Austin's Christmas Shortcake Read online

  I chuckle, trying to hide my embarrassment.

  “I’m sure Lily can choose her own boyfriend, munchkin,” I murmur, reaching for her, and she falls into my arms, holding on to my neck.

  “I… uhm…” Her words taper off as she regards me with curiosity and longing. The air hangs heavy with my words and her need that’s present in her gaze and I know she wants this as much as I do. Our eyes are locked in what can only be described as an agreement. She smiles, a soft lilt to her pretty mouth, and I’m tempted to lean in and kiss her.

  “Let’s have dinner.” As soon as I voice the words I notice the disappointment on Lily’s face.

  Does she really want me? An old, divorced man? A father?

  Dinner goes by without incident. I’m finishing the washing up when Lily strolls into the kitchen. “She’s passed out. I’ve tucked her in. I hope you don’t mind?” Her words are tentative, shy almost, and I find myself wanting to calm her down. To hold her in my arms and tell her she’s welcome to be around my daughter anytime she wants.

  “Thank you. I mean, tonight was…” Scrubbing my hand over my jaw, I try to find words, but I can’t. How can I thank her for what she did tonight? For giving me a makeshift family for a few hours. The presence of happiness was here for a split second and I basked in it. Now that we’re alone and I don’t know what to say to her, I’m worried it was all just a dream. A fantasy of us playing fake families for the evening and tomorrow we’re back to normal.

  “You don’t have to thank me. We didn’t even get to eat dessert.” She gestures to the shortcake stacks sitting on the small side plates.

  “Eat with me?”

  Her mocha eyes dart to mine in surprise. “Really?” she whispers with a smile.

  I nod. Pushing one plate between us, I grab a couple of forks and hand her one. We both tuck into the decadent sweet and I can’t hold back the moan of satisfaction that rumbles in my chest.

  “These are incredible,” I tell her truthfully.

  Her sweet face glows with happiness. Getting a small piece, with some freshly whipped cream and a half-cut strawberry on the fork, I offer it to her. Mischievously, she leans in and wraps her lips around the fork and slowly pulls it off the metal utensil. It’s the most erotic fucking thing I’ve ever seen and my dick decides he enjoyed the show just as much as my eyes. Even in her innocence, she’s a vixen if I ever saw one.

  A smidge of whipped cream on the side of her mouth has me instinctively reaching for it, swiping it with my thumb. It’s an intimate gesture and it alights the need in my veins. My blood is boiling with desire for her.

  I lose all inhibition when I place my thumb on her lips and they part on a soft gasp. Sucking the tip of my finger into her mouth, she flicks her tongue over the digit and I’m groaning in unadulterated lust. It’s been two years since I’ve been near a woman in a sexual way and just that tiny movement is enough to have me coming like a teenager.

  “Jesus.” My grunt is raspy. Her eyes are hooded with desire, which I’m certain match my own as I watch her. I place the fork on the plate and turn to her.

  Gripping her hips, I tug her against me and lean in, licking the seam of her mouth. A moan filled with longing tumbles from her plump lips as I lean in further.

  “Shortcake,” I murmur against the corner of her mouth. “Do you want me as much as I do you?” I question, holding my breath, waiting for her response.

  “Please.” It’s a plea, a whimper of need, and who am I to deny such a beautiful woman.

  Lifting her up, I wait till she wraps her legs around my waist and walk her down the hall and into my bedroom. Shutting the door behind us quietly, I set her on the bed.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Mr.—Austin.” She giggles, a blush rising on her cheeks.

  “Take off your dress, Shortcake. I want to see those curves.”

  With torturously slow movements, she shrugs the dress down her body. Once it pools at her feet, I lift my gaze, trailing it up from her feet, to those toned, tanned legs, taking her in inch by inch. The pastel pink panties she’s wearing are cotton and I’m dying to rip them off.

  My gaze lifts to her breasts that are encased in a bra that matches the shade of her panties. Her body is curvy, but toned. Her belly button has a little jewel piercing and I wonder what else she’s pierced.

  “You’re… incredible…” I murmur, in awe of the stunning girl before me.

