Too Hard Read online

  I follow her closely with the twins hot on my heels. I know they’re normally respectful, but this is too much temptation to look away from.

  “I’ve got it,” I say, bending down to open the cabinet under the sink to turn off the valve. The water stops flowing instantly and it’s enough to get her to calm down.

  “Oh god, thank you.” She breathes a sigh of relief and closes her eyes.

  I can’t look at her like this any longer and I need her to put some damn clothes on.

  “Are your parents home?” I ask, looking around the room.

  Her eyebrows furrow and anger flashes on her face. “This is my apartment.”

  I’ve got my own attitude and if she wants to get feisty with me I can do the same back to her.

  “Great, go put some damn clothes on and then we’ll talk.” I make a point of staring down at tits too fucking big to be braless and under a wet shirt.

  She glances down and gasps as little as she turns around and walks to the back of the place.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Elijah hisses at me as he watches her walk away. “I was getting spank bank storage to last me for the next year.”

  “That’s enough,” I growl, turning around to snap at them.

  The twins stare at me in shock for a second and Owen takes a step back. “Easy, Dad, we’re here to help. Let’s get this done.”

  He’s always been the level-headed one and I watch as he sets the toolbox down and opens it up. I’m snapped out of my momentary slip when I remember why we’re here and get to work. I see the problem right away, but there’s already a ton of water damage to the sheetrock and wood surrounding the sink. I can’t think about that right this second and try to concentrate on fixing the leak.

  “You think she’s a natural redhead?” Elijah whispers to Owen and I can’t hear his response. “I’ve always wonder what it would be like to sink into a pussy with red hair.”

  “That’s enough!” I bark, slamming my tools into the box.

  “Jeez, Dad, calm down,” Elijah says, and he’s looking at me like he’s never seen me before. “Are you okay?”

  We talk about sex a lot because they’re boys and I know it’s always on their minds. But hearing him say that about her has my hackles rising. She’s young enough to be my daughter and I don’t think they should be talking about her like that.

  “I wasn’t saying I was going to force her. I was just wondering if it was any different.”

  I have to turn my back and go back to what I was doing because Elijah is right. This isn’t any different than how he’s talked in front of me before. I tell them about consent and respect, but they’re both so fucking curious about sex they ask questions constantly. Why am I suddenly upset when they’re asking now? Isn’t this what I’ve been telling them for years? To be honest with me about what they want and tell me when they have questions?

  The problem is I don’t know what it would be like to fuck a redhead, but now I want to find out. I want to see those red curls part and then lick her where she’s pink. I want to sink my raw cock into her warm wet cunt and find out if it’s as tight as my hand. I want to feel her squirt on my cock and have it drip down between us.

  “Is it wet enough for you?”

  I jerk around so fast at the sound of her voice I nearly fall over. She’s standing there in the kitchen with a pair of cut-offs so fucking short she might as well be trying to show me her pussy. She’s traded her soaking wet shirt for a tank top that’s low cut and reveals almost as much as before. Does this girl not own a bra?

  “What?” I ask as I blink a few times. I know I didn’t hear her right.

  “The kitchen, is it wet enough for you?” She smiles like she’s making a joke and my mind is going to explode with the implications of her statement.

  “Yes, I mean no,” I sputter and then swallow. “We cut the water to it off and I’m going to replace the pipe,” I say, turning away from her to go back to work. I can’t look at her anymore with how I feel right now.

  “How did you manage to do this?” Owen asks, and I know he’s making polite conversation, but I just want this all to stop. We need to hurry up and get out of here.

  “I got the bright idea that I could fix the leaky pipe myself,” she says behind me, and it sounds like she’s moved closer.

  I glance over and my line of sight is directly to her pussy. She’s a few feet away from me still, but I can see her juicy thighs rubbing together as she walks over and how the denim rolls up between them. She’s got a little camel toe that digs in between her lips and I stare at it while my hands work on the sink. My own muscle memory is fixing the problem while my brain is wondering if it feels good having that strip of denim rubbing against her clit.

