Living with the Single Dad (The Single Dads of Seattle Book 4)

by Whitley Cox

  Grinning, she wiggled it and tossed him a wink over her shoulder. “Is that a challenge?” She released his hand and skipped toward the bathroom.

  The animal noise behind her made her speed up, continuing on past the bathroom and out into the rest of the house. She heard him stop at the bathroom to probably toss the condom in the garbage, only to see his sexy frame emerge seconds later.

  She sank her top teeth into her bottom lip as she bounced on the balls of her toes in the living room, looking down the hallway at his big, shadowed frame, the large, long, puffy pink scar on his abdomen appearing to almost glow.

  His nostrils flared, and his gait morphed into more of a prowl. Goosebumps prickled along her skin as his smile grew wily. “Oh, Iz, you won’t be able to sit down for a week if I catch you.”

  She took off toward the kitchen, knowing full well he would catch her, trap her and make good on his promise.

  And she was totally, one hundred percent okay with that.

  She just hoped that when he finally caught her, he’d also want to keep her.

  21

  A shower, two orgasms, a meal and then another orgasm in the kitchen later and Aaron and Isobel found themselves sitting in the living room with Liam (who had shown up literally seconds after Isobel’s kitchen orgasm) discussing Dina’s celebration of life.

  “As per your wishes,” Liam started, his son Jordie playing quietly on his iPad next to him on the love seat, “I delayed the celebration of life until things with Sophie got settled. I booked the rental space for next Saturday. Everybody at work knows. They’re appreciative you wanted it held on a weekend.”

  Aaron grunted.

  “Not that that would have mattered, though. Dina was loved by all, and we would have shut down the firm on a Tuesday to honor her.”

  Aaron grunted again, his eyes focused on the television screen above the fireplace.

  The television, although on mute, had the news playing in the background. Things with the jewelry store robberies were escalating. Store owners were getting gun permits and talking about fighting back.

  Not what they needed at all—more people with guns. Good guys or not, they needed less guns in hands, not more.

  Isobel rubbed his back affectionately and laced the fingers of her other hand through his, resting them on his thigh. “It’s okay. I know it’s tough to talk about.”

  Liam’s eyes lasered in on Isobel’s hands. She watched his gaze bounce back and forth between Aaron’s face, then hers. Suddenly it all dawned on him. He pursed his lips and shook his head, causing the dark blond swath of hair over his forehead to bob. “Ah man, you caved.”

  Aaron grunted for the umpteenth time, removing his gaze from the television and focusing it on Liam.

  “I mean obviously you caved. Look at her.” Liam held his hand out toward Isobel. “And she’s amazing. Smart, great with kids. But you guys … ” He ran his fingers through his hair. His dark brown eyes were a mix of amusement and concern. “Just be careful, okay. Mark and Tori wrote up a relationship and work contract. But they also don’t live together. This could get mucky. And if they do, I’ll represent the first person to come to me. I love you both, so it’ll be hard to pick a side, but money eases my pain.”

  “You’re an arrogant fuck,” Aaron ground out.

  Liam’s grin was huge. “It’s one of my best qualities.”

  Isobel rolled her eyes. Aaron grunted next to her.

  After Liam finished laughing, his eyes found Isobel’s, and his gaze turned avid and sincere. “Seriously, though, I don’t want to see you get hurt.” His eyes bounced to Aaron. “Either of you.”

  “And we appreciate that,” she said, admiring the way Liam’s nose wrinkled and the lines next to his eyes creased when he got serious. He was a handsome man, there was no doubt about that. Trouble was, he also knew it. “But we’re taking it slow.”

  Skepticism crossed his charming features. “The orgasmic glow around both of you would say otherwise.”

  Isobel’s face caught fire.

  “What’s an orgasmic glow?” Jordie asked, lifting his head from his iPad. His eyes, the same dark shade of brown as his father’s, squinted in curiosity. “Is it like a glow stick?”

