Single Dad Burning Up Read online

  “See, I knew you’d want one.” We make our way into the bathing suit shop and after we get him a pair of board shorts, we head back to his car. A yawn pulls at me, and I rest my head against the seat.

  “I’m looking forward to getting to bed early,” I say.

  “Why, you think you’re going to get some sleep?” he asks, a devilish grin on his face. My heart leaps a bit. I haven’t said anything, but there’s no denying I’ve been wondering what tonight might bring. I sort of had myself convinced last night was a one-time thing.

  “What are you saying, Callan?”

  “If I’m here pretending to be your guy, the least you could do is have sex with me.”

  “The least,” I say with a laugh. “I wasn’t sure, Callan.” I glance at him, wanting to be open and honest here.

  “There’s one thing I’m sure of, and I can’t quite forget it.”

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “This morning. I remember what you said you’d be willing to do in exchange for a cup of coffee.”

  “What did I say?”

  “Oh, just something about my cock in your mouth.”

  “I don’t believe I’d ever say something like that,” I tease and wet my mouth.

  “You did, and stop licking your lips like that. You’re making me hard. I can’t walk into your parents’ place with a boner.”

  I put my hand over his hard cock and a tortured groan curls around me. “The ridiculous things I say before my morning cup. I’d pretty much agree to anything.”

  “Are you saying it’s not something you want to do?”

  His cock jumps beneath my hand as I lightly stroke it. “No.”

  He grins. “Is it something you want to do?”

  I lean into him. What I’m about to do is reckless, and inappropriate, but I like who I am with Callan. I pop his button and lower his zipper.

  “What the fuck, Gemma.”

  I blink innocent eyes at him. “We can’t have you walking around with this monstrosity in front of my family.” Before he can get a word out, I bend, and he sinks to the back of my throat. I grin as he pounds on the steering wheel and curses under his breath. “That is so fucking good.”

  I smile as I give him pleasure, liking the way I make him feel, how encouraging his words are. I go deep, and slide my hand around his base, massaging gently. One of his hands lands on my head, his fingers raking through my hair as his hips lift an inch.

  “I need to stop the car,” he says, and I moan in agreement. I work my mouth over him, my lips tight around his crown before I take him to my throat again.

  “Fuck, Gemma,” he growls out. “You are so good at that.” His words bolster my confidence, and while this is not the time to think of my ex, I can’t help but think about his behavior, the way he kept me down, even belittling me in the bedroom.

  His veins bulge, thicken in my mouth, and he groans louder. “You’ve got me right there,” he growls. He tries to pull my head away, but I don’t let him. I bob up and down, slide my hand into his pants to cup his balls. They tighten in my hand as I rub them gently, and his fingers grip my hair tighter as he lets go in my mouth. I drink him in, swallow every last drop. Using my tongue, I twirl it around his crown, and when he finally stops spasming, I slowly lift my head.

  Callan has one hand on the steering wheel, gripping so hard his knuckles are white, and his eyes are closed, like he’s in total agony. My heart leaps, and I start to second-guess my actions.

  “Callan?”

  He exhales and slowly opens his eyes. My worry dissipates when he casts me a glance and slowly shakes his head. “Yeah?”

  I laugh. “Are you okay?”

  “Of course I’m not okay,” he says with a laugh. “You just gave me the best blowjob of my life, in a car, on Main Street.”

  “So, you liked it?”

  He chuckles, puts his hand around my head, and draws my mouth to his. “I loved it,” he whispers into my mouth before giving me a deep, passionate kiss.

  “Good, because I loved doing it.”

  “Tonight, I’m going to show you what I love doing,” he says, a promise in his voice.

  “Ooh, can’t wait.”

  “Although it might be weird having sex in your parents’ house with them in the other room. It’s like I’m a teenager again. Sneaking around for sex.”

  “I’ve actually never done that.”

  His brow quirks. “Really, well then we need to change that.”

  “I think it will be fun.”

  “I know it will be.”

