Page 23 of Single Dad’s Fake Bride (Billionaire Baby Daddies #7)

The thought formed before I could stop it, and then somehow, it was happening. My lips found hers, soft and wine-sweet, and for one perfect moment everything else disappeared—the paperwork, the arrangement, the careful boundaries I'd constructed around this entire situation.

She kissed me back.

Her hand came up to the back of my neck, holding me there. I slid my palms to her waist, feeling the heat of her through the knit of her sweater. When her fingers curled into my shirt and tugged, I moved closer, stepping between her legs where she stood at the island.

The kiss deepened until I couldn’t stand the layers between us. My hands moved under her sweater, finding the warm skin at her lower back. She gave a small sound, not quite a moan, and rose onto her toes.

I lifted her, setting her on the edge of the counter. The soft clink of the wine glasses shifting to the side barely registered. She braced her hands on my shoulders while I tugged her sweater up and over her head.

Her bra was plain cotton, nothing fancy, but the sight of her in it made my chest tighten. I bent to kiss her collarbone, my thumbs brushing the sides of her ribs as I worked my way lower.

“Why can't we keep our hands off each other?” I asked quietly, my mouth at the base of her neck.

Her breath caught. “I don't know, Harry, but please don't stop.”

I traced her hip, finding the button of her jeans and working it loose. She shifted to help me, and I pulled them down enough to slip them past her knees. My hands slid over the backs of her thighs, pulling her closer until her legs hung open around me.

She reached for my shirt, tugging it free from my waistband. Her fingers had just slipped beneath my shirt when she paused, her lips brushing mine. “Harry… Eloise is asleep.”

I stilled, my hands resting on her thighs. “I know.”

Her smile was small, almost conspiratorial. “Then maybe we shouldn’t…” She trailed off, but the look in her eyes told me she wasn’t suggesting we stop—just that the kitchen counter wasn’t the place.

I kissed her again, softer this time, and slid my arms around her. “Come here.”

Before she could respond, I lifted her from the counter. Her legs wrapped around my waist, her arms looping over my shoulders as I carried her toward the hallway. She bit back a laugh, pressing her face to my neck to keep quiet, and I could feel her trying not to let the sound escape.

We moved past Eloise’s closed door, both of us holding our breath for that moment, before slipping into my room. I nudged the door shut with my foot, and the tension of keeping silent broke into quiet snickers against each other’s mouth.

“Now,” she whispered, her smile curving against my lips, “where were we?”

I set her on the edge of the bed, following her down into another kiss that left no doubt exactly where we were headed.

I eased her back onto the mattress, bracing myself over her. Her hands were already at my shirt again, pushing it down my arms until it fell to the floor. I kissed along her jaw, down the curve of her throat, feeling the quick beat of her pulse under my mouth.

Her fingers found my belt, working it open with practiced movements. I covered her hand with mine for a moment, holding it still while I looked at her. The lamplight caught in her hair, spilling over the pillow like copper silk, and for a second all I could do was take her in.

Then I pulled her jeans the rest of the way off, letting them drop to the floor. My palms smoothed up her calves, over her knees, and along the soft skin of her inner thighs. She shifted, knees parting, the anticipation in her eyes making my chest feel tight.

I leaned in, my mouth finding hers again, while my hand slipped between her legs to trace her through the thin fabric still separating us. She inhaled sharply, her hips lifting toward me.

“Harry…” she breathed, the sound soft but urgent.

I hooked a finger under the edge of her panties, sliding them aside so I could feel her warmth directly. My fingers moved slowly at first, learning the rhythm that made her grip the sheets and bite her lip to keep quiet.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no hesitation—just that same wordless pull that had brought us here in the first place.

I kissed her again before sitting back on my knees to strip the rest of my clothes. She watched, biting her lower lip as my shirt and pants joined the growing pile on the floor. Her gaze roamed over me in a way that made my skin heat, but I wasn’t about to let her stay half-dressed.

