Author: Piper Rayne
Genre/Age: Contemporary Romance/Adult
Series: Single Dads Club Series (Book One)
Publisher: Self-published
Format: ebook via Author
Rating: ✺✺✺✺
Links: Goodreads
Synopsis: Red Flags…
Too loud.
Too clingy.
Too much make-up.
I could go on and on. The other guys in the Single Dad’s Club would say I’m obsessed with finding them. But none of their kid’s mothers call a maximum-security prison home either, so their opinions mean shit.
Caterina Santora has her own list of red flags…
She’s too young.
She’s my client’s daughter.
She’s my five-year old’s camp counselor.
Even after repeating this mantra to myself every morning on the way to Lily’s summer camp, guess what happens the moment I see Cat? Yeah, that mantra turns into ride me, doggie style and reverse cowgirl.
Every. Damn. Time.
The fact that she doesn’t remember me from six years before grates on me until I don’t have it in me to leave her alone any longer. I have to have her. But our lives are opposites in every way. In no way compatible.
When we’re together all the complications fade away and I have to keep reminding myself, even if I can have her— I can’t keep her.
NOTE: Adult Content Ahead
There are at least ten camp counselors currently standing in the water watching the children, and six of them are female. Victor doesn’t understand the epidemic he’s going to have on his hands. The longer I sit there, the more dads find their way down to the lake, thinking it’s an everyday Thursday pickup. To their surprise, it’s a teenage boy’s wet dream. And maybe that teenage boy’s dad’s, too.Caterina is laughing with another female counselor. I never noticed how her cheeks rise into two small apples when she smiles. Nor did I notice the way her hands cover her mouth to stifle a laugh or how she briefly touches the other person’s arm when she’s amused. Damn, I want to pull that reaction out of her.
But all I’ve gotten this week since camp started is a few polite smiles and ‘hello Mr. Kent.’ She hasn’t acted as though I’ve seen more of her than what that bikini she’s wearing reveals.
“What did I miss?” Dane sits down next to me, trying to catch his breath.
“What the hell do you do all day that you can’t be here on time?”
He glances over to me and then concentrates ahead of him. I can’t blame him, we don’t get views like this in Climax Cove very often.
“Does Victor realize he’s giving every dad here beat off material for tonight?” Dane asks. A few of the dads milling about laugh, knowing it’s true.
A small ball of anger begins brewing in my center. The idea of these dickheads thinking about what’s under the blue bikini hugging Cat’s tits gets under my skin. That beat off material is for me and only me.
“And to answer your question, I had to go down to the county for some paperwork.”
Dane’s been doing some heavy renovations to Happy Daze the last few years, expanding and making it a more family-friendly bar and grill during the day.
“Sorry, that sucks.”
Both of us continue our conversation as we pretend to watch our children. I can multitask though. My gaze veers to Lily to make sure she’s not drowning, but she’s taken swimming lessons since she was one, so I don’t have to worry too much.
“We can talk about that shit later.” Dane waves me off. “Fuck, this is so not fair. How is my kid getting more action than I’ve seen this week?” He bites his fist, watching Toby and his friends pour a bucket of water over his camp counselor’s head. Her yellow bikini doesn’t exactly hide the fact the water might have been slightly chilly.
Lily looks away from the action in the lake, finds me sitting there, and smiles. “Why do I suddenly feel dirty?” I mumble to myself.
Lily runs from the lake and Caterina says something to one of the other counselors and follows Lily’s path. Our eyes lock, but Cat is quick to shift her focus elsewhere.
“Daddy!” Lily screams and jumps into my arms, soaking me in the process.
“Hi, sweetie.” I prop her on my knee.
“Hi, Uncle Dane,” her sweet voice says.
I clear my throat so he’ll turn his attention from the lake to my daughter. Dane turns to me, back to the lake, and then realizes why I’m clearing my throat.
“Hey, kiddo. Swim day, huh?” He leans back on his hands, focusing his attention on her.
“Come.” She jumps down from my lap and grabs my hand.
“No, sweetie. I’ll wait until you’re done. Go have fun with your friends.”
She smiles and runs off.
“Damn, a little warning, huh? I’m practically tucking my dick between my legs,” Dane says and shifts in his seat.
“Um, how do you think I feel?”
“Who’s the dickhead?” Dane asks, head nodding to the lake.
One of the male camp counselors approaches Cat. She laughs at his joke and shakes her head. I don’t miss the way his eyes light up when she puts her hand on his forearm.
“Who?” I pretend my heart isn’t skipping beats from the adrenaline coursing through my system. Just call me a fucking caveman.
“Yeah, okay. Your eyes have been glued to one counselor, in particular, this whole week.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I glance around to make sure no other parents overheard us.
“Is that how you’re gonna play it?” he asks, turning toward me and raising his eyebrows in question.
I say nothing, watching the dickhead pick up Caterina by the waist, her squealing and him dropping her in the deeper part of the lake. She stands up and now she’s dripping wet in her blue bikini that probably matches the color of my balls.
Once again, I swear her gaze veers over to me as she pushes her hands through her drenched hair. Before I can be certain, she’s concentrating on the kids again. She claps her hands and announces swim time is over for her group.
“Man, your chick is a fun sponge,” Dane says because Toby’s camp counselor is still in a water battle with her kids.
I push off the picnic table to head over to pick up Lily and gather her things.
