Christmas with the Single Dad (The Single Dads of Seattle Book 5)

by Whitley Cox

The kilt again? Um, yes please!

  She snagged her bottom lip with her top teeth, but he was quick to pull it free. “Ah, ah, no biting, remember? That lip is mine.”

  She batted her lashes at him. “Maybe you should put the kilt back on, and bring back the brogue too. I might just need a bit more convincing.”

  His smile grew, as did something else that was nestled between her legs. “Oh, lass, you dinna have any idea what I have in store for you tonight.” He stood up and helped her to her feet before he wandered around to the other side of the bed and grabbed the discarded kilt off the floor. “Bend over the bed, lass,” he said, the brogue thick and making her pussy grow wetter by the second. “Stick that bonnie arse up in the air.”

  Bonnie arse.

  Oh lord, he was enjoying this too much.

  He re-wrapped his kilt and fastened it. Aurora stared at him. Never had she seen anything so drop-dead incredible in her life … wait, yes, she had. Just an hour ago when he’d walked into the bedroom wearing that the first time—with his dick in a box.

  “You canna come until I say so, all right, lass?” he asked, positioning himself behind her, his fingers trailing down the cheeks of her ass or arse, then between her crease until he found her wet and waiting for him—impatient for him.

  A harsh thwack to her left cheek made her yelp. She craned her neck around to look at him, her mouth open in shock.

  His eyes blazed back at her. “You need to answer me, lass, otherwise I’ll give you another.” He lifted his palm in the air.

  Did she dare defy him again? She kind of liked the spank.

  Hell, she didn’t just kind of like it—she freaking loved it.

  Then she remembered his mention of nipple clamps. Did she dare ask him about them?

  She bit her lip and wiggled her bottom in front of him. “And what if I don’t answer you?”

  Zak’s smile alone was enough to push her to the verge of orgasm—well, that and the fingers that were now rubbing circles around her clit.

  Another loud and hard smack landed on her other butt cheek. “You’re a wee bit of a scamp, aren’t you, Rory? A little brat. Might need to take you over my knee and teach you a real lesson.”

  Yes, please!

  She swallowed, her pussy tightening with every swirl of his fingers. She was already really close.

  “You canna come until I say, lass. Say you understand, or I’ll tan yer arse again.”

  She nodded, and at the same time, her body shuddered from whatever he was doing to her clit now. “I—I understand.”

  He nodded. “Good. Now drop to your knees, lass, and help me with the condom.” He removed his fingers from her, which made her whimper far too loudly and caused him to chuckle, then he helped her turn around. With a forceful but still kind hand on her shoulder, he pushed her to the ground. Then he handed her the condom.

  This was probably one of her favorite parts, lifting up the kilt to see what was hidden beneath. Though with the ten-man tent he was pitching at the moment, she only had one guess.

  She licked her lips and lifted the kilt, taking him in her palm and stroking him, feeling him continue to grow in her hand.

  “Slip it on, lass,” he said, his voice hoarse and strained. “Need to be inside ya.”

  She tore open the foil packet and placed it over him, allowing him to hold the base while she used both hands to roll it down his length.

  His breath hitched above her as she nudged his hand away and gripped him.

  “Ya dinna kin how sexy you look right now, Rory. On yer knees like that. Right bonnie.”

  Her lips tightened as she tried not to smile. His brogue was hot, albeit fake as hell. But she loved how into the role he got, never breaking character, never abandoning the accent. She could just imagine that they’d have some real fun role-playing. She’d never done it before, but that didn’t mean she was against it.

  Once she had the condom in place, he offered her his hand and helped her stand up, a gentle but firm hand to her back encouraging her to bend back over the bed.

  She did as she was told, a slight tremor of disappointment spooling through her at the thought of not being able to see him in his kilt as he made love to her.

  Made love.

  Yeesh, she really needed to get ahold of herself.

  He gripped her hips, poised himself at her core and eased inside, taking his time as he slid across the sensitive nerve endings of her channel.

  “Look to the right, lass,” he said, seating himself to the hilt inside her. “The mirror.”