I slid my hands under her hips, tugging her panties down slowly, the fabric catching on her knees before I pulled them free. Her bra was next—simple hooks at the back that gave way under my fingers. I eased the straps down her arms, tossing the last of her clothing aside.

She leaned back on her elbows, letting me take her in, but I caught her wrist and guided her toward me. “Come here.”

A smile curved her mouth as she crawled forward and swung one leg over me, settling on my chest before inching higher. I rested my hands on her thighs, feeling the tremor in her muscles as she positioned herself over my face.

The first taste of her made my grip tighten, the soft heat of her spreading over my mouth.

I drew my tongue along her in slow, deliberate strokes, exploring every curve until I felt the smallest tremor run through her legs.

She began to rock gently against me, her hips pressing forward with each pass, a muffled sound caught in her throat as she tried to keep quiet.

Her fingers slid into my hair, tightening with each flick of my tongue, holding me firmly to her as her breathing grew faster and more shallow.

When her hips began to move faster, I pressed my hands to her lower back, guiding her into a deeper rhythm while I drew her higher.

Her gasp broke into a low, desperate sound, her thighs clamping tight around my head as every muscle in her body went taut.

I felt the pulse of her release against my mouth, the quiver starting deep inside her and rolling outward in waves.

She shook through it, her breath hitching with each crest, her hips pressing down as though she couldn’t bear to lose the contact.

Only when the tremors eased did she sag slightly, the taste of her still warm on my tongue.

Sadie slid back down slowly, the lingering tremor in her thighs brushing against my sides as she settled over my waist. Her chest rose and fell in quick, shallow pulls, each breath making her breasts lift under the faint light.

Her eyes stayed locked on mine, dark with something that made my pulse thud harder.

Without a word, she let her palm trail down my stomach, fingers curling around me with a sure, steady grip.

She guided me to her, the first brush of her heat drawing a quiet, unsteady breath from both of us.

She lowered herself gradually, inch by inch, her inner muscles stretching around me until we were fully joined, every movement deliberate enough to draw out the tension and make each breath between us heavier.

Once she had all of me, she braced her hands on my chest and began to move, her pace unhurried but sure, every shift of her hips pulling a low sound from my throat. I held her hips, letting her ride me, the lamplight catching the flush across her skin.

Once she had all of me, she braced her hands on my chest and began to move, slow at first. I let my hands roam over her, from her hips to her waist, taking in every inch of her body.

“You’re so beautiful like this,” I said. “Every time you move, I can’t look anywhere else.”

Her eyes met mine, and I could see the effect my words had on her. Her pace quickened, her breath coming harder.

“I love the way you feel around me,” I told her. “So soft, so tight… you make it impossible to think about anything else.”

Her lips parted as I ran my thumbs along her hips. “You’re perfect, Sadie. Every part of you.”

She rolled her hips again, deeper this time, and I felt her shiver. I pressed my hand to the small of her back, urging her to keep going.

“You’re making me lose my mind,” I said. “You’re even prettier when you’re on top of me and I get to watch you come undone.”

Her face flushed, her movements growing restless as she chased the edge. I felt her start to tighten, her breath hitching.

“Come for me again,” I murmured. “Let me see you, let me feel you.”

Her nails dug into my chest, her head tilting back as the first sharp tremor tore through her.

Heat clenched around me in deep, insistent pulses, each one stronger than the last, her body bowing as if she couldn’t contain the rush.

Her thighs pressed tight to my sides, her hips jerking in small, frantic movements while her breath came in broken gasps.

I kept my hands firm on her hips, holding her to me through every shudder until the ripples softened to a slow, lingering squeeze.

Only then did she sag forward, her skin flushed and damp, her heartbeat quick against my chest.

She stayed there for a moment, catching her breath, her forehead resting against mine. I slid my hands over her back, down to her hips again, feeling the aftershocks still flicker through her.

When she finally lifted her head, her eyes were still hazy. “Don’t stop,” she whispered.

I shifted under her, pulling her down harder onto me, setting a quicker pace. She rose to meet me, her breasts brushing my chest each time she leaned forward. The slick heat of her around me, still sensitive from release, made my own control start to fray.

