Worth the Wait (Very Personal Training Book 2)

by Karla Doyle

“Then give me a little sample and save the rest for later.”

  “Later?” The tickle from her hair when she nodded sent more blood to his cock. “How much later? And for how long?”

  “Tim’s picking Lennox up at seven o’clock. They’re going to a movie that’s one hour and forty-six minutes long. Will that be enough time?”

  “No amount of time is enough when I’m with you.”

  “You’re sweet,” she said, rubbing the tip of her nose against his.

  “Not the word you’d use to describe me if you knew the things that’re going through my head right now.”

  “Mmm…tell me everything.”

  “Think I’ll show you instead. Starting at 7:01.”

  “God, I can’t wait.”

  Male ego was only part of the reason he puffed up at her admission. “Until then, I’m going to take the offer to make kissy sounds.” He brushed a kiss across her mouth. One taste and he was done. Desperate to have every inch of her. Touching was a must. Now. He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her tight to his body. Grabbed a handful of her sweet ass and squeezed while enjoying another deeper kiss.

  “Mommy!” The voice and accompanying footfalls pounding down the stairs forced them apart as if they were magnets with opposite poles.

  He took the nearest seat and manspread, attempting to look casual while giving his rock-hard dick as much room as possible. The move was not lost on his sexy girlfriend, wearing a give-me-some-of-that gaze while staring at his lap.

  Lennox burst into the room with the puppy in her arms. “Ladybug chewed all my drawing stuff. Everything’s wrecked.”

  Leigh’s lusty stare—gone. Her mom face took its place. Calm, despite her daughter’s red cheeks and urgent tone. “How did that happen with you watching her?”

  “Ladybug was sleeping on my bed, so I tiptoed out to use the bathroom. I was only gone a couple of minutes.”

  “That’s all it takes with a puppy. They’re like babies, you have to watch them every second.” Still composed, she stroked the little girl’s hair, then the dog’s head. “Is Ladybug okay? Did she swallow anything, or just chew on it?”

  “Just chewed, I think. There’s pieces of pencil and paper all over the floor. She wasn’t eating stuff, just ripping up my sketch pad when I went in.”

  “That’s good.”

  “She wrecked the whole pad. I don’t have any paper left.”

  “We can get more drawing supplies at the art store tomorrow. Let’s go clean up the mess before your dad gets here.”

  Shaking her head vigorously, Lennox stepped away from Leigh’s touch. “I don’t want to go to the movie now. I want to stay home and make sure Ladybug is okay.”

  “I’m sure she’s fine. Sam and I will keep an eye on her while you’re out.”

  “Will you watch her every second?” Lennox asked, hitting Leigh with the stone-cold serious expression the little girl seemed to have mastered.

  Even knowing where the conversation—and by default, his date with Leigh—was headed, he still had to mask his amusement with a cough. It came as no surprise that her daughter was a headstrong, independent person. The apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree.

  “No, honey, not every second. If we’re doing something and can’t give the puppy our full attention, I’ll put her in her crate, where she’s safe and cozy.”

  Lennox shook her head as adamantly as the first time. “I don’t want to leave her. I got mad at her for wrecking my stuff. I said mean things to her.” Tears welled in the little girl’s eyes. She didn’t let anyone see them fall though. Instead she buried her face against the puppy in her arms. “If I go away now, she’ll think I don’t love her. And I love her, Mommy. I love her so much.”

  “Oh, honey.” Leigh pulled her daughter into an embrace. “Ladybug knows you love her. I’m sure she’s already forgotten you were mad.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because that’s how love works. Once love is there, it doesn’t go away because of an upset moment or a problem. Love is much stronger than that.”

  “I still don’t want to leave her. Please can I stay home with her, Mommy?”

  “Of course, you can.” Looking over at him, she mouthed a silent, I’m sorry. Only she had nothing to apologize for. Being a great mom was a huge part of who she was.

  And he was pretty damn crazy about who she was. Every part of her.

