Red Hot Stakes: A Steamy Single Dad Romance

by Madison, Mia

  This time, it was Gabi who squeezed my hand, sympathy in her eyes. “I can see why that would’ve been very difficult for her, but—”

  “Don’t blame her, Gabi. Blame me.”

  “I can’t do that, because I see what kind of father you are now.”

  “The kind who lets his kids run wild and fall in a lake?” My tone was mild, but I was only half-joking.

  “The kind who gave up his job, the only career he’d ever known, to care for his kids. The kind who has an incredible play area for them in the backyard. The kind who lets them eat birthday cake before dinner.”

  I smiled softly at that last one, mesmerized by the intensity of her gaze. That had happened the first time I’d met her when the twins had invited her for their birthday dinner. That night when they said I should marry her. They’d seen something in her that I hadn’t—something that I was just now beginning to appreciate.

  “I… I don’t know if I’m doing a good job or not. I’m just doing it the only way I know how.” The honest words fell easily from my lips. Something about Gabi made me want to tell the truth.

  She shifted on the bed, scooting an inch or two closer. “You’re the most important person in the world to them.”

  Unable to stop myself, I let go of her hand and slid my fingers up her soft arm, pushing her hair out of her face. Her eyes never left mine as her rosy lips parted.

  They looked so damn inviting. I couldn’t stop staring at them.

  And then my body was unconsciously accepting the invitation. I moved closer to her and touched my lips lightly to hers. Her body melted into mine, her hand going around my waist. Instinct took over and I pulled her close.

  I kissed her properly this time, pressing my lips against hers and teasing her with my tongue. She moaned softly as I stroked down her arm and over her curvy hip, her skin sizzling even through the denim.

  Despite our difference in size, our bodies fit well together. She burrowed tightly in my embrace as our kiss deepened. Every time she moaned, I could feel the vibrations where her soft breasts pressed against my chest.

  My cock grew and I shifted my hips away, not wanting her to feel pressure, not wanting to focus on anything except this amazing kiss. For right now, it was enough. The urge to take her was strong, but I wasn’t going to do anything to make her feel rushed.

  Plus I wasn’t about to ruin the best kiss I’d had in years.

  Her hand ran through my hair, her touch sending shivers across my scalp. But when she wrapped her leg around mine, pressing her core closer to my erection, I knew it was time to pull back—even though part of me didn’t want to.

  Most of me didn’t want to.

  But this young woman had come into my life—and my family’s life—and had done everything in her power to make us happy. I owed her too much to let my hormones take over.

  I pulled away gently, tugging at her lower lip until it slipped out of my mouth.

  She looked dazed, her eyes unfocused, her hand going up to touch her swollen lips. Then she smiled up at me.

  The youthful joy on her face reminded me how important it was to do the right thing. She was a beautiful, kind-hearted young woman who deserved more than an older man pawing at her. Still, her smile nearly undid me. When was the last time a woman had genuinely smiled at me, let alone in bed?

  “I shouldn’t have done that,” I said softly, but I didn’t stop stroking her hip.

  “Maybe we both needed it?”

  Her words were soft and breathy. It made me want to kiss her again, but I couldn’t risk it. If I took things any further, I might not be able to stop.

  Reluctantly, I pulled away, ignoring the tightness in my pants. “We can’t.” I sat up, swinging my legs over the side, moving away from her.

  She sat up, too, tucking her legs to the side. “Why?”

  That one word tugged at my heart. To know that this remarkable young woman was interested in me was quite the compliment. But it couldn’t be. “Because of the kids. They’re too invested. Hell, they already proposed to you on my behalf. If they think we’re dating, they’d get their hopes up. They’d have too many expectations. They’d think we were going to—” I stopped abruptly, unable to say the word marriage. I’d been down that road and it had ended so badly that I wasn’t entirely sure I was over it five years later.