“You feel incredible,” I said. “I’m not going to last.”

Her lips curved into a faint smile. “Then don’t.”

That was all it took. I gripped her hips, thrusting up into her until my release hit, my muscles tightening as I spilled inside her. She stayed with me through it, her hands on my shoulders, her body moving with mine until I slowed.

We stayed connected for a long moment, both of us breathing hard, the quiet hum of the house around us. Then she eased off, sliding down beside me, her skin warm against mine as I pulled her close.

She lay on her side with her hair spilling across my chest. My arm stayed around her, reluctant to let go, even as the air between us settled into a quieter rhythm.

“You can stay,” I said, running my hand down her back. “We’ll deal with the rest in the morning.”

She shifted enough to meet my eyes. “I can’t. Mom’s AA sponsor is with her, and I don’t want to keep her there all night. She’s doing this as a favor.”

“I could hire someone,” I offered. “When you move in, she’ll need someone to check on her during the day anyway. I can make sure she has help before that.”

Sadie’s mouth curved faintly, though there was something guarded in her eyes. “That’s generous of you. Thank you.”

The words sounded genuine, but the way she said them twisted in my chest. It was as if she was slotting it neatly into the arrangement column—something I could provide, something she owed me for. It felt transactional, and after what we’d just done, I didn’t want it to be.

I wanted to tell her that. That she didn’t have to sleep with me to earn anything from me, that maybe this wasn’t just an arrangement to me anymore. But before I could find the words, she made it easy—too easy.

“Harrison,” she began, brushing her hair back as she sat up. “We probably shouldn’t… do this again.”

I pushed up onto one elbow. “Do what?”

Her cheeks flushed. “Indulge in our adult desires,” she said with a wry smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “If this is really just an arrangement, we’re going to confuse ourselves. And Eloise. In five years, when it’s over, it’ll just get messy.”

She looked like she hated saying it. Like she didn’t fully believe it. But she still started gathering her clothes from the floor.

I sat there watching her pull her jeans on, that uneasy weight in my chest growing heavier.

She thought keeping our hands off each other would make the next five years cleaner and easier.

But what if the part she wanted to call messy was already here for me?

What if I couldn’t keep this in the neat little box she was trying to put it in?

“Sadie—” I started.

She cut me off with a quiet “Please,” as she hooked her bra and took my shirt, sliding it on and closing it in the front.

Her sweater was in the front room with her purse, next to a forgotten stack of paperwork, and I wanted her to stay, not go home.

Still, I respected her wishes and stood up, gathering my own slacks and putting them on.

She led the way to the kitchen where she exchanged my shirt for her sweater and hung her purse over her shoulder.

We signed the papers quickly and I walked her to the door.

She hesitated with her hand on the knob, like she was thinking about saying something else, then seemed to think better of it. “Goodnight, Harrison.”

“Goodnight.”

The door clicked shut behind her, and the house felt hollow again. I stood there a moment before heading to my desk. I wasn’t ready to go to bed. My head was too full, the conversation replaying on a loop I couldn’t turn off.

I sat down, flicking my phone awake, half-expecting some late email from the board or one of the contractors working on the science building renovation. My inbox loaded, and one subject line jumped out like a flare.

Anonymous tip – inappropriate relationship at Hawthorne Academy

My pulse spiked. I opened it. The message was short, formal, and addressed to the entire board. One of the members was accusing me of having an affair with a staff member—except the name in the email wasn’t Sadie’s.

It was someone else entirely.

My mind immediately started calculating the fallout. Even if the accusation wasn’t about Sadie, it didn’t matter. The optics were bad enough on their own. Now I had two potential scandals in play—one the board knew about, one they didn’t.

I leaned back in my chair, the phone still in my hand. This was the kind of thing that needed to be shut down before it gained traction, before rumors became fact in the minds of people who wanted me out. But it was late, and there was nothing I could do until morning.

I locked my phone, tossed it on the desk, and stared at the ceiling. Tomorrow was going to be a war.