Rugged Daddy

by Rye Hart

  “What do you do for fun?” he asked.

  “I bake.”

  “That’s your profession. I’m talking about fun.”

  “Why can’t my profession be what I do for fun?” I asked. I watched a grin slide across his face, which was nice. This meeting seemed too much like an interrogation.

  “Turning the tables for a second, I want to be up front.”

  He nodded. “Good.”

  “If I’m going to have a baby for someone, I want to know the man will properly care for the child I give him. I’m not handing over a defenseless child to someone who isn’t prepared to take care of that child. It’s one thing to have money. It’s another thing to be a parent.”

  “Would it make you more comfortable to know I have a daughter already?”

  I wasn’t sure if it did. Plenty of people with children made poor parents, my own parents were a shining example of that.

  He seemed to sense my hesitation to answer. “I want to give my daughter a sibling,” he continued. “But my life circumstances have made it almost impossible for me to find a woman to create a family with. I want a lot of children. I always have. And I’m a very good father. I pride myself on it.”

  It was the way he said it, the way his eyes looked at me when he said it. I knew he was telling the truth. There was sincerity to his eyes and a love the second he mentioned his daughter. The kind of love I’d craved as a child. A look of adoration swept across his features that I would’ve killed to see on my parents’ faces whenever they talked about me.

  “I believe you,” I said.

  “Good. Trust is a good thing to start off with.”

  He sat back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest again.

  Fuck, this man was hot, an incredible specimen. I closed my eyes and swallowed thickly, trying to fight off those feelings. I wasn’t in a dating service. I was trying to pair myself up with a man who would pay me to have his child.

  And so far, things were going very well.

  He quirked an eyebrow and I felt my cheeks flush. “Do you consider yourself a kind woman, Heather?”

  “People can’t walk all over me, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “Not what I asked,” he said.

  I sighed, feeling more and more awkward by the second. “I try to be. It’s difficult sometimes, but I try to be kind and fair.”

  “It’s a good trait to have,” he said.

  “Are you kind?” I asked.

  His gaze drifted over my shoulder before he drew in a deep breath. “I’m fair. Whether or not that fairness is always kind, I’m not sure.”

  I watched his eyes rake down my form once before he stood. He held out his hand as if to shake it, so I took it in stride. The second my palm slipped into his, fire ignited in my veins.

  I drew in a sharp breath of air and looked up at him, watching as his eyes darkened. The shadows playing off his features made him look like a hungry beast, and it awakened something inside me that puckered my nipples against my bra.

  “The pleasure was mine, Heather. I’ll call the agency soon with my decision.”

  I struggled to find my voice.

  “I look forward to hearing from you.”

  He escorted me out of the coffee shop and flagged down a taxi. He opened my door and helped me in and then pulled out his wallet and placed a one-hundred-dollar bill into my hand. My eyes widened, and I whipped my gaze up to him, but all he did was shut the door and turn his back on me.

  What the hell had just happened?

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  I rattled my address off and leaned back into the seat. I felt like the meeting had gone well but Andrew was very hard to read. I had no idea whether he’d choose me or not.

  Later that evening, my phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “Marsha again. So that meeting must’ve gone well. Andrew has given us the green light to go ahead and set up negotiations. You really must’ve made an impression. He made it a point to tell us this was urgent.”

  “Urgent?” I asked.

  “All we need is your agreement. It works both ways. He can accept you, but you don’t have to accept him.”

  But I knew immediately what my decision was. “You have the green light from me as well.”

  “Perfect! Oh, this is so exciting. I love matching people up. Okay, so we want to set you guys up for another meeting next week. This will be outlining his expectations of you, your expectations of him, and things like pay and expenses that will be covered.”

  “That sounds great,” I said.

  “Okay. I’ll give Andrew a call to let him know you’ve given the green light, and then we can begin the negotiation process.”

  “Wow, this is all happening so fast,” I said, almost to myself.

