by Kendall Ryan
Her eyes meet mine. “You really want to discuss this now?”
She has a point. Her hand is inside my underwear. Is this really the time to negotiate things between us, and risk the possibility of her walking away? But I have no choice.
“Go out with me.” The words tumble from my lips. I turn her face toward mine and press my lips to hers. “Please.”
Without missing a beat, she nods. “Okay. One date. For old time’s sake.”
My relief is instantaneous. Then Corrigan wraps my aching dick in her fist and treats me to a slow stroke.
“I should probably warn you . . .” I’m breathless, desperate, and can hardly get the words out. “I haven’t had sex in a very long time.”
She gives me another confused look. “How long?”
It doesn’t even occur to me to try to hide the truth from her. “Since before Grier was born.”
Shock is written all over Corrigan’s face. I can tell my answer surprised her.
The media in New York dubbed me the penthouse prince. Wealthy . . . handsome . . . one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. But the truth was so different. I’m a single dad, not the playboy everyone assumes.
I don’t date. But I want Corrigan to be the exception to that rule . . . if she wants to be.
“Then this is going to feel really good.” Her mischievous smile returns, and my head drops back onto the sofa as her hand begins to move.
“Oh fuck . . .”
With two fingers under her chin, I tip her mouth toward mine and devour her with kisses. With my other, I help Corrigan shimmy out of her shorts. She’s sitting on my couch now wearing only a bra and a pair of panties, and she looks good enough to eat.
But since her hand is still moving inside my boxers, I return the favor, touching between her legs, circling her clit as she moans and shifts closer.
Miraculously, she seems to remember exactly what I like—firm, quick strokes—and much too soon, I can already feel myself edging closer to my climax.
When I put my hand over hers, slowing her, she meets my eyes with a look of confusion. “That feels so good. But I’m going to make a mess,” I say on a shaky exhale.
Without a word, she slides to the floor between my parted knees and brings her mouth to my swollen cock. If I was worried about embarrassing myself before, with the wet heat of her tongue on my cock, now it’s game over.
I gather her hair in my fist and watch her work, her mouth moving over me in slow, languid kisses and sucks. It’s erotic and sexy, and wow, I still can’t believe she’s doing this.
“That’s it.” My voice is a rough pant.
I reach down to touch her breasts, pinching one nipple through the thin fabric of her bra. I feel her shocked little gasp vibrate around me.
“Fuck. Corr—” I groan. “Gonna come.”
She eases her mouth down, swallowing me as I erupt. The feelings of pleasure are so intense, a bolt of white light momentarily blinds me.
When she rises to her feet, I pull her forward until she falls into my lap, her knees pressed into the cushion on either side of my thighs. It’s the perfect position to tease and touch and linger over all of my favorite spots.
I tug down her bra, exposing her breasts, and capture one perky tit in my mouth. And when I sink two fingers deep inside her, Corrigan begins to unravel.
I haven’t forgotten a thing. The way she feels, the sounds she makes, the things she likes. When I find the spot that makes her moan, she begins riding my hand, little jerks of her hips as she seeks her own release. And then she’s almost there—right on the edge. One more kiss and she comes apart, her body trembling as the waves crest over her.
Satisfied and breathless, she melts into my arms, resting her cheek against my chest. We just fit—her soft, sensual body against mine. I can feel her heart throbbing as she rests against me, and a smile lifts my lips.
This is so not what I planned for tonight, but I can’t deny how happy I am at the change in plans. I don’t want this moment to end, but all too soon, it does. She climbs from my lap, straightening her underwear and bra, and begins to get dressed.
We finish our drinks as the credits roll on the movie.
“I guess we missed the ending,” she says, glancing at the screen.
I smile. “We did.” And it was so worth it.
When I walk her to the front door, Corrigan doesn’t linger. I want to kiss her good-bye, but she’s already opened the door and is stepping outside, digging inside her purse for her key fob.
“I’ll call you about that date,” I say as she wanders down the stone path to her car, which is parked under the swath of light coming from my garage carriage lights.