  “It’s not hard to fix if you know what you’re doing,” Elijah chimes in and she laughs.

  “I’m into computers and video games, so I should really just stick to that.” Her voice is too fucking sexy to be on someone so young. She sounds like a woman, but I doubt she’s old enough to drink.

  “Really?” Owen pipes up, and I know he’ll be interested in that. The kid loves video games so much that’s what he’s going to college for.

  “Yeah,” she says, and I can hear the smile in her voice as she lists off all the games she plays and Owen sounds impressed. “I’m under BlackoutBomb if you ever want to friend and play.”

  “What?” Elijah and Owen say at the same time.

  “You’re shitting me,” Owen says, and I pop out from under the sink.

  “Language, son,” I say and he shakes his head.

  “Dad, you don’t understand. BlackoutBomb is a legend.” He looks at me and then at her. “You’re serious?”

  “Yeah.” She laughs a little again and I swear to god it goes straight to my cock. “But you can call me Harlow.”

  She holds out her hand, and when Owen reaches to shake it I get out from under the sink and block him.

  “This is going to need a lot of repairs,” I say, pointing to the damage. “I can come back tomorrow and fix this for you.”

  Why am I saying this? I don't have time to come back out here and fix this for her. It’s not even my problem and Dave will be back in a couple of days and he can take care of it. It’s not going to get any worse by then.

  “I have a contractor who is coming tomorrow, but I’m not sure what he’s going to charge me,” she says as she crosses her arms and pushes her tits up. “Do you think you could give me a quote and I can compare the prices?”

  “Our dad is the best in town,” Elijah pipes in, and I feel a twinge of pride as he talks about the work I do. “No matter what the other quote is, our dad is the one you should go with.”

  “So far I like what I see.” Her eyes move up and down my body so quickly that I think I imagined it.

  All of a sudden I’ve got fantasies of sliding my cock between her thick thighs and cumming in between them. She looks so soft there and it would feel like I was cumming in her without the risk of getting her pregnant.

  “Fuck,” I mutter under my breath as I pack up my tools. Where the hell did that thought come from? She’s too fucking young for me to be thinking about that. I should let my boys talk to her. Hell, she’s legal and they’re close to it, so it’s better than them chasing sixteen-year-old pussy and trying not to get caught.

  “What was your name again?” Harlow asks as she moves closer me.

  “Butch,” I grumble, grabbing a card out of my toolbox and leaving it on the counter. “You can reach me at that number and let me know about tomorrow.” I sling my belt over my shoulder and nod to her as I push the boys out the door.

  “Hey, Butch,” she says, putting her hand on my forearm to stops me from leaving. “Thanks for coming.”

  My mind whirls with what she’s just said and how that would sound with her on her knees in front of me. The way she’s looking at me now, I wonder if she’s ever had a cock on her lips.

  “Anytime,” I say as I nod to the card. “
You have my number.”

  I walk out and hear the door close behind me as I follow the boys to the truck. When I get in the cab I grip the steering wheel and take one last look at her window. I think for a second I see the curtain move, but I’m probably wrong. My mind is all over the place tonight and I need to remind myself that a girl like that is off limits. I’m old enough to be her dad and she was probably just being nice. I’m a dirty motherfucker for all the thoughts I’ve had and getting some distance is good.

  “Holy fucking shit.” Elijah says from the back seat and I see him lean his head back. “Did that just really happen?”

  “Watch your mouth,” I say, pulling out of the parking lot and driving towards the house.

  “I can’t believe we just met BlackoutBomb. She’s a badass.” Owen is beside me and I look over and see him adjust in his seat and I’m annoyed.

  “It’s just a girl. You two need to get yourselves under control.” My knuckles are turning white and I’m talking to myself as much as to them.