  With darkness surrounding us, he starts the car, and is about to pull into traffic when a police car passes us. I don’t miss the way the driver is glaring at Callan. I just know something bad is going to happen, and I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know who’s behind it.

  “Who the hell was that?” I ask and brace myself.

  “He’s coming back,” I say, as the car spins around and the lights go on. “This is not good, Callan”

  “It’s okay. We’ve not done anything wrong.”

  “That still doesn’t mean you’re not going to be harassed. I’m sure Brad told his colleagues to keep an eye out for you.”

  “I have no doubt.”

  “This is why I just left, Callan. I didn’t want to face these kinds of things.” I grip my hands and wring them. “I’m so sorry. I never should have involved you.”

  “Hey,” he says and covers my hands. “It’s going to be fine. I can handle a little harassment and at least he’s picking on someone his own size.”

  Callan rolls his window down as the officer approaches. “How can I help you, officer?”

  “Your taillight is out.”

  Callan shakes his head. “I had no idea. It was fine earlier.”

  “Can I see your license and registration?” The officer looks into the car. “Is that you, Gemma?”

  “Hi Greg,” I say.

  “Didn’t realize you were home,” he says. “Oh, wait, maybe Brad did say something about you guys hanging out this weekend.” I open my mouth, about to correct him, but Callan’s hand on my leg stops me.

  “Here you go,” he says, and hands the paperwork over.

  The officer looks it over. “I’ll be right back.”

  He disappears to his car, and Callan casts me a glance. “Yeah, Brad’s behind this.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay, I got this. You have nothing to worry about,” he says, but the tightness in his jaw, the hard set of his chin, tells another story. Callan thinks I do have something to worry about.

  9

  Callan

  I keep a smile on my face when we step back inside the beachside home, and laughter reaches our ears. Gemma smiles up at me, but there is a new kind of tension in her body. She didn’t like being pulled over any more than I did. It was Brad flexing his muscle, that much I’m sure of. But what worries me the most is what else he’d do to prove he’s powerful and try to win Gemma back. No way in a million fucking years is she going back with him. Even if he did win her over, but she’s too smart for that, it’d have to be over my dead body.

  “Looks like the board games have begun,” she says. We head back outside and the deck is lit with Chinese lanterns, creating a cozy atmosphere. The kids are all in bed at this hour, and the adults are sitting around the table with their favorite drinks.

  “How was the shopping?” Amanda asks when she sees the bags in our hands.

  “Good,” I say. “I got some swim trunks and a T-shirt for both me and my daughter. I also got her a seashell necklace that Gemma thought she’d love.”

  Amanda’s jaw drops. “You have a daughter?”

  I stiffen for a second. Is Gemma dating a man with a child going to be a problem for them? Not that we’re really dating, I remind myself. I almost forget there for a second that it wasn’t real.

  “He does,” Gemma says. “Kaitlyn, she’s six, and goes to my school.” She smiles up at me. “And I
’m going to be teaching her piano.”

  Amanda glares at me and plants one hand on her hip. “Why didn’t you bring her? I would love to meet her and she could have played with the kids.”

  “You’re right. I should have. But this is the week she spends with her grandparents. They’ve been looking forward to it.”

  Amanda relaxes. “Okay, you’re off the hook.” She points a finger. “Next time, though.”

  I laugh and hold my hands up in surrender. “Yup, next time,” I say, although I doubt there will be one. I just hope Brad eventually gets the message and backs off.

  “Can I see what you got her?” Janice asks.

  “Oh Mom, its adorable. She’s going to love it.” Gemma takes the bag from me and opens it. As the women all admire the delicate piece of jewelry, David catches my eye.

  “Scotch?” he asks holding his glass up.

  “Love one,” I say.

  “Come give me a hand,” he says, and we head inside to the bar. I drop the rest of my bags on the kitchen counter.

  “Ice?” David asks, and when I hear the remnants of his tinkling in his glass, I say, “Sure,” and wonder what this is all about. Am I going to get the big brother ‘talk’? If so, I’m wondering if he ever gave it to Brad.