“Good night, Lexington,” she calls up to me.
“Night, Corrigan,” I say, just before she slips into the driver’s seat.
17
* * *
CORRIGAN
Last night was one hundred percent not what I expected.
Showing up at Lex’s house uninvited was a bold move, I admit. But what I thought would be a quick handoff of a present for Grier turned into a very grown-up game of truth or dare, a steamy hookup session, and a date for tonight.
Yeah. Life comes at you fast sometimes. I’d like to thank courage, bourbon, and Terminal Honor 3.
Now I’m digging my date-night wedges out of the back of my closet for the second time this week, and I can’t help but think of how proud Sarah Jo would be if she knew. Two dates in less than seven days, and I didn’t even have to resort to that silly dating app she was pressuring me to download.
Sure, the first date was about as romantic as a flaming dumpster rolling down a hill, but even that night served its purpose. One night with Mr. Wrong opened my eyes to what I really need in my Mr. Right. And if my gut feelings are right, Mr. Right may also be Mr. Right in Front of Me.
I guess I’ll find out tonight.
Setting my wedges down on my bedroom floor, I step into them one at a time, trying to ignore the pinch on my pinkie toes. Less than an hour of wearing these bad boys the other night, and I still managed to develop the worst blisters of my life. That’s how out of practice I am in the high-heel game.
I try out a few tentative steps, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from cringing at the pain. Power through, Corrigan. It’ll be worth it to see the look on Lex’s face when he sees how amazing my legs look in these.
Speak of the devil, my phone buzzes on my nightstand, and when I totter over like a newborn baby deer to check it, Lex’s name flashes on my screen, causing my stomach to squeeze into a tight little ball.
Gosh, I’m so lame. One unexpected round of sexy time on the couch, and suddenly I’m acting as giddy as I did back in high school. But all that giddiness turns into panic when I read the two-word message he sent.
Bad news.
No, no, no. This can’t be happening. After all his failed attempts to ask me out, I finally said yes—and now he’s going to be the one to call it off?
Panic rises in my throat as I sit on the edge of my bed, typing out a string of question marks. Instead of a text back, my phone buzzes with an incoming call. It hardly vibrates once before I pick up.
“Hi, what’s wrong?”
My mind races in a thousand panic-driven directions. Is it Grier? Or his Mom? Or maybe he’s changed his mind and decided we’re too dangerous together after all.
There’s a muffled sigh from the other end of the line. “Grier’s sick,” he says, sounding defeated. “I’m so damn sorry. It’s nothing serious, just a runny nose and a cough, but with Mom’s weakened immune system, I can’t risk having her over there.”
A long sigh of relief leaks from my lips. Thank goodness. A case of the sniffles is a lot easier to deal with than the worst-case scenarios I was imagining.
“Maybe we can reschedule?” he says with the tiniest bit of hope in his voice. “She’ll probably be over this in a couple of days, maybe a week, tops. Rain check?”
My chest squ
eezes as I remember what he shared with me last night. How he hasn’t slept with anyone since before Grier was born. I may think my dating life is difficult, but he’s the one who’s responsible for another human being. Add taking care of his mom to that to-do list, and it’s no wonder his love life has been nonexistent. I’m not about to be just one more thing he has to juggle.
“Rain check declined,” I say firmly, kicking off my wedges and jumping to my feet. “Because we’re still having our date tonight.”
Lex pauses, and I can practically hear his brow furrowing through the phone. “Corrigan, I can’t just leave Grier on her own in—”
“So I’ll come over,” I say quickly, wedging my phone between my ear and my shoulder. “We’ll order takeout and watch a movie. Maybe we’ll actually even pay attention to this one.”
The line is quiet for a long moment, but when Lex eventually speaks up, his voice is hesitant. “You . . . you wouldn’t mind that?”
“Of course not. I think that sounds like a perfect first date. And to be honest, I really, really didn’t want to wear those heels tonight anyway.”
