by Rye Hart
“You need help?” Sydney asked.
“We can help,” Daniel said.
I shook my head as a grin spread across my face. My kids were simply amazing.
“I’m on vacation with two very special people and I don’t want to ruin it. But if I turn down this person who wants to buy a lot of my stuff, I might not get another chance,” I said.
“Do we have to go home?” Daniel asked, his lower lip starting to tremble.
“That depends. If my two very special people don’t want me to work, then we go home at the end of the week. But, if it’s okay for Daddy to work some, then we won’t go home until the end of next week.”
“We stay longer?” Sydney asked.
“More water sliding?” Daniel asked.
“And I might be able to convince Miss Brooke to come over and play more,” I said.
“Yeah! Daddy, you can work,” Daniel said.
“We wanna play with Miss Brooke,” Sydney agreed.
I smiled as I kissed the tops of their hands.
“Then I’ll call her and see what she’s up to,” I said.
My heart felt so much lighter after talking with my kids. They were amazingly understanding for four-year-olds. I got up from the table so they could eat their eggs and I went into my bedroom. I picked up my phone and dialed Brooke’s number, hoping I wasn’t calling her too early.
“Hello?”
“Hello there,” I said with a grin.
“Good morning.”
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“After writing, yes, I did. Very well.”
“I’m glad you got some done. Listen, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“Okay,” she sounded hesitant.
“Can we go to the water park in Atlantis Resort?”
Daniel and Sydney came running into my room with egg all over their faces.
“Please?” Sydney asked.
“There’s a water park on the island?” Brooke asked.
“In one of the hotel resorts, there is. Atlantis is open to the public during certain hours. Apparently, the kids want to go,” I said.
“Sounds like fun. You should take them.”
“Would you and Morgan like to join us?” I asked.
“Please, Miss Brooke?” Daniel asked.
“Yeah! Pullleeeeeeeeeeeze!” Sydney asked.
“Well, how could I say no to them?” Brooke asked.
“Perfect. Want to meet us at the entrance in an hour?” I asked.
“I’ll roll Morgan out of bed and we’ll meet you there.”
I hung up and scooped my twins into my arms. I carried them both into their bedrooms and helped them get ready for the water park. I called a cab for us to get there and piled us all in, and the kids chattered excitedly the whole way to the park.
When we pulled up out front, Brooke and Morgan were already waiting. Brooke avoided my gaze but opened her arms wide and smiled big for my kids. Something felt a little off, but I figured she just didn’t want to give anything away about what had happened between us the night before.
Despite some early awkwardness, it ended up being a great day. We all went down water slides and ate overpriced food. Morgan and Brooke kept going down the massive pyramid water slide to try and convince the twins to go down it with them. I knew they would never tackle something that big. The smile on Brooke’s face throughout the day was priceless, and it filled my heart with so much joy to see her happy.
This was the type of happiness a woman like her deserved.
We had so much fun with the water slides and the rides that the reason I had invited her there in the first place completely fled my mind. But on top of that, I had no idea how to even bring the idea up. Asking her to babysit meant stretching out her vacation as well. I wasn’t sure she’d go for it, especially if it meant staying alone, or even with us, after Morgan went home.
“Daddy! Watch this!”
I watched my daughter take Brooke’s hand as the two of them jumped into the water. Daniel jumped in after them, swimming underneath to try and get all the way to the bottom. I was poised, ready to jump in if they didn’t come up for air within the next couple of seconds.
And just before I took off, Brooke emerged with Sydney wiping at her eyes.
“I went down far! Did you see, Daddy?”
“Yes I did, sweetheart,” I said, as I took long deep breaths trying to slow down my racing heart. “I saw it all right.”
They did it over and over again, putting me on the edge of a damn heart attack every time they sank to the bottom. I had paid a lot of money in private swimming lessons beginning when they were only two. I knew that they knew how to swim fairly well for their ages, but the pool at the park was much bigger than any they’d ever been in. And filled with way more people.
We stayed the entire day until the kids were practically falling over with exhaustion. I gathered everyone up and loaded us into the car, then I dropped the girls off back at the pier. I wanted Brooke to come back with us so we could sit down and talk, but I also didn’t want to ruin the day. The kids had a blast and I had fun watching Brooke play with them. The water slides were great and sharing lunch together had been full of laughter and good times.
I didn’t want to ruin that with a conversation that could possibly go south.
I waved the girls off then took my sleeping kids back to the house. I lugged them inside and came out to pay the cab driver, making sure to tip him well for his time. I watched the cab drive off as my toes dug into the sand, and I found myself looking over at the pier in the distance.
I wondered if she was writing. If she was inspired by the events of the day. I hoped she was. I turned around and walked back inside as the snores of my children hit my ears.
I’d bring it up to her soon. But for the moment, I wanted to snuggle on the couch with my kids and enjoy the sound of the ocean crashing against the shoreline outside.
End of Sneak Peek. Would you like to know how this continues?
