by Kendall Ryan
I could hardly believe this was happening. After Hunter had put Maddie to bed, I’d sneaked back over, and it hadn’t taken long for things to get hot and heavy. The anticipation had only made me want him more, and we’d hardly closed the door before clothes came flying off.
I let out a soft moan as Hunter’s tongue traced across my nipple. Luckily, he was as good at this as I remembered from the night of my birthday. He moved to the other breast, teasing me with his tongue as his hands slid to the waistband of my panties. I arched my back, anticipating his fingers sliding against me, but instead he moved his hand to stroke my inner thigh.
I’m going to lose it if he doesn’t touch me soon.
He lifted his head from my breast, looking me in the eye as he moved his hand from my thigh to the inside of my black lace panties. He moved torturously slow before gently sliding a finger along the length of my wetness. I let out a gasp as he stroked me more firmly, tension building inside me. Hunter watched me, his deep, sexy gaze boring into mine, and as he slipped two fingers deep inside me, I let out a cry of pleasure. His fingers were touching me in all the right places, and I knew I wasn’t going to last long.
And then his mouth moved lower, leaving wet, sucking kisses against my needy core until he found my clit and gave it a firm suck.
My hips almost shot off the bed at how good that felt. There was no awkward fumbling, no tentative touches. He knew exactly what he was doing, and holy hell, the man had a talented tongue.
Within minutes, I was grinding against him, whimpering softly as his tongue traced the most delicious pattern over my hot flesh.
I moaned his name and every muscle in my body tightened, my hips rocking with the movement of his fingers inside me. Just before I was about to lose all control, he pulled his hand away. I let out a whimper, aching for more.
“Need to be inside you when you come,” he murmured, placing a kiss against my inner thigh.
He moved down the bed as I tried to catch my breath, sliding my panties off before tossing them to the floor.
He rose to his knees, revealing the most absolutely perfect cock. Unable to stop myself, I sat up and reached for him, slowly stroking his length. He groaned in pleasure, and I pushed him back on the bed so I could straddle him. I moved down his body, kissing his chest, flicking my tongue across his nipples. I ran my tongue down his abs, then paused before moving it over the tip of him.
He inhaled sharply as I took him in my mouth, working my tongue over the sensitive tip. I moved my mouth slowly, taking more and more of him each time. Looking up at him, I met his eyes as I took him fully in my mouth until his cock reached the back of my throat. His whole body tensed, and I could tell he was close.
“You’re killing me,” he said on a groan.
I looked up and found him propped on his elbows, watching me with a worshipful expression. I loved doing this for him, making him feel good in this way. The more I’d gotten to know him, the more I knew he didn’t get many shots at pleasure like this.
Hunter repositioned us so I was underneath him, then pushed my thighs apart and grabbed a condom.
The last time, he’d lain there leisurely while I rolled it onto him, but tonight was different. He made quick work of the condom and then guided himself to my center. Pressing forward, he pushed inside me. We let out a collective groan, my body shuddering with the welcome invasion.
“You feel so good.” He groaned again, sliding in deeper. We were both nearly there, and it wouldn’t take much of a push to send us careening over the edge we were so precariously standing on. “So warm.”
I arched my back so I could take him in farther, wanting to feel him fully inside me. He moved slowly, carefully at first, and it was driving me wild with desire. He pulled himself fully out for a moment and I reached for him, needing him back, needing that connection to remain unbroken. He took my arms and pinned them above my head before plunging himself into me with an almost breath-stealing momentum.
“Hunter!”
I cried out as he thrust faster and faster, rocking my hips against him, pleasure building again in my body. I was moaning loudly, lost in the moment, and he reached up to cover my mouth with his hand, which only turned me on more. I watched him move above me as heat raced through me. We were both racing toward the finish line, and I couldn’t do a thing to stop it. Wrapping my legs around his waist so our bodies were intertwined as close as they could be, I finally let go, not holding anything back as my body squeezed his and we both came.
