To The Single Dad in the Store by J.S. Cooper
Chapter Fifteen
I never thoughtthat I would be the sort of girl to get excited about having a date in someone’s home. I liked to go out, I loved going to parties and being seen. I loved to dress up in nice dresses and do my hair and put on makeup. Yet here I was standing in the kitchen with Steele, and all I could think about was how romantic the whole situation felt, which was absolutely crazy because there really wasn’t anything romantic about it at all.
He was an alpha male with a kooky sense of humor, and he’d led me to believe that he was a single father. Granted he had never actually said that, but he could have corrected me when I went off on him and talked about his kids. All he had to say was those weren’t my kids. But I guess he didn’t really owe me anything.
“So, Nellie, tell me more about yourself? Where do you see yourself going in life?”
“That’s the age-old question, isn’t it?” I said lightly.
I wanted to change the subject because I really had no idea what I wanted to do in my life and it was starting to freak me out. I was about to enter the real world and I wanted to do it on my own two feet. I didn’t want to rely on my parents and my trust fund, and I didn’t want to have to fall back on Hunter. I wanted to earn my own money. I wanted to be independent. Yet I had no real clue what I wanted to do.
“I take it you don’t want to answer that question?”
“Correct, I don’t want to answer that question. Who knew you were such a smarty pants?”
“I knew.” He gave me that spicy wicked grin of his, and the butterflies in my stomach started flapping around. It should be illegal to look that sexy.
“My family is mainly in banking.” I didn’t want to tell him that I was an heiress to a banking empire because I didn’t want him to think I was some sort of spoiled princess. And it wasn’t like we were the Rothschilds—we weren’t billionaires, we were comfortable. Well, maybe a bit more than comfortable, but I didn’t want him to judge me on that. “And I guess they expect me to work in finance as well, but that’s not my interest.”
“Banking?” He looked surprised. “What do you mean your family is in banking? They all work at the same bank or something?”
“Something like that.” I nodded, regretting that I’d mentioned it. “That guy you saw me with at the grocery store was my older brother Hunter, and he’s working in the industry, so I feel like I don’t have to.”
“I see,” he said politely, though I knew he was confused.
Time to change the subject. “Did you always want to be a lawyer? What sort of law do you practice?” I asked quickly.
“My dad is an attorney, and I always thought his job looked so cool.” He chuckled then. “I was wrong. It’s boring, and many days I wonder if I’m really working on the side of good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m in taxation law for big corporations. I basically help really rich people keep more of their money.” He shrugged. “It’s not what I want to do forever, but it pays well, and some days it’s a bit of a mental challenge …” He stared at me for a few seconds. “I like a bit of a challenge.”
“Do you now?” I tilted my head to the side. “So do I.”
“So we both like challenges? I guess we’re made for each other then.” He winked and my heart fluttered as if he’d just told me he was in love with me. Which was stupid because obviously he wasn’t in love with me. He didn’t even know me and I didn’t know him. Up until an hour ago, I’d thought he was a single dad and he’d thought I was a hot young professional.
“Why are you smiling to yourself?” His words interrupted my thoughts and I looked up with a slight blush on my face. Get it together, Nellie.
“No reason.” I shrugged. “So, will dinner be here soon?”
“You’re hungry?”
I nodded. “Very hungry.”
“For more than a salad?”
“Who eats salad for dinner?”
“The women I normally date.”
“The Instagram models?”
“Maybe.” He shrugged and then he studied my face. “Does that make you jealous?”
“Not really.” I shook my head, grateful for the fact that I had a dad and brother who had reinforced in me my own self-worth and beauty. I would have been more jealous of his dead ex-wife, but she didn’t even exist.
“Really?” He looked slightly miffed.
“Not because I don’t think you’re cute,” I said boldly. “But I think it’s pointless being jealous of other women you may have dated. You either like me and want to take me out on an actual date, or you don’t and we call it a day.”
“You don’t consider this an actual date?” He pressed his lips together and I could tell that he was trying not to laugh.
“No.” I looked around the kitchen. “This isn’t the best first date I’ve ever been on by a long stretch.”
“And you go on a lot of first dates?”
“Maybe.” I grinned. “Why? Are you jealous?”
“Nope.” He shook his head too quickly, and I smiled sweetly. “I said nope, Nellie.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Why do I have the feeling you’re laughing at me?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “Why do you?”
“I can’t believe you’re a college student…” He sighed. “You know we can’t date, right?”
“Why?” I frowned then, surprised by his comment. I thought he was into me.
“Because I’m an attorney, and I can’t be dating a girl still in college.”
“I’m a woman, and I’ve almost graduated, thank you very much.” I folded my arms and glared at him. “Do you want me to just leave?”
“What?” He actually looked surprised. “Do you want to leave?”
“No, but why do you want me to stay if you think I’m just a girl?”
“Nothing wrong with being a girl.”
“I told you, I’m a woman, not a girl.” I glared at him. “If you’re embarrassed to have me around your colleagues because you think I’m too young, then just tell me now.”
“Why would I have you around my colleagues?” He raised an eyebrow. “You’re moving a bit fast, aren’t you?” His lips twitched, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “We haven’t even been on a real first date, and you already want to meet the people I work with.”
“That’s not what I’m saying.” I sighed. “Whatever.”
“Oh, Nellie, you’re so easy to tease.” He chuckled. “How’s about pizza tonight with the kids, and Saturday night I take you on a real date?”
“What’s a real date consist of?”
“It will be a surprise.”
“I don’t know if I like surprises.” I looked at him with suspicious eyes. “Tonight was a surprise.”
“What?” Steele laughed out loud. “You didn’t think it was a fun surprise?”
“Maybe for you,” I gave him a look, “but definitely not for me.”
