Catch-22 (Single Dad Romance)

by Brenda Ford

  What I did need? Stability. Someone sane enough to deal with my crazy life and keep me on the straight and narrow.

  Someone like Paige.

  Except, of course – my life was currently a shit show and that was the last thing she needed. Hell, she didn't even know what she'd be getting herself into by getting together with me.

  Still, I couldn't resist reaching out to her, stroking the soft skin of her cheek and looking deep into her eyes.

  “You're beautiful, smart, artistic,” I said. “What's not to like about you?”

  My praise seemed to embolden her, and she reached over and without a word, pulled my t-shirt off over my head. With a naughty little grin, she ran her fingernails down my chest and abs, tracing the outline of the anchor tattoo on my chest with her fingers.

  “And here, I thought I wasn't your type,” I teased.

  “You're not,” she said, giving me a cheeky grin. “But you're sexy as hell, so I think I can let that slide.”

  “You're pretty sexy yourself,” I said, feeling myself growing hard just looking at her.

  To imagine bending her over and having my way with her was tempting. So fucking tempting. But I wasn't good for her. I would be inviting a whole host of shit into her life if I did what I really wanted to do in that moment. It would be better for the both of us if I pulled back. I had to resist. I had to –

  She kissed me, climbing onto my lap and straddling me as she did so. With her hands in my hair and her body pressed tightly to mine, there was no way I could fight back. And I realized in that moment, as I squeezed her ass with my hands that I didn't want to. I was already too far gone.

  She pulled her shirt off, exposing a pair of perky breasts that were just the right size for my hands. Her smile grew sultry and she ground herself against my ever hardening cock. And in that moment, I knew that I was a goner.

  “Is Harley asleep?” she asked, nibbling my ear.

  “She's out cold,” I whispered. “In the room down the hall.”

  “So we have to be quiet, huh?”

  I glanced down at the hallway, and I knew I could use my daughter as an excuse if I wanted to stop what was happening. She was literally right there and her door was open a bit. I knew she could come out at any moment, wanting a drink of water, or having had a bad dream, or any other host of reasons. If I wanted to stop what we were doing – and my rational mind told me that I absolutely should – I had an easy out.

  But it wasn't my rational mind that was in charge at that moment.

  “I don't think we should – ”

  I started to turn her away, but she pressed her body down on my cock and the sensation was too much for me to continue with that particular train of thought. Instead, I finished the sentence much differently than I'd intended.

  “I don't think we should do anything in here,” I said. “Let's go to my bedroom.”

  Paige nodded, hopping off of me and taking my hand. She was obviously very eager, and I couldn't say no. Well, I could, but my stupid man brain made it impossible to resist a sexy woman like Paige who was literally dragging me to bed with her. I was a warm blooded man with needs and desires, after all. And watching the way Paige's ass fit in those jeans of hers – she ticked off quite a few of my needs, that was for sure.

  “Are you sure about this?” I asked her. “I mean, are you sure you want to get caught up with me? You've seen the trouble I bring along for the ride. Or at least, you got a little taste of it. So, are you – ”

  She kissed me again, pushing me into my bedroom and shutting me up in an instant.

  “Does this look like a woman who has doubts?” she asked, dropping her pants as she kicked the door closed.

  “No, but – ”

  I wanted to tell her it was more complicated than all that. Way more complicated than she was probably thinking. I wanted to tell her that I was caught up in some heavy shit and I was afraid that if she hooked up with me, she was inviting the blowback onto her as well. But I could tell there was no way to change her mind – and honestly, I didn't want to. In that moment, all I wanted was her.

  I dropped my pants and pushed her down on my bed, kissing her lips, then her neck and collarbone. She gasped as I moved lower down onto her, stopping to suck on her nipple. Her body arched upward as she gasped, then she laughed as if surprised by her own sounds.

  “I'll try to be quiet,” she said.

  “Hopefully, I make it very, very hard for you to do that,” I said, moving lower until I was situated between her legs.