  “Do you need to take some time to think on it?” Marsha asked.

  I sighed and shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. “No, no I want to do this. I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly,” I said.

  Marsha chuckled. “Well sometimes fate intervenes on our behalf. Once I inform Andrew of your decision, I will forward you his number and do the same for him. That way you two can stay in contact and set up your next meeting.”

  Like a teenager, the thought of having Andrew’s phone number sent a thrill through me.

  Good God, it had been way too long since I’d gotten laid. Too bad this wouldn’t solve that problem.

  Being a surrogate meant artificial insemination, which sounded as cold and clinical as it was.

  Too bad Andrew wouldn’t get me pregnant the old-fashioned way.

  CHAPTER 5

  CAMERON

  God, she’s beautiful.

  I looked down into those dark almond eyes as she wrapped her sweet lips around my cock.

  She swallowed me all the way back, gagging on my girth as it grew against her teeth.

  Fuck me.

  Her cheeks were flushed, her brow sweating, and her chestnut hair splayed along my pelvis. I fisted her hair and fucked her face, my cock pulsing with delight.

  She hummed around my cock, and I felt myself about to burst. She hollowed out her cheeks, causing my thighs to tighten as she licked her way up my shaft. But I didn’t want to come down her throat, as sweet and tight as it was. I wanted to fill her body with my hot threads.

  I wanted to mark her wholly as my own.

  I pulled her lips from my cock, and the pop that filled the room matched the pop within my gut. I pulled her up to me and crashed our lips together as I rolled her over. Her legs spread for me, beckoned me. Her pussy dripped against my skin as I rushed down her body. I didn’t want to waste any time. I needed to see her come for me.

  I peeked up from that little pink pussy and stared straight into those dark almond eyes. Her thighs clamped around my cheeks, her hips bucking quickly into my lips. I slipped my fingers into her tight entrance, feeling her juices dripping onto my skin. She tasted delicious. I flicked her clit and lapped at her pussy until she was a withering, begging mess against me. She gasped and moaned. Her hands fisted my hair and pulled me closer.

  “Please, let me come. Please, let me come. Please, let me come.”

  I never could resist it when a woman begged.

  I hummed into her pussy and felt her explode around my fingers. Juices slicked onto my face as I lapped her up, licking from her asshole to her clit. I pulled my fingers from her throbbing pussy and heard her whimper at the loss of my touch. But the second I moved, my cock was sliding within her, soaking up the last of her orgasm as her back arched off the bed.

  “Cameron! Yes!”

  I relished my real name dripping from her lips. I grabbed her thick thighs and pulled them closer. I slammed into her, sank my cock into her, pounded into her tight pussy as her legs wrapped around my body. I threw one of her legs over my shoulder and then the other. I bent her forward and watched her mouth fall open as I slid deeper into her body.

  “Cameron. Hol
y shit. Yes. Yes. Yes.”

  “Come for me, sweet girl. Come for me and know you’re mine.”

  My eyes flew open as my cock leaked onto my body. My chest heaved, and my brow dripped with sweat as I stared up at the ceiling.

  Fucking hell. Seriously?

  It was just a damn dream?

  I threw the covers back and took in my angry cock, purple with need and throbbing at its lack of release.

  I looked over at the clock on my bedside table and groaned.

  Four in the damn morning.

  Of course, it was fucking four in the morning. I couldn't even sleep until a decent hour when thinking about sex. I threw the covers off my legs and padded to my bathroom. Audrey had a few more hours of sleep ahead of her, and I needed a damn shower. I turned on the water and closed the door so the sound wouldn’t wake her, Then, I stepped into the hot stream and immediately leaned against the wall to take matters into my own hands. Literally.

  I wrapped my hand around my cock and closed my eyes. I slid my droplets of pre-come along my skin as the hot water beat down my back.

  I conjured the woman again, with her curves and her tits that bounced beautifully for me.

  I felt her pussy tightening around my cock.

