Coming in Handy_a Single Dad Romance

by Emilia Beaumont

  The apartment was practically spotless. On the edge of the couch was a pile of my clothes, the surfaces had all been wiped down and the clutter that had been on them had vanished. There was also a mouth-watering smell in the air that had me searching for the source.

  My eyes went to Anna again. She stood at the stove and I joined her, leaning against the island counter. God, she was amazing, not only had she tidied up after my lazy ass but somehow she’d managed to cook something from whatever I’d had left dying in my fridge… unless she’d gone out?

  “Did you do all this?” I asked with wonder. Getting her attention, she glanced at me as I gestured to the clean room. She nodded. “And you cooked too? Wow, thank you. I didn’t expect this.”

  I honestly couldn’t remember when I’d last had a home-cooked meal.

  I went to the fridge opened it and stared inside. It was bare as I remembered it. “Did you go outside to the market?”

  Anna stirred the contents of the saucepan, nibbling her lip as she looked at me then quickly her gaze darted away. There was a slight shake of her head. I frowned, I had a sense that she was lying to me about going out. But why would she need to lie? Then I remembered she didn’t even have a key. I was jumping to conclusions, seeing deception when there wasn’t any. She was just nervous. She’d done a good thing with the meal. There was no need to interrogate the poor woman.

  “You know, it’s okay if you go out. I just didn’t think you would want to, your first day and all. Not alone anyway. I don’t want you to get lost. And just so we’re clear… Anna, look at me.” Reluctantly she did and I stepped forward. “You’re not a prisoner here, and you’re certainly not here to tidy up after me, though I do appreciate what you’ve done today.”

  She shrugged as if what I was saying was inconsequential. God, I hoped she understood what I meant.

  I slipped a hand into my jacket pocket and held out my hand. “Here, see. You can explore whenever you want,” I said as I handed over the duplicate keycard I’d picked up from the concierge. She took it cautiously and clutched it her chest. “I probably need to get you a map too… or even better a phone. That way you won’t get lost and can always find your way back home when I’m at work. Yes, that would probably be best, I’ll make sure my secretary, Josephine, picks you up one. Sorry, I didn’t think about it sooner.”

  Anna rewarded me with a smile.

  I lifted a finger, pointing it in the air before slipping it inside my internal jacket pocket. “Oh, and I mustn’t forget this either. Your spending money. As we agreed?”

  I handed her the envelope. Her eyes were so full I thought I was going to fall into them at any moment, lost within their depths.

  Tears spilled down her cheeks freely as she looked inside, then her hand went to her sensuous mouth. Anna’s gaze moved from the stack of bills up to me, then back down again as if she couldn’t believe the amount I’d just handed to her. Suddenly she launched herself forward, arms circling my neck, pulling me into the most satisfying embrace.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her breath hot on my neck, hair tickling my nose.

  I wrapped my arms around her waist and completed the hug, and once my arms were around her, I never wanted to let go. I squeezed her closer, feeling her small body pressed up against mine. The friction between us driving me wild. God, she smelled so good too, like I was bathing in a vat of vanilla ice cream. I almost forgot myself and licked her neck to see if she actually tasted of cream.

  Anna pulled back a little, cheeks pink and rosy. Her gaze traveled up, lingering for a second on my mouth, then found my eyes. She was still holding onto me, just as I was to her, her arms wrapped around my neck, and on tiptoes too.

  I wouldn’t have been surprised if a whole hour had gone by while we stared at each other like that, my heart thudding, pounding so hard and fast that I thought I was in danger of passing out. Anna’s lips parted as if to say something more, glancing away then back up at me through her long eyelashes.

  Then without me initiating anything—even though I desperately wanted to—she pulled down on my neck, stretched upwards and our mouths met.

  I groaned with need, want, and everything in between. I tried to forget how good our first kiss earlier that morning had felt, didn’t want to give it the attention it deserved, because what if it had just been a fluke? What if what I was feeling wasn’t real?

  It was all too soon, too fast… things like this didn’t just happen. Besides, there was still Sarah to consider, and yet I didn’t let go of Anna. Couldn’t force myself even if I’d wanted to.

