Daddy Next Door - The Complete Series Box Set (A Single Dad Navy SEAL Romance)

by Claire Adams

  “How long were you married?” she asked. I studied her carefully, but she seemed relaxed rather than on the offensive, so I relaxed, too.

  “Sixteen years,” I replied. “But we were together for a few years before that. She was my high school sweetheart.”

  “Ah, I see,” Emily nodded. “Was it an amicable breakup?”

  “Hmm, I guess you’d have to ask Remy about that one,” I said dryly. “By the time we split up, we both wanted out. I think we just grew in different directions and couldn’t find a way back to the middle.”

  “Yeah, that happens,” she nodded.

  “What about you?” I asked. “Have you been married?”

  “Oh gosh, no!” she laughed, but stopped when she saw I was serious. “I’m sorry, the thought of me being married is just…funny. I’m not sure I’m cut out for that kind of arrangement.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked, wondering what had happened to her that had put her off the idea of marriage.

  “I don’t know,” she shrugged. “It’s just never been something I thought could work for me. Or at least not the versions I’ve seen.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Emily clammed up as the server returned with our coffee and dessert, and by the time we were alone again, I could feel the mood had shifted. I thought about trying to pick up the conversation where we’d left off, but Emily had moved in a different direction, so I let it go.

  “How did you get interested in firefighting?” she asked. “I mean, your parents are academics, so it would seem logical that you’d follow them into teaching or something, right?”

  “Yeah, that makes sense, but the bottom line was that they always saw themselves as public servants,” I said, trying to explain my parents’ life philosophy. “They told Brian and me that no matter what we decided to do, we had the responsibility to leave the world we live in better shape than we’d found it. That message always resonated with me, so when I realized I wasn’t as interested in book learning as I was in getting out there and doing more physical things, I chose the fire department.”

  “Why not the police force?” she asked.

  “My mother forbid it,” I laughed. “She said she could handle knowing that I was running into burning buildings to rescue people, but she couldn’t live with me carrying a gun every day at work.”

  “That seems…” Emily began.

  “Yeah, it seems crazy, doesn’t it?” I laughed.

  “No, actually, I kind of understand her reasoning,” she said. “I’m not sure I agree with it, but I can see how a mother might think that way about her child.”

  “I don’t think I was cut out for police work, anyway,” I admitted. “I don’t have the patience to do what they do on a daily basis.”

  “But you do have the patience to sit around a firehouse all day and night waiting for something to burn down?” she teased. I could see a smile forming at the edge of her full lips, and at that moment I wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her.

  “Hey, we do important things like community outreach and…” I hesitated as I searched for something else we did that felt substantial. “And we cook!”

  Emily burst out laughing, and I quickly followed suit. As she laughed, she reached out and touched my hand, and I felt a jolt of electricity pass between us. Emily must have felt it too, because she stopped laughing and gave me a surprised look. The relaxed atmosphere surrounding us suddenly felt charged, and I knew she felt it, too.

  “You ready to go?” I asked, hoping that I wasn’t reading her expression wrong.

  “Uh-huh,” she nodded, as she held my gaze. I quickly signaled the server for the bill as Emily excused herself and went to the ladies’ room. By the time she returned, I’d gathered our coats and helped her into hers. As we walked out to the valet, Emily slipped her hand into mine and squeezed it tightly. I said nothing as I returned the squeeze.

  We held hands on the drive home, but neither of us said a word. I wasn’t sure what was going on in her mind, but I knew that I’d kick myself later if I spoke and ruined the mood. I could feel the tension between us, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right time to bring it up.

  I walked Emily to her door, and as I opened my mouth to tell her what a great time I’d had, she reached up, wrapped her arms around my neck, and pulled me down so that she could kiss me. The warmth of her lips pressed against mine set every one of my nerves tingling, and when she pulled back and said, “Want to come inside?” all I could do was nod.

  Chapter Twenty

  Emily

  As Blake nodded his response, I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the house. All evening I’d been wavering between wanting to make the first move and waiting for him to make it. On the drive home, I had made the decision to give him a small window of opportunity and if he didn’t use it, I would.

