Finding Single Dads

by Destiny, Sam

  “I’m not naked,” I growled.

  She cocked her head. “Not yet.” Katie slipped onto my lap, straddling me.

  If I had a fireplace, I would have stripped her right there. Sadly, I didn’t, and moving her to the bedroom when I wasn’t completely sure that was where she wanted to go seemed weird.

  Instead, I enjoyed the feeling of her lips traveling across my shoulders, my neck, nibbling, licking. She was a woman on a mission.

  I couldn’t believe my plan had worked and I’d seduced her into seducing me, although my speech had been unplanned. I’d meant to thank her, albeit with fewer words, and I definitely didn’t mean to tell her how much I didn’t consider myself worthy of her.

  When she started to roll her hips, teasing me through my jeans, I grabbed her sides and held her still. “Unless you want this, Katie, really want this, you should stop right now,” I warned.

  I wanted it. I wanted it so much, my heart nearly beat out of my chest. I wanted to lose myself in her and remind myself that she was with me, right here, right now.

  She leaned in until our lips were almost touching. “Hayden, if you don’t know by now that I really want this, you haven’t been paying attention.”

  I exhaled. Holding onto her with one arm, I struggled to my feet. It was a little awkward and made her giggle, but at least that loosened the tension some.

  “I can walk,” she explained.

  “No. You’re staying where you are.”

  Cleaning the kitchen could wait.

  Almost the whole world could wait.

  When we entered the bedroom, I put my cell on the nightstand. The only person I’d answer for was Dale, and only because he was watching Cory.

  Placing Katie on the bed, I saw she was blushing, suddenly seeming shy. “Don’t say it’s been a while,” I groaned. I wouldn’t mind, but I always felt pressured the moment I heard that sentence, almost like I needed to up my performance.

  Katie laughed, shaking her head. “I just… I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t put make-up on, didn’t brush my hair after I showered at the hospital. I’m just…me.”

  I gave her a soft smile as I leaned in. “And just you is enough.”

  I pushed up her shirt and kissed my way along the line of her bra before pulling the cup down, my lips wrapping around her rosy nipple.

  A moan fell from her mouth, and I reveled in the sound. It was sweet, tempting, and seductive. I wanted to make her feel good, just like she’d made me feel better during the last several days.

  “Hayden,” she whispered, then gently tugged on my hair.

  I followed her silent plea and met her lips, claiming her mouth, marking her as mine. She held onto me, her nails digging into my back, but I didn’t mind. The small pain kept me in the present and dissolved the nervousness.

  I sat back on my heels and opened my jeans before pushing them down my legs and kicking them off. I kissed my way down her chest and stomach, then opened her pants and pulled them and her panties down, discarding both onto the floor.

  Taking my time, I kissed my way up her left leg, running my tongue over her skin before repeating the same motion on the other side. She’d gotten rid of her shirt and bra, and I couldn’t help but want more.

  Pale moonlight shone into the room, but it wasn’t enough to let me see all I wanted to. I leaned over her and turned on the lamp on the nightstand, while she rose up and pressed a kiss to my chest.

  The warm glow bathed her in golden light, and I ran my hands along every curve of her body. “You are…” I shook my head, at a loss for words. She wrapped an arm around my neck.

  “I can tell,” she replied, her voice soft, then she drew me in, kissing me until my head swam.

  * * *

  KATIE

  The tenderness in Hayden’s eyes was nearly my undoing. There was wonder, surprise, and awe in his gaze, and I had to admit, I’d never felt as beautiful as I did when he kept pulling back to just look at me.

  As if he wanted to remember me forever.

  Not that I wasn’t looking myself because he was a sight for sore eyes. He wore nothing but black boxer briefs, his need for me visible, and I was tempted to reach out and cup him though the material. Almost anticipating my move, he caught my wrist and brought it down next to my head, holding it there as he kissed my collarbone, licking along the sensitive skin.

