Desired by Him (Wanted Series #5) Read online

  “No, it’s cool,” I said. “Sophie said she’d help me this week instead of going back to camp.”

  Austin furrowed his brow. “Really?”

  I looked over my shoulder to where Sophie was sitting on the bottom step. “Isn’t that right, honey? Didn’t you say you were going to help me this week?”

  Sophie nodded. “If you let me hammer something,” she said. “I’m sick of only being allowed to use the level.”

  Karen raised her eyebrows. “Well, now that that’s settled, we’ll be on our way.” She extended her arms and gave Addison a hug before moving on to my parents.

  I couldn’t be sure, but it almost seemed like she was eager to keep Gigi from becoming interested in tools. And while I realized that Sophie might not have wanted to help me if it weren’t for last week’s scare, it made me proud to know I was going to raise a little girl that could change her own flat and put up her own shelves.

  “Well,” I said, rubbing my palms together when everyone had sufficiently hugged it out for the second time. “Safe home, guys.”

  Addison leaned towards me and spoke softly. “I should probably be going, too,” she said. “I have an early meeting tomorrow and-”

  I nodded. “Just give them a minute head start so they aren’t all talking about you while you’re at the light behind them.”

  She furrowed her brow. “Talking about me?”

  “All good things, dear,” my mom called, waving back at us while she got in the passenger seat.

  Addison sighed.

  “Can I have some cake, Dad?” Sophie asked, her chin in her palms.

  “Uncle Austin said you already had cake,” I said, still waving out the front door.

  “Well, can I have tomorrow’s cake today then?”

  I shook my head. “Let’s leave that to look forward to tomorrow,” I said, watching my brother follow my Dad out of the circular driveway. Then I turned to look at her. “It’s time to get ready for bed.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Don’t I have to say goodbye to Addison first?”

  “It was wonderful to finally meet you, Sophie,” Addison said, smiling.

  “You too,” Sophie said, walking right up to her. “When are you coming over again?”

  Addison looked back and forth between us. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “Maybe I could come to your house sometime,” Sophie said.

  I put my hand on Sophie’s shoulder. “It’s not nice to invite yourself to other people’s homes.”

  Sophie furrowed her brow at me. “But she’s been here. I thought it was okay for friends to do that.”

  Addison raised her eyebrows.

  “We’ll see,” I said, trying to apologize to Addison with my eyes.

  “My place isn’t as nice as yours,” Addison said. “But if you’re ever in the neighborhood, you’re welcome to stop by-”

  “What neighborhood?” she asked.

  I put my hand on her head. “Say goodbye, Soph.”

  “But how am I supposed to know if I’m in the neighborhood if I don’t know where she li-”

  “I’m in the city,” Addison said.

  “Oh.” Sophie nodded. “Right.”

  “Well goodnight, Sophie,” Addison said, smiling.

  Sophie reached her arms out and hugged her legs.

  Addison’s eyes went wide, and I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like she didn’t know what to do with her hands. Finally, she rested them on Sophie’s head and back.

  “Why don’t you go upstairs and get ready for bed,” I said. “And I’ll come up and read to you as soon as your teeth are brushed and your PJs are on.”

  Sophie nodded, dashed away from the doorway, and ran up the stairs on four limbs, causing the sound of a drumroll to echo through the house.

  Addison and I watched her run across the upstairs landing and disappear into her bedroom.

  “She’s really sweet,” Addison said after Sophie closed her door.

  “She’s something anyway,” I said. “But I appreciate you making an effort with her. I know she complicates things but-”

  “It’s fine,” she said. “I’m just glad she’s okay.”

  I sighed. It wasn’t even worth trying to verbalize how thrilled I was to still be a father.

  “I guess this is goodbye,” she said, slipping her porcelain feet into her heels by the door.

  “I was hoping more for a see you soon.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I’ll walk you to your car,” I said, wrapping my fingers around the edge of the door.

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to,” I said. “Besides, it’s the least I can do after you drove all the way out here.”

  She shrugged. “It’s actually not that bad of a drive,” she said, stepping outside. “Especially when there’s no traffic.”

  “Well that bodes well for another Sunday evening together I suppose,” I said, pulling the door closed.

  “Wait-” she said, putting a hand on my arm. “This isn’t going to turn into a tour of the driveway, is it?”

  I raised my eyebrows. “As if you wouldn’t love that.”

  Chapter 6: Addison

  I felt like I’d been hit by a truck.

  Like this man with the hair and the abs and the dick that just fucked my mouth had knocked all the sense out of me.

  Even as he followed me to my jeep, his eyes were like hands on me, willing me to move.

  It was so fucked up.

  I had no idea what I said to anybody, no idea if his family liked me or if the goo goo eyes I felt like I was making at Wyatt were hanging out of my head? And how my noodle legs hadn’t collapsed under me was a miracle.

  And at this point, I swear it was like he could smell me or something, like he could sense every inch of me, like I might as well have not bothered getting dressed.

  “Nice jeep,” he said. “I like the black.”

  Was it crazy that I wanted him to bend me over my front seat and take me from behind?

