Pretend I'm Yours_A Single Dad Romance

by Vivian Wood

  See, Jax and I get along… for the most part. It’s just better for our relationship now that he lives in L.A., and we rarely see each other. Because when Jax and I spend any kind of significant portion of time together, he starts to get on my nerves.

  Mostly by doing shit like he did today. My brother just sprung this on me at the last minute, like everything he does in his life. He texted me a few hours ago to say that he would be in Atlanta for the night, and can he stay at my place?

  I sigh. I always think that I’m a hot mess, but Jax takes the cake on that one. He’s just lucky that he’s a really good photographer, because without his art he’s just a giant fucking asshole.

  Getting out of the car, I check my reflection. Dark blue button up, black jeans, black boots. I smooth my beard down and muss my hair.

  All my ducks are in a row. I head inside Cure, showing my identification to the bouncer at the door. It is dark inside, most of the light coming from the tall back wall of lit up shelves. The music is pretty loud for it only being seven thirty at night, heavy bass-tinged electropop coming through the speakers.

  I spot Alex first, as usual. He’s the easiest to pick out of a crowd, being a head taller than everyone else. He’s standing at the bar, patiently waiting for the bartender to get to him.

  “Hey, dude,” Alex says as I sidle up alongside him.

  “Hey. How’s the hunt for a team?”

  He grins. “The Dolphins and the Patriots are both flirting with me.”

  “That is fucking awesome!” I say. “That deserves a drink. What are you going to have?”

  A flash of red catches my eye. I turn my head, and see Cady enter the bar. She’s wearing a super short red dress, and white patent leather heels. She looks fucking delicious, miles and miles of bare legs on display. If I were a cartoon wolf, my eyes would look like hearts and my tongue would have rolled out like a carpet by now.

  Then she sees me. My heart constricts when our eyes meet. She grins and strides over to us.

  “Hi—“ she starts. She barely gets the word out before I’m on her, dipping her back like a movie star for a kiss.

  My arms are tight around her waist as I bend her backwards, my lips crushing hers. I catch a whiff of a little bit of vanilla and lavender, and I suck her scent into my lungs. If I could, I would devour Cady right here and now.

  When I pull her upright, she wobbles for a second, a smile on her face. “Did you miss me or something?”

  “Maybe,” I say, smothering a grin.

  I release her, but slap her on the ass playfully.

  “Watch it,” she says, threatening me with a single finger.

  I grab her hand and return to Alex. “Sorry about that.”

  “Hi Alex,” Cady says.

  Alex gives us a lopsided grin and holds up a drink. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “Are you telling me that I missed that bartender?” I say. “I’ll never get her back, I’m afraid.”

  “Hey, there’s Mason and Jax,” Alex says, nodding to the door.

  The two men come in, talking and smiling. Looking at Jax is like looking in the mirror, if I’d never decided to get a single tattoo and shaved regularly. He’s exactly my height and has the same dark hair and blue eyes, but he’s clean-shaven. Add the tight jeans and the white henley shirt, and you have an alternate version of me.

  “Jett,” Jax says, giving me a nod. “And… who is this?”

  He looks at Cady, intrigue written all across his face. I see him look her up and down, and a curl of jealous protectiveness unfurls in my stomach.

  “Hi, I’m Cady,” she says, dropping my hand to shake his. “And you’re Jax, I’m guessing?”

  “The one and only.” He holds her hand a bit too long, and for a second I swear he’s going to kiss it. He glances at me and lets her go. “I’m assuming that my brother already filled you in?”

  Cady surprises me by moving closer to me, and slipping an arm around me. “He did! All nice things, I assure you.”

  “There really aren’t any bad things to say about me,” Jax says.

  “Alright, alright,” I say. “You guys go grab one of those tables along the wall there, and Cady and I will get drinks.”

  “Beer for me,” Mason says, heading over to a table.

  Jax just says, “Old-fashioned.” He follows Mason and Alex, leaving me and Cady to get drinks.

  I put an elbow on the bar, waiting for the bartender. While I’m waiting, I glance at Cady. “Did I already tell you that you look fantastic?”

