Playing Pretend: A Single Dad Secret Baby Romance Read online

  “Yeah- sweetheart… tell me how much you fucking love taking my cock, Delainne.” Snapping his hips with an animalistic growl, Eric grinned in a gesture that I felt rather than saw as my eyes rolled back. “Fuck- yes-s-s-…”

  My spasms slowly died as Eric rode my orgasm, his hips glued to my thighs from the sweat that slickened my skin. His harsh breaths dried my lips and curled my eyelashes, and I deflated like a popped balloon before hoovering up a huge breath. The waves of rapture that bombarded me slowly ebbed away, and I struggled to open my eyes even as he peeled my hair from my temple.

  “So- are you going to answer my question?” Roughened and soft, Eric’s smirk shone in his tone, and I groaned as his hardened member twitched against my quivering walls. Kissing my face in quick pecks, he grumbled and tilted his hips to knock the air free from my lungs.

  “Why- I don’t want to right now, Eric.” The high-pitched whine in my voice earned me a chuckle, and heat billowed up my neck. Sluggishly rolling over, I only managed to throw my arm across my chest before Eric grabbed my wrists. My brain didn’t make any attempt to remember what question he’d asked, and I shivered as he nosed my neck. Rugged palms dragged down my forearms and biceps, and I arched with a needy moan.

  “I guess that it’s not really something you should answer while I’m balls deep in you… especially when the end is so far away.” Humming at the teasing promise in his tone, I searched blindly for Eric’s mouth. His groan lodged in my throat, and his tongue danced around mine before he pulled back to kiss down the valley between my breasts. “You can’t tap out on me, yet, sweetheart. Spread your legs wide for me, Delainne.”

  Gasping as Eric licked down my abdomen, I groaned from the tendrils of desire that shot through my thighs. Hard, clammy palms caressed my quivering flesh, and I propped myself on my elbows to watch him. His sharp, incredibly deep inhale sent a shiver up my spine, and he caught my gaze with a slight smirk.

  But he pulled back suddenly, and a frustrated sound burst from my throat as I dropped heavily. His laugh rippled through the dense atmosphere, and he crawled up to kiss me hard.

  “Sit up, sweetheart.” Groaning loudly as I sluggishly, heavily, rolled over, I managed to get on my hands and knees before Eric grabbed my butt with a greedy growl. My squeal echoed harshly when he tugged, and I gripped a pillow as he yanked me up. The world spun, and my heart dropped into my throat while he wrapped both his arms around my waist and shoved his mouth between my thighs.

  “Oh- oh-h-h- Eric!” Rough and warm, his tongue swept the length of my slit to swirl around my entrance, and I muffled my moans in the pillow. Pleasure tightened my core, and his tongue slipped inside me easily to curl and flex. Grinding against it as the sensation forced me over the edge, I shuddered and gasped chokingly. Expertly clamping down on my clit, he rolled the throbbing bead between his teeth, and his groans and hums of satisfaction rose above the blood pounding in my ears.

  “Show me exactly how flexible you are, Delainne.” Goosebumps washed my body at the gravelly command, and Eric blew out a hot breath down my belly. “You taste so fucking good-”

  Licks and kisses and suckles made my mind a bare wasteland, shrouded in thick clouds of red and light purples. Struggling to breathe, I could only take what Eric forced on me as he ravished me with his mouth and tongue. The abyss behind my shuttered eyelids spotted with color, but he stopped before the pressure building in my abdomen could snap.

  Easing me down, Eric climbed on top of me to push my knees out to either side, and a gasp erupted from my chest as my folds parted. The cold air leaking from the conditioning unit sent shocks through me, but he chased it away with fire as he swiped his latex-shielded head against my entrance. Grabbing my wrists, he folded my arms against my back, and I barely managed a ragged inhale before he thrust hard.

  Eric’s grunt bounced abrasively off the inside of my skull, and I clamped down on his rod as I imploded. His jarring thrust wracked my very bones, and he held me down as he surged into my channel again and again. The slap of his abdomen against my butt cracked loudly between the furious beating of my heart.

  My ragged cries became sobs of pure rapture, and- for a moment- I could’ve sworn that I was in space.