Click Here: Single Dad’s Spring Break
HER BEST MEN
A Reverse Harem Romance
PROLOGUE
Andrew pulled me off the couch and crashed his lips into mine. I melted into his embrace, feeling the brothers surrounding me. Andrew's muscles were twitching, and his cock was throbbing, and he was aching to be close to me.
As the guys undressed me, happiness shot through my veins. I missed them. More than I could stand.
“I missed you guys so much,” I said in a whisper, trying not to cry. “Thank you for not giving up when I did.”
“We’ll never give up on ya, pretty lady,” Andrew said. “But I know how you can make it up to us.”
His voice was hot against my ear as I leaned into his naked body.
“How’s that?” I asked.
“I want you to show us how you pleasured yourself in all those fantasies as a teenager,” Andrew said. “I think we all wanna see what we do to ya.”
I shuddered at the thought as I took their hands and led them into my bedroom.
I opened my nightstand and pulled out my vibrator. They gathered around my bed, their cocks hard and dripping for me.
I laid down with my legs spread wide, watching as Andrew and Caleb both licked their lips. I grinned as I turned on the vibrator, running the thick toy down my body. I traced it around my nipples, pulling them to hard peaks with the vibrations.
I squirmed as my free hand ran through my hair, biting my lip and putting on a show for them. I could hear their hands rubbing their dicks, their eyes hooked on me as the vibrator traveled closer to my wet pussy.
I traced it around my swollen clit as my heels pressed into the mattress.
I cupped my tit with my free hand, tugging at my nipple and sighing with relief. My juices were dripping, glistening against the hole I knew Andrew was already eyeing.
I slid the thick toy deep inside of me, bucking relentlessly against it as I watched them tug on their cocks. I
moaned their names, chanting for their bodies as I felt my orgasm rising up throughout my body.
Before my back could collapse to the bed, Andrew reached for the toy. He pulled it from my body.
"You're so fucking hot. Get ready to come again on top of me, baby. We’ll give you the wildest fucking night of your life."
I knew he wouldn’t disappoint.
CHAPTER 1
KATIE
“It is a beautiful place,” I said.
I gazed out the window of the bathroom, slightly disoriented, as I looked across the fields. So much had changed over the past eight years. I couldn’t imagine it ever being the same.
God, I missed the carefree girl I once was. Maybe, a part of me came back in desperation to find her.
With emotions overpowering me, I was relieved to have my best friend and maid of honor, Lizzie, by my side. She was a southern fire cracker like none other.
“This is somethin outta a movie. I never thought them rowdy O’Conner brothers woulda done all this.” Lizzie said.
“What did she say?” Whitney asked.
“My accent’s not that bad woman! Git ya ears checked,” Lizzie said.
Whitney and Lizzie were still getting acquainted. Whitney and I met in college in New York, and she flew to Texas to join me for the wedding.
I giggled. “She’s talking about the O’Conner brothers becoming so rich,” I said.
The O’Conner brothers had been my next door neighbors and brother’s best friends since elementary school.
My mother called them the “talk of the town,” mostly because there were four boys, and all of them were predisposed to being the center of gossip in one fashion or another. Maybe it had to do with them being the most eligible bachelors in town.
I had the biggest crush on them growing up.
Since my brother was the protective type, I mostly enjoyed the company of the O’Conners as friends and kept my feelings private. The only person I opened up to was Lizzie. It wasn’t until my eighteenth birthday when feelings manifested into physical touches, kisses, and mischievous looks. We never went all the way, but man did I want them all badly.
Besides my physical attraction, I also fell for their characters. If I got angry, I could count on them to be home to play sports with me, or take me out fishing or camping.
We had the best of times together. I could outrun them and out-spit them. Often times, I could throw balls farther and kick balls harder than any one of them could.
What can I say? I tarnished their egos and I was exquisite at it. Lucky for me, we built a strong bond, nevertheless.
And, years later, while my mom was in the hospital, they’d setup times to visit her and kept me company there. They never ceased to make me feel loved during one of the toughest times of my life.
“The five of you were like peas in a pod. Always hangin’ ‘round, attached at the hips. I’m shocked you didn’t date none of ‘em. Too late now. You’ll be off the market thanks to that city boy.” Lizzie said.
My fiancé, Michael, was emotionally there for me during my mom’s chemo. I would have been a mess in New York if it wouldn’t have been for him. He held me up when I could no longer hold myself up.
He was human, which meant he had his faults, but I credited him for getting me through my mother’s death. When she first got sick, he was there to hold me and let me cry. When my mother wasted away from the worst of her chemo treatments, he was the one to fly me back and forth, so I could bounce between Texas and New York.
And when my mother died, he was the one that not only arranged her funeral for me but paid for it as well. The brothers offered to help, but I didn’t want to trouble them especially since they were so busy with business.
My mother’s sickness came as a shock to everyone.
She worked hard all her life but had always managed to keep a positive outlook on things. She kept herself as healthy as she could and went on long walks to keep herself physically active. Out of all the things to ail her, cancer was the last thing anyone could’ve ever expected.
“You still hangin’ in there?” Lizzie asked.