  She blushes. I knew that she would, but that doesn’t sap any of the pleasure from watching her cheeks go dark pink.

  “Not in so many words, no,” she says, biting her lower lip. I scope out her red lipstick admiringly; it’s safe to say that I’ll be wearing it later, from her mouth to mine. “You and Jax look exactly the same. Same eyes, same jawline…”

  “Don’t go falling in love with the guy,” I say, teasing. “Whatever problems you think I have, he has them ten times worse.”

  She blushes again. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just… the family resemblance is so strong! I don’t see that very often.”

  “My mom used to say that me and Jax looked exactly like our dad.” I glance behind myself, and see that Jax is looking back at us, his expression unreadable.

  “That makes sense,” Cady says with a nod.

  The bartender finally comes and takes our drink order. Soon we’re heading for the table. Jax stands up and accepts his drink, then motions to the seat next to him. “Cady?”

  She glances at me before taking the seat, leaving me to sit on her other side.

  “You just flew three thousand miles to be here, but you’re going to sit next to Cady?” I grouse.

  “No offense, but you’re not nearly as attractive as she is,” he says, sipping his cocktail. “Oh, would you look at that? She blushes much better than you do, brother.”

  “She doesn’t like being talked about as if she’s not here,” Cady corrects him primly.

  “I’m truly sorry,” Jax says to Cady.

  I move a little closer to Cady and put my arm around her. Jax smirks at my display of possessiveness, which gets to me. I grit my teeth, a muscle jumping in my cheek.

  “Jax, what have you been up to in Los Angeles?” Alex asks.

  “Uhhh, you know. This and that,” Jax says, waving his hand. “I’m doing a series of celebrity photos at the moment, trying to get entertainers at their best. I’m actually in town to shoot Akon at a show he’s doing here.”

  “Very cool,” Mason says.

  “Yeah. I think that we’re going to go to Magic City strip club later, if you’re interested. I’m sure that it would be a new experience for Cady.” Jax winks at Cady. Her mouth turns down a little, indicating her distaste.

  “I think we’re good on that,” I say.

  A little part of me is pleased at Cady’s reaction to Jax. Usually girls are wowed by his I’m a soulful artist bullshit. Or maybe that was just Emily?

  “Your loss,” Jax shrugs. “Hey, how is Emily these days?”

  I glare at Jax, and Mason and Alex look uncomfortable. Cady, expressionless, stands up.

  “I’m going to find the ladies’ room,” she says. She escapes before anyone else can say anything.

  I turn to Jax. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  He looks smug. “Nothing. I just wanted to know how your long term ex-girlfriend is. She always liked me. How did things end with you guys? Do you think that she be against me calling her?”

  Before I know it, I’m up, with Jax pinned against the wall. My fist is raised, and I am ready to do my brother some serious harm.

  “Hey, hey,” Jax says, raising his hands. “I didn’t realize that you were getting your jimmies so rustled.”

  “You have one chance,” I say, getting in his face. “Stop harassing Cady, and stop bringing up things that will upset her.” I can see the desire to argue on his face, so I shake him. “Serious
ly? Stop.”

  “Jesus, chill out. Just because you’ve finally found someone like mom to date—“

  “What the fuck did you just say?” I raise my fist again.

  “What? It’s true. She looks just like mom. Dark hair, light eyes, kinda tall… and I don’t doubt that she uses people like mom did, either.“

  I get really close to his face and whisper, “Fuck you. You don’t know the first thing about Cady.”

  Alex clears his throat. “Guys? I think that we need to take this outside. The bartenders are looking at us.”

  Glancing back, I see that the bartenders are gathered in a group, looking at us and talking in low voices. I let go of Jax, and he immediately starts plucking at his shirt, like I disturbed it with my anger.

  Cady comes back from the bathroom. Her wide eyed gaze takes us all in, and her brow hunches with worry.

  “Is everything okay?” she asks, reaching for my hand.

  I take her hand, reminding myself to calm the fuck down. “Yeah. I think we should go.”