  I felt so overwhelmed by his presence it was like my body wasn’t even mine anymore, like I could’ve quite happily taken him in my mouth again in the dim driveway and given him… what? A real classy sunset blowjob?!

  I mean, what kind of whore was I?!

  I popped the door open and turned to look at him. One week ago I would’ve bet anything he was just a horny handyman. Of course, that was before he seduced me so thoroughly. And now here he was, standing with his hands in his pockets in front of his fucking mansion like he was the goddamned frog prince.

  I hadn’t even kissed that many guys.

  And I’d let him fuck my mouth!

  Was I on drugs? Was there something in my drink? Was I even okay to drive?

  “Thank you for having me,” I said, not thinking of the words until after I said them. I put one leg up on the driver’s seat and slid my key in the ignition. The dashboard lit up and chimed to life.

  He was holding my door open when I turned back, smiling at me in a way that made me want to put my palms on his cheeks.

  But I desperately needed to get a grip. So I did. On the wheel.

  He put his elbows on top of my car and leaned his head inside.

  I followed the path of his eyes to where the edge of my dress cut across my thigh.

  “Would you ever quit it?” I asked.

  “Funny,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “I was just going to ask you the same question.”

  I took a deep breath.

  “Drive safe,” he said.

  I tucked my hair behind my ear.

  “And thanks for coming.”

  I looked at him and swallowed.

  His eyes dropped to my collarbone. “Well, I guess this is it.”

  “What?”

  He crossed his arms and fixed his eyes on me. “The part of your visit I’ve been dreading all night.”

  I searched his eyes for clues.

  “The part where I have to kiss you goo
dnight.”

  My breath caught in my throat.

  “So get out and kiss me like you mean it.”

  I stared at him with wide eyes.

  He lifted his chin. “You know you want to.”

  I lowered my leg back down to the ground and slid out of my seat. I loved the fact that he seemed to know what was good for me better than I did, especially now when I couldn’t string a sentence together to save my life.

  He pulled my lower back so I was pressed up against his chest and planted his lips on mine.

  My toes were barely touching the ground as the heat from his lips sank down through me.

  When he set me on my feet again, I took an unsteady step backwards and found the car seat with my hands. Then I hoisted myself up, pulled my feet into the car, and turned towards the wheel.

  He stepped out of the way and smiled. “Call me,” he said, before swinging the door shut.

  I stared at him through the glass. Then I lifted one hand in a motionless wave.

  He took a step back.

  I turned the key in the ignition and the jeep growled to life beneath me as my eyes drew a route out of the circular driveway.

  When I was about to pull out onto the private road that led away from his house, I gripped the steering wheel and stole one last glance at him in the rearview mirror.

  “Wow,” I said under my breath.

  Wyatt lifted his hand in one last wave and then turned on his heels.

  To go tuck his daughter into bed.

  Right after he’d tucked his dick into me all afternoon. I shuddered and a warm shiver shimmied up my spine.

  I tried to focus, keeping my eyes on the road ahead, which was dwarfed by tall trees on both sides.

  I was looking forward to getting home.

  Maybe I’d get straight into bed and read. There was a book about productivity I’d been meaning to start- or was it habits? Then again, I should probably study my J&F fact pack or review my questions for the interview I had tomorrow afternoon with the designated subject matter experts.

  Regardless of what I did, though, I knew I wouldn’t be worrying about tiny lungs in the next room, lungs that needed help a week ago to do their job.

  Were my problems not real?

  Was I so totally self-absorbed that I didn’t even know what real stress was?

  Maybe my doctor was right. Maybe I didn’t need pills. Maybe all I needed was some perspective. And sex, of course.

  She was so right about how bad I needed that.

  Of course, now that I’d had it, I was partially braindead, which was a new problem. Honestly, I’d never felt so crazy. Just the thought of the serious conversations I needed to have at work the next day made me want to burst out in belly laughs.

  I flipped the mirror over the wheel down and blinked. My makeup actually looked okay, except for a small smudge of eyeliner at the outside corner of my eye. So that was good.

  At least I didn’t look as messy as I felt. I flipped the mirror back up with my hand and accelerated when a light up ahead turned green, figuring I could be home in forty five minutes if I booked it.

  Surely I would feel normal by then.

  Surely.

  I lifted my shoulders to my ears and dropped them again.

  So he fucked my mouth.

  So he’s a big fucking deal.

  Whatever. I needed to get over myself.

  No one was going to save me.

  I wasn’t a pretty princess. Animals didn’t talk, and no one rode off into the sunset.

  Plus, there was no need to fall for the first cool guy that crossed my path, especially when what I really needed was to be in work mode. Ready, set, work mode…

  But seriously, where the fuck did he learn to kiss like that?

  I still felt warm and goofy and bright from it.

  Like I was glowing from the inside out.

  Chapter 7: Wyatt

  I couldn’t stop smiling.

  What the hell kind of horny school boy was I? Fucking her all kinds of ways like that…

  It was her first ever visit to the house for Christ’s sake! My family was over. And Sophie.

