The Billionaire Single Dad

by Mandy Baxter

  “Come for me, Tess,” he growled next to her ear.

  Carter’s jaw clenched to the point he felt the enamel grind. His muscles tensed and his body flushed with heat. He couldn’t hold back the floodgate for another second. He drove harder, deeper, working his hips until he felt the swollen knot of her clit brush up against the base of his shaft. Her pussy clenched and Carter shouted as the orgasm exploded through him. A moment later, Tess’s body went rigid and she sobbed her pleasure next to his ear as she came once again. Her thighs trembled around him and her clit pulsed against his shaft, causing Carter to shudder. Wave after powerful wave crested over him and his breath stalled with the intensity of sensation. His throat had gone bone dry and his thighs burned but he continued to thrust hard and fast, carrying the both of them through their orgasms until they were nothing more than panting breaths and limp, entangled bodies.

  Carter had pushed himself through brutal three-a-days and spent hours in the gym lifting. None of those activities made him feel as completely spent as he felt right now. He shifted the bulk of his weight off of Tess beneath one shaky arm, and his thighs continued to tremble as though he’d just pressed a thousand pounds. His cock pulsed, little aftershocks that caused him to suck in a sharp breath. Tess gently stroked her fingers up and down the nape of his neck and another ripple of chills burst over his skin. A renewed surge of guilt washed through him, rose in his throat hot and thick as he realized that this moment with Tess was the absolute best he’d ever had.

  A knot of emotion lodged somewhere near his sternum and Carter fought the urge to try and rub it away.

  “You okay?” Tess’s voice feathered across his senses, quiet and concerned.

  “Better than okay,” Carter said. “It’s a good thing this is the off-season because I wouldn’t be worth a shit if I had to play right now.”

  Tess continued to tease the strands of hair at the nape of his neck. “My legs are like Jell-O,” she said on a wistful sigh. “I honestly didn’t know that sex could be that good.”

  Neither did he, and it made him feel as though he’d betrayed the only woman who’d ever mattered to him. “You just don’t want to bruise my ego.” He forced the playfulness into his tone.

  “No,” Tess said. “To put it into perspective, that was like the Super Bowl of sex. And you totally won the ring.”

  Carter chuckled despite himself. He kissed Tess’s temple, her cheekbone, the corner of her lips, and then her mouth. They were only two hours into a full day together and already Carter worried that the next twenty-two hours would pale in comparison to this moment. Then again, if that were the case, he’d know for sure that his attraction to Tess was nothing more than physical. Maybe, if by this time tomorrow, he found himself disappointed, he wouldn’t feel the crushing guilt that forced the air from his lungs.

  “We won the ring,” he murmured close to Tess’s ear. That was definitely a team effort.”

  “We won the shit out of that ring,” she agreed.

  Carter smiled against her cheek. He pulled out and a shiver of intense sensation raced down the length of his cock. He instantly missed her heat and the way he fit inside of her. The connection and intimacy that had been forged between them when their bodies were one.

  He rolled off of Tess until he was settled beside her. She scooted close and rested her head against his shoulder, tucking her body against his. Once again, he was struck by how easy it was to be with her. Surely it couldn’t be so simple that he’d fall into an instant relationship with Tess after being alone and 100 percent off the market for almost two years.

  He wasn’t ready for that. He refused to subject the girls to it. He was sowing his oats, that’s all. Scratching an itch that had plagued him for too long. If he convinced himself that Tess was a baby step toward moving on, the guilt wasn’t so bad. Eventually he’d get to a place where he could think about a real honest-to-god relationship with a woman, just not yet.

  If that was the case, why did the thought of leaving Nacogdoches—and Tess—to head back to Dallas cause his gut to bottom out?

  Carter let out a slow breath and forbade himself from thinking of things that did nothing but mess with his head. He glanced up at the half-painted walls and cringed. “I might have to hire a contractor to fix this paint job,” he remarked. “I don’t know if this is salvageable.”

  Tess craned her neck to look at the living room wall behind them. “Nah. It’s good paint. I bet we can fix it.”