  “Fuck- fuck- fuck- cum so nice for me, Delainne-” Tears leaked from my eyes, tiny and insignificant and meaningless, as the pleasure numbed my toes and tingled my fingertips. My heels slammed into his sides, but Eric didn’t break stride as he jammed himself as deep as he could go.

  “It’s so good- Eric- Eric- E-ah- ah-h-h!” Spasming and twitching as another orgasm slammed into me, I tossed my head to the side in a desperate bid to breathe. My moans and whimpers came out weak and strangled, and I ground my teeth hard as air filled my head.

  “Yes-s-s-s…” Eric gyrated his hips against my butt, and he held my wrists in one hand to drape himself over me. Kissing my shoulder blade with trembling, chapped lips, he pushed a moan from my throat as his new angle flooded my lungs with ecstasy. “I’m gunna fuck you every way I know how, Delainne. You’re gunna have new abs when I’m done with you.”

  Delainne

  “We should get you some more clothes- you only have, like, 8 shirts and jeans.” Blushing furiously at the seriousness that laced Eric’s tone, I stared down at my dress and smoothed to front self-consciously. The comfortable fabric clung to my hips and breasts, and he wrapped his arms around my waist to kiss my bare shoulder. “Are you ready?”

  “… Yes…” My tone deepened, and Eric caught my gaze in the bathroom mirror as I covered his hands with mine. The intensity electrified the air, and he fiddled with my engagement ring blindly. “I’m ready, Eric.”

  A slow, satisfied smirk stretched Eric’s mouth, and my heart threatened to burst from behind my ribs. His words from hours earlier circled in my head viciously, and I rolled my lips between my teeth. My face tingled when he huffed hotly, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up straight when he kissed just under my ear. Tightening his arms around me, his smirk widened when I gulped noticeably, and nerves ate away at my gut.

  “Let’s go, then.” Twisting at the gravelly demand, I smashed my lips on Eric’s as his palms instantly dropped to my butt. Throwing my arms around his neck, my body ached to get even closer as the magnitude of what I’d just said hit me square in the chest. His tongue danced against mine, lips tilted in a slight smile even as he returned my furious kiss. “Stop- stop, or we’ll be late for dinner, sweetheart-“

  “About what you said before-“ So close, Eric’s eyes and expression were distorted, and I licked my lips heavily as his warm breath fanned across my cheeks. “You were right, Eric. I don’t know what a relationship is like, so it’s wrong of me to judge what’s going on.”

  “Speaking of- what do you think a relationship is like, Delainne? I mean- you went to an all-girls school, right?” Squeezing my butt hard, Eric grabbed my hand to lead me out of the bathroom, and I huffed softly in acknowledgment. Reaching with my free palm to rake through my hair, I rolled and puckered my lips as I thought about that question. “Plus, you said it yourself- you didn’t really have many friends.”

  “… I guess… I just thought a relationship was slower than this… You know- like how Teagen and Casey have been together for six years. Sort of like… it should take longer, maybe.” The more I thought about it, the less my own response made sense, and Eric glanced over his shoulder on the way down the stairs. “I don’t know. I guess the main reason was just… nerves- Greg’s girlfriends all told me how weird he was, you know? I didn’t want to end up something like that just because someone asked, and I didn’t say ‘no’. There was this girl at school, too, who got pregnant when she was 15 because she never put her foot down with her ‘boyfriend’, and he left her the second she told him. There’s just… a lot of reasons to be weary, I suppose.”

  “Yeah- I can understand that considering my experience with Sasha. All it takes is one untimely decision, and it’s worse because that decision is entirely yours to
make.” Snatching his keys off their hook, Eric led me outside into surprising darkness. The time was only 5pm, and the sun wouldn’t have set so quickly; the summer was barely half over, after all. A quick look to the sky gave me an explanation, though, and I pursed my lips tightly.

  Huge, heavy, angry-looking storm clouds hung low in the sky, and the humid air made me glad I hadn’t done anything to my hair. Climbing into the passenger seat of Eric’s car, I peered up through the windshield at the ominous overhang before he stole my attention.