  “Amanda told me she remembers you from when you and Gemma went to high school together.” I nod as he hands me my glass.

  “Yeah, we’re old friends.”

  “I’m glad you’re here, Callan.”

  I angle my head and take a sip from my glass. “Why is that?”

  “I never liked that asshole Brad. I could never put my finger on it, but he always rubbed me the wrong way.”

  Gemma never told anyone about his behavior, but clearly a few members of the household are intuitive. “You don’t have to worry about him, David,” I say.

  He nods, and holds his glass up to mine. “Glad to hear it.”

  We clink glasses and are about to head back outside when Gemma steps inside. Her gaze goes back and forth between the two of us. “David, you better not be giving him a hard time,” she says but there is a teasing, loving warmth between the two. He rubs his knuckles on her head and she swats his hand away.

  “Just getting to know your new guy, that’s all.”

  “Did Amanda put you up to this?”

  He shakes his head like she might be crazy. “Of course she did,” he says and the two burst out laughing. He shrugs. “Big sisters.”

  Gemma huffs out an exasperated breath. “You don’t always have to do what she says, you know.”

  He blinks once, twice, his mouth agape. “Ah, did you just meet her? Are you new here?”

  “Okay, okay,” Gemma says and as they laugh again, my heart pinches. My daughter has a lot of people in her life, but there is no doubt she’d love it here. Gemma grabs a bottle of wine and a glass. “Let’s go have some fun playing Cards Against Humanity.”

  We head back outside, and I sit down next to Adam, who is Nicole’s husband. He’s the strong, silent type, but I like him. In fact, I like all these people.

  “Is everything ready for the race tomorrow?” Nicole asks. She glances at the sky. “I think we’re going to get some sprinkles.”

  “Rain or shine, you know how it goes,” Janice says. “I finished making the cards this evening after dinner.”

  “What kind of race?” I ask as Gemma shuffles the cards.

  “Ooh, we have a rookie,” Amanda says loudly. She rubs her hands together and glances at David. “No way can a rookie beat five-time champions.”

  “Sounds like a challenge,” I say. “I’m always up for a challenge.”

  Amanda grins at me. “It’s on Callan.”

  Gemma nudges me. “Mom and Dad put together a list of challenges, like the show Amazing Race, and we all compete. It’s super fun, but I think Amanda and David cheat.” She snarls at her sister and brother in law. “They win every year.”

  “We do not cheat,” Amanda says, all indignant, and everyone laughs and rolls their eyes.

  “You might think Callan here is a rookie, but you’re forgetting what he does for a living,” Gemma says, coming to my defense. “The man runs into burning buildings. I’m sure he can find a seashell on the sand.”

  “Okay, want to make a side bet?” Amanda says.

  I lean toward her. “Go ahead.”

  She taps her chin. “If we win, you take us to dinner back in the city. If you win, we take you.”

  Gemma gives me a nervous glance. When this weekend is over, so is the pretend relationship, but I like her family, and a double date would be fun. Also, I need to keep her close, just to make sure her ex keeps his distance. I’m not sure how I’ll go about that, but I’ll have to figure out a way for her to agree.

  “It’s on,” I say. “I can’t remember the last time someone took me out for surf and turf,” I tease, and Gemma laughs. She deals the cards and for the next hour over drinks and laughs, we play. We all have tears in our eyes by the time we finish.

  “That game never gets old,” Jim says and stretches his arms out. “I think it’s my bedtime.”

  “Same for us,” Amanda says. “We need our rest, so we can celebrate hard after we win tomorrow.”

  David just smirks at me, and everyone gives hugs to each other before heading inside. Gemma gathers up the cards and games and I sit back to take a breath. I love everything about this. Hard.

  “You good?” Gemma asks when we’re alone.

  “I am. I was just thinking, maybe we could take that swim.”

  “I’d like that,” she says. I help her carry the games inside, and snatch my bags from the counter. We pad quietly up the stairs and into her bedroom. She opens her bag and tugs out her bathing suit and I simply sit on the bed and watch her, the vision before me a thing of beauty.