  “You’re pretty optimistic.”

  Tess looked at him and smiled. Carter’s chest tightened. “Are you trying to get out of a little hard work?”

  “I think the past two hours have demonstrated that I’m not opposed to back-breaking labor,” Carter teased.

  Tess swatted at his torso. “You’re not funny.”

  “I’m straight-up hilarious,” Carter said.

  Tess reached out and ran her fingertip along the dried paint on his forearm. Carter’s blood raced through his veins and his cock stirred. The gentle caress damned near made him groan. Did she know how she affected him?

  “It’s going to take more than a little soap and water to wash this off,” she said with a laugh.

  “Now it sounds like you’re the one who’s shying away from using a little elbow grease.”

  “No way.” Tess gave an emphatic shake of her head. “I’ve got a loofa in the shower and I’m not afraid to use it.”

  “Is that a threat or a promise?” The thought of getting wet and soapy with Tess awakened a hunger that Carter thought he’d sated. He’d all but fasted for a couple of years. Was it any surprise that he was more than ready to hit the buffet?

  “It’s a promise.” Her husky tone was all the encouragement Carter needed.

  He pushed himself up to stand and brought Tess up with him. She squealed with feigned shock as he scooped her up into his arms. “Where’s the shower?” he asked with a wide grin. “Time to put your loofa skills to the test.”

  * * *

  An intimate shower with Carter? Had she died and gone to heaven? The thought of warm water sluicing down the chiseled muscles of his body caused Tess’s heart to race in her chest. The man had just given her three—one, two, three—of the most intense orgasms of her life and now she was expected to hop into the shower with him and simply wash? Not. A. Chance.

  Tess’s body was deliciously sore, well used and certainly well fucked. If Carter did in fact play football with the same level of skill, she had to assume he had a drawer’s worth of Super Bowl rings stashed somewhere. Despite the warm glow that infused her, Tess’s desire hadn’t slaked. In fact, it only built with every passing second that her body remained in contact with his. Hell, she might be tempted to take him down to the floor for round two before they even made it to the shower.

  Carter paused in the middle of the living room. He looked left and then right. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in this house. I have no idea where I’m going.”

  Tess pointed toward the hallway and Carter hung a left. “I have to warn you, the plumbing isn’t the greatest and the tub is pretty old.”

  He held her in his arms as though she weighed nothing. Tess had never felt so secure and she almost wanted to laugh at the cliché. But there wasn’t anything about Carter that wasn’t 100 percent sincere. She knew that he wasn’t trying to show off, or impress her, or flex his powerful man-muscles for her benefit. It’s just how he was. The man probably had women lined up to date him in Dallas.

  And just like that, Tess’s mood soured.

  Carter had a life away from Nacogdoches and that life didn’t include Tess. He had a job, another house. Kids who had to go to school. He had a family. He was here for only three more weeks and after that, who knew when she’d see him again?

  “Hey.” Tess broke from her reverie to find herself in the middle of the bathroom. Carter studied her, his brow furrowed. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She fought to keep the disappointment from her voice.

/>   “Worried that I’ll out-loofa you?”

  Tess laughed. “Not a chance.” Carter set her down on her feet and he leaned over to turn on the water. Tess’s stomach tied into knots at the sight of the defined muscles that flexed on his back. As though she had no control over her own hands, she reached out and began to trace each one with the pads of her fingers.

  He paused, arms braced on the edge of the tub. Tess continued her exploration of his body, across his shoulder blades, down either side of his torso to where his hips flared out slightly to the curve of his perfect ass. Seriously, Tess was surprised there wasn’t a shrine somewhere dedicated to those cheeks. She cupped said perfect cheeks in her palms before going lower and scraping her nails along his upper thighs. An almost imperceptible tremor vibrated through him and Tess smiled. She loved that she could elicit a reaction from him so easily.

  She leaned in and placed a kiss between his shoulder blades and then another and another down the column of his spine. Tess memorized every curve and bulge of his body with her hands and mouth until her desire for him was once again stoked to a bright flame.