  Gabi nodded, her dark curls bouncing around her head. Her hair was messed up from the pillow, but the bedhead look worked for her. It worked for me, too, and my cock twitched again. But I knew this was the time to think with my brain, not my libido. “I’m sorry, but it’s for the best.”

  “I don’t want to do anything to hurt the twins. Not ever.” Her voice was still quiet. “But they like me, and—”

  “And think of how devastated they’d be if we went out a few times and broke up? How do you think a relationship would fare under that kind of pressure, Gabi? I like you, but I’m not looking for the same things they wished for on their birthday.”

  She nodded again and climbed off the bed. “I understand.”

  I could tell she didn’t, and that I was hurting her. But better to hurt her now than to hurt her more later. Or worse—to hurt her and the kids. “They’ve been through so much… I just don’t want to do anything to cause them any more pain.”

  “I get it,” she said, her voice a little stronger. “Do you mind if I take off? Kait’s getting off work early today so that we can work on the house…”

  “Sure,” I said, groaning inwardly. How the hell had I fucked this up so badly? In trying to protect my kids, I’d probably just chased off the young woman who made them so happy. Who made me so happy.

  Gabi gave me instructions about the leftovers in the fridge, but I didn’t take in what she was saying. And when she left a few minutes afterwards, I couldn’t help watching her leave—the way her curls danced on her shoulders. The way her hips swayed from side to side. The way she walked purposefully as if determined to hold it together.

  That was all I was trying to do—hold things together. It hadn’t been easy, especially at first. When my ex had left, I’d known nothing about caring for the kids. It was like learning to be a father and getting to know my own two children all at the same time. I’d had help, mostly from my mother-in-law of all people. She’d been loyal even when her daughter hadn’t. But still, the burden had fallen on me, and only then did I realize how much I’d shirked responsibility before. How much had been on my ex-wife’s shoulders.

  But I’d managed. I’d learned. I thought I was doing okay even after my mother-in-law moved away. It was true that my writing took up a lot of my time, but I thought the kids and I were okay—until Gabi came along. In a few short weeks, she’d made me see what my kids had been missing in their lives. And maybe also what I’d been missing.

  The most irresponsible thing I could do now was to let Ava and Brandon count on something that could be taken away. And if I let myself indulge in my feelings for Gabi, it would end. How could it not? She was a bright, beautiful young woman with her whole future ahead of her. I couldn’t give her what she needed. What she deserved.

  Still, it was a tempting thought. I wanted to get to know her better. To find out what gave her such a cheerful outlook on life. She’d had a lousy job. From what I’d seen, the house she shared with her roommates was falling apart. Yet until I’d hurt her just now, she was the sunniest person I’d ever met. How did she do that—and was it something I could learn?

  Speaking of sunny dispositions, the front door opened and Ava and Brandon stormed in, talking excitedly about their day, their classes, and the art project they’d been working on. I went into dad mode, listening to them and asking questions.

  I’d do anything to protect them. Anything to keep them from harm.

  After they went out to play—disappointed that Gabi wasn’t here—I retreated to my office, but I couldn’t focus on my writing. At all. The thought of Gabi lying next to me in the bed consumed me. Her warm lips, her shapely curves, t
he sweet smile on her face… I couldn’t stop thinking about her.

  Finally, I pulled out my phone and composed a quick text to her. I stared at my words for a full minute before pressing send.

  9

  Gabi

  The house was empty when I got there. I’d lied about Kait coming home early from work though it was true she’d been spending a lot of time fixing up our home lately—and making us do the same.

  But of course, I’d just said that so I could get the hell out of there.

  Luke’s behavior was baffling. And disappointing. A tear slid down my cheek as I went to the kitchen. Since I’d been cooking at Luke’s place this week, there wasn’t much in the fridge.

  The freezer revealed two kinds of ice cream. Between the three of us, we’d had enough ups and downs when it came to men that there was always ice cream on hand. Though this was the first time this year that I was the one with romance trouble.

  Or maybe the trouble was that I didn’t have a romance.

