The morning after we’d had sex, I’d woken up to an empty bed. He’d gotten a call from his ex saying she’d found a way to bypass the rules but he had to hurry, or that’s what the faint blur in my mind had told me. I’d been exhausted from our wild evening, lost in a euphoric sleep and couldn’t be certain his whispered goodbye wasn’t a dream.
But that had been for the best. It had provided our clean break. Then he called and texted in defiance of my single rule.
I’d sent him a reminder of his promise but opted not to spell out how each attempt to contact me tore at my heart. A heart that wanted to believe I meant something to him, that we had a future together. That we had anything but a clean break, but I couldn’t repeat my mother’s mistake. And even if we fucked all night long every time he came to town, eventually we’d have an accident.
Once he tortured me with a return date, I’d blocked his number.
The governor had lifted the quarantine and as soon as I’d been allowed to accept guests again, I blacked out the date of his return and two days on either side. Seeing him was too risky.
Was that what my mother went through every time an envelope from my dad showed up? The possibility for more than money.
I trudged to the shower hoping the water would wash away the remnants of my dreams. Plus, instead of being able to lock myself in my house all day, I had to go to the grocery store. A couple had called the night before looking for a room. I’d thought it might be Jasper using someone else to get to me then the guy rattled off a pretentious list of dietary concerns. Jasper would never do that.
Nothing like planning one day ahead when you’re picky. But they were paying customers and I had my selection of trusted recipes to fit any request.
Jeans, t-shirt, and messy bun were all I could manage. The trip to the grocery store took me past the new condos being erected. They’d soon be open and offer cheaper nightly rates than I could. A reminder to establish myself as extremely accommodating.
Then I passed the new breakfast place, Sunny Side Up. No one knew much about it so the locals assumed it was part of the condo deal. If the name was any indication, they’d be offering a step above the existing breakfast places.
Trips to the grocery store had become a constant reminder of how small my establishment was. And how fragile.
I started in the produce section. Radishes, potatoes, and other vegetables to mimic the amazing eggs Jasper had prepared. At the time, I’d made a mental note of his combo and although I never got them to taste quite as good, they got rave reviews.
I marked the veggies off the list and gave myself a mental shake when I heard Jasper’s voice. Talking about butter no less. Proof of hallucinations.
Pointing my cart toward the next aisle, there he was. Not only Jasper’s voice, but his bulging biceps, broad back, and sexy smile which thankfully I could only see from the side. I darted the other direction. What was he doing in my grocery store? Powder Valley had two grocery stores.
My mind replayed the scene. A blonde, pig-tail wearing girl was with him, presumably his daughter. But a woman had been with him too, a beautiful brunette. She’d mussed his hair over something about butter. That’s what had made him smile. I recalled making him smile like that. Paralysis halted me between aisles. Was this his way of getting back at me for refusing to swoon over him while he was gone? For blocking him?
I stared at my grocery list. Asking him to let me keep my pride intact had been foolish. That was up to me. I took a deep breath and headed down the next aisle, bracing myself every time a cart rounded the corner. Three aisles later, I practically resumed normal breathing.
“Dalilah?”
Fear spiked straight up my spine. The smoothness with which my name rolled off his tongue took me back to our night together.
I turned around with a smile plastered on my face, my fake happy voice ready to do its thing, and a touch of feigned surprise to add believability. And I wasn’t about to forget a dash of bluntness to reinforce I wasn’t happy to see him. “Jasper, hi.”
“It’s good to see you.” He came in for a hug and I cut him off with a handshake. Those thick biceps and sculpted chest were not allowed to come in contact with me ever again.
He glanced at my gesture then accepted it. That was bad enough.
Tingles of remembrance settled low in my belly. I pulled away and grabbed a box of pasta. “Is it time to bring your daughter back already? My how time flies.”
“I wanted to talk to you.
“I’m kind of in a hurry. You’re a chef. What do you think about whole wheat noodles? I’ve been considering them.”
“They’re really popular.” He tried to touch my arm but I dropped the noodles in the cart and strolled down the aisle.
Next distraction, sauce. “In a pinch I use prepared spaghetti sauce. Does it matter if it’s in a plastic jar or a can? I can’t find it in glass anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Frustration entered his voice.
I strolled to the dairy case. “You know, I really don’t like milk. I’ll drink more if it’s chocolate but it’s less healthy, right? Is the trade-off worth it?”
He opened the cooler door next to me and took something out. As I set the chocolate milk in my cart, I saw that he was adding spray whip.