  In the hallway, we frantically tugged each other’s coats off and then made quick work of our clothes. I could feel my heart beating faster as Blake pulled my dress over my head to reveal the lacy blue bra and panties that matched the color of my dress.

  “Whoa,” he said, as he inhaled sharply. “You’re…amazing!”

  I smiled as I undid his tie and made quick work of his shirt buttons. I pushed his shirt off his shoulders and murmured, “You’re pretty amazing yourself, you know.”

  I ran my fingers down the smooth curve of his chest and heard him swallow a moan as I circled his nipples with the tip of my nail and watched as they hardened under my teasing. I tipped my head up and smiled as he bent to kiss me and felt his fingers slip into my hair. When he pulled my head back and ran his tongue down my neck, it was my turn to stifle a sigh.

  His hands slid lower, and he pressed me against his body as I wound my arms around his neck and kissed him harder. With a flick of his fingers, he undid the hooks on my bra and slid the straps off my shoulders. I let the blue lace drop to the floor as Blake pulled back and cupped my breasts, taking his turn at teasing my nipples with his thumbs.

  “Oh God,” I moaned, as he squeezed them into rigid nubs. I grabbed his arm, turned toward my bedroom, and said, “This way. Now.”

  Blake followed me down the hallway to my room, where I pushed him down on the bed and quickly straddled his hips. His eyes were wide with surprise as I leaned down and kissed him hard. He didn’t protest when I grabbed his hands and pushed them up over his head, holding them down on the mattress.

  “My way first,” I whispered into his lips as I began grinding against him, feeling his stiff erection rubbing between my legs.

  “Jesus H. Christ, lady,” he inhaled, as I moved my hips back and forth, enjoying the pressure against my most sensitive spot. I smiled as I increased the tempo and leaned back down to kiss him again.

  He pulled his hands free and grabbed my hips as he sat up and flipped me over on my back. He chuckled at the surprised look on my face as he looped his fingers over the edge of my panties and yanked them down.

  “Now it’s my way,” he said, as he ran his hands over my bare skin and slid one hand between my legs and began slowly stroking the sensitive skin with the tips of his fingers. I arched my back and moaned as he slid two fingers between my wet, aching lips and began running them from top to bottom, stopping to tease my slick opening before sliding back up again.

  “Blake…Blake…” I panted, as he continued tracing his path between my legs, driving me toward a state of arousal that I’d never before felt.

  “You want more?” he whispered into my lips before kissing me deeply. I could only nod in response. I felt him shift on top of me and then spread my legs apart before he pressed the tip of his shaft just inside me and then held it there for what felt like an eternity.

  “Oh God, Blake, please…” I moaned loudly, as I reached around and grabbed his hips, trying to force him deeper inside me. He looked down at me, smiled, and then with one swift motion, he thrust deep inside me — and then stopped.

  I cried out in frustration as I thrust my
hips upward trying to make him move, and as he looked down at me, I could see the beads of sweat dripping off his forehead.

  “You’re killing me,” I said through gritted teeth, as I strained to move under him.

  “Nah, not killing you,” he grinned. “Just making you want it more than anything you’ve ever wanted.”

  “I do!” I cried, as I struggled against the pressure of his body on mine. “I’ve never wanted anything this bad in my entire life!”

  “You sure about that?” he asked, as he pulled back an inch and then thrust deep again.

  “Oh Christ,” I groaned. “I’ve wanted you all week! I wanted you from the minute you picked me up for dinner! I wanted you the whole ride home! What else do I have to do to prove it?”

  “Mmmmm, I like to hear you tell me how much you want it,” he murmured, as he gave me a few short thrusts, which elicited several low moans.

  “Blake, please,” I begged, as he slipped a hand between us, pressed his thumb against my swollen clit and began gently massaging it.

  “More?” he asked. “You want more?”

  “Oh God, you have no idea,” I whimpered.