  I felt her thighs trembling against my body. I folded her in half, smiling as my hand pumped my cock faster.

  “Come for me, sweet girl. Come for me and know you’re mine.”

  I slammed into her as my lips fell to hers. I nibbled on her bottom lip. I threaded our fingers together and pinned them above her head.

  Her sounds were so sweet.

  So innocent.

  So full of life.

  I peppered her flushed cheeks with kisses and pressed my forehead against hers as her pussy swallowed my dick.

  Her body called to me.

  Her dark eyes drew me in with that half-hooded seductive stare and that thick head of hair I couldn’t wait to fist again.

  I felt her pussy milking my cock as she arched deeply into my body.

  “That’s it. Oh, fucking hell. You feel too good.”

  “Cameron! Sweet god, don’t stop.”

  Her words dripped along my ears as I pumped my cock. I squeezed it, trying to mimic the feel of a pussy around my dick. My toes curled against the wet shower floor.

  Rivers of water poured from my hair and over my shoulders. I squeezed my eyes shut and fell into her body again. Fell into her eyes again.

  “Heather,” I said with a grunt. “Fuck me, Heather.”

  Cum burst from my cock as her body slowly faded away. Jolt after jolt shot from me at lightning speed and coated the shower wall. I felt lightheaded like the room was spinning. My orgasm left me without air to breathe as the hot water cascaded down my back. I leaned heavily against my forearm, gasping for air as steam swirled around me. My hand finally fell from my cock as the fog of my mind began to lift.

  Heather. The woman in my dream had been Heather.

  I couldn't deny how fucking hot she was, and the sexual tension between us at the coffee shop had been unmistakable. I knew she felt it, too, judging by the way she’d wiggled in her chair, without seeming to realize it. It was too bad that the conception would be clinical and impersonal.

  I wanted to fuck that woman senseless until I got her pregnant and then some more.

  The mere idea of having her thundered my heart in my ears. I started washing my body down, thinking about the dream, about how sexy she looked with those pouty lips of hers around my cock. Cumming down her throat wasn’t the way to get a woman pregnant, but I certainly did want to know what she’d look like on her knees for me and what her hair would actually feel like fisted in the palm of my hand.

  I still felt dizzy from my orgasm. It had been a long time since I’d come that hard.

  The thought of doing it with her instead of to thoughts of her was almost intoxicating. But no, that wasn’t how this worked.

  For fuck sake, that would be prostitution. Not to mention, I didn’t like the idea of getting involved with a woman who would never know my real name.

  I wanted to hear her scream Cameron, not Andrew.

  But that wouldn’t happen. But that couldn’t happen. I didn’t live the kind of life that allowed me to risk getting attached to a woman. It wouldn’t be fair to anyone involved. And Heather struck me as the kind of woman who deserved better than that.

  Guilt throbbed my gut again.

  My daughter deserved better than all this. She deserved the life we should have had before all this shit spiraled so far out of control. She deserved to be running around the mansion and having a place to call home that was right smack dab in the middle of a city full of friends. She deserved a hot tub on a balcony out back and the grandest playroom filled with all the toys she could go into town and pick out for herself. There was so much my daughter deserved that I’d never be able to give her.

  Like a normal life.

  Like a mother.

  A mother that gave her siblings.

  I pushed all my thoughts away and rinsed my hair out. Then, I grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower. I dried myself off as my stomach began to growl, and I figured if I was up, then cooking something was probably a good idea. I pulled on a pair of pants and made my way out to the kitchen and then started pulling out everything I needed to make a breakfast sandwich and a giant cup of coffee.

  I stood there and made up my sandwich and was about to take my first bite when my cell phone rang from my room. I started the coffee pot, then strode to go get it before it woke my daughter up. It was a little past six in the morning, and I wondered who the fuck was calling.

  It shouldn’t have shocked me to see Hudson’s name on my phone.

  “Really? Six in the morning?” I asked.