  For a while there, it had seemed like it might be possible. My crush on Luke had begun pretty much the first moment I laid eyes on him, at the twins’ birthday dinner. But until today, I hadn’t thought there was a chance in hell he might like me in that way.

  But then he’d invited me into his bedroom, and it was for work, yes, but it felt intimate in there. That was the room where he slept, changed clothes, and showered. It was his room, and it reflected his personality. The big, sturdy bed. The dark furniture. Except for that damn chair his ex-wife had picked out, the room suited him.

  Reading his words to him had given me an extra thrill. Partly because he was an author, and it was exciting to hear what he’d written. But also because of the way his long body had looked stretched out on the bed. When he’d close his eyes to listen, I’d glance up between paragraphs and take in the sight. His flat stomach. The muscles of his arm as he’d bent his elbow and put his hand under his head. I’d been dying to climb into bed next to him. To feel his arms wrap around me. But I never thought it would actually happen.

  Even after I moved to the bed—and that wasn’t some kind of sneaky ploy on my part. That crappy chair really had been super uncomfortable. But after I was on the bed, reading to him, I still never imagined he’d touch me or that he’d kiss me.

  Taking the ice cream into the living room, I tucked my feet under me on the couch. It was a shame it was only September. It would’ve been nice to have a fire.

  The tears continued to trickle down my cheeks as I scooped rocky road directly from the container.

  His kiss had been magic. From the first touch of his lips, he’d mesmerized me like a snake charmer. My entire body had leaned into his, every part of me wanting to be closer to him.

  I’d never been kissed like that. Oh, I’d had boyfriends. Not recently, but I was with one guy for almost a year in college. And I’d had another boyfriend my senior year in high school. And dates in between. But I’d never had a kiss that good. A kiss that made my whole body weak. A kiss that took me over.

  And I’d certainly never been kissed by a man like Luke. He was a real man, not like the boys I’d dated before. He was a father and a professor and an author and… an adult—in every sense of the world. He wasn’t a boy. He wasn’t a student. He wasn’t an employee. He was a man, a professor, a boss. He was confident and he knew how to take charge… his kiss had shown me that.

  But then it had ended. And he’d said it was a mistake. I stifled a sob with more ice cream hoping that one of my roommates would come home soon. Because it hurt. It really hurt. It had been one thing when I thought there was no way he might be interested in me. It was something else entirely now that we’d shared a tender moment. It was worse to know that he liked me but felt that there couldn’t be anything between us.

  As much as that hurt, I knew I couldn’t fault his motives. He was Ava and Brandon’s dad, and as such, it was his job to protect them. And while I didn’t consider myself to be something they needed to be shielded from, I could see how they might get their hopes up if they thought we were dating. Hell, I’d gotten my hopes way up just from one kiss.

  I sighed, setting down the half empty container on the coffee table. I wished things were different. Not that I wished Luke were child-free—I was crazy about the twins. But I wished that there was some way we could explore our feelings without hurting Ava and Brandon.

  My phone indicated I had a new text message, and I reached for it. Maybe it was Kait or Sierra and I could ask them when they’d be home.

  But it wasn’t one of my roommates, it was from Luke.

  His message was short and simple, but I knew instantly what he was talking about.

  How about we just don’t tell them?

  * * *

  “It’s nice to eat together again,” Kait said, helping herself to another slice of pizza.

  “Yeah, it’s fun to figure out what food the twins like, but I miss our dinners together,” I said. “And it’s good to catch up.”

  “It is indeed. So in the spirit of catching up, mind telling us why you’re smiling from ear to ear?” Sierra asked.

  “Am I?” With effort, I kept my lips from curving upward.

  Kait nodded. “I didn’t even know it was possible to smile while taking a bite of pizza. It’s weird looking.”

  I couldn’t help it—I laughed.

  “Is this about Luke?” Sierra wanted to know.

  My cheeks warmed and I knew it would be impossible to get away with a lie. “Yes.”

