Daddies & Nannies: A Contemporary Romance Boxset

by Piper Sullivan

  I started to thrust wildly, dipping my head to catch one of her nipples in my mouth. She matched me, pushing herself up against me, grinding into me. I sucked on the nipple, as I plunged into her. She was moaning, again, tossing her head from side to side. I could feel her tightening, ready for the reward.

  Suddenly, I couldn’t wait, either. I plunged into her again, feeling her spasms start as my own climax ascended. I cried out, twisting and thrusting into her. A million sparks exploded in my head as I peaked. She was crying, too, straining against me, trying to milk the last drop of it.

  I collapsed on top of her, panting heavily. She was panting, too. I looked at her. Rivulets of sweat were dripping down her neck. I kissed one, tasting salt.

  “Wow.” I brushed some stray curls off her face. “That was amazing.”

  She smiled. “It sure was.” We kissed, long and slow. Then I fell to the side, closing my eyes.

  I reached out to hold her hand, as sleep suddenly pulled me under.

  I woke just before dawn. I could see sunlight streaming through the windows.

  The storm had broken, then. Cara was sleeping on her side, her chest rising and falling gently.

  I watched her, my eyes trailing the whole length of her body. She was a beautiful woman, there was no denying that. My blood warmed, when I thought of our lovemaking from the night before. I knew we would be amazing together.

  I leant over, kissing her softly on the neck. She stirred, then opened her eyes.

  “What time is it?” she whispered.

  “Time to make love to you again,” I whispered back. She smiled, lazily.

  We kissed, her mouth falling open willingly. My hands found her breasts again, kneading them gently. Then she pulled away.

  “Your turn,” she whispered, pushing me onto my back.

  Her mouth found me, pulling and sucking gently. I groaned with pleasure, pulling her head further along my shaft. Eyes closed, I started to thrust, marvelling at the sweet sensations coursing through me. I couldn’t believe it. There was no doubt that if I let myself go, it could be over this minute.

  But I didn’t want that. I wanted to be inside her again. Urgently.

  I pulled her head away, grabbing her so that she was hauled upwards onto me. She understood. She guided me into her, then started riding me. I watched her above me, her breasts swaying like pendulums as she rode. Her dark hair fell around her face. Looking up at her, I caught my breath. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

  I grabbed her hips, thrusting upwards, matching her rhythm. She started to moan, slowly. We stayed like that for a few minutes, and then it quickened. I burst forth, spilling into her. Her face went dark, suddenly, as the sun intensified behind her, casting her in shadow.

  And then she came, long and slow. Little moans escaped her lips as the spasms lingered.

  “Cara,” I whispered. “You are the sexiest woman, ever.”

  She smiled, collapsing onto the bed beside me. We fell asleep again, spooned against each other as if we would never let go.

  Cara

  Bryce was up when I opened my eyes.

  I watched him, still not believing what had happened. The sex had simply been the best of my life. My mind was niggling at me, but I chose to ignore it. My body was saying something completely different. It had never been satiated in quite this way before.

  “Morning gorgeous.” He sat up beside me, reaching down to kiss me.

  I wound my arms around him, sighing with pleasure. We lingered over the kiss, and then he sat up, smiling.

  “Good news.” He gestured to the window, where I could see sunshine streaming in the windows. The rain had stopped. “We’re able to get off the island. Bob will meet us at the pier in an hour. I’ve re-booked flights. We should be home by noon.”

  I smiled, but a small part of me was sad. The sojourn on the island, even though it hadn’t been planned, had been wonderful. Could I live this way forever, making love with Bryce and getting room service? But life couldn’t go on like that always, I guess.

  “Would you mind if I had a shower here?” he asked, stretching his legs. Those long, sexy legs.

  “Of course you can,” I said. “You don’t have to ask.”

  He smiled, then stood up, and headed for the shower. The next moment I could hear the water taps turning on. And was that singing? I wouldn’t have picked Bryce for a shower singer. I smiled to myself. I stretched, lazily. Then my mind started kicking in. What was going to happen now? He had been loving and tender this morning. But I was a big girl, and I knew how these things worked.

