Gage and I break apart, my hands flying up to my hair as I try desperately to compose myself.

Addi comes into the kitchen with my phone. “Here,” she says, handing it to me. “Dad says Merry Christmas.”

Next to me, Gage catches my attention. Raising his fingers to his lips, he sucks my juices slowly off of them. Oh my God! My face flames hot as I shoot daggers at him with my eyes. He just smiles.

“Does he?” I choke, hoping my voice doesn’t sound as strangled to my daughter as it does to me. “Did you have a good talk with him?”

Addi shrugs. “It was okay. Did you know he’s in Cabo all alone? At the resort where we used to stay.”

“Is he now?” I reply wryly. Translation: His flavor of the month isn’t going to last much longer, so he isn’t bothering to tell Addi about her. Leave it to Garrett to not even have enough imagination to pick a different resort. “Well, Cabo is full of friendly people, Ads. I’m sure your dad won’t be lonely.”

“That’s what he said, too.” She’s clearly troubled and having trouble processing the idea. “But I don’t know. It seems sad.”

“I highly doubt your dad is sad, honey.” I’m really working to keep the snark out of my voice. “I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to worry about him.”

Addi nods, frowning a little. But her face seems to clear when she spies something on the other side of the room. “Hey, Gage, will you show me what the tools are for in my toolbox?” she asks.

“Sure thing.” Gage straightens from where he was leaning against the counter, shoots me a last, smoldering look, and saunters over to the couch.

Left alone to myself in the kitchen, I can barely process what just happened, against this very counter.

“I’m gonna kiss you and melt your panties right off you, darlin’. And later, I’m gonna dip my tongue into your hot, sweet pussy and drink your desire, right before I fuck you into next week.”

God. I shiver in spite of myself. He’s so… dirty. I’ve never had a man talk to me the way Gage did just then. I should be offended.

But I’m not. I’m exactly the opposite of offended.

I’m turned on as hell.

Even though Gage just gave me the best orgasm I can remember having in ages, my skin is practically buzzing with excitement and need as I look over at him. He’s got me all tangled up, with his scruffy muscularity, his frank sexual force.

I watch his sensual lips, which just moments ago were whispering filthy thing in my ear, as he shows my daughter an adjustable spanner and tells her what it’s for. He’s good with Addi. Like he’s not even minding spending time with an eight year-old girl. And I like the present he got her. He’s not treating her like a princess cliché. The same can’t be said for her father, I’m sad to say.

I turn and busy myself cleaning up the kitchen, leaving them to their tool talk. I’m just drying the last of the dishes when I hear Gage say, “Well, that’s pretty much it. Next thing is for you to start using them in real life.”

“Maybe I can come over and help you in your garage sometimes?” Addi asks. I’m about to tell her that we don’t invite ourselves to other people’s houses when she calls out to me first. “Oh, Mom!” Addi she cries. “Gage says he’s gonna take me for a ride on his motorcycle!”

“What?” I stammer, alarmed.

“The hell I did!” he responds, glancing over at me with a shake of his head.

“Language!” Addi and I both say simultaneously. Addi erupts in giggles. “You’re going to have to put a dollar in the swear jar,” she tells him.

“A dollar?” Gage barks in mock anger. “Wow, that’s pretty expensive.” He huffs and shakes his head as he pulls a bill out of his wallet. “Here you go. Where’s the jar?”

“I’ll take it!” Addi reaches out and plucks the dollar out of his hand, stuffing it her back pocket.

I hide a smile. I don’t have the heart to tell Gage he’s just been played. We don’t have a swear jar in our house.

“You trying to get me in trouble with your mom, kid?” Gage complains. “I swear I didn’t say that, Bailey. I told her I would take her out on the bike, if you said yes.”

“Oh, so now I’m the heavy?” I joke. But inside I’m relieved Gage has more sense than to promise something like that without asking Addi’s parent.

“That’s your job, right? Bein’ the heavy?” he smirks.

I sigh. “I suppose it is. And, on that note,” I continue, crossing into the living room, “It’s about time for bed, Ads.”

“Nooo!” she cries. She glances at the clock on the wall, prepared to argue, but her face falls when she realizes I’ve already let her stay up past her normal bedtime.