  Now I knew for sure it wasn’t a fluke. The tingles and sparks exploding through every nerve ending were proof of that. Not to mention my growing hardness that pressed against her tight little body.

  The room filled with sizzling noises, a hissing, and I almost broke our kiss distracted by the sound. The whole place could’ve burned down while we were entangled. It was only when Anna’s eyes sprang open and she pulled back, her chest heaving, breath heavy, battering against my lips that I realized what the noise was.

  Anna freed herself and stumbled like a party-girl who’d had one Solo cup too many back to the stove. The pan lid rattled, spitting out boiling projectiles, as the pasta water bubbled over.

  “Shit,” she said under her breath and began to turn knobs, removing the pan from the heat.

  “I’m sure it’ll still taste amazing,” I said moving to stand behind her. Brushing her hair away from her neck I bent to kiss the delicate spot behind her ear. I couldn’t help myself, I longed to have my hands all over her. Wanted to touch her and never stop. Anna giggled and squirmed away from my grasp, doing her best to dish out the food she’d cooked while I pawed her. Finally, once the spaghetti and sauce, pieces of chicken, with torn hunks of mozzarella were in the bowls she turned to me, giving me a no-nonsense glare.

  “We eat now.”

  I held my hands up, then tucked them behind my back, a safe distance away from her body. “Honey, I hope you’re a fast eater… cause if you’re not careful, I’m going to devour you right here in the kitchen.”

  Anna blushed, two incredible bright circles of pink appeared on her already-flushed cheeks. They were like neon signs.

  “After dessert?” she crooned in her sweet accent, and followed it up with a saucy wink. I thickened immediately and forced myself to take a step back from her, moving to select a suitable bottle of wine to go with our meal. It was either that or fling the bowls aside, paint the walls red with the tomato sauce, and lay her on the table, peeling her clothes off and tasting every morsel of bare flesh that was revealed.

  I uncorked the bottle and grabbed two glasses, then followed Anna to the circular dining table I almost forgot I had. The last time I’d seen it was when I first moved in. Since then I’d mostly used it as a handy dumping ground, a clotheshorse, a place to scatter unopened bills.

  Anna had already taken time to set the table. There was even a small makeshift vase, a large tumbler, with what looked to be, at first glance, creamy artificial flowers in it. There were a dozen or so of the blooms.

  I nodded to them as I brought the wine over, pouring her a glass first. “Where did you get the flowers, surely not in the apartment?”

  Anna tilted her head, a secretive smile playing on her lips. Her tongue darted out to lick the bottom one then she plucked one of the flowers out of the vase. Before my eyes she began to unfold it, delicately smoothing out and peeling back the fabric. I followed her movements, mesmerized. What had once been a white rose, now lay flat on the table. Creased and a little rumpled was a serviette.

  “Wow,” I breathed. “You did all those? Can you show me?”

  Anna took a long sip of her wine then began to form the rose once again. In seconds the serviette was transformed as if by magic and placed back into the vase with the others.

  “You’re amazing, do you know that? I barely know you, but you are.”

  She blushed again, hiding behind her wine glass.
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  My body moved before my mind could register the movement. I wasn’t thinking. That ability had long been obliterated from the moment I saw her. All I knew was I had to have her. She had to be mine.

  I was by her side, looking up at her, my knee tucked under me. I pulled the box out of my pocket. It gave a small creak as I opened the lid and presented the contents to Anna.

  “This is crazy…” I took a breath. If there was a time to turn back, it was then. I could forget the whole thing, send Anna back home to Russia. I’d figure out some other way to get a date for Gerard’s wedding. Yet somehow, everything had become confused. A hot jumble of emotions.

  The moment I’d bought the ring, thinking it would only be temporary, a way to convince Anna that this whole charade was real, something had changed. I’d poured over the cases in the jewelers, all the choices of rings for the best part of an hour… if this weren’t real I would’ve picked the first one I’d glanced at, right? Instead, I needed to find the right one. The perfect ring. And I had.