  “I think I do,” he whispered, as he pulled his hand from between us, propped himself up on his forearms, and began a series of long, deep thrusts that made me feel like every nerve in my body was on fire. I could feel him hard and deep as he massaged my inner walls, hitting my G-spot with every stroke.

  I reached out and grabbed his arms as I bent my knees and planted my feet, thrusting my hips up to match his rhythm. Soon we were pounding against each other, searching for a shared climax that was just out of reach.

  Blake pulled back and sat up, grabbing my legs and bending me almost in half, and I gasped as he entered me again, this time at an angle that I knew was going to drive me straight over the edge. He bent my legs as he pushed into me with short, quick strokes and forced a low moan from somewhere deep inside me. He let go of one leg, and returned his thumb to my clit and began stroking again.

  “Oh God, Blake!” I cried, as the combination of thrusts and stroking took me past the pleasure into the realm of ecstasy, and I let go as I tumbled into my orgasm. Blake continued his rhythm until I heard him groan, then he bent forward and in a few quick strokes he followed my lead, and I felt the warm rush of his release.

  I wrapped my arms around him until the last waves of pleasure receded. He slid out of me and reached for the blanket I kept folded at the end of the bed, pulling it over both of us as he pulled me to him and kissed me softly.

  “That was intense,” he said, as I snuggled under his arm against his side. Unable to find the words to express myself, I simply nodded and then tipped my face up so that I could kiss his jaw. He looked down at me and smiled, “I’m glad you agree.”

  “I definitely do,” I smiled back. He bent and kissed me again before he lay back and closed his eyes, letting out a contented sigh.

  “I wasn’t sure it was going to be as good as I remembered it being the first time,” Blake said quietly. “I felt bad, like I’d taken advantage of your situation, but you were so sexy…I couldn’t help myself.”

  “Yep, nothing like playing the damsel in distress to turn a guy on!” I laughed.

  “Is that what you thought?”

  “No! I’m teasing you, silly!” I laughed harder. “If I’m honest, the day of the fire was the culmination of weeks of wondering what you’d be like in bed.”

  “You’re kidding me,” he said, turning to look at me.

  “Nope, I was hot for you after the parent-teacher conference, but since making a play for a student’s parent is seriously frowned upon by the school district, I thought I’d just burn my house down and see how that turned out,” I said, grinning up at him.

  “You’ve got a sick sense of humor,” he said with a smile. “It’s one of the many things I like about you.”

  “Mmmm, I like how warm you are,” I said, resting my cheek against his chest as he stroked my hair. “I could get used to this.”

  “Me, too,” he murmured, as he kissed my head. “But don’t get too comfortable. I hate to say this, but I’ve got a curfew.”

  “A what?” I laughed.

  “I’ve got a teenage curfew,” he repeated. “I’ve got a teenager at home, so as much as I’d like to stay here next to you, I’ve got to go sleep in my own bed tonight.”

  “This is horrible!” I laughed harder. “This is not how adults are supposed to roll!”

  “I know, right?” he grinned. “When I was Nina’s age, I thought that once I got my own place, I’d never have to be accountable to anyone ever again!”

  “All right, well, it is what it is,” I said, propping myself up on my elbow. Blake reached out and cupped my chin, pulling me back to him for a kiss.

  “Well, I don’t have to go just yet,” he murmured, as he pulled me on top of him.

  An hour later, I stood at the door waving goodbye as Blake pulled out of the drive. I walked back in the house and saw Howard perched on the arm of the chair staring at me.

  “Oh no you don’t,” I warned. “You don’t get to be judgmental about my private life. You’re a cat!”

  Howard blinked once and hopped down off the chair, headed into the kitchen, and stood next to the food bin and meowed. I sighed and went to fill his bowl, then stood watching as he sniffed the food before walking away.

  “It’s not a competition, Howard,” I called. He didn’t turn around, only swished his tail and kept walking. I shrugged, knowing that Howard was going to have to deal with his issues on his own since Blake was a keeper.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Blake

  I hadn’t been happy about having to leave Emily’s warm bed to return home to a moping teenager, but I pushed the frustration away and did the responsible thing. Nina had been asleep when I got home, and when I finally pulled myself out of bed, she was still snoring on the other side of her bedroom door.