Neither of us moved as we tried to catch our breath, Hunter’s chest rising and falling against mine. After a minute, he turned his head toward me and kissed me before moving to lie next to me.
Leaning back in the bed, he said, “That was—”
“Worth the wait?” I asked, grinning.
“Definitely worth the wait. I don’t remember you being so vocal last time.”
I slapped him playfully. “You didn’t seem to mind.”
He grinned, slipping his arm around my shoulders.
I curled into him, laying my arm across his chest. I’d been worried about the after-sex awkwardness, but this was so comfortable that I was tempted to lie back and fall asleep.
This was so not me; usually after I finished having sex with a guy, I was out the door as fast as possible. Cuddling wasn’t really my thing either, but with Hunter it all seemed so natural. I closed my eyes, running my hands along his firm, muscled chest. I knew I needed to go back to my own place, so I forced myself to sit up.
“I should probably get out of here,” I said, slipping out of bed and searching for my clothes.
He nodded, and I thought I saw disappointment flash across his face.
“But this was great,” I added as I pulled on my shirt. “At least this time, I don’t have to run out in shame.”
“That is a major improvement.” He grinned, pulling on a T-shirt and his boxer briefs.
We tiptoed down the stairs to his front door, careful not to wake Maddie with our footsteps. I practically held my breath until I was outside—I could safely say that I never wanted her to see me in a compromising position with her dad again.
“Good night, Kate,” he said, leaning against the door frame.
He looked so good standing there that I couldn’t help myself; I grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for one final kiss. Even after everything that had just happened, I still felt my skin prickling and my stomach flipped. His tongue slipped into my mouth, and I gripped his T-shirt harder.
When he finally pulled back, I had to catch my breath. Jesus, Kate, you just had sex. I needed to get away from him before I started pulling my clothes off again.
“Good night,” I said, taking a step back.
“See you tomorrow?”
I nodded, smiling, as he gently shut the door.
I practically floated up to my apartment. Letting out a contented sigh, I lay back in my bed, mentally patting myself on the back for making the right decision.
Why had we ever hesitated to do that? Most guys I slept with didn’t even know where the clit was, and the ones who did didn’t know what to do with it when they found it. But Hunter . . . he was something else. And some of the things he could do with his tongue should be illegal.
I was still savoring the memory when my phone buzzed.
I think we may have broken the bed.
I let out a snort. Apparently, Hunter was still thinking about it as well.
That was nothing. I think you’re going to need a new bed by the end of this.
I grinned to myself as I hit Send.
Totally worth it.
I smiled as I drifted off to sleep. Hunter was sexy, amazing in bed, and fun to hang out with. I couldn’t believe I’d thought this was going to be so complicated. Now, not only did I have a great apartment and landlord, I was living just steps away from the best sex I’d ever had.
Chapter Ten
Hunter
Kate sucked in a sharp inhale as she walked into my
kitchen, staring wide-eyed at the cut on my hand. “Hunter, oh my God, what happened?”
“It’s fine; it’s fine. I was just trying to make cookies,” I said, grabbing a fistful of paper towels to soak up the blood. Applying pressure to the cut, I raised my hand in the air above my heart. “See? All better.”
“But there’s no step in a cookie recipe that requires a knife,” she exclaimed, dropping her purse on the counter and looking around to figure out what went wrong. “Were you trying to cut open an eggshell?”
To be fair, my hand was bleeding profusely, but it felt a little like she was overreacting. Still, watching her freak out over my well-being was kind of sexy.
“Listen, when I asked for your help with Maddie’s preschool bake sale, I wasn’t looking for any of your judgment,” I said, raising my eyebrows at her. “Clearly, the cookies are a bust.”
“When I agreed to help you, I didn’t realize you were so helpless,” she said, placing her hands on her hips as she surveyed the ingredients lined up on the counter. She began sorting through them all, separating the dry ingredients from the wet, before clapping her hands and looking at me triumphantly.
