Sugar Daddy Wanted: Now Accepting Applications (11 page)

Smiling, she placed a kiss on his lips. “I know,” she acknowledged in a soft voice. “And I
am
worried about my son. But he’s at the hospital with staff checking on him. There isn’t anything I can do at the moment.” Her fingertips traced his cheek bones. “I’m almost forty, Gray. I know when I want sex and when I don’t. I’m not a twenty-something who doesn’t know herself. I’m not naïve, nor will I be sorry about it in the morning. Sometimes you have to take a chance.”

“If you’re sure…” His voice trailed off.

She took the opportunity to press a hard kiss to his lips. “I want you, Gray. Now.”

Hiking her up in his arms, he stood, his strong hands clasping her butt, hoisting her up. “I like a woman who knows what she wants.”

She clasped her legs around his waist. “I figured you would.”

Speaking into her ear, he said, “Just so you know—if you change your mind, I can wait. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you. My pleasure is irrelevant after what you’ve been through today.”

Winding her arms around his neck, she planted a kiss to his cheek. “Maybe I’d like to feel something else besides worry,” she said. “Like you inside me.”

The white of his teeth flashed in the dark when he smiled. “You drive a hard bargain, woman. Can’t say as I have any argument against this deal, but I suggest going to my room away from—”

“—Duncan’s room,” she finished for him. “I was about to suggest the same thing.”

Nodding in agreement, he strode across the room. One hand left her butt cheek to open the door. When his hand touched the knob, a knock startled them both.

“Mom?” Duncan’s worried voice carried through the closed door to them.

Wide-eyed, Kerry hopped from Grayson’s arms, and landed on her feet with a quiet thump. For the briefest of moments, she wrung her hands, wondering how to best handle the situation. A ‘deer-in-the-headlights’ look crossed Grayson’s face, and he pointed at the closet, mouthing something about hiding.

She rested a hand on his forearm, as much to calm him as herself. Inhaling a fortifying breath, she opened the door a few inches to face her son. Duncan might be uncomfortable finding Grayson in her room, but she wasn’t going to ask him to hide out like a criminal.

“Yeah, honey?” she asked.

Duncan shuffled his feet against the carpet. “I…I couldn’t sleep. I’m sorry for interrupting.”

“Pardon? Interrupting what?” Oh God, had her son heard their intimate moment?

The boy cleared his throat. “I heard you talking to Grayson. I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he insisted. “I heard voices when I went to knock, that’s all.”

Kerry opened the door wider, inviting him in. Long ago, she’d promised her sons they would always be a priority if they needed her. She hoped Grayson would understand. “You’re not interrupting anything,” she assured.

“How about I make hot chocolate and we can watch a movie in the home theatre?” Grayson suggested. “I don’t think any of us feel like sleeping right now.”

I know I don’t. But watching a movie isn’t what I had in mind.
Despite the interruption, Kerry beamed. By putting aside his own needs, Grayson passed another test without even knowing it.

Duncan shifted his gaze between the two of them and cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure you two had other plans than sleeping or watching a movie.”

Kerry looped an arm around her son’s neck, and went for innocent. “Oh really? Like what?”

Duncan groaned in disgust, and made a half-hearted attempt to shove his mom away.

“If it makes you feel better,” Kerry said, “Grayson and I can sit in a seat behind you in the theatre and suck face instead. Just like at the real movies. Isn’t that what Kate and you do?”

“Gross. We actually watch the movie,” Duncan said.

“Didn’t you say you watched a chick flick at her place last weekend? Which one was it again?”

Duncan rolled his eyes, breaking free of his mom. “Give me a break,” he muttered. “I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast, never mind what I did last week. And it was a
chick flick
. How’s a guy supposed to remember a movie he wasn’t interested in?”

“Uh-huh,” she teased. “At least you did something she liked because you knew she’d appreciate it.”

“Isn’t that what guys do?” Duncan asked.

“Definitely.” Grayson chuckled, taking her hand in his. “I can honestly say it’s been a while since I ‘sucked face’ with anyone. I hope by now I’m a little more…experienced.”

As the trio made their way downstairs, Duncan asked, “Does it ever get…better?”

“Does what get better?” Grayson queried.

