“Daddy!” Sydney spotted me first, dropping her pink plastic garden tool and running full speed in my direction. “I’m helping Rory plant flowers,” she held up her hands wiggling her fingers so I could see all the dirt caked on them and under her nails. “She says its relaxing.”
Another thing I’ve had to deal with for the past week was Sydney quoting Rory when it came to everything from healthy eating, to reading and even beauty tips. Lately it was “Rory said this,” or “Rory said that.” It was enough to make a sane man crazy and I was on edge.
“How was your day honey?”
“Good. School is done and I’m ready for summer fun!” She punched the air, grinning up at me expectantly. “How was your day Daddy?”
I smiled because in some ways she was so grownup it killed me. “Good. Hectic. I delivered two babies and two sets of twins today.” I’d ran around the obstetrics department all damn day from one birthing room to the next before the ending the day in the OR to perform a C-section. “Want to talk about it over pizza?”
Her little head bobbed up and down, curls still wild, but looking more tamed with female influence in her life. “Can Rory come too? We’re doing our nails after we finish.”
I couldn’t look down into her smiling face, so full of excitement and hope and tell her no. What would I say? “Sorry sweetie you can’t spend time with Rory because Daddy wants to fuck her six ways to Sunday?” No. So I said what she expected.
“Sure.”
An hour later they both rushed into the house laughing and looking fresh from the shower with wet hair and clean skin. Rory carried a big bowl that probably held salad because the woman was always snacking on something raw and healthy. Ugh.
“Daddy we’re here!”
Like I could ignore them if I tried. “Hey sweetheart, you smell good.”
She pulled back from my hug and preened. “It’s peach. Rory says a girl needs to find her special scent.”
Of course she did. “Rory has lots of advice it seems,” I said to my daughter, but stared up at the cinnamon haired woman. I should have looked anywhere but at her. Did the damn woman never cover up? She wore a white t-shirt dress that hit her mid-thigh and jeweled sandals. She looked mouth-watering. Damn her.
“I was just trying to help,” she said pointedly and set the salad on the table without looking my way.
It was just as well. My attraction to her made me a surly son of a bitch I knew, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“Right.”
Her gaze narrowed in my direction, but she wisely said nothing. Instead she took the slice of pizza Sydney offered along with some salad and ate quietly while Sydney talked her ear off about everything under the sun. To her credit, she listened and responded appropriately, answering questions and offering up suggestions when warranted.
“As soon as I finish school I hope to continue my research,” she said in such a matter of fact tone it startled me.
But equally surprising, Sydney wasn’t put off by the mature conversation. “What is ree-search?” She sounded the word out carefully, drawing a smile from Rory.
“It just means investigating information to find out what’s true and what isn’t.”
“Like a police officer?”
“Kind of yes, only I’ll be investigating people and their behavior instead of bad guys.”
“People like me?”
“In a way yes, but people older than you.”
Now she had my curiosity piqued. “What are you studying, aerobics? Art history?”
Her posture changed, stiffened and her guard went back up. Her green eyes were chilly, but she kept her smile in place, probably for Sydney’s sake. She pulled out her phone and glanced at the screen.
“It’s getting late Syd and I have an early meeting tomorrow.” She stood and squatted down so she was eye level with my daughter. “Thank you for helping me in the garden kiddo.”
“Thanks for my nails,” she replied and wiggled her fingers before hugging Rory tightly.
“Anytime. I’ll see you around,” she said and left without a backwards glance or another word to me.
Good riddance.
***
To be continued…
Hope you enjoyed this preview Dear Reader. If you’d like to find out how Rory & Kane’s story ends, check out them out here
bonus Scene, Seal’s Professor
Delaney
“Where are we going?” When Bennett said he had a surprise for me my first thought was more naked time. We made love with growing frequency, exploring our passions on every surface of the house, with the exception of my lab. But dressed in jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt wasn’t exactly what I had in mind for a sexy surprise.
“Do you trust me?” He flashed a tempting smile and placed one hand on my thigh, sending a sliver of heat shooting through my body.
“Of course I do.” The answer came easy. With all the odd things going on lately, I found my trust in him growing each day. “That doesn’t mean that I’m not curious.”
“Then I’ll just let you sit there and wonder. You look adorable when you’re trying to figure me out.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Adorable? Just what every woman wants to hear.” I didn’t find it all that off putting to be called adorable, but considering our intimate relationship it felt like the wrong word.
“It’s true, and adorable is a good thing.”
“Puppies are adorable,” I grumbled, pulling a deep laugh from Bennett.
“But puppies are just adorable. You are sometimes adorable, sometimes sexy and always beautiful.” Seductive blue eyes sparkled with amusement but I didn’t feel that it was at my expense.
“Thank you, Bennett.”
“But I’m still not telling you where we’re going.” He laughed when I folded my arms across my chest and pouted. “Now that is also adorable.”
The drive lasted nearly an hour, with intermittent conversation between us. I enjoyed that he didn’t feel it necessary to fill every moment of silence with noise. Sometimes it was nice to just enjoy the silence and the scenery. I gasped when we pulled up to Big Basin. “I’ve always wanted to come here.”
“Why didn’t you?”
I shrugged as though I didn’t know the answer but I knew. “I was worried that I might get lost in there and no one would notice my absence.”
Bennett stepped from the car and came around to the passenger side, pressing his body into mine as soon as I stepped from the car. “Then I’m glad I could be the one come with you.”
“Me too.” I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face at this handsome man and his intoxicating smile. “You smell good.”