Piper Rayne, or Piper and Rayne, whichever you prefer because we’re not one author, we’re two. Yep, you get two USA Today bestselling authors for the price of one. You might be wondering if you know us? Maybe you’ll read our books and figure it out. Maybe you won’t. Does it really matter?
We aren’t trying to stamp ourselves with a top-secret label. We wanted to write without apology. We wanted to not be pigeon holed into a specific outline. We wanted to give readers a story without them assuming how the story will flow. Everyone has their favorite authors, right? And when you pick up their books, you expect something from them. Whether it’s an alpha male, heavy angst, a happily ever after, there’s something you are absolutely certain the book will contain. Heck, we’re readers, too, we get it.
What can we tell you about ourselves? We both have kindle’s full of one-clickable books. We’re both married to husbands who drive us to drink. We’re both chauffeurs to our kids. Most of all, we love hot heroes and quirky heroines that make us laugh, and we hope you do, too.
**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book.**
First member of the Single Dads Club will fall... in love!
When Marcus drops his daughter off for her first day of camp, he sees a blast from his past. A woman who certainly isn't the eighteen year old girl she had been six years ago. No, Caterina is all grown up. And when she pretends like she doesn't remember him or the embarrassing moment they both shared, he's a little peeved.
Cat remembers Marcus, alright. She could never forget the man she threw herself at back when she was a young girl, desperate for his attention. Now, she's independent, mature, and starting her art career. She doesn't need Marcus' attention any longer. But that doesn't mean her body agrees with her.
The two cannot avoid each other since Cat is Marcus' daughter's camp counselor. And their attraction to the other is hard to deny, especially when they find themselves alone, time and again. But there is a little girl in the middle of any relationship the couple may desire and having a summer fling could lead to broken hearts for all three of them.
This is the first book of a brand new series by Piper Rayne. I've read and loved their Modern Love series and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Caterina is related to one of the girls from that series. We even got to spend a chapter or so catching up with our girl and her hubby. And nope, I'm not telling you who it is. You'll have to read it to find out.
Marcus was a layered character with quirks and several complications in his life that needed to be handled before he could commit to anything serious with Cat. I could easily sympathize with him in trying to shelter his daughter from the tragic answers to the questions she asked. I have kids so I know how hard it is to talk about difficult truths.
Cat was a less complex character but she had her own issues to figure out. I loved how she tried to share her passion for art with the camp children. And I enjoyed seeing her interact with Marcus' daughter. It was clear early on that I could root for Marcus and Cat's relationship to succeed. Though, it would have been nice to see more of her thoughts as she contemplated her future.
As for the romance, it was definitely of the spicy variety. The first intimate scene isn't even an actual sex scene and I still needed to fan myself. This wasn't the best choice of book to read in the middle of a crowded room that's for sure. The lustful feelings between our couple are present from the very beginning and only got hotter as the story progressed.
The plot is pretty simple, really. There are a couple of twists but nothing entirely too dramatic. The relationship between our couple blooms at a steady rate. I do wish that the plot thread with Cat's father had been better explored. One of the reasons Marcus is hesitant to date Cat is because of her father. I wanted to see what happened when the secret came out.
When Marcus drops his daughter off for her first day of camp, he sees a blast from his past. A woman who certainly isn't the eighteen year old girl she had been six years ago. No, Caterina is all grown up. And when she pretends like she doesn't remember him or the embarrassing moment they both shared, he's a little peeved.
Cat remembers Marcus, alright. She could never forget the man she threw herself at back when she was a young girl, desperate for his attention. Now, she's independent, mature, and starting her art career. She doesn't need Marcus' attention any longer. But that doesn't mean her body agrees with her.
The two cannot avoid each other since Cat is Marcus' daughter's camp counselor. And their attraction to the other is hard to deny, especially when they find themselves alone, time and again. But there is a little girl in the middle of any relationship the couple may desire and having a summer fling could lead to broken hearts for all three of them.
This is the first book of a brand new series by Piper Rayne. I've read and loved their Modern Love series and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Caterina is related to one of the girls from that series. We even got to spend a chapter or so catching up with our girl and her hubby. And nope, I'm not telling you who it is. You'll have to read it to find out.
Marcus was a layered character with quirks and several complications in his life that needed to be handled before he could commit to anything serious with Cat. I could easily sympathize with him in trying to shelter his daughter from the tragic answers to the questions she asked. I have kids so I know how hard it is to talk about difficult truths.
Cat was a less complex character but she had her own issues to figure out. I loved how she tried to share her passion for art with the camp children. And I enjoyed seeing her interact with Marcus' daughter. It was clear early on that I could root for Marcus and Cat's relationship to succeed. Though, it would have been nice to see more of her thoughts as she contemplated her future.
As for the romance, it was definitely of the spicy variety. The first intimate scene isn't even an actual sex scene and I still needed to fan myself. This wasn't the best choice of book to read in the middle of a crowded room that's for sure. The lustful feelings between our couple are present from the very beginning and only got hotter as the story progressed.
The plot is pretty simple, really. There are a couple of twists but nothing entirely too dramatic. The relationship between our couple blooms at a steady rate. I do wish that the plot thread with Cat's father had been better explored. One of the reasons Marcus is hesitant to date Cat is because of her father. I wanted to see what happened when the secret came out.
In closing...
I can't wait to see who is next and which woman will scoop them up! Four suns!
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