  Steam began to billow from the shower and it quickly filled the room. Tess took a deep breath and held the damp air that already carried hints of Carter’s masculine scent in her lungs. Tiny beads of condensation formed on his skin and Tess leaned in to lick them from his salty-sweet skin. He stood up and turned to face her, his beautiful hazel eyes burning with an intensity that sent a thrill through her bloodstream.

  “I want you, Tess. Again. Now.”

  She was breathless. Her mind went blank. All she could see was this godlike man who looked at her as though she was the only woman on the face of the earth and all she could think was yes! Carter hauled her against him and kissed her as though he couldn’t wait another second for his lips to be on hers. The already-hard length of his cock pressed against her hip and Tess let out a low moan at the thought of having him inside of her again.

  “Do you want me, Tess?” he asked against her mouth. The vulnerability in his words speared her chest. How could a man like Carter ever feel an ounce of doubt?

  “I want you, Carter,” she said. “I want you so bad it hurts.”

  It wasn’t a lie, either. Tess’s body ached from her want of him. He kissed her again. And again. Over and over until they were swept up in a frenzy of lips, tongues, and teeth, hands groping for bare flesh. Their mingled breaths raced.

  He pulled away and Tess let out a whimper. Lord, she was already so addicted to him her body betrayed her with its silly disappointed sounds. “I’ll be right back.” His lopsided grin melted her. “We left something in the living room.”

  She grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. She didn’t want to waste even the few seconds it would take for Carter to go back out into the living room to retrieve the condoms he’d left there. “Top drawer.” Tess inclined her head to the bathroom vanity. When she’d moved out of her and Jared’s apartment, she’d literally pulled out the drawers and emptied the contents into a box. She’d almost thrown the box of condoms away when she’d moved in here and never had she been so glad she’d reconsidered.

  Carter grinned as he pulled open the drawer and ripped one of the condom packets free. He cocked a sardonic brow. “Can’t get back on the horse if you don’t have a saddle?”

  Tess grinned. “Something like that.”

  Carter took her in his arms and kissed her until her world flipped on its axis. The room continued to fill with steam and they’d likely run out of hot water before they ever stepped under the spray. Tess didn’t care, though. They could take a shower later—Carter cupped her breast, his thumb feathered over her erect nipple—or not. Whatever. Who needed to be clean, anyway?

  Ten

  “I can’t believe you even stepped foot in my place,” Tess remarked from Carter’s much larger living room. “Seriously, this house is a palace in comparison.”

  Carter had enjoyed his time with Tess in her bathroom. He’d bent her over, arms braced on the tub, and pounded into her while he cupped her breasts in his palms. She’d come for him again with impassioned sobs that set his own intense orgasm into motion. He had a couple years’ worth of sexual repression to work out it seemed. And Tess happened to be on the exact same page. Afterward, they’d taken a lukewarm shower and managed to get most of the paint off their skin. By then it was late afternoon and Carter hadn’t wasted any time finishing what he’d started—they’d painted the rest of her living room. The fumes drove them out though, and he suggested they go back to his place to cook dinner.

  “Your house is nice.” Carter handed Tess a bottle of Corona complete with a wedge of lime before settling down beside her. “I always thought of Millie’s place as a Nacogdoches fixture. Part of the lake.”

  “It’s weird to think of it as my house,” Tess said. “I like it here, though. It’s quiet and far away.”

  Carter’s brow furrowed. He rolled the bottle of beer between his palms. “Far away from what?”

  “Everything,” she said with a sad laugh. “Life. Jared. Our apartment. The reminder that I hadn’t been enough.”

  The hurt in her voice sliced through him. Tess was beautiful, exciting, sensual, intelligent. How could she think she hadn’t been enough? “The guy is obviously a piece of shit.” Her lips quirked into a half smile. “And whatever happened, I’m sure it had nothing to do with you not being enough.”

  She frowned. “You sure about that?”

  Carter took a deep breath. “I am. If anything, it was him that wasn’t enough. A real man doesn’t cheat. He doesn’t lie. And he doesn’t make you feel as though you’ve done something wrong when he was the one who fucked up.”

