by Izzy Slam
Copyright © 2020 Izzy Slam
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters depicted in this work are over the age of eighteen (18) years and are not related by blood.
Cover model does not endorse the contents of this book.
When her parents are killed in a tragic accident, the last thing Sutton needs is a summer fling with her best friend’s dad. But fate has other plans.
After the deadly accident, Sutton’s best friend Autumn invites her to bunk it with her and her dad at their lake house. But then Autumn is suddenly deployed by the National Guard, leaving Max as the only shoulder Sutton can lean on.
Max wants to do the right thing and be the supportive “father figure.”
But Max also has urges, and he’s champing at the bit to claim his daughter’s best friend.
In other words, he wants to offer Sutton more than just his shoulder.
Enter one girl who’s just trying to numb the pain, some primal urges, a few bad decisions, and two people who can’t keep their hands off each other.
What could possibly happen next?
**Author Note: No cheating here, and no triggers. Just a guaranteed HEA and all the insta-love and lust you can handle.
Contents
Sutton
Max
Sutton
Max
Sutton
Max
Sutton
Max
Sutton
Max
Sutton
Max
Epilogue
Sutton
They say when life throws you lemons, you make lemonade. But sometimes you don’t have a blender, or you just don’t want any damn lemonade. So you just stand there and get socked by a bunch of lemons.
That’s how I feel right now.
My bus pulls into the station and circles around a crowd of people. But once we’re stopped, I see Autumn standing by her dad’s giant black SUV. She and I used to joke that her dad had a secret fetish for the CIA or something. Every car he’s ever owned has been black.
When she sees my bus, she waves dramatically in my direction, both arms slinging back and forth in the air. I laugh silently and shake my head. She’s trying to be goofy to cheer me up I’m sure. But it’s only been a week since I watched my parents be put in the ground, so I don’t know that parking lot shenanigans are going to pull me out of this funk.
My aunt and uncle are traveling Europe this summer, and I don’t start college until the fall. And even though I’m eighteen, and the summer is half over, no one thought it was a good idea for me to live solo until college starts. Plus, the attorney has to get everything squared away with the estate, and I don’t even know what’s going to happen to the house.
Anyway, I don’t want to be alone either, not in the house where I grew up, the house where all the ghosts are. Mr. Dunn suggested to Autumn that I stay with them at his lake house. I didn’t argue, even though it meant hopping on a twelve-hour bus trip, despite Cape Bay being only four hours from our hometown.
I briefly regretted not having a car or license. But the ride here wasn’t that bad. The scenery was nice, and I got to sit next to a little old lady who didn’t talk my ear off. I hate it when strangers talk to me like I’m their best friend.
My butt is asleep, and I’m conflicted as fuck about staying in a beautiful historic town like Cape Bay right after such a tragic experience. But I think it will help me heal. And I think my parents would want that for me.
As soon as I step off the bus, Autumn runs to me, smiling big as she pulls me into an embrace. “Hey girl. How was the ride?”
“It wasn’t bad. Feels good to have circulation in my legs once again.”
“Oh I bet. I’m sorry as fuck I couldn’t stay after the funeral and bring you back with me.”
“Hey, watch your mouth.” Mr. Dunn appears, holding my suitcases in his hands.
“Sorry, Dad.”
I nearly have to pick my jaw up off the pavement. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years since Autumn’s parents split up and he lives here now. But I don’t remember him looking this hot. He’s built like a Mack truck, and his dark hair looks neat and professional. My eyes brush all over his body and we lock gazes, making my blood run hot.
“Hi, Sutton. I’m so sorry about your parents.”
“Hi, Mr. Dunn.” I’m surprised I get that much out without tripping on my words. “And thank you.”
“Please, call me Max.”
“Ooh, can I call you Max, too?”
He gives Autumn a disdainful look and walks off. “Let’s get out of here. I’m sure Sutton is starving.”
I’m not, but I don’t say as much. On the way to the lake house, Max keeps looking at me through the rearview mirror while Autumn just chatters away about what all she’s been doing the last few days. Apparently she’s getting ready to repaint her bedroom a dark green and has also been working on buffing out some rust on one of her dad’s small fishing boat.
“You’ve been a busy beaver,” I say, casually staring out the window.
“I thought you might like to help me with my room.” Autumn twists her head back to look at me, and I offer a soft smile.
“I’d love to.”
“Sutton might want to relax, too, honey.”
I flick my gaze at Max and feel warm pins and needles dancing up my spine. “It’s fine. I actually think it would be good to stay busy. Just as long as you save us some beach time.”
Max smiles at me, then looks away.
“Girl, beach time is a priority. I’m still working at the hardware store, but they’re cutting me down to like ten hours a week.”
“How is the rest of your family doing, Sutton?” Max asks.
“My aunt and uncle are doing good. They’re leaving for Europe in a few days. And my cousins are great, really busy with their jobs.”
“That’s good to hear.”