  Her eyes widened as he rose and moved toward the front door.

  “Not taking off, just grabbing that thing from earlier, if it’s okay?” At her nod, he stepped out of the house, collected the bag he’d stashed and returned to the living room. “This might tide you over for tonight, Lennox. Until you get to the art store tomorrow.”

  The hug ended as Lennox’s attention landed on the bag hanging from his hand. “What is it?”

  “A couple drawing things I brought over for you.”

  “Why?”

  “Manners, please, Lennox,” Leigh said sharply. “Good ones, this time.”

  “Sorry, Mommy. Sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He set the bag at her feet. “You were sketching when I first met you in your mom’s bakery. She talks about you all the time, about how you love to draw and how talented you are. I was picking up some stuff for work the other day and grabbed a couple extra things I thought you might be able to use. No big deal.” There. No lies told, just a stretched version of the truth and the large omission that he’d already seen lots of her artwork in this house. Including the upstairs bathroom.

  She glanced down at the bag, then offered him the puppy. “Want to hold Ladybug for a minute?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Standing out of Lennox’s line of sight, Leigh smiled at him while mouthing a silent, Wow.

  Hell yeah, wow. Entrusted with the little girl’s beloved puppy at this particular moment—not something he’d take lightly. He held the wiggly bundle of fur securely while Lennox dropped into a cross-legged position on the floor.

  She parted the handles tentatively, then pulled out the sketch pad. “This is a good one.”

  “Lennox.” Leigh sighed. “Manners?”

  “But I haven’t taken everything out of the bag yet,” Lennox said, employing her serious face.

  Rosy pink colored Leigh’s cheeks. “There’s no maximum on saying ‘thank you.’”

  “Babe, it’s fine. Let her finish looking.” The words had barely left his mouth when he realized he’d used the wrong ones. The wrong one, specifically, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

  Not by Leigh, whose eyes went wide enough to see the whites around her pretty gray irises.

  And not by Lennox, currently scrutinizing him from knee level. “Nobody’s ever called Mommy ‘babe’ before. Not even my dad when he lived with us.” Technically, she hadn’t asked a question. But she damn sure looked as if she expected an answer.

  “It’s a pet name I call your mom sometimes.”

  “A pet name? Like when I named Ladybug?”

  Behind Lennox, Leigh covered her smile with one hand.

  “No, that’s your pet’s name,” he said. “Not a pet name.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “You’re right, it doesn’t.” He scrubbed his hand over his hair. This is not the conversation he’d expected to have with Leigh’s daughter today. Nothing about this meeting was what he’d expected. “A pet name is a nickname you have for somebody special. Like when your mom calls you ‘honey,’ that’s a pet name.”

  Lennox nodded, set the drawing pad on her lap and reached into the bag for another item.

  He gave himself an internal fist pump. Another test nailed.

  Withdrawing the pair of pencils and a blending stump from the bag, Lennox turned them over in her hand for inspection. “Mommy calls me ‘honey’ because she loves me. Do you call her ‘babe’ because you love her?”

  It was physically impossible to swallow your tongue, but it su
re felt as if he’d done it.

  “Lennox, that question is too personal to ask someone you’ve just met,” Leigh said, jumping to his rescue.

  Now it was his turn to jump in and rescue Lennox. “I don’t mind answering the question.” With both sets of eyes trained on him, he took a breath and then a leap. “I really like your mom. I haven’t told her I love her, but I’m getting there.”

  Another nod from the little girl, this one as she stood, art supplies in hand. “Thank you for the drawing stuff. I’m glad you really like my mom. I’ll take Ladybug back now.”

  He smiled while handing off the puppy. Watched in silence, with Leigh at his side, as Lennox disappeared up the stairs.

  “I’m so sorry she put you on the spot like that,” she said, facing him as soon as the door clicked closed on the second floor.

