Red Hot Stakes: A Steamy Single Dad Romance

by Madison, Mia

I nodded, not sure how to respond. It did feel right having Luke there. It felt wonderful. I’d been the fifth wheel around my two roommates and their boyfriends for too long. But for weeks now, I’d had to caution myself not to let myself get carried away. In some ways, this thing between Luke and I felt very new. I think it was because though we were together every day, most of it was for work or around the kids. The physical side of our relationship hadn’t progressed very far since that amazing afternoon in Luke’s woodworking shop.

  “How are things going with you and Luke?” she asked, her voice low. Sierra and I really hadn’t had much time to catch up lately. She spent a lot of time with Ian, and when we were home together, Kait kept us pretty busy. The house was looking better and better, but it sure took a lot of time.

  “It’s good.”

  “Yeah? Any more visits to the sex dungeon?”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, embarrassed. “You know it’s a woodworking shop.”

  “It sounds like Luke knows how to make it into something else when he needs to.”

  “Stop it, he’ll hear you. But no… it was just the one time.”

  “Too bad,” Sierra said, raising her eyebrows suggestively. But then she studied my face and grew more serious. “Don’t be upset if things aren’t progressing very quickly. He’s got kids. That changes everything. With Ian and I, there’s no reason we can’t spend all day in bed. Well, except for work though we do manage to get some alone time there, too. But Luke’s got other responsibilities.”

  “I know.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s not crazy about you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  I shook my head. She was just saying that because that’s what supportive friends did. It couldn’t be true. Still, I couldn’t help myself from asking, “How does he look at me?”

  “Two ways,” Sierra surprised me by saying. “When you’re with the kids, he gets this affectionate look on his face, like he’s glad you’re so good with them.”

  Aww. That was so sweet. “What’s the other way?”

  “Well, let’s just say that every time you walk away, he checks out your ass.”

  “He does not!” I protested, embarrassed.

  “Trust me, he does.”

  “But… but… I don’t even look good in jeans. There’s this one skirt I like, and—”

  Sierra put her hand on my arm. “Trust me, that man likes the view. Not all guys want stick-thin women. You’ve got the kind of curves men go wild for. Luke definitely thinks so… so lock the kids in their room someday and drag him back down to the basement.”

  I laughed, shaking my head. Sierra had embarrassed me, but it secretly pleased me that she thought Luke liked me that much. “I know you’re kidding, but wouldn’t you feel bad for them if I did?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted. “But if you tell me all the dirty details afterwards, then it’s worth it.”

  I laughed and let her get back to her painting. Since Kait hadn’t given me another job yet, I used the opportunity to check in with Luke. He was measuring and cutting smaller pieces of drywall to patch the ceiling. Tools covered the sink, the toilet, and even the floor. It was almost like a miniature version of his woodworking shop, though far less sexy.

  Luke smiled when he saw me. “Kait let you take a break?”

  “Shh,” I said. “If you say her name three times, she’ll appear and give me a new job.”

  “Wouldn’t want that. How about instead of her giving you a job, I give you an invitation?”

  I returned his smile. “To what?”

  “I was wondering if you’d like to come to my house for Thanksgiving,” Luke said.

  “I’d love to.”

  “Good,” he said. Warmth filled me as he gave me a quick kiss. “We could go out to a restaurant, or I could order something and pick it up, or—” He stopped at the expression on my face.

  “It’s like you don’t even know me at all.”

  He chuckled. “I figured you’d want to cook, but I didn’t want to invite you and ask you to cook at the same time.”

  “You didn’t ask me. I volunteered.”

  “It still makes me feel like a bad host.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist and grinned up at him. “It’s my decision. You don’t get to call all the shots.” I lowered my hand and squeezed his ass.

  Luke grinned. “Getting pretty handsy there. Does that mean you think you’re in charge now?”

  “Maybe,” I said impishly.