  “Anna, we barely know each other, but somehow, in here, that doesn’t feel like it matters… Will you marry me?”

  Chapter Ten

  Anna

  He was nuts. Yet, there I was falling for him. It didn’t matter that I’d only know him for a day, or that my brain was telling me I was being ridiculous. I longed for his hands to be all over my body. To experience that spark, again and again.

  My mouth popped open as I stared at the engagement ring he’d presented me. And hell, he was down on one knee too.

  A million thoughts flashed through my mind. Sebastian was all in… this was what he wanted, clearly. The huge twinkling diamond was proof of that. Not to mention bringing me all the way from another country. He wasn’t messing around, that was for sure.

  But could I say yes? Could I knowingly agree to marry him and then break his heart when I walked away? Here he was looking up at me with expectant warm eyes practically handing me his heart on a platter… and god, I so wanted to take it. Lock it up and keep it forever.

  His touch had melted my insides, his kiss lit fires, stoking the heat until I thought I was going to pass out. There was no doubting we had a connection. It was off the charts and instantaneous.

  But this… slipping a ring on my finger would be the final step to making it all come true.

  Focus, Anna, I told myself and tidied away thoughts that could get me into trouble, remembering I was here purely for one reason, and one reason only: my gran. That was the whole point of this crazy plan, right? Get his money and get out. So what if I damaged his ego a bit… or his heart, I thought with a wince. He looked like he could get over a little heartbreak, especially if what his ex had said at the airport was true.

  I heaved in a breath, my gaze darting from the ring to him. He was still looking at me with hopeful puppy dog eyes. Who was I kidding? I couldn’t resist his proposal, couldn’t stop myself from pretending this was real. He wanted me, a pseudo-foreign, crazy woman who’d traveled all this way, from another country, to be with him.

  My hand trembled, reaching out to stroke the stubble that grazed his jaw. He was right there for the taking… and I wanted him.

  I began to nod before the words left my mouth. “Yes,” I breathed.

  The smile that erupted on his face almost rivaled the dazzling twinkle from the precious stone. Sebastian took my hand and carefully slipped the ring on. It fit like it was meant to be there. A sign that we were meant to be. Wayward, negative thoughts tried to claw their way into my mind, clamoring for attention: I bet you could get a pretty penny for that shiny bauble, it said wickedly. But I didn’t have time to push them away, for Sebastian was pulling me into an embrace, his lips finding mine and obliterating all and any naughty thoughts. Except for the dirty ones that were in charge now, at the wheel, in the driver’s seat.

  I was lost in the moment, kissing him back, wrapping my arms around his neck as he lifted me up and carried me to the sofa.

  Sebastian nuzzled my neck, trailing his lips downward, parting and undoing my shirt as he went.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Anna,” he whispered as his steady gaze bore. “I can’t believe this is happening. That you want to be mine. That you came all this way. For me.”

  My fingers teased his short hair, as he dived in for another kiss, our tongues meeting each other, desperate for contact. I moaned, trying to remember every detail of the moment. Wanting to catalog the smell of his musky body, the taste of his mouth on mine.

  Everything was moving too fast, I had a hard time processing it all, but I never wanted it to slow down.

  Sebastian began peeling down my leggings, running his hands down my legs as he went. I bit my lip watching him as he worked at stripping me. Finally, they were off, and he flung them across the room. He loosened the knot of his tie. This was getting serious, I thought with a smirk. His eyes flashed with desire as he tracked my gaze, running down his chest as slivers of his hard muscles began to appear. Before long I was staring at his torso, laden with knots of glorious hardness, sculpted and defined. I could’ve looked at him all day, but the pulse between my legs demanded that I waggle my finger at him, beckoning him back to where he belonged, on top of me.

  My skin tingled. I shuddered with pleasure, his hands teasing, working me into a frenzy. The whole world disappeared, there was only him and me… nothing else mattered. And if I thought it couldn’t get any better, I then felt his hardness pressed up against my thigh, trapped and seeking my heat.