  “I’ll be right back,” she says, and I capture her arm, not wanting her out of my sight for even a second.

  “Where are you going?”

  She points to the ensuite bathroom. “To get changed.”

  I chuckle. “Babe, I’ve been inside you. You don’t need to run away to get changed.”

  Pink invades her cheek. “I know.” Her hands fall. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “I do.”

  I pull her to me, and she stands in between my spread legs. My mouth is right there, inches from her sweet nipples.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “What was I thinking, then?” she asks, not even bothering to hide the arousal in her voice or her body.

  “You were thinking you gave me the best head in the car today, and that maybe it was my turn to put my tongue and mouth all over your beautiful body.” She quakes and I hold her tight to absorb the tremors. I tear my gaze away from her hard nipples poking through her T-shirt and her eyes are dark, half mast, when she dips her head to see me. Her hair tumbles over her shoulders, and I push it back to expose the long column of her neck.

  Her long lashes fall slowly and rise again. “Yeah, I might have been thinking that.”

  “Might have? No vagueness with me, Gemma. You need to straight up tell me the truth.”

  “You want the truth, Callan?”

  I hear a sexy little hitch in her voice, and her chest rises and falls as she grows breathless.

  “Yes.”

  She rakes her hands through my hair. “Okay. Last night. Sex with you. I’ve never experienced that kind of pleasure before. My body hasn’t stopped humming all day. I’m trying hard to focus on other things, trying hard to make conversation with family, but it’s near impossible, I crave to be touched by you again. I want your mouth on me, your fingers and cock inside me. I want it all, with you. Sex with Brad was rough, almost violent. I was terrified, to tell you the truth. I never wanted to have sex, but somehow always found myself beneath him. He never worried about my pleasures, or my body. I never knew sex could be…nice.”

  “I won’t hurt you, Gemma.”

  “I k
now. The way you made me feel last night, important and beautiful. It was so nice.” Her hand cups my face. “I appreciate all you’re doing for me.”

  “You are all those things, Gemma. No one should ever have taken them away from you. Plus, I’m kinda sorta doing it for me too,” I admit. “It’s not like I’m not getting something out of this,” I say, and she chuckles.

  My heart pounds, loving the way she’s open with me, but my insides are in turmoil, wanting to hunt down her ex and beat the motherfucker. She’s clearly kept so many secrets, hid so much pain. I want to be the guy to bring out her confidence, watch her blossom under my touch, and show her that sex between two people who care about one another should be a beautiful thing, not something to fear.

  “There’s one more thing I’m wondering about,” she says, and purses her lips.

  I grip her waist, and span my fingers. “What’s that?”

  “I’m wondering if maybe you want to skip the swim.”

  “Swimming is so overrated,” I tell her and her warm chuckles tug on my balls. I stand, and my body brushes hers the whole way up. I grip her T-shirt and peel it over her head. Today she’s wearing a lacy black bra, and I can’t help but think this is for me.

  I bend and bury my face between her breasts, breathing in the scent of her skin. I rub my thumbs over her lace. “Mmm, I like,” I say and slide my hand around her back. “But this, I like even more,” I add when her bra slides from her body. I stand back, take in her gorgeous breasts. I must take too long staring. She shifts and her hands go to cover herself up.

  “No, Gemma. Don’t hide from me.” She nods and slowly lowers her hands. “You’re so goddamn beautiful. Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I ask.

  She glances at my cock pressing hard against my pants. “I’m pretty sure I do.”

  “And you like that, right?” I don’t have to ask, but I do, just to hear her say it.

  She grins. “I do.”

  I smile at that. I had no idea how badly I needed a woman’s touch until our lives collided, literally. I can’t help but wonder if any woman’s touch would fill my soul the way hers does. That frightens me a little, to be honest. I don’t deserve happiness, or want to take any kind of pleasure from life. Not when I couldn’t save my own wife and unborn son. I swallow as pain flashes through me, my entire body tightening.