  Jax looks a little sheepish. “Jett, man—“

  “Bye, Jax,” I tell him. To Alex and Mason, I say, “See you two later.”

  “Bye!” Cady says.

  I haul her out of there, not happy until we’re at my car. I’m not seeing red anymore, but I’m still close to the edge.

  “Can we just take my car?” I ask.

  “If you think you’re okay to drive, then sure.” Cady pulls me to a stop, hugging me. “I’m sorry your brother made you mad.”

  “No, I’m sorry. He shouldn’t have asked about Emily. He was just trying to get a rise out of me,” I say, shaking my head.

  Cady pushes up on her tiptoes, dropping a light kiss on my lips. “Don’t apologize for him. Besides, it just so happens that I wanted to get home in a hurry anyway.”

  She grabs my ass, surprising me into a laugh. I look down at her face, and she beams up at me.

  “What?” she says. “I’m allowed to be horny. You’re not the only one.”

  I kiss her again, slower this time. “Thank you.”

  “Come on, let’s go,” she says, separating herself from me.

  She goes around to the passenger side, and I unlock the car. I see Jax standing before the entrance to Cure, watching us as we pull out of the parking lot. I ignore him, heading to the highway.

  “Hey, do you want to stay at your house tonight?” Cady says.

  I raise my eyebrows at her question. “Are you sure?”

  “Mmmhm. I love my apartment, but there is something really nice about being in a house. Thought we could switch it up, get some variety.”

  I nod and pull onto the highway. “Sounds like plan.”

  She turns on the radio. Rap blares from the speakers, the new G-Eazy playing. I expect her to change it, but instead she just leans back and listens.

  I just drive, trying not to let my experience with my brother stick with me. Besides, he’s wrong about Cady being exactly like our mom. Cady is a successful lawyer with her own life and interests. She couldn’t be further from mom if she tried.

  I look over at Cady, who’s staring off in the distance. I can’t think about what Jax said tonight. I won’t.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Jett

  My phone buzzes on the hotel’s fancy conference table. I look at it, desperate both to turn it off and to answer it. I do neither.

  I’ve been in St. Louis for five days, golfing and buddying up to some of the higher-ups at my company. The thing is, I usually like these trips. I’m happy to get paid to eat and sleep somewhere new. I never have anything to look forward to back at home.

  Except…

  Now I do, a little. I mean, yeah, it’s just sex. But apparently Cady must be missing me something fierce, because she has starting texting me a lot. And by texting, I mean sexting. And she’s not just doing it over text, she’s leaving me little voice memos of her breathing hard and moaning.

  My phone buzzes again, and I break into a sweat. Mr. Wallace, the head of our company, stops what he’s doing at the whiteboard and scowls at the dozen people sitting at the table.

  Wallace is about a million years old. At the moment he looks like he should be standing in his yard, yelling at us damn kids to stay the hell off of his lawn.

  “Whose goddamn phone is that making so much racket?” he demands.

  I sink lower into my seat, reaching for my phone. I flip it over and there are Cady’s tits, front and center. I’m hard in a heartbeat.

  Did I mention that she makes me fucking crazy?

  My phone buzzes again as I am desperately try to turn it off, but it’s too late. Wallace calls me out.

  “James, who the hell is calling you?” he says.

  “Err… I’m not sure,” I say lamely. “Wrong number, maybe.”

  Wallace glares at me for a second more, then throws up his hands in disgust. “I forgot what the hell I was talking about. We’ll have to pick this up tomorrow.”

  Someone flips on the lights, and the meeting breaks up. Stephen, who is sitting beside me, elbows me in the ribs.

  “Is that your girl?” he asks, nodding toward my phone. “Because she has got one hell of a rack.”

  I roll my eyes and stand up. “She’s none of your business.”

  “Wait, are you saying that she’s single?” he teases. “Because I’m in the market, if you know what I mean.”

  “Shut up, dude,” I say, heading for the door. I turn down the hall to head to my room, the opposite direction that everyone else is going.

  “Are you skipping out on drinks and dinner to call her back?” Stephen calls, his voice mocking. “Someone’s pussy whipped…”

  I give him the middle finger without looking back. When I’m in the elevator alone, heading up, I feel safe looking at Cady’s texts. I scan them, noticing that they get progressively more and more provocative.

