Ready For Him: A Single Dad Next Door Romance

by Alyson Hale

  Her mouth draws into a thin line as she accepts the phone. Looking over their faces, she shakes her head, then she hands me the phone back and stands to her feet, pacing the room and mumbling something to herself.

  I turn off the TV and watch her as she works it all out in her head. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

  “I thought I warned you.” She turns fully to me, her stern glare burning through me. “I told you these fools are not to be messed with. You should know better after all we went through with your father.”

  Groaning, I roll my eyes. “I can kiss whoever I want. I’m not a teenager anymore.”

  “But you know his type!” Nostrils flaring, she points in my face. “I thought I taught you better than this. I taught you to look for a good man. One who will take care of you. Ever since high school, you’ve been picking the bad boys who will do nothing but break your heart. When are you going to learn that the rebellious boys—especially rock stars—are no good for you?”

  “Can’t you just be happy for me?” I stand up, not liking the vulnerability sitting down in front of her gave me. “I kissed my favorite rock star of all time. It was amazing. I’m probably never even going to see him again, so what’s the big deal?”

  She growls in her throat, letting her pointing finger fall to the side. “It’s the pattern I’m seeing from you. This isn’t the girl I raised.” She gestures to my whole frame.

  Tears spark in my eyes. I thought she was proud of me. That she was my best friend, and we could talk to each other about anything. But I guess she’s just been my mother all along.

  “After all I’ve done for you over the years…” I shake my head at her. “I can’t believe you’re still treating me like a child.”

  My words make her face fall. Her body language shifts from being on the offensive. “Kyri, you know I’m just trying to take care of you—”

  “Well, don’t. I’m a grown woman now, and I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can manage it.” Spinning on my heels, I pick up my laptop from my desk and hurry back toward my room.

  “You’re going to fall for him, and he’s going to shatter your heart,” Mom calls out behind me. I can hear tears in her voice. “Just please be careful.”

  I don’t respond as I walk through the hallway and down to my room, shutting the door behind me and locking it.

  Once I’m safe in my own sanctuary, I let the tears fall, blubbering like an idiot. It’s not Mom I’m really sad about, though. Now that I’ve tasted my idol, I think I might be ruined for all the “good men.” No one is ever going to measure up to Jace Hawthorne.

  What the hell am I going to do now?

  Jace

  For the next two nights after our first meeting, I rushed into The Blarney Stone to see if Kyri was working and was disappointed both times to find out she wasn’t there. The second time, I asked the hostess, Ingrid, when they expected her to be there again. She informed me K. Calloway was on the schedule for the following night, so I thanked her and turned to leave the building without so much as stopping for a drink at the bar. If Kyri isn’t there, I don’t really have a reason to stay. She’s the only reason I’m even leaving the bed inside my trailer these days.

  I looked her up on Facebook but haven’t requested her yet. The last thing I want is for Kyri to find out I’m stalking her. I’ve seen many photos of her sister and her best friend with her, doing all sorts of things, from getting manicures and pedicures to frolicking at the beach in bathing suits. I was a bit disappointed to find her in a modest one-piece, but she still looked banging. So far I’ve been able to resist the urge to stroke myself to her even though it’s driving me insane. Normally, I would have jerked off about six times by now. I’m not used to going without sex, but she’s worth the wait.

  On the third day, much earlier than I would normally go out to drink, I arrive at The Blarney Stone ready to turn my charm up to its maximum level. My heart pounds and my mouth goes dry as I pull open the front door of the pub. As soon as my feet hit the hardwood floor, a melodic voice that dominated my fantasies for the last seventy-two hours greets my ears.

  “So I hear you’ve been looking for me.”

  I tip my head down to meet the stunning green gaze of Kyri Calloway. The sparkle I noticed in her picture is dancing in her eyes. Now that I can see her in person, the hard-on I’ve been growing for the last three days will no longer be tamed. I need to get to the bar, and fast, before she sees it.

