Single Dad Burning Up

by Cathryn Fox

  “I have no equal,” Amanda yells, and I’m laughing so hard by the time Callan finishes the bars and we reach the marshmallow launcher, I can barely read the instructions.

  “Here, let me,” Callan says. “Okay we have a cup, a pair of scissors and a balloon.” He scratches his head. “How do we make a marshmallow launcher with this?”

  I stare at the supplies for a few seconds, my mind racing. “Oh, I’ve got it.” I do numerous craft activities with the kids at school and the club so this one I can figure out pretty easily. I cut the cup and the balloon. Then I knot the balloon and tug the rubber around the cup until it’s snug.

  “Oh, that’s cool,” Callan says. “Smart girl.”

  I beam at the compliment. Silly, I know but he makes me feel so good about myself, and I’m honestly having a blast with him, and he doesn’t really seem to care if we win or not. I like that. “Now I need to shoot three into this bucket, which you have to put on your head,” I say.

  “Let’s do it the other way around. It will be harder for you because of my height.” All around me cheers and laughter ring out as the couple and kids try to beat everyone else at getting their marshmallows into the bucket. I hold mine on my head and stand behind the line marked in the grass. I lean forward a bit to make it a bit easier for Callan.

  “Cheater,” Amanda calls out. “Gemma is leaning, Mom.”

  “Oh my God, do you have to tell Mom everything?” I say, with a laugh.

  I stand to my full height, and Callan launches the first marshmallow, hitting me right in the eyeball.

  “Ow,” I say, and put my hand over my face.

  He laughs. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t sound like you’re sorry.” I shoot back and playfully give him the stink eye with my one good eye.

  He tries to hide a chuckle. “No, really I am.”

  “Oh, you’re one of those are you.”

  He tries again and it bounces off my nose. Working hard to hide a laugh he says, “One of what?”

  “You know those weird people who laugh when someone hurts themselves.”

  “I am not that person,” he says, and launches another marshmallow. This time it goes into the bucket. “Got it,” he says and cheers.

  “Don’t cheer yet. Amanda and David are on the move. He’s nailing that hacky sack.”

  “We’ll catch up there. I’m good at it too.”

  He launches a couple more marshmallows and he finally gets them all in. We drop everything and I give David a little nudge as we pass, knocking the sack off his knee.

  “Cheaters,” he calls out.

  “You have to start again,” Mom says. “You have to get twenty in a row.”

  “You are so dead to me,” Amanda calls out as Callan gets the sack into motion. I count them off, and he nearly fumbles at fifteen.

  “Go, Callan!” I squeal and jump up and down, but something about me distracts him and he loses his concentration.

  “Go David,” Amanda says, and I pick the sack back up and hand it to Callan.

  He puts his hand around my wrist and tugs me to him. Our bodies collide and his mouth goes to my ear. “You probably shouldn’t jump up and down like that, Gemma.”

  “What, what did I do?” I ask, as his gaze drops to my cleavage.

  “Oh,” I say and chuckle, but I seriously love seeing him playful like this, and I also love the way he admires my body. “No jumping, got it,” I say, and he tosses me a grin full of promise when I step back. My stupid heart does a little dance in my chest whenever I’m the sole focus of his attention. God, I really love being with him. I turn, and when I catch Brad’s eye, I don’t miss the way he is staring at us as his girlfriend tackles the hacky sack challenge. I work to ignore him, as well as the uneasy sensations sliding down my back. Callan starts count again.

  “Later, losers,” Amanda yells and disappears into the trees, with David in search of their next item. I run back to get a marshmallow and toss it at her. She dodges it and laughs.

  “You’re going to pay for that,” I say.

  “No, you are when you have to take us out to dinner. I’ll probably be in the mood for a big-ass lobster.”

  “Twenty,” Callan finally calls out, and we look over our list to figure out the scavenger items we need to find. We dart into the trees, and I nearly trip on a stump.