He nuzzled my neck in response, dotting kisses up my neck before those soft lips touched mine. His day-old scruff tickled my skin and I loved it nearly as much as I loved kissing him. His kisses felt like fire and safety, lust and a drugging wave that pulled me under and made it hard to focus on anything other than the feel of his lips against mine. “And you taste good.” He took a step back, lips slick from our kiss and grinned. “Come on, let’s get our gear.”
“Gear?”
“Yes.” His hands landed on my shoulder and turned me so my back was to him. He placed a pack on my back. “What’s all this?”
When I turned back to him he flashed another killer smile. “A surprise.” That smile should be registered as a lethal weapon because it made me forget myself and what I wanted to know.
“You know, you’re really making me start to dislike that word.”
“That’s okay,” he tilted my head up and dropped a sweet kiss on my lips. “As long as you like the surprise I’ll be happy.” He hefted a much larger pack on his back and we entered the park. And after a quick stop we found a trail and began to walk.
This place was incredible with the tall Redwoods determined to kiss the sky, tan oaks, azaleas and huckleberry bushes provided an almost otherworldly beauty. “Amazing.”
“Completely,�
� he said from behind me, his voice sounded strained and looked over my shoulder to find him staring at me.
A blush stole up my skin but I had no idea how to respond so I pushed forward on the trail, stopping often to take in the flora and fauna. To admire the giant trees that still seemed surreal to me. The hike wasn’t easy but the first two hours felt exhilarating, and the conversation flowed easily when the terrain allowed. “Do you hear that?” Rushing water sounded in the distance.
“It’s a waterfall and our stopping point.” We pushed through the final mile and stopped, surrounded by lush greenery and the overwhelming sound of the waterfall.
“This place is magical.”
“Not yet,” he said mysteriously and let his pack fall from his shoulders and unzipped it to reveal very familiar plastic containers. “Bag,” he said and held his hand out.
I handed over my bag and he pulled out water, juice and a blanket. “A picnic!” I glanced around the mostly deserted waterfall. “Can we picnic here?”
“Who’s gonna stop us?” His smile was filled with mischief as he laid everything out.
I didn’t care who might try to stop us, all I cared about was enjoying this special surprise he’d planned for us. “Let them try.” I dropped down beside him and cupped his face. “Thank you for this.”
“My pleasure.”
I kissed him again, longer and slower this time. “I’m pretty sure the pleasure is mine.” Kissing Bennett Atlas was officially my favorite pastime. His too if his reaction was any indication, covering my body with his as he lowered me to the blanket, settling between my legs and kissing me for several long, penetrating moments that I would never forget. “Yep, definitely my pleasure.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” he told me and moved his hips so they hit me right where I needed it.
Feeling bold I slid a hand between us and rubbed over his long thick erection until he hissed out a breath and I slid my hand down his pants, gripping him in my hand. “I want you Bennett.” I wanted him more than I wanted anything and right now I was prepared to take it.
“Laney,” he groaned and thrust into my hand. “We can’t.”
“Sure we can,” I whispered in his ear as he kissed my neck and bit my ear. “I could shove this jeans down your hips,” I told him, hands doing exactly what I said. “And then I can turn around and do the same so I could finally feel you from behind.”
“Laney,” he growled as his erection sprang free.
Suddenly frantic I pushed at his chest and turned so my back was glued to his chest. “Yes, Bennett. Yes.”
He pushed my hands out of the way and worked on the button, the zipper as his hands slid inside to test my readiness. “So fucking wet Laney. Just for me.”
“All for you,” I panted, pressing against him to urge him on as he finally pushed my jeans down and slid his erection through my moisture. “Yes.”
“You sure, Laney?”
In response, I arched my back so he sank into my damp heat in one long, slick thrust. A strangled growl came out as he pulled out and slammed in again. “So sure. More.” He gave me more as we came together, hard and fast, hot and frantic in our desire to find satisfaction.
He gripped my hips and pounded into me, hard and fast with enough raw hunger to send shivers through my whole body. In all the times we’d come together I’d never felt so much, never felt him so deep as he felt now. We could be one with how deep inside me he moved, hitting some spot that sent bursts of color shooting off behind my eyes. “Laney,” he sent a warning.
“I’m with you Bennett. Let go.”
I don’t know how a person could move their hips so fast but his hand pressed against the middle of my back to change the angle and moments later we both flew apart, our cries of passion echoing against the rushing water.
“That was a really good surprise,” I panted beneath him, pulling a laugh from both of us. His deep laugh and warm breath sent another wave of desire through me and I clenched around him.
“You’re insatiable Laney, baby.”
“It must be that clean masculine scent of yours,” I practically purred at the feel of his lips and tongue on my back.
“Or it could be the fried chicken.”
I laughed even harder at his words. “Definitely the fried chicken and the sexy scent of you. But mostly it was the taste of you.”
He pulled back and collapsed onto the blanket. “You are trying to drive me wild Laney.”
“It’s only because you make me wild, Bennett Atlas.” I wondered, at the unidentifiable look on his face, if I should have said something that could be read as emotional. Then he smiled and pulled me on top of him and I decided not to worry about it.
***
Also By Piper Sullivan
Daddy's Fiancée Nanny
Prince Daddy's Nanny
Dr Daddy Next Door
Cowboy's Fake Fiancee
Seal'd to Her
Safeguarded
Wrangling the Cowboy
Seal's Professor: A Military Roommate Romance Page 83
