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“What did you expect, babe, a frat house?” His smile widened slowly, showing off his bright white teeth. “April, I wear a tool belt, not a toga.” April’s heart pounded in her chest as Decker pushed off the door and began to move toward her. Like a predator, he stalked slowly, and his eyes glittered with intent. “I’m a thirty-three-year-old father of a little girl who means the world to me. The reason I chose to live in this building instead of a single-family home is for companionship for Charlie. Several of her school friends live here, so while it may not be permanent, it’s been a great home for the two of us.”

With those words, softness appeared in his eyes that April only ever saw when Charlie’s name was mentioned. That look was one of the things that had her falling hard and fast for the sexy Decker Brand, even though everything in her head kept questioning if she could really trust her heart.

Standing face to face, he dragged his knuckles from her ear down her jawline. The gesture sent tingles spreading through her body, multiplying at an alarming rate. Once her chin was cupped between his thumb and index finger, he tilted her head back and looked directly into her eyes. “I’m a man, April, who wants you more than any woman I’ve ever known before. So are you done avoiding this now? Can I have my sexy kitty-cat back?”

Exhaling the breath she’d been holding for too long, April began to laugh quietly. “You’re so funny, Mr. Brand,” she mimicked the babysitter before wrapping her arms around Decker’s neck and pulling him close. “Purr, Decker, purr.”

“Oh my God, April.” Decker chuckled. “What am I gonna do with you?”

“You can kiss me.”

She’d barely finished her sentence before he pulled her against his hard chest and smashed his lips against hers. Cedar and spice filled her nostrils as she rolled up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, demanding entry as his hands caressed her scalp. His fingers twirled in her long, blond hair, tugging at the tresses and sparking desire just on the cusp between pleasure and pain. His large hands traveled quickly down her back as he grabbed her ass cheeks and pulled her flush against his hardness.

“Mmm, Deck,” she moaned, feeling him lengthen even through the thin fabric of her dress and his slacks. Fuck, her thong was already damp with arousal, and he’d barely touched her. As his mouth left her lips and trailed wet kisses from her jaw to her ear, she let out another breathy sigh.

“Fuck, April,” Decker growled in her ear. “I’ve been dying to have you close again, in front of me, where I can smell your arousal and know that your pussy’s begging to be touched…”

His dirty words were potent as hell, but when combined with his tongue running up the shell of her ear, it was almost a miracle she was still standing upright.

“Come on, beautiful. I seem to have worked up quite an appetite since dinner.” His gaze stayed locked with hers as he lowered his hand and reached under her dress.

Was it possible for one’s heart to pound hard enough to fracture one’s ribs? If so, April feared she may require an ER visit by the evening’s end. Calloused fingertips glided up her inner thigh, the coarse sensation stimulating her soft skin. As his thick fingers slid beneath the satiny barrier, April saw his gaze go from sexy to smoldering.

He dipped one finger into her opening and stroked her inner wall. “You’re so wet for me, babe, so fucking drenched.”

Her eyes closed as his touch, and his words lapped waves of pleasure over her heated skin, a sensation that was gone too quickly. Slightly embarrassed by the whimper she was unable to contain at the loss of his touch, she forced her lids open. There he stood so close, so sexy, and so smug. His crooked
gotcha
smirk spread across his plump lips.

Decker lifted his middle finger, still glistening with April’s wetness, and placed the digit in his mouth. “Mmm, April, you’re exactly what I had in mind as an after-dinner snack. I need more of you now.”

Breathless, April laced her fingers with his and followed him through his penthouse. She was finally ready, finally able to move on from the past, and she couldn’t have found a more perfect man. Her body was thrumming with anticipation as he looked over his shoulder and gave her a look that nearly melted her into a puddle. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. He’d made it clear. No more games, no more bullshit. Just him and her and some mind-blowing sex.

“Daddy! Daddy!”

Decker halted mid-stride.

“Daddy, I’m gonna be sick.” The little voice sounded frantic and scared as she called out for her father.

He dropped April’s hand and ran in the opposite direction toward what April assumed was Charlie’s bedroom.

Chapter Sixteen

Did You Get Some?

STANDING OUTSIDE OF the little girl’s room, April listened, the mother in her wanting to rush in and help, especially since she’d come to love Charlie as she did. But the single parent in her didn’t want to interfere in the interaction between father and child.