  Callan grabs me before I go down and pulls me against him. A moan catches in my throat as my back presses to his chest and he slides his hands around my stomach.

  “Got you,” he says into my ear, and my pulse leaps. “You know,” he teases, “if we hang back a bit, we can make out behind that tree over there.” I glance at the big tree trunk.

  “I’ve never made out in the woods before,” I say.

  “Time to fix that,” he says and scoops me up. He hurries to the big tree, sets me on my feet and presses against me. His lips instantly find mine and I squirm against him when his cock presses against my stomach. How the hell can he be aroused again after this morning? I almost laugh at that. I’m one to talk. My panties are getting wetter by the second. He kisses me passionately, like nothing else in the world exists but the two of us, and I melt into him, lose myself in his mouth and his touches.

  He breaks the kiss, and my half-lidded eyes open when he puts his finger to his mouth to quiet me. I mouth the word, “What?” and listen for sound. A second ago I couldn’t hear anything other than the moans in my throat. Before he can answer, I hear it too. Footsteps close to us. “Squirrel,” I whisper, and I don’t know why, but that makes him laugh, hysterically.

  He backs up and bends over, laughing so hard, I can’t help but laugh along with him. As he laughs, it’s like the world lightens for him. His shoulders are less tense, his body more relaxed than I’d ever seen it, even after sex. I’m so glad he came with me this weekend. It’s been good for both of us.

  “It wasn’t that funny,” I say when he finally stops.

  “Yeah, it kind of was.”

  “Come on, let’s go find all these items,” I say, and he captures my hand as we traipse through woods, collecting pinecones and hidden painted rocks. We eventually make our way to the cold water and kick around the sand, looking for colored shells. The private beach is full of my family and friends, and I can’t stop smiling. I was so dreading this and now I’m having such a great day. The sun shines down on me and I lift my face to it.

  “It’s hot out here,” Callan says and scoops me up.

  “Don’t you dare,” I say and put my arms around his neck.

  My sisters both squeal and cheer him on. “Hey, you guys are supposed to be on my side,” I yell, but it does me little good. Callan kicks his shoes off, steps into the water and winces.

  “Freezing right,” I yell as he goes out a bit further. I’m not too worried about him tossing me in, though. It’s too cold for even him. He swings me, pretending he’s going to dunk me, but he’s too sweet to do it. He just likes teasing me and I like him doing it.

  Before I even realize what I’m doing, I lean in and kiss him, my heart so darn full of happiness it’s a bit overwhelming. He kisses me back, and when I inch back he says. “Okay fine, if you’re going to be nice and kiss me like that, I won’t toss you.” He looks around. “Want to continue with the hunt? We can’t win now, but I’m not a quitter.”

  He sets me back on the sand and picks up his shoes to carry them. We hunt on the beach for all the items and by the time we make it back to the deck, everyone is there, and the barbecue is going.

  I don’t have to ask who won. Amanda is prancing around like the queen bee, and I have to say, I’m glad it was her and not my ex, who looks like he’s sulking in the corner, while his girlfriend desperately tries to make him happy. Good luck, girlfriend. Not going to happen. I just hope she gets out sooner rather than later, and honestly, I think he just brought her to make me jealous.

  But I can’t think about that. Not when Callan is sitting close, and asking me if I want to take the boat out. It�
�s not his words that are intriguing me, it’s the suggestive look in his eyes that has me all hot and bothered.

  Yeah, I’m having way too much fun with this guy.

  12

  Callan

  I steal a glance at a very tired Gemma sitting in the passenger seat as we head back to the city. She’s leaning against the headrest, her eyes half closed, but there’s a small smile on her face. My heart thumps a little faster as I take in her features, reliving the amazing weekend we had together. I like her family. I even liked Brad’s parents.

