Captain Hotness: A Single Father Bad Boy Novel Read online

  "When did you realize that your ass was grass? Tell them." Rhys reached out and pushed at Jeremy's strong chest softly. "I love this part."

  Jeremy glanced down at his beer and chuckled as if he were lost in the moment.

  I could have so easily let myself love him. I'd been doing it for years, but the man I'd made him into over the long stint of time where I didn't see him wasn't the man he was today. And me pretending that prince charming existed wasn't fair. With the death of that hope came a wave of emotion I wasn't expecting, and honestly didn't want to process.

  "I realized it the moment I chunked it. It was like... oh fuck. My dad." He glanced up at me as my eyes filled with tears again.

  "Excuse me. Finish your story. Just need to check on a few things in the-" I let my voice fade as I slipped back inside and walked quickly to the kitchen. I'd been doing such a damn good job of keeping myself in check when he came into the bar. I played the friend, though I wanted to offer so much more. But the timing was off, and he was far too much man for me.

  I flipped the burners off and made my way down the hall to the bathroom. The door closed behind me, and I locked it about the time a wave of real tears came. I turned on the faucet and sat down on the toilet to press my face into a towel. The sound of my brother banging on the door a few seconds later wasn't the relief I hoped it would be.

  "Sis? You okay?"

  "No," I croaked out. "Stomach problems. Must have been that stupid roadside sushi you made me eat."

  "Oh fuck. Seriously?" His voice was caring and filled with worry. I hated to lie to him. "You want me to get rid of everyone?"

  "Yeah. I'm sorry. Give them take home plates?"

  "Will do. No worries. I'll get you some 7-Up and crackers ready."

  "Thanks, Bubba." I pressed my face back against the towel and wished I were anyone but me. Ellen and Rhys might think I was truly sick, but Jeremy would know the difference. He had to.

  "Well, don't you look beautiful." Edward offered his arm as I walked up to the front of the museum in a long, black dress and heels. I had my hair up in a bun and more jewelry on than I normally wore.

  Thankfully enough, Rhys fell asleep on the couch at ten, giving me time to get ready and leave for my date. It was stupid to try to make two wrongs into a right, but I had committed and didn't want to look like a flake just in case.

  "Thank you. You look very handsome tonight." I glanced up at him and smiled. He was incredibly good looking. Not my type, but still very attractive.

  "These people are going to think you're my daughter." He chuckled as I slid my hand around his arm. "Let's give them something to talk about, right?”

  "Absolutely." I walked in, and the room was filled with people. Dainty little white lights were strung all over the top of the main gallery, and a multitude of servers moved around with trays of champagne and different treats to try. "I love this place. It makes my heart sing."

  He chuckled. "It's an intellectual paradise."

  "Because there's no right way to interpret a painting, right?" I moved up to a new one that I'd yet to see in the gallery before. "It's really about how the art speaks to you, right?"

  "No. Not at all." His tone was a little condescending. "It's about what the artist was trying to portray. It takes time to study and understand the art to really appreciate it. You can't just walk in and take it for what it's worth." He smiled down at me, though his lips were drawn a little tight. "It's immaturity. You'll learn to mature in your appreciation for the real meaning behind the mask. It takes time."

  "Right." I nodded and turned back to the painting, feeling all of sixteen all over again. Not good enough. Not smart enough. Not enough.

  "I'll be back in a few minutes. I want to mingle with a few people from City Hall."

  "Sure." I glanced over my shoulder. "Do you want me to come with you?"

  "Oh no. They know my wife. I would never in a million years hear the end of it." He gave me an incredulous look like I was a young, simple fool.

  "Your wife?" I lifted my eyebrow.

  "Of course, Bailey. Did you think a wealthy man like myself wasn't married?" Another slip in his tone to leave me feeling even more stupid than I apparently was.

  "You're not wearing a ring." I glanced down and back at him as my stomach sickened.

  "Of course not. How would I find a mistress with a ring on?" He smirked and nodded toward the crowd. "Wait here. I'll talk to a few more people, and then we can leave."