“Yeees,” I counter. “Come on. Up, jammies on, teeth brushed. I’ll come in and tuck you in in a few minutes. Say goodnight to Gage.”

“Goodnight. And thank you for the tools.” Addi ducks her head, suddenly shy again.

“Thanks for the drawing.” Gage gives her a smile that’s so kind and genuine, it just about explodes my ovaries.

Addi trots off. I ask Gage if he’d like anything.

“You serious about that question?” he growls. “You know what I want.”

“I mean to drink,” I say in a strangled voice.

“I’ll grab myself another beer while you take care of Addi,” he smirks.

I’m suddenly feeling incredibly shy and nervous about being around Gage, so I escape down the hall with the excuse that I have to make sure Addi’s not skimping on any of her nightly routine. In the bathroom, she’s amped up and chattery as she brushes her teeth. My daughter is still so excited by the events of the day that it would be easy to think she won’t be able to sleep. But I know my little girl. She’ll be out like a light five minutes after head touches the pillow.

I let Addi pick out a picture book to read to me, telling her that we’re limiting ourselves to one tonight. She accepts this without any bargaining. While she reads to me, my mind is a million miles away, wondering what awaits me when I get back out into the living room. I’m terrified, and aroused, and uncertain. But one thing is sure.

I have no more ability to refuse Gage’s touch than I do the strength to stop a moving train.

When I get back out into the living room about fifteen mintes later, Gage is sitting on the couch, one arm stretched across the back. A bottle of beer is on the coffee table in front of him. He’s not doing anything, but he doesn’t look bored or uncomfortable. He looks… relaxed. Content. Strangely, like he belongs there. At first he doesn’t notice me, and I take a few seconds to note how handsome he is, and how just the fact of looking at his face makes my stomach do flips.

As though he can feel my eyes on him, Gage turns to look at me. “She in bed?”

“Yes.” Self-consciously, I cross the room and go to join him on the couch. “Thank you again for being so good to her.”

“She’s a good kid.” He shrugs. “She’s… less annoying than most of them.”

I start laughing so hard I have to clap my hand over my mouth so I won’t wake Addi. Gage just looks at me, one corner of his mouth quirking up.

“That’s high praise,” I finally snicker when I’ve managed to calm down.

“It is,” he agrees. “Kids are fuckin’ irritating a lot of the time.”

“Language,” I smirk.

“Do I need to give you a dollar?” he asks, his voice lowering a few notes. “Or can I pay you back some other way?”

My skin starts to heat up at his words. “There’s no swear jar, just so you know,” I say lightly, pretending I don’t know what he’s implying. “Addi totally scammed you out of that dollar.”

“Yeah? I wondered about that. She’s a sneaky one.” Gage chuckles.

“She is,” I agree, smiling.

“Seems like she did okay for the first Christmas without her dad.”

“I think so, too,” I reply, contemplating. “Honestly, I think you were a big help in that. Having someone else around other than me — a man who actually paid attention to her — took her mind off things a little.”

“What’s your ex like?” he asks. “If you don’t mind my askin’?”

“He’s a businessman. A deal maker,” I explain. I glance at Gage’s face, trying to see whether I’m boring him, but he seems interested to hear more. “Garrett’s identity is very wrapped up in being seen as successful, with lots of money and influence,” I continue. “I think he liked the image that being a family man projected more than he actually liked being a family man, if you see what I mean. He was great about introducing people to ‘his beautiful wife’ at parties, and talking about his ‘wonderful daughter.’ But when it was just the three of us, he was a lot less interested in playing husband and father.”

“You are, you know,” Gage murmurs.

“I am what?”

“Beautiful.” He moves closer, his hands reaching to pull me to him. “Your ex is a fucking idiot.”

“Language,” I whisper.

Gage’s mouth moves onto mine. His kiss ignites a flame inside me that’s instant, explosive. My panties are still soaking wet from earlier, when he made me come, but I can feel I’m starting to soak through them again as he moves over me, the hard steel of his cock making me throb in anticipation. I’ve never felt such a surge of arousal from any man before. It’s almost frightening, but my body is so on fire at his touch that he’s all I can think about.

“Take me into your bedroom,” he commands in a low, gravely voice. “I told you earlier I want to taste you. And then I’m gonna fill up that sweet cunt of yours and fuck you until we’re both unconscious.”