  A beep startled me. I sat up. It was Bryce’s phone, which he had left on the side table. He had just received a message from someone.

  I knew I shouldn’t look. I told myself not to. But the next thing I know my hand had snaked over to the phone and picked it up.

  Yes, it was a new message. From Tanya. Don’t look at it, I told myself. But sickeningly, I couldn’t help myself. I pressed on it.

  Hey gorgeous, it read. I was remembering our beautiful night last week, and am longing to do it again. Could we meet up, soon? Give me a buzz. Tan.

  So. Tanya hadn’t left the Gold Coast. Obviously she had stuck around, and all those nights that Bryce had gone out or stayed out, he was with her. I should have known. Probably one part of me had. But that didn’t stop it hurting like hell.

  Had I wished he had changed, deep down? Yes, I had. Last night had been spontaneous, but I couldn’t deny that I had feelings for him, and had for a long time. I had been fighting it, but they were real. I had let my guard down, and he had taken advantage. It was how players operated; always looking for the in road. What had happened between us obviously meant nothing to him, not if he had been sleeping with Tanya this whole time. And she obviously was confident they still were.

  I felt tears welling in my eyes. It really hurt. I had crossed a line last night, and I realised now that I was in love with him. The dirty rat. Why did I always choose assholes? When would I learn to protect myself from this crap?

  I put the phone back on the table, and got up. At least I knew. That was something. Bryce walked out of the bathroom, fully dressed, towelling his hair. He smiled at me, his eyes glowing.

  I couldn’t smile back. I picked up my clothes silently, heading to the bathroom. He reached out and stopped me as I walked past him.

  “What’s wrong?” His eyebrows were knitted together, staring down at me with a concerned expression on his face. I had to admit, he was good. If I hadn’t been alerted about his dalliance with Tanya, I would have believed him.

  “Nothing,” I said, not meeting his eye. “Everything’s fine. Why shouldn’t it be?” I shook off his arm, and kept walking. I could feel his eyes on me as I entered the bathroom, but I closed the door firmly.

  It was good feeling the hot water hit my face. Invigorating, waking me up. Which is obviously what I needed to do, in more ways than one. It had been so close. I was falling in love with him, and had been so close to telling him so.

  It was a lucky escape.

  I buckled in for take-off, staring out the window at the runway at Cairns airport.

  The trip back had been smooth. The waters had been calm and beautiful again, and I had soaked up the beauty of it all. Even now, the memory of the fierce storm was fading. I was seeing us as we had been before it, frolicking in the water, seeing the coral and fish. I remembered the moment when we had seen the pod of dolphins. Then my mind turned to last night, and the way we had connected.

  Bryce knew something was wrong. I responded when he talked to me, but I was keeping conversation to a minimum. I didn’t want to have a big confrontation, what good would it do? Last night had been just sex for him, and he would have done it with any half attractive woman he happened to be alone with. I was just another in a long, long line for him. We would return to Surfer’s Paradise and he would go straight back into the arms of Tanya.

  The plane started to move along the runway, turning
to prepare for lift off. And then we were in the sky, Cairns and the blue ocean receding from view. It had been one of the best times of my life. It had also been one of my worst.

  I heard Bryce’s phone beep again, and he got it out to look at it. Tanya again, I was betting. They were probably arranging their next rendezvous. He would probably drop me off at home and be out the door before he had barely said hello to Charlie.

  I could see him frowning though, and then he cursed. He turned to me, fear in his eyes.

  “I’ve just had a message from Mrs Hall,” he said, his voice trembling. “Something’s wrong with Charlie. She had to rush him to the hospital.”

  Bryce

  Gilbert was waiting with the car as we left the airport. “Take us straight to the hospital,” I said, barely glancing at him. Fear was nipping at me like a terrier.

