Dirty Talker: A Single Dads Club Romance Page 7

  “Seriously?” I ask, still not believing they won’t give me back my money or at the very least reschedule me.

  “Sorry, but yep.”

  I changed my mind. I don’t know how Brad gets any of the girls because Brad is a big, dumb jerk.

  I grab the coupon out of his hand and spin on my heels, coming face to face with Dane.

  Shit.

  9

  Dane

  I’m unsure if Ava is part of some dick punishing mission, but after she got stuck on our raft, she stripped down to her tight swim shorts and tank swim top. Thankfully, her tits are covered and her top covers the strip of flat stomach invisible to everyone else. I still get tormented thinking of the small patch of dark hair right above her pussy.

  “Miss Ava,” Toby takes the seat next to her, leaving me to sit on the other side of him. “This is going to be so much fun!” Toby’s wide eyes volley between me and her and I hope the kid isn’t thinking something crazy like Marcus and Garrett. I know he’s missed out on having a mom and he doesn’t always understand why his didn’t stick around, but I’m not built for a long-lasting relationship.

  She smiles, but I see her hesitancy in sharing this day with us. Hell, I had been looking forward to it being just me and Toby, too.

  “Here.” I hold my hand out to take her yoga pants and t-shirt she has shoved on the floor of the raft.

  “It’s okay.” She shakes her head like the bullheaded, stubborn woman she is.

  “Just give them to me.”

  Toby reaches down, grabs them and hands them to me.

  “They’ll get wet,” he tells her, and the smile she always has on call for him shines through.

  “Thanks,” she says it more to Toby than me, but I unzip my backpack and shove them in with our clothes.

  Before we can talk any further, our tour guide hops on board with his sunglasses and million-dollar smile. I know the owner of the rafting company and he has a very specific hiring pattern. Illegal or not, no one over thirty-five gets a shot. Looking at his time clock hitters today, I’d say it’s more likely that thirty is the cut-off. All good-looking guys, sprinkled with a couple girls probably for the bachelor party groups. Hopefully, they don’t kill us.

  “Hey, I’m Cameron, and I’m your guide for the day. We’re going to start off slow, but we’ll go through a few rougher patches.” He looks down at the family right in front of him, the mom now looking from her husband to their five-year-old. “No worries, ma’am, no one has ever fallen out on my tour.”

  I roll my eyes, there’s a first time for everything buddy, and now you just jinxed us.

  “Okay then, everyone received their instructions on shore. Any more questions?” he asks. When no one speaks, up he continues, “Let’s get going. Parents you’re doing the paddling. I’ll just make my way to the back.”

  He jumps on the deck and then rounds the back of the raft.

  “Can’t I go on the edge?” Toby whines and before Ava was joining us I had planned to let him this once, but we need the adults with the paddles.

  “It’s a class three.”

  “Dad?” he whines and I can’t blame the kid. I’m fairly sure it’s my family genes that gave him his rebellious live on the edge mentality.

  “After first break. Okay? Then I’ll let you in front of me and I’ll move to the back.” I nod my head to where there’s an empty spot right in front of the guide.

  Toby smiles big and nods. “Awesome.”

  His own enjoyment fills me with happiness. Nothing like your kid being happy.

  Then I glance behind him, finding Ava’s lips upturned staring at the two of us. Once she discovers I’ve caught her, she focuses forward and prepares her paddle.

  The first part of the trip isn’t that bad and it’s more serene and for enjoying the sounds of nature and discovering the world we live in. Nothing is better than being outside and that’s why I never had an urge like my sister did to disappear to the big city. I love campouts when summer is right on the cusp of ending. When you’re sweating during the day, but chilly at night for a campfire. I love grabbing my bike and heading to the hills to lose myself in my thoughts and enjoy the thrill of following an unpaved track. Yeah, I could live on the beach down in California or on the east coast, but there’s nothing better than sitting on my deck with the trees surrounding me as I stare out over never-ending water.

