When I got there, I slipped inside, hearing him chatting with Ethan in the living room. I paused for a moment as I kicked off my shoes. They were watching a movie, or… no, I was pretty sure it was video games that they were playing. I fought the urge to roll my eyes, but I found myself grinning.
Of course that was how Dad would play it. He had always been the most stubborn person I knew. Other than myself, but I had learned it from the best. When I told him that I didn’t want the PowerBox in my place, he had brought it over here. And then when he had picked Ethan up after his ski club that afternoon and brought him back here, he had let the boy play.
I should have been frustrated. After all, I had wanted to set down some rules before Ethan went near the gaming console. But I knew also that Dad had been strict with me as a kid and that he wouldn’t let Ethan have unlimited time playing video games. If they were playing at all right now, that meant that Ethan was probably already finished with his homework.
I walked into the living room and cleared my throat to get their attention. Dad immediately paused the game, looking almost guilty. Ethan, on the other hand, looked scared. He immediately jumped to his feet. “Am I in trouble?” he asked.
I blinked in surprise at him and then slowly shook my head. “Of course not, buddy,” I said. “Dad, could we talk in the hall?”
Dad glanced over at Ethan and then gave me a measured, defiant look. This time, I couldn’t stop my sheepish grin, and Dad’s look softened.
“I wanted to apologize for this morning,” I said when Dad had joined me in the front hall. “I know I shouldn’t have talked to you like that. You were just trying to do something nice for Ethan, and I totally ruined it. I said some things that I shouldn’t have.”
Dad shrugged. “It was your prerogative as his parent,” he said, but I could tell that he didn’t believe the words that he was saying. Well, he agreed that it was ultimately my choice, maybe. But he still didn’t think that there was any harm in Ethan having the console.
“I wish that you’d talked to me about it first,” I said. When I saw Dad start to interrupt me, I held up a hand. “But I also know that you were probably right, that if you did talk to me about it first, I wouldn’t have listened to you. And you’re also right about the fact that Ethan is a good kid and that this isn’t going to change that. I still think he needs to get his homework done before he plays games, and I still think that he should only be allowed a certain amount of time playing games. But you were also right that the kid probably needs something to do.”
Dad nodded slowly. “I appreciate that,” he said gruffly.
I glanced towards the living room. “Maybe it would be a good idea for you to keep the PowerBox over here?” I said, even though I knew that Ethan would probably pout if we told him that that was the plan. “That way, the two of you can keep playing together. It sounded like you were having fun.”
Dad snorted. “You’re just saying that because you still don’t want the responsibility of having that thing in your house,” he said. Then, he immediately apologized. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”
I grinned crookedly at him. “You’re probably right about that too, though,” I said.
“I’m not the one that he really wants to play video games with,” Dad said, shaking his head. “My eyes aren’t good enough, and my reflexes, quite simply, are terrible.”
I sighed. “He wants to play with his friends. Which would mean it makes more sense to have it at my house.” It wasn’t that I didn’t want Ethan having other kids over to our house, but with the amount that I worked, I knew that the number of playdates he wanted to set up would exceed the amount of time that I was usually at home. That could be another complication that I hadn’t thought about.
But Dad was looking at me like I was crazy. “I mean, sure, he probably wants to show off his new games to all his friends,” he said. “But more than that, I think he wants to show them all to you. You should have heard him earlier when we were playing the ski game; he kept going on and on about all the things he was going to tell you about it.” He grinned and shook his head.
Then, suddenly, he cleared his throat, looking off to the side. “You were right about some things this morning too. I wasn’t there for you when you were a kid. Not the way that I should have been.”
“Dad,” I protested, because I knew that I never should have said all of that this morning. I never should have critiqued his parenting skills. He had done the best that he could. And he had managed to raise me to be a hardworking kid. He had put up with all my crazy antics back then, too. I couldn’t have asked for better, not really. Although it would have been nice if we could have a real conversation every once in a while.
It appeared that I was getting that wish now, though. Dad was shaking his head. “No, you were right,” he said sternly. “I know that I maybe didn’t do things the way that I should have. And I’m proud of you for not being such a standoffish bastard with your own kid. You make me want to be different for him too.”
He cleared his throat again, while I struggled to come up with something to say in response to that. It didn’t seem right to deny the fact that he had been a ‘standoffish bastard’, not that I ever would have accused him of that in those specific words. But before I could figure out what to say, he clapped me on the shoulder and then headed back into the living room where Ethan was waiting.
I trailed slowly after him. Ethan bit his lower lip when he looked at me, and it was my turn to clear my throat. “Gramps and I were just talking about the PowerBox,” I said slowly. “And we think that it would probably be a good idea to bring it back to our place so that you can play on it there with your friends.”
Ethan cheered and gave Dad another big hug. “But we’re still going to have to play together sometimes because you’re never going to get better if you don’t practice,” he told Gramps seriously, and I couldn’t help laughing.
Dad, for his part, smiled right back at the kid. “Sounds like a deal,” he said, holding out his hand so that Ethan could shake on it.