  Liam chuckled awkwardly and ruffled his son’s hair. “Something like that, kiddo. I’m just saying that Mr. Steele and Miss Jones look so happy they’re practically glowing.”

  Jordie’s mouth tilted down in a frown of understanding. “I got an orgasmic glow when we went to Legoland this summer.”

  Isobel dipped her head to hide her smile and bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing.

  Out of the mouths of babes.

  “You sure did,” Liam said, clearing his throat. “Though, let’s just say you were happy. An orgasmic glow doesn’t really work for Legoland.”

  Having already lost interest in the subject, Jordie shrugged and returned his attention to his iPad.

  Aaron made another noise in his throat, only this one sounded more like a Harley revving its engine. “Anyway, dude, thanks for getting all that shit for Dina’s service sorted. I appreciate it.”

  Liam nodded. “You’re welcome.”

  Isobel was about to see if Jordie wanted a snack when there was a knock at the door. She checked the ornate, handmade driftwood clock above the mantle. It said four o’clock.

  Sophie was home.

  Opening the door for her sister, she didn’t expect to see Mark and Gabe follow in her wake.

  “Saw Liam’s car in the driveway,” Mark said, wandering into the house.

  Jordie’s head popped up from where he’d been focused on his iPad, and when he saw Gabe, he abandoned the tablet entirely, and the two little boys began playing with the Ziploc bag of toy cars Gabe had arrived with.

  “Full house,” Aaron murmured, taking Sophie from Isobel after she’d removed the baby from her car seat.

  “You okay?” Their eyes locked and fingers brushed as she passed him the baby.

  He nodded. “Yeah.

  “Should we order pizza, have them stay for dinner?” she asked.

  He made a face that said that was the last thing in the world he wanted to do, but instead of saying as much, he nodded again. “Okay.”

  Her eyes went wide as she tried to gauge his true feelings on her suggestion. “You’re sure?”

  Unease stared back at her. “No. But I know it’s the right thing to do. Order the pizza. I’ll be okay.”

  “All right,” she whispered, resting her hand on his thigh and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll go order some pizza for five o’clock.”

  Mark had kicked back in the armchair like he owned the place, animatedly chatting with Liam. Tori was unpacking the dirty formula bottles in the kitchen, and the two little boys were playing cars down the hallway.

  Isobel’s heart swelled as she took it all in.

  This was exactly what she’d always wanted. A home full of people. Friends and family, children and everyone in between. She wanted her house to be the go-to home for social gatherings, playdates and dinner parties. She wanted to be mom to her own children as well as other mom to her friends’ children. A person everyone knew they could rely on and trust to set a plate for them at the dinner table if they needed it.

  She wanted a village.

  Was this the start of her village? Or was this just a mirage, a fake village blurred by the haze of orgasms still in the air and all the dopamine in her system?

  Would it ever be her village? Or was she simply the hired help for a villager but not a villager herself?

  “So,” Tori started, having rinsed the bottles in the sink and set them to dry on the drying rack, “did you guys kiss and make up?”

  Isobel averted her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips.

  “Oh, well then. Good for you.”

  She felt his heat at her back before she heard a word. He certainly knew how to turn on stealth mode when he needed to.

  Tori’s eyes flew up from the diaper b
ag to behind Isobel. “I’m going to go see what Gabe and Jordie are up to.” She left the kitchen but not before turning around to mouth something dirty at Isobel.

  Isobel rolled her eyes.

  “You sure you’re the younger one?” Aaron said, propping Sophie up on his shoulder.

  “Sometimes I wonder,” she said blandly.

  Holding Sophie against him with one of his big palms, he cupped the side of her face with the other, his thumb caressing across her cheek while his pinky finger lay directly over her pulse. She leaned into his embrace and stepped into his body. “I’m going to try my damnedest not to screw this up,” he said, tilting his head down so their lips were no more than an inch apart. “I’m not good at the boyfriend thing. Never really done it. But I can tell you’re worth it.”

  I can tell you’re worth it.