  “I was in boot camp two weeks after my 16th birthday. I had a really hard time in school because I went to a really shitty, inner city school. Anyway- I dropped out with my parents’ permission to go to a cadet school, where I did much better. I didn’t have to move out or anything immediately, but, all of a sudden, all the girls at my high-school were interested in me. It was insane- I see them around town, and they want to hang out with me when before they’d just ignore me.” Backing out of the driveway leisurely, Eric chuckled at memories that I couldn’t see, and a fond smile tilted my lips. “It was a lot like what happened after Sasha died. I was a single dad, and women liked that, I guess. In both situations, I didn’t have time or care to do anything, though. I moved here, without my parents, and I stopped being a person once I was on my own. It was always work- Maggie- sleep- work- Maggie- sleep.”

  The restaurant was only a borough away, nestled on a straight away that connected the neighborhoods. Cars parked on either side of the street, and excitement coiled in my abdomen as we made our way inside. A terrace covered in string lights was completely overtaken by patrons, and there wasn’t a single crack in the pavement. Holding the door open for me, Eric smiled with triumph glimmering in his eyes, and heat billowed up my neck.

  Inside the restaurant was gorgeous, classy and romantic, but still maintaining a light atmosphere. Just beyond the front door was a glass floor, and I gingerly skirted it as I gazed down at the wine cellar. An employee stood 20 feet down, examining bottles and adjusting them in perfect rows.

  “Impressed?” Only when we were seated at a two-person table draped in a white cloth did Eric speak, and I nodded dumbly. His smile widened, and he leaned over with a mischievous glint in his gaze. “Do you want me to order some wine?”

  “No, thank you. I’m not old enough, Eric.” Just in that moment, a waitress appeared, and I cast Eric a pointed look when he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “Another time.”

  “Fine- fine.” He ordered for me without bothering to open the menus the waitress handed us, and she left us just as quickly as she appeared. Her smart, professional uniform made her blend in, but I couldn’t think about her when Eric spoke up again. “I want to talk about what’s going to happen next, Delainne.”

  The seriousness in Eric’s tone caught my full attention immediately, and I clasped my hands in my lap as my excitement turned to gut rot. His smile dragged down from the gravity of the conversation, and there was a heavy moment of silence before he continued. Eyes locked, he couldn’t have made it any clearer that this wasn’t going to be postponed, and blood beat hard against my ear drums.

  “I want to propose to you- not as a ploy to fool my mother, but because I want to. Everything we’ve been through, and the unorthodox way we came together… I think it’s a good next step. I know that you’re paranoid about Greg, and you have every right to be, but I need you to know that my feelings for you aren’t just because you’re in trouble, Delainne.” There was no expectation in Eric’s steady gaze, and my thundering, strained heart beat eased at that knowledge- of knowing that there was time to answer. “I want you to think about it- that’s all.”

  “… When you proposed to me at Teagen’s wedding, it was because of your mom. I want- I want my dad and my step-mom to at least meet you, first, Eric. My dad isn’t the kind of man that’ll accept this- not with the way it all went down.” My words must’ve given him some sort of gratification, and I sighed as my thoughts went to my dad. “All of this needs to be over… you know that. I won’t commit to anything more- I wish things hadn’t happened this way with Greg looming over me. I won’t put Maggie through any more.”

  “Trust me- I know, and I agree with that, Delainne. The fact of the matter, though, is that it did happen this way. I’m not saying we do anything drastic, but you and I are already doing all of the things that couples do. I’m giving you fair warning, here- once Greg is out of the pict-“ The fine hairs all over my body stood straight up just as Eric cut himself off, and my eyes widened in horror while his narrowed into fine points. Twisting as his gaze flickered over my shoulder, my body throbbed as wave after wave of anxiety surged through me.

  Greg wore a very proper suit- almost too fancy for this upscale restaurant, and I watched with dread as he sauntered leisurely over to us. Nothing about him gave away that he shouldn’t be here, and he flashed me a warm smile from under deliberately tousled hair.

  He was showing Eric his face- exactly what he looked like, and not just my description. Goosebumps washed my entire body, and my legs tingled from the urge to jump up and run out. The closer Greg came, the more violently my stomach roiled, and my throat closed.