“We’re going to have to have some rules for the PowerBox, though,” I told Ethan as we drove over to our house and brought the game console inside.
“I know,” he said. “Gramps told me you’d say that. And I have to do my homework first, and I can only play for the same amount of time as I get TV privileges for the week. And I have to listen to you if you want to change the rules at any time. And, um, I forget what else.” He giggled and I laughed as well.
“That sounds like about all of it,” I said, ruffling his hair affectionately as we walked inside.
“And I should maybe let you win sometimes?” Ethan asked cheekily, and again, I burst out laughing.
“Buddy, you don’t have to let me win,” I told him.
“Okay,” Ethan said, but he didn’t sound sure. And true to his word, he kicked my ass three times that night.
“It’s just because you’re used to the controls already, from playing with Gramps earlier,” I protested.
“Nuh-uh!” Ethan said, sticking his tongue out at me. “You’re just bad. Really, really bad.”
I snorted and stood up, scooping him up off the couch. “All right, I think it’s bed time,” I said. “But we can play more another time, okay?”
“Okay,” Ethan sighed, but he didn’t protest as I carried him upstairs to his room and set him down on his bed, pulling a set of pajamas out of his drawer and helping him into them.
I couldn’t help feeling, as I went back downstairs a little while later, that I was happier than I’d been in a while. But it had nothing to do with the PowerBox. Or rather, it sort of did; the conversation that Dad and I had had earlier was one of the most productive ones that we’d ever had.
And it would never have been possible, I knew, if I hadn’t spent the whole day with Bailey. There was something about her that just made my defenses feel weak. Something that made it easier to admit that I had been wrong, and that I’d said things
that maybe I shouldn’t have said.
Not that I planned to start making this a habit. But really, when it came down to it, she was the entire reason for the good mood that I currently enjoyed. I shook my head and tried to forget all about that, but when I closed my eyes, in my bed later, my mind’s eye started conjuring up images of blonde hair and green eyes.
What was it about Bailey that got to me like this? She wasn’t Beth. No one could ever replace my former wife. Even if that had been something that I wanted, it wouldn’t be fair to put that kind of pressure on anyone.
I couldn’t seem to quit thinking about Bailey, though. She had made me laugh more times that day than I had laughed in years now. And I had to admit, she was doing a damned good job of learning as much as she could about the resort. She asked all the right questions, and she really seemed to want to show up. To do the job the right way, to consider all the different sides. To really take over the business.
Not only that, but she threw herself into learning my job. The more tasks I had let her help me with, the more impressed I had been with her. She was smart, and a quick learner. And there was something about her that just…
This time, I rolled over and forced myself to forget those thoughts. Beth’s knowing eyes stared out at me from the picture that still sat on her nightstand. I groaned and reached out to push it down flat on the low wooden table. Normally, it was comforting to have her picture there where I could see it. Like she was still watching over me. I knew that she would have wanted me to move on; she had told me that herself, when it became clear that she wasn’t getting any better.
But tonight, I just couldn’t handle her gaze.
It wasn’t like I could start something with Bailey, even if I wanted to. Which I didn’t, just to be clear. She was intriguing, and as a person, I liked her. But that didn’t mean I wanted to date her or anything. There were just too many complications there. She was my boss, after all. It would have been irresponsible to get involved with her. What kind of example would that set for Ethan?
Not that Ethan would find out about that. My personal life, I knew, I needed to keep totally separate from my life with him. At least until I was serious about someone.
Someone who wasn’t Bailey, I thought again, my cheeks flaming. Yet again, I tried to put my new boss out of my mind. I refused to examine why it was so difficult to do that.
16
Bailey
I couldn’t stop thinking about Adam as I got ready for bed that night. I didn’t know what it was about him that I was so fixated on. To be honest, there was a part of me that expected that spending a whole day with him might cure me of my infatuation for him. Maybe I would see how rude and dismissive he was to me at all times, and it would start to wear on me.
But instead, spending the day with him had done just the opposite. I was still intrigued by him and eager to learn more about him. But not only that, he had really been great the whole day. Oh, I could tell that he wasn’t too thrilled to have me following along with him, but as the day went on, he seemed to get over that. We might not have talked as much as I would have hoped for, but I did feel like we had laid some solid foundations for friendship.
Or something more? That was apparently what my brain was hoping for, if my dreams were any indication.
Adam’s hands were warm as they covered mine, guiding my movements as I worked to fix the hot tub. “Just like this?” I asked, a breathy note to my voice.
“Just like that,” Adam agreed, voice warm and deep. I could feel the words as much as hear them, with his chest pressed up against my back as he leaned around me.
When I turned around, we were close, so very close. I could see every fleck of grey in those blue eyes of his, could feel his breath brush my sensitive lips. My body was quivering with how badly I needed him, and I could see an answering desire in his darkened gaze.
His hand came up to caress my cheeks, and I could see a question in his eyes. I nodded in answer, my skin still tingling with the heat of his touch.