  “Yes, Mr Harrison,” he said, looking at me with sympathy. Obviously, he knew what had happened. As he swung out into the street, I couldn’t help myself. I reached for Cara’s hand. She didn’t pull away. I looked at her, and the same fear that I was feeling was mirrored in her face. She had been shocked, of course, when I had told her. And she wanted details.

  “I don’t know much,” I said. “Mrs Hall was trying to be quick when she messaged I guess. Something about hitting his head.” Cara had asked further questions, but I couldn’t answer her. I simply didn’t know.

  I looked at Gilbert now. “What do you know about what happened, Gilbert?”

  He looked at me in the rear vision mirror. “The little guy fell down the stairs. He hit his head at the bottom. He wasn’t conscious.”

  “Jesus,” I said. I could feel my hands balling into fists. I felt like I wanted to punch someone. “How did it happen? There is a security rail at the top of the stairs.”

  “Apparently Mrs Hall was walking down with him when he tumbled.” Gilbert turned left.

  I turned to Cara. “You were training as a doctor. How bad is it?”

  She shook her head. “It’s impossible to know,” she answered, “without examining him, and knowing his symptoms. Any hit on the head is a concern. But we will know more when we get there. Hopefully he has regained consciousness.”

  “Mrs Hall has a lot to answer for,” I said, angrily. Cara squeezed my hand.

  “Accidents can happen anywhere, anytime,” she whispered. “It’s not necessarily that Mrs Hall was negligent. Don’t assume the worst.”

  I sighed, but I nodded. I was still angry, and wanted answers as to how it had happened. But I would give Mrs Hall the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.

  Gilbert swung the car into the hospital entrance. I had the door open before he had even stopped. I pulled Cara along with me. I didn’t stop to question if she should accompany me. It just seemed like the most natural thing in the world that she should.

  We found what room he was in. And there he was, the little guy, propped up in a small bed with rails. He was conscious, but he had a nasty lump on his head. Mrs Hall was sitting in a seat next to him. She turned when she heard us approach, jumping to her feet. I could see she had been crying.

  “Oh, Mr Harrison,” she said, waving her handkerchief. “I am so sorry. He just let go of my hand as we were walking down the stairs, and lost his footing. It probably would have been all right, but he hit his head on the corner of the wall.” She dabbed the handkerchief at her eyes.

  “Okay,” I said, swallowing my anger. It seemed like it hadn’t been her fault. And she had got him to the hospital quickly.

  “Daddy,” said Charlie, reaching his hands up. Then he saw Cara behind me. “Cara!”

  She walked over to him, kissing him and rubbing his back. “Charlie had a tumble?” she asked. He looked up at her with his big blue eyes. “Mummy,” he said.

  Cara looked at me, tears welling in her eyes. I walked over to them, putting my arm around Cara as I leaned over and kissed Charlie. He seemed normal. I was so relieved it was all I could do not to collapse into the chair.

  The doctor walked in, picking up Charlie’s chart.

  “I’m Charlie’s father,” I said, walking over to him. “Bryce Harrison.” We shook hands.

  “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’ve heard of you, of course. Charlie has been receiving the very best of care.”

  “Of course,” I answered. “So can you please fill me in on how he is? He seems good.”

  “Yes,” the doctor answered. “He was unconscious when he was admitted, and for the next hour. Then he started waking, and there is every indication he is absolutely fine. We would like to keep him in overnight though, to run some tests and monitor him.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “So you think he’s fine? There won’t be any effects?”

  “I think it should be fine,” the doctor answered. He shook my hand again, then left the room.

  I looked at Mrs Hall. She was haggard, with bags underneath her eyes. “You should go home, Mrs Hall,” I told her. “Things are under control here, now. Thank you for looking after him when we got stuck during the storm, and getting him to the hospital so promptly. You will be compensated.”

  After Mrs Hall left, I turned to Cara. She was gently stroking Charlie’s hand. My heart swelled as I looked at them. My child, and my lover. Or was she? She had been acting cold toward me since I had gotten out of the bathroom at the resort. I was baffled; I thought that things had been going wonderfully between us. And she wouldn’t tell me what was wrong.