My entire body might have caught fire. I opened the dairy case again and browsed sour cream.
“Are you seeing someone?” he asked.
“No.”
“Do you have a new number?”
I selected a container and mustered my strength. Closing the door, I set the tub in my cart and faced him, arms crossed. “I had one rule.”
His eyes pleaded. Not part of the deal. No puppy eyes. “Dalilah, I tried. I really did.”
“Daddy, is she the Dalilah we learned to make croissants for?” The cute pigtailed girl grabbed his hand and swung it side to side.
A huge smile crossed his face as he faced her. “The one and only.”
She turned to me. “My daddy’s the best cook. And I’m his best taster.”
I couldn’t calm my heart. He was adorable with her. But what the hell had he done. Told his daughter about me and learned to make croissants?
“This is Dalilah?” The pretty brunette rested her perfect manicure on his shoulder.
Living in a small town meant I ran into people I knew everywhere I went. But it typically went both ways. I knew them and they knew me.
“Dalilah, this my ex-wife Sylvia and my daughter Cora.”
Our exchange of pleasantries was a blur. “I really do need to hurry. A guest is arriving this afternoon.”
“Hold on.” He grabbed my arm and his ex looked as surprised as I was. Turning his attention to them, he said, “Why don’t you two go find some snacks. I’ll meet you at the car.”
They darted off leaving me in Jasper’s grasp. The woman was his ex, not a girlfriend. That didn’t change the fact I wasn’t going to be his toy every time he came to town.
I wiggled out of his hand. “Why are you shopping here?”
“Because I live here starting today.” He paused while I stopped breathing.
“You live here?” Disbelief was more than a slight issue. “So you’ll be close to your daughter.”
He smiled. “It’s a gamble but she’s not the entire reason I moved.”
Me? I wasn’t ready for that conversation. “What about your California clientele?”
“I quit. I’m opening a restaurant like you said. Sunny Side Up. Sunny for my California roots, although you get tons of sun here too. Side Up is for the sides of the canyon walls that go straight up. And if you think it’s hokey, pretend it’s because I use real eggs. I wanted to surprise you.”
“Accomplished.” I tried to wrap my brain around the magnitude of what he’d done. All to be near me. And his daughter. The other unavoidable topic. I stared at the floor. Was I ready for something serious? “Jasper, I don’t know what to say.”
He brushed his fingers over my chee
k. A move that melted me.
How were so many feelings packed into our short time together? Was it truly only a couple of days, or did I have to include the three months he’d pursued me past any rationality? All the time I’d spent trying to copy his egg recipe, replaying our conversations, and waking up every day telling myself I wouldn’t repeat my mother’s mistakes. If he lived in Heartwood…
The walls seemed to be closing in. I glanced up. His damn indescribable eyes stared down at me. Could the love I saw in them be faked?
“I need to think.” I removed myself from his gravitational pull and faced forward until I was safely driving home.
The restaurant was his. He’d done a lot more than learn to make croissants. And he’d said he lived here. Where? I was a stranger in my own town.
I turned into my driveway and images of him sitting in the shade, standing on the front steps, leaning on his car all washed over me. Through all of his stress he’d made himself at home.
How many times had he tried to get hold of me since I’d blocked his number? And he’d made the ultimate sacrifice giving up the coastal home he loved. But what if we didn’t work out?
Unpacking the groceries, I faced the truth. He lived in my town. If I continued to reject him, he might date someone else. A wicked twist of fate? I’d never forgive myself for not trying. After all, so far he only had one fault. And if he didn’t eat bacon, that meant more for me.
Reaching into the grocery bag, my fingers wrapped around the cold can. My heart skipped a beat as I remembered Jasper’s tongue trailing over every inch of my body.
He was more than a passing penis. Could I let my guard down and have a normal relationship?
I grabbed my phone and opened his contact info. First order of business was to unblock him. My fear of millions of backlogged messages flooding in was unfounded. Nothing changed. He’d learned a month and a half ago not to use the number. It was my move.
I clicked the call button and put the phone to my ear.
“Hey,” he said hesitantly.
My hand shook. My move. Why couldn’t I talk?
“Dalilah, if it’s about Cora, I’m a package deal. Give us a chance.”
“It’s not that. Kids are fine. She’s cute. And apparently she knows how to make croissants.”
“She does. And she loves to eat them.”
“I can’t believe you left California. You loved it out there.”
“But I love the people here more.”
“Jasper. I’ve thought about you every single day. I kept thinking I was protecting myself, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Any chance you could come over so we can talk?”