  “Seriously, Dad? Maybe you need to get laid, because that was some high-quality shit back there and you’re acting like it was old Mrs. Krabappel with a broken toilet.” He curses again and then I hear him laugh. “I can’t wait to get home. I’m going to have the sweetest dreams tonight.”

  My skin crawls when I think about the boys doing stuff to the image of Harlow. Why do I feel so protective of her and why do I care? It must be because I’m a dad and I have an instinct for it.

  I’m too fucking hard for someone I can’t have.

  Chapter Three

  Harlow

  I fidget with the card Butch gave me because I’m unable to put it down. I’ve had it locked tightly in my hand since he left it because I’m worried that if I put it down I might lose it. My place is a mess, and I should try and do some damage control before my cousin shows up here tomorrow with the other contractor. She’s going to kill me, but maybe if I clean it up a bit it won’t look so bad.

  The boys with Butch tried to clean some of it up for me, but Butch was pretty much pushing them through the door to get them out of here. One second I thought he might be checking me out and the next he couldn't get away from me fast enough.

  I take the card over to my laptop and place it safely next to it.

  I can’t stop thinking of Butch standing there when I opened the door. I felt a calm roll over me and the constant chatter in my head stopped for a moment as I took him in. I thought he was handsome, but that’s not the right word. He’s sexy as hell in a rugged, worked hard way and he has to be one of the hottest men I’ve ever seen. He reminded me of one of those badass Navy SEALs from Call of Duty—a game I spend way too much time on. If I didn't know any better I would think one of my fantasies has finally come to life and he came to save the day!

  It was cute when the boys knew who I was, but Butch didn't look as though he cared when they mentioned my name. It isn’t some big pride of mine that I’m really good at Call of Duty, but for some reason I wanted him to perk up at it and show some interest. He hadn't and I’m pretty sure he snapped at the boys to get back to work.

  I probably shouldn’t call them boys because they looked to be about a year or two younger than me. Not that anyone would be able to tell that from looking at me. I’ve always looked young for my age and more so when I don't dress up or put on any makeup on. If this place wasn't such a mess I’d ask my cousin to come over early and do my makeup before Butch gets here. I want to look sexy and maybe catch his eye or something.

  I make my way over to the mess at the sink and try to clean it up as best I can. I slip and fall twice while I’m doing it and there’s already a bruise forming on my thigh.

  I use every one of the nice fluffy towels Nellie talked me into getting. I didn't see why I needed more than two towels when she made me get them, but once again she was right. I’m thankful for all of them as I jam them into my washing machine.

  When I come back to the kitchen I take in what’s left of the mess I’ve made. All the water is cleaned up, but I know a lot of this stuff is going to need to be ripped out. I feel guilty for all the work I ruined and I should be super mad at myself. But when my mind drifts back to Butch and knowing he’ll be here again, I can’t be sorry. If I hadn’t broken the pipe I wouldn't have met him.

  Maybe that will get Nellie to not be so mad at me for destroying my kitchen. She’s always trying to get me to show interest in some guy. I’m showing interest right now, but he’s a man and he might be too much for me to handle.

  I look down at my clothes that are once again soaked through and I remember that Butch thought I lived with my parents. I groan, hating that he didn’t see me as a woman. When I went into my bedroom to change I tried to find something I thought might be sexy and would maybe make me look a little older. He just looked mostly annoyed after that. I think the boys noticed, though, since their eyes kept drifting to my breasts.

  I pull my dirty shirt off and hang it in the bathroom. I hadn't put a bra on earlier because I hate them even though I know I need one. I’m so top heavy and I’ve been this way my whole life. When I’m home I never wear one. Nellie says it’s bullshit I never show them off, but I tried and Butch didn't take notice.

  When I walk into my bedroom I pull off my shorts and grab a pair of sleep pants and a thin T-shirt. I decide to go back to the living room and try to get lost in my work for a while and stop thinking about calling the number on the card. I want to hear his deep voice again because it made my whole body tingle with awareness.

