The Billionaire Single Dad (7 page)

Lord, she was beautiful. For a moment he simply stared. Took in the sight of her naked and totally unashamed. The passion that sparked in her gaze set him on fire and a smile flirted with her lush mouth.

“What?” The word left her lips in a breathy rush that tightened Carter's gut.

“You're beautiful, Tess.”

Her smile grew and emotion shone in her eyes. How could he possibly think being with her would be some detached physical moment and nothing more? Especially when she looked at him like that.

Carter stripped his T-shirt off and settled between her thighs. He looked up the length of Tess's body, fascinated by the flat plane of her stomach and the way the muscles twitched in anticipation of his touch. He reached out and feathered his finger over her clit. Her muscles contracted as her head rolled back on her shoulders. He increased the pressure and her back arched off the floor as a low moan filled the silence. Carter dipped a finger lower and teased the sensitive skin of her opening. Tess's panting breaths caused his sac to tingle with anticipation. Every muscle in his body had grown taut with the intensity of his want of her.

The moment he sealed his mouth over her clit, Tess cried out. Her legs drew up as her body curled in on itself. Carter placed his palms on either thigh and urged her to open for him. He eased her into the intensity of sensation with slow, gentle passes, using the flat of his tongue. He couldn't get enough of her taste, her scent. The way she writhed and her hips undulated in an attempt to increase the pressure of his mouth. Carter didn't want to rush, though. This might be the only day he had with her and he wanted to make every single minute count.

He cupped the round curves of her ass in his palms and angled her hips up to his mouth. He feasted on her pussy, long slow passes that he followed up with gentle flicks. He took her clit into his mouth and sucked. Tess cried out, and the sound hitched on a whimper that made Carter's cock so damned tight he thought he might come before he even got inside of her. He drew her labia into his mouth, scraped his teeth along the sensitized flesh. He thrust his tongue in her opening before slowly dragging up the length of her glistening pussy back to her protruding clit where he started all over again.

Tess's impassioned sobs echoed in the otherwise quiet room. Carter let one hand wander over her hip, up the flat of her stomach to her breast. He kneaded the swell, squeezed, before taking her nipple between his thumb and finger. He worked the tight bead with gentle pressure at first and then pinched. Tess's thighs twitched and tightened around his cheeks and her back arched up from the floor as she came. Carter pressed his tongue against her clit. It throbbed against him in time with every impassioned cry from Tess's lips. He continued to lap at her lazily, bringing her down from the high while he relished the taste of her passion.

She was perfect.

Carter kissed the inside of her thigh, around the curve of her hip, and over her belly. The muscles contracted with the light touch and he smiled against her skin as he worked his way up her ribcage. He grazed his teeth against the underside of one breast and Tess shivered. He rounded the swell with open-mouthed kisses, making his way to the dusky nipple that he sucked into his mouth.

When her cries became desperate again, he switched to the other breast, working her slowly back to that point of mindless want. Her breaths hitched in her chest and she gripped his shoulders, her nails digging in until Carter felt the slightest bite. He kissed a path along her collarbone, up the delicate column of her throat to her jaw. A light bite was followed by a gentle kiss and then another. His lips found the corner of hers and then moved fully over her mouth.

Tess's hands wandered from his shoulders down his back and along his ribs. Her touch was like silk as her palms glided over him. Was it because it had been so long since a woman had touched him that the slightest contact caused Carter to tremble or was it because it was Tess who touched him? It was Tess. Carter had never been so sure about anything. She gripped the waistband of his jeans and came up from the floor as she pushed them down over his ass along with his boxer briefs.

He knew he'd come the second he buried himself inside of her.

“Carter,” Tess murmured against his mouth. “I want you. I need you inside of me.”

“No.” She stilled and he kissed her. Soft and slow. “I need it to last. I don't want it to be over yet.”

Tess's throaty chuckle heated his blood to the boiling point. “When is your brother bringing the girls home?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Then trust me, we won't be done until they walk through that door in the morning.”

