Maximum Complete Series Box Set (Single Dad Romance)

by Claire Adams

  “Just lookin’ for a nice change. Seemed to have found it here. I’m a mechanic not too far up the road. What about you? You always lived here?”

  “Yep. Born and bred. I’m a waitress at the diner in town. Kevin’s Place,” I said.

  “Then, they raise them beautiful here, I see. I bet the men come in just to take a look at the view.”

  His eyes raked up and down my body, and for a split second, I wondered if his wife knew he talked to women like that. His eyes stopped to gaze at my breasts before he finally made it back up to my eyes, and something inside of me grew hot with anger. I bet if she knew, she wouldn’t be too happy. Instead of making a scene, I steered the conversation in a direction that would provide no room for flirtatious advances.

  “How old is Jenna?” I asked.

  “Three. She’ll be four just after the turn of the year.”

  “She’s beautiful,” I said. “I bet she looks a lot like her mother.”

  “You have no idea,” he said. There was a twinge of something in his voice, but I couldn’t quite place it. It seemed almost familiar, but I shook the thought from my head when the little girl with the beautiful curls in her hair came bouncing out of the house again.

  “When’s my bed stuff gonna be here again?” she asked.

  “Tomorrow, sweetie. We’re campin’ out tonight, remember?”

  “Pizza!” she exclaimed.

  I couldn’t help but giggle at her excitement over pizza. The way his entire demeanor changed from flirting married man to devoted father was a shift that brought me a bit of comfort. Maybe he wouldn’t openly flirt with other women in front of his daughter. That would provide a much better role model than the one I’d just experienced. Jenna picked up another stuffed animal and rushed back into the house, and my eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the door.

  “She seems like a handful,” I said.

  “A massive ball of energy that stole my heart the day she was born.”

  “Tell your wife I keep wine stocked in case she needs a drink.” I figured my comment would get some sort of a rise out of him, but when I panned my gaze over, I found a very distant look on his face. I recognized that look. That was the look of someone who had lost a person who was dear to him. My heart reached out to him, and suddenly, I wanted to tell him I understood. I didn’t know what it was like to be left by someone, but I knew what it was like to permanently lose someone. I had this urge to put my hand on his arm and let him know he wasn’t alone, that I was here if he wanted to talk about it.

  But all I did was stand there and wait for the look to pass off his face.

  “I’m not married, and it’s not really somethin’ I talk about,” he said.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up any bad memories,” I said.

  “No worries.”

  “Daddy! When’s the pizza coming?”

  “When I can get it ordered, princess!” he said.

  “Well, when’s that?”

  I threw my head back in laughter just before the chilly autumn wind kicked back up. The smell of apples wafted into the yards, and that’s when it hit me.

  “Oh! Beyond where our yards stop are tons of wild-growing apple trees. Wanted to let you know they’re safe to eat, in case Jenna comes back with one in her mouth.”

  “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind,” he said. The light in his eyes had dissipated and gone was the flirtatious advances he’d been making earlier, so I figured I’d overstayed my welcome. I nodded before I bunched my arms up to brace for the second flutter of wind, and then I nodded my head as he grabbed another box.

  “Well, I live just next door, and I promise I’m quiet. If you need anything, just knock on the door and ask.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”

  I made my way back to my house and stopped on my porch to look at him one last time. His lightly tanned skin was not something he’d be able to keep up in Washington, and it made me curious as to where he was from. How long had he been a mechanic? What happened to Jenna’s mom? Did he plan on staying long?

  But when he came back out to the driveway and peeled his sweating shirt off to trade it for another one, I couldn’t help sitting on my porch and staring. The way his skin wrapped around his muscles beckoned to my fingertips, and for the first time in years, I felt a tingling sensation rise up in my stomach. There was no denying how handsome of a man he was, but I knew I was in trouble the moment he looked back over to my house and connected his eyes again with me.

  I could’ve sworn I saw a smirk appear on his lips.