  Jesus, I sure hoped he had condoms somewhere because, as much as I wanted to be with him, I hadn’t been on the pill in forever, and STDs weren’t a joke.

  Not that I thought there was any risk of that, but better safe than sorry.

  “Where did you go, Katie?” he muttered against my skin, his teeth scraping across my nipple. I arched into him.

  “I was thinking about condoms. If you’re not prepared, I’m going to regret having to stop this whole thing.”

  He chuckled against my skin, which I liked…a lot.

  I knew some people viewed sex as the most serious thing out there, but if you didn’t have fun in bed, could laugh at some point, were you really having a great time? Or were you just going through the motions?

  When he reached for the nightstand, I licked his chest, running my tongue across his nipple and causing a shiver to race through him, his hard length pressing into my stomach.

  He sucked in a breath. “Fuck, Katie. If you keep that up, this will be a very short experience,” he muttered, handing me a condom he’d taken out of the drawer.

  “Then we’ll need more than one of these to have repeat performances,” I replied, biting his skin and easing the sting with my lips.

  He pushed me back onto the bed and ran his tongue between my breasts, over my stomach, and right to my core, making me gasp.

  He circled the tip of his tongue around my clit, and I reached for something to hold onto, finding his hair.

  His hands grasped my hips, holding me in place while teasing and licking me, making me whimper. I needed more friction, needed to come right that second or I’d lose my mind.

  “Hayden… God, please,” I whispered over and over, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he pushed to fingers into me, finding me wet and ready for him.

  He knew what he was doing, and I couldn’t remember ever having been on the edge as quickly as I was today. I couldn’t decide if I wanted to come around his fingers, riding out the first wave before taking my time with him, or just demand he enter me.

  I didn’t know what I wanted. I just knew I needed something.

  “Talk,” he whispered against my core, the air hitting my sensitive skin, making me shiver. “Tell me what you want.”

  “Make me come.” I wasn’t used to voicing my needs, but I liked it, liked the way he hummed in appreciation.

  “How, babe? How do you want me to do that?” He licked up my core lazily. That definitely wasn’t enough.

  “Kiss me…hard,” I demanded. He found the sensitive bundle of nerves and bit it softly, making me cry out.

  At that moment, I was so glad Cory wasn’t home.

  “Oh, Katie,” Hayden murmured, his fingers teasing and tormenting me, bringing me back to the edge of the cliff. His tongue, his fingers, the slight scruff from a long day…

  That was what finally pushed me over the edge, his name a whispered prayer as I trembled. Emotions and need coursed through me.

  Slowly, lazily, Hayden kissed his way up my body. When he reached my lips, I could taste my own arousal on them.

  Hand shaking, I reached between us until I found his boxers, his pre-cum soaking them. My hands frantically tried to get rid of them while he kissed me, not letting me move enough to get him naked.

  “This was about you,” he muttered against my lips.

  “Well, I want you naked right now. I need to get my hands on you, feel you. I need to… I want to…” God, I wanted to make him feel as good as I was, but he seemed to be totally at ease—except for the pressing hard-on in my hand.

  He finally lifted his hips enough for me to push down the offending material
and wrap my hand around his erection. I stroked him a few times, making him quiver.

  I didn’t want him to come in my hand. I wanted him inside me, wanted me wrapped around him.

  I wanted us to be one.

  * * *

  HAYDEN

  If she kept moving her hand like that, I’d make a mess. The way she’d come undone, her body so damn responsive, had my dick hardening to the point of pain. I’d been tempted to stroke myself, just to ease a little of the need, but I’d meant what I said.

  This was about her…but she needed me to come. Well, who was I to deny her that?

  Before I knew what she was doing, the foil pack was between her teeth. She tore it open, taking the condom out and rolling it onto me. As much as she’d been trembling just a minute ago, her hands were steady now.

  “You really want this, Katie?”

  She cupped the back of my neck and hooked one leg around my hips, drawing me where she wanted me.

