Grinder (Seattle Sharks Book 1)

by Samantha Whiskey

  He looked into my eyes for a minute, searching for something, and then nodded. “Okay, then. I’ll see you on Saturday? What’s she into these days.”

  “The Sound of Music,” I answered.

  “Huh,” Coach’s eyes widened. “Not sure what to get her for that.”

  “Yeah, sometimes I wish she’d just get into the Frozen stuff like every other little girl, but Lettie isn’t every other little girl.”

  He clapped my back. “No, she’s not. Speaking of which, you’d better get home.”

  “Yes, sir, I’m sure she’s chomping at the bit.”

  I broke the speed limit driving home and made it home ten minutes faster than usual. The sun still hadn’t set, which meant I might be forgiven for not being home an hour ago. I parked in the garage and was running through the kitchen door before the garage door shut all the way.

  “I’m home!” I called out.

  “Daddy!” Lettie came sprinting in from the living room, dressed in the cutest little Austrian outfit I’d ever seen, complete with puffy sleeves and some kind of patterned overall dress. Her hair was done up in a crown of braids, and her eyes were lit with the kind of excitement that only Halloween could bring.

  “Look how beautiful you are!” I said, scooping her up into my arms. “What a pretty dress.”

  “It’s a dirndl! Bailey made it for me!”

  “Well, it’s almost as pretty as you are,” I promised.

  “You’re late,” she said, her eyes deeply stern.

  “I know, Greta,” I said just as solemnly.

  “I’m Gretl!” She corrected, her nose crinkling in laughter.

  “You’re late!” Bailey called from down the hall.

  “Uh-oh,” I whispered in conspiracy. “I’d better go before Bailey gets mad.”

  “You’d better! We have to go soon!” Her little hands were on her hips, and she gave me the same exact look Bailey did when she was feeling stubborn. I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Okay, okay.” I kissed her nose and walked down the hall.

  “Here,” Bailey said, thrusting a garment bag at me. “And hurry up!”

  “Wait,” I said, seeing her full-length black dress with the striped apron that Maria had worn in The Sound of Music. “What about the other dresses she wears? The flowy sexy ones?”

  She arched an eyebrow at me. Yup, that’s exactly where Lettie had gotten it from. “This is iconic. Now go!”

  I raced upstairs and threw on the costume as quickly as possible as the doorbell rang. Shit. Trick-or-treaters were already out, which meant Lettie was about five minutes away from barging in and demanding her turn. This was the first year she was really old enough to understand the insanity of Halloween, and she was all about it. I couldn't wait to see how fun Christmas was going to be with her this year—decorating the tree, building gingerbread houses, baking with Bailey—

  I stopped myself mid-button on the green, emblazoned blazer that looked like an exact match for Captain Von Trapp. I wasn’t just picturing tonight with Bailey, or tomorrow, or this weekend. I was picturing Christmas. Seeing major life events playing out with her and Lettie.

  It wasn’t a coincidence that I now smiled as I drove home from work, knowing that both my girls were here waiting. Shit. I should be terrified, should be doubting, should be questioning everything I was leading us towards.

  Instead, I was simply grateful for the ease at which everything seemed to fall into place. Yes, I wanted Bailey. But it wasn’t just the need to fuck her—which was my normal drive for thinking about any woman. I wanted her with me when Lettie was fevered, wanted her in the stands when I scored, wanted to sit and watch her paint with my daughter. I wanted everything that I’d forced out of my head as even an option when Helen walked out.

  I wanted it all—the sex was just the bonus.

  It was going to be a ridiculously hot bonus, I had no doubt. Hell, we were on fire the minute we touched, like two live wires that simply waited to spark, but it wasn’t just the attraction I had to her—no matter how incredibly sexy she was—it was also the friendship we shared, the mutual respect that made me pause before I made any rash decisions when it came to us. Fuck, it felt like teamwork, and family, and...perfection.