  “Can you blame me for wanting to get served a beer by my new favorite waitress?”

  Kyri grins and tilts her head toward the bar. “Come on. I’ll take care of you.”

  This time when she leads me to the bar, there’s a confident swing in her hips and a lift in her step. When I sit on the stool, she immediately pulls out my frosted mug and starts pouring more See The Stars into it. I find myself falling for her as I watch this transformed, self-assured woman. Something shifted in her since the first time we met, and I want to know more about it. I want to know everything about my future wife.

  What the…

  Future wife? That was a crazy thought.

  Fuck, Jace. Pull yourself together.

  She sets down a coaster in front of me and then my mug of delicious brew. “So how have your last few days in Covington been?”

  “Dull, if I’m being honest.” I take a long draught of the ale, wiping foam off my upper lip before continuing. I notice her watching my lips and feel a smirk coming on.

  “I know,” Kyri says. “Our little town probably isn’t that exciting for someone like you. I thought you were going into Atlanta?”

  “I will eventually, but I thought it might be nice to go with someone who knows the city. So far, I haven’t met anyone willing to take me.”

  Kyri snorts just like she did the first night we met. “I find that hard to believe.”

  My lips twitch upward. There’s no fooling this no-nonsense girl. I shouldn’t even try.

  “Very well, you caught me in a lie. I was actually waiting to ask you if you wouldn’t mind accompanying me.”

  She tucks her lip under, worrying her face in thought. I don’t know her dilemma, but I do know she’s not going to refuse me. This connection between us cannot be one-sided. I’ll win her over even if it is.

  “I guess I could show you around,” she says, mirroring my smile when it takes over my face. “If you’re looking for venues for concerts, I’ve already got a couple in mind.”

  “That sounds fantastic. We’ll get lunch while we’re out.”

  “If you insist.” She winks at me and moves on to serve another customer.

  Another thing I never do with women…getting lunch, like whipped “boyfriend” material. I must be losing my mind.

  Throughout the rest of the night, I keep ordering drink after drink because I can’t stand the thought of leaving the bar and having to wait to see her again. Just having her near me makes me feel like more of a whole person than I ever have. It’s always felt like part of me was missing, and now this virtual stranger is filling that void in ways she may not even comprehend yet.

  Well, not completely filling…that’s my job.

  “You know, you don’t have to wait on me this time.” Her words are directed toward me, but she flirts with her eyes as she pours whiskey for another man who’s sitting down the way. My jaw tightens. I feel a growl vibrating my throat.

  Those eyes are being unfaithful to me, and I don’t even care if she’s only doing it for tips. By the time I’m done with her, she won’t even breathe toward another man without my permission.

  “I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, won’t I?”

  Her question drags me out of my private thoughts. “You will, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you walk to your car alone tonight.”

  She stops short, almost overflowing the man’s drink. “Jace, I don’t get off for hours. Really, you should go home. Just let me give you my number and you can text me tonight.”

  “I’ll take that nu
mber, but I don’t mind waiting,” I insist, turning on the syrupy sweetness again to cover up my rage. That flirtatious glance of hers would kill any man. I want to own it, possess her like she’s already taken possession of me. “I’ll just sit in a booth in the back and write lyrics to pass the time.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. Just show me where to sit.”

  Kyri scans the room and her eyes land on a booth in the far left corner that appears as if it hasn’t been touched for a while. She motions for me to follow her. I jump down from my bar stool and walk behind her, knowing I’m never going to get tired of this view.

  “This table has some nasty dents on the other side, so they don’t use this booth much, but I think it should be fine for you to wait in.” She gestures to the good side of the booth, and I smile at her as I slide into it. Then she leans down on my level, looking right into my eyes, and I receive the full impact of her Southern girl sass. “You know you’re absolutely fucking nuts for this, right?”

  I give her my cheekiest smirk. “Your fucking point?”