“Do you guys think I’m making the right decision? Please be honest.” I probed.
“Glad you finally asked someone,” Lizzie said. “Though you coulda done it before your damn rehearsal dinner.”
“Get off it, Liz,” Whitney said. “This is serious.”
“Yes, it is. If you want my solid opinion, Michael’s a shitbag,” Lizzie said.
“He’s got his good points,” Whitney said. “But, too be honest, I’m not sure they outweigh the bad.”
“He was there through everything with my mother,” I said.
“Them O’Conner brothers were, too,” Lizzie said.
“They’ve always been there. We’ve been friends forever.” I said. “But Michael? He was shocking.”
“And you like that about him?” Whitney asked.
“I don’t know. Everyone has their faults, Whitney. Even me. But that doesn’t negate what he did for me while my mother was dying. All the flights he paid for, and the funeral he helped me plan. When I figured out my mom didn’t have life insurance, he stepped in without a second thought. He paid off the house so it wouldn’t rest on my shoulders and paid for the funeral.”
“If you like money, them O’Conner brothers got a ton of it,” Lizzie said.
“I get it. I know where you stand. You want me to end up with one of them, but that’s not happening.”
“Why not?” Whitney asked.
“Well for one, I’m an engaged woman. Two, they’re my brother’s friends. And three, they could have snagged me years ago but that never happened. It wasn’t meant to be.”
“Come on, you were hardly legal and on your eighteenth birthday you were ready to jet off to New York. Can’t blame them for not wanting to get locked up or get their teeth knocked in by your brother. You know how protective that boy is. Plus, you were a lot to handle,” Lizzie said.
“I wasn’t that bad in high school,” I said.
“You were a firecracker. Super competitive. A girl like you was too much for one man to handle.” Lizzie said.
“I didn’t know you in high school, but I can vouch for that, too. When I met you freshman year of college, you were the center of the party,” Whitney said.
“Things change. People change. Look, I don’t want to hop into the arms of another man. I’m only wondering if I should be hopping into the arms of this man,” I said.
“He changed ya,” Lizzie said. “You’re way more timid. You ain’t the same girl I knew.”
“High school was seven years ago. I hope I’m not the same person,” I said.
“He did change you,” Whitney agreed with Lizzie.
“Losing my mother changed me,” I said.
“Look, you wanted our opinion, so there it is,” Lizzie said. “Don’t marry the man. He’s an asshole.”
“This shouldn’t be news to you, but that man checks out women while you’re right there. He’ll be the first to cheat on you and the last to feel bad about it. Don’t think you have to marry him because he threw some money around and was there when your mother passed. You don’t owe him anything.”
“He’s never cheated on me. If he had, we’d never be here. And, Michael was there during the hardest time of my life,” I said. “I owe him a lot.”
“You don’t owe no man shit,” Lizzie said. “That’s another way he’s changed ya. Got you hangin’ in there like a hair on a biscuit ‘cause he’s got you thinkin’ you owe him shit.”
“A hair on a biscuit? Are you for real?” Whitney asked.
“Welcome to Texas, sweet cheeks,” Lizzie said with a grin.
I knew they were right, but my mind was swirling too much to say anything. It was my rehearsal dinner the night before my wedding, and I was beyond nervous. I was getting cold feet. That was all this was. There was no way in hell I was making the wrong decision. Michael was a good man. Lizzie and Whitney mea
nt well, but they didn’t know him like I did.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get back out there.”
“Told ya,” Lizzie said.
“Told you what?” I asked.
“I bet Whitney here twenty bucks you’d still go out there and get yourself married,” Lizzie said.
“Really, Whitney? Gambling’s illegal in the State of Texas,” I said.
“Glad to see that bar exam did you some good,” Whitney said with a smile. “But Lizzie was right. I figured us talking to you would snap some sense into that head of yours.”
“Can we just try to get through this?” I asked.
“You should never have to feel like you’re ‘getting through’ something like this,” Whitney said. “That tells me right there that this is a bad idea.”
“Quit the yappin’. She’s made up her mind,” Lizzie said.
I sighed as we left the bathroom and made our way back to the ballroom for dinner.
I headed back to my table, trying to ignore the people around me. The ballroom was beautifully decorated, but if I paid attention to it too much, I would start thinking about the brothers again.
When Michael proposed and expressed to me that we could move anywhere in the country I wanted, I was excited to go back home. Dallas, Texas would always hold my heart, especially since I didn’t blend in with the city like I thought I would. My muddy old cowboy boots and my cut-off jeans weren’t something people saw every day in New York City, and I had to quickly trade them for more professional clothing and toned-down colors. Yuck!
No thanks. I preferred my muddy boots just fine.
Though, Lizzie was right. The brothers had really accomplished a lot in my absence. The four of them owned a string of ranch resorts that fused the decadence of first-class with the warm, soothing feel of country life.
The O’Conner Ranch Resort had become a familiar name throughout the state, but it was quickly gaining ground all over the country. And when I started planning my wedding, I couldn't think of any other place I would rather be.