  I went into the kitchen to make coffee and start breakfast, and saw that more snow had fallen while I was asleep. I wondered if Emily was up yet, and then smiled as I wondered if she was thinking about me, too.

  “I’m not a lovesick schoolboy,” I muttered, as I poured the first of many cups of coffee.

  “What did you say, Dad?” Nina yawned, as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, rubbing her eyes.

  “I said, I’m pretty sure your mother and I had a child so that we’d never have to shovel our own driveway or mow our own lawn,” I replied, as I pulled the eggs and bacon out of the fridge and held them up with a questioning look on my face.

  “Haha, very funny, Dad,” Nina said, nodding. “You’re a laugh a minute.”

  “I’m not kidding,” I replied. “The driveway needs shoveling.”

  “Before breakfast?” she asked incredulously. “I’m not even dressed yet!”

  “I didn’t realize that shoveling snow required preparation time,” I said dryly. “I thought it was just a matter of pulling on some sweats, boots, and a coat.”

  “Oh my God, you are so…I can’t even,” Nina said, holding up a hand before walking out of the room.

  I quickly whipped up breakfast, but by the time I had the plates on the table, Nina had gone back to sleep. I ate breakfast by myself and listened to the news, wishing that Emily were here to enjoy it all with me. I told myself that I could call her after I’d shoveled the walk and drive, so I put on my winter gear and headed outside.

  I was halfway done with the sidewalk when Jake and Kathy walked over and started talking.

  “Hey, Blake! How was your Christmas?” Kathy called. She was dressed in skin-tight leggings and a red parka. Normally, that would have been enough to set my motor racing, but today I looked at her in a new light and couldn’t find the attraction.

  “It was good. Spent it with Nina and my parents,” I said, tossing a shovel full of snow onto the lawn and bending down to scoop up another. “How was yours?”

  “It wasn’t bad,” Ja
ke said, giving Kathy a pointed look. “But it could have been better, couldn’t it have, sweetheart?”

  “Oh, indeed it could have,” she giggled, as she turned toward me and winked. “We’ve missed you, Blake.”

  “Yeah, well, that’s nice of you to say,” I said, feeling uncomfortable. “I’m glad you had a good holiday.”

  “Something wrong, buddy?” Jake asked, with a worried look.

  “No, nothing’s wrong, it’s just…” I trailed off, trying to think of how to tell them I wasn’t interested anymore. “I met someone over the holiday.”

  “Ah, I see,” Jake nodded. “Well, that’s great! Bring her along and we’ll finally have a foursome!”

  “I don’t know that she would be into that,” I nodded, bending down to scoop another shovelful of snow so that I could avoid having to look at either of them.

  “Are you sure, Blake?” Kathy asked, as she moved closer and unzipped her jacket enough to show me she wasn’t wearing anything underneath it. “Why don’t you ask her?”

  “Um, I’m not sure we know each other well enough to go down that road yet,” I said, looking away uncomfortably. I was pissed at myself for not just saying no, but there was something about keeping my options open that appealed to me. I wasn’t ready to close the door.

  “Okay, well, when you find out, you know where we live,” Kathy said, as she patted my butt before turning and walking away.

  “Remember, every answer is a no if you never ask!” Jake called, as he followed his wife back to the house.

  I finished up the shoveling and headed back inside to find Nina sitting at the table staring at her stone cold breakfast. I shook my head as I shed my winter gear and waited for her to say something.

  “Dad, this stuff is cold,” she said, looking at her plate and up at me.

  “I know, I fixed breakfast an hour ago, but you decided to sleep rather than eat,” I said, pouring myself another cup of coffee. “Put it in the microwave and warm it up.”

  “That’s disgusting!” she protested.

  “Then you can make yourself a substitute breakfast,” I said, as I searched the counter for my phone. I found it under a stack of unopened mail.