The Billionaire Single Dad (10 page)

Her smile grew a fraction while the sadness faded from her eyes. “I've never met anyone like you,” she said softly. “You're not what I expected.”

A rush of tender warmth flooded Carter's chest. He didn't want to feel anything for Tess. Couldn't. He had to think of Jenny and Jane. Of his own heart that was already so goddamned broken it couldn't survive another crack. “You're not what I expected either,” Carter said. He curbed the train of his thoughts from where they wanted to go and added, “You're not half as bossy as I first gave you credit for.”

Tess laughed, and the sound rippled pleasantly through him. “Don't be so sure. I can get pretty feisty.”

He didn't doubt that. There was more to Tess than what she wanted him to see, though. She guarded her heart with the same ferocity he did.

“For what it's worth, you're not half as grumpy as I gave you credit for.”

Carter cringed. “I thought that coming out to the lake would be a nice change of pace while the girls were on break from school. I didn't think that they'd be bored to death. I probably should have taken them to Disneyland instead.”

“Dude,” Tess said with a grin, “it might be the happiest place on earth, but you would have left a broken man. Rambunctious twins at Disneyland? The staff would've had to take you out on a stretcher.”

Tess hadn't known Jenny and Jane that long but she already had their number. His girls' ornery streak hadn't scared her off, though. She still let them come over to play and she'd cooked them dinner. Bought them toys. Carter rubbed at the knot that formed above his sternum. “It definitely would've been a two-person job. Travis thinks I need to hire a nanny to take care of them.”

Tess ran a fingertip along the mouth of her bottle before bringing it to her lips. Carter was riveted to the simple action, his gaze locked on those lips that had been wrapped around his cock earlier in the day. His gut tightened and he shifted on the couch beside her. Her lips were as soft as rose petals.

“I honestly don't know how you've done it on your own so far,” Tess said. Her gaze met his, warm and full of genuine concern. “You travel all the time, don't you?”

“Up until last year, when I had to leave they stayed with one of my teammate's wife. They have two kids around the girls' age, and Shari was great about making sure they got to school while I was gone. It kills me, though. They need more stability than this. They need to be able to be home and not carted off and dumped at someone's house because I've got a game in Miami or wherever.”

“I'm sure they know you're doing the best you can and that you love them,” Tess said. She reached out and took his hand in hers.

“I want to do better than my best.” Emotion lodged in Carter's throat as he spoke past the sudden thickness. “They need a mother, not a nanny.”

“They need a dad, too,” Tess remarked. “Life isn't perfect, Carter. Instead of trying to make this change in your lives as painless as possible, maybe you should try to remember that you're all going through this together. Do you talk to them about any of this?”

He snorted. “They're almost six.”

“But they're not stupid. They have thoughts and feelings too. Why do you think they built that secret fort where they plotted their escape? It wasn't because of your football schedule or because they have to stay with someone else while you're playing out of town. It's because you were cranky and withdrawn. You guys are a team. You've got to bring them into the huddle.”

Not even Carter's brothers had put it to him as straight as Tess just had. Travis was all about him hooking up and moving past his one-woman-man status. Nate and Noah were supportive, but neither of them had kids. They helped when they could but didn't have much to offer in the way of advice.

Steph used to set him straight. She'd never missed an opportunity to put Carter in his place when it needed to be done. His wife and Tess would've been friends if they'd ever had the chance to meet. Carter was sure of it. Steph would have liked her.

“You're right.” Carter set his bottle down on the coffee table and dragged his fingers through his hair. “I've fucked up with them.”

“That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?” Tess dropped his hand as she scooted closer to him on the couch. Her fingers caressed up his bare arm and heat licked up Carter's spine. “It's not like you've neglected them or tried to give them away. You're too hard on yourself, Carter. Try to give yourself a break every once in a while.”

Carter plucked the bottle of Corona from Tess's grasp and set it beside his. He threaded his fingers through the still-damp locks of her hair. Her lips parted invitingly as he put his mouth to hers. Despite his vow not to fall for her, he felt his world slip out from beneath him and he knew that this couldn't end any other way but badly. As her tongue slid against his in a sensual caress, Carter didn't care.