  “Then let me show you the error of your ways.” In one quick movement, he had me backed against the door, his strong hands pinning my wrists against it. He lowered his head and attacked my neck. I moaned as his knee pushed between my legs, rubbing up against me.

  Luke’s lips on my neck felt so good, but then I saw Ian coming down the hallway. He stopped when he saw us, one eyebrow raised and a grin on his face. But then he turned at the sound of voices. “Incoming,” he warned me.

  I pushed jumped back as a high-pitched voice called my name. Ava wanted me to see the new drawer pulls she’d helped Kait install on some kitchen cabinets. “Where’s your brother?” I asked as I ruffled her hair. There was some gray there, too. Evidently, she’d also helped Sierra paint.

  “He’s helping Tyler.”

  I grinned. Hopefully he wasn’t getting in the way too much.

  As I followed Ava into the kitchen, it hit me how domestic this all felt. Three couples and some kids all working together. An hour from now, I’d start dinner, so we could eat together, too. It would be like a triple date with, as Sierra put it, two bonuses.

  Still, the other two were couples. That was different than just dating like Luke and I were. The thing was, I liked working with him. He’d taken to having me read his chapters to him again, and his new novel was really fascinating. And of course, I loved spending time with the twins. But I also wished I could spend more time alone with Luke.

  When I checked in on him later, I paused to admire the way his biceps worked overtime as he reached up to attach drywall to the ceiling. His t-shirt had ridden up and I could see the flat abs of his stomach. The sight was enough to make my throat dry, and I took a sip of the beer in my hand before I remembered it was for him.

  He spotted me and stepped off the ladder, taking the beer and downing half of it. He was working hard—for me. That thought filled me with happiness.

  Luke set the beer down. “I actually had another invitation for you,” he said. “One in which you don’t have to cook.”

  “Let me guess… you want us to get up at four a.m. on Black Friday and hit the sales?”

  “Smartass,” he said, punctuating his words with a quick smack on my backside. “I want to take you out on a date. A real one.”

  Mmm, I liked the sound of that.

  “The Saturday after Thanksgiving. I’ve lined up a babysitter. We’ll go out to eat and then, if you’d like… to a hotel.”

  His eyes were steady on mine as his words sank in. Excited little shivers raced along my skin. Being alone with Luke in a hotel room. It sounded like heaven.

  Luke read the enthusiasm in my eyes. “I can’t stay the whole night, just a few hours. But I promise you—I’ll make every minute of them count.”

  I had absolutely no doubt that he would.

  18

  Gabi

  The week of Thanksgiving was pretty crazy. Liz had moved in over the weekend, with Kait, Tyler, and I assisting. Sierra had accompanied Ian to an out-of-town conference, so she wasn’t around. Liz insisted on buying pizza for us afterwards, which was nice. It still felt strange, however, to see her in Sierra’s old room.

  On Monday, I went to Luke’s house at lunchtime. The kids didn’t have school all week due to the teachers holding conferences and having a professional development day. Consequently, the plan was for me to make them lunch, be a combination research assistant/nanny in the afternoon, and then cook dinner.

  The twins kept me busy, but still, it felt like the week
was passing painfully slowly. I was looking forward to Thursday. Over the weekend, I’d spent hours fine-tuning my plans for Thanksgiving. I was going to cook all the classics, of course, but I’d taken special care to find kid-friendly recipes.

  The thought of spending the holiday with Luke and his kids made me feel like part of the family. Maybe it was a dangerous feeling, but things were going really well with Luke. Even with the kids underfoot, he managed to whisper about things we’d do together on our date on Saturday.

  Just thinking about that was enough to get my pulse racing. Spending the evening with Luke in a hotel room sounded just about perfect. Well, it would’ve been better if he didn’t have to rush home afterwards, but still, we’d have a few hours together. I couldn’t wait. The thought of being in his arms, together in bed, was so distracting that every so often I’d stop what I was doing and stare off into space, a dreamy grin on my face.