He lowered his lips to mine, devouring me in a passionate kiss, and I moaned as he backed me up against the edge of the hot tub, pressing his body flush against mine. Suddenly, we were naked, his fingers down my side tracing lines of fire along my skin. I shivered and hungrily turned my face up for another kiss.
He laughed at my eagerness, his hands framing my face as he kissed me again. This kiss was soft and gentle, tender even. It said everything that he couldn’t say in his words about how much he cared for me.
“Come on,” he said, tugging at my hand and leading me up the steps and into the newly-fixed hot tub. He pulled my body against his there in the water, his fingers gliding easily across my skin.
I trailed my own hands down his muscular chest, then gave his thick cock a rough tug, watching it twitch with interest while Adam groaned, his head falling back against the edge of the tub. I jacked him off for a moment, watching his expression as I dragged my thumb across his slit I gave my fist a little twist as I worked it along his length.
Slowly, I slid closer to him, knees bracketing his hips against the wide seat of the hot tub. I lowered myself down onto his length, biting my lip to keep from whimpering his name. But I couldn’t help already feeling overcome with pleasure; he fit just right inside of me, it seemed, as though we were made for one another.
I grabbed on to the side of the hot tub, using it for leverage as I started to move against him, rocking slowly up and then dropping quickly back down on his length. I couldn’t help but gasp as he nailed that bundle of nerves inside of me. Again and again, I repeated the motion, and even though I was moving for my own pleasure more than his, he didn’t seem to mind, his fingers grasping my hips and helping me get myself off.
I came hard, choking out a sob, my eyes squeezed tightly shut. It seemed like forever before my pussy quit quivering, before I could meet his bright blue gaze. He locked his eyes on mine as he thrust into me again, and I moaned. His gaze flickered down to my lips, and he kissed me again, one hand coming up to caress my breasts as he did so.
The heat built again in my core, even though I already felt boneless and relaxed from my previous orgasm. Adam was still hard, though, and I could tell he was getting close. I held onto him as he continued to rock into me, quick little snaps of the hips that drove the breath out of my lungs. I whimpered as it suddenly became too much, acute pleasure washing through me, leaving me breathless and mewling even as his hips stilled, his seed filling my hole.
He ran his hands down my back and lightly kissed my jaw, and there was something beautiful about this feeling of intimacy with him.
I came awake with a gasp, aware of just how damp my panties were, how my body was still quivering with unslaked lust from my dream. I fell back against the bed, gasping for air just as my dream self had been. But here, there was no Adam to hold me close, ground me, kiss me. No hot tub, either. Nothing. It was just me, alone in my room, staring up at the dark ceiling.
I blinked as a surprising wave of loneliness and longing filled me. I hadn’t realized how much my body craved that intimacy. I knew, realistically, that I could never allow myself to have that with anyone. And especially not with one of my employees. I could never let things go the way that things had gone for my parents. Slowly drifting apart, ending up lonelier than you had started out…
That just wasn’t the life that I wanted for myself. I’d much rather keep Adam as a friend, nothing more.
Besides, I wasn’t conceited enough to think that he was head over heels for me. He tolerated my presence, that was all. He probably thought that the more he showed me how to do, the less he would have to interact with me. Nothing more.
The thought left me feeling surprisingly depressed. I rolled over, curled my body around a pillow, and forced myself to forget all about the ski resort’s mechanic and go back to sleep.
This time, there were no more dreams.
17
Adam
I watched Bailey out of the corner of my
eye, barely able to concentrate on the lift manual that I had in front of me at the moment. Fortunately, there was nothing majorly wrong with the lifts anyway. Just that same old problem with the chairlift out of the base area, where every time we stopped it, it took a little time to power it back up again. It wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been before, but I was still looking for clues as to why it was happening, so I had decided to consult the manual again.
Not that it really told me much of anything. Nothing that I didn’t already know.
When Bailey had come into the lodge and headed over to the counter to chat with Kayla, it had been only too easy to turn my attention over to the two women.
I couldn’t figure out what was going on with Bailey. When she’d first taken over the resort, she had been so interested in learning whatever she could from me. I thought that day that we spent together had gone really well. But now, I realized that I must have said something wrong. I just couldn’t for the life of me figure out what.
But for the last week or so, Bailey had been avoiding me. She could barely meet my eyes the few times that we had needed to interact with one another, but for the most part, our paths didn’t seem to cross at all.
At first, I was sort of relieved by that. There was really no reason for me to interact with the owner of the resort, after all. Gretchen had been my go-between for years now, and nothing had changed there. However, there was a part of me that felt a little disappointed. Bailey had seemed like she wanted to know everything that I could teach her about the operations of the place so that she could fix things on her own. And it wasn’t that I wanted her to take over my job or anything. It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle things on my own. But I just hadn’t thought that she would be one of those owners who was hands off with their business.
Not that she was, though. That was the thing; she was still interacting with everyone else like normal. She was still going about the place finding jobs that she could do and getting things done. She had had some long talks with the marketing department and came up with some innovative ideas for the coming season, by all accounts, and things were going likewise smoothly for her with the other departments around the mountain.
One Shot At Love: A Billionaire Single Father Romance Page 9