Once we get to the lake house, I try to get one of my suitcases out of the back of the SUV but Autumn’s dad doesn’t let me. His hand brushes against mine as he grabs both handles, and I feel those tingles again. “I got this. Autumn, why don’t you show Sutton around the place.”
“Ok. I’ll start the grill too.”
The house itself is definitely masculine looking. It’s an all-wood cabin but the grass is well kept and there are manicured boxwoods lining the front. No flowers or anything fancy.
I follow Autumn to the back where they have a huge patio with chairs and a picnic table, even an outdoor bar. Looks like Max likes to do some entertaining. I wonder if he has a girlfriend. He must as hot as he is.
There’s also a clear shot of the lake. I can see the surface of the water rippling, and it’s so big it looks like the ocean. They have their own private white sandy beach, which is nice, and a boathouse way far to the right.
I hear her lighting the grill as I sit down in one of the cushy chaise lounge chairs.
“Dad’s gonna barbeque some chicken for us. You still like barbeque chicken, right?”
“Mm-hmm,” I answer, staring blankly at the water. What is it with everyone wanting to feed you when someone dies? I had more food shoved in my face in one week than I had my entire life.
Autumn sits at my feet in the chair. “Hey, I know this is a rough time, but you’ll get through it. It’ll just take time. And I’ll be here along the way to cheer you up or get on your nerves, whatever.”
I laugh and she leans over to hug me. “I love you, girl. Thanks for being here, and for letting me stay with you.”
“Of course. That’s what friends are fo
r.”
Autumn finishes showing me around the property, telling me which neighbors are hot and which ones to avoid, which is just the kind of thing I live for with her. She always has the latest scoop on everything.
Then right as her dad comes out with the chicken, she takes me inside and shows me to the guest room. There’s a double bed covered in a red boho chic style comforter that looks almost exactly like the one I have at home. And all these candles and few incense holders. Which I also have at home. In fact, the entire room closely resembles my room at home, right down to the lamps and tie-dye Bob Marley poster above the bed.
“Holy shit. How did you do all this?”
Autumn smiles as she leans against the doorframe. “It wasn’t that hard. Online shopping led us to most of it, but I actually found the lamps at a flea market.”
I walk into the room and turn in a circle, fighting the tears I’m so touched. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything. We just wanted you to feel at home.”
I cover my mouth, completely stunned.
“Also, I’d like to take full credit for this, but it was actually Dad’s idea.”
“I’ll be sure to thank him, too.” I wipe a tear away but Autumn doesn’t hug me this time because she probably knows I’d crumble if she did.
“I’ll let you get unpacked while I go see if Dad needs help with dinner. You need anything?”
I shake my head and lift one of the suitcases before gently placing it on the bed.
“Okay, I’ll check on you in a bit.”
She leaves, pulling the door closed behind her, and while taking my first stack of clothes to the tall chest, a small framed picture catches my eye. It’s one of me and her about three years ago, when we were at her sixteenth birthday party at a skating rink. I smile at the memories, and then I see her dad in the background sliding a box of pizza across the table. He’s looking directly into the camera, so it feels like he’s looking at me. And while his physical appearance is a little different—being heavier set with longer hair and a little bit of stress hanging on his face—I see the Max he is now, and I get this excited rush jolt through me.
I don’t know what this is I’m feeling, but it chalk it up to feeling lost after what’s happened. I’m sure in a few days it will pass, once I’m used to being here.
It sure better. Because I can’t crush on my best friend’s dad.
Max
I like to think of myself as a good man. I try to always be a gentleman. I take good care of my daughter, and I still help provide for her mother even though we divorced over a year ago.
But I am still a man. And I’ve been hit with that reminder ever since Sutton stepped foot off that bus. She and my daughter have been friends since they were in elementary school. And I remember her coming around a lot. But I worked long hours due to my miserable marriage, so I never really spent a lot of time with her. And I’ll be damned if she hasn’t blossomed into one hell of a smoking hot girl.
I know, I know. She’s my daughter’s best friend. That right there should be a boner killer. But fuck me if the sight of her body and her pretty face doesn’t light me on fire and get my blood pumping all over.
I know she’s been through a lot. Hell, she’s still going through a lot. Her parents died a few weeks ago in a car accident. That’s enough of a shock for anyone, much less an eighteen-year-old girl who doesn’t have any brothers or sisters to lean on. But I’d be a lying sonofabitch if I said I didn’t think about wrapping my big body around hers and sinking every inch of my cock inside of her. Maybe it makes me an asshole, I don’t know. Hell, it’s probably been too long since I’ve been with a woman.
But somehow I feel this is different. That Sutton is different. I feel like she needs me.
Lord knows I need her.
And somehow, someway, before this summer ends and after she’s had time to heal, I will either peel her panties down her feminine hips and sample her delicious pussy or die trying.
I watch her all throughout dinner. She mostly picks at her food, barely eating a thing. I see her looking at me. But I can’t get a read on her. She might just be curious. I’ve lost about fifty pounds since the last time I saw her, which was nearly three years ago. I’ve also been working out and keeping myself in good shape since I’m not stuck in an office anymore and get to travel locally with my new real estate career. Maybe she’s sizing me up. Maybe she feels drawn to me.