  As I stared up at her from between her thighs, I could smell her. And she smelled so delicious and amazing. My cock already felt like it was going to explode with yearning. But I wanted to make her feel good. Wanted to get her off like she'd never gotten off before.

  Sinking down between her soft, smooth thighs, I circled her clit with my tongue, teasing her as much as I could until she begged me for more.

  “Please, Eli, please!”

  She pulled on my hair, pulling me up on top of her, and as I stared down into her beautiful eyes. I wanted nothing more than to be with her. Be inside of her. Be completely joined with her. All thoughts and fears of my shitty life were gone, and all that mattered was Paige Cleary.

  My daughter's teacher.

  And for some reason, the idea of fucking a teacher only made things sexier for me.

  13

  Paige

  Paige

  What had gotten into me? My intention had been innocent and sincere. I'd simply come by to talk to Elias about his daughter – warn him about what was going on down at the school – and somehow, we ended up in bed together. Not that I was complaining all that much. He was very, very nice on the eyes after all, even if he wasn't entirely my type. His eyes were so vivid and blue, and his smile had the power to melt any woman. Yet, he was smiling down at me of all people.

  We were naked. In his bed. And his cock was only a few inches from being inside of me. My breath caught in my throat and the fire inside of me grew ever hotter, waiting for him to plunge that magnificent cock deep into me.

  I was dripping wet and more than ready and yet, he hesitated – teased me. I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him close, kissing him deeply as I tried to guide him inside of me. I wanted him. Needed him. Had to have him in me. I couldn't wait any longer.

  Sensing my need and my desire, Elias reached down, positioned himself perfectly against my opening and in the blink of an eye, slipped deep inside of me, filling me to the brim. I bit down on the side of my hand, doing my best to avoid crying out – I didn't want to wake Harley – but having his cock inside of me felt so damn good, I almost couldn't help it.

  Elias groaned as he plunged inside of me, his head falling forward as our bodies became one. Gently, he started rocking back and forth, pumping his hips, moving in and out of my body as both of us writhed in pleasure.

  I still couldn't believe that this was even happening. It went against my principles, yet there I was fucking the parent of one of my students. And not just any parent, but Elias Jones of all people. The bad boy father the mothers all talked and gossiped about. The bad boy even the most uptight of those moms fantasized about. And there I was, fucking him. Oh, what I wouldn't give to rub that in their faces.

  But I knew I couldn't. I couldn't share this little tryst with anybody.

  I gasped as Elias took one of my nipples between his lips, sucking it and sending ripples of pleasure throughout my entire body. The heat within me grew and having Elias' mouth on me drove me absolutely crazy.

  Moaning, I whispered his name, “Elias...Elias...” over and over again, to resist the nearly overwhelming urge to cry out.

  I had to be quiet. We couldn't afford to wake Harley and have her walk in on us. But it was so damn hard. I just wanted to scream out his name, to let him know how amazing it all felt – to let him know how good it felt to have him inside of me, feeling him moving within me.

  His breathing was growing heavier, and he was moanin
g right along with me. I wrapped my legs around his waist even tighter and I held him close, raking my nails down his back. He hissed but smiled at me, enjoying the sensation.

  As he pumped his cock into me again and again, I felt my eyes roll into the back of my head and what felt like a bolt of electricity shoot through me. I felt my pussy spasming around his cock as my orgasm hit me hard, coming out of nowhere and causing me to bite down on his shoulder to prevent myself from screaming.

  And Elias wasn't far behind. With one more deep thrust, he buried himself deep inside of me, groaning and letting his head fall to the side as he came, hard. Our bodies continued shuddering in pleasure as we came together, and it wasn't until every last drop of his cum was inside of me that he pulled out and rolled over, flopping down on the bed beside me.

  He pulled me close, and I rested my head on his strong, chiseled chest, listening to his heartbeat. Neither one of us spoke for the longest time, we just basked in the afterglow and enjoyed the comfortable silence between us.

