Cocky M.D.: Single Dad Fake Fiancee Romance (Steel Series Book 5)

by Victoria Pinder

  He sat back and said, “Three main people—the maid, the chef, and the maintenance manager.”

  Flo, Lola, and Don had introduced themselves earlier. I ignored the butterflies in my stomach and asked, “I see. Look, I jumped into the fire today. Is there any way I can take a night to just come to terms with everything?”

  Johnny tapped my thigh and said, “Tonight, I hoped you would stay with me. We have a lot to work out.”

  I glanced at Bradley, and he seemed more focused on his food than us.

  Still, my entire body must have been red. I’d never been so caught up in dirty thoughts. I imagined myself being completely impaled by him. I sipped my wine and whispered, “It sounds… fun, but it feels like my life is ping-ponging. I’ll come back with a bag in the morning and see how I feel then.”

  He whispered in my ear, not caring that his son was with us, “You know you want to be here.”

  “Yeah,” I said, and steam must have been coming out of my skin.

  He sat back like he’d suddenly remembered we weren’t alone, and I felt a sense of loss. “I’ll have everything arranged to get whatever you need from your apartment so that’s not on your mind.”

  It was almost as if I could hear wheels screeching on the pavement as my heart pounded. Rain tapped the window like it was reminding me I needed to be calm, and I said quickly, “I can go there myself tomorrow.”

  “We can all go tomorrow and direct the staff to move whatever you need.”

  I swallowed and put my nearly full glass back down, as I didn’t need wine to affect any decision with Johnny. “Don’t you have to go to the hospital?”

  “No.” He reached under the table and squeezed my knee. “I’ll be here with you.”

  I trembled. Part of me wanted to throw caution to the wind. “Sounds nice.”

  Bradley pushed his chair back suddenly and asked, “Can I be excused?”

  Johnny’s lips curved into a smile as he said, “Sure. See you tomorrow, Bradley.”

  With his hand on me, I could hardly breathe. I moved away and gently grabbed Bradley’s hand when he came to me and hugged me. “We’ll both see you soon. Sleep tight, and don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

  He squeezed me tightly and said, “I love you, Miss Steel, even if you are strange sometimes.”

  My heart melted. Bradley was a good kid, and he’d become mine to help. He’d played a part in my change of heart. “Olivia.”

  “Olivia,” he said and waved.

  We waited till the pitter-patter of his feet was gone and picked up our glasses. I took one more sip and whispered, “Your son is one of the reasons I wanted to marry you.”

  Johnny put his glass down and said, “I figured he was the main reason.”

  “He is,” I said quickly. I wished I weren’t so jumpy. “And for you too?”

  He motioned for us to get up. I held on to the table for a second but then stood as well.

  “He’s number one. But the fact that I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone so fast also plays a huge part.”

  Johnny wrapped his arms around me, and my lips tingled for his kiss, but I pressed them together and said, “I see.”

  He led me back into the living room, where we could see bolts of lightning in the distance in the dark sky. “So let me ask now. Do you want me as badly as I want you?”

  Nodding, I pushed my hair behind my ear and wished I had a better answer. “I’ve never been good at jumping into anything.”

  He led me to the liquor cabinet, which was stocked with everything, then said, “You did. Why are you stalling when we both want each other?”

  I shook my head to decline a drink and walked to the window to watch the water hit the glass. “You noticed that about me?”

  I knew he was staring at my ass. I didn’t need to turn to see.

  He came to my side and cupped my elbow. “I see you, but I want to see far more.”

  Wanting him was a given. But if I gave in so fast, I might lose the ability to really get to know him without getting too deeply involved. Have I given up that right, since I’m wearing this ring on my finger? Indecision tore at me like paper being ripped out of a book, but I tried to speak the truth when I said, “Maybe it’s fast and reckless, but when you kiss me, I’m… transported into someone else’s body. And when we speak, I’m different.”

  His brown eyes darkened, but he didn’t kiss me. “Are you saying you’re in love with me after we first met?”