  Chapter Six

  Jason

  “Ready to go, Jenna?”

  “Hold on!”

  “We gotta go, princess! You’re gonna be late.”

  “Found her.”

  Jenna came running out with her new favorite doll she’d found at the store up the road, and she ran out the front door to the car. The furniture was supposed to come in today, and I was hoping to get off work and get back here before they arrived at six. Jenna was anxiously awaiting her new bed and bedspread, and I was ready to make this house more comfortable. This first weekend was going to be used for getting things in the house, like kitchenware and dishes, but next weekend, I was going to start the work on the house.

  I buckled Jenna into her seat while she brushed her doll’s hair. Strands of fiber were getting everywhere on the back seat, but the happiness in her eyes was something I couldn’t deny her. That’s why they made vacuums, and I made a mental note to get a small handheld for the car.

  “I like daycare,” she said.

  “That’s good. I’m glad you like it,” I said.

  “Am I going back today?” she asked.

  “Yep. While Daddy goes to work. Then, when you get home, your bed’s gonna be here.”

  “With my princess sheets?”

  “With your princess sheets,” I said, smiling.

  “Then we gotta hurry up and get there, so it can be over.”

  I couldn’t get my new neighbor out of my head. Her long blond hair complimented her milky white skin in a way that drew me to her, and the brightness of her green eyes reminded me of the changing seasons Jenna and I had stumbled into. She had a tight body—that much was visible underneath her grungy work clothes—and I got a little peek at her nipples when the wind had kicked up and made her cold. Oh, the things I’d do to her body if she ever wanted to spread it for me were nothing short of illegal, and with Jenna having a daycare, it’d be easy to score some alone time to try and wiggle her into my bed.

  But there was something else. There was a moment when she asked me about my wife. Obviously, she was digging after I’d paid her those compliments on how she looked, but when I told her I didn’t wanna talk about it, her face changed. Usually, people’s faces changed into sympathetic responses, or they just continued to pry. But her face seemed empathetic, like she somehow understood what I was talking about.

  I started wondering if she meant what she said about knocking on her door and asking for anything.

  “Hi, there!”

  I jumped at the sound of someone’s voice at my window and took in the woman standing at it. She had a massive smile on her face while her red hair blew around her cheeks in the wind, and her cute little freckles crinkled up with her nose. She was a very attractive woman, and I felt my dick lurch in her general direction. When I rolled my window down to greet her, she shoved a pie into my lap.

  “Pecan. Matches the seasons. Hi, I’m Megan. I’m your down-the-road neighbor.”

  God, I’d picked the right neighborhood. I wondered if there were any more hot-ass women that lived around me. I could do them a great service with what I had to offer.

  “You like pecans?” she asked.

  “What?”

  “Pecans. You aren’t allergic—oh, my gosh. Is this your daughter?”

  “Hi! I’m Jenna. What’s your name?”

  “Jenna, we don’t talk to strangers, remember?” I asked.<
br />
  “But in-too-duce, Daddy,” she said.

  I was a bit confused as to why I was all right with her talking to Lucy and not this woman, but something in my gut jumped at it before I could process what was happening. The woman dipped her head into my car to get a better look at my daughter, and suddenly, I felt like a threat had wandered onto our property. I put my hand on her shoulder and slowly eased her out of the car, and the sigh that left her lips told me everything I needed to know.

  She knew I was attractive, and she was desperate for the attention.

  “That’s a good rule, sweetie. You should listen to your Daddy here. Oh, she’s absolutely adorable. Look at those curls! Oh, and those big, beautiful eyes. My gosh, she looks just like you.”

  “Yep,” I said curtly.

  “Well, I just wanted to come over and introduce myself. I’m Megan, and I’d like to invite you over for dinner. I heard about you, a friend of a friend type of thing, and I figured you might enjoy a nice, home-cooked meal after all this moving you’re doing.”

  “Friend of a friend?” I asked.

  “Is it true they call you Maximum?” she asked.