  “Thank you.” She blushes. “Your turn.”

  Her words are shy, but I don’t care. I want her to see me. I need her to look at me. Unbuttoning the shirt, I shrug it over my shoulders and place it on the bed. Unhurriedly, I unzip my slacks and shove them down my legs. With my socks and shoes off, I step out of the trousers. We’re now both exposed in the same way.

  “I’ve wanted… I mean… It’s been a long time.” My words are a jumbled mess filled with confused emotion. I’m not unsure of wanting her, but more of what to do with her. I really do feel like a teenager with his first girlfriend, only, I don’t want to do that to her. I want to make sure she enjoys this moment and not remember a fumbling old man who can’t figure out how to pull her panties off.

  She shrugs. “I like you, Austin. If you need my assurance, then you have it. I want you.”

  Those are the only words I needed. Stepping toward her, I pull her against me. Her smooth, soft skin touching mine has me groaning.

  “You feel good,” I breathe against her lips. Reaching around, I unhook her bra and she shoulders it off, dropping it on the floor. Her breasts are a handful, with rosy-peaked nipples that make my mouth water.

  I move without hesitation, dipping my head, taking one hardened pebble into my mouth, and sucking it gently. Her fingers tangle themselves in my hair, pulling me closer, gripping me with force as I graze my teeth over her flesh.

  “Oh, God, Austin.”

  Her moans and whimpers turn me feral. My mouth is all over her. My hand slips into her panties, finding a thin landing strip that leads me to bare lips. Dipping a finger into her pussy, I find her drenched.

  “You’re wet for me,” I say, in awe of how slick she is. Her heat is intoxicating. Her scent envelops me and my mouth waters.

  “Always.” Her word is a confession. A vow. A promise.

  I start fingering her sweet cunt. Driving two fingers in and out, my thumb circling her hardened clit. When she starts trembling, I don’t relent. I want to see her come. To fly apart. And she does. Like a bird taking flight, she soars like an eagle taking to the skies.

  Her face is euphoric. I watch her ride out the waves of pleasure. When she starts coming down from her orgasm, I remove my hand from her panties and lick both fingers, tasting her sweetness.

  “You taste like shortcake,” I inform her on a smirk.

  “I want you… inside me.”

  Her words have my cock thickening against the material of my boxer briefs. I’ve thought about this moment for so long. For months I’ve pictured her above me, below me. It didn’t matter how. I wanted her body to pulse around my cock.

  “Take off those wet panties, lie down, and spread your legs. I want to see that pretty pussy.”

  Her blush is gorgeous, but she obeys. The vision of this woman on my bed, her body open for me, is more than I can stand and I almost come right there.

  Reaching for the nightstand drawer, I open it, grab a condom, and place it on the bed. In one swift movement, I shove off my boxers and rip the foil wrapper open. Once I’m sheathed, I settle between her thighs, my mouth hovering over hers. “Ready, Shortcake?”

  “Yessss…” She hisses as I roll my hips, inching into her tight heat.

  And fuck is she tight. Fucking Christ. Her heels press into my ass, pulling me in farther, and I allow her to set the pace. Her body undulates beneath me.

  We move in sync. Perfectly. Beautifully. Erotically. Our dance is hot, passionate, and there’s one thing I’m certain of—no woman has ever felt so good around me.

  “You’
re perfect, Lily. So fucking perfect.”

  “Fuck me, Austin, please,” she begs, and I do.

  I give her everything she wants, and she allows me everything I need. Her hands come up around my neck as she pulls me closer. Our mouths find each other and I kiss her without restraint. I let go. Finally, I allow myself to feel what I’ve been hiding for so long. Her nipples pressed against my chest, her nails dig into my shoulders and her lips mold to mine.

  We fit. Perfectly.

  My hips thrust back and forth, my cock driving deep into her heat, feeling every pulse of her pussy. She whimpers in my ear, my name on her lips repeatedly like a chorus. I want to hear it forever. I need it. I hungered for it and now that I have her, I’m never letting her go.