  I looked around the room, at the white walls, the mirrors, and back at the window, avoiding his piercing question. “No. Yes. I don’t know.” Then I pressed my hand on his muscular chest, and it was like a spark ran through me, and I met his gaze. “It sounds crazy, but if I walk away from you and don’t find out whatever this is between us, then I’m a fool.”

  He tugged me closer and asked, “So what is it you want from me?”

  His hardness was right there pushing against me, and a thrill raced through me. I wanted him more than I wanted anything. Yet a lifetime of lessons played in my mind. I closed my eyes as I spoke my truth. “For you to be open to eventually finding out if we can love each other.”

  He traced my lower back, almost like he wanted to brand me. “Love between a man and a woman is fantasy.”

  Maybe we wouldn’t work out, but I needed to take a chance, and he needed me. “Do you think that because you were married before?”

  He held me tight and hugged me for a moment then let me go. “Ruby and I were a contract deal, just as Britney would have been. While I want to make my own choice this time, I’m hoping you and I can come up with a contract.”

  And I agreed to a deal I’d never expected in my life. I wanted him more than I’d wanted anyone ever and needed to get myself in check. Lust was all we had at the moment. If he wanted a deal, I wouldn’t demand love, but I needed it to be an option for one day.

  Time usually fixed me. And I needed to be calm to negotiate and protect myself. I let myself out of his hold and crossed my arms. “Okay. I’m going to sleep in my apartment tonight. I’ll come back in the morning, and we can hammer out a contract. All my life, I’ve thought I’d marry for love. A contract means I don’t get that.”

  His eyebrows rose. “That’s a tall order.”

  I shrugged. “You asked what I wanted.”

  He came toward me and held up my left hand. “I’m willing to let you believe in love. I already let Bradley believe his mother was a saint. Would that be enough?”

  Part of me wanted to toss everything I’d ever wanted out the window just to be his. I went back and forth in my mind. “Living with false hope leads to a bad fall. We’ll hammer out our demands, and I’ll have a clear head.”

  He kissed my knuckles. “Staying means you’re confused?”

  Desire rushed through me. I pressed my hand on my heart as if we were in court. “I made a commitment to you today. I keep my word, always, but I need time, and I’m not ready for sex and signing a contract. I’ll get confused.”

  He tugged on my sides and brought me closer. “I’m not a morning person.”

  “I am. You’ll get used to me,” I said, and my eyes fluttered closed.

  When he kissed me, I went back into being another person, one who felt nothing and everything at once. It was as if we were the only people in the world. I’d never wanted anyone else as much as I wanted Johnny.

  Chapter Six

  Johnny

  Her lips and body pressed to mine felt like perfection. Yet she’d headed to the door. Thunder boomed as she opened it and stepped outside.

  I followed her and grabbed the door to stop her. “It’s storming out there. You can have a different bedroom.”

  Her eyes were wide, like she was scared. She didn’t care that rain was sticking her shirt to her body and making it see-through. “I need time.”

  If I let her leave, I was a complete asshole. I followed her as she ran out into the storm and headed toward the staff parking lot. The rain pelted me, c
old and almost painful.

  Olivia hopped into a brown car that must have been twenty years old. The lights came on as I stood back, but the engine didn’t turn over. She pressed her head to the steering wheel. I stepped forward so that she would see me.

  She had tears in her eyes. I wished I understood her. I opened the door and offered my hand. “Olivia, you’re to be my wife. Please come inside with me.”

  She took her key out of the ignition and stepped out with her shoulders slumped. “It’s broken.”

  When I hugged her, I realized she was soaked through. I rocked her and said, “I’ll replace it in the morning.”

  She leaned into me, and I wanted nothing more than to rip her clothes off like an animal and have my way with her. As she was my fiancée, I would have thought she would be in my bed already.

  I walked her back in and forced myself to go slowly. I’d taken her lifelong dream away, so I would give her time to come to terms we needed to make—even if she was as hot as hell.

