately, the muscle under my hand jumping. “This body’s been working for you. Come home and bully it a little. I won’t stop you.”

My breath caught. The image—Julian beneath me, strong and willing, that mix of paternal tenderness and raw masculinity making me want to pin his wrists and take him hard—sent a rush of warmth straight between my legs.

I almost said yes. Almost canceled everything. But another notification buzzed on my phone.

“I really can’t. I’m sorry.”

His jaw tightened, but he stepped back. “Fine. Go. Just remember I’m here, hard and waiting, thinking about how good it feels when you get bossy with me.”

I left before temptation won.

At the office, the emergency meeting ran for forty minutes before everyone started organizing the closing materials and shifting into the final wrap-up phase. The spreadsheet refused to stay in focus. Every time I blinked, I saw Julian’s body—the way his shirt had stretched across his chest, the veins in his forearms when he held our daughter, the way fatherhood had somehow made him even sexier.

That quiet, protective patience he showed with Liora paired with the cut lines of muscle he’d earned in stolen moments; it was lethal. I kept picturing myself back home, pushing him onto the bed, straddling those hips and taking what I wanted until he groaned my name.

The desire to “bully” him, to tease and control and mark that gorgeous body, kept looping in my head like a song I couldn’t shake.

Alex dropped into the chair beside me with a heavy sigh. “Chloe, if my wife finds out I’m spending another Saturday staring at these numbers instead of making her pancakes, she’s going to file for divorce by Monday. Please tell me you’re delegating at least half of this so I can pretend I tried to have a life.”

I forced a laugh and kept typing. “Already sending you the rest. I have to get home before dinner or my husband is going to start sending me pictures of his push-up routine again. Trust me, you don’t want to see what that leads to.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow from across the table, rubbing his tired eyes. “Tiffany and I are on another break, but she still texted me a photo of herself in that red dress like she’s trying to kill me. You two are making me feel like the only guy not going home to someone tonight. Why are you in such a rush anyway? Hot date with Mr. Gym Dad?”

“Something like that,” I muttered, cheeks warming. “He’s been doing extra workouts while Liora naps and keeps reminding me what I’m missing. I need to finish this before he decides to send a full-body flex video just to make sure I hurry.”

Alex leaned back and groaned. “Go home early if you can. We’ll cover the rest so you don’t miss whatever… aggressive reunion you’ve got planned.”

Marcus snorted. “Yeah, seriously. If Julian is getting all ripped and dad-hot just to tempt you back, the least we can do is not keep you here. I’d kill for Tiffany to look at me like that again instead of yelling about overtime.”

I typed faster, but my mind drifted again. Julian’s voice in my ear, offering himself up. Every minute here felt like torture when all I could think about was getting back to that mix of strength and tenderness.

By four the deck was finally done. I closed my laptop and texted Julian before I even stood.

Park date might still be salvageable if traffic isn’t evil. Also I can’t stop thinking about what you said. And how you looked holding her. It’s driving me crazy.

His reply came fast.

Good. Because I’ve been hard since you left. Come home and do something about it. I’ll let you take charge tonight. Whatever you want.

I bit my lip, already moving toward the elevator with heat curling low in my belly.