  She did as she was told, and sure enough, there they were. Her, bent at the waist, hands gripping the duvet cover of the bed as Zak held her by the hips and slid inside her, his kilt resting on her lower back, his abs contracting and popping with each measured thrust.

  Holy God.

  Why hadn’t she noticed that mirror before?

  He grinned at her in the mirror, his eyes a dark blue storm, his skin faintly flushed across his cheeks and forehead. “Nothing sexier, lass.” He pumped hard but steady, making sure he drove into her all the way to the base only to then ease his way out, teasing her entrance with the tip.

  She rested her forehead on top of her palm and squeezed her eyes shut.

  “No, lass, watch us,” he ordered. “Watch me take you. Watch me fill you.”

  Watch me fill you.

  She did as she was told, opening her eyes and tilting her head so she could watch them in the mirror.

  He nodded, bared his teeth and grunted as his cadence picked up fervor and his grasp on her hips tightened. She squeezed her internal muscles around him, feeling every inch of him possess her, consume her.

  She wasn’t going to last much longer. The image of Zak behind her, a tattooed sex god in a fucking kilt, was enough to make any woman cream her jeans.

  Only Aurora wasn’t wearing any jeans.

  She wasn’t wearing a damn thing—except Zak that is. Or maybe he was wearing her.

  Either way, his insatiability was wearing her out in the best way possible.

  “Gonna come, Rory,” he ground out, hunching over her and reaching beneath her body and between her legs until he found her clit. She was a sopping wet mess between her legs, and his fingers on her slippery nub were enough to kick her over the ledge.

  Her body went rigid, her pussy quivered and squeezed, and her toes curled where she stood. The orgasm took hold of her from the center and exploded outward like a starburst, hitting the top of her head, the tips of her fingers and bottoms of her feet. Every cell sang; every nerve tingled.

  She opened her eyes, only realizing then that she’d shut them again, to find Zak behind her, still pumping. His brows were furrowed into a deep V and his lips curled back, making him look more animal than warrior. His flush now spanned the broadness of his chest and up his thick neck, getting lost in the ruddy beard that clung to his chiseled jaw.

  “Gonna come, lass.” He grunted, began to hammer into her even harder, and then he stilled. His eyes slammed shut, and his toes curled on the rug beneath his feet.

  She loved him in a kilt, but at that moment she kind of wished he was naked so she could see his ass cheeks flex and bunch. The man had a rockin’ ass. The most amazing ass on a man—on a human being—she’d ever seen.

  Oh well, another time. She could always ask him to lift the kilt next time as he took her in front of the mirror.

  Next time. God, how she hoped there would always be a next time.

  His cock twitched and jerked inside her as he came, his breathing ragged and hitched behind her as he pumped out the last of his release.

  His fingers on her hips relaxed, and he exhaled. She watched in the mirror as every one of his heavily toned muscles unclenched and his eyes fluttered open.

  A small, serene smile coasted across his lips as he leaned forward and kissed down the length of her spine. Then he pulled his fingers free from between her legs and held on to the base of the condom as he slid from her body.

>   She immediately mourned the loss of him inside her, and she must have made a noise of protest because his deep chuckle and a light pinch to the bottom of her butt cheek had him helping her stand up. “Trust me, lass,” he said, the brogue still thick, “dinna fret. That wilna be the last time I take ya. Far from it.” Then he tied off the condom and headed to the bathroom, still in his kilt and whistling “Jingle Bells” as he went.

  14

  “You’re still wearing it,” Tia said to Aurora with a giant smile as the young girl made her way down the stairs, dressed in a beautiful red skirt and shimmery gold top. “You like it?”

  Aurora paused what she was doing in the kitchen with the Brussels sprouts in the roasting pan and grabbed at the beaded necklace around her neck. “I absolutely love it, Tia. I told you that. It’s one of the most thoughtful Christmas presents I’ve ever received. Thank you. How’d you find time to make it?”

  She suspected that the little girl had a stash of beaded necklaces and bracelets in her room and simply pulled one out for Aurora so that Aurora wasn’t left being one of the only people without something to open Christmas morning. Either way, it was very thoughtful.