  “I umm – ” he said, clearing his throat. “That was amazing, but I should have worn a condom. Everything happened so fast and I wasn't thinking. I'm sorry--”

  “It's fine,” I said. “I wasn't thinking either. I'm on the pill, I promise. And I'm clean, clean as they come.”

  That was an understatement. I hadn't had sex in a very long time, and I'd had several check-ups since then. Every test came back clear – my ex never gave me anything and I certainly hadn't picked anything up on my own. I looked over at Elias and prayed he was also a good, clean man.

  “Good,” he said. “Well, I mean, I figured you were clean, but the whole baby thing – I love my daughter, but I really don't need another kid right now.”

  “Oh, and I don't need a child either,” I said. “Trust me. I have enough going on in my life as it is. A child doesn't exactly factor into my plans.”

  “And yes, I'm clean too,” he said, as if he could read the worries floating through my mind. “Just to ease your mind. I got tested after Amy left and I haven't been with anyone since.”

  “Amy?” I asked, rolling over to stare up at him. “Is that Harley's mom?”

  He nodded, but didn't say anything. I could see the tension and anger smouldering in his eyes and knew it was a sensitive subject. I wanted to ask about her, but knew that it wasn't the right time. I wasn't sure there would actually ever be a right time, but either way, I knew it wasn't a conversation to have while we still lay in bed together after having just had sex.

  I sat up in bed and looked for my shirt.

  Elias sat up too. “What are you doing?”

  “I figure I should probably go – ”

  I knew guys like Elias, and wanted to make this as easy as possible for him – and ultimately, for me. I wanted to avoid the awkwardness of overstaying my welcome. But he surprised me when he reached out and pulled me down into the bed with him, which made me laugh as we fell together.

  Kissing me softly, he whispered, “Don't leave just yet,” he said.

  “I figure you wouldn't want Harley finding me here,” I said.

  He seemed to think about it for a moment, then nodded – though, I thought I saw something like regret in his eyes. But that could have just been wishful thinking on my part.

  “I guess you're probably right about that,” he said. “But stay a bit longer. Don't rush out, otherwise you make me feel like a dick. Or like you'd just used me for some great sex. And you wouldn't want that, would you?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe I did just objectify you and use you for great sex,” I laughed. “But I also don't want to overstay my welcome.”

  Elias laughed and pulled me toward him again, enveloping me in his big arms and crushing me against his massive frame. If I were being honest, it felt nice to be in his arms. Better than nice. It somehow felt natural. Right. And as much as that scared me, it also made me happy.

  “No way,” he said. “Don't even worry about that. As long as Harley doesn't catch you here, we're good.”

  Already, I heard his voice growing thicker as he started to get sleepy. I smiled as I listened to his voice was trailing off. I told myself that I should leave. But staring up at that beautiful man made it so hard to actually do it – especially when he had his arms wrapped around me and I felt so cozy and comfortable.

  “Okay, just a few minutes,” I said, curling up with him. “But once you start snoring, I'm outta here.”

  “Fair enough,” he said, doing his best to stifle a yawn. “Because I don't snore.”

  I never found out if he snored or not, because at all once, a wave of exhaustion swept over me, pulled me under, and I fell asleep at about the same time he did.

  ooo000ooo

  The next thing I knew, the alarm going off – and I realized with a jolt of fear tearing through me that it wasn't my alarm. It was different. I rolled over and looked at the alarm clock and gasped – it was six in the damn morning.

  “Oh shit!” I said, climbing out of his bed and managing to fall on the floor in the process. “Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit – ”

  Elias was also jumping out of bed and throwing on his clothes from the night before. “Harley will be up soon – ”

  But it was too late. I heard her voice from in the hallway, singing a song and coming our way. I looked at Elias with an expression on my face I was certain could be translated to – “WTF do I do?”

  “Bathroom,” he said, pointing behind me.