A groan rumbles low over the line. “Jesus, no fair. Now I’m picturing your legs in heels.”
“I hope for your sake Grier isn’t within earshot right now,” I say, scolding him with a smirk tugging at the edges of my lips.
“Don’t worry, she’s resting in her room,” he says with an easy laugh. “I’ll save the dirty talk for when you and I are alone.”
Once we hang up, I hang my dress back in my closet and change into denim cutoffs, a slouchy pink tee, and a pair of comfy sandals that my feet instantly thank me for. Then it’s a quick, familiar drive across town to Lex’s, where the door swings open before I even get a chance to ring the bell.
“Hey there, gorgeous.”
In dark-washed jeans and a fitted black tee that hugs his shoulders just right, Lex looks way too good for a man who’s been taking care of a sick two-year-old all day. In fact, I’d say he was date-night ready, if not for the toddler snot smeared on his shirt. And, of course, the grouchy-looking Grier propped on his hip.
“Can you say hi to Corrigan, love bug?” He bounces Grier a little to get her attention, and she manages half a smile and a tiny wiggle of her fingers. Then it’s right back to zombie mode, complete with a sad little whimper.
Poor thing.
“Looks like someone’s about ready for b-e-d.”
As if on cue, Grier sniffs twice, then yawns. Yep, it’s lights out for this one.
I follow Lex inside and straight up to Grier’s room, where the usual mess of toys is now joined by a full-blown kiddie pharmacy. There’s a big purple bottle of cough syrup on the dresser and, oddly, a box of fruit snacks next to it.
Lex must notice me eyeing them and quickly offers an explanation.
“She’ll only take the cough syrup if I give her those afterward.” He nods toward the fruit snacks, then shakes his head. “What can I say? The kid drives a hard bargain.”
“Gummies?” Grier perks up between sniffles as her dad tucks her in. She’s only recently graduated from the crib to a big-girl bed, and I can’t help but smile at how sweet and small she looks snuggled up under the light pink quilt.
“No, sweetheart. You already did your medicine. You’ll get more gummies tomorrow. Now, what story should we read?”
Without even glancing at her bookshelf, Grier blurts out the answer I’ve heard a half dozen times. “Dwagons Play Dodgeball!” It’s immediately followed by a coughing fit.
“Cover your mouth, honey,” Lex says gently. “Like this, see?” He demonstrates by fake coughing into his own elbow, and Grier mimics him exactly, right down to the pattern of his coughs. It’s pretty darn cute, to be honest. Like father, like daughter.
“Quick learner, as always,” I say, pulling the familiar blue board book from the shelf and handing it to Lex.
A proud smile breaks out across his face. “Yep. That’s our girl.”
As quickly as the words come out, his eyes deepen with instant regret.
Not his girl. Our girl.
There’s a long, awkward silence as he takes the book from me, but instead of addressing his slipup, he ignores it, sliding in under the covers next to Grier and starting the story.
Meanwhile, another story is playing in my head. A very different story. One where Grier is ours, not just Lex’s. And to my surprise, it’s not as scary of a thought as it should be.
“Cor?” Lex looks up at me with an easy smile. “Do you want to join us?”
Yes. In every way.
Lex guides Grier to scooch over a bit, making enough room for me on the edge of the bed. Even in her zombie state, she insists that I get under the covers too, tugging at the sheet until I oblige.
“Grier sandwich,” I say with a laugh, cuddling in extra close. “Now, where were we?”
Two and a half reads of Dragons Play Dodgeball later, Grier is finally sound asleep. It takes some light gymnastics for us both to get out of bed without waking her, which only leads to more laughter that we have to muffle, but we eventually make our escape without her batting an eyelash.
Before long, we’re back in the same spot on the couch as last night, this time with a bottle of wine and two take-and-bake pizzas Lex rustled up from the back of the freezer.
“Thanks again for being so flexible about tonight.” Lex smiles as he pulls an extra-large piece off the pizza stone and plates it for me. Despite his ten years in New York City, the man hasn’t lost the “ladies first” manners they teach us down here.