  Tia plopped down into one of the bar stools across the island from Aurora. “Dad helped me. He has the special wire in his shop that makes it easier to bead quickly. Otherwise it takes a while with fishing line.”

  Aurora’s eyes softened. “Well, I really appreciate it. It’s really beautiful. You’re quite crafty.”

  Tia fished beneath the neckline of her shirt and brought out a necklace that matched Aurora’s. “See, I made myself a matching one. Now we match. Matching friendship necklaces. Cool, huh?”

  Aurora’s heart swelled just like the Grinch’s did after he rescued the sleigh full of gifts from tumbling into the ravine. This little girl was incredible.

  “I love that, thank you, Tia.”

  Tia’s smile widened, and she tugged at her ears. “I like your earrings. I really want to get my ears pierced one day. Dad says I’m too young.”

  “You’re beautiful enough without the bling,” Aurora said, finishing up the Brussels sprouts by slathering them with olive oil and spices before sliding the pan into the oven. Zak was out shoveling the driveway, Sherman and Daphne were taking a nap, and Aiden had ducked upstairs to his room, claiming he had a top-secret project he needed to take care of. Aurora had offered to assume the chef role, once Zak told her exactly how he planned to prepare Christmas dinner. His guests, Liam and Emmett, were set to arrive any minute, so she wanted to make sure she had as much done as possible.

  “I like your sweater,” Tia said, slipping off the bar stool to come around and stand next to Aurora, reaching up and gently rubbing the soft fabric of Aurora’s sweater. “It’s really soft.”

  She’d been either wearing some of Zak’s clothes, like his boxers and tank tops—which were huge on her— or making due with her hoodie and yoga pants. “Thank you. It’s what I wore to work the other day, but your dad was kind enough to let me do a load of laundry. Now I don’t feel so out of place, as the rest of you like to dress up for Christmas dinner.” Aurora passed the little girl a peeler and a bowl of potatoes.

  “Dad says we need to dress up for dinners like Christmas and Thanksgiving and stuff to pay respect to the chef,” Tia said, stepping away to grab an apron, then tying it around her waist and over her neck before resuming her position beside Aurora and beginning to peel potatoes. “Granny taught him that.”

  “Your Granny and Papa are very wise people,” Aurora said, washing the olive oil from her hands in the big sink.

  Noise on the stairs had both Aurora and Tia looking up from their place next to the sink. Unlike Tia, who was light on her feet, tiptoeing and prancing gently around the house, Aiden was a herd of elephants wearing chain mail, the way he made a ruckus wherever he went.

  “Here,” he said, practically running up to the counter and holding up a beautiful picture in front of his face. “I made you this for Christmas.”

  Aurora’s face grew warm. These kids …

  “Aiden,” she started, “you didn’t have to get me anything for Christmas. Just getting to spend the holiday with kind people who make me feel welcome is gift enough. If your dad hadn’t invited me to spend Christmas with you, I would be spending it all alone with my dead goldfish and dead cactus.”

  “Why don’t you flush your goldfish down the toilet?” Tia asked, her nose wrinkling. “That’s weird to keep a dead fish.”

  Aurora fought the urge to snort.

  She’d flushed the fish ages ago.

  “It’s the Aurora Borealis,” Aiden went on, ignoring Aurora’s earlier declaration that he needn’t get her anything. “You know, the northern lights. That’s what your name means, right?”

  Aurora nodded. “More or less. Yes.” She dried her hands on a dish towel and took the picture from him. It was well done. It appeared as though he’d used pastels, not just your run-of-the-mill forty-pack of Crayola crayons. There was blending and smudging—real skill had gone into the picture. “Aiden, this is beautiful,” she said, her throat growing tight and tears stinging the back of her eyes. “I’m going to frame this for sure, put it up on my wall.”

  He shuffled back and forth on his feet and let his eyes drift down to the floor. “It’s nothing. I kind of rushed the last part there where the snow meets the horizon. I just didn’t want to run out of time and be called for dinner.” He lifted his eyes to meet hers. “Merry Christmas, Aurora.”