  Giggling, she shakes her head and walks away, glancing over her shoulder a couple of times. I might be insane, but I have no regrets. Now I have the perfect spectator view to make sure no other man makes a move on my Kyri.

  “My Kyri…”

  I chug my beer down in one long draught. With this newfound mental illness consuming me, there’s no way I’m going to make it through this night without downing a metric ton of alcohol.

  Kyri finally gets off at one in the morning, looking exhausted and ready to crumple into a heap on the floor. I wait for her to get done with her cleaning duties, and then I walk her out the back door just like I did before. She seems grateful for the support this time and leans against me, unconsciously fulfilling a need that’s been growing inside me for days. Our bodies hum together until we reach her car, not saying a word.

  She looks up into my eyes and thanks me with a sweet smile brightening her face. Leaning down, I brush the slightest of kisses against her lips, and it knocks the breath out of her. When I pull back, I see equal parts satisfaction and desire in her eyes. She leans toward me, so I press my lips down to hers again, falling into them with much more force than the first time. A tantalizing moan escapes her lips and she returns my kiss with feeling behind it.

  Just having contact with her is not quite enough. I flick my tongue out to taste her sugary lips, and she opens them.

  “I must be dreaming,” she whispers against my lips.

  “Promise me something,” I reply.

  She pulls back to look into my eyes. “What?”

  I run my calloused forefinger down the length of her swollen lower lip. Then I angle my head so she has no choice but to look me directly in the eye.

  “Promise you won’t let any other man near these lips. They’re mine.”

  She scoffs, drawing her eyebrows together and making adorable creases in her forehead. “You can’t just claim me like that—”

  “Promise, or this is never going to happen again. I don’t share my women.” There’s a growl in my throat, but I can’t seem to make it go away. It’s primal, natural. If I’m to own this woman, I need to let her know she’s mine with more than just my words.

  Her eyes darken with anger. “So what does that mean? You want me to be part of your harem?”

  After the initial shock, her question draws a full laugh out of me. I get this reaction a lot from girls—thinking I have a list of women I can fuck whenever I want—but never have I heard it referred to as a “harem.” All I can picture is myself in a sheik costume surrounded by belly dancers.

  “If one person can be considered a harem, then yes.”

  Kyri’s eyelids flutter. Confused and reluctant, she battles with herself for a moment, then submits to me with a nod. “I promise I won’t let anyone else kiss me.”

  “Good girl.” I pull her in for another kiss as a reward.

  Kyri

  Bracing myself against the trunk of my car, I try to hold myself together as the sexiest man alive tastes every square millimeter of my mouth and runs his hands over my sides. The one and only Jace Hawthorne is ravaging my lips, making my body respond in ways I never even imagined. Men have turned me on before, but I’ve never felt an ache between my thighs this persistent. Our tension is like a bomb waiting to detonate.

  I was so surprised to see him tonight, and before that to hear he’d been looking for me. He must have a thing for thick redheads. Lucky me. My panties were already soaked when he walked in the door, and I had to check them in the bathroom later to make sure nothing was dripping down my legs. He creates a tsunami of desire in me. I can’t contain it.

  Jace pulls me closer into him, and for the first time, I feel the situation I’m creating for him down below. It pulls a small squeal out of me.

  “God, you’re huge.”

  “Don’t be afraid of me, sweetheart.” Jace pulls my hair away from my face and grasps it at the nape of my neck, drilling into my eyes with his bright amber orbs. “I’ve got you.”

  Grabbing the backs of my thighs, Jace hoists me onto the back of the car with little effort and continues to pummel my lips with his. His hips fit perfectly into the space between my legs. The thin film of the shirt I’m wearing almost makes me feel naked inside the hard grip of his arms. We haven’t even gone on a date yet, and I’m afraid I’m about to end up fully nude on the back of this car, right now, letting him take me all the way. My fingers run down the length of his thin sleeves, feeling every ridge and curve of his muscles underneath them. Then I reach up to feel his tight jawline underneath the short beard he’s growing, holding it as I press my lips back against his.