  Shit. I was already with her in everything but name—and sex. Bailey was the one I came home to. The one I told about my day. The one I tucked my daughter in with, laughed with and kissed the hell out of. It wasn’t like I was seeing anyone else—if I could even get it up for anyone else. Right now everything I wanted was centered in that petite brunette who drove me wild with a single smile. We might not have put a label on what we were, but that didn’t change that we were already in a relationship...as complicated as it might turn out to be.

  So now all I could do was my best not to fuck it up.

  Or at least wait as long as possible for the inevitability of me screwing this up.

  “Hey, you need any help?” Bailey asked, opening my bedroom door just a crack.

  “I think I have it, but come on in,” I said, straightening the tie.

  “Well, hello, Captain Von Trapp,” she said, with a grin.

  “Hello, Maria,” I answered, my hands framing her tiny waist. “Is it wrong that I’m already wondering how long it’s going to take me to get these skirts above your waist?”

  Her eyes darkened, and I was instantly hard. How the fuck could she do that to me without so much as touching me? It wasn’t fair. I leaned down and brushed my lips across hers once. Twice.

  Then I groaned and sank into her, cradling her face, and trying to remember not to fuck up her braided hair. She opened for me, and I stroked her tongue with mine, tasting the peppermint of her toothpaste.

  She pushed into me, and I gripped her skirt with one hand, and sent the other under it, feeling the silky smooth skin of her thighs. “Fuck,” I groaned when I encountered a shorter, lacy skirt underneath. “What are you wearing under here?” I asked against her mouth.

  I could feel her smile against my lips. “If you’re a good boy, I’ll show you after I get back tonight.”

  “Jeanine’s party,” I remembered, a slight pout entering my voice. I’d never waited so long to get inside any woman I’d been interested in, but I’d never wanted anyone the way I wanted Bailey. “You’ll come home after?”

  She nodded and stepped back. My hands slid along the smooth skin just under her ass, but I gave up my hold as her skirts covered her again. “I’ll be home after. You sure you don’t want to ask your mom to sit? You could come with.”

  I shook my head. “Mom is here handing out candy. I don’t want to ask any more of her.”

  She stroked her hands through my hair, finger-brushing it to the side. “I know you take a huge amount of pride in caring for Lettie, but you know it doesn’t make you any less of a badass if you let people help you out every once in awhile.”

  “I have you,” I said, pulling her toward me. “Then again, the way I feel about you borders on sexual harassment. Do you feel like I’m taking advantage of an employee?” I joked, but there was a hint of seriousness in the question.

  She shook her head. “Trust me, it’s more like me wanting to take advantage of you.”

  Her tongue traced the line of her lower lip and it took every ounce of restraint not to jump her. Fuck, I wanted this woman. I needed this woman.

  “You know, if Captain Von Trapp felt the way about Maria that I do about you, I have a feeling it wouldn’t be such a family-friendly film.”

  She laughed, and I couldn’t help but join and marvel at the fact that I was as hard as I’d ever been for a woman, ready to lift her ass to my dresser, shove her skirts aside and bury myself inside her—and yet we could laugh like the friends we were.

  “Daddy? Bailey?” Lettie called out. “Is it time?”

  My gaze dropped to Bailey’s.

  “Yeah, it’s time.”

  “Lettie, wait!” Bailey called out as Lettie tried to lurch ahead for the next house. We’d alre
ady covered five of the blocks on our streets and two blocks over. The kid was the candy-bandit.

  “There’s so much more!” She said, her tiny hands pointing to all the houses. “This is the best night ever!”

  “You know she thinks she’s going to get to eat all this candy tonight,” Bailey said as Lettie ran a few feet ahead to the next porch.

  “Those Reeses are mine.”

  Bailey’s jaw-dropped.

  “What? There are some perks to fatherhood on Halloween.” I shrugged as Bailey laughed. “Besides, I’m going to need some massive calories to get me through that giant swingset.”

  “I’ll have her out of the house all day tomorrow as planned. Are you sure you guys can get it put together in that amount of time? Her party is the day after tomorrow.”

  “I have half the Sharks coming over. We’ll be okay.” I blinked. “We probably need to pick up some beer.”

  “You guys are a giant, overgrown frat.”