“Kissing,” Duncan answered. “It’s kind of…sloppy.”

Kerry giggled at her son’s question. Since Duncan had thrown the question Grayson’s way, she remained silent to see what he’d say.

Grayson coughed in an attempt not to burst into laughter. “Um…well…practice makes perfect. You’ve got to practice. Lots and lots of practice.”

Laughing, Kerry elbowed him in the ribs. “Parent fail! Don’t encourage him.”

“I hate to break it to you,” Grayson said in all seriousness. “But he’s going to do it whether you approve or not.”

She mock sighed in exasperation. “I know! That doesn’t mean I have to like it. Besides, there’s something fundamentally wrong with a child having a better love life than their parents.”

“I’d say yours is improving, Mom.” Duncan batted his eyelashes at her.

Grayson hiked a thumb in the kid’s direction. “Yeah, what he said.”

At the bottom of the stairs, Grayson led them the opposite direction from the dining room, and through the living room.

With a flourish, he opened the door to the home theatre. Duncan let out a whistle of appreciation at the three rows of seats, complete with cup holders. A huge screen hung from the ceiling in front. At the back of the room, a projector perched in a booth. In one corner, a popcorn popping machine stood at the ready. Beside it sat a bar, complete with drinks and other snacks.

“Wow. I wish Kate could see this,” Duncan said. “She and I could sit in the back row and…” He cleared his throat at a raised eyebrow from his mother. “Sit nicely, holding hands while watching a chick flick.”

Kerry stuck her tongue out at him. “Good answer. Be respectful of her.”

“Mom, I am respectful. It’s hard sometimes, but…oh, God, I realize what I just said.” He groaned.

Kerry snickered. “It can be hard when you get urges, but you have to wait until the time is right.”

Duncan clapped his hands over his ears. “Don’t say the word hard in a sentence involving sex. Anyway, it’s har—I mean,
difficult
when she brings
it
up all the time.”

Grayson slapped him on the shoulder. “Ah, yes. Girls are curious about sex, too, and can be very aggressive.” He shot Kerry a look, to which she narrowed her eyes in response. “Sometimes they think they’re ready, but when it comes down to it, not always. My advice—wait. If your gut is telling you ‘no’, listen to it. As a lawyer and a man, your instinct always comes in handy.”

Duncan’s cheeks reddened. “Thanks. I think. Got any popcorn?” he asked, changing the subject.

“What is a theatre without popcorn?” He gestured toward the machine. “What do you say we make some and choose a movie?”

Kerry’s admiration for Grayson grew in leaps and bounds. She sat in one of the chairs and watched as the two of them made popcorn and talked like they’d known each other for a long time. So far, he’d taken everything in stride, offering comfort when she needed it, putting aside his needs, and promising to be there for her, not to mention answering questions about sex a lot of parents would have trouble handling.

Is it really this easy to be with someone?
Worry gnawed her gut as memories reminded her of the last man she’d let in. It had been easy to get along with Isaac too, and then he’d left her and the kids.

From behind the bar, Grayson flashed a grin her way, making her heart jump. She told herself not to be stupid. Grayson wasn’t responsible for her insecurities or for what Isaac did to her.

But the question remained—was she ready to leave the past behind, or would her insecurities taint what could be a beautiful thing?

A week after his surgery, Cohen dozed on the end of the couch opposite Kerry. Even with the soreness in his abdomen, he talked about going back to school next week.

Kerry paused in typing on her laptop to massage her temples, reminiscing on the past week. The hospital kept Cohen until Tuesday morning. Dr. Davis had taken extra care to make sure he’d be all right to recover at home. At his follow up the previous day, he said Cohen could go back to school if activities were limited.

Kerry asked her boss for the week off from work to look after him. She’d alternated between taking care of Cohen’s post-surgical needs and catching up on correspondence from the office with the use of her laptop.

The television broadcast softly in the background. Feet propped up on the coffee table, she repeated for the umpteenth time, work was a good distraction for a Saturday night.

Grayson had called Monday evening to see how they all fared. Tuesday, he’d texted to ask if he could visit when they arrived home from the hospital. Kerry declined, tired with worry and a couple of sleepless nights. Wednesday, he’d called to inform her that a huge case had landed on his desk and he’d be pulling late hours for a few days. She hadn’t spoken to him since.