“It’s really no big deal,” I say, accepting the plate and lifting the slice to my lips. There’s still steam rising off it, so I blow a cold stream of air along the hot, gooey cheese, looking up just in time to catch Lex staring at my lips.
“You know how kids are. One second she’s bouncing off the walls, the next . . .” He takes a deep breath, rubbing the tension out of the back of his neck. “That one is unpredictable.”
“Some of the best things in life are unpredictable,” I murmur, blinking up at him with a knowing look.
He responds with a soft, easy chuckle. “Yeah, I’d say a lot of good, unpredictable things have been coming into my life lately.” He pauses, his gaze momentarily dipping down to my legs. “Speaking of which, I want an IOU on seeing you in those heels.”
My eyes can’t help but roll as I try and fail to suppress a smile. “Don’t act like you’ve never seen me in heels before.”
“I don’t think my senior prom over a decade ago counts,” he says. “Plus, your dress covered them anyway.”
I nod, setting my plate on the coffee table and grabbing a napkin for each of us. “I still can’t believe Dak bought that we went just as friends.”
“Listen, you know I love Dak like he’s my own brother, so it’s with nothing but total respect that I say this.”
Lex pauses, his eyes darkening as he glances around the room, as if there were anyone around to hear him. Then he leans in close to me, like we’re a couple of high schoolers gossiping in the back of study hall.
“Your brother?” he whispers behind a cupped hand. “He can be kind of a dumbass.”
A laugh explodes out of me, loud enough that I have to smack a hand over my mouth to keep from waking our little patient upstairs. Once I get myself under control, I give Lex a playful shove with both hands.
“You’d better hope I never tell him you said that,” I finally manage to say on a strained laugh.
“Yeah?” Lex lifts a brow in a challenge, shifting closer to me on the couch.
All at once, the mood changes, the sexual tension between us as thick as the humidity of an August night. He reaches toward me and tucks back a loose strand of my hair, causing my goose bumps to run wild as the pads of his fingers linger on the tender skin behind my ear.
“Well,” he finally says softly, his tongue sweeping over his lower lip. “You’d better not tell him about this either, then.”
Slidin
g his fingers to the back of my neck, he draws me into him, closing the space between us with a slow, open-mouthed kiss that sucks the air right out of my lungs.
Holy God in heaven, this man. One kiss from him, and I’m putty in his hands.
He coaxes my tongue into his mouth, sucking and massaging it with his, and I moan into him, planting my hands against his firm chest. It’s all I can do to find some semblance of balance in this moment where I feel like I’m totally and completely falling.
When he pulls back, it’s only a fraction of an inch, barely enough space to catch his breath as he grabs my hand and lowers it from his chest to his zipper. The kick of his erection against my palm sends a gasp tumbling from my lips.
“Do you want this?” He growls, tilting his hips against my hand.
“Y-yes,” I stutter. “But here?”
“Bedroom.” He pulls away, nodding toward the staircase. “It’s next to Grier’s room, though. We’ll have to be quiet.”
“Our parents never caught us back in the day, right?” I remind him. “I think I have plenty of practice in keeping quiet.”
He chuckles, running one hand along the scruff on his cheek. “Yeah? Well, I’m going to try to make it as hard on you as I can.”
Dropping one last kiss on my neck, he pulls me up from the couch and straight upstairs to his bedroom. Despite all the time I’ve spent in this house the past few weeks, this is my first time in Lex’s room.
But now is no time to look around. My eyes are fixed on the man in front of me, who’s peeling off his shirt and backing me against his bed. No sooner have I sat down on the edge than Lex sinks to his knees, freeing me of my shorts and panties in one swift motion.
“Please,” I beg, my voice a harsh whisper as he plants infuriating kisses along my inner thighs.
“Hmm?” His calm blue eyes gaze up at me, content to watch me lose my mind each time his lips brush against my skin. “You want something?”
“You,” I say on a sigh. “Please.”