  Not wanting to read too much into his sentiment, she told the butterflies in her belly to settle down and instead simply smiled at him. Her hand fell on top of his over Sophie’s back. “Let’s not put a label on it for now. Let’s just do what feels natural, what feels right and take it from there. I don’t ask for much.”

  “Just eye contact after sex?” His lips twitched.

  “Before, during, after. Whatever. Just don’t shut me out.”

  His lips brushed against hers. “Hard to make eye contact during when I’m behind you.”

  “Is that a suggestion for later?”

  He tightened his grip on her jaw. “It’s a promise.” Their tongues tangled, and she moved her hand from Sophie’s back to press it flat over his strong, thumping heart.

  A heart she already found herself growing to love. A heart she hoped she could help heal.

  A heart she hoped would one day love her back.

  22

  “Something smells good,” Aaron said, walking up behind Isobel Tuesday night, cupping her butt and planting a kiss on the crown of her head. He’d been late getting home from work, but she’d held dinner for him, and his stomach grumbled at the smell of the Mexican spices that hit his nostrils when he walked through the door.

  She stood over the stove, pushing ground beef around in the skillet. “Almost done with the taco meat. You have time to run and shower before dinner if you want.”

  He made a dismissive noise, pinched her butt cheek again until she squeaked and then stepped away. A plate of taco fixin’s sat on the counter, and like a bad boy he grabbed a handful of shredded cheddar cheese and sprinkled it into his mouth. “Where’s Soph?”

  “Down … for now. We had a rough day. She was really fussy.”

  He paused. “Why?”

  “Well, for one, she’s a baby. Two, I think she might be coming down with a cold. She was struggling to breathe when I fed her her bottle, and she’s been spitting up a lot. I might sleep in her room tonight with her, just in case she spits up in her sleep.”

  “We could move her bassinet into our room.”

  Her body stilled. The spatula paused in her hand.

  Then it hit him.

  He’d said our room. Like his room was now his and Isobel’s. They’d been sleeping together all of a few days, and suddenly he’d moved her in.

  Fuck.

  Granted, yes, last night she’d stayed in his room. But they hadn’t done a heck of a lot of sleeping. He’d picked up another box of condoms on his lunch break today as they’d depleted his stash last night.

  With the spatula in her hand, she slowly turned around to face him, her mouth open just slightly, hesitation in her eyes. “Um.”

  Ah, fuck. Was she going to go all female on him and make a big thing about it?

  He’d slipped up. Big deal.

  She must have noticed not only the horror on his face but also growing irritation. He chalked up most of that to hunger. He was fucking starving. Something passed behind her eyes before she shook it off, nodded and then turned back to the stove. “Whatever you want to do. I don’t mind staying in the other room with Soph though. That way you get a decent night’s sleep.”

  Yeah, but then Isobel wouldn’t be in their bed.

  Ah, fuck. He’d done it again.

  Their bed.

  It wasn’t their bed. It was his bed.

  He just preferred when she was in it too.

  “I got a surprise for you,” she said, changing the subject—thank God.

  He lifted one eyebrow. “Yeah, is it you naked with your lips wrapped around my dick later?”

  She rolled her eyes. He smiled. It felt weird to smile. He’d been doing it so rarely lately, and yet she pulled more from him than anybody—well, maybe not Soph. “No, it’s not that. But play your cards right there, soldier, and maybe you can have two surprises.” She pointed to the table where half a dozen papers were spread out.

  He walked over and picked them up, thumbing through each one. They were logos for his construction company. All beautifully designed with his company name, easy to see and very eye-catching. He lifted his head.

  She was standing there watching him, her cushiony-soft bottom lip between her teeth, eyes eager but also with a wary apprehension behind them. “I noticed you don’t have a company logo. I Googled to make sure, but I couldn’t find one. I did up a few mock logos that I thought you might like.” She lifted one shoulder like it was no big deal that she spent a bunch of time designing something for him. “I got this new design program, so I was just playing around.” She took a step toward him. “I won’t be offended if you don’t want to use any of them, but if you like one, you can have it.”