  “Just without the regulations,” I agreed.

  Lettie ran back down the sidewalk, “Look, Daddy! I got you another Reeses!”

  “High five!” She met me mid swing. “See,” I said to Bailey, “she knows.”

  Bailey rolled her eyes. “Unbelievable.”

  “You are just too adorable!” an older woman said as she knelt down to Lettie. She had to be in her late sixties. “Gretl, right?”

  Lettie nodded enthusiastically. “You know the movie?”

  “Of course!” She stood easily and glanced from Lettie to Bailey. “Oh my, you are just the cutest Von Trapp family! And you look just like your mommy,” she said to Lettie.

  “Oh,” Bailey flustered. “I’m not her—”

  “That’s my Bailey,” Lettie said as if that explained everything. In her world, it did. How simple everything was in her mind. In that moment, I wanted to see the world just like she did.

  “Well, she’s lovely,” the woman said. “And you make a very dashing Captain Von Trapp,” she said with a wink before passing us on the sidewalk.

  Lettie took my hand and we started walking again. “Did you hear her?” I asked Bailey with a wiggle of my eyebrows. “She thinks I’m dashing.”

  Bailey looked down at her feet and then straight ahead. “Yeah, well she also thought I was Lettie’s mom.”

  We stopped in front of the next house and Lettie ran up to the porch. “Okay? I’m not mad, Bailey. Look at us, we look like a family.”

  “But we’re not,” she whispered. “I’m not Bailey’s Mom, and I don’t want her feeling weird about that.”

  I turned Bailey so she could see Lettie skipping back down the path toward us. “Look at her. Does she seem like she’s bothered?”

  “No,” she whispered, but I felt how tense she was under my hands.

  “Next!” Lettie declared and took off for the next house.

  “This is the last one, Lettie-Lou. Then we need to head home,” I told her, then took Bailey’s hand in my own, stroking my thumb over the delicate skin. “You’re not her Mother,” I admitted, and nearly kicked myself when she flinched. “That’s not what I mean.” I stopped us in the middle of the sidewalk while Lettie tackled the porch ten feet away. Then I cupped Bailey’s face in my hands. “You’re her Bailey. Think about what she knows of mothers. You’re not her mother—you’re her Bailey...and that is so much better.”

  I kissed her softly, wishing she could see herself through my eyes, really see how amazing she was with my daughter—with me.

  “Just like the movie!” Lettie squealed and clapped, losing some of the candy out of her bag as she bounded back down the sidewalk to us. “Now are you going to sing?”

  Bailey panicked, but I wouldn’t let her pull away. If we were going to do this, really try, then Lettie had to be brought in on it, and from the looks of things, she wasn’t bothered in the least bit.

  “No, but if you’re lucky, I’ll let you watch the movie while I sort through all this candy and make sure it’s safe for you,” I said to my daughter as I took Bailey’s hand. “Let’s get you two home before you turn into pumpkins.”

  “Worry wart,” Bailey teased.

  “About my girls? Always.”

  Chapter 10

  Bailey

  “I’ll be there in a half-hour,” I said, raising my voice so Paige could hear me over the speaker as my cell sat on the bathroom counter. I wrestled with the costume Jeannine had sent over for me to wear to the invite-only party she was having at her restaurant Nine’s.

  I turned around to check myself in the mirror and my eyebrows rose. “Did Jeannine pick out your costume too?” I asked Paige, smoothing my hands over the tight black fabric.

  “Yes. The woman is hilarious. I’m a sexy nun. Can you believe that? I didn’t even think there was such a thing.”

  I burst out laughing, hurrying to add a little black eyeliner to make my eyes pop. “I’ll give you three guesses what I am.”

  “Sexy soccer mom?”

  I chuckled. “Nope.”

  “Sexy maid?”

  “Bingo. French maid outfit for the win.” I shook my head. “She has some nerve. She better show up in fishnets and a chef’s jacket or I’m changing back into the postulant dress Maria wears.”

  “What kind of three-year-old loves the Sound of Music that much?” Paige asked as I fluffed my hair.