*   *   *

Did Carter realize that he wore his heart on his sleeve? Or that it drove Tess absolutely out of her mind with want? He was the total package. He had the body, the looks, he was thoughtful and sensitive. Truly a good dad whether he thought so or not. And the man had perfected the act of kissing to an art form.

His kisses set her on
fire
.

What started out as a slow build—tongues meeting, the glancing of lips, soft melding of breaths—escalated into a frenzy. His mouth slanted across hers. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, kissed her deeply, his lips firm and unyielding against hers. Carter laid her out on the couch and hiked her sundress up around her hips. He settled on top of her, and Tess gasped as he jerked her underwear aside and cupped her pussy in his large hand. The pressure of the heel of his palm against her clit caused the bundle of nerves to throb gently. Tess let out a soft moan.

She wound his hair into her fists as she kissed him for all she was worth. He slipped one finger inside of her, withdrawing it slowly before plunging back in and rocking his palm against her clit. Oh … god. Tess's mind went blank, her thoughts wiped clear by the intense pleasure Carter so easily gave her. He reached for her right leg and guided it up until it hung over the back of the couch opening her fully to him.

“You're so soft, Tess.” Carter kissed across her jaw to her temple and down to her ear. He took the lobe between his teeth and bit lightly. Chills broke out over Tess's skin and she whimpered. “So wet. You like this, don't you? You like what I'm doing to you.”

Was he kidding? She loved it! Couldn't get enough. “Carter, you're making me crazy,” she panted.

“I don't want to waste another second with you.” His words thrilled her. She rocked her hips up to meet the thrust of his finger while pressing her clit harder against his palm. Her own wetness spread over her inner thighs as he worked his finger in and out of her. “I want to fuck you until the sun rises. I want to know every inch of your body, Tess. For tonight, I want you to be mine and no one else's.”

She'd been his since the day he knocked on her patio window to apologize for his grouchy behavior. Tess couldn't admit that though. She couldn't let him know how much of herself she'd already given to him. “Tonight,” she agreed, “I'm yours.”

Disappointment gathered in a knot in Tess's chest. How could she possibly tell him that she wanted so much more than tonight with him? Or at the very least, a chance at more. If she thought of everything she could lose when reality came crashing down around them tomorrow, she'd fall apart. She had to make the most of the time she had with Carter now. The rest could wait.

Tess let out a contented sigh as Carter continued to work his finger in and out of her pussy with a maddeningly easy pace. He put his lips to her temple and whispered, “Let's jump in the lake.”

“What?” Laughter bubbled up Tess's throat. “It's fifty degrees outside, Carter.”

“I know. We'll jump in the lake and then get in the hot tub.”

“Naked?” she asked.

“Mmmm.” Carter worked his way back to her ear and sucked her lobe into his mouth. “Yes. The cold water will make your nipples hard and then I'll suck them.”

As if they weren't already aroused into diamond peaks. The thought of jumping into the lake with Carter, naked, was too tempting to resist, however. Especially with the promise of his warm mouth on her breasts. “Okay,” she panted as he pressed his palm against her clit. “Let's do it.”

She let out a whimper when he withdrew his finger from her pussy. She missed the easy rhythm of his caresses, the slick slide of friction, and the slow build of heat that coiled low in her belly.

Carter pushed himself up from the couch and stripped. Tess stared, rapt, at the play of muscles she'd never tire of watching. His erection stood out proud and thick from his hips, and she wanted to take it into her mouth. Suck him hard and deep until he came deep in the back of her throat once again.

“Later,” Carter said with a wry grin.

“Oh, so you know what I'm thinking now?”

“Uh-huh, and I want your mouth on me again so much I can barely stand it.”

A shiver danced over her skin.

“Get naked.”

He didn't have to ask her again. Tess got up from the couch and stripped. An appreciative growl gathered in Carter's chest as his gaze roamed over her body. Tess's nipples puckered under his perusal. She didn't need a chilly lake, just the heat of Carter's unabashed stare. He grabbed her hand and led her through the vast living room and past the formal dining room to the sliding glass doors. He pulled the doors open and the kiss of cool air on her bare flesh coaxed goose bumps to the surface of Tess's skin.