  But she had been caring since we had found out about Charlie. I needed to get things straight with her.

  Because I loved her. It struck me like a knife to the heart. I loved her. I was in love with her. I wanted her by my side, forever. I had never felt this way about a woman before. It was wonderful, and scary.

  I walked over to them both. “Cara, there’s something I have to tell you,” I said. She looked at me, a question in her eyes.

  “I’m in love with you,” I blurted out, before I could formulate anything better to say.

  She was shocked, I could see that. “You’re in love with me? But what about Tanya?”

  “Tanya?” I frowned. “What about her?”

  “I saw the text message from her, this morning,” she said. “When you were in the shower.”

  Understanding was dawning on me. Tanya had sent me a text, this morning. Something about catching up, having another ‘beautiful night.’ It was all in her head. We had caught up, a couple of times, in the last few weeks. But nothing had happened between us. How could it? All I had been able to think of was Cara. But I could see how she could have misinterpreted it.

  “Hasn’t anyone ever told you to respect people’s privacy?” I said. But I smiled at her. We’d all been there, done that.

  “There’s nothing between Tanya and I.” I said. “Oh, she’d like there to be, there’s no doubt about that. But I couldn’t. The only woman I can think about is you, Cara.” I looked at her, my heart swelling again.

  “You haven’t been sleeping with her?” Her voice caught.

  “No, I haven’t.” I pulled her up, out of the chair. Charlie looked at us both, his eyes wide. I turned her to face me. “It’s you, Cara. I think I’ve been fighting it. But I can’t anymore.” I kissed her, gently.

  “I’m in love with you, too,” she breathed. “I’ve been the same, Bryce. Trying to fight it. I thought that you were a player, and would break my heart. But I can’t deny it anymore, either.”

  We embraced. She rested her head upon my shoulder, gently. I didn’t think that I could be happier, than I was at this moment.

  Charlie was okay. My son would get better. The scare had made me realize how much he meant to me, and how wonderful it was, having him in my life. I was happy being a father. And it had lead Cara to me.

  “Will you stay with us?” I whispered to her. “Forever? As my wife, and Charlie’s mother?” I held my breath. I didn’t think I could bear it, if she said no.

  She looked up at me, tears swimming in her
eyes. “That would be wonderful,” she whispered.

  We kissed, again. Maybe a hospital room wasn’t the most romantic place in the world to propose. But it was perfect. My son at my side, and the woman I wanted to be at my side, forever.

  The three of us, a circle that would never break.

  THE END

  Ready for some Small Town lovin’? Then check out Mr. Medic, A Single Mom Bad Boy Romance from my Small Town Protectors series.

  Nanny Down Under

  Prologue

  “Hey, sis. What are you thinking?”

  I turned around from watching surfers hang ten on the Surfer’s Paradise beach. Cara watched me closely. I could tell she was concerned; her forehead was furrowed. I had seen that look my entire life. Well, Cara was my big sister, and she had a habit of worrying about me.

  “Just thinking about where it all went wrong,” I answered, leaning against the balcony railing. Then I smiled, trying to take the sadness out of my words. “Don’t mind me. I’ll get over it.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said. “You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

  I knew she was right, deep down. But it was hard to think rationally at the moment. My fashion business, which I had been working so hard to establish back home in San Francisco, had gone belly up. My major investor had suddenly pulled out, due to sickness. I had no choice but to close it down, at least until I found another. Cara had suggested Bryce could invest, but I didn’t know him that well, yet. I just didn’t want to put it on him.

  At least I was somewhere beautiful to lick my wounds. Queensland, Australia. I had been here a week, visiting Cara and her new husband, Bryce. And Charlie, Cara’s stepson. They lived in one of the most stunning places I had ever seen in my life. A waterfront mansion, where you could step out onto the beach. Cara had certainly won the jackpot. Bryce was great, and Charlie was the cutest thing ever.