  As we crossed the threshold, she said, “I don’t have any clothes here.”

  I walked her toward the stairs and said in a low voice, “Sleep in one of my shirts. And I’ll get Flo to find you some clothes.”

  For a moment, she didn’t move, but then she closed her eyes and said, “Okay. You win.”

  I took her hand to lead her up. “It’s not about winning. Why were you so adamant about leaving?”

  As we made it to the second floor, she whispered like we were sharing secrets, “Because when I’m near you… I forget myself.”

  Fuck. My cock was hard again. A rumble almost louder than the storm came from my chest. I didn’t care that we were both soaked and pushed her against the wall. “That’s where I want you.”

  She shook her head and hugged her waist. “But I shouldn’t be a sex-addled mess when negotiating a contract.”

  That was clearheaded, but it was not what I’d hoped to hear. My mind raced. If she was in it just for my money, she would be eager to seal the deal.

  As we walked toward the bedrooms, I said, “I can offer you money.”

  Her eyes widened, and she froze in place. “I’m not a prostitute.”

  I stood in front of her and dropped my head. She confused me, and I rubbed my temples. “No. That’s not what I meant.”

  I needed to change the topic fast. Heat rushed in my cheeks. I was usually a smooth talker. Part of why I’d asked Olivia was because she wasn’t like Ruby or Britney or anyone my parents would choose for me. Something about Olivia made me tense and turned me on at the same time.

  I walked her to one of the bedrooms and said, “Tomorrow, we can get you a ring that we both pick out and my mom didn’t send in the mail.”

  “I’m fine with this one.” She peeked into the room and saw the bed. She couldn’t hide a blush. “But if you want, I’ll give this one back.”

  I squeezed her palm briefly, but that sent a bolt of desire into me. “No. You get two.”

  “Why would I need two?” she asked, but I walked away.

  That was proof that I wasn’t myself near her. She watched me as I rushed into my room and called down the hall, “For when you need to remind me I’m not fucking perfect.”

  I tossed my wet shirt and pants and grabbed a dry T-shirt for her and new boxer briefs. Then I headed back out, still in my wet red boxer briefs.

  “Did you think you were?”

  For a second, she covered her eyes. I showed her the new pair of underwear, and she continued avoiding my eyes. When she peeked, I shook my ass until I put on a dry pair. Her face was bright red as she took the shirt from me.

  Then I pointed at where I’d come from and said, “Look, this bedroom is next to mine.”

  Water was still dripping off of her. “So you’re that close?”

  I directed her to the room and pointed. “There is an adjoining door. My house was built for a different century, so all you need to do is wiggle your finger or bring your ass over to me.”

  Then I walked her to the en suite bathroom, and she said while staring up at the ceiling, “Historical buildings are common around here. Where are you from?”

  “Sunny California,” I said as she went in.

  I nodded for her to go and change. She kept the bathroom door slightly open. I looked in the crack and saw some of her clothes as she took them off.

  In my mind, it was like she was giving me a striptease, though I knew that wasn’t true. She suddenly seemed to become shy. My body was tense and ready to pound into her.

  “Why are you living here, then?”

  “Because no one knows the Dawes family at the hospital.”

  She came out with a towel on her head, and my shirt went halfway down her thighs. It could double as a dress. “That’s important to you?”

  Her breasts were wet, and the white cotton started clinging to her. I glimpsed rosy nipples. “Yes. I’m not my father or brothers, so it’s nice to be seen as a father and a doctor without all the extra commitments.”

  She took off the towel and hung it in the bathroom. “What kind of commitments?”

  “You don’t want to know.” The animal inside me wanted to pounce. I rubbed the back of my neck like that might somehow make me stop wanting to toss her onto the bed. “Let’s figure out how to get a contract you’re happy with.”

  She returned to the bedroom and walked past me to peek inside my room. “Part of me hesitates because my sisters are all happy and in love.”