  As unearthly and thrilling as this feels, I can’t manage to convince myself he’s interested in only me. There have to be at least ten others like me out there. Guys like Jace don’t fall for girls like me. It’s just not possible. He’s probably got girls like me waiting in Paris, Rome, and all the other major cities he visits on tour. This situation only has the potential to hurt me and hurt me bad. If I let myself fall into his arms like this, I’m letting him win. Somehow, it feels like I’m letting Dad win, too. I can’t let another man wreck my life. I got so close to forgetting everything and moving on. This doomed romance can’t continue even another minute, or I’m going to lose everything.

  I pull back from the kiss just as Jace starts leaning me back onto the rear window. Breathing hard, I push him off of me and rush around to the driver’s side, not even looking back.

  “What’s wrong?” Jace follows me with concern edging his voice.

  “I just…I gotta go. It’s late.” I open the door, climb in, and then he almost gets caught in the door when I slam it shut. I shove the keys in the ignition and start the car with a sputter. Jace pounds on the window.

  “Wait!” His shout is muffled by the engine and the glass of the window. “I don’t have a way to reach you.”

  Rolling the window down just a crack, I flash him a stern look. “Don’t wait on me again.” I roll the window back up, and as soon as he’s out of my way, I back out of the parking space and blaze out of the lot, barely remembering to look both ways before I turn left at the flashing stoplight. A car comes barreling over the hill at full speed toward me and barely misses the rear of the car. They lay on the horn, but I don’t even bother to turn around and flip them off.

  Regret settles in my chest as soon as Jace is out of sight. I had him in my arms. He was giving me what I’ve dreamed of for years and I ran away from him just because of my own fear. What is wrong with me? Millions of girls would kill me for letting this opportunity slide. I’m an idiot for letting him out of my grasp, I know that, but I can’t get hurt the way Dad hurt Mom. Jace is definitely not going to be around forever, and he’ll get bored with me soon enough even if he is here for a while. I’m just protecting myself from future heartbreak.

  On the way home, I turn on the radio to my usual hard rock station. Of course,
just my luck, a song by the Bangers is playing. The deep baritone of Jace’s voice floods my ears, and tears rush to flood my eyes. Before I can dissolve into a blubbering mess, I turn the dial to an adult hit station, which is playing the P!nk song, Sober. I sing along, trying to drown out the pain of what I just lost and put it behind me.

  Jace

  In the cab on the way back to the trailers, I rest my head in my palm, trying my best to make sense of what happened. Kyri’s behavior tonight utterly confused me. One minute she was eating up my attention, falling full force into our kiss, and the next she jerked away from me as if she never wanted to see me again. Which is it? Does she fancy me or does she despise me? Perhaps my gigantic erection did scare her off. My cock really is misbehaving tonight. I’m planning on beating him into submission the instant I’m in private, but I’m going to have to dig up some pictures of my new obsession to fill my vision before I do that.

  Whether she knows it or not, Kyri Calloway now belongs to me forever. My entire life, I always scoffed at “love at first sight.” It seemed ridiculous to me. I didn’t even think humans were capable of monogamy. Now she’s changed everything. I’m not going to let her get away no matter how far she runs.

  After I’ve paid the cabbie, I dart out of the cab, making a beeline for my trailer. As soon as I’m inside, I lock the door and pull the blinds closed so no one can accidentally stumble upon me.

  I strip down to my boxers and settle into bed with my laptop. Once I’ve gone to Facebook in a browser, I search the name “Kyri Calloway” and only one result comes up, which makes my chest swell. I knew my girl was unique. She’s the only one out there with her name.

  And fuck, is she beautiful in her profile picture.

  I click on her name and scan through her photos, feeling painfully hard and in need of release. After a while with no provocative photos coming up, I go to her albums, feeling like a stalker but knowing she’ll forgive me once we’re married and she knows she’s mine.