  Her pussy tightens, pulsing around me, and I know she’s close. My hips thrust faster, deeper into her. We’re moving together as if we’re one entity. There’s nothing else that matters in that moment than me being inside her. With her nails clawing themselves down my back, I plunge into her heat, needing her to drench me in her sweet arousal because as much as I want to claim her for my own, I want her to mark me as hers.

  “Yes, please, oh… God… Austin… Deep… Oh…” Nothing she’s muttering makes sense, but I watch her face. Dark eyes roll back, her body bows, and her sweet cunt sucks me into her body.

  “Come, baby. Give me your orgasm.”

  As soon as her release hits her, mine explodes through me.

  Euphoria.

  Pleasure.

  And in that moment, I don’t think about tomorrow. All I think about is right now and this perfect woman who, no matter what, will be mine. I’ll do anything to keep her.

  Lily

  Yesterday I slept with my boss. After we did the deed, I pulled my clothes on and rushed out of his house without so much as a goodbye. What do I do now? I need that job to pay for school. And little Chelsea is my world. She’s the most adorable little girl ever.

  Rolling over, I notice it’s already nine in the morning. It’s winter break and since I have nothing better to do, I find myself wanting to go over to Austin’s place and spend the day with Chels, but to see him again would be embarrassing.

  I’m not sure why, but all I want is for this to blow over. Even though I know it won’t. The buzzing of my phone drags me from my thoughts of what I’m meant to do. When I pick it up, I notice the name flashing on the screen. Hitting ignore, I settle under the covers, hoping he’ll go away, but he doesn’t. My phone rings again, alerting me that Austin is calling.

  Inhaling a deep breath, I swipe my thumb over the screen. “Hello?” My greeting is tentative, nervous, and I know he can hear it over the line.

  “Thank God. Lily, I need your help. Please?”

  He sounds frantic and my heart thuds in my chest. Fear that something has happened to Chelsea makes me cringe at the thought of me hiding from him when he needed my help.

  “What’s wrong?” Immediately I’m swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, ready to pull clothes on and rush to his rescue.

  “I need you to come over. Please?” Without waiting for my response, he hangs up, leaving me gaping at the phone.

  “Ugh!” My sweatpants are lying on the chair beside my bed, so I grab them and tug them up my legs. The white tank top I normally wear for gym is next, and once I’ve pulled those on, I rush into the bathroom to freshen up.

  A couple of minutes later, I race down the stairs to find my mother sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine. Since she’s been home after her knee operation, she’s been listening to the doctor and taking it easy. Needless to say that my dad would have a fit if he knew she did so much more around the house than she’s meant to. I help when I can, but my mother is stubborn and making sure she sits back and relaxes is not an easy feat.

  “Hi, honey.” She smiles as I enter the kitchen. “Where are you going so early?”

  “Mr. Bailey called. He needs my help with something.”

  “Poor man. That good for nothing wife left him with a little girl, you know.” Mom shakes her head as if she’s angry for Austin.

  Perhaps my parents wouldn’t be against me dating him. Shaking the thought out of my head immediately, I grab a bottle of water and listen to her chatter on about him.

  “If he can find a good woman to be there for him it would make all the difference.”

  My heart plummets. What did I think? They’re just going to send me off to live with a man who’s more than ten years older than me and his daughter?

  “I know, Mom. I have to go.” Planting a kiss on her cheek, I race out the door, toward my car. I could walk, but if it’s an emergency, I’d rather get there sooner rather than later.

  Moments later I’m pulling into the driveway. Austin rushes out of the front door, pulling on his white coat. A doctor. So sexy. I exit the car and take him in. His hair is messy in a just fucked way. As soon as the thought enters my mind I can’t stop the blush that heats my cheeks.

  “Hello, Lily. Thank you so much, Shortcake. I have an emergency at the hospital. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he tells me absentmindedly. Leaning in, he plants a kiss on my lips and rushes to his car.

  Spinning on my heel, I watch him slip into the driver’s seat of his SUV without thinking about what he’s just done.

  “Lily and Daddy sitting in a tree!”

  Cringing at Chelsea’s little sing song, which she seems to want to tell the whole neighborhood, I turn to her.

  “Shh, come on. Let’s get you inside, missy.”