  “Yes, good idea,” I said, grabbing my clothes from the floor and running into the bathroom.

  I shut the door behind me and dropped down onto the toilet with a sigh of relief. Harley didn't catch me in bed with her dad, but it had been close. Way too close for comfort.

  As I sat there, doing my best to not make a sound, I heard muffled voices coming from the bedroom I'd just dashed out of.

  “You're up early, pumpkin,” Elias said with a bit too much forced cheer in his voice. “And already dressed for school too. Wow.”

  Oh crap. How was I going to get out of there and get home so I could get myself ready for school without Harley seeing me? Dammit. I was kicking myself for sleeping through the night with Elias and I had no idea how I was going to get out of that mess. My heart raced as I sat there and waited for some signal that it was safe for me to make my escape. I hurried and put my clothes on anyway, thinking maybe – just maybe – I'd get my chance to slink out the front door.

  “Yep! I'm excited about art class today,” Harley said. “We're going to tie dye shirts, remember?”

  Oh yeah. It was tie dye day in class.

  “Well you don't want to forget your shirt, do you?” he asked brightly. “Why don't you run on into your room and grab it. Then we can go get some breakfast before I drop you off for school.”

  “Melody's Cafe?” she said, her voice rising in excitement.

  “Of course, kiddo,” he said. “And you can get anything you want.”

  Harley screeched happily, and then I heard the bedroom door close behind her followed by her little footsteps bounding down the hall. I waited for Elias to give me a sign that it was clear, and a moment later, he opened the door and glanced inside.

  “When we leave, feel free to leave behind us. Just give us a few minutes and lock up behind you, please,” he said quietly.

  I nodded, feeling incredibly silly in that moment. I felt like a teenager hiding in a boy's room from his parents all over again. Elias stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him, and kissed the top of my head.

  “I'm sorry it had to work out this way,” he said. “You deserve better.”

  I stood up to meet his gaze and we kissed, a chaste kiss, before we heard Harley yelling, “I'm ready!”

  “I better get moving,” he said, looking a little sad about it. “Have a good day at school, and I guess we'll see you in a little bit.”

  “I guess so,” I said.

  He stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind them, and a few minute
s later, I heard them leave. I waited a few minutes, just as he'd asked, and as soon as I thought the coast was clear, I left his apartment and locked it up behind me.

  That was close.

  We'd have to be more careful next time. And then I caught myself and giggled at my assumption that there was actually going to be a next time.

  14

  Elias

  We could never do that again. What in the hell had I been thinking? I mentally kicked myself throughout breakfast and kicked myself a little more as I drove Harley to school. I was a man with needs, that much was true, but I needed to be smarter. My life was a shitstorm at the moment, and they were already watching Paige. I didn't need her dragged into my mess. She didn't need to be dragged into my mess. She deserved better than all of it. I'd meant it when I'd told her that in the bathroom.

  She deserved better than me.

  Whatever it was between us had to end. And it had to end right then and there. But I needed to be gentle with how I ended things. Paige was a good girl – one who didn't deserve to be hurt or feel like she was being carelessly tossed aside now that I'd slept with her. I didn't want her to ever feel bad or like she wasn't worthy. And I had the feeling that I was going to make her feel exactly that. Which was exactly why I had to end things.

  I had to hurt her to stop her from getting hurt worse. What a Catch-22.

  Ending things between us before they ever really got going was going to be fun – especially since I saw her almost every day at school. Sure, I could do my best to avoid her, but it would be very obvious I was doing that and it wouldn't be very nice. Especially since we'd slept together. It would make me a jerk. And she'd be justified in calling me every name in the book if I did something as callous as that.

  I needed to talk to her, to tell her what was going on as best I could. I needed to make her understand that I was not the kind of man she wanted to get involved with – and after that, I had to cut her loose. Maybe once this whole thing with Mav was over and done with, I could give her a call again. Maybe then it would be safe to get involved with her. But not until then.