  Without asking or caring, Greg grabbed a chair from an adjoining table and sat down to my right wordlessly. He didn’t scream creepy predator upon first glance, but the abhorrent glance he shot me- his little smirk- made me tense. My fingernails dug into my palms, and I clenched my jaw as a tense silence descended on the table. Even the patrons closest to us noticed, but none of the staff came to tell Greg that he was a fire hazard, or that moving chairs wasn’t allowed.

  “So-“ Finally speaking up, Greg drawled through his growing smirk, and I could only stare as Eric grew more and more red in the face. “It’s good I finally caught up to you, Delainne.”

  Greg talked without looking at me, like I was just a tool to get a rise out of Eric. He was smarter than just barging in here to scream at me, but Greg had always been smart about how he operated. Dread dribbled down my back to seep into the fabric of my dress, and my toes curled in disgust in my short heels.

  “You really, really don’t want to mess with me, kid.” For the first time, maybe, it occurred to me that Eric had at least 10 years on Greg, and his condescending tone showed it. Next to me, Greg tensed, and my lips would’ve curled in a smirk if they weren’t cushioning my teeth. “I can do a lot more than break your fucking nose.”

  “You could, but I haven’t done anything, and I’m more than capable of pressing charges on you for assault. Wouldn’t want to explain being in jail to Maggie, huh?” The atmosphere dropped 100 degrees- so cold that I could see my breath leaking from beyond the lump in my throat. Across the table, Eric’s expression pinched, and his lips thinned even as molten hot rage blazed in his eyes.

  Then, Greg faced me, and a fierce, instinctual incandescence of ravenous fury sent shivers down my spine.

  Eric

  Regret stained my tongue as I tapped my thigh, wishing my gun wasn’t in the car across the street. The douchebag sitting to my left only stared at Delainne like she’d crumble into dust, but she looked like she was ready to explode.

  And I knew why- Greg said Maggie’s name. Suddenly, it wasn’t about Delainne- it was about Maggie. Maggie was in danger, even secondhandedly, and Delainne wasn’t going to let that happen.

  “You’re coming back home, Delainne- your dad’s so worried about you that he’s physically declining.” Only vaguely did I remember Delainne talking about a similar instance in which Greg had used this ploy, and my heart beat ran wild. Part of me was impressed that Greg realized that being a crazy, scorned love interest wasn’t appropriate, but another part of me wondered how fucking stupid he was. He clearly expected her to believe him, and his arrogance nearly pushed me from my chair.

  “You’re lying.” The strong, unwavering determination in Delainne’s tone drew a grunt of surprise from me, but she didn’t drop Greg’s gaze. His expression flickered, a tiny crack appearing in h
is mask, and he couldn’t repair it fast enough.

  Definitely a fucking idiot.

  “How would you know? You left him without any warning at all- he’s literally worried sick. My mom is worried, too- you think there aren’t consequences to what you did, Delainne?” The accusation was thick as it rolled off Greg’s tone, but Delainne just continued to surprise me. She gripped the edge of the table, causing the glass and ceramic to tinkle slightly when the cloth pulled taut. My muscles ached fiercely to just punch Greg in his rather handsome face, but this wasn’t my battle.

  If she needed me, Delainne would let me know somehow to jump in. She didn’t want to make a scene and ruin other people’s dinners, but she must’ve not realized that everyone within a six-table radius was watching this go down. Glancing around through narrowed eyes, I caught to gaze of my waitress as she stood with lemon waters on a tray. She made no effort to come over and make things worse, and I clenched my jaw hard.

  Delainne was quiet as I watched the waitress whisper nervously to who I assumed was her manager, and they both cast me weary glances. Discreetly gesturing them to stay back, I shook my head at the subsequent, quizzical look the older man shot me.

  “If Dad and Georgia knew where I was, they would’ve come here themselves.” Tearing my attention violently from the underlying drama around us, Delainne shot Greg an accusatory glance of her own. Her loud, firm tone rang in my ears, and I clenched and released my fists as I watched her face contort in righteous anger. It was the same face she made at the wedding before storming off, and pride bubbled in my chest. “You never told them you found me- you don’t want them to know you found me, because you’re not here for them. You’re here to attack me. My parents don’t know about the cameras you put in my apartment, or that you tried to assault me. If they knew, my dad wouldn’t have given you my debit card statements so you could track me down.”