Santa’s Secret Baby Read online

  “See how adorable babies are?” Rae says, staring right at Isaac.

  Oh my god. I can’t believe her right now. She must really want a sibling more than I thought.

  “They are, and it's clear your mom makes beautiful ones too.”

  Rae giggles, and I melt. “This is true,” she agrees.

  “Are you ready to tuck in for the night?” Maggie asks Rae, but she gives me a look. If it wasn’t for Isaac I’d tell her I can do it, but instead I nod so she can put her to bed tonight. “I found batteries for your robot guy,” she adds quickly before Rae can say she’s not tired yet.

  “Yes!” She jumps up from the stool too fast, and her foot snags on one of the metal bars on the base. She starts to fall, but Isaac moves and catches her quickly.

  “Be careful,” I call out as he puts her on her feet.

  “Sorry, Mommy.”

  After I give her a kiss, she grabs Isaac’s legs and hugs him tight. I stand there shocked as I watch it happen.

  “Thanks,” she says, bouncing off to hug Dasher and Eve next before leaving the four of us standing there.

  “So…” Dasher starts.

  “No, not tonight. She’s a grown woman. She can have a man in her room if she wants,” Eve cuts in. God, I love her.

  “My intentions with Jillian are good,” Isaac says anyway.

  His arm snakes around my waist, and he tucks me into his side. I lean into him because it feels so damn right. I don’t know what it is, but there’s always been something about him that is meant to be. Even when I think back to that night we had together, I don’t regret it. It gave me Rae.

  “She’s a very rich woman.” My brother's words sting a bit. I know he doesn’t say it to hurt me, but I still have my own lingering insecurity about that. I know that’s why Paul locked his claws into me, but again, I can’t regret him either because he too had a hand in me having Rae. If it wasn’t for our wedding day, I might have never met Isaac.

  “I said not tonight,” Eve snaps. It’s not a tone she uses often, but when she does, everyone stands up a bit straighter.

  “I’m a very rich man,” Isaac says blandly. “I don’t need her bank account. I only need her.”

  Emotion starts to creep up my throat, and I can’t help but wonder, if this is how he felt, then why did he disappear?

  “Good,” Eve says with a bright smile, trying to ease the tension.

  “We’ll talk tomorrow,” I say to Dasher, wanting to break away and be alone now that I know Maggie has Rae for the night.

  There are so many things to say, but all I really want is Isaac’s mouth on me. More than anything, I need to get lost in him again before I have to face the things I’ve done.

  “I didn’t catch your last name,” Dasher says as we’re walking out of the kitchen.

  “Not tonight,” I answer, and Eve smirks. I have no doubt my brother wants to dig up everything he can on Isaac. “Isaac is staying the night. Like I said, we can talk tomorrow.”

  We walk out of the room, and I lead Isaac up the stairs. For once I’m taking exactly what I want.

  Chapter 6

  Isaac

  “Where does Rae sleep?” I quietly ask as we walk down the long hall.

  “This wing of the estate is mine.” She points up ahead to another hallway. “We have our own living room and playroom here. Her room is that way, the third door on the right.”

  She watches me as I peer down the hallway, trying to imagine what her room looks like. What kind of toys she likes and what they watch on TV. It’s been so long since I’ve just been at peace. The thought has the muscles in my body sagging with exhaustion.

  “This place is so big.” I think about my condo in the city, which was really only a crash pad when I flew back from France.

  “Yes, but living here as a family feels nice.” She shrugs one shoulder. “And Rae gets to grow up with a family and not just me.”

  “She’s a good kid?” It’s a question, but I already know the answer as she nods. “I want to get to know her.”

  “She’d like that.” When she looks up at me, I see a sparkle in her eyes.

  I pause as I look down at her, and there’s so much that’s unsaid. “As soon as I could, I made my way to you.”

  “Where have you been?” She’s pleading for the truth, but it’s too much for tonight.

  “It’s complicated,” I answer honestly. “I’ll explain it all, but for now, I need to hold you.”