  “We’re about to come to some small dips, so you youngsters don’t go jumping,” Cameron warns.

  I look to Toby who’s bored out of his mind. He wants to use the paddle in his hand, and he wants to experience the adventure. After we get through the dips, I look back to Cameron, currently basking in the sun.

  “Hey, we’re going to swap.” I point to Toby whose eyes light up with excitement. “Just remember what I taught you. The last thing I want is to have to show off my savior skills in front of Ava.” I wink at her, knowing she’s observing us. Her gaze has been nailed to us almost the entire trip.

  She quickly turns around, embarrassed I caught her...again.

  “Sure thing. We’re on calm water for a few.” Cameron’s head falls back again.

  I slide back onto the other plank and Toby slides into my empty spot, propping his butt on the edge of the raft.

  “Now, Toby, when we dip down you lift the paddle,” I start instructing him, but he places his hand in the air. “If you’d rather go back to twiddling your thumbs.” My words are meant to threaten him.

  He shakes his head. “No. I got it, Dad.”

  To even out the weight of the boat, I’m stuck in the middle of the last row, twiddling my thumbs and giving me nothing else to do but keep an eye on Toby.

  “Okay, hope you’re ready young guns, we’re heading toward the class three river.”

  Toby looks over his shoulder to me, a fear that wasn’t there moments ago emerging.

  “You got this.” I wink and he smiles and then sets his gaze forward.

  I try to calm down my pounding heartbeat watching the falls appear in the distance. What is probably seconds long feels like an hour until the top of the raft falls and all of us slide down. Toby does awesome like I thought he would, but another one comes immediately, and we plunge.

  “Toby, paddle.” I give him directions and his arms go strong.

  Ava’s helping out by paddling double speed, thank goodness.

  “Everyone stop,” Cameron calls out when we get to a calmer spot. He directs his bigger paddles into the water to maneuver the boat a certain direction down the river.

  We fall into a dip in the surge and a huge wave of water drenches us.

  “Go, go,” he says, and Toby paddles his heart out.

  I wasn’t prepared for one slip after the other, and I bite down screaming directions at Toby. Soon my eyes stop looking at what’s coming and I focus completely on him. I still treat him like a child but look at him manning up and handling a class three river.

  He breaks when he needs to, propels the raft when it’s required, and the best part is his gaze never veers from where we’re headed. My heart warms and I probably look like a goon smiling over at him.

  Finally, the raft is gliding and all of Toby’s teeth—what he hasn’t lost and been richly rewarded for by the Tooth Fairy—are smiling back at me.

  “Okay group, we’re going to tie up over to the left.” Cameron points to a clearing where I’m guessing the rafting company has a snack area.

  Toby straightens his back and helps his group out by doing his share of the paddling.

  Once we reach the rest area and we’re out of the raft, I wrap my arm around his neck, pulling him into my chest.

  “You did fantastic!” His face flushes and he tries to toss off my compliment. “I’m serious. Have you been going out without me?”

  He laughs, shaking his head. “No,” he mumbles.

  “I’m really proud of you.” I rub my knuckles on his head and pull him to my side where he stands limp and he shoves off my praise again.
>
  Toby’s a lot like me. We love attention, but never when we do something good or when someone is proud of us. That’s when expectations are born.

  “So, I can do class four now?”

  Ava laughs and I realize I almost forgot she was with us. I search her out, finding her right behind me. She appears mesmerized by the scene in front of her and I’m not sure why.

  “We’ll talk about it, but let’s master class three for awhile.”

  Toby squirms out of my arm hold, stalking off to the snack table. He’s struggling to fight the smile on his face, which makes me grin.

  “Who would have guessed?” Ava says, then sashays by me.

  “What?”

  “That there’s actually one person in this world who has the power to shut you up.”

  She smiles over her shoulder and continues on her way to the snack table.

  An urge spurs inside me to bend her over my knee and smack that fine round ass, but instead, I follow behind.