Carter turned to face her. A wicked smile curved his sinful mouth. “Ready?”

She nodded. “Ready.”

They ran like a couple of stupid kids over the patio and onto the cool grass of the lawn. Tess squealed with both joy and embarrassment as they hit the wet sand of the beach.

“Don't stop,” Carter said. “You'll lose your edge if you do.”

He'd obviously done this before. With his wife, maybe? Tess stuffed the sad thought to the soles of her feet and picked up her pace until she was right beside him. They hit the water at full speed and Tess gasped as the icy water met her skin. Carter spun and gathered her in his arms before he brought them both down in a graceful arc into the water. Surprisingly, the water was warmer than the air outside, and she experienced a brief moment of weightlessness before Carter brought them both up to the surface.

They laughed and gasped for air as the chill sank in. The nearly full moon shone down on them, bathing their glistening bodies in silver light. Carter drank her in, his gaze so intense that it—not the cold of the water—stole Tess's breath. “Beautiful,” he said on a breath before lowering his mouth to her breast and taking her nipple into his hot mouth just as he'd promised he would.

He suckled one breast, and then the other, until Tess trembled in his arms. He mistook her reaction for a chill and carried her from the lake up the lawn, and deposited her in the hot tub. He turned on the jets and settled in beside her before gathering her in his arms once again. He kissed her for long moments that seemed to transcend time. Languorous flicks of his tongue and whispers of his lips against hers. His gentleness, the attention he paid to her, nearly broke Tess's heart.

He turned and lifted her up so that she sat on the lip of the hot tub. Carter's gaze burned as he spread her legs and dipped his head to her pussy. “I thought you wanted my mouth on you,” she murmured a moment before his lips sealed over her clit.

A low moan worked its way up her throat as Tess's head rolled back on her shoulders. He brought his head up and the cool kiss of air sent a delicious shiver over Tess's skin. “I couldn't wait to taste you,” he said, low. His eyes sparked with mischief and a wicked grin stretched across his lips. “I'll let you make it up to me later.”

Carter Christensen was one of a kind. And for tonight, he belonged to her.

Eleven

Bright light penetrated the inside of Carter's bedroom. Tess stirred beside him and nestled closer to his body. He gathered her close and kissed her hairline at her temple. The past twenty-four hours had been some of the best of his life. That it was all about to come to a close left him feeling too goddamned raw.

Nate and Chloe would be bringing the girls home in a couple of hours. As much as he wanted to lounge in bed with Tess for the remainder of the morning—to kiss, lick, suck, and let his hands roam the soft swells and dips of her body—they couldn't be naked under the covers when the girls got there. Reality beckoned and though Carter wanted to tell it to fuck right off, he'd known that this would have to come to an end. And still, the past twenty-four hours had passed far too quickly.

He didn't want to give Tess up.

Carter held her tight against him as though the simple act could change the reality of his life. He had the girls to think about and he couldn't risk breaking all of their hearts all over again if things didn't work out with Tess. They'd gone into this knowing all they'd had was a few borrowed hours together. Tess had agreed that it would be best to keep emotions out of the mix. So why did the thought of going back to the way things had been cause panic to rise like acid in his throat?

“Morning.” Tess's sleepy greeting drew Carter's attention.

He scooted down farther on the pillow and nuzzled her neck. “Morning.”

Tess reached down between them and took the length of his cock in her palm. Memories surfaced of the previous night. Their time in the hot tub, her thighs quivering against his cheeks as she came on his tongue, the intensity of his own orgasm as she'd taken him deep in her mouth, her nails biting into his thighs. The hours spent in this bed, the way Tess had looked as she straddled his hips and rode him with wanton abandon, and the expression on her beautiful face as she'd come yet again. And the quiet moments afterward when she'd laid in his arms in the total dark and they'd murmured sweet endearments to one another. In the aftermath of their lust, the words had left his lips unbidden.
I think … I could love you, Tess
.