Despite her best efforts, Grayson would slip into her thoughts at unexpected moments. It had been less than a weekend they’d spent together, not even two weeks in total they’d known each other, but the feelings she had for him were anything but casual. Over and over, she reminded herself she didn’t need to know what he did twenty-four/seven. He’d call when he had time. No need to create drama when there wasn’t any, right? Not hearing from him didn’t mean he’d changed his mind about their friendship or anything else. And did it matter, if he had? Their proposed weekend had been no-strings attached.

If there are no strings, why do I feel such a strong pull toward him?

Kerry closed her eyes for a moment, rubbing away the tension in her forehead.
I could be woman enough to call him. Then I’d know. And it’s a phone call. Why do I make things so complicated when they don’t have to be?

She slumped into the couch cushions, willing her tired mind to finish the document open on her computer before taking a break, yet she couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes. All week, she’d felt a little under the weather. Low energy, coupled with a few dizzy spells had encouraged her to retire to bed not long after her boys hit the hay each night.

An image of Grayson’s face while she’d sat in his lap in the gloom of his guestroom, popped into her head. If she concentrated hard enough, the memory of his lips on hers, the way his arms felt around her, how she’d come undone in his arms infiltrated her consciousness.

He’d made her come and they hadn’t even gotten naked.
That’s never happened before. Imagine what sex would have been like.
A soft groan sounded in her throat. Longing washed through her.
God, stop thinking about it.
All goddamn week she’d wondered what fucking him would have been like.

With a heavy sigh, she opened her tired eyes, saved her work, and shut down her computer. She’d had enough one night stands to know how it felt to be fucked in order to achieve orgasm. With Grayson, things would have been different. Instinct told her he would have seen to all of her needs and then some.

A sense of relief mixed with a tinge of regret permeated her consciousness. Had it been a good thing they hadn’t made love? Or had she lost her one chance to experience sex with him? She always tried to believe things happened for a reason. Maybe the Universe had saved her from getting too close to a man not ready or wanting a relationship. Even though he’d said he wanted to try something different, perhaps his distance this week hadn’t only been due to work. Had he realized how much he liked his space once they’d left his home? Not that they’d been there much, but he could have had a change of heart.

She couldn’t blame him. Being in a romantic relationship with a woman was one thing—taking on the care of her children another.
Stop it!
Making assumptions is futile. You won’t know the reason unless you ask him. Don’t. Create. Drama.

Kerry set her laptop down on the coffee table and picked up her cell. Finger poised over the contact list, she hesitated. Closer examination of her feelings revealed something she’d done the better part of the week ignoring—sex with Grayson would have been a mind-blowing experience, and not something easily forgotten. It wouldn’t have merely been a pleasant memory to bring out now and again. It had the potential to turn into a craving, a hunger for more, perhaps even turn into love, and it scared the living crap out of her.

Why can’t love be simple?

This was the real reason she hadn’t contacted him all week. Swallowing the emotion clogging her throat, she set her phone back down. She wanted to believe with all her heart love could be simple, that two people could live in harmony, giving each other the space and togetherness they both required. However, her experiences to-date had taught her otherwise.

Resting her elbows on her knees, head in her hands, she huffed out a breath, willing her mind to calm. Grayson had seemed genuine about his intentions to get to know her, not only because of his offer. His lack of contact didn’t have to suggest disinterest. Both of them had busy lives. Perhaps he wanted to give her space to take care of her kids. She wouldn’t know if she didn’t suck it up and give him a call. The worst he could do would be to tell her he no longer wished to pursue a relationship. She’d be no worse off than she was a week ago. What did she know about him anyway? For all she knew, he had other commitments to take up his time.

The old adage ‘assumptions make an ass out of you and me’, leapt to the forefront of her brain. The part of her heart hurt one too many times by men, slyly whispered his silence meant he wasn’t truly interested. Then she recalled the safety she’d encountered in Grayson’s arms. Had he blown into her life to show her she could have everything she’d ever wanted with him? Or was he only an example of what she could have if she opened herself up to the idea?