  She softens against me and nods as we walk into her room. I take a moment to bolt the lock and feel a sense of relief that we’re finally alone. She slips off her shoes as she watches me, and I take off my jacket.

  I’m silent, watching her slip off her dress and drape it over the chair nearby. She’s left in a simple black bra and matching panties, and I nod to them.

  “All of it,” I demand, taking off my tie and tossing it next to my jacket.

  She does as I ask, and I can’t take my eyes off of her naked body as I unbutton my shirt and remove my pants. She walks slowly over to the bed and keeps her eyes low as she climbs on.

  I strip naked and walk over to join her, my cock heavy and hard between my legs. There’s no urgency like last time, no desperate stolen moment that could end at any second. This time, my need is greater than getting off, and it’s to just be with her.

  She’s beautiful against the gold of the bed, and when she reaches for me, my chest aches. Without hesitation I get in the bed with her but turn her on her side so I can spoon in behind.

  “I need to hold you.”

  I close my eyes as her warm soft curves fit perfectly against me. Breathing in her scent of juniper berries and cinnamon feels like coming home after so many years away. Maybe that’s exactly what this is. My soul is coming home to its other half, and every inch of me knows it.

  My arms tighten around her body as I kiss her neck and her shoulder. Every part of her is touching me, and still I want to get closer.

  “Why does it feel this way?” she asks softly.

  I press my nose to her neck and inhale as I kiss the same sweet spot. “Because you’re mine.” My hand slides over her hip and around her stomach. “Because we’re meant to be.” She turns in my arms and then looks at me. I lean up on my elbow as I tuck her hair behind her ear. “Because there’s no path in my life that doesn’t end with you.”

  “Isaac.” Her voice is barely above a whisper as I bend down and touch my lips to her.

  It’s soft at first, tentative and slow, but like a hungry wolf I can’t be leashed. In one swift motion, I sit up and pull her astride me at the same time. She wraps her legs around my back as I grab the shaft of my cock and hold it as she slowly sinks down. The breath in her throat catches, and I have to hold her steady as she tries to accommodate my size. She’s slick and ready, but she’s just as small as our first time, her first time.

  “Still virgin tight,” I hiss when she sinks down an inch.

  “Oh god, Isaac, it’s bigger.” She closes her eyes tight and rocks her hips as she takes more.

  “All I did was think about this.” I tilt my head down and suck her nipple into my mouth. I feel her nails bite into my shoulders as she lowers further onto my cock. “I imagined you in every position while I spent days fucking you.”

  Her slippery pussy clenches on me until she’s worked herself all the way down to the base of my cock. My hands grip hard on her hips as I kiss every bit of her I can reach.

  “I just want to know one thing.” I hiss, moving her up and down. She moans as her clit rubs at the base, and she grinds on it. “Did you remember that I was the first one to have you, every time you touched your pussy?”

  “Yes!” she cries out, head thrown back in ecstasy.

  She’s moving quicker now, taking what she wants while I’m still in control. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than her lost to pleasure.

  “Get used to this dick, because it’s the last one you’ll ever have.” She clenches around me, an
d I grunt while I thrust into her. “It’s game over, Jill. I’m not ever losing you again.”

  One little graze of my thumb over her clit, and she detonates. Her legs tense, her back arches, and ripples of pleasure cascade down her body.

  “Always so eager to cum.”

  Without waiting for her orgasm to finish, I flip us over and slam her into the mattress. I use one big hand to grab her wrists and pin them above her head as I truly let loose. I fuck into her hard and deep like I’m trying to make up for all those years apart. Like I need to erase all that time between us with my cock.

  “Tell me you’re mine,” I growl as I thrust harder.

  “Yours!” she shouts, and another orgasm is wrenched from her.

  She’s soaking wet, and the sounds, the scent of her, all of it is driving me to the brink of insanity. She was my salvation behind those bars, and now that she’s under me, I’m going to worship her like my very own goddess.