“I figured it out!” she said, beaming at me as she tied an apron around her waist.
“Did you bring your own apron?” I chuckled. This woman is something else.
“I’m choosing to ignore your mockery. I’ve decided to make a pie instead,” she replied, cutting butter into a bowl.
“What are you doing here?” Maddie asked Kate, walking into the kitchen from the backyard, where she’d been playing outside.
“Maddie, be nice to our neighbor. Kate’s here to help,” I said, raising an eyebrow at my daughter as I gathered first-aid supplies for myself.
“No, it’s fine. That’s a fair question.” Kate smiled, brushing her hair out of her face with the back of her hand. “Well, Maddie, I’m here to help with your bake sale. Your dad was trying to make cookies, but he couldn’t quite figure it out. So now I’m making a pie.”
Maddie nodded, looking over at me before turning and watching Kate measure out a cup of flour and pour it over the cold butter. “Does pie have gluten in it?” Maddie asked, scrunching up her nose.
“Not this one,” Kate replied, turning the label on the sack of flour so Maddie could see it. “I’m using gluten-free flour for the crust, so it won’t upset your tummy. Or mine,” she said with a wink.
Maddie smiled and climbed up onto one of the bar stools at the counter to watch Kate more closely. Kate worked the flour and butter together, making sure to stand a little to the side so that Maddie could see what she was doing. Kate cracked an egg over the crumbly dough, mixing it together even more before turning to give Maddie a long, measured look.
“Hey, Maddie, do you think you could help me?” she asked.
Maddie’s eyes widened as she nodded.
“Make sure you wash your hands first,” I said as Maddie clambered down from the stool. She quickly made a beeline to the guest bathroom.
“Is that okay?” Kate turned to me. “I guess I should have checked with you first before asking Maddie. She just looked so interested. Plus, I figured it’d be good to have her finally forget about that whole adult-time thing once and for all. Give her a new memory to replace that one.”
We both laughed.
“It’s more than okay,” I said. “I’m just hoping she didn’t inherit my baking skills—or lack thereof.”
I couldn’t believe how easily Maddie seemed to be warming up to Kate. Once Maddie came scampering back into the kitchen, Kate rolled out the pie crust, and the two of them laid it in the tin together. For as anti-kid as Kate had told me she was, there was no denying that when it came to letting my daughter help her make a pie, she was a natural.
For a moment, I just watched them—under the pretense of cleaning up the mess I’d made on the counter. But really, it was just such a rare thing to have a woman cooking in my kitchen, listening to my daughter’s giggles as they worked together, that I wanted to linger. I hadn’t dated anyone seriously enough to warrant domesticity like this since Maddie was born.
Kate and Maddie made the filling together, Kate slicing apples into a bowl while Maddie poured sugar and lemon juice over them. I did my best not to hover, but I was honestly fascinated by how easily they connected. It always bothered me that Maddie didn’t have very many female figures in her life besides her grandmother and her teachers, and she was clearly enjoying herself.
The two of them continued to assemble the pie, cooking the apple slices over the stove, adding more ingredients I didn’t understand to the concoction, and pouring the filling into the tin. I was shocked by how focused Maddie was the whole time, and how well she listened to Kate. It seemed to me that we might have found a new hobby for Maddie to explore when she was older.
Once they put the pie in the oven, Maddie turned and looked at me triumphantly.
“Did you see that, Daddy? Me and Kate made a pie!” She was grinning from ear to ear, flour stuck to her face and dusted all over her clothes.
“I did see that. Great job, sweetheart.” Reaching out, I gave her a high five.
“I can’t wait to taste it,” Maddie said, practically bouncing with excitement.
“In the meantime,” I said as I brushed flour out of her hair, “why don’t we get you cleaned up in time for the bake sale?”
“Can Kate come with us?” Maddie asked, looking up at me with wide, pleading eyes.
“Well . . .” I looked at Kate and back down at Maddie. “That’s up to Kate. It’s a Saturday, and she probably has other plans.”