I actually feel my nipples harden at his words, so much they’re almost painful. My entire body is aching to be touched as I stand up in a daze and lead him into my bedroom. I’ve never been so thankful for three things as I am right now: First, that Addi’s room is down the hall from mine, and we don’t share a common wall. Second, that my little girl sleeps like the dead.

And third, that there’s a lock on my bedroom door.

As soon as we’re inside my room, with the door closed, Gage pushes me up against the wall and lifts me onto his cock. I wrap my legs around him, moaning, as his tongue finds mine. If our clothes were off right now, we’d be fucking, but as it is, it’s a delicious dance of torture. I grind against him, my arms clinging desperately to his neck, every cell in my body crying out for him. I knew I wanted him before, but I’m almost alarmed by how much, now that we’re finally alone.

“Fuck,” Gage swears softly, his mouth leaving mine to trail a path to the soft spot behind my ear. The scratchiness of his beard is delicious against my skin. “I’ve been waiting for this all night, Bailey. Jesus Christ, you’re gonna be the end of me.” My skin thrills at his words, at the way he says my name, loving how he just tells me what he’s thinking, how much he wants me. It’s an incredible turn-on even as I fight against feeling self-conscious. “You’re so fucking sexy, all I’ve been able to think about is how good it’s gonna feel inside your hot pussy.”

His words are like a touch — I arch back my neck, trying not to cry out. “Gage,” I whisper. It’s all I can manage to say.

I angle my hips and work my clit against the hard heat of his cock. My mind has stopped making decisions, my body in complete control. I know I can come like this, that it won’t take long. Gage seems to know this, too, because a second later he freezes and then lowers me to the ground. I stifle a whimper of protest as I try to get my legs under me to stand.

Gage takes a step back, then another. For a second I’m confused, then suddenly afraid that he might have changed his mind about this. But then he speaks, his voice thick. “Take off your sweater,” he tells me.

There’s no way for me to resist him. I do exactly as he says, pulling the hem up and over my breasts, then up and over my head. Underneath, I’m wearing a black lace bra — the only nice one I have. Gage hisses. I watch as he slowly unzips his jeans. They fall to his thighs, but he doesn’t bother to step out of them. Instead, he takes out his cock. My God, it’s enormous, hard and thick. I can’t take my eyes off it. We both stare at one another as Gage wraps his hand around the base of his shaft. He begins to stroke, slowly, as he watches me.

“Take off your pants. Leave the panties.”

I do as he says.

“Touch yourself.”

I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve never touched myself in front of anyone. But I’m so mesmerized by him stroking himself that I’m impossibly turned on. I know he wants to see me doing what he says, so I do. My fingers slide under my panties and find my clit. I’m so aroused already that I can’t help but moan. I’m throbbing, waiting for him to touch me, but I won’t last long if he makes me keep doing this.

“Tell me what you want,” Gage commands in a low, gravely voice.

“I want you to fuck me,” I breathe immediately.

“Tell me you’ve thought about me when you do this.”

“I think about you,” I admit in a near-whisper. “I think about you and make myself come.”

I watch as he continues to stroke his gorgeous cock. Pre-cum drips from the tip. My mouth actually starts to water at the sight. I want to suck him. I want to feel the velvet of his skin on my tongue.

I want everything.

“I need to taste you,” I whisper. His cock pulses but he says nothing. I take a step forward and kneel down. He slides his hand away as I reach up and wrap mine around his shaft. I taste the saltiness of him as he sucks in a breath and freezes. The hand that was stroking his cock slides around the back of my head, fingers threading into my hair.

The skin under my tongue is smooth, and impossibly hot. I’m caught up in a wave of desire to make him come like this, so strong it surprises me. I’ve never really liked doing… this… but with him I want to take him all the way, make him lose himself in my mouth. My pussy throbs, aches, at the thought. I start to slide my lips up and down his shaft, loving the feel of it. I raise my eyes up to his face. His gaze is dark, stormy. I see the tenseness of his jaw, know he’s holding himself back. When my eyes lock on his, he groans loudly and pulls away all at once.

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me lose control,” he grits out. “Get on the bed. It’s time to make good on my promise.”