  “Don’t be.” He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close, threading his free hand through her silky hair in a way that tipped her face toward his. “I haven’t been at this place in a relationship before, so I don’t know how fast or slow feelings are supposed to develop. But what I told Lennox is the truth. I like everything about you, Leigh. When we’re not together, I’m thinking about you. Constantly. When I’m with you, it’s a combination of turned-on and relaxed and comfortable, all at the same time, all of the time. It’s amazing. You make it amazing.”

  “I feel the same way.” The shine in her eyes was only eclipsed by the smile on her beautiful, kissable lips.

  He dipped down and did just that. Kissed her slow and long, enjoying every second of her sweet taste and softness. Kissing her was never enough, but it’d do for tonight. Their date had taken a drastic turn, but the road ahead looked pretty damn smooth.

  Chapter 10

  LEIGH

  Leigh cast a careful glance at the bodies sharing her couch. To her right—Sam, his arm slung over the back with his fingertips grazing her nape. To her left—Lennox, lying on her side, her head on Leigh’s lap and her arms curled around the sleeping puppy. Even Smokey had joined them, perching on the armrest nearest Sam about ten minutes into the show.

  One movie, then off to bed, that’d been the agreement. Yet, as the finale music began, nobody moved. She didn’t want them to move.

  Not because she wasn’t eager to advance their Friday evening. She definitely was. The reality of single parenthood had taken her newly reactivated sex life from all-you-can-eat buffet to menu-browsing only. And good God, she was hungry.

  They’d get there. Tonight, after Lennox was asleep, Sam would follow Leigh into the bedroom, then they’d lock the door and feast on each other. That was the plan. And they both knew how dedicated she was to her plans.

  Until then, she let the movie’s final song play out as the credits rolled up the screen. Sandwiched between her favorite people, she stroked Lennox’s head while leaning her own against Sam’s shoulder. Bliss, that’s what this was. The life she’d dreamed of and hoped for. The universe had really delivered.

  “Movie’s over, honey,” she said, clicking off the TV when Netflix prompted them to binge-watch more, more, more. “It’s bedtime for you and Ladybug. I’ll take her outside, then bring her up to your room and tuck you both into bed.”

  “Okay, Mommy.” With the puppy in a clinch, Lennox did a classic kid roll off the couch. She kissed Ladybug’s head, then passed her up to Leigh’s waiting arms.

  “I can take her out,” Sam volunteered as she rose. Sam had become part of the Ladybug housetraining team. Since his official introduction last weekend, he’d joined Leigh and Lennox for dinner twice, spending the subsequent evening with them both times.

  In the course of the second evening, Lennox had invited him to partake in their Friday princess movie of the week. A pretty big deal, considering it had been a girls-only activity for the past four years.

  Each time he’d been at the house, he’d stepped in to assist with Ladybug’s frequent trips to the backyard. He’d also set the table, dried dishes and fed the cat. Naturally and easily. He fit in with them.

  She couldn’t wait for him to fit inside her. “I’ve got puppy potty duty this time. Take a few minutes to check all those messages that had the couch vibrating like a massage chair.” A quick check assured her they had the room to themselves. “When we finally get naked alone time, the only thing I want vibrating is your tongue against my clit.”

  “Done.” He hadn’t laid a finger on her yet, but his sexy grin had her revving and ready. “Sorry about the phone. I muted it after the first message, but I should’ve turned it off completely.”

  “You’re a popular guy, I get it.”

  “Hey,” he said, cupping her leg and drawing her between his knees. “I’m your guy. No matter who messages me, I only want to be with you.”

  Kind of out of left field, but sweet. She leaned in and kissed him. A quick one, thanks but no thanks to the squirmy puppy in her arms. “Be right back.”

  SAM

  At the sound of Leigh’s patio door closing, Sam pulled his cell from his pocket. Seven text messages and one voicemail. He dragged his fingertip up the phone screen. All texts sent by the same person—Michelle Sato. Since he rarely got voicemails, he’d bet it was also from Michelle. He just didn’t know why. He was about to find out.

  He opened the lock screen and went to the messages first.

  Hi Sam, it’s Michelle Sato, from the sports nutrition convention in Toronto. Can you message me back as soon as possible?