  “Well, I don’t know about that. Your cupcakes can shut me up.” I fall into line with her, both of us walking toward Toby and the snack table. “Which brings up the subject of my taste test.”

  I feel her eyes on me, but I keep mine straight ahead so I don’t seem too eager.

  “How about tomorrow night. Monday’s are usually dead for you, right?”

  This earns my attention, and I turn to look down at her. “For someone who acts like she can’t stand the sight of me, you sure seem to keep tabs on me. You got a set of binoculars over there in your shop?”

  She stares at me blankly until she has no choice but to face forward or risk tripping on a root.

  “It’s not that I can’t stand the sight of you, it’s just that you’re everything that’s bad for me.”

  I cup her elbow, quickly guiding her over to a more secluded area. Cameron is busy talking to Toby who’s nodding at him while chewing his granola bar.

  “Bad for you?” What the hell is she talking about?

  Truth be told, I’ve shared two nights with Ava against my better judgment. Don’t get me wrong, both nights she rocked my world more than anyone I’ve ever been with. But she was still the daughter of an acquaintance of mine. Vic rolls by the bar for the odd Single Dads Club meetings. But when I brought it up that second night in my office she reminded me that she’s an adult and is free to make her own decisions. She’s right, I know she is, but it did take some convincing on her part. Lucky for me, Ava is really good at convincing when she uses her mouth.

  Those two encounters have stayed with me. Especially, since one was in my bedroom and I swore even after I washed the sheets, her scent still lingered. Second time, was in my office. Talk about shitting where you eat. This is like fucking where you live. Now visions of her spread eagle on my desk embed my vision every time I’m in my office at the bar and when I lay down at night. I remember the feeling of having her pussy on my mouth as she straddled my face.

  “Yes. I thought I could do the whole screw-you-whenever, but I just can’t do that knowing that you’re out messing around with other people.”

  “That’s why you dodged me after the time in my office?”

  She nods, her eyes studying whatever the fuck is over my shoulder.

  “Ava.” My hand reaches out, but I retract it because I don’t want to ruin the friendship we’ve started. Friendship might not be the best word, but at least she no longer hates me. “I never meant to disrespect you.”

  She shakes her head, dismissing my words. When she finally looks me in the eye, it’s there, what I somehow always knew was there—she’s not like the other girls I usually get with. The ones who aren’t looking for something beyond a night or two.

  “I let you disrespect me. I came to the bar that night. We both knew what I wanted and it wasn’t your hand in marriage.”

  “But?”

  “But it’s not me. The whole friends-with-benefits is one thing. The last thing I want is a boyfriend. I’ve got enough going on right now trying to get this business off the ground.”

  “Phew,” I slip out.

  Her gaze bounces over to me once again, her soft smile fading.

  “I also can’t be one of many and I was upset with you when I had no reason to be. We made no promises, but I changed my mind afterward.”

  “So, we can be friends?” I ask, not arguing the point.

  Ava’s sexy as hell and my dick is in full chub mode when she’s near, but I don’t do monogamy even when it’s friends with benefits.

  “Why do you want to be friends?” She scrunches her eyebrows.

  I chuckle. “Listen, if we’re going to be business owners across the street from one another, I think we need to be civil at the very least. You seem like a fun girl and I’m a fun guy. Too bad we can’t enjoy each other’s company now and then, but hey, I promise not to touch if you do,” I waggle my eyebrows.

  Finally, that soft smile that’s teetered on the edge of gloom goes full wattage and she nods.

  “Friends.” She shrugs like it’s no sweat off her back.

  “If I cop a feel once in awhile, that’s okay, right?” I joke, walking past her and toward the snack table.

  She turns and walks beside me.

  “As long as you don’t mind a knee in the nuts.”

  I scoff. “You wouldn’t.”

  “Touch and see.” She quirks an eyebrow issuing a challenge.

  “You scare me.”