She did politely thank me for making her room feel so cozy and homelike, so maybe she’s just feeling appreciative. I came up with the idea just last week, not long after telling Autumn that she could come stay with us if she needed to. At the time I had absolutely no perverted intentions whatsoever. I just wanted to help her in some way. I lost my mom when I was ten, so I know how hard it is to adjust. But now all I can imagine is her in my bed, stroking her hair and making her feel better, letting her cry on my shoulder and absorbing all the pain that she’s feeling. That’s my tender side coming out, the daddy in me.
But I also have that dirty side that wants to feel the warmth of her slick walls sliding down my cock.
I can honestly say that no other woman has brought out this dichotomy in me. I usually just feel one way or the other. Okay, usually I just want a casual no-strings-attached kind of relationship. And that’s not hard to find around here. I’ve been with a few locals, always used protection and made sure they knew I didn’t want a commitment. But the big 4-0 is happening for me this year. And after being single for several years, could it be that I’m ready to dial it back? Settle down with the right one?
After dinner, Sutton excuses herself to take a shower and Autumn gets some marshmallows while I set up the fire in the large pit outside. When Sutton comes back to the patio, her hair is still damp from the shower and she smells like fresh coconut. Thank goodness she brought her own toiletries because I think if she smelled like Autumn that for sure would be a boner killer. She’s also wearing these thin pajama shorts with an equally thin top with skinny little straps covering her shoulder. She’s not wearing shoes and her toenails are driving me wild with their bright cobalt blue color.
I love Sutton’s hippie side. Autumn says she refuses to wear makeup or lipstick or perfume, so I’m surprised to see nail polish at all. She also wears a bunch of beaded necklaces and bracelets and has a few turquoise rings. It’s refreshing to see a girl who isn’t trying to look like every other girl she knows.
She sits down facing the fire and folds her knees in half, her cute little toes curling over the edge of the wooden chair. I try not to look but I can’t help it.
“You still like your marshmallows burnt to a crisp?” Autumn asks.
“Hell yeah.” She looks my way. “Oh, sorry, Mr. Dunn. I mean, Max. I didn’t mean to cuss.”
I chuckle. “It’s okay. As long as you don’t cuss in public, I don’t have a problem with it.”
“Yeah, Dad’s pretty fucking cool, as long as people aren’t around.”
“It’s important to be respectful around others. Not everyone has a filthy mouth.”
Sutton smirks as she stares at me. But then her marshmallow catches on fire and she bolts up out of the chair. “Oh shit.”
Autumn starts laughing, and Sutton puckers her lips, blowing gently on the marshmallow. The sight sends a surge of blood through my cock. Yeah, this is going to be one long summer if I don’t learn to control that.
The three of us are having fun, and I’m certain that Sutton is just starting to feel a little at home, when Autumn gets a phone call. And several moments in, her face grows weary.
“How long will I have to be gone?” she asks.
And right away, I know exactly what’s going on. After graduating early from high school last winter, Autumn joined the National Guard. She’s been deployed several times but so far they’ve only been weekend events.
“Okay, I’ll be there first thing tomorrow.”
“You’ll be where first thing tomor
row?” Sutton asks.
My daughter gives me a weary look as she slides her phone on the side table. “You’re not going to believe this. I hardly believe it myself.”
“What?” Sutton puts her feet on the ground and straightens her back.
“I’m being deployed, to help build a medical base in Africa.”
“What?” Sutton says again, twisting in the chair to face Autumn.
I lean forward in my seat, feeling just as shocked as Sutton.
“I have to leave for training tomorrow morning.”
“Africa? Are you kidding?” I ask.
She purses her lips and shakes her head. “I might be gone a year. This is unbelievable.”
Sutton hugs her legs, then turns to face the fire, sinking the entire marshmallow into her mouth.
“I’m so sorry, Sutton. This sucks. I can’t believe the timing.”
“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
I run my hands through my hair, feeling shell shocked. My daughter has never been out of the country, and we’ve never been apart for more than a few months. And now, she might be leaving for a year.
Which leaves Sutton here alone with me.
Just the two of us.
This sudden turn of events feels like a double-edged sword, a bittersweet surprise. I’m going to have to send my baby away.
And be left with another girl I’m already fighting feelings for.
“I think this calls for S’mores.” Autumn walks inside to get the chocolate and graham crackers.
Sutton shifts her gaze in my direction and we lock eyes.
And for the first time in my life, I’ve no clue what to say because all the blood has left my brain and this girl has me feeling all tangled up inside.
I have the feeling this situation is either going to lead to something amazing, or something incredibly tragic.
Sutton
“I hate having to leave you like this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Really. I’ll be fine.” I hug Autumn tightly, feeling as though I should be fighting the urge to cry. She was the one person I was counting on getting me through this and now she’s leaving. I guess I’m just numb.