  I turned back to the painting as horror ran through the center of my chest. The minute Edward was gone and I was alone, I took off for the door. Walking as quickly as I could, I made my way back to my car, tore my heels off of me and drove home feeling so pathetic. Much more than I did when Jeremy pulled away from me.

  Why did I try? It seemed like a stupid, immature thing to do.

  Especially when it never worked out before.

  Never.

  11

  Jeremy

  I moved around my mother in the kitchen the next morning and her and Nina bickered back and forth on the right temperature to put the oven on for the stuffing. They were getting louder and louder, both of them wrong and yet neither of them would ever admit it.

  "Hey!" I stopped at the edge of the kitchen and lifted my hands. "It's 375 degrees. That's what Laila always did. One hour at 375 degrees and then put the broiler on to crisp the top, okay?"

  My sister’s brow softened as my mom's eyes filled with tears.

  "No. No crying." I let out a sigh and walked across the kitchen to pull Mom in my arms. "It's okay."

  "No, it's not. I hate the holidays with you not having someone to love you." My mom cried against my chest.

  I gave Nina the death stare. "What about Sis, mom? She needs someone to love her."

  "Nope." Nina smiled like the tomcat she was. "I'm unlovable, bossy and stubborn as hell. Just ask Mom." She tossed a dishtowel at me and walked out of the kitchen.

  "She is horrible, right?" My mom moved back, bent over and grabbed the towel and wiped at her eyes. "No, she's just a crazy cat lady. It's nothing to be ashamed of. She needs to own it."

  "I heard that!" My sister yelled from the living room.

  I smiled at my mother. "Why do you let your chef's off during the holidays? You're going to wear yourself out in this damn kitchen. Come sit down and I'll call them back."

  "No." She shook her head. "While your father was here, he was very adamant about not letting our staff work on the holidays. I'm not breaking that rule. I like it."

  I nodded and moved up beside her to help as someone knocked at the front door.

  Nina's voice rang out. "Jer. It's Rhys and Bailey."

  "Who?" My mother glanced over at me. "He brought his sister? Why?"

  "And some blonde chick that's bouncing on her toes." Nina's tone said that we were all in for a long day.

  "That's Bailey's good friend, Ellen." I leaned over and kissed my mother's cheek. "Please be nice. I have one friend in the world, and he's at the door."

  "He brings too many memories with him, son. You need to-"

  "Leave it alone, Mom." I gave her a wink and walked out of the kitchen. Her bitching was soft, but I could still hear it. She hated me being around anyone that might pull me off the path she wanted me on. Rhys being a perpetual bachelor did not help the cause at all.

  "There you guys are." I pulled the door open and smiled at my best friend before moving back. Bailey looked like a dream in the background, but her coloring was a little off.

  "We got lost in the hedging, man. I always forgot that you rich people enjoy your bushes." He gave me a funny look.

  I rolled my eyes before patting him on the back and turned my attention to his little sister as he walked in.

  "Hey. You look like you're still a little under the weather." I nodded at Ellen as she moved into the house and introduced herself to everyone before I could do it for her.

  "Just a long night." Bailey shrugged and moved around me with nothing m
ore than a quick glance. Fuck. I knew better. I shouldn't have kissed her in the kitchen the night before, and yet all I could think about was doing it again. Everything about the kiss had been right. I was turned on from the moment it happened until later that night when I fucked myself for a good hour in the shower. For the first time since Laila and I started dating back in school, I moaned someone else's name. I was relieved and ashamed at myself.

  Was I allowed to move on? What did that say about the way I loved her? About my devotion to who we were supposed to be?

  "You're in your head. Get out." Nina walked past me and popped me in the chest. "And if you can't, I'm here for you."

  "Thanks, Sis." I took a deep breath and followed everyone into the large kitchen my mother hated, but my father once loved. "Mom. Did you get to meet everyone?"

  "I did." She turned back to the stove; her shoulders pulled in tight. She was less than happy that I'd invited anyone over for Thanksgiving seeing that it was supposed to be a family event.

  "Awesome. Rhys grab some beers. Let's go into the media room and watch the game. Nina, grab some snacks from the fridge that we picked up?" I nodded and turned to Ellen and Bailey. "Alright, ladies. You need a grand tour?"

