Single Daddy (The Single Brothers Book 1) Read online

  He kissed her, starting out hard before his pace gentled, though he was no less ardent. She was similarly needful and pressed closer, straining to get all of him. Abruptly, he broke away, exhaling ragged. “Hang on. This is our baby’s room, but I don’t want to conceive him here.”

  She yelped with surprise when he swept her into his arms and carried her across the hall, just like the dashing hero in a romantic movie. He kicked the door shut with his foot before striding to the bed to lay her across it.

  Ambra sat up to pull off her sweater as he began undressing. She had everything off by the time he had disrobed and lay down beside her. To her surprise, rather than touching her right away, he just pulled her against him and rested his hand on her hip. Her breasts formed a pillow for his cheek, and he held her. “I’ve waited so long for this. I’m almost afraid to touch you, babe, in case I can’t make it as good for you as I always wanted to.”

  She licked her dry lips, running her fingers through his hair in a soothing way that was also arousing for her. “However you are will be just fine. I’ve been waiting for this for far too long myself. In fact, I have to tell you something that I hope won’t change your mind.”

  He lifted his head to peer down at her, his expression concerned. “What is it you need to tell me?”

  “I’m still a virgin. After you rejected me, I didn’t pursue dating again. Oh, I told myself it was because I wasn’t really interested, and my teenage crush had scarred me, but I know now the truth was I wasn’t over you, and I think maybe, in the back of my mind, I was still waiting for you.”

  His expression reflected understanding, but also a touch of something she couldn’t confidently identify. Hesitation? Irritation? The second possibility sent a pang through her chest, and she waited to see if what she had shared was a deal-breaker. After all, he hadn’t had any interest in an inexperienced virgin three years ago, so why would that have changed?

  “I want you so much, Ambra, but…” He trailed off, his expression conflicted.

  “But you don’t want to deal with a virgin.” She strove to sound cool and unaffected, though her voice was husky from the lump forming at the back of her throat. “It’s fine. Nothing’s changed there, and I get it. Now, if you don’t mind, I really need to get back to your dad’s house. I have commitments there—”

  His mouth crashed onto hers, forcing her to be silent, and the kiss was either one of intense need or anger. It was difficult to discern, and she couldn’t analyze deeply with all the emotions and sensations coursing through her body to overwhelm her. With a small moan, she tangled her fingers in his hair and surrendered to his mouth.

  He seemed intent on devouring her as he prolonged and deepened the kiss, before he moved down her body, pausing to lick her nipple. He sucked forcefully on one while rubbing gentle circles around the other with his hand.

  The contrasting sensations made her whimper, and she arched against him, needing something to fill the emptiness between her thighs. “I thought you didn’t want me.” As aroused as she was, it was amazing she could speak at all.

  “Of course I want you,” he said after a second, appearing to be barely able to tear his mouth from her breast. “I just don’t want to scare you or fuck this up.”

  She shook her head. “You won’t.”

  Determination evident in his posture, he ventured farther down her body, his tongue exploring her skin in a leisurely fashion. Her stomach quivered in time with her mound as he nestled between her thighs, his lips barely touching her sensitive core.

  She spread her legs as far she could, clutching handfuls of the cover in an attempt to anchor herself as the first feather-light touch of his lips against her caused her to jump. His mouth inspired amazing sensations that only got better as he licked and sucked, his tongue squirming into her slick heat.

  While licking and sucking, he pushed two fingers into her untried opening as he circled her clit. She could do little more than hold on to the blanket and thrust against his face as he ravished the most sensitive part of her.

  When he sucked hard on her clit as his fingers gently pressed deeper into her, stretching and expanding her virginal passage, she cried out from the intensity of her release. She had masturbated for years, but her own touch could bring nothing like this pleasure, the kind of pleasure that made death a possibility simply because she forgot to breathe.

  For a single microsecond, her entire universe disintegrated before reintegrating in a flash pleasure. Before that wave had a chance to more than slightly fade away, Ethan was between her legs, his cock ready to enter her. He looked down at her, his expression severe. “I’m going to take you now, Ambra. Is that what you want?”

  She nodded frantically, unable to think of any other response. Of course it was what she wanted. It was what she’d always wanted, or at least since she had become a young woman and realized how much she loved her stepfather’s son. “Take me, Ethan. I’m yours.”

  “And I’m yours.” He groaned low in his throat as his cockhead slipped inside her, but he went no deeper. “One more question. Do you want me to wear a condom, or should I just enter you bare, babe? Do you want me to come inside you and maybe make a baby?”

  It was insanity to be considering such a step already, especially since their relationship was so new, but she couldn’t think logically. The idea of him coming inside her, creating a physical expression of their love, banished all logical thought. “Fill me up.” Those were the most syllables she could manage, and the only other sound she made was a whimper of pleasure when he slowly took her virginity.

  Unlike what she had expected, it didn’t hurt at all. Maybe that was because she was so wet and ready for him, as if her body had been in a half-hibernating state the past three years, and he had woken her. Whatever the reason, it didn’t hurt when he entered her, though he filled her almost to the point of pain.