“Pleeease come with us, Kate,” Maddie pleaded, throwing her head back and sticking out her lower lip. “I want to tell everyone that I helped you make it. No one will believe that he did it,” she added, jerking her thumb in my direction.
Ah, yes, nothing like a burn from your daughter to really turn on your casual hookup.
I furrowed my brow and looked over at Kate. “You really don’t have to. You’ve already helped us so much.”
“I’d love to come. No way I’m letting you take all the credit for our awesome pie.” She winked.
Maddie let out an excited yell, bouncing around the kitchen as she talked about all the people Kate would meet at the bake sale. Kate and I couldn’t help laughing, watching Maddie freak out, and I walked over to stand next to Kate.
“I don’t want you to feel obligated,” I said to her, my voice low. “I’m going to give the little one a quick bath, and it’ll be easy to make up an excuse for you. Preschool bake sales weren’t really an item in our recent negotiations.”
She grinned, arching a sculpted eyebrow in my direction. “I’m not doing this because I feel obligated as your buddy to pound town,” she whispered, watching Maddie to make sure she couldn’t hear. “I’m doing this because your daughter asked me to, and we’re just starting to warm up to each other. Besides, I was serious when I said there’s no way I’m letting you take the credit.”
I smiled and shrugged. “Whatever you say. Just don’t come crying to me when you’re dying of boredom at a preschool event.”
• • •
An hour later, Kate knocked on our front door again, looking freshly put together in jeans and a flowy red tank top and sandals. She looked good enough to eat.
When she left to change and finish up a short article before the bake sale, she had given me strict instructions on when to check the color of the pie and how to know when it was done. Between giving Maddie a quick bath and getting her into clean clothes, I followed Kate’s instructions as best I could. My one small failure was letting one side of the pie get a little darker than the other—a fact that Maddie wouldn’t let me forget, no matter how many times Kate told her it was okay.
“But, Daddy, Kate and I made a pie and you messed it up!” Maddie protested, getting that look on her face that told me she was about two minutes away from a meltdown.
And I thought today was going so we
ll.
“You’re right; you and Kate did a great job with the pie. But like Kate said, the pie will taste fine, even if one side is browner than the other,” I said calmly, smoothing Maddie’s hair back, but she scrunched up her face and turned away from me, crossing her arms with a humph.
I looked to Kate apologetically. Suddenly, bringing her with us to the bake sale didn’t seem like such a good idea. I was about to open my mouth to warn Maddie that our neighbor wouldn’t come with us if she didn’t change her attitude, when Kate walked over to Maddie, squatting down low so they were at eye level.
“I think that this pie will be even better now that your dad helped us. You and I did great putting the pie together, and your dad was a huge help taking it out of the oven,” she said, her expression serious, then leaned in a little closer to Maddie. “And you wanna know a secret?”
Maddie nodded and leaned in.
“I like the crust a little brown on one side,” Kate whispered.
Maddie’s eyes grew wide, and she stared at Kate for a moment before turning to look at me. “I guess you did good, Daddy,” Maddie said shyly, looking down at the floor.
Well, I’ll be damned.
“Thank you, that’s very nice of you to say.” I gave Kate a grateful look. “Now, who’s ready for a bake sale?”
The three of us piled into my car, Kate holding the pie in the front seat while I clipped Maddie into her car seat in the back. The whole ride to the school, Maddie chattered about her friends at preschool, what their moms were making, and what treats she was hoping to buy. Kate listened politely, oohing and aahing at all the right times, while looking over at me periodically with a knowing smile.
I did my best to listen and respond to Maddie during the drive, but I couldn’t help having second thoughts about bringing Kate with us to the bake sale. A lot of the moms at the preschool were . . . overinvolved, both in their kids’ lives and in the lives of other parents. I was one of two single dads at this preschool, and let’s just say that between the two of us, I was the one more highly sought after. I didn’t want any claws coming out because the single moms thought I had a new girlfriend.