  My cock is sturdy and thick as I thrust one final time and release into her. The relentless pulse of her cunt around me is heaven, and I collapse on top of her. I know I’m heavy, but I can’t chance her getting away, so I pin her to the bed.

  I feel her cling to me just as tightly, and I wonder if she’s thinking about when they dragged me away.

  “Not this time,” I gasp, trying to catch my breath. “Not going anywhere.”

  To my surprise it sounds like she’s crying, and I lean back to look at her.

  “You can’t leave again,” she says as the tears fall from her eyes. “You have to promise me.”

  “I swear it,” I say and take her face in both my hands. I give her a hard look that pledges my soul to hers. “Never again.”

  This time when we make love, I hold her tight and look into her eyes until she comes apart in my arms. This moment is more than just a connection of bodies; we are binding our hearts as one.

  Chapter 7

  Jillian

  I reach my hand out, trying to find Isaac. My eyes fly open when my fingers meet a cold side of the bed. I sit up and look around my bedroom, seeing no sign of Isaac anywhere. I get out of the bed, knowing I didn't dream him up. I can still feel his touch all over my body.

  Fear creeps through me that he might have once again disappeared. I make my way to the bathroom, pausing when I catch my reflection in the mirror. My fingers linger on the small love bites on my breasts, and my eyes fill with tears. For the first time in my life, I look thoroughly loved and I’m not sure my heart can withstand him vanishing again.

  My fingers trail down to my stomach where I have pale stretch marks from when I was pregnant. I close my eyes thinking about how Isaac pressed his mouth there, kissing the scars. It says something about the kind of man he is that he didn't care that I went and had a child with another man after him. That he still wants me—or at least that’s what he said last night.

  What if he got what he wanted and he left? I turn away from the mirror, not wanting to look at myself. What if he destroyed me once again? It’s so hard for me to believe that based on our connection. I don’t truly think he could leave me to go be with another woman, but maybe that only goes to show how naïve I am about love. I could never bring myself to move on from him.

  Chris is a perfect example of that. He’s everything I should be looking for in a partner, but there was nothing there. The thought of him trying to kiss me made my skin crawl, and luckily he hadn't tried. It eats me up inside to think Isaac could have been with someone else after that night we shared.

  This kind of thinking is so silly. I should talk to him about it and stop speculating.

  Last night I wanted to savor him for a moment longer before I might possibly make him hate me. He’d been more than onboard with us not rehashing everything last night too. It has me wondering if there’s a story he still needs to tell me. Maybe he thinks he’s going to send me running, but at the moment it looks like he’s missing.

  I grab my robe off the hook and put it on before I clean myself up. I don’t want to run all over the house looking like a hot mess after I leave my bedroom. Shit. Why hadn't I thought about the fact that last night Rae could have tried to come into my bedroom at any moment?

  Running my hand down my face, I realize I need to put some clothes on. I snag some yoga pants and a sweater, and when I come out I see Isaac sitting on the bench at the end of my bed. He’s fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater looking like he stepped off the cover of GQ.

  “I thought you left,” I say as he lifts his head at the sound of my voice.

  “I didn't want your daughter to find me in your bed, and I figured it might be best to change too.” So it looks like he might have gone home and come back or that he slept in another room.

  “Good call.” At least one of us was thinking.

  I walk over to him, and he pulls me in for a kiss. It’s not quick, and as he deepens it, his hands go to my face, one to my chin where he tips my head back and the other to my hair. While his touch is soft, he’s controlling me, and my body responds. He kisses me like girls dream of being kissed, and I don’t ever want it to end.

  He starts to back up, and I know where this is headed. I’m not about to protest, because when Isaac’s touching me I forget about everything else.

  “Mommy!” I hear Rae shout. Quick little feet come racing down the hall.

  Isaac lets out a grunt before breaking the kiss. He turns away from the door and reaches down to adjust his cock before my bedroom door flies open a moment later.