  “The best kind. Seriously.”

  “How’d Gage look as Captain Von Trapp?”

  I scooped up my cell and took it off speaker, pressing it to my ear. “Sexy as hell. Naturally.”

  “You have got to press that soon.”

  “You’re one to talk.”

  “I know,” Paige said. “Jeannine is on me about that damn list still.” She chuckled. “All right, girl. I’m heading toward Nine’s now. Would you like me to send a car for you?”

  “No, thank you,” I said. “I’ll have Lettie bright and early tomorrow morning. I won’t be drinking tonight.”

  “See you in a few,” Paige said and I hung up the phone.

  One last look in the mirror, surveying the tight fishnet stockings that made my legs look long and lean and just a bit dirty, and the poufy skirt that was just a couple inches too short, sent butterflies flapping in my stomach. I wasn’t certain I’d run into Gage on my way out, but I would pay money to see his face when he saw me in this getup.

  Lettie had looked downright adorable in her custom Gretl dress I’d spent weeks working on, and it had been worth stopping at all the houses around the neighborhood just to see the glitter in her eyes as she blared The Hills are Alive at the top of her lungs. And, after a good amount of puppy-eyes, she’s talked her Grammy into taking her around her neighborhood for a quick pass too and a follow-up slumber party. Gage had barely put up a fight—he never could deny her anything.

  I walked down the hallway toward the kitchen where I’d left my clutch on the island, my stilettos clicking audibly against the hardwood floors.

  “Bailey do you need---“ Gage called out as I rounded the corner, stopping abruptly once I came into full view. His mouth dropped almost as quickly as my black clutch he’d had in his hand. It hit the floor with a loud smack and I couldn’t help but giggle.

  “I do, thanks,” I said and bent down to pick it up. My breasts half-popped out of the insanely tight corset top that went along with the overly poofy skirt. I gasped, covering my girls and scooping the clutch up as quickly as possible.

  Note to self: One, kill Jeannine. Two, don’t bend over at the party.

  “Now that Lettie is out with your mom, did you want to be my date to Nine’s?” I asked, walking to the mirror by the breakfast table and adjusting my top one more time.

  “No,” Gage said, and my eyes snapped up to his, where I could see him behind me in the mirror.

  “What’s that?” I asked, sure I’d heard him wrong. He’d taken off the sleek, period accurate Captain Von Trap jacket, which laid over one of the island’s barstools. The tight white t-shirt he’d worn un
derneath left nothing to my imagination of the chiseled form beneath it—not that I needed to imagine, I was surprised he had a shirt on at all.

  “No,” he repeated and I tilted my head. “You can’t go out tonight.”

  My shoulders sank. “Did Lettie eat too much candy? Is she sick? I looked in the direction of her room, though I hadn’t heard his mother bring her home. I pulled up a text to Jeannine, my fingers working over the buttons. “I’ll go change and fix her some tea.”

  I moved to go to my room, more than ready to strip this outfit off and slip into a role I was way more comfortable with, which was taking care of Lettie.

  Gage snatched the phone out of my hand, tapping the screen to delete the text I had up, only to type out a new one. He turned the screen toward me before hitting send.

  Change of plans. Spending the evening with Gage.

  My heart jolted in my chest as the lust in his eyes turned molten. He took the clutch out of my hand and laid it and my phone gently on the table. He advanced toward me and I retreated until my back hit the edge of the kitchen island.

  “Who says I want to spend the night with you?” I managed to say though my mouth had suddenly gone dry.

  He placed an arm on either side of me, successfully caging me in and filling my vision. He trailed his lips along mine, just the breath of a touch.

  “Am I wrong?” he whispered against them.

  Heat sparked in my core as he planted a soft trail of kisses along my jaw. I tilted my head, giving him free reign over my neck.

  “No,” I said, slightly breathless. Sweet mercy, that felt good.

  “No, stop? Or no, please don’t stop?” He flicked his tongue against my collarbone and chills erupted across my skin.

  I grabbed a fistful of his hair. “Don’t stop.”