Susan Mallery - Full-Time Father

She nodded.

“I told you then I was concerned that my attraction to you was making you uncomfortable.”

“I thought you were kidding,” she whispered.

“Fool,” he said gently, then pressed his lips to her forehead. “I didn’t want to scare you off. And I didn’t want you to think I was using sex to keep Christie.”

“You’d never do that.”

“I know that. I didn’t know if you did. There’s something powerful between us. Maybe it’s time we stopped resisting and went along for the ride.”

She wasn’t sure. This could be an elaborate trick to make her feel better about mentioning the crush. Then he pressed his hips against hers and she felt the hard ridge of his desire. That part would be difficult to fake. Okay, he did want her. Now what?

“I’m not Stacey,” she said, voicing the fear she didn’t want to admit she had.

“I know, Erin.” He cupped her face in his hands. “You’re afraid I just want to relive the past.”

“Maybe.”

“The only thing I remember about that night is that I wanted to get so lost, the pain couldn’t find me anymore. This isn’t about that. This is about you and me and how much I want you in my bed. No ghosts this time.”

She believed him. Maybe because she wanted to. A thousand questions filled her mind, but she ignored them. She ignored everything but the man in front of her. If she trusted him with her child, then surely she could trust him with her body. She raised herself on her toes and pressed her mouth to his.

She was soft and sweet as she pressed against him. Parker felt his body harden more as she leaned into their kiss. In the past five years he’d been aroused on occasion. There were mornings he awoke with the lingering physical evidence of an erotic dream. A cold shower quickly diluted his need. But not this time. He could feel heat burning away the barriers he’d constructed. This time there was no turning back.

He broke their kiss and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I think we need some privacy,” he said.

“What?” She glanced around the terrace, then smiled sheepishly. “Oh, we’re outside. I’d forgotten.”

“Good.”

As they crossed to the stairs, she looked at him. “Parker, are you sure?”

“I haven’t been as sure of anything in a long time.”

“I’m a little nervous.”

“Because of everything in the past?” He wanted to reassure her. She was the only woman he was thinking about. Briefly he wondered if that was wrong. Should he still be caught up in the grief of his wife’s passing? Then he decided he didn’t want to have to think about that right now. Tonight he wanted to feel alive. In Erin’s arms, in her body, he could find life again. He could see the colors and do away with the dull gray of his world.

“Actually it’s because I haven’t, well, done this sort of thing in a while. What if I’ve forgotten how?”

They’d reached the second-floor landing. A light glowed in the hallway. He turned to her and studied her large, hazel eyes. Confusion dilated her pupils.

“It’s been a long time for me, too. I think we can fumble through together.” He ran his hands up and down her bare arms. “I did some remodeling on this floor a few years back. Kiki helped. We moved the master and put in different furniture. The bed is about three years old.”

She frowned. “Why on earth are you telling me that now?”

“I didn’t want you to think-” He paused, not sure how to explain it.

“Oh!” She smiled. “You didn’t want me to think that it was the same room and bed you’d had while you and Robin were together.”

“Yeah.”

“Parker, that’s so sweet.” She raised on her toes and pressed her mouth to his.

Her lips were hot and slick from their last kiss. He wanted to devour her. Instead he held back, pressing gently, testing the seam until she parted for him.

This time, instead of allowing him to enter and taste her, she thrust into his mouth. She explored him, then teased the tip of his tongue with hers.

Desire ripped through him with all the force of lightning across the sky. The pulsing in his body increased as his erection flexed painfully against the fly of his shorts. He hauled her hard against him, then tilted his head to allow her to go deeper and reach all of him.

She was the aggressor, circling him, retreating, then advancing. Her teeth clamped down on his lower lip and she nibbled the sensitive skin. He was breathing hard. Every muscle in his body tightened. He could feel the blood racing, fed by the rapid pounding of his heart.

He ran his hands up and down her back. The curve of her rear taunted him. He slipped lower and gripped the fullness, squeezing gently and urging her closer. Her belly brushed against his arousal. He groaned and wondered if he would explode right then.

He broke the kiss and leaned close. “The bedroom is about ten feet down the hall. If we concentrate, I think we can make it there.”