  Sam, it’s Michelle again. I’m not looking for a booty call or a relationship or to rag on you for ghosting me. Just to talk. Thanks.

  It’s Michelle again. Maybe you honestly don’t remember me. I’d send you a selfie but I’m not looking my best at the moment. Get back to me, please. As soon as possible. If you don’t remember who I am, just say so.

  Hey, is anybody there? Is this still Sam Jacobs’ cell number? I hope so, because it’s important that I reach him. If it’s not Sam’s number anymore, can you quickly reply and let me know. Thanks.

  Just text me back. A quick message to let me know that you’re alive and on the other end of this number.

  Look, I’m not going to tell you I have some horrible dick-shriveling disease. But I do need to get in touch with you.

  Check your voicemail. I really want to talk to you and it’s urgent, but I don’t want to put this stuff in a text. If I don’t hear from you soon, it’s going to be too late.

  Damn, this girl really wanted to get in touch with him. Cryptic messages aside, she clearly wasn’t taking his lack of response as an answer. If he wanted his phone to stop buzzing with notifications from another woman, he’d have to hear her out. Starting with the voicemail.

  He tapped the necessary buttons and put the cell to his ear.

  “Hi, Sam, this is Michelle Sato. I hope you remember me—we met at that sports nutrition convention in Toronto last fall. We hooked up a few times that weekend. I thought it was pretty hot, but I don’t have a base of comparison, so maybe it was crappy sex. Maybe that’s why you didn’t return my text a few months ago. Whatever, none of that matters now. Look, I know I’m about to do a huge number on your head, and I’m sorry for that. I did try to contact you a few months ago, but like I said in my texts, you didn’t answer. So, yeah, here goes. I’m at Grand River Hospital right now, having your baby. Yes, I’m sure it’s your baby. It’s 8:00 p.m. Saturday night, and the nurse just told me I’m fully dilated and ready to push, so this will be my last message. Please come to the hospital so we can talk. I hope you get here before it’s too late.”

  The semi-dark living room might as well have been a black hole. If what she’d said was true… No. It couldn’t be. Not now. Not fucking now.

  After getting the “Hey, you’ve probably got HPV” call, he’d had every test in the book. Been cleared of any and all other possible health issues. Unfortunately, there was no male-oriented test for the possibility of accidentally impregnating somebody. But it had been months since he went wit
hout a condom. He’d thought for sure he was out of the woods.

  What kind of woman waited until she was in labor to announce she was pregnant? Only she hadn’t waited. She’d reached out to him in the spring.

  His cocky player side had seen Michelle’s text with news of relocating to the area and assumed she wanted to get together. A nope for him. He’d deleted her message without answering.

  He could do the same now. Delete and ignore. Pretend he’d never received the messages. Assume she was either lying or incorrect. Forget everything he’d just heard.

  He’d never be able to forget. One way or the other, he had to know. “Shit.”

  “That doesn’t sound promising,” Leigh said as she entered the living room. “Neither does the look on your face.”

  “I wish you weren’t right.” He rose and crossed the room to stand in front of her. Everything he was about to do felt wrong. “A former acquaintance I met at a nutrition convention is in the hospital. She’s fairly new to the area and didn’t have anybody else to reach out to.”

  “Oh, no. I hope it’s nothing serious?”

  Oh, it was serious, all right. Way too damn serious. “From the messages, it sounds like she’s going to be fine. But she asked if I’d go to the hospital tonight to see her.” Since Leigh’s hands were full of puppy, he cupped her face and looked deep into her pretty, honest eyes. “I’m so sorry about this.”

  “That’s sweet, but I’m not upset or angry. Horny, yes. But not angry.”

  Laughter erupted from deep in his chest. Only Leigh could make him laugh like this. “You’re amazing. Thank you.”

  “We’ll have other nights together, Sam. Plenty of them.”

  “More than we can count.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “Considering you’re a math genius, that’s going to be a lot of nights.”