  “Yes.” She kissed me, her tongue delving into my mouth.

  The head of my cock nudged her entrance. Since she was still wet, I slipped in easily in one long, hard stroke.

  I gasped into her mouth, holding still. She wasn’t tight, like all those books made you believe, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t a perfect fit.

  At least for me, and that’s all that matters, right?

  “Move, Hay,” she urged, rolling her hips until I could hardly think.

  “I want to, just… One fucking second, Katie. This is too good to rush.”

  She giggled, then kissed me again. “We have all night to repeat this,” she promised. Although I knew she was right, I couldn’t help but think I had to make this, this first time, count.

  “Maybe, but we won’t be able to repeat our first time,” I whispered, brushing some strands of hair out of her eyes while slowly starting to move. She tried to rush me, but I didn’t want that. I held her eyes, kissing her lips every now and then. I couldn’t help but think that no one had ever touched the parts of me Katie was touching.

  There was anger inside me, always had been. A kind of fury I’d never been able to cure.

  Leah had been like a Band-Aid, but underneath, the wound had festered. I realized now that Katie had started to heal it. She touched that anger I had for years and made it less potent.

  God, Katie. I think I love you.

  The words were on the tip of my tongue as my spine tingled and pleasure threatened to take me under. I didn’t know if I’d muttered them, but when I came, her body tightening around me, teasing me for more, my mind was pleasantly blank for the first time in years.

  KATIE

  I’d expected to feel different the next morning, less worried, but I didn't. He was tender and held me through the night. Jesus, even the way he looked at me, spoke to me...

  Everything about last night had been perfect, yet I couldn’t help but watch him while we ate breakfast. I couldn’t deny that he was sweet. He’d gotten up before me and had cleaned the kitchen before making me waffles.

  “Thought this through, did you?” I teased. He’d clearly planned on me being here for breakfast. “What if I had turned you down?”

  He shrugged, shoving another bite of waffle between his beautiful lips. “You would’ve stayed anyway. I wasn’t out to seduce you, Katie, no matter how it looked. I wanted you to come to me.” He took my hand across the table and kissed my knuckles. “I wanted it to be without pressure, without having to fear anything. In fact, all I wanted was for the two of us to be able to relax. I don’t know. I guess part of me wanted to see how you and I could’ve been…”

  I knew exactly what he meant. If he didn’t suddenly have a child, could we have been a couple? “Are you worried I will turn you down? That I won’t want you because you now have a kid?” I asked in utter disbelief.

  “I don’t know, Katie. I’m sure you planned to have your own family one day. Instead…” He shook his head. “You know, it doesn’t really matter because Cory is here now. You’re not bound to him.”

  I put down my fork and withdrew my hand from his grip. “That might be, Hayden, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t what you planned, either. You must’ve wished for something different, too.” I had no idea what his plans for the future had been. “If Leah hadn’t put your name down on the birth certificate, would you have ever talked to me? Would you have considered having a family some day? Did you actively want to get married?”

  I waited for him to say something, to explain how we would’ve gone on had the baby not brought us together, but it took exactly one look at his face to know he had no idea what he’d wanted.

  “I wanted to be happy, Katie. I didn’t have a plan on how I’d achieve that,” he explained, then stood. “I was okay, you know? Hanging with Leah, occasionally having a few beers with the guys... I was content enough to not change that. If we had started talking and you and I had become something, maybe my plans would’ve changed. However, you know what they say about plans and fools.” He winked at me as he left the room.

  “Hayden, would you have hit me up eventually?” I called after him.

  I heard him chuckle. “Would you?”

  Touché.

  I didn't think I would’ve talked to him any sooner than he would’ve talked to me. I stood. I wanted to see him while we discussed this. I found him standing near the kitchen sink, his hands braced on the counter, head bowed, his back on display for me. I’d left marks on his skin the night before, and as much as I searched for regret inside me, I couldn’t find it.

