Tame the Beast : Small Beach Town, Single Mom Romance

“Mmm, it smells fruity, and familiar.” She frowns slightly. It should smell familiar because it smells just like Mellie’s shower gel. “But shouldn’t you get some sleep? You worked the whole day and when we got home you went straight to playing with Mel. Aren’t you tired?”

A small smile pulls up on my lips. “Are you worried about me?”

“Pshh, you wish.” She pushes away from the counter, giving me an unguarded view of her perfect, round ass and lowers herself onto the chair across from me. “So? Why the sudden need to pull an all-nighter?”

I gulp and swallow a groan. Does she realize what she’s doing to me? How badly my fingers are itching to dig into her soft flesh with my cock buried in her?

Fuck. Down, Matteo, your owner didn’t give you the command yet. I shift my cock to the side and clear my throat. “When an idea pops into my head, I can’t sleep. I need to keep working it until I get it right.”

“Oh, and what is this one about?”

“Mellie,” I simply say, and Zoe’s eyes snap to mine, her mouth in that perfect O.

“Y-your drink is about my daughter?”

“Yeah, she inspired it. Well, all five of these.” I gesture to the line of glasses standing off to the side and she trails her eyes over it, her posture growing softer.

“How come you never asked about her father?”

I shrug. “And here I thought you were sick of my big head. Now you want me to ask you about me? Why would I need to ask about myself?”

“Matteo. Can you be serious for one minute?” I set the knife down and give her my full attention.

“I am. I’m Mellie’s father.” And I mean that with every ounce of blood in my body. “As for the sperm donor…” I trail off, because yeah, I have thought about him. Especially when I thought another man was coming here but it came to one simple truth.

“He doesn’t matter. He’s not here. He wasn’t here when you walked into my bar or when your water broke or when Mellie took her first breath. And if he was stupid enough not to follow you to the ends of the earth then he doesn’t matter. Any more questions?”

Zoe looks at me with her mouth agape. Those plush lips falling apart, filling my mind with dirty fucking thoughts, I can’t have.

Yet.

At least she’s finally done protesting the fact that Mellie is mine.

“What are you doing up?” I shift the conversation, needing a distraction from wanting this stubborn woman more than my next breath.

“Oh, um…” She tucks a lose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear as she visibly tries to pull those wall back up. “Mellie hasn’t woken up yet to eat and my boobs are killing me, they’re so full.”

I freeze. So much for that distraction. “Zoe,” I groan, tipping my head up and pinch the bridge of my nose. “One, two, fucking three, four, double fucking five.”

“Are you counting?” Zoe looks at me with one eyebrow cocked up and I nod, continuing my count. “Why are you counting?”

“Because.” I snap my head down, locking eyes with hers. “You are sitting over here, practically naked, talking about your full tits and I am many things, Beastie, but one who has self-restrain when it comes to you in not really one of them.” I clench my teeth. “So, seven, eight, fudging ten.”

“You skipped nine,” she utters breathlessly.

“What?”

“Your count, you skipped nine.” She gets up from her chair and starts moving.

“Zoe.” I say her name as a warning. “Why are you moving toward me?”

“You skipped nine,” she repeats again.

“So I did.”

“You have been there for me every single day.” I’m not sure if it’s a question but I nod anyway. “You love my daughter.” Another nod. “You make cocktails inspired by her. You learned how to change a diaper and cook for me and for some reason you want me. You want my daughter when her own father didn’t.”

She is standing so close, too close. Our rapidly raising chests practically touching with every labored breath we take. “So, why have I been refusing it this whole time?” Zoe asks but her eyes are locked in on my lips.