  “Daddy, what’s—”

  “Give Daddy some time to talk, princess, alright? And then we’ll go to daycare, I promise.”

  I was upset this woman felt it was appropriate to ask me that kind of question while my daughter was in the car, but part of me was amused. Mike apparently loved to talk to the people around town, and it was showing me how small this town could get. I couldn’t help the smirk that bloomed on my face when she mentioned it in the first place, but I was a bit pissed that I now had to come up with an alternative explanation to my daughter.

  I didn’t like lying to her, and this woman was forcing me to do it.

  “I’m honestly shocked you’ve heard about that,” I said.

  “Oh, it’s a small town, and Mike’s a talker. He’s from the South, you know. Where they always talk. Everyone around here knows Mike. He’s been here for about a decade now.”

  “They’ve probably taken him for a spin or two,” I said.

  “Seriously,” she said. “Anyway, is it true?”

  “This really isn’t an appropriate conversation to be havin’ with my daughter in the car,” I said.

  “Oh, it’s true,” she said, squealing. “God, I knew it was true. I could tell just by setting that pie in your lap.”

  Was this woman serious? She was absolutely nutty. No wonder my gut was telling Jenna to keep quiet around this woman. My pelvis was revving up at the sight of her massive tits overflowing into my car, but my protective instinct wanted to run this woman’s toes over to get my daughter away from her.

  “So, dinner? Tonight?” she asked.

  “But what about pizza?” Jenna asked.

  “Oh! Pizza sounds fun. Just let me know when and where,” Megan said.

  “Do you always invite people over for dinner?” I asked her.

  “Well, only the ones I really like. If they seem kind and courteous and strong, then yeah. But single women like myself really gotta watch it around here. Some men just wanna come eat a good meal and then throw me over the kitchen table.”

  “That sounds mean,” Jenna said lightly.

  “Oh, no, no, no, sweetheart. I promise it’s not. I only invite good men over, like your father.”

  God, I felt terrible for this woman. Not only was she pissing me off by addressing my daughter during a sexually-charged conversation she was attempting to have, she was appearing more desperate than appealing. Was she attractive? Yes. Would I eat that pussy out until she squirted all over my face? You bet your sweet ass. But God, have a bit of class. Have some confidence in yourself. With a rack like that, all you’d have to do is jut it out and giggle at a few jokes.

  There was no need to throw yourself at someone. It was pathetic, and I felt sorrier for her than turned on by her.

  But, it had been a while since I’d been with someone. I hadn’t been with anyone since Jenna had been born. Between raising her and dealing with the trauma of watching her mother die, it just wasn’t something I could stomach. But I could settle for an easy conquest now. I bet Lucy would watch Jenna for me while I went and had dinner one evening. It wouldn’t be a mind-blowing encounter, but it would relieve some stress and get me back in the game.

  “Well, if you don’t wanna do tonight, then how about tomorrow? I’m free all weekend,” she said with a smile.

  Nope. No dinner with her. She was way too eager, and opening that can of worms with the type of dick I could wield in bed would bring up the chances of her knocking on my door while Jenna was around. Would some pussy be nice? Yes, but not at the expense of exposing my child to someone as kooky as this. But someone like Lucy? Definitely. She had been kind and welcoming without the parade of desserts and dinner invitations, and I felt comfortable having her around Jenna. Feeling her milky white skin race across mine while her lips traveled down to my dick was an idea that got my blood heating up, and all of a sudden, I couldn’t stop imagining what Lucy would sound like in bed.

  In bed, she was a light moaner and a whimperer. I bet she never made any sound above a groan until she was being thrown over the edge. I bet she was one of those girls who would whisper my name while raking her fingertips down my back.

  Oh, God. She’d be a much better conquest than this woman.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m gonna have to decline. Right now, I’m just focused on gettin’ settled and gettin’ my daughter acquainted with the area.”

  “Oh, well. Maybe next time,” Megan said.