  The woman he brought was seriously all over him, and if it was to make Gemma jealous, he didn’t succeed. Nothing about that man sits right with me, and while he continued to watch Gemma and me carefully, following along as we played the scavenger hunt games and ate around the table, he kept his comments to himself, although he did seem to want to talk to Gemma. I wasn’t having any of that.

  As if she feels me staring, she turns my way.

  “Who’s the creeper now?” she teases.

  I squeeze her hand. “Go back to sleep.”

  “No, I’m okay.” She sits up a little straighter. “Did you have a fun weekend?”

  I grin, recalling the games we played and the fun we had. “Your family is great.”

  “They really are.” She stretches out her arms. “I think they were pretty accepting of you, Callan. Even Aunt Donna was smitten with you by the end of it all, and she’s a huge Brad fan.”

  “Do you think he got the idea that you’re mine?”

  Mine.

  Jesus, as soon as that word leaves my mouth, my heart hitches. Gemma isn’t mine. I was just doing her a favor this weekend. Why then, does the thoughts of life going back to the same routine, a life without her in it, leave a knot in my stomach?

  She shifts, her brow furrowed as she glances at her hands, which are tightly folded on her lap. “I hope so. A few times after dinner, he tried to get me alone to talk.”

  “I know.”

  Her grateful smile wraps around me and squeezes tight. “Thanks for always being there by my side, Callan.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “Mine too,” she teases as warmth colors her cheeks.

  “I guess we owe Amanda and David a meal in the city, huh, seeing as they beat our asses.”

  She shakes her head, her hair falling from the clip at the top of her head. “You don’t have to do that, you’ve done enough,” she says.

  I tap my thumb on the steering wheel. “Maybe I want to.”

  Careful, dude, this isn’t a real relationship.

  Wait, do I want it to be?

  Fuck, I just don’t know anymore. Even if it did, it doesn’t mean she wants more. She told me she wasn’t ready for anything, that she had to work on healing first. I almost snort. I should probably be trying to do the same thing, instead of living in the past, but moving on doesn’t feel right. It feels like I’m betraying Zoe. I’d already let her down by not being there to protect her and our son, like I’d vowed to do.

  “I was thinking,” Gemma says, bringing my thoughts back.

  “What’s up?”

  “You need a nanny. Maybe I could help out.”

  The way my heart squeezes with happiness doesn’t go unnoticed, but having her around full time, a girl like her, one who is so easy to fall for, might not be good for my mental health. Not only that, how the hell can I be expected to keep my hands to myself?

  “You don’t have to do that,” I say. “I’m sure the agency can find someone else.”

  “Maybe I want to.”

  I laugh. “Touché.”

  “Seriously, Callan.” She turns in her seat. “I don’t mind at all. On the nights you’re working and getting home early, you won’t have to drive Kaitlyn to the Boys and Girls club. She can come with me, since it’s where I’m going anyway. We also talked about piano lessons. I’ll be right there to give them to her.”

  “What about your other students?”

  “They usually come to my place,” she says, like she’s given this a lot of thought, and has it all figured out. “They’ll just come to yours instead, if that’s not a problem for you.”

  “Well, no. I guess it would…”

  “It’s settled then,” she says, sitting back in her seat with a smile on her face.

  “It’s not settled, Gemma,” I say and her face drops.

  She gives a fast shake of her head, her eyes big and full of regret. “I’m sorry, Callan. I didn’t mean to throw this all at you and give you no choice. I’m overstepping. I get it, and of course you don’t want me invading your place.”

  Is that what she thinks? That I don’t want her around? Cripes, it’s the opposite, really, and to be honest, I want to keep her close for a little while longer. I want to make sure Brad gets the idea that we’re together and stays far fucking away from her.

  Is that the only reason, dude?

  Of course, it’s not the only reason, and that’s a big fucking problem.

  “Just drop me off at my place.” She opens her purse like she’s searching for something and I can’t help but get the sense she’s just trying to busy her hands. “Where the heck is my phone? What did—”

  “Gemma,” I say to stop her.