Carter groaned into her mouth as he kissed her again. Twenty-four hours with Tess. For the first time in what felt like forever, something in his life had gone right.

*   *   *

The rightness of being with Carter shook Tess to her marrow. She couldn't remember the last time a man had made her feel so good. Focused solely on her pleasure and acted as though he enjoyed it. He was unlike any man she'd ever known, and even though she'd assured him that they could be together—no strings attached—Tess worried that after today he'd worm his way permanently into her heart.

She was willing to risk a broken heart, though. For this one day with him, she would've risked anything.

Carter rolled away from her long enough to kick off his shoes, socks, and jeans. He dug into the back pocket and fished out his wallet. He pulled out the condom package and gave a rueful laugh. “Travis insisted I carry a few in my wallet. Something about not being able to get back on the horse if I didn't have a saddle. I gave him shit for pushing me but I guess I owe him.”

Tess giggled. “Oh, I'm definitely sending him a fruit basket.”

Carter laughed in earnest and the sound warmed her. “I was thinking of something more along the lines of a new car.”

“Definitely.” The levity of the moment gave way to the distraction of Carter's naked body. Tess's stomach did a back flip and landed hard as she committed every detail to memory. She'd never dated a guy like Carter before, let alone seen one without any clothes.

A spark of heat lit Carter's hazel gaze and a lazy smile spread across his lips. “I forgot how good it feels to have someone look at me like that.”

Tess swallowed down a groan. Why did he have to continue to say things like that? Each time it cracked her heart and a little piece of Carter moved in to fill in the fissure. “I can't imagine that you don't get looks like this on a regular basis.” The man was built like he'd been chiseled by a master sculptor.

“This might surprise you, but aside from the guys in the locker room, you're the only person who's seen me naked in long time.”

Those lucky bastards
. Tess tried not to think about the fact that today might be all she'd ever have with Carter. She had to live in the now, enjoy the present moment and not worry about the future.

“Just so you know,” Tess said. “You're the only person who's seen me naked in a long time, too.”

What could have been an awkward transition seemed so comfortable with Carter. Hell, he'd just given her the sort of orgasm that should have blown her head right off her shoulders. But the change in pace and ease of conversation seemed so natural. As though they'd known each other for years and had found a natural, easy rhythm.

“I like that I'm the only one who's seen you naked in a while,” Carter drawled. A finger of heat stroked down her spine and caused Tess's lower abdomen to tighten.

“Me too,” Tess said just above a whisper.

Carter clenched the packet in his fist and leaned in toward Tess. He towered over her, his hands so large he could almost palm her entire head. Ropes of muscle shaped every inch of his body and yet, Carter handled her with such gentle care that it nearly brought tears to Tess's eyes. He brushed a lock of her hair away from her face before he kissed her. Tess could've kissed him for
hours
. He'd perfected the act until it was a work of art, every movement of his lips carefully orchestrated and executed. His attention to detail without flaw.

“If you play football like you kiss,” Tess said between panted breaths, “you must be the best in the NFL.”

Carter smiled against her mouth and for the first time ever she actually felt like swooning. This could not possibly be her life. The only explanation was that she'd possessed the body of the luckiest woman in the world.

“Wouldn't you rather know if I fuck as well as I kiss?”

Oh dear lord
. The dirty talk caught her completely off guard and Tess just about came right then and there. “I have no doubt that you do.” She barely had enough air in her lungs to get the words out.

He grinned. “I might disappoint you.”

The arrogance in that grin sent a swarm of butterflies loose in her stomach. He was a professional athlete and built like a god. She didn't think Carter doubted his abilities very often. “Do you ever go into any situation without being ready to give a hundred ten percent?”

“No.” His expression became serious and his gaze heated.

The flutter of butterflies increased to a swirling storm and Tess's body flushed with delicious heat. He'd brought his A game so far, and a competitive urge rose up in Tess. The short break had cooled them both off enough that their brains weren't fogged with the frenzy of lust. She wanted to make Carter feel as good as he'd made her feel. She wanted to drive him crazy. Of course, she didn't have his unshakable confidence, but Tess wasn't about to chicken out. He was with her now and that's all that mattered. She was going to make sure she made the most of their time together.