  Sophie.

  I walked back in the house, locked the front door, and went straight upstairs.

  “Soph-” I called halfway up, my hand on the bannister as I thought about Addison’s thigh.

  I shook my head. It was time to put those thoughts to bed, too.

  “You all ready?” I asked as I made my way across the landing.

  She popped her head out of the bathroom. She was still brushing her teeth.

  I raised my eyebrows. “You haven’t brushed your teeth yet?”

  She kept brushing and shrugged, but she had a look on her face I’d never seen before.

  I turned and went to her bookshelf.

  A lot of nights she wanted to watch a movie or play Candy Crush on my iPad for a while, but ever since she got out of the hospital, she’d wanted me to read to her like I used to.

  I was assuming it wasn’t brain damage.

  If anything, reading was a more engaging activity, right?

  I grabbed some Shel Silverstein, thinking a few poems would be a nice change of pace. Her mom used to read poetry before bed, anyway. Mostly W.B. Yeats and Robert Frost. Had I told her that?

  I drew the blinds and sat at the top of her bed with my back to the headboard and the book in my lap.

  A moment later, I heard her spit in the bathroom sink, followed by the sound of the tap running.

  She stepped in the bedroom doorway.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Did you leave a hunk of toothpaste in the sink?”

  She froze, which was extra noticeable on account of her icicle colored pajamas featuring the friendly faced snowman from Frozen, and her eyes rolled back in her head. Then she about faced and turned the sink back on.

  I heard the bathroom light switch off as I flipped through the book. “Fancy some Shel?”

  “Sure,” she said, climbing onto the bed and propping her pillows up just so.

  I crossed my ankles and sighed. “By all means, take your sweet time.”

  “You should talk,” she said, pointing her finger at me.

  I lowered her accusatory finger with my hand.

  And as she tucked her legs under the covers and scooted back up against her pillow, I could’ve sworn I sensed a whiff of attitude.

  I raised my eyebrows. “Soph?”

  She looked at me and put her clasped hands in her lap. “What?”

  “Something on your mind?”

  She shook her head.

  “C’mon. What’s up?” I put my finger on the page I was holding and closed the book. “Talk to me.”

  She squinted and inhaled, her whole face twisted in thought.

  I kept my eyes on her and let my head fall back against the wall. “I got all night, kiddo.”

  “I saw you.”

  I raised my eyebrows even higher. “You saw me what?”

  “I saw you kiss Addison.”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes adults do that when they like each other.”

  She crossed her arms. “You don’t kiss Aunt Karen like that.”

  “That’s because Aunt Karen is Uncle Austin’s girl,” I said. “You know that.”

  She pursed her lips and her eyes drifted up for a second. “Is Addison your girl?”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “What do you think?”

  “I think you like her more than she likes you.”

  I laughed. “Why do you think that?”

  Sophie shrugged.

  “C’mon. Spit it out.”

  She swallowed. “Cause when you kissed her, she didn’t hug you back or anything.”

  “Is that so?”

  She nodded. “Her arms were just hanging at her side like a doll’s.”

  “I see.”

  “And you were holding her really tight.”

  I squinted and tilted my head. “Too tight?”

  Sophie bent her
elbows and lifted her palms to the ceiling. “I don’t know.”

  I nodded.

  “Plus, she’s really pretty, Dad.”

  I furrowed my brow. “What are you saying?

  She sighed. “Nothing.”

  “You don’t think I can get a pretty girl to like me?”

  She laughed and looked down at her lap, shaking her head.

  “Hey.” I nudged her gently with my elbow. “You’re pretty. And you like me.”

  She dropped the back of her hands against the bed and groaned.

  “Am I wrong?”

  “It’s not the same. She’s-” She held her hands in the air in front of her like she was a little old Italian lady reaching for the words. “She’s… elegant!”

  “Elegant.”

  She nodded. “And I’ve never even seen you dressed up.”

  “I get dressed up,” I said, though I couldn’t think of the last time it happened.

  She slouched against the pillows. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

  “Fine,” I said, opening the book again.

  She raised her eyebrows. “Am I gonna see it?”

  I exhaled. “Are you ever going to give it a rest if you don’t?”

  She smiled and shook her head.

  “Okay then.”

  “When?” She put a hand on my shoulder. “Can I get dressed up, too?”

  I nodded. “Sure,” I said. “We’ll do something fancy together soon.”

  She clapped her hands together. “To celebrate!”

  “To celebrate?” I stuck out my bottom lip. “To celebrate what?”

  “Your big kiss!”

  I shook my head. “We don’t need to talk about that anymore.”

  “Okay,” she said. “I thought you wanted to.”

  “Why would you think that?” I asked. “I never even mentioned it.”

  She shrugged. “You seem excited about it.”

  “It’s fun to make a new friend.”

  She cocked her head. “You mean a pretty friend.”

  “A new friend is always a good thing regardless.”

  “Phff.”

  “Do you want to read or will I?”

  “You,” she said.

  “How many poems?”

  “Twenty five.”

  “Ten.”