  My phone rings on the kitchen counter and I run over to grab it when I hear Nellie's ringtone. I don’t know why I thought it could be Butch because he doesn’t have my number.

  I have to answer or she’s going to show up over here. I have enough to think about right now without her standing in front of me with five million questions. I need to focus on things like what I should wear tomorrow and I don’t need her here yelling at me. Okay, maybe not yelling, but giving me the look I always get from her, my aunt, and my mom. The look that always wonders how I end up knee deep in something. Today it’s water.

  “Hey,” I chirp a little too loudly, knowing I gave myself up.

  “Oh god. What did you do?” I hear a trace of horror in her voice. “You’re so lucky you have money to burn,” she adds, and I think she’s trying to reassure herself and not me.

  “Maybe my bathroom needs to be redone, too,” I throw out as a distraction.

  “Oh, I saw these cool new toilets that have seat warmers.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief that it worked and I’ll be honest that does sound kind of cool. But my small victory is short lived.

  “Wait a second. I know what you’re doing.”

  “I broke the pipe,” I admit as I rip the Band-Aid off and get it over with.

  If redoing my bathroom isn’t going to work, nothing will. Maybe it will soften the blow when she sees the place. This way she’ll kind of know what she's walking into tomorrow. It won’t all be dropped on her head at once.

  “Of course you did, Harlow. Let me make a call I’ll see—”

  “The property manager sent someone to come stop the flooding.”

  “Flooding!” she yells through the phone.

  “Soft flow of water coming from the pipe?” I try rewording it to see if that helps.

  “I can’t with you.” At least she laughs when she says it.

  “The guy who came over was hot,” I say, and that stops her from laughing.

  “Oh my. He must really be hot if he got your attention.” I walk over to the sofa and sit down, picking up his card again. “Did he ask you out?”

  “No,” I admit, and it sucks because I’ve never gone on a date. They look boring if you ask me. Two people who don't know each other having to be awkward face to face. “He gave me his number?”

  “Why does that sound like a question?” She laughs. “I want to see this guy.”

  “Well, he’ll be back tomorrow.”
r />   “God, is your place so bad that he has to come back?” She starts laughing again. “It’s so bad you need two contractors to fix it.”

  I snort because that sounds about right for me.

  “Now tell me why you think he gave you his number,” Nellie says.

  “He gave me his business card.” I turn the card over and take all of it in. I’ve already memorized the thing.

  “Oh.”

  “Oh?” Maybe it meant more than I thought and a spark of hope dies inside of me.

  “God, I don’t know. That can go either way. We’ll have to feel him out tomorrow.”

  I want to feel him out, but in the dirtiest ways possible. I could tell under his simple black shirt he was hard all over. He might not really be a Navy SEAL, but it was clear the man did manual labor.

  “I think he’s twice my age.” I throw that out there, too. If she’s going to show up here tomorrow, she’ll likely see him anyway.

  “You like older men? Maybe that’s where I’ve gone wrong when I’ve tried to hook you up.”

  I swear I can hear her going through her catalogue of people to set me up with, but I think she’s only half right. I have a thing for one older man and that’s Butch. I just don’t think he has a thing for younger women.

  Chapter Four

  Butch

  “You keep staying up so late I’m going to give you a bedtime again,” I say to Owen, who yawns for the third time while eating his breakfast.

  “I was playing with BlackoutBomb last night until like three in the morning.” He yawns again and wipes a hand down his face. “She’s incredible.”

  “Who?” I ask, only half listening to him as I scramble some eggs for Elijah. I hear his heavy footsteps coming down the stairs and he’s always starving first thing.

  “Oh sorry, Harlow.”

  At the sound of her name I turn around. “You were doing what with her?”

  “Playing a video game,” Elijah answers for him as he comes into the kitchen, takes the plate I just made him and grabs some juice from the fridge. “Should have been jerking off like I was because that was not time wasted.”