  Ellen was much more excited than Bailey was. I needed to apologize again or something. I didn't want the dust settling between us and our relationship tanking because I couldn't keep my damn hormones under control.

  "Yes!" Ellen moved up and slipped her arm into mine. "Bailey. Get his other arm. Let's check this place out."

  "Sure," she said softly and slipped her arm into my other one.

  Tingles ran up my arm. I glanced down at her and spoke softly. "You feeling any better?"

  "Somewhat." She shrugged and nodded toward the living room. "Tour please."

  "Yeah, sure." I walked them through the house and stopped at the media room to find Nina and Rhys laughing together. It was almost like old times. The only thing missing was Laila.

  Ellen bounded across the room toward the big screen and yelled something that sounded like, ‘Go Team!’

  "Where did you find her?" I glanced over at Bailey.

  A smile crept across her perfect lips. "She works with me at the restaurant. She's my only friend."

  "Well, then I guess we'll keep her." I turned a little toward her and forced myself not to reach out. "Hey. About last night."

  "It was nothing." She smiled up at me, and her expression stilled me. She was hurt. I wasn't used to dating or anything of the sort, but I'd seen the look on my wife's face too many times to ignore it. "Seriously. Odd moment. I thought maybe I would feel some spark, but it was just like kissing an old friend, or your grandmother."

  I almost swallowed my tongue, but I flipped on my humor like I always did when someone stabbed me in the chest. "You've kissed my grandmother before?"

  She laughed and shook her head, causing a few more strands of dark hair to fall from her ponytail. "You're too much."

  "So get this," Rhys walked up and put his arm around Bailey's shoulders, "this crazy kid went on a date last night."

  "It wasn't really a-" she started, but Rhys cut her off.

  "Did you get dolled up for him?" Rhys asked.

  "Yeah, but seriously, it wasn't-"

  "Like long black dress, heels, and jewelry. It was a champagne affair at the art museum." Rhys snorted.

  "Sounds like a great date. I want details." Nina moved up beside us and smiled at Bailey.

  "I thought you were sick?" I asked as my mother walked in and cleared her throat. "Jeremy. Someone named Mayhem is on the phone from the station?"

  "Oh yeah. Sure." I left the conversation, though I was more than curious to find out what the fuck happened between the time I kissed Bailey and the time she left to spend the night in another man's arms. My stomach soured at the thought as if it were any of my fucking business. It wasn't.

  "Here you go." My mother tossed my cell to me.

  "Thanks." I put it to my ear and made a beeline for the side door. Bailey dressed up and went on a date? Did she stay at the guy's house? Who was he? What did he look like? What did he do? How old was the fucker?

  Great. Now he was a fucker.

  "Talk to me." I walked out onto the patio as a cold sweat rolled over me. What was I doing? She didn't belong to me, nor would she ever. She was off-limits, and I'd fucked up by simply kissing her the night before. I needed to watch myself.

  "Hey, Cap. I know this is going to sound stupid, but the lady that was going to cook our Thanksgiving meal for tonight kicked the bucket this morning."

  I stiffened. "Wait. What? Who died?"

  "Jones' Gramma." He cleared his throat. "All these guys are stuck up here, and we got nothing to eat. I was going to leave and grab a few things cause I feel like shit about the old lady kicking the bucket, but that would leave the crew short. You know we're playing skeleton crew up here."

  Mayhem was too much, and the bastard knew it.

  "Yeah, no worries. I'll be there in thirty minutes with some food."

  "You sure?" He sounded relieved.

  "Absolutely. Just keep everyone's spirits up. I'll bring some stuff by and then head back home. Our dinner isn't for a couple of hours at least."

  "Alright. Thanks, Cap." He dropped the call.

  "Damn." I walked back into the house to find my mom and Bailey in the kitchen. Both of them looked a little tense.

  "Hey. I gotta run up to the station and get the guys some food. Their plans fell through, and I hate to think they're working on a holiday without getting anything good from it." I glanced over at Bailey who looked like she needed saving. "You wanna ride up there with me? I could use an extra set of hands, and maybe you'll pick some good stuff for them. I'm thinking ham and bread."