  “What happened?” Kait asked.

  “He… we… we kissed.” Damn, they were right, I couldn’t stop grinning.

  Sierra gave me a high five. “About time you got a little red hot action! How was it?”

  “Pretty amazing,” I admitted.

  “I need more details,” Kait said. “Were you two just talking and he went for it?”

  “Actually, we were on his bed—”

  “His bed?” my roommates chorused together.

  Predictably, I flushed. “That sounded bed. It was for a legitimate reason, we were actually working.”

  Sierra nodded. “Sure, employers and employees hang out all the time in bed.”

  I grinned. “You and Ian do. And Kait and Tyler.”

  “That’s different,” Kait said. “What happened afterwards?”

  I set down a piece of garlic bread, my smile finally fading. “He said that it couldn’t lead to anything, that it wouldn’t be fair to the kids.”

  “Shit, that’s rough,” Sierra said, sympathy clear in her eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” Kait said, patting my arm. “But wait… why have you practically been walking on air tonight?”

  “Because he changed his mind. He texted after I got home. He wants to try—as long as we don’t let the twins know.”

  Sierra slammed her drink down on the table. “Now that’s more like it! And just you wait… sneaking around like that makes it extra hot. It did for me and Ian.”

  Kait was slightly more cautious. “He does have a point, you know. About what would happen if you dated and then broke up. Ava and Brandon adore you. But who knows, maybe it’ll work out? He seems like a very nice man.”

  “And a very hot man,” Sierra added.

  “He’s both those things,” I confirmed.

  After dinner, we did the dishes, and then opened a bottle of wine. I put an assortment of cookies on a tray and we settled in the living room. Evenings such as this used to be commonplace, but now I spent most evenings at Luke’s house, and often Kait or Sierra were with their boyfriends.

  That thought made me a little uneasy. I loved living here with my best friends. We had since college, and they were family now. In this past year, they’d both met the loves of their lives. That was a wonderful thing, but it did change the dynamics around here.

  Then Sierra floated an idea that threatened to change them even more. “You guys know my friend Liz, right?”

  “Yeah,” Kait said, and I nodded.
“She came to your birthday party. What about her?”

  “Well… I’ve been thinking. I haven’t said anything to her yet because I wanted to talk to you two first, but I was thinking maybe she could move into my old room upstairs.”

  What? “But what’ll you do after you get your cast off? It’s not like you’re going to have a broken ankle forever.”

  “It feels like that some days. But I like my room down here. It’s close to the kitchen. I don’t have to fight with you two over a bathroom. And it’s easier for Ian to sneak in.”

  Kait laughed, and I stared at her. She didn’t look opposed to the idea. “Is Liz looking for a new place to live?”

  “Yeah. She was living with her boyfriend, but they broke up a few months ago, and now she’s staying with her parents.”

  “Ouch,” Kait said.

  “You don’t even know the half of it.” Sierra reached out and selected a peanut butter cookie from the tray. “Her parents—her mom especially—are still in touch with her ex. They think he was perfect for her. Hell, they think Brett’s just plain perfect.”

  That name jogged a memory. “But isn’t he that jerk in your department at work?”

  “Exactly!” Sierra beamed at me. “The guy’s a real ass. I can see that, and Liz certainly can, but her parents, her friends, for some reason they think he walks on water.”

  “That must be really hard on her,” Kait said.

  “Yeah, it is. She can’t get away from him at work, and at night, her parents won’t shut up about him.”

  “We’ve got the space,” Kait said, her voice thoughtful. “We’ve always had three people living on the second floor, so it’s not like it’ll be crowded.” She turned to me. “What do you think?”

  Both their eyes fell on me and I squirmed. Truthfully, I didn’t like the idea though I didn’t have a problem with Liz herself. I’d actually met her twice, once on Sierra’s birthday and another time when I swung by Sierra’s office to take her to lunch. “She seems nice enough.”