  She giggles, racing into the house without waiting for me. I’m still in shock when I step inside the house.

  “Where are you?”

  “In here!”

  I find her sitting in the living room watching cartoons. Thankfully, this gives me a moment to recover from Austin’s kiss. I’m sure he didn’t mean to do that. Did he?

  I suppose, we did have sex. The best sex I’ve ever had, but then again, I don’t have much experience to go on. My ex wasn’t exactly experienced. Neither was he a divorced man with a child who’s obviously had years of practice.

  “Lily.” Chelsea’s gentle tone comes from behind me.

  When I turn to regard her, she’s watching me with the inquisitive stare that only a child can don.

  “Are you and Daddy boyfriend and girlfriend?”

  “No, Chels. What makes you say that?”

  “He kissed you like he would kiss a girlfriend. Like they do on TV. Daddy likes you.” She smiles then, happy with herself divulging something that I don’t think her father would want her saying.

  “What do you mean, sweet pea?”

  She shrugs. “He doesn’t kiss girls on the mouth. Only you.” Children have a way of noticing everything. And I mean everything.

  “I’m sure he didn’t mean to. Besides, how many girls do you see your daddy with?” I question. More because I want her to tell me that I’m the only girl she’s ever seen him with, but then again, that reminds me I’m a girl. I’m not a woman who can seduce a man like Austin Bailey. The thought of last night, how gentle he was with me, how much time he took to ensure I felt pleasure only alights the need I have for him even more.

  “I want him to,” she confesses in a whisper as if he’s here and he can hear her.

  “And why is that?” Crossing my arms in front of me, I crouch so I’m at eye level with the little munchkin. If he knows she wants me to be here, perhaps that would persuade him to give this a try. There are too many obstacles, though. My parents, for one, will not take the news as easily as I would hope.

  “Because you can be my mommy,” she says nonchalantly, like she’s just told me she wants a grilled cheese for lunch. Her words still my heart.

  I’m only twenty and I’ve never given a thought to having kids. At least, not yet. But with her, it comes easily. Naturally. And with Austin, it causes my heart to stutter against my ribs. His touch, his kiss, his smile, and his daughter.

  Would I be able to do this? Be
a mother?

  “Listen to me, Chelsea, grown-ups are difficult. Sometimes it’s not as easy as liking someone. Maybe we should keep this our little secret. Don’t tell your daddy until he’s ready,” I tell her. Sighing, I realize how stupid I am. I’m trying to convince a five-year-old that her father needs to make his own decision regarding his love life.

  As much as I want her to be right, I know it’s up to him to confess. He has to tell me what he wants. Because after last night, I know what I want. And that’s him and his little girl.

  “We’ll keep a secret.” Chelsea giggles, pressing her finger to her lips. “Shh. Daddy is a boy and boys don’t listen to secrets.” In her mind, this is as innocent as playing with her dolls. But to me, it’s so much more.

  “Why don’t you go watch your cartoons? I’ll make us something for lunch, okay?”

  She nods and leaves me in the kitchen with my thoughts. Perhaps I can make him a lovely dinner for when he gets home tonight.

  Maybe, just maybe, I can seduce him. With my cooking skills and desserts. Smiling, I head to the fridge to ensure I have what I need for dinner. And once again, shortcake will be on the menu.

  Austin

  The scent of her perfume lingers as I drive to the hospital to see my client who’s called in the emergency. I can’t believe I kissed her when I ran toward the car. In all honesty, it was a reaction that came naturally. After our night together, at least, the moments we made love, I needed her lips on mine again. As if I was hungry for more of her delicious flavor. I plan to talk to her when I get home.

  Would she date me?

  I’m a father, I’m too old for her, but I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s as if she’s taken hold of my mind and she’s invading my every thought. Last night was utter perfection. Feeling her around me was addicting, and I’d like more, so much more.

  As soon as I’m parked, I exit the car and rush to the entrance. Stepping inside, I find my emergency patient. “Oh, thank God you’re here, Doctor.” The mother rises, tugging her son behind her. “He fell from the tree, and his arm is broken. I think. I mean, I don’t know, but he’s—”