“What? You don’t like jokes?”
“I love jokes if they’re funny.”
“Are you trying to tell me I’m not funny?”
“You said it, not me.”
“So you think I think I’m not funny.”
“Hey, I don’t know what you think about yourself.”
“You’re cute, Nellie. You know that, right?”
“Ah, I’m cute and I’m beautiful. And yes, I know.”
“And you’re so modest, aren’t you?” He chuckled.
I couldn’t believe how we were bantering. I felt like I’d known him for such a long time. It was nice.
“So, Nellie. What’s your answer?”
“My answer to what?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, already.” He pouted.
“Oh, my gosh. What are you talking about, Steele?”
“Our date on Saturday.”
“But you didn’t tell me what the date was going to consist of.”
“I told you, it was going to be a surprise.”
“And I told you, I’d like to know what the surprise is going to be.”
“Oh, my gosh. We’re not going to go round and round in circles, are we?”
“I don’t know. We could go up and down in triangles.”
“Do triangles go up and down? Nellie …”
“Yes, Steele?”
“I think I’m ready for my pizza, are you?”
“Yeah. I’m very hungry.”
“Okay. So maybe we’ll get the pizza and then eat, and then you’ll give me your answer for Saturday night?”
“That sounds like a plan,” I agreed.
It was weird to think that I’d met him in a grocery store, bitched to him about his kids, and now here we were, making plans for a date. I wanted to kiss him. All of a sudden, the thought hit me. I wanted to kiss him long and hard, and I wanted to feel his lips against mine. And not just for a few seconds. I wanted to see if he was as good of a French kisser as he looked, because his pink, juicy lips looked luscious, and his hands look strong and manly, and I just wanted to feel them on my shoulders and on my back. In fact, I wanted him to give me a massage, a long, deep, strong massage, so that every stressing kink in my shoulder blades could be removed. And then maybe the massage would lead to something else.
I wouldn’t mind that. I wouldn’t mind that, at all.
“Why are you smiling, Nellie?” Steele looked suspicious.
“What are you talking about?” Thank God he couldn’t read my mind because if he knew that I was thinking about sleeping with him, well, he would definitely know that he could say and do whatever he wanted and get away with it.
“Tell me, Nellie. What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing. I was just thinking that I hope you get some side salads with that pizza because we want to be healthy, right? And show the kids that you can’t just eat pizza by itself.”
He groaned. “I know you’re not going to lecture me, again.”
“I’m not lecturing you. I’m—”
“I probably have more experience with kids than you do, Nellie, so you really don’t need to tell me what to do.”
“Isn’t that why you had me come over tonight?” I said innocently.
“Why?”
“Because you wanted my advice to help you with the kids.”
“I was joking, Nellie. That wasn’t real. I—”
“Gotcha.” I grinned at him and tossed my hair over my shoulder.
He grinned back then his face softened. “You’ve got really long, beautiful hair, don’t you?”
“Thank you,” I said softly.
“I want to pull it. You know that, right?”
“What do you mean, you want to pull it?” I swallowed hard knowing exactly what he meant but wondering if he would be brave enough to tell me out loud.
“I want to pull on your hair … and kiss you.”
“That doesn’t sound fun.”
“Oh, yeah?” He took a step towards me so that his eyes were staring down into mine.
“Nellie …?”
“Yes, Steele?”
“I’m going to kiss you, now.”
“What?” I licked my lips, nervously.
“I said …” he moved his face closer to mine. “I’m going to kiss you, now.” And then his lips pressed against mine in all their glorious warmth, and I melted against him. He groaned as his hands fell to my ass, and pushed me into him tighter. I felt his hands reaching up my back. And suddenly I felt him pulling on my hair. Not too harshly. Not so hard that it hurt, but enough that it made me look up at him with widened eyes.
“Ow,” I said against his lips.
He chuckled, as he chewed on my lower lip. “I know that didn’t hurt, Nellie.”
“What are you doing, Steele?”
“What do you think I’m doing?” he said, and then he grabbed my face and he pulled me into him even harder. He deepened the kiss, his tongue entering my mouth … and he knew exactly what he was doing. I felt his hand running up the side of my body, I trembled in response. This kiss was more than I could have ever hoped for. This kiss told me I was with a man and not a boy. This kiss told me I couldn’t go back to dating college guys. Not after being with a man like Steele.
I didn’t care what practical jokes he played on me. I didn’t care about anything but the feel of his body against mine. I could feel his hardness pressing against my stomach, and it was my turn to moan. I reached down and lightly grazed the front of his pants, and he went still.
He pulled back slightly, his eyes twinkling. “You’re really not an innocent little girl, are you, Nellie?”
“I never said that I was, Steele.” I licked my lips and took a step back, running my hand through my hair, and then looked around the kitchen. I walked over to the fridge, making sure that I swung my hips as I did so. And I turned my face around to look at his expression. His eyes were dark as he watched me.
“You’re sexy. You’re really sexy.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, my love.” I winked at him and then opened the fridge door. I couldn’t believe I was being so forward. I wasn’t normally this person, but with him, another side of me was coming out, a dirty, dangerous, naughty side. And I loved it. I could be who I wanted to be with Steele. It didn’t matter. He seemed to like me, anyway. This was fun and exciting, and I was going to enjoy it. If he could play games with me, then I could play games with him. And I was going to make sure that all these games had the best payoff possible.
It was too bad that the kids were in the house because I wouldn’t have minded taking our relationship all the way tonight. I wanted to see what he felt like. I wanted to see if he gave as good as he got. I wanted to see if he could make me come in more ways than one. I wanted it all, and I wanted it now, but I knew I had to be patient. Steele wasn’t the guy that I thought he was, but it seemed to me that he was so much more, and I was excited to get to know every single part of him.