“Come on, sugar, let’s get you to the bathroom…oh…oh…”

(Retching noises followed by crying)

“It’s okay, honey. Shhh, it’s okay. Daddy can get a different shirt.” His voice became distant and echoed. There must have been a bathroom attached to the little girl’s bedroom. “Let me sit you down on the fluffy mat, sugar. I’ll give you a bath and get you fresh pjs, okay?”

April could feel her throat tighten as tears began to sting the backs of her eyes. He was an amazing man straight to the core. Why couldn’t she have found him sooner?

“Hey, babe?” Decker poked his head out of Charlie’s room. Worry had replaced desire on his beautiful face. “I can’t believe this is happening tonight of all nights, but she’s obviously sick”—he lifted his vomit-covered shirt—“so can I ask for a rain check?”

April’s gaze had left his face and traveled down his naked chest. While she’d seen his upper torso before at the gym, there was something intimate about seeing him shirtless and wearing dress pants instead of basketball shorts.

“April?” Decker called her name, his voice gentle but hasty.

“Oh God, of course, Deck.” April had been so focused on his biceps that she’d almost missed his question. “Never apologize about taking care of your child first. You
know
that out of anyone, I get it. You go bathe Charlie, and I’ll change the sheets on her bed. Then I’ll sneak out to give you guys some privacy.”

Decker tipped his head to the side, gratitude evident in the soft set of his mouth and the slow exhale of his breath. “Babe, you don’t have to.”

“I know, big guy.” April placed her hand on his warm shoulder. Just touching him brought her comfort that she couldn’t explain. “But it’s nice having help when they’re sick, isn’t it?”

“I meant, you don’t have to leave.” The request was plain in his gaze, but it was one she refused to see.

“Daddy!”

Understanding replaced hope as Decker kissed April’s lips quickly before pointing her in the direction of the spare sheets and running back to his daughter. “It’s okay, Charlie. Let it out, baby girl.”

April replaced the soiled pink sheets with powder blue ones and left the little girl’s room. She washed her hands in the kitchen sink and allowed herself one last look around the beautiful home before letting herself out the front door.

Once she was in her car, she made a call. “Hey, August, how’s my boy?”

“He’s good, sis. I told you, he didn’t even notice you were gone. He loves being with his uncle A. Now, why are you calling me? It’s still early, and while I don’t necessarily want or need details, I’m wondering.”

April heard the hesitation in his voice. She could have made it easy on him by giving him details, but where was the fun in that? She giggled. “Wondering what, Aug?”

“Fuck, come on, sis. You know what I’m asking. Did you guys finally… did you… err… did you get some? You pain in the ass.”

August was the best big brother a girl could have. Honestly, April knew she’d won the lotto with him. He’d spent her entire life protecting her from danger or helping her recover from harm.

“No, I didn’t get some, Aug.” April sighed. “Charlie woke up vomiting.”

“Cock-blocked by the kids again.” August chuckled. “Remind me not to have children, like ever.”

“Shut your trap, Aug. You love Elijah like he’s your own son.”

“Yeah, baby sis, I do,” August admitted. “However, when I wanna get laid, my nephew is with his mom.”

“Bite me, big brother.” April giggled before disconnecting the call, effectively cutting the sound of August’s laughter off mid-chuckle. She wondered how long it would take for him to realize he was laughing to himself. Her cheeks ached from smiling as she replayed the evening in her head. While she’d have never guessed it would end with sickness instead of sex, she’d still had an incredible time with Decker, even if the aching need between her thighs told her otherwise.

* * *

AFTER THREE ROUNDS of violent vomiting and two baths, Charlie was asleep in her bed and hopefully out for the night. After taking a long shower to rid his body and his nostrils of the revolting stench, Decker locked up his apartment, grabbed his cell phone, and got into bed. The two missed texts from April, inquiring about Charlie, helped to ease some of the tension in his shoulders, but it did nothing for the sexual relief he’d been waiting for since first meeting her.

Decker:
Are you awake?

It had been more than an hour since her last text, but he knew she stayed up late reading her romance novels, and it was Saturday night.

Dimples:
Hey, How’s Charlie?

Decker:
She finally crashed.