  Rae comes to a sliding halt when she sees Isaac standing there. “You’re still here.” She smiles and looks excited to see him.

  “I am,” Isaac says, returning her smile. “I wanted to have breakfast with your mom.”

  Rae scrunches her nose. “She’s not a very good cook.” She whispers this as if that makes it sound nicer. I only laugh because she’s right. There are a few things I can make, but I’m not the best.

  “How about I cook then? I’m not too bad at pancakes.”

  “Me too! You should add chocolate chips,” she informs him, like that’s a secret recipe.

  “Good idea. Think you can help me?” I love how good he is with her already. It helps that Rae is talking to him so easily.

  “Yes!” She grabs his hand and starts pulling him from the room. He lets her, but not before he reaches out and snags my hand to come with them.

  He asks Rae about her Christmas, and she launches into telling him all the things she got as we make our way downstairs to the kitchen.

  As we walk past the long mirror in the hall, my whole body warms at the sight of the three of us looking like a picture-perfect family. It has me wanting to spend the day like this and once again avoid reality for a little bit longer.

  I didn’t think the hole I dug could get any deeper…

  Chapter 8

  Isaac

  The whole day has been perfect. Rae and I made a huge pancake breakfast for everyone, then she took me on a walk through the gardens to show me her play area, complete with a tree house. We sat up there for hours, and she read me books and we pretended to be pirates while Jillian was the damsel in distress.

  We ended up taking a drive to see Christmas lights around town, and then the three of us finished the night at a nearby restaurant with outdoor heaters and hot cocoa.

  My face hurts from smiling, and my abs actually ache from all the laughing I’ve done. I’ve got years to make up for not doing either of those, and I have a feeling I’m going to be doing a lot more of it.

  Today I was able to sneak a few moments with Jillian when I could put my lips on her. I didn’t realize how hard it would be not to kiss her until I had to restrain myself. Although I want to eventually be able to show her affection in front of Rae, we’re taking it slow, at least for today.

  “For you,” I say to Rae, handing her the little box.

  “Me?” She looks up at me with wide eyes as she sets down her hot cocoa and tears it open.

 
“Isaac.” Jillian’s voice is soft as she takes my hand.

  I shrug. “I saw it in a shop this morning, and I couldn’t resist.”

  Maybe it’s because I have this undeniable soul connection with Jillian, but when I look at Rae, my heart calls to her. Maybe it’s due to part of my blood because of my brother, but no matter the reason, I want her to know she’s important to me. It doesn’t matter that she’s not mine; she’ll be mine from now on. Jillian is it for me, and this is our family. Forever.

  “Oh my gosh, Mommy, look!” She holds up the charm bracelet with the single heart-shaped charm and smiles.

  “It’s a blue topaz,” I tell her as I help her fasten it around her wrist. “It’s the stone for December, which is the month that we met.” I turn the heart over for her to see the little silver disc with the inscription. “And this is the date we met.” I hold her hand and look into her eyes. “Because I want the both of us to remember it forever.”

  Without warning, Rae launches herself into my arms, and I catch her with both hands. I hold her to me as she fits perfectly in the space of my chest with her head tucked against my neck. Something inside of me warms at the unbridled affection, and tears sting my eyes. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than for this little girl to belong to me. My piece of shit brother walked out on her, and I’ll spend my life letting her know that I’m never going anywhere.

  When she releases her hold, she goes back to her seat and drinks her hot chocolate as she talks about showing everyone her gift as soon as we get home. I glance over to see Jillian wiping away tears, and I squeeze her leg.

  We talk about plans for New Year’s Eve and what they do for the ball drop. Rae tells me all about staying up late, which is her favorite, and then watching the fireworks they shoot off in her backyard.

  It’s late by the time we get back home, and Rae has fallen asleep in the backseat. When the car stops, I unbuckle her and then scoop up her limp body in my arms. She’s so tiny like this, and I can’t describe the feeling of holding her in my arms. I have this natural instinct to protect her and keep her safe like it’s in my DNA.