  How did he get so lucky? This incredible, generous, patient, smart, creative, beautiful woman had been handed to him on a silver platter, and each and every day she just kept surprising him. Giving him more.

  He didn’t deserve her.

  He thumbed through the designs again. The one that caught his eye was the cobalt blue and silver design with bold block letters and sort of a pitched roof overtop. Steele Construction, Inc. was easy to read and very bold. He pulled it from the bunch and then cleared his throat. “I like this one.”

  Her smile made everything inside him turn molten hot and his balls tighten in his pants. “Awesome! It’s yours.” She turned back to the kitchen and began humming over the stove once again, her hips and that rocking ass swaying to the tune.

  He bit down the groan that threatened to break free and instead cleared his throat. “I’m going to go shower,” he grumbled, needing to wash his body and clear his head. The sexy woman in his kitchen muddled the fuck out his brain. He was halfway down the hall when the doorbell chimed.

  “Shit!” Isobel gritted, practically flying out of the kitchen. “Shit, shit, shit, shit.” She nearly beat him to the door. “Don’t people know a baby is in the house? I need a damn sign on the door. You wake the baby, you take the baby.” She glanced at him over her shoulder, seeing the worry in his eyes, and a nervous chuckle breaking past her lips. “Not that I’d give your baby away, but you know what I mean.”

  He was behind her as she flung the door open, curse words and threats of throat-punching spilling from her mouth.

  “Hey!” Mercedes smiled, holding up her hand to show off a big fancy diamond. Colton was right behind her, grinning like a dumbass.

  Aaron felt Isobel’s frustration slip away instantly. She lunged for her friend and wrapped her arms around Mercedes’s neck. “Hi! Oh my God, you two!”

  Mercedes and Colton followed them inside.

  “Gonna go shower,” Aaron grunted, shooting a glare in Colton’s direction before heading back down the hallway.

  Stupid motherfucker getting married. What had he been thinking?

  “So I need the whole story,” Isobel said as all four of them sat around the living room eating tacos—Aaron really needed to make a decent-size kitchen table. Not that he liked the idea of entertaining, but it just made sense. Because of course, Isobel had invited them to stay for dinner. She wanted to hear all about her friend’s elopement.

  Aaron couldn’t give two shit
s.

  It was Colton’s mistake.

  The man had made his fair share over the years. Like that chick in Guadalajara who’d handcuffed him to the bed, then robbed him blind, but not before she’d generously given him crabs.

  Aaron rolled his eyes at the memory before diving into one of his tacos.

  Isobel had taken to making tacos every Tuesday, and it was something he’d grown to really look forward to.

  Taco Tuesday followed by sex had been on the menu tonight.

  Dinner, sex and more sex before Isobel passed out in his bed with her head on his chest and his hand cupping her butt.

  Now he had to wait for all of it except the tacos.

  He glared at a gabbing Mercedes. Guests and entertaining had not been part of the plan. They were cutting into sexy time.

  Mercedes put her taco down and wiped her mouth with her napkin, her smile so big, Aaron was having a hard time believing it was real.

  “It’s hard to explain,” she started. “When you know, you just know. After Saturday night, I realized I wanted nothing to do with the bar or dating scene anymore. I’d been convincing myself that that was what was fun, that was how to have a good time.” She shook her head, her gaze falling on Colton next to her. He reached for her hand, and they rested their clasped fingers on the couch. “A good time is being with someone you love. Cuddled up on the couch watching movies, eating nachos, drinking wine. I don’t want the superficial, fake good time anymore. I want the real deal. I want a life, a partner, a future.” She squeezed Colton’s hand. “And I found it all.”

  “Yeah, but why’d you have to get married?” Isobel asked. “Couldn’t you just date?”

  “Why delay the inevitable?” Colton asked with a shrug. “We want to start our future now. Start our family now.”

  Isobel choked on her water. “Family?”

  Mercedes nibbled on her lip. “Well, not right, right away. But soon.”