Dimples:
And you’re still up?

Decker:
You have no idea.

He groaned as his cock ached, begging for relief. His phone trilled in his hand as the screen lit up with April’s picture.

“Hey, beautiful.” His voice sounded rough to his own ears as exhaustion settled in. Nothing was more draining than a sick child.

“Aw, Deck, you sound like you need sleep. Can I do anything to relax you?” The coyness in April’s question told Decker that she wanted to play, and it was his pleasure that would be the focal point.

“Mmm, sounds like the second-best option,” he teased. “But first, I wanted to ask you something at dinner, but you were so damn distracting that I forgot. So let me ask you now before you distract me again.”

“Um, okay.”

“Every year on Memorial weekend, I take Charlie up to Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains. Have you and Eli ever been there?”

“N… no.”

He had anticipated her hesitation with the whole topic. Christ, what he was going to suggest was a big fucking deal, but it felt right, and if she thought about it, she’d know it too.

“We haven’t been there, but I hear it’s amazing.”

“Oh, April, it’s fantastic. We’ve been going for the last four years. Charlie and I head up first thing on Friday morning for some family time, and then my college friends—Michael and Janine, Bobby, his wife Shawna, and Marc and his wife, Tammy—meet up with us on Saturday with their kids, and we make a weekend of it. No cell phones, no computers, no outside world. Just family and close friends for a few days. And I’d, well… we’d, because I did ask Charlie, love it if you and Eli joined us.”

Silence.

“April.” His voice lowered and fear of her rejection began to take root as he tried to sell her on the idea. “Separate bedrooms so there isn’t any confusion for the kids. I just want to spend the time with you and Elijah.”

The sound of her breathing was the only indicator that she was still on the line until she finally broke her silence. “Okay.” She hesitated. “We’d love to join you guys.”

“Are you serious?” he asked unable to believe that she’d agreed so quickly.

“Yeah, Deck, I think it sounds awesome.” Genuine excitement bubbled in her voice. “Just please don’t say anything to Eli just yet. It’s still weeks away, and he will ask me every day if it’s time to go.”

“My lips are sealed, beautiful. And April, thank you. You have no idea how happy you just made me.”

A sweet little purr came through the line. “It’s late, big guy. Let me make you a little happier, and then we can both get some sleep. Okay?”

She’d gotten so damn good at phone sex over the past couple of months that by the time their call ended, Decker drifted off into a deep, sated sleep.

Chapter Seventeen

Have a Nice Weekend

“IT FEELS LIKE I haven’t talked to you in ages, chica.” Rori frowned as she sat in the seat next to April’s and unwrapped her brown-bag lunch.

“I know, Ror. It’s like I see you every day, but I haven’t really seen you, you know?” Guilt weighed on April as she tried to figure out where the days had gone and how she had let her friend fall through the cracks of her life.

“Oh, April, I’m totally not placing blame. I know you’re busy with Eli and Decker, and I’ve had my hands full at home. I just miss you, that’s all.” Her poor friend had the weight of the world on her shoulders, and April wanted to offer support the way Rori had so often done for her.

“Honey, are you busy tonight? Eli would love to see you. Why don’t you come over for dinner?”

Rori heaved a heavy sigh. “I can’t tonight. How about Wednesday?”

“Sounds great.” April grinned. “Oh, do you think you’d want to help me pick out an outfit for my date on Saturday night?”

Rori’s eyes widened as her hands went to her hips. “Dates on back-to-back weekends? I’m so happy for you, April.”

“Well, August isn’t.” April shook her head. “Ember was supposed to babysit and canceled because she got a better offer. Can you imagine?” she deadpanned. “You know my brother. He’s a saint, so he rescheduled his own plans so I didn’t have to cancel my date with Decker.”

Rori swooned. “Your brother is the best, you know that?”

“Ha, I do. However, some of his motivation is selfish.” The confused look on Rori’s face made April giggle. “Aug keeps telling me that his babysitting services are only available until I finally end my ‘dry spell,’ and let me tell you, Ror, his face scrunches up like he ate bad sushi every time he discusses sex and me in the same sentence. He says that my getting laid would be doing his nephew, and the world at large, a favor, and he’s willing to sacrifice his social life if it means helping mankind. His words, not mine.”