  She nodded. "Yeah. I can help."

  "I can go with you, Jeremy." My mother started to pull her apron off.

  Bailey lifted her hands and pressed them together like she was praying. Fuck. What had my mother said to the pretty girl?

  "No, Mom. Seriously. I'll be back in an hour tops. You stay here and finish this beautiful meal you're making. Me and Bailey will run up there and be right back." I walked over and kissed my mom on the cheek as she stared me down.

  "Fine. Don't be over an hour or our dinner will be ruined."

  "No problem." I slipped my hands into my pockets and glanced over at Bailey. "You ready?"

  "Sure." She walked past me quickly and made it to the front door before I could turn the corner.

  Fuck. Mom had definitely said something to her... and it was probably credited to it being for my own good.

  12

  Bailey

  "You do realize that Jeremy isn't interested in anyone under the age of thirty, right? He's looking for a mother for Austin, not a part-time girlfriend to fix his male yearnings." Jeremy's mother's voice echoed in my head as I stepped out of the house.

  "Hey. What happened in there?" Jeremy moved up beside me as we walked toward the road.

  "Nothing." I shrugged and pointed to his bike. "Can we take your bike?"

  "Yeah. You bet." He walked up to it and handed me a helmet. "You're going to have to take your hair down to get that thing to fit."

  "Sure." I set the helmet down and pulled at the twist-tie holding my hair together. It cascaded down my back and over my shoulders before I could get my fingers in it to make it behave a little. The lust in his eyes burned me. "What?"

  "I love it." He reached out and slid his fingers into my hair, gripping it a little and making a sound that left me thinking about how far I wanted his kiss to go the night before.

  "Good. No touching please." I pushed at his chest. The strong muscle of his pectoral gave little as I pushed harder and smiled. "Stop. Seriously. We're just friends, remember?"

  "Yeah, well, I was thinking about pushing our friendship a little more each time I saw you, but it would seem that you already have a guy in your life. A rich one, no doubt." He got on the bike and offered me his hand. "
Right?"

  I put the helmet on, ignored him and got on the back of the bike. What he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. A laugh bubbled up in me as he growled. I wrapped my arms around his waist and leaned closer. The position let me press my breasts against him and tuck myself against his strong back. My panties were going to be ruined by the end of the day, but Jeremy was around -- what else was new.

  We drove to large grocery store and parked near the front. It was freezing outside, but my thoughts kept me warm enough. Jeremy pulled off his helmet and offered me his hand.

  "Are you really not going to tell me about this guy?" He released my hand and took my helmet.

  "What's there to tell?" I snorted and walked toward the store.

  He caught up. "Who is he? What does he do? Fuck. How old is he?"

  "You don't really care to know all of this. We're friends, Jer." I grabbed a cart and leaned over, walking in front of him. I glanced back to find him eye-fucking the hell out of me. "Right?"

  "I don't know." He moved up beside me and adjusted himself. "My dick wants us to be a whole lot more than friends."

  I rolled my eyes and glanced over. His cock was thick and hard, pressing against his jeans. I wanted to be playful, but it was far too fine for that. "Too bad I'm not into love 'em and leave 'em. Sorry. I'm not that girl." I turned back around and walked toward the bakery.

  "Are you and this guy serious?"

  "No." I left the buggy and picked up a few items as I tried to ignore the incessant beating of my heart. The man just behind me held hostage every wicked fantasy I'd ever had since I was fifteen.

  "No?" He moved up beside me. "That's all?"

  "Yeah." I lifted the two cupcake trays up. "Do firefighters like cupcakes?"

  "We eat anything." He growled and took the trays from me. "Tell me about him, Bailey. You need someone to protect you."

  "I have a brother already, and honestly, your dick comment is really disturbing if you're not trying to play big brother to me." I walked back to the cart, playing it as smooth as I could. I was actually pulling it off. A giggle rose deep inside of me at the realization. He, on the other hand, wasn't pulling anything off.