  “Merry Christmas, Aiden,” she said, making her way around the island and offering her open arms to him. It was up to him if he wanted to hug her—he did.

  He smelled like fresh soap and pastels, and his hug was tight and genuine. “I’m sorry if what I said the other night was rude,” he whispered, his own voice sounding slightly choked. “I didn’t mean to be rude. You make my dad smile. I just don’t want to see him get hurt.”

  She squeezed him even tighter. “I don’t want to see him get hurt either, buddy.” She sniffed and pulled away from him, quickly wiping beneath her eyes and clearing her throat. She glanced behind them at Tia. “You two are pretty incredible kids, you know that?”

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Zak’s voice said, breaking the moment she was having with the kids.

  Aurora spun around to find Zak standing next to the garage door, a handsome man beside him.

  “You need to be nice to her,” Zak had warned Emmett as he led his friend into the garage after meeting him in the driveway. Zak was just finishing up shoveling the driveway when Emmett showed up. Liam had texted earlier that day to say he was going to be late.

  “She’s honest and sweet. Not a bad or lying bone in her body.”

  Emmett cocked a dark brow. “And you’ve done a thorough job checking that body, right? No stone unturned, no inch of flesh untouched.”

  “Just be fucking nice,” Zak growled, hating the idea of Emmett treating Aurora with even an ounce of negativity. The woman just didn’t deserve it.

  “I will be nice,” Emmett said, stomping his feet to free the snow.

  “Like you were nice to Tori?” Zak asked. He pulled off his knit cap and hung it over the heater in the garage. “We all know how nice you were to her when she started seeing Mark. Took all your anger about Tiff and Huntley out on Mark and Tori. Projected the shit out of them or onto them … or … ” He scratched his chin in thought, then grunted. “You know what the fuck I mean.”

  Emmett cleared his throat and hung up his coat. “I know, and I apologized to everyone involved. I shouldn’t have been so rude to Tori, especially since she’s without a doubt the best thing to have ever happened to Mark and Gabe, and I shouldn’t have let my own shit affect my reaction to Mark dating.”

  “No shit.” Zak snorted. “We were starting to think you needed like anger management or counseling or something.”

  Emmett nodded. “Aaron introduced me to the Rage Room. You know that place right by Violet’s dance studio, Mit
ch’s photography studio and Paige’s restaurant?”

  Zak nodded. “Oh, I know the place. Been there a couple of times myself. Luna, who runs the place, is a gem. Gave her a free month’s pass to the gym, she’s been so accommodating to me. Nothing like smashing shit to help you get your head on straight.”

  Emmett made a noise of agreement in his throat. “Ain’t that the truth.”

  “So, you’ll be nice?” Zak asked, his hand resting on the doorknob. “Because I never intended for any of this to happen. Wasn’t looking to hook up or date, didn’t think I’d have the kids. It was all unplanned.”

  “Sometimes the unplanned things are the things that bring us the most joy,” Emmett said.

  Zak’s head reared back and his lip curled up. “What the fuck? You the Dalai Lama now?”

  Emmett rolled his eyes. “Fortune cookie last night, actually.” He nodded. “But it fits, no?”

  Zak tossed his head back and laughed. “You know those cookies were invented here in America, right?” He opened the door from the garage to the house, only to find his son wrapped in a warm embrace with the woman he was growing to deeply care for. Tia was standing next to them, smiling.

  “Well, she’s certainly won the kids over,” Emmett said under his breath.

  “You two are pretty incredible kids, you know that?” Aurora said.

  You’re incredible.

  But instead, he simply said, “I couldn’t agree more,” interrupting their moment and letting his presence be known.

  Aurora’s light brown eyes flew up from Aiden’s face to Zak and Emmett. Those eyes nearly grew twice in size as she stood up and wiped her hands on her apron. She seemed nervous. Why was she nervous?

  Besides Adam, she’d met every truly important person in his life. All the single dads were just a bonus, but their opinion of her didn’t really matter to him in the end. If he liked her, if his kids liked her, that was what mattered.

  “Rory,” he said, stepping forward and moving into the kitchen, “this is my buddy, Emmett, and one of the fellow Single Dads of Seattle.”