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THE SINGLE DAD 49
I didn’t give a toast.I didn’t clink our glasses.I just brought the wine up to my lips and took a long, hard sip.“Are you in the mood for something sweet?” She reached for the display that now permanently held desserts in the center of my island, lifting the glass top. “Everly and I made mini pies today.”“Have I ever said no to anything you made?”She laughed. “I suppose not.”She lifted one out of the case and put the top back on. “This one is for me. Yours are in here”—she walked to the fridge and took out a separate container that she placed in front of me—“because they have to be kept cold.”Several pies were sitting inside the Tupperware.I brought one up to my nose, smelling it. “Chocolate?”“Chocolate cream.”“You didn’t?”Her eyes went wide as she nodded. “But I did. Do you want a fork?”“Nah.” I took the pie out of the small foil dish and bit into it. “Damn it, Sydney.”She did the same, holding it with her hands, chewing as she answered, “Right? It’s beyond.”“You keep t
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Jesus Christ.I need to fucking stop.As our stares locked, silence passed between us, my brain spiraling even further out of control.As though she could read my face, hear my thoughts, she said, “I should probably go to bed. It’s getting late.”“Yeah … I should do the same.”Except I wanted her under my covers.I wanted to kiss her in the morning before I left for the plane, tucking the blanket around her since I was no longer in there to keep her warm.She made no effort to leave and go upstairs.And I knew I couldn’t move—my feet would only lead me to her—so I reached for the bottle. “I hope you don’t mind if I have more?”“No, please. Have all you want.”The second I set the bottle on the island, my glass now refilled, I realized I needed to put more distance between us, and I backed up a few paces until the range hit my ass.It was only two feet.Maybe three.Still, I wasn’t sure it was enough.Since, once again, my stare found hers.And within the quietness that passed, so many
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“Ford!”I knew it felt good.I could hear it in her breaths.I could taste it on her tongue.I moved faster, deeper, her hips meeting me, my thumb grinding against the highest point.Circling.Flicking.Over and fucking over.She squeezed my arm, tensing, bucking. “I’m going to come.” She said it against my mouth as though she was warning me.But I knew.Her clit was hardening. Her wetness was thickening.Her sounds were getting even louder.“Let me hear it,” I demanded. “Let me fucking feel it.”That was all it took before she was shuddering against me, her pussy contracting, her moans filling my ears.“That’s it, Sydney.” I gripped the back of her head, bunching her hair into my fist. “That’s fucking it.” I mashed our lips together. “Yes!”The second she stilled, our eyes connected.Our mouths separated.Our breathing mixed.My dick was so goddamn hard that all I could think about was lifting her onto the counter, spreading her legs, plunging inside her pussy, and fucking coming.“M
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To see where we stood.To see if I was going to walk out the door and never come back.Things I would never do because I cared about him and his daughter, those feelings growing stronger each day.What happened between us last night wasn’t all his fault.I knew I was inviting myself to stay in the kitchen rather than go right to bed.And I had known how risky that was, how out of character that was, what kind of challenges that would create for us.But unlike Ford, I didn’t regret a thing.And maybe—just maybe—he would realize that he shouldn’t either.Me: We’re in the middle of making paper flowers and clay vases. Your island is covered in construction paper and glittery pens and stardust. She’s having a blast.Ford: I’m going to have the smartest kid in LA because of you.Me: Her intelligence has nothing to do with me, but thank you for saying that. Seriously, she’s doing fab. After going through one of my cookbooks, she’s decided she wants this fancy egg salad with pickled onions o
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I just hated to alarm him, but telling him was the only thing that felt right.Less than a minute after I hit Send, my phone was ringing, Ford’s name on the screen.I held my cell to my face and said, “Ford—”“Is she all right?”“One sec,” I whispered.Not wanting my voice to wake her, I carefully climbed off her bed and tiptoed into the hallway, closing the door most of the way so the sound wouldn’t travel.“She’s okay. I was just lying with her in bed, and she fell asleep. Her temp was at 102.2. Since I knew you were with a client, I called your mom, just to be on the safe side, and she agreed that I should give her some Motrin. I gave her some about forty-five minutes ago.”“I’ll come home.” There was movement in the background. “I’ll call the pilot and get the plane on the tarmac in less than an hour.”“Ford, no. You don’t have to do that. You know kids get sick all the time. This could be nothing. Let’s see how she feels in a couple hours or maybe even the morning.” When he didn’
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And the movement made me remember just how his lips had felt when he kissed me.The strength of them.The way they had tasted just like wine.“In exchange for the muffins, your neighbor gave us some lemons from her tree, so we came home and made fresh lemonade. It was around that time that her ear started bothering her. I popped some soup into the microwave, and now, she’s in bed. Surrounded by all her animals.” I smiled, hoping it would lighten things a little. “Yesterday was a bit more interesting.”“Yeah?”I took a quick peek inside her room and hurried back to the wall I’d been leaning against before. “She’s all good; don’t worry.” I cleared my throat, getting lost in the way he was licking his lips. “Should I tell you about yesterday, or are you sick of hearing me talk?”“No, far from that.” Now, he was rubbing his fingers over his mouth, drying it. “Tell me everything.”“Hold on a sec. I’ll show you. I snapped a pic of her.” I exited out of FaceTime and pulled up my Photos app,
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“My girl’s kicking ass,” Brett said. “Now, it’s up to you, Ford, to shelter that money from the tax gods, so it doesn’t all go to Uncle Sam.”I laughed.James had become one of my largest clients. As her earnings increased, so did the workload.“You know I’m on it,” I told him.“For what she’s paying you, you’d better be.” He clinked his glass against mine.“Listen,” I said to him, “if you two start having some kids, it’ll make things a lot easier on me. I can set up—”“You’re preaching to the choir, my man.” Brett took a drink of his scotch. “I’ve told her this countless times. I’m ready. I’m just waiting on her.”James was young. At the peak of her career.I understood why she wanted to wait.“Maybe, during your next meeting, you can talk to her about pulling the goalie,” Brett said. “Tell her it’s for tax purposes.”I chuckled. “Now, that’s a topic I’m staying far away from.”“I know a topic I’m going to harp on tonight,” Declan said.I groaned and nursed my drink. “If it’s Hannah,
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“Dude, I saw the same thing last week,” Jenner said, his eyes now on me. “When she stopped by the office with Everly and I came in to talk to you. The way she was looking at you”—he sighed—“man, there’s no question in my mind. That girl has feelings, and they’re strong.”She had feelings.I could sense that the night in my kitchen.The way she had tried to take care of me over FaceTime.But what the hell am I supposed to do?Put myself first and Everly second?“There’s more,” Brett said.“More?” I wrapped my hand around my empty glass, squeezing it in my palm. “How could there be more?”Brett rested his arms on the table, folding his hands together. “When you gave her the ultimatum, she knew better than to choose you.”“What do you mean?” I asked.“With your track record, she’d lose you to Everly. I’m sure she figured that out. Did she go in through the back door? Maybe. If I were in her shoes, that’s what I would have done. But does it matter? Hell no. Because while she’s been fallin
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