Page 134 of Rescued by the Single Dad

He pulled away to protect his way of life, to protect his child, but the process was breaking his heart. And quite possibly Brooke’s as well.

She returned to the guest room, and he hated it. He hated not having her body to curl around at night, waking up next to her, and seeing her blonde hair fanned across the pillow like spun gold.

It wasn’t even about the lack of sex anymore. He’d gone over five years without it. He could abstain and be fine. But it was the lack of intimacy. The lack of touch and how he knew without any doubt that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

He’d never felt that kind of reciprocation from someone before. Never felt that wanted. That craved or needed.

Not even from Jacqueline when they’d been at their best.

Opening his eyes, but keeping his head down, he stared at his thickening cock. Just thinking about Brooke made him hard.

She was everything he’d ever wanted in a partner. Sweet, but also spicy. Kind, fun, generous and easygoing. She had no problem just kicking back and watching television with a beer, or walking the beach, climbing the hillside to pick wildflowers or baking cookies with his daughter. She’d only been restless when she was injured and couldn’t walk.

All of it ached like fresh cuts, anguish and heavy shame on his soul.

He took himself in his palm and gave his cock a couple of long strokes, closing his eyes and imagining it was her hand, or her mouth taking him, pleasuring him.

He worked himself into a frenzy. Then, because of the way he’d treated her, he denied himself. He shut off the water and opened the foggy door. His balls throbbing and his cock a heavy weight between his legs as it bobbed up and down.

He reached for the towel and wrapped it low on his waist. But there was definitely a tent there. With the towel on his hips and a painful erection, he stood in front of the mirror, glaring at himself.

“Stupid motherfucker,” he muttered, shaking his head. “You deserve for your balls to fall off.”

Talia had gone to bed around eight-thirty, then Brooke went to bed shortly after. Rocco only stayed up a bit later, but that was because he was busy finalizing his flight plans. Then it was just Clint awake, rattling around the house by himself.

Rocco wasn’t an idiot. He knew what was going on—or better yet, not going on—between Brooke and Clint anymore. But he kept quiet. He didn’t pry, and he still spoke to Clint with kindness, even though Clint could tell Rocco was frustrated with him.

Clint was frustrated with himself, so he didn’t begrudge Rocco.

Rocco’s flight left later the next day, so Jagger would drive him to the ferry where he’d walk on, then have a taxi take him to the airport. Clint did offer to drive him all the way to Sea-Tac, but Rocco declined.

A gentle knock at his door had Clint in a sudden panic. If it was Talia and she had a bad dream, the last thing she needed was to be further traumatized by her father’s boner.

Fuck.

“Clint?” came Brooke’s voice.

He exhaled in minor relief, but then a new wave of panic took over. He didn’t want her to see his erection, either. Yes, it was slightly better that Brooke saw it than Talia, but still, it wasn’t right.

Not given the current state of their relationship.

“Just a sec,” he said, grabbing a thick, navy-blue robe from his closet, ditching the towel and sliding into the robe. His boner started to deflate, but not fast enough.

Hopefully, she looked him in the face and not the crotch.

He opened the door. “Hey,” he greeted, offering her a smile that looked probably as awkward as it felt.

“Hey,” she said softly before nibbling on her lip. “I uh ... I just wanted to tell you in person that I’ve arranged for Inez to come get me tomorrow. She’s already chartered the plane and booked the car. She’ll be here around four. So, less than twenty-four hours and I will be out of your hair for good. No more paparazzi in the bushes or intrusive knocks on the door at night.” She threw in a brittle laugh at the end, but that just made her news worse. It drove that stake deeper into his chest.

“You don’t have to go,” he started to say .

“But I do. Talia got hurt because of me. Or at least because I’m here. I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and I will absolutely pay you back for the clothes and stuff. I have the receipt for the online order, so I’ll have Inez transfer you the money. But nobody else needs to get hurt.” Her slender throat moved hard on a swallow, and her eyes turned glassy. She sounded just as broken as he felt. “Sergeant Fox is right. I’m safer now than I was before. It might be a good idea to have around the clock security and bodyguards at my house and with me at all times for a little while. These are people who know what they’re signing up for.” Her expression turned grim. “Unlike good Samaritans who think they’re just rescuing a person from drowning only to end up on the news and on the cover of a tabloid magazine.”

Yeah, he saw that, too.

He’d gone to the store yesterday and saw a photo of him, with Talia in his arms, after she was struck by the SUV. Brooke was there, so were his brothers. A fucking family affair. You couldn’t see Talia’s face, thank God, but you could see Clint’s and Brooke’s. And it’d been one of the several photos on the cover of a trash magazine on the rack at the checkout.

His insides roiled when he saw it. This thing was everywhere.

---