  “Yeah?”

  “Look at me.”

  She lifts her head and I cast her a fast glance. “It’s not settled because we need to set some ground rules. That’s all I meant. I want you to stay at my place.”

  Her eyes brighten. “Oh, what ground rules? You mean because we don’t want Kaitlyn to think….” She nods. “Right, I’ll take the sofa, and it’s hands off.”

  “Wrong.”

  “Wrong?”

  I arch a brow playfully. “I want hands on.”

  She nibbles her bottom lip. “You do?”

  I give her a look that suggests she’s dense. “Is this the first time you’ve met me? Are you new here?” I tease, using David’s words, and she bursts out laughing.

  “So how do we handle this?”

  “I want you in my bed.” I take the exit off the highway. “I’m one-hundred percent certain of that.”

  “I want that too, Callan,” she says quietly, but confidently.

  “Ground rules, we’re careful in front of Kaitlyn. We don’t want to give her the wrong idea, but when we’re alone, clothes off, hands on.”

  “Hmm,” she says all smug as she gets comfy in the seat.

  “What?”

  “What if I don’t agree with that?”

  My throat squeezes. Shit, now I’m the one who’s asked for too much. “You want different rules?”

  “What if I wanted to wear clothes? Sexy clothes.”

  The air I’ve been holding leaves my lungs. “I’m pretty sure I can get behind that.” A little whimper catches in her throat and I know her thoughts have gone in the exact same direction as mine. My cock thickens as I revisit yesterday morning, when I got behind her in the shower and put my cock where it always wants to be…even right now.

  “Are you going to tell the guys at the station you’re in a relationship?” she asks. “Like we talked about.”

  “If you’re okay with it.”

  “You did it for me, why shouldn’t I do it for you?” We go quiet for a long time and then she laughs quietly, her thoughts elsewhere.

  “Something funny?”

  “I was just thinking about Amanda. Do you really think she heard us having sex that first night?”

  “You weren’t very quiet,” I say and she whacks my stomach.

  “Hey, I wasn’t the only noisy one.”

  “Pretty sure you were,” I tease and take her hand to bring it to my mouth for a kiss. “But I like that. I like knowing when I’m doing something that brings you pleasure.”

  “If you like it so much, maybe you should go a little faster so we can go to your room and I can show you again.”

  I laugh. “It’s on, but I do need to stop at the grocery store first. I missed grocery day on Sa
turday.”

  “I don’t mind coming with you,” she says.

  “You sure? I could drop you off.”

  “Positive. Besides if I’m staying with you, I want to pick up all my favorites. Wait, does this mean you’re going to cook for me while I’m Kaitlyn’s nanny?” she asks.

  “Of course,” I say, embracing this strange new lightness inside me. “I’m going to show you all my mad cooking skills.”

  “Sweet,” she says, and it brings on a laugh.

  “I’m also going to fuck the nanny,” I say.

  Her laugh curls around my chest, squeezes like a soft hug. “Sounds like that’s some fantasy you’ve been harboring,” she teases.

  “Yeah, the second you suggested it, a million fantasies popped into my head.” I grin. “Any chance you’ll wear one of those little French maid outfits at night for me?”

  She laughs, like I’m crazy but then says, “Of course, I will.”

  With a new lightness about me, I focus on the road, and twenty minutes later we’re strolling through the grocery store, with Gemma putting all her favorites into the cart, most of it junk food.

  “I’m trying to teach Kaitlyn about eating healthy,” I tell her.

  “It’s summer, cut the kids some slack,” she says with a smile and a dismissive wave.

  “Jesus, Kaitlyn is going to love having you around.”

  So am I.

  “I put some apples in there. Look, it’s a big bag.”

  I shake my head. “Wait until you have your own kids,” I say. “You’ll see how hard it will be to get them to eat an apple when they have cupcakes in the cupboard.”