  I’m horny.

  I miss the feel of your body, dominating mine. I miss your cock, the way it makes me feel so full.

  And that piercing? I can feel it whenever you’re inside me. Yeah, I miss that in particular.

  Mmmm, I’m thinking about your cock sliding into my mouth.

  I’m touching myself, and thinking about you fucking me.

  Then a series of pics, starting with her tits, then her ass, and then a glorious shot of her pussy.

  I’m done for the day, I text her. I’m almost to my room, where I can have some privacy.

  I slip the phone in my pocket as I exit the elevator, heading along the hotel’s red and yellow carpeting, passing rooms on my left and right. As I walk, I hear Stephen’s voice in my head.

  “Is that your girl?” he asks. “Are you saying that she’s single?”

  I don’t know why I didn’t tell him that Cady is my girlfriend. That’s what I’ve been calling her, since Mary and Danny’s bridal shower.

  I get to my room and let myself in; it’s a basic hotel room, nothing beyond a bathroom, a king sized bed, and a tv console. I kick off my shoes and loosen my tie, then peel off my jacket. My phone buzzes again as I lie down across the bed with a sigh. I check the screen.

  Ready? it reads.

  I use the video call feature, and the phone rings for a second, reflecting my own face back at me. Then Cady picks up. She’s in her bed, with the lights low.

  “Hey,” she says, biting her lip. Her lipstick is that same perfect shade of red. Just looking at the color makes my cock stir.

  “You’ve been very distracting today,” I say lightly.

  “Oh? Is that a good thing? Or have I been naughty?”

  She pouts for a second, but I know that she’s encouraged by my words.

  “You’ve been very, very bad,” I say. “You probably need to be punished.”

  Cady’s eyes go wide. “Oh, but how will you do it from there?”

  “Mmm, I’ll just have to tell you what to do. If you don’t do it exactly as I instruct, you’ll have to wait until I get back to
get off.”

  She grins. “Is that right?”

  “Start by showing me what you’re wearing,” I say, shifting and getting comfortable on the bed.

  She shows me that she’s wearing a tiny white silk robe. “Like this?”

  “Are you wearing anything beneath that robe?” I ask. I reach down and touch myself idly through my slacks; I’m fucking hard already, as always.

  “Yes,” she says, slowly pulling on the belt to show me what’s underneath. “I’m wearing baby pink panties, and a matching bra.”

  “God, you are a bad girl,” I tell her. “Let me see, can I see your nipples through your bra?”

  She moves the camera a little, and sure enough, the bra is see-through. Her nipples stand at attention, begging for me to put them into my mouth.

  “You’re wearing too much,” I tell her. “Take off the robe. And the bra, too.”

  Cady bites her lip teasingly as she takes her clothes off, leaving her in only panties. I am suddenly feeling suffocated by my dress shirt; I quickly strip off my tie and shirt, and I unbutton my slacks.

  When I pick my phone back up, I’m treated to a closeup view of her tits as she positions her phone in an upright position. It’s just far enough that I can see her face, her tits, and her hips at once. Eyeing that remaining scrap of light pink lace, I wonder what I should do next.

  “Touch your breasts,” I tell her. “Cup them. Play with your nipples.”

  She does, tugging hard on both her nipples at once. She moans as she pinches them, closing her eyes. “Mmmm, I wish you were touching them.”

  I reach into my boxer briefs, lazily stroking myself. “I wish I were eating your pussy. It’s so sweet and fresh, and juicy as a fucking berry. Take those panties off and let me have a look.”

  Cady moves off camera for a second, and then repositions herself so that her pussy is close to the camera, her face further back. She spreads her lips, and I can see how fucking ready she is, dripping her juices onto the bed.

  “Fuckkkkk,” I groan. “Is that for me? Are you fucking wet for me, princess?”

  “Yes,” she says, her voice breathy. “God, I want you so bad.”

  “Mmm. Show me with your fingers where you would want my mouth.”