She giggled. “You think so?”

“I know so.” With that he put his arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. “At last I have you under my control,” he murmured.

She was still smiling when he kissed her again. The smile faded as she sighed. This time he was the aggressor. He licked her lips, tracing the shape before dipping inside.

She clung to him, then shifted so she could wrap her legs around his hips. Her hot center pressed against his need. She rocked her hips slowly.

He caught his breath. “I don’t think you have to worry about having forgotten a damn thing,” he said.

“Oh, Parker.” She buried her face in his shoulder. “You make me laugh. I didn’t know how much I missed that. I was so scared and nervous but this is going to be fun. Thank you.”

“Don’t you think you’re thanking me a little too soon? It could still be awful.”

She raised her head. “No, it couldn’t.” She kissed the tip of his nose.

He started for the bedroom.

When he kicked the door shut behind him, they were plunged into darkness. Erin’s legs were still wrapped around his hips and she still pressed sweetly against his erection. He wasn’t sure if he should let her slide down and risk losing control all at once or if he should continue to be tortured to death. He settled on a compromise. He made his way to the bed and sat. She was still close to him, but now she was on his lap and not pressed up against his need.

He reached for the lamp on the nightstand. Soft light filled their half of the room. He could see the faint flush on her cheeks and her hard nipples pressed against her T-shirt.

He brushed her hair back, then fingered the red-brown strands. “You’re very beautiful,” he said.

“No, I’m not. I’m average.”

“I’m the man, and I get to think you’re beautiful if I want to.”

She smiled. Her hands rested on his shoulders; her thighs hugged his. The night stretched before them, endless in its possibilities. He was in physical pain from desire, but he wanted to go slow. He wanted this to last…for both of them.

“I’m the woman and I get to tell you that you’re wrong,” she said. “But thank you for saying it anyway.” She leaned close and kissed his cheek. “Besides, you’re the beautiful one.”

A faint heat rose on his cheeks. “Men aren’t beautiful.”

“Oh, but they are. Your eyes, the hard lines of your face, the shape of your chin, your dark hair. I’ve thought about touching it.” She placed her fingers on his head, then fingered the short strands. He’d never thought of his hair as an erogenous zone, but he felt her caress down to his toes.

“What else?” he asked. “Where else?”

“Here,” she said, running her index finger across his mouth. She repeated the action, this time with her tongue. His hips arched toward her.

“I’ve thought about touching you here,” he said, circling the sweet spot below her right ear. He pressed his lips there and tasted her skin. She shivered.

“Here,” she whispered, touching the bottom of the open V of his shirt. Hot breath fanned his skin an instant before she kissed him there. He had to hold back a groan.

“Here,” he murmured and touched the puckered point of her breast. Her eyes widened and her fingers tightened on his shoulders.

He dropped his hands to her waist and drew her up until she was kneeling in front of him. He opened his mouth and blew warm air over the small point, then bit her gently through the layers of her T-shirt and bra.

She sucked in a breath and arched toward him. With one quick jerk, he pulled her shirt hem out of her shorts and drew it up over her body. She freed her arms and tossed the garment aside.

Her bra was white and lacy. He could see her pale skin and her rosy puckered nipples. He buried his face between the lush curves.

“I want you, Erin,” he groaned. “I can’t tell you how good this feels.”

“I know,” she said, and hugged him close.

As his fingers moved up her spine toward the hooks on the back of her bra, he inhaled the female scent of her. The valley between her curves was a tempting resting spot, but he had other places to be before the night was over. He pressed a kiss to her breastbone, then turned his attention to her generous curves.

He nuzzled her skin. She was warm and as smooth as silk. He licked the first hint of fullness. He found then released the hooks of her bra. Thin straps slipped off her shoulders. The lace inched down, exposing more and more of her feminine flesh until he could see the pink circles around her nipples.

She pulled her bra off her arms and let it fall to the ground. Her full breasts swayed with the action. He caught them in his hands. The lush curves filled his palms. He cupped her gently, then brushed his fingers against the tips. She sucked in a breath and exhaled his name. Her hands tangled in his hair, urging him closer. He opened his mouth and tasted the tight pink peak.