  He shucked off his pants as if thinking the same thing. He found the edge of my underwear, fingers skimming my skin, driving me wild. I wanted to scream at him to rip them off, for him to drive into me with wild abandon. But I couldn’t trust myself to speak and for it to come out the way it needed to… I still had a disguise to maintain. Instead, I nipped my tongue between my teeth.

  Sebastian’s panting breath washed over my body as his lips scorched every bare surface he licked and tasted. Splaying a hand under my bra, he pushed up, my breasts exposed for the first time for him to see.

  He sucked in a breath, caught my eyes for a second then smirked. He moved closer, wrapped his lips around my nipple and sucked it up into his mouth. I arched my back, the sensation rippling throughout my body, lightening a match at my core.

  I pressed his head against my breast, hungry and eager for more of what he was giving me. He didn’t displease and through smiling lips, teased my hard nub with his tongue, playfully skimming his teeth, then drawing it back into his hot mouth again.

  Down my waist his hand skimmed, brushing against my knickers again. This time he didn’t stop at the barrier. His fingers navigated through my short curls, barely grazed my clit—tormenting me—then slipped between my waiting sodden lips. I let out a blast of hot, needy air and lifted my hips, pushing myself against his hand. Oh, but he was a devil, he knew exactly what I wanted but enjoyed torturing me with grazes that never quite made contact with my impatient nub.

  “Anna, I want you… right now,” Sebastian breathed as he plunged two fingers inside me. Even if I wanted to reply, I couldn’t. All words had vanished from my head, sound caught in my throat, unable to escape. I could only concentrate on the pleasure he was driving into me. My pelvis moved on its own accord as his forearm tensed, his thick digits invading my channel, deeper and deeper.

  My eyes sprang open, shock appearing on my face—like I’d just been hit with lighting—when he tapped my clit, volatile and unstable… If he kept doing that, I was in danger of screaming his name out loud, at risk of giving myself away. I bit my lip instead and clawed my nails into his back, pulling him closer.

  Swallowing my nerves, I formed my mouth into the correct position, thickened my tongue and whispered back, “Take me.”

  Sebastian groaned, his movements becoming more forceful, spreading me wider as he continued to bring me closer to the edge with only the touch of his fingers.

  My hands trailed down Sebastia
n’s chest and lower, bumping over his taut abs to get to the one muscle I craved. He hissed as I made contact with his enormous bulge, tentatively stroking his length. His movements within me faltered, I’d thrown him off his rhythm, but I was perfectly okay with that, the look on his face, blissful and needy—for me—was reward enough.

  Becoming bolder, not content with just feeling him through his silky boxers, I tucked my fingers down between his waistband and took his thick length into my hand. Grasping lightly, skimming my cupped palm upwards.

  He stiffened and murmured a moan against my breasts. “Fuck, Anna… if you don’t stop, I won’t be able to.”

  “No stopping,” I replied meeting his gaze. I knew what I wanted. I was a grown woman, with needs and a mind of her own. It had been a very long time since anyone had touched me like this. Stroked me like I was an overdue library book, not wanting to give me up, or give me back. And I wanted him as much as he wanted me, and there was no thought of turning back or putting on the brakes.

  I pulled him closer, rubbing the head of his cock against my mound, breathless and buzzing with anticipation.

  Sebastian settled himself between my legs, spreading me wide, bracing his arms on either side of my head. He then lowered his hips, his cock nudging against me again but this time slipping between my folds. I held my breath, then let out a gasp as he breached my entrance. My skin was alive, and it felt like I could feel every inch of his advance. Kissing me as he sank himself deeper, he went slowly, stretching my walls to accommodate his girth. His tongue found my lips, parted them, and slipped inside too, filling me.

  Slowly he began to draw out, then with a ravenous look in his eye, suddenly bucked, thrusting hard. An involuntary cry burst out in a breathless exhale as my body responded to his treatment. He felt deliriously good; I had a hard time imagining this was real, that I wasn’t having an incredible wet dream, but Sebastian dispelled that notion with another hard lunge. The pressure at my core began to swell, blooming and opening. I needed more.