  He gritted his teeth, cords in his neck visibly bulging as he strained to hold himself back. “So tight. My god, Ambra, if I’d known what I was missing all these years…” He trailed off as he began thrusting into her, easing her body into his motion.

  Soon, they moved together in rhythm, straining toward the same goal. She clenched her thighs around his waist and grasped his shoulders, certain her nails would leave marks later, but unable to loosen her grip. She needed to hold on to something to keep her grounded, or she might fly away under the intense pleasure he gave her.

  Her body hovered on the edge of coming, and he dragged his cockhead against her g-spot every time he withdrew before thrusting back inside her. She was on the cusp when he stilled, and she groaned. “Don’t stop now.”

  “I’m about to come. Do you want me to pull out?”

  She shook her head, just as enamored with the idea of having his baby as a few minutes before—though right now she was more focused on coming again. “Just come inside me, Ethan. Give me every last drop.”

  He surged inside her, and his cock was harder than ever, almost hurting her until the shaft started twitching. As he let loose the first spurts of release inside her, she climaxed again, holding onto him as she came.

  Afterward, they rolled together with his arms around her, his legs tangled in hers. She struggled to find a normal breathing pattern as her heart slowed back to its usual beats per minute. She was the same person she had been just a little while ago, but she felt completely different. Ambra turned her head to kiss his chin. “Is it always that amazing?”

  He gave her a small smile. “It was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?” His grin grew. “You know what would be even more amazing?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think there can be anything greater than that, Ethan.”

  He chuckled as he ran his hand down her side, laying his hand across her flat stomach. “I think it’d be pretty amazing if you married me, Ambra. I want you to be my wife so I can officially stake my ownership, and you can mark me as your territory.”

  She stared at him with eyes wide from shock. Could h
e really be proposing already? They had rushed back into things, and there hadn’t possibly been enough time to get to know each other again.

  One session of fabulous sex, combined with an afternoon of reconnecting, wasn’t a solid enough foundation upon which to build a life or commit to a future just yet. She opened her mouth to say those things as diplomatically as she could, but her words were even more shocking than his proposal. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Ethan.”

  Epilogue

  Ethan had bailed out Cartwright Consolidated as promised, and though Philip had been resistant to the idea to start with, he had soon accepted his son’s intercession. Perhaps the news of their engagement had brought him around more quickly—or more likely, the ultrasound picture she’d shown Philip when he’d continued to resist help and tried to push the merger/marriage idea.

  On the afternoon he’d walked her down the aisle to marry Ethan, Ambra had learned the reason for their falling out had been Phillip’s determination to keep the company unchanged. He had been opposed to Ethan’s resolve to bring them into the future with streamlined manufacturing, new marketing, and a leaner fiscal division.

  In his stubborn pride, Philip had sent away his only son, and he’d confided his regret to her that he hadn’t been able to compromise or find a way to reconcile with Ethan without admitting he was wrong. She had been relieved to know she hadn’t been the cause of their rift.

  That event had been months ago, and they were all gathered again for a new family occasion, though this one had a much smaller guest list. Tired, but glowing with happiness, Ambra watched Ethan hand their new daughter to her stepfather. Philip beamed at Heather before proclaiming, “She’s the most beautiful baby since her mother.”

  Ambra smile, warmed by the praise. “Thanks, Dad, but you didn’t know me as a baby.”

  Philip shook his head. “It doesn’t matter, my girl. You’re my daughter as much as Ethan is my son—though I’m glad not legally, since you two got married.” He chuckled before his expression morphed to one of contentment. “Now you’re a Cartwright in name too. Most importantly, there’s her.” He looked down his granddaughter, seemingly lost in her unfocused blue eyes.

  Ethan came to stand by Ambra’s bed, bending to brush a kiss across her mouth. “You did well, my love.”

  She sighed, allowing herself to feel a little of the exhaustion sweeping over her. “That was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done, except maybe those three years I lived without you.”

  He winced. “Don’t remind me what a fool I was to make us be lonely for three years.”

  She took his hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. “It’s okay. You were right, you know. I loved you, but I was also just eighteen, and I wouldn’t have been ready for a serious relationship. You were right to give me a chance to grow up some. The time apart was miserable for both of us, but if you had accepted me the night I came to you, chances are we wouldn’t have made it, and we wouldn’t be here now.”

  He darted a glance at their daughter before looking back her, all the love he felt obvious in his brown eyes. “I guess some things are certainly worth the wait.”

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  From Stepbrother To Lover

  By Stephanie Brother

  Chapter One

  “Congratulations, Zoe.”

  She stiffened at the voice she hadn’t heard in three years. Feeling like she was trapped in one of those cheesy slow-mo moments in an action movie, she turned away from her grandmother to face the man she hadn’t seen in three years. She’d half-hoped she would never see again, since he’d left without a goodbye.

  He hadn’t changed much, except to get more attractive. Living in England had clearly agreed with him, despite his skin not being as tanned as when he’d left San Diego. His hair had settled into a darker shade of blond, no longer kept platinum from his days at the beach, but it suited him. His eyes were still that strange shade of silvery blue that drew her in.