He was at my doorstep in record time. Thankfully my guests sent a notice they were delayed.
We leaned against the railing on the deck. I was nervous about inviting him inside. Having him near me was overwhelming. I stared at the mountain while he stared at me in total silence before I opened up. “Jasper, I’ve never let my guard down. And if I’m totally honest, I always imagined an end date for my relationships from the time they started. It’s how I stayed in control.”
He placed a hand onto mine and a flurry of sexual energy ignited. I had to resist the easy option. Sex. I wanted the glimmer of something bigger I’d felt with him.
“If we’re being honest with each other, I have a confession to make.”
If he dropped a bomb about a girlfriend or not wanting a relationship, I might kill him. “Go on.”
“The day we sent our wishes to the birds, you assumed mine was about my daughter. With anyone else by my side, it would have been. The wish I made was about you.” He stared at the ground. “We’d barely met and it seemed impossible that I loved you already, but I did from the moment I walked in and caught you sleeping. I made a wish for you to give me a chance.”
“That’s embarrassing.”
“You shouldn’t be embarrassed. You won my heart without even trying.”
“No. I’m embarrassed at what I wished for.”
He hugged me against his chest and gently swayed side to side. Like a dance but more intimate.
“I wished for you to be my DILF for Father’s Day.”
Be careful what you wish for. I plan on being around for the rest of them.
Epilogue
Four years later
Jasper
I got home from work and Dalilah was putting dollops of whipped cream on top of cupcakes.
“What are we celebrating?”
“Father’s Day weekend. Two years of wedded bliss. A rockslide. A pandemic. A stubborn guy from California who wouldn’t take no for an answer. Did I leave anything out?”
Standing behind her, I wrapped her in my arms and rubbed her swollen belly. “There might be one thing you failed to mention.”
She plopped whipped cream onto another cupcake. “What could that be?”
I lifted her shirt, took the spoon, and smeared cream over her belly. Spinning her around, I licked and kissed my way across the top of her stomach. “Our baby.”
She tossed her hands up, “Oh that. Anything else?”
I slid her pants down, added a streak of whipped cream over her ass cheek, and promptly spun her around again to lick it. “Your luscious ass.”
“Wouldn’t have guessed that one.”
Then I stripped her pants off and trailed the spoon over her thigh. “And we can’t forget to celebrate the most precious thing in the world.”
She tapped my head while I licked her thigh. “Really? You’re terrible.”
I looked up and grinned. “What were you thinking? I was going to say your heart. Thank you for saving it for me.”
THE END
Need more DILF’s and Daddies?!?! Be sure to read the rest of the DILF For Father’s Day series:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08961375K
Next up #2 , Kate Hunt with Dream Daddy: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088YF16XV
And don’t miss the rest of the series from M.K. Moore, Megan Wade, KL Fast, Annelise Reynolds, Shaw Hart, Autum Remington, and Elisa Leigh!
Another series I’m participating in this summer is The Holiday Firecrackers.
My story, Adrian’s Firecracker comes out July 3, but the series begins on June 27. Check out my social media links below if you want to stay posted on this.
And I’m really excited to participate in a CHARITY anthology: Fireworks: A Passionate Ink Anthology Seven steamy/erotic authors teamed up to support ProLiteracy. I can guarantee you that my story is hot AF, and I’ve read one of the others that’s through the roof! You won’t want to miss this one!
Just so you know… These two fireworks stories are related so be sure to read both, although the order doesn’t matter and they can stand alone.
If you love dirty-sweet short stories, check out my others…
Tattoos, Firefighters, Magical Coffee, Billionaires, School Teachers, and Rodeo Cowboys
Or I have plenty of others on Amazon… and most are FREE in KU!
Want to stay in touch?
Here’s that newsletter link again if you missed it up front: https://BarbraCampbell.com
My Amazon author page: https://amazon.com/author/barbracampbell
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/barbra-campbell
Facebook reader group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BarbrasBookBabes/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/campbellwrites/
About the Author
Hi! I’m Barbra, the classic girl next door whose mind is a lot naughtier than you might expect. I live in the mountains of Western Colorado with my college sweetheart who gets a kick out of people asking if he’s the inspiration for my sexy scenes. While no one’s going to get a direct answer to that question, I’ll keep creating plenty of dirty-sweet stories for you.
When I’m not writing, I’m likely to be walking a dog, petting a cat, or playing the cello. And if it’s a good day, I hope to be doing all of it outside where I can enjoy Colorado�
�s gorgeous weather.
Delicious Daddy Page 4