  “What? You’re always up. Didn’t you have self-defense this morning?”

  “No. Just a decent orgasm in the shower.” I loved to make him feel incomfortable.

  “Remind me never to ask you how your mornings are going again. Ever.”

  “Duly noted,” I said as I made my way back out to the kitchen.

  “So, how are things?” he asked.

  “You’ve been calling a lot lately.”

  “I’ve called twice.”

  “In the past week.”

  “Is that odd?” he asked.

  “For you? Yes.”

  “Anyway, did you have that insanely awful appointment to have a kid without a mom?” he asked.

  “I did.”

  “How did it go?”

  “I’ve found a candidate, and we’ve met. I gave the green light. So did she. So we’re meeting up sometime soon to discuss the details of our contract.”

  “So you really are as crazy as I think you are,” he said.

  “I really am.”

  “And you’re sure this is a good idea?”

  “If you’re going to rag on me about this every time you call, don’t call.”

  Hudson sighed on the other end of the line.

  “I need to get back to leading a somewhat normal life, and this is how I’ve chosen to do it. I had a plan for my life. A dream. And even though my life has derailed a hell of a lot, that doesn't mean I can’t still fulfill some of those dreams.”

  “By having a contract child.”

  “By having two children I love,” I said. “No, they won’t have mothers, but in my experience, they’re better off without them. My daughter and I have a wonderful, healthy relationship, and she’s blossomed more than I could’ve ever thought. With no mother involved.”

  “I know you know how stupid you sound right now,” he said.

  “That’s fine if you don’t support it, but it’s the decision I’ve made. So I at least expect you to respect it,” I said.

  “Well, good luck with your meet-and-greet or whatever this is going to be?”

  “It’s a negotiation. None of this will be a surprise, and all of it will be planned. It’s how these things work.”

  “
You aren’t going to romance her or anything?”

  “I’m not dating her, Hudson.”

  “No, just knocking her up. Got it,” he said.

  “Anything else?”

  “All I wanted to do was check in with you. See how you were doing. Making sure you hadn’t spiraled into complete craziness yet.”

  “And your verdict?”

  “It’s much worse than I feared.”

  I chuckled as I grabbed my sandwich and took a bite.

  “Anyway, I’m on a job, so I have to hop off here. But keep in touch, okay? And find yourself someone else other than that self-defense guy to talk with. I don’t care. Find someone else. Make a friend. Do something that doesn’t involve training to beat the living shit out of another human being.”

  I furrowed my brow before I took another bite.

  “I’ll consider it,” I told him.

  CHAPTER 6

  HEATHER

  “Welcome to Heather’s Bake Shop. How can I help you?”

  “Yes, do you have any specials going on today?”

  You mean like the bakery up the road?

  “Are you a first-time customer?” I asked.

  “I am.”

  “Then I do! Every first-time customer gets twenty percent off the total price of their purchase.”

  “Oh, how wonderful! Could I get three cinnamon rolls, then, and half a dozen cupcakes?”

  “Would you like them gift-wrapped, boxed, or packaged individually?” I asked.

  “Boxed, please.”

  “Wonderful. Let me get those for you, and then I’ll get you rung up.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  “The pleasure’s all mine,” I said.

  “Welcome to Heather’s Bake Shop. How can I help you?” I asked.

  “Yes, do you do wedding cake orders?”

  “I certainly do. I have a catalog of wedding cakes available in all sorts of flavors and fillings, as well as some pictures on some of the designs I’ve done in the past. Would you like to sit down and look at them?”

  “I would love to, yes.”

  “Welcome to Heather’s Bake Shop.”

  It was the busiest I’d been in a long time. I had five customers come in back-to-back that morning, a rare occurrence I almost thought wasn’t possible any longer. And four of them had ordered things on the spot. The other? She placed a massive wedding cake order that had me excited for the money that would come in. I sat down with her and brought out some samples for her to try before she landed on the one she wanted, then she paid half of the cost up front before she left.