  The hairs on my arms stood on end, but I opened the door wider so that she would see that we had practically the same room, though my blue bedspread was different from her white one. “Why did you bring that back up?”

  The storm continued to beat against the glass.

  She tilted her head and said, “Well, my sister Indigo married Jacob Donovan, and they must talk about contracts as they work together.”

  Jacob Donovan was one of the richest and most feared men when it came to conglomerates like my parents owned. “Seriously?”

  Then without a blink she came back to my side. “Yeah. And another sister, Ridley, married Carter Rockson.”

  Now that was a name I’d heard all my life. My father had once thought the Rocksons his rivals. “The oil tycoon?”

  She tapped her thighs and said, “Sounds like him. Thank you for getting me to stay. I shouldn’t have run from my...”

  “Your what?”

  “Nothing.”

  I bounced on the balls of my feet as she passed me. Her pedigree shouldn’t matter, but I was partly disappointed. My parents must have been in shock when they found out about her. “No wonder my parents didn’t argue with me.”

  “Argue? Why would they?”

  I cupped her cheek and said, “I’m sure you outclass Britney in terms of connections they want. And I was hoping to never satisfy one of their plans for me.”

  “She was beautiful,” she said, though it was Olivia’s lips that had my attention again. “And I’m not living with my sister or anything. They don’t pay my bills.”

  If she wasn’t as poor as it seemed, then I wondered why she lived in that small place. My mind couldn’t quite make the connections. Maybe she was the black sheep or something, or maybe she and her sisters were the most successful gold diggers around, and they’d looked me up. It seemed as if I’d found the reason for her quick turnaround. “I didn’t know when I asked my son’s teacher to marry me that I’d be talking about my parents and not fucking you right now.”

  She sucked on her bottom lip and asked, “Does that mean you want to call off the wedding?”

  “No.” I had the urge to walk her backward to the bed and strip my shirt off her, but instead I said, “I think we need to schedule a trip to the courthouse.”

  She didn’t object as I came closer. “You want to elope?”

  “We can’t.”

  “Why?”

  I was glad she liked the idea. I wrapped my arms around her waist and said, “There is a waiting period, un
less you want to hop on a plane and head to Vegas.”

  She lowered her head like she didn’t want to kiss me, but she didn’t pull away either. “We can hold out for a few days, I think.”

  I reached lower and cupped her ass. “The more we talk, the more I want you naked and under me.”

  She removed my hand and held it in front of us. “Tomorrow, you want a contract negotiation, and I need to think about that.”

  “Why?”

  “Logic requires calculating, and besides, I’ll pack all my bags and head to the courthouse, which is already a lot on our plates.” She glanced down at my cock. He stood at attention. Then she met my gaze and said, “We need to slow down so that I can do all those things.”

  A day felt too long to wait. It was clear that we had the same urges, but I cleared my mind and made a note to schedule everything. “My lawyers will have the contract for me to offer at ten. So we can register and be home to discuss it.”

  She played with her necklace again and asked, “What’s the most important part you’ll stress about tomorrow?”

  Perhaps she was religious, and that was why we weren’t enjoying each other. She’d made us say a prayer earlier. Her beliefs might be at odds with my goals, but I said anyhow, “That I want to bury myself deep between your thighs.”

  She giggled but let me go entirely and pressed both of her hands to her heart. “I want to know how that feels. Whatever this is between us… is real.”

  How that feels? I was lost, but I kissed her cheek and said, “We won’t know until we try.”

  Her face went red. I was being too aggressive, and my heart raced. “Are you a virgin, Olivia?”

  She closed her eyes like she needed to say a prayer, but then she shook her head. “No, not exactly, but I’ve never had… these feelings that are coursing through me, and I’m terrified of having my bubble burst on happily-ever-after right now.”

  If she wanted me and nothing stood in our way except money, then waiting made no sense. “Why? I asked you to marry me.”

  She trembled as she struggled with her words. “Because if this dream ends, no one will ever be able to replace you, and I’ll be… alone… forever. So I need a night to adjust.”