  Her smile grew a fraction while the sadness faded from her eyes. “I’ve never met anyone like you,” she said softly. “You’re not what I expected.”

  A rush of tender warmth flooded Carter’s chest. He didn’t want to feel anything for Tess. Couldn’t. He had to think of Jenny and Jane. Of his own heart that was already so goddamned broken it couldn’t survive another crack. “You’re not what I expected either,” Carter said. He curbed the train of his thoughts from where they wanted to go and added, “You’re not half as bossy as I first gave you credit for.”

  Tess laughed, and the sound rippled pleasantly through him. “Don’t be so sure. I can get pretty feisty.”

  He didn’t doubt that. There was more to Tess than what she wanted him to see, though. She guarded her heart with the same ferocity he did.

  “For what it’s worth, you’re not half as grumpy as I gave you credit for.”

  Carter cringed. “I thought that coming out to the lake would be a nice change of pace while the girls were on break from school. I didn’t think that they’d be bored to death. I probably should have taken them to Disneyland instead.”

  “Dude,” Tess said with a grin, “it might be the happiest place on earth, but you would have left a broken man. Rambunctious twins at Disneyland? The staff would’ve had to take you out on a stretcher.”

  Tess hadn’t known Jenny and Jane that long but she already had their number. His girls’ ornery streak hadn’t scared her off, though. She still let them come over to play and she’d cooked them dinner. Bought them toys. Carter rubbed at the knot that formed above his sternum. “It definitely would’ve been a two-person job. Travis thinks I need to hire a nanny to take care of them.”

  Tess ran a fingertip along the mouth of her bottle before bringing it to her lips. Carter was riveted to the simple action, his gaze locked on those lips that had been wrapped around his cock earlier in the day. His gut tightened and he shifted on the couch beside her. Her lips were as soft as rose petals.

  “I honestly don’t know how you’ve done it on your own so far,” Tess said. Her gaze met his, warm and full of genuine concern. “You travel all the time, don’t you?”

  “Up until last year, when I had to leave they stayed with one of my teammate’s wife. They have two kids around the girls�
�� age, and Shari was great about making sure they got to school while I was gone. It kills me, though. They need more stability than this. They need to be able to be home and not carted off and dumped at someone’s house because I’ve got a game in Miami or wherever.”

  “I’m sure they know you’re doing the best you can and that you love them,” Tess said. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

  “I want to do better than my best.” Emotion lodged in Carter’s throat as he spoke past the sudden thickness. “They need a mother, not a nanny.”

  “They need a dad, too,” Tess remarked. “Life isn’t perfect, Carter. Instead of trying to make this change in your lives as painless as possible, maybe you should try to remember that you’re all going through this together. Do you talk to them about any of this?”

  He snorted. “They’re almost six.”

  “But they’re not stupid. They have thoughts and feelings too. Why do you think they built that secret fort where they plotted their escape? It wasn’t because of your football schedule or because they have to stay with someone else while you’re playing out of town. It’s because you were cranky and withdrawn. You guys are a team. You’ve got to bring them into the huddle.”

  Not even Carter’s brothers had put it to him as straight as Tess just had. Travis was all about him hooking up and moving past his one-woman-man status. Nate and Noah were supportive, but neither of them had kids. They helped when they could but didn’t have much to offer in the way of advice.

  Steph used to set him straight. She’d never missed an opportunity to put Carter in his place when it needed to be done. His wife and Tess would’ve been friends if they’d ever had the chance to meet. Carter was sure of it. Steph would have liked her.

  “You’re right.” Carter set his bottle down on the coffee table and dragged his fingers through his hair. “I’ve fucked up with them.”

  “That’s a little melodramatic, don’t you think?” Tess dropped his hand as she scooted closer to him on the couch. Her fingers caressed up his bare arm and heat licked up Carter’s spine. “It’s not like you’ve neglected them or tried to give them away. You’re too hard on yourself, Carter. Try to give yourself a break every once in a while.”