  It turned out to be a good thing that I’d gone to Luke’s early on Monday because grocery shopping took ages. Everyone was preparing for Thanksgiving, and the store was a bit like a war zone. And things were complicated by the fact that I’d said yes when the twins asked if they could go along. Usually they were in school when I got the groceries, but since they were off this week, they thought it sounded like an adventure.

  And it was an adventure—more than I expected it to be. I’d never tried to herd two children through a crowded store. The twins, who usually seemed so in tune with each other, seemed to go out of their way to head in opposite directions the entire time we were there.

  Nearly two hours later, I was exhausted as we arrived back at Luke’s. “How’d it go?” he asked as he helped me carry in groceries. His face was sympathetic, but his smile was a bit too innocent.

  “It was… a bit of an ordeal,” I admitted. “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “They can be a handful.”

  I nodded, pausing to watch the muscles of his back move under his shirt as he carried in four bags at once.

  Once everything was inside, Luke told the twins to play in the backyard. “Gabi and I will get everything put away, and then we’ll have a snack in about thirty minutes.”

  “Okay, Daddy.”

  “Brandon, here’s your jacket,” I said, trailing after him.

  Then I joined Luke in the kitchen where he was taking things out of bags and setting them on the counter. “I don’t know where most of this goes.”

  “I’ve got it. Sorry I spent so much, but I want Thursday to be special.”

  “I’m sure it will be,” Luke said, resting a hand on the small of my back. Then his hand moved lower, giving me a pinch on my ass. “And Saturday will be even more special.”

  I smacked his hand away, but I smiled at him to let him know I agreed.

  “But first we need to talk about tomorrow. Something’s come up.”

  “What’s that?” I moved around the kitchen putting things away as we spoke. It felt very domestic. Like we were a family.

  “I got a call from a former colleague, a scholar in the field of early American history. He’s in town giving a lecture tomorrow morning, but he catches a late flight.”

  “That’s nice. Will you get to see him?”

  “That depends on you. I need to spend a couple of hours with him, as long as I can, actually. The chance to discuss some of his recent findings will really help me on my book. He just wrote a paper about how class affected social standing in the early 1800s, and I’d love to pick his brain.”

  “Of course. I’m fine with watching Ava and Brandon, you know that. I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”

  Luke gave me a heartwarming smile—the kind that made me want to fling myself into his arms. “Thanks,” he said. “I knew I could count on you. But that’s not the only issue. The parent-teacher conference with the twins’ teacher is tomorrow at four.” He paced to the fridge, looking absentmindedly at the twins’ artwork. “I wouldn’t miss it if there were any other way, but this opportunity to meet with Professor Randolph is something I can’t pass up.”

  “Can you reschedule?” I asked.

  “I tried. I called the school, but the receptionist said no. Would you mind going? All you have to do is listen and take notes. I doubt Miss Finch will have anything bad to say. Please, Gabi, I can’t miss this opportunity.”

  “Of course I’ll do it. But what about Ava and Brandon? Should I take them with me?”

  “No, I got my neighbor’s daughter to babysit. She’s the one who’s watching them on Saturday, too.”

  The mention of Saturday made warmth flush through my body, and I looked at him from under my lashes. “I’m really looking forward to that.” My voice sounded a bit shy even though I was really looking forward to it.

  “Me too,” he said. “More than you could possibly know.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  * * *

  “Nice to see you again, Gabi. Even if you’re not bringing a half dozen boxes of sweets this time,” the twins’ teacher said. “Those were really good.”

  “Thanks, Maggie. I mean Miss Finch.” She’d told me to call her by her first name last time, but I didn’t know if the order still stood. It felt strange to address someone my age so formally.

  “Either is fine.” She pulled the top two folders off a stack on her desk. “I was sorry to hear that Mr. Pearson couldn’t attend.”