  She laughs and if only that sound didn’t spur a spark of something in my stomach, then I’d be absolutely certain that I could be friends with a girl for once in my life.

  10

  Ava

  Taste test! What was I thinking? I should’ve sent the samples over with Charlie earlier today. She would have handed them to him, and he could test them out alone in his office.

  But no, I had to go ahead and agree to be friends with him. Then I agreed to have him at the shop after hours to taste test a few cupcakes he might want to serve at Happy Daze.

  Yeah, long story short, I’m a moron.

  Admitting my feelings to him at the water rafting excursion wasn’t in the plan. My plan when I left his bar that next morning after falling asleep on the couch in his office was to act indifferent. To never let him know how he hurt me after seeing the text from his date the night before.

  I’m not sure what woke me up, but I slithered out from under the blanket I was sharing with Dane. The leather couch crinkled and I stopped, waiting until I saw his steady breathing. With him still asleep, I tiptoed around the room, scooping up my clothes that Dane had stripped off me the night before after I’d shown up thirsty for more than just a drink at his bar.

  I watched him sleep, a beautiful man that used his good looks to lure women. Who am I judging? It worked on me. Twice now.

  After shrugging my shirt over my head, his phone dinged on the desk.

  A picture of him and a woman crossed the screen with a caption, ‘Be careful I bite’.

  I picked up his phone thinking I’d be able to see more and be able to tell who the hell the woman was, but his password screen came up, so, I did what any normal female would, I stalked him on Instagram.

  It didn’t take long to find the picture linked to his profile. I’m not sure the man holds any secrets.

  Pollyanna or whatever her name was, had her cheek pressed against his. He was wearing the same clothes that I just stepped over, so unless I’m an even bigger moron, he went from her to me last night. Hours before he bent me over his desk, he was with her.

  That’s when I knew, this casual sex thing wasn’t for me. I’m not built to share a man. So, I took one last look at Dane knowing that whatever we were doing was over and prayed that neither of my roommates would be up when I tried to slip in our apartment unseen.

  What’s that saying? Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, and I’m an idiot who needs to stay far, far away from Dane Murray.

  A light tap sounds on the window of my door and my heart r
ate picks up speed. I ignore the temptation to glance in a mirror. To straighten my ponytail or make sure the lip gloss I applied minutes ago is still on.

  Walking through the front part of the shop, seeing his smiling face behind the glass, warms my stomach.

  I unlock the door and push it open. “Hey.”

  “Glad to see you listened to me last time and kept the door locked.” He slides in through the opening, locking it behind him.

  “Yeah, you’d never want that robber with the late night sweet tooth to break in.”

  I walk toward the back. The sooner we get it going, the sooner it’s over.

  I reach the kitchen and plate the samples while Dane slides onto the stool next to me.

  He’s wearing cologne tonight. God, it makes him smell so good.

  It’s probably for a date. Probably for one of his bang buddies.

  Block it out. Block it out.

  Be professional.

  I push the plate toward him. I do my best not to divert my gaze between his wide-open legs. My mind tries not to remember the length and girth of what lies under those jeans. My pussy tries not to throb with the memory of how he filled me up.

  She’s doing a really shitty job in that department.

  “So, what do we have here?” he asks.

  I back up to sit on my own stool, attempting to create some distance between us.

  “I stuck with a drink theme so they’re all based on alcoholic drink flavors. Like margarita and strawberry daiquiri.”

  His fingers wrap around the Kailua and crème cupcake and he holds it up to his nose and smells it.

  “A dessert cupcake.” He smiles and a pair of hands have never looked more appetizing to me as he peels back the paper. If the hands weren’t enough to turn my thermostat on high, watching his mouth open and his perfectly white teeth bite into my creation, has me practically waving myself to cool down.

  Why is that such a turn on?

  An enjoyable mumble rumbles out of him and he closes his eyes briefly as he chews and swallows.

  I cross my legs to tame the fire his noises ignited.