  “Probably not. I don’t have a babysitter I trust yet, and it’ll be a while before I have one.”

  “Well, have you met your direct neighbor? Lucy’s been alone ever since her husband died, and she’s great with kids.”

  If I wasn’t so respectful of women, I would’ve punched her in her nose. What the hell was she doing spewing that kind of personal information about someone without their permission? If I found out someone had been babbling to some stranger they wanted to suck off about how my wife had died, I’d be infuriated.

  But it did explain the empathetic look in her eyes when I’d shrugged her off yesterday, and my heart ached a bit for her.

  “I have to go,” I said.

  “Go be Maximum, I’m assuming?” she asked. My God, she was relentless.

  “Depends on how much throttlin’ someone can take. Maximum always holds a different meanin’ for every person.”

  “Oh, does it ever,” she said with a groan.

  “Listen, I really gotta get to work, and I’m weird about people bein’ on my lawn while I’m not here.”

  “Oh, oh, oh! Yes, of course. Well, I will see you around. And let me know when you make friends with Lucy. We’ll set up dinner then.”

  She waved at me before she tripped getting onto the sidewalk, and my eyes followed her all the way to her house. She was at the end of the street in the cul-de-sac it dumped into, and only when she disappeared into her home did I feel comfortable driving off. Jenna was humming to herself and brushing her doll’s hair, and I’d never been so thankful for having such a naive little girl as I was at that very moment. Megan was a real crazy train, and I’d have to have a talk with Mike about the type of reputation she had around town.

  After all, a woman who talked like she did always carried a reputation, and I wanted to make sure it was one that wouldn’t harm my daughter.

  Chapter Seven

  Lucy

  The air was becoming crisper, carrying the aroma of apples with every passing day. It was what I loved about the state of Washington. The spring bloomed with lovely flowers that filled my yard with colors and beautiful scents. I’d throw open the windows and risk getting everything covered in pollen just to have those smells permeate my home.

  Fall was no different. I’d leave my windows open at night and wake up to the fresh scent of ripened apples, and it would make my mouth water. Every week, I’d go out and
pick a few wild apples and fresh press them into juice so I could make my homemade apple cider. But every once in a while, I got a wild hair up my ass and decided to make an apple pie.

  Angie and I flopped down in the back kitchen with Fred while he divvied out some food. Lunch rush had been brutal, but at least this time, the customers were less picky. I was wiping sweat off my brow, and Angie was fanning her underarms with the oscillating fan Fred kept with him. As she moved with the movement of the fan, Fred complained about her fat tits blocking the air.

  “Hey. My fat tits get me laid, all right? Quit your yappin’.”

  “Speaking of laid, honey, I had the best encounter last night,” Fred said.

  “Oh, really? Do tell. Let some of us live our slutty lives through you,” I said.

  “Big dick and eight pack is all I got to say ‘bout that. His little bitty he had with him enjoyed watchin’, too. She looked mighty fine fingering that little pussy of hers while I sucked her man off.”

  “You have the best stories,” Angie said, giggling.

  “Now, what’s all this nonsense ‘bout you living your sex life through us? Angie here still ain’t convinced you to start dating?” Fred asked.

  “I’m just not ready yet. You guys know that.”

  “Yeah, Fred. Get off her back. She’s been through some shit.”

  “Honey, we all been through shit. Sex helps us get through that shit.”

  “Can it, Fred,” Angie said.

  “No, he’s fine.”

  “Wait. He’s fine? When did this happen?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I just can’t get upset when people are right. I mean, it’s been three years. Would David have wanted me to be this miserable still?”

  “Or sexless? Come on; you told me all them stories. He’d want you gettin’ some dick,” Fred said.

  “You’re insane,” I said with a smile.

  “Look. We all know David didn’t like comin’ in here with my expert food and shit, but we all loved him. And we all miss him. And he loved you with a passion, baby. But it’s time for you to find a new passion. One that eats pussy well, if you don’t mind me saying.”