  “He really wanted to, but something came up at the last minute.” I smoothed my skirt nervously. I’d never attended a parent-teacher conference before and I wanted to do my best to make up for Luke’s absence.

  “Sounds like you do a little of everything in your job. Baking. Attending conferences. And helping Mr. Pearson. It must be exciting being an author’s assistant.”

  “It can be,” I said honestly. “But sometimes it’s endless research. Just like being back in school.”

  “I never thought of that part of it,” she said with a frown. “I used to hate the really heavy research in college.”

  “Me too.”

  We smiled, and I looked down at the folders in front of her. They had the twins’ names on them.

  “I guess we should get started then,” she said. “Sorry for getting off topic, but it’s been a long day, and these are my last two conferences. Shall we be alphabetical and start with Ava?”

  I nodded and pulled a notebook and pen out of my purse.

  Maggie took me through Ava’s progress, showing me spelling and math tests. She told me that Ava was in the top reading group, and I beamed with pride even though she wasn’t my child. But they were such bright, quick children—it was gratifying to hear that someone else recognized that.

  “Socially, they’re both adjusting well. They’ve got their own sets of friends, which is probably a good thing given that they spend so much other time together.”

  “Yes, they do.”

  “Please tell Mr. Pearson that they’re model students. Well-behaved and polite, but not too well-behaved and polite, if you know what I mean. They’re not afraid to get a bit rowdy with the other kids, and that’s a good thing. They’re kids. There’ll be plenty of time for hard studies and boring research ahead of them.”

  I smiled at that last part. In general, I liked researching things for Luke, but it could get a little tedious at times. He wanted to know every little detail of daily life from several hundred years ago. “I’ll let Luke—I mean, Mr. Pearson know what you said. Can I take these tests home to him?” I glanced at the desk, but only Ava’s papers were out of the folder.

  “Actually, we still have to talk about Brandon’s academic progress. Sorry, I’m not used to talking about two children at once.”

  “Having twins around makes life interesting. So how’s Brandon doing? What reading group is he in?”

  Maggie sighed. “That’s one of the things we have to talk about.”

  * * *

  It felt strange making dinner for the kids and not Luke. He’d texted to say that he was still meeting wi
th his friend and that he’d be home in an hour. But the three of us did fine on our own. Ava and Brandon were still interested in cooking—and definitely eating—though they tended to show no interest in the dishes afterwards. Go figure.

  Luke arrived while the twins were watching TV and I was doing dishes. He greeted them, kissed me on the cheek, and then disappeared to his study saying he had to go through his notes while it was still fresh in his mind. I made up a plate of food for him and sent Ava up to give it to him.

  We had a pleasant evening, playing some board games and doing a puzzle. When it was time for the twins to get ready for bed, they were happy to guide me through the process. They knew their routine pretty well and only required minimal assistance from me.

  Tucking them in felt strange… my parents had always tucked me in when I was a child, but I’d never done it for anyone else. But I couldn’t help giving each twin a kiss on the forehead before turning out their lights and closing their doors.

  Downstairs again, I wondered how long Luke would be. I supposed I could go home, but if he’d be done soon, I wanted to wait and talk with him. Finally, I texted him and he said he’d be down in fifteen minutes.

  It was more like twenty-five minutes before he descended the stairs carrying his empty plate. He told me he’d join me in a minute, so I stayed where I was, seated on his couch with my feet tucked to one side.

  When Luke joined me, he had two glasses of wine. I took one and smiled up at him. He clinked his glass against mine. “Thank you so much for your help today. One afternoon with Professor Randolph was better than weeks with a stack of books.”

  Luke sat in his easy chair near me as he recounted what he and his former colleague had talked about.

  I listened with half an ear, but my mind kept returning to how cozy this all felt. It felt like we were a mom and dad resting after a long day of work and childcare. It felt like he and I were a couple. And like the four of us were a family.

  It was an unfamiliar feeling. A foreign feeling. But a good one.