  I stepped up to him, kissing him between the shoulder blades. I had no idea what we now were, how he’d classify us, but it didn't really matter because we didn’t need to put a name on it.

  Yet.

  “No, I wouldn’t have,” I admitted, wrapping my arms around his stomach. He took my hands, kissing both my palms.

  “Because?” he asked. I rested my head against his back, listening to his heartbeat. It was erratic.

  “I never thought it could work, and before you say it, it wasn’t about you. It was me. I didn’t think I could be in a relationship, what with my shifts and all. I didn’t think anyone would want this, even without a child. I didn’t think I could get it to work.” Until there’d been no other choice. “Why didn’t you ever talk to me? What stopped you?”

  He swallowed and took a deep breath. Something about hearing his voice while having my ear to his skin was even more soothing than usual. “I didn’t think someone as beautiful and smart as you deserved someone like me. I’m a simple guy. I like my football, my beer, and I enjoy sex, but I’m not the nicest guy out there.” He smirked. “And I know you know I get needy when I’m drunk.”

  I chuckled. “You mean the times you asked Sarah to marry you just because she took you home?”

  He’d never forced himself on her, and I knew he never would, but I’d heard more than enough about the way he’d make puppy-dog eyes and ask her to live with him forever. Of course, he usually topped that off with the comment that this way, only one house would be lived in. I knew he was adorable when he was drunk because he often tried to flirt, thinking he was the biggest hotshot out there—when, in reality, he was more like a teen stumbling around as he asked for his first date.

  “Yeah,” he replied, finally turning and wrapping me in his arms.

  “Maybe you just asked the wrong woman,” I commented, not meeting his eyes.

  “And you would’ve married me on the spot?” he asked, his tone incredulous.

  I shook my head against his chest. “I would’ve told you to call me when you’re sober and ask me out for dinner before we’d get anywhere near an altar.”

  He kissed my hair. “I wish I would’ve asked you then.”

  Boy, I wish that, too.

  * * *

  HAYDEN

  I drew Katie closer, wishing I could change everything up to that point.

  I should have done more with other people. Not that I would have cut out Leah, but I sh
ould have focused on others, too. I never knew how much my life revolved around her until she wasn’t there anymore.

  All the chances I’d missed with Katie because I’d been certain Leah and I would just find someone by walking into a bar, or that Leah would walk up to Katie and just tell her I liked her.

  Clearly, Katie and I knew about each other, had noticed each other, yet here we were.

  “I wish I would’ve spoken to you before, would’ve changed the course of our lives.” Then again, chances were high she’d have broken up with me the moment Leah would’ve put my name down.

  Then again…

  Damn, these what ifs don’t get me anywhere.

  “We still have years to come, Hay,” she whispered.

  I pressed another kiss to her hair, staying quiet.

  With everything I planned, I wasn’t sure if she would run the other way.

  Then again, why should I care if she did? She was either in or she wasn’t.

  “Hayden,” she prompted, pulling back to meet my eyes. “We do have years, right?”

  I gave her a soft smile and kissed her lips, then whispered, “Leah thought she had years left and look what happened. I’m not making promises. However, I meant to discuss something else with you.” I checked the clock on the stove, realizing Dale would soon be over with Cory.

  It was hard to believe, but I missed the kid. Had last night. I’d woken so many times in a panic, thinking he’d stopped breathing, only to remind myself that he wasn’t there.

  “Yes?” she asked, her voice quiet.

  I pressed my lips against hers, lingering a moment. She tasted amazing, tasted of herself, waffles, and the syrup I’d practically drowned the food in. “I wanted to go out with the guys tonight. Would you mind watching Cory? I promise, I’ll be home before midnight. I won’t be drinking, but there’s a game on. I just… I really would love to go out again.”

  Katie’s expression relaxed a little as she pushed up to her tiptoes, silently demanding another kiss. I gave it willingly, then she nodded.