She stood and took his hand, pulling him to stand. Without saying a word she led Carter to the couch and gently urged him to sit. He stared at her, bemused, the most adorable crooked smile pulling at his full lips. Tess moved between his solid thighs and went to her knees. Carter's hands balled into fists at his sides and the only sound in the room was the crinkle of the condom wrapper as he squeezed it in his grip.

Carter's body was beyond impressive and even a little intimidating. Even seated, his size overwhelmed her, his strength visible in every curve of sculpted muscle. His erection stood out from his hips. There wasn't anything about Carter Christensen that wasn't big and imposing. Tess wet her lips and from the corner of her eye she noticed him visibly swallow before letting out a shuddering breath. His nervous anticipation wasn't just endearing, it was downright sexy and bolstered Tess's confidence. She wrapped her fingers around the root of his shaft as she came up on her knees. Her eyes met his. Tess brought the glossy head to her mouth and sealed her lips around it.

Carter let out a slow groan of pleasure that caused every nerve ending in Tess's body to tingle. Her nipples puckered to diamond-hard peaks and her pussy clenched. She swirled her tongue around the crown before taking him deeper into her mouth. He sucked in a sharp breath and his thigh muscles hardened to stone as he caged her in between them.

“Tess.” Her name left his lips in a grated whisper. “God, Tess. That feels so good. Don't stop.”

Tess took him as deeply as she could, her lips sliding over his rigid girth. Carter threaded his fingers through her hair and gathered its length into his fist as he gave shallow thrusts of his hips. His barely restrained strength sent a thrill through Tess's bloodstream. She gripped one of his thighs with one hand, while the other remained tightly around his cock. Slowly, she pulled away to the tip and looked up to find him watching her. A deep furrow marred his brow, and while their gazes were still locked, Tess dragged the flat of her tongue up the length of his shaft before swirling it around the engorged head.

“Fuck.” The word was nothing more than a guttural bark. Tess had never heard Carter use that sort of language before. He was always good about censoring himself. That she could push him to that state filled her with a sense of power. He'd driven her to heights of mindless pleasure with his mouth. All she wanted was to return the favor.

Tess wanted this day to be burned into Carter's memory.

Eight

Carter was surprised he hadn't come the moment her lips made contact with the head of his cock. The wet heat of her mouth, the slide of her tongue, the way she
looked at him
while she licked her way up his shaft …
Jesus
.

His thighs trembled and Carter locked his nerves down lest his feet bounce right off the damned floor. He might as well be some inexperienced virgin getting a blow job for the first time. Tess made him feel like an unsure kid again, and the pleasure of the wet heat of her tongue meeting his cock over and again drove him to the point that it took every ounce of self-control he had not to go off right then and there.

Her lips were petal soft against his shaft and his hips bucked as she took him fully into her mouth once again. Carter's breath came in shallow pants and his fist contracted and relaxed over the tangle of hair he held in his grip. He wanted to go deeper, as far as she could take him but he held back the urge to thrust hard and deep. His head lolled back to rest on the couch and he let out a shuddering breath as she once again pulled away until only the head was sucked into her mouth. She nibbled the sensitive flesh with her teeth and Carter let out an almost violent chuff of air.

“Did I hurt you?”

The concern in her voice caused his gut to knot up. “No,” he said on a laugh. He brought his head up to look at her. Her wide blue eyes were guileless and a furrow marred her smooth brow. “It felt so good I damned near left my body.”

A brilliant smile curved her lips. They were blushed and swollen and so goddamned inviting that he nearly yanked her up just so he could kiss her until they were even more flushed. Her expression turned coy as she sealed her mouth over him and bit again with just enough pressure to send a jolt down his shaft. His sac tightened and tingled and his thighs shook. He was already so close to the edge, it wouldn't take much for her to push him completely over it.