  Realizing she was unconsciously leaning into him, she jerked her spine taut to increase the distance between them. Somehow, she managed to summon a ghost of a smile. “Hello, Hale. Your father didn’t mention you were coming to my graduation party.”

  “It isn’t every day a little sister graduates from college.” He held out a small box with the words.

  She ignored the box. “Stepsister.”

  His eyes dimmed for just a moment, and he nodded once. “Stepsister,” he echoed. A second later, his expression flickered back to one of politeness. “You finished a year early, right?”

  She nodded, finally taking the box when she realized he would keep holding it out to her all night if she didn’t. It could prove awkward with the small gathering of family if they picked up on any tension between them. “Thank you.” She had to force herself to open the light pink ribbon and flip open the box. “It’s lovely.” Touching the gold pen, she turned it slightly to read the inscription.

  “To all your successes. Love, Hale.”

  Reading the “L” word, she nearly chucked the pen at him, but somehow managed to keep her expression pleasant as she put the lid on it and tucked the box into the pocket of her white sundress.

  “I thought you might be able to use it at your summer internship. Your mother mentioned you got one at the Sarta Museum?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be working in their ancient history wing, and it could become a permanent position if I impress the right people.”

  A flash of something more than brotherly warmth flashed through his eyes. “How could you not impress everyone, Zoe?”

  For a millisecond, she forgot her anger and hurt as their gazes locked. Heat licked her belly, and her panties grew damp at the hunger she saw in his gaze. Or she thought she saw, because when he blinked, it was gone. Good thing, because her mother came to stand with them.

  “Hale, darling, I’m so glad you could come,” said Monica with what appeared to be genuine delight at her stepson’s appearance. “You kept putting me off.”

  Hale gave her a charming grin. “To be fair, Monica, I had my assistant keep putting you off.”

  Monica laughed. “You’re a wily one to get on the phone.”

  “That must be why Dad rarely bothers,” said Hale blandly.

  Zoe frowned, not understanding that. She’d always thought Hale and Andy were close. Had he avoided his father as much as he had her the past three years? Or had Andy imposed the distance for some reason? Had his father had something to do with Hale’s abrupt departure three years ago?

  Even if he had, it didn’t explain or excuse Hale completely disappearing from her life without a word of parting. They weren’t even Facebook friends or following each other on Twitter, and she had her former B.F.F. from kindergarten on both. If she wasn’t even important enough to be on his lists for either place—and she’d been stalkerish enough to verify he had accounts—then she meant absolutely nothing to him.

  So why was he here?

  “Why are you here?”

  Zoe thought she had accidentally asked the question, but realized it came from her stepfather’s mouth as he joined them. Andy looked angry. No, not angry, but possibly annoyed. He was certainly on-edge.

  “Hey, Dad,” said Hale in an aloof tone.

  “He’s here for his sister’s graduation, of course,” said Monica. She seemed oblivious to any undercurrents.

  Did that mean Zoe had imagined them all? Her mother was a sweet woman and not known for exceptional intelligence, but she had a huge reservoir of empathy, so if she didn’t detect a problem, there probably wasn’t one. She was just imagining it all—the way she had imagined that moment three years ago.

  After a hesitation, Andy extended his hand. “It’s good to see you, son. I guess you’re all done with that…training?”

  Hale nodded. “Yes, but I still travel a lot for the company. Still, it was time to come home.”

  Zoe was sure she didn’t imagine the look they exchange
d, or that it held special significance.

  After another second, Andy dropped his hand and hugged his son instead. “It’s good to see you again, Hale.”

  Hale’s eyes seemed to darken, and he sounded a little choked when he responded. “Yeah, Dad.”

  After that, the group split again, and Zoe managed to avoid Hale until the catering company announced dinner was ready to serve. She had chosen an intimate celebration with just her mom, stepdad, sister, and grandparents, but Andy had insisted on making it a special occasion.

  The caterers had set the dining room with elegant white linens and Monica’s fine china. Freshly polished silver at the plates and the crystal goblets complemented the centerpiece of fresh tiger lilies.

  Somehow, Zoe ended up beside Hale, and she couldn’t refuse when he held out her chair and assisted her to the table. She hid a grimace when he sat on her left side. Her grandfather was on her right. Deciding to focus on him, she started to ply Ernie with questions about their trip from Phoenix.

  Grandpa tapped his hearing aid. “Sorry, Zoe, but I can’t hear you. My batteries are dead.”

  On his right, Grandma Rose sniffed. “And do you think he packed a spare pair?” Shaking her head, though she gave her husband an affectionate look, she turned back to her conversation with Andy’s mother. Nora had become another grandmother to Zoe and Lola during the six years Monica and Andy had been married.

  Thanks to Grandpa’s lack of batteries and her reluctance to engage with Hale, the talk was small on her end of the table. She kept her attention focused mainly on her plate. The roasted duck was done to perfection, but it wasn’t enough to keep her from being hyperaware of her stepbrother sitting just a few feet away. The spicy tang of his cologne teased her nostrils. It was the same he’d worn three years ago, and it stirred up forbidden memories of being held in his arms.