A Mom for Christmas Read online

  A Mom for Christmas

  by Marteeka Karland

  Marteeka Karland, LLC

  Copyright © 2015 by Marteeka Karland

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or shared in any form, including but not limited to: printing, photocopying, faxing, recording, electronic transmission, or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the authors or holders of the copyright.

  This book is a work of fiction. References may be made to locations and historical events; however, names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the authors’ imaginations and/or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons (living or dead), businesses, events or locales is either used fictitiously or coincidental. All trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks, and registered service marks are the property of their respective owners and are used herein for identification purposes only.

  Published by: Marteeka Karland

  Website: www.marteekakarland.com

  Note about eBooks

  eBooks are NOT transferable. Re-selling, sharing or giving away eBooks is a copyright infringement. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the author.

  WARNING!

  This work of erotica contains adult language and sexually explicit scenes, which are smoking hot. This book is intended only for adults, as it is defined by the laws of the country in which the purchase is made. Keep this book out of the hands of under-aged readers.

  BLUB:

  Sebastian Taylor isn’t looking for a mother for his girls, but playing the role of both parents isn’t something he ever thought he’d have to do. Unfortunately, his wife left him no choice, disappearing before serving him with divorce papers last year on Christmas Day.

  He’s known Sadira Duncan since she first started teaching at the school. Coaching the cheerleading squad and gymnastics team put her directly in the path of his girls, setting her up become the mother figure they’d lost even before Dedra Taylor had skipped town.

  Now, Sebastian aches for the beautiful, dark-skinned woman he’s tried so hard not to notice. She’s everything he’s ever wanted in a wife, and his daughters love and respect her. Not only that, but she tempts him more than any woman ever has. But when his ex-wife returns, will his life come crashing down once again? Will his daughters have a second Christmas ruined? Or will they get A Mother for Christmas?

  This heartwarming contemporary romance will make you believe again in the magic of Christmas. For fans of contemporary romance, interracial romance, and erotic romance.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “Not in this lifetime, honey.” The plunging V-neck shirt that didn’t cover his daughter’s midriff and the short skirt that revealed way too much thigh would be burned at the earliest opportunity. Like the next day when he cleaned her room and found them lying in the floor where he knew she’d throw them.

  “But, Dad—”

  “No ‘buts.’ Just change.”

  “You know my cheer skirt is shorter than this.” Rebecca rolled her eyes as she stomped off to her bedroom to change.

  “Yes, but you’re appropriately covered underneath.”

  “She’ll just come out in something worse, Daddy.” His middle daughter, Jessica, crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. “We’re gonna be late.”

  “We’re not leaving until your sister is presentable.” For anything other than a hooker-of-the-year contest. He shuddered at the thought.

  Sebastian Taylor had known raising three girls on his own was going to be hard, but how did one prepare for this? His oldest was going through that teenage thing girls did, his middle one was going through her know-it-all slash tells-on-everyone phase. Only his youngest, Zoe, seemed to have any sanity left in her. That is to say, she was still Daddy’s little girl.

  “Daddy?” Speaking of his little princess… “Can I cheer with the big girls tonight?”

  He grinned. Daddy’s little girl, but rapidly growing up in the image of her older sister. “Only if Miss Sadira says it’s all right.”

  “So, I can take my cheerleading outfit?” Who could say no to those bright blue eyes and hopeful smile? He sure as hell couldn’t.

  “Yes, baby. Put it in your gym bag, and you can change there, if Miss Sadira says you can.”

  Beaming at him, she ran down the hallway calling, “She always lets me!”

  And so she did. Sadira Duncan seemed to take a special interest in all three of Sebastian’s girls. Though Jessica had no interest in cheerleading, she had a keen interest in gymnastics, which Sadira also coached. She’d kept the three busy when the disappearance of their mother would have devastated them.

  Dedra had gone to work one morning in December and simply hadn’t returned. She’d made it to her job, worked half the morning, then just…vanished. No one knew what had happened. The police had even considered Sebastian a suspect for several weeks before he’d had been presented with divorce papers courtesy of Dedra’s lawyer. On Christmas morning. Sebastian had never seen or heard from her again, though she’d apparently spoken to the police via teleconference, assuring them all was well and that she’d left the country with no intentions of returning any time soon. She hadn’t even bothered to explain anything to the girls. They’d been devastated. Needless to say, this Christmas would probably prove to be a special kind of hell for them, and Sebastian had never felt more helpless in his life.

  Rebecca appeared at the top of the steps, skipping down them as if she thought she was actually leaving the house dressed like that.

  “Uh uh, baby.” Sebastian made a spinning motion with his finger, indicating she should just turn around and head back upstairs.

  “Come on!” She stomped her foot, earning a raised eyebrow from him. “What’s wrong with this? It covers everything!”

  “And is so tight you might as well have painted it on. How’d you get them fastened, anyway?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Normal-fitting jeans and a shirt that isn’t three sizes too small, please.”

  “We’re gonna be late, Dad!” Rebecca whined. “I’m gonna have to do laps and it will be your fault!”

  “Clothes. Now.”

  A tug on his pant leg had him looking down at Zoe. When she motioned for him to bend down, she whispered in his ear, “She’s trying to impress Jacob.”

  Sebastian jerked up, giving his youngest an “are you kidding me?” look.

  “She is. Watch him at the game. He’ll be sitting right in front of her making funny faces. Rebecca acts funny around him, too.”

  “Funny how?” Sebastian knew his eyes narrowed, but he couldn’t help it. Zoe looked down at her shoes as though she were the one in trouble.

  “She makes kissy faces at him,” Jessica supplied readily. “And they’re all the time going under the bleachers. Miss Sadira caught them last week and told them if she caught either of them under there again, she’d not only rat them out but kick Rebecca off the cheer squad.”

  Okay, this was a little serious. Which was Rebecca’s cue to skip down the steps…wearing yet another pair of jeans the she looked like she’d poured herself into. Thankfully, the sweater fit better.

  With a sigh, Sebastian walked past her, snagging her arm as he went so she had to follow him back to her room. Sure enough, the previous two outfits were in the floor in a corner. This was one time he wouldn’t insist she pick t
hem up.

  Rummaging through her closet, he chose a pair of jeans he knew fit her and tossed them to her. “If you come downstairs wearing anything other than those pants and the top you have on, I’ll be in here with you when you change the next time.”

  As he left her room and shut the door, he knew she made a face at him. Better that than his daughter going out in public dressed like that.

  From behind the door, Rebecca’s angry voice muttered just loud enough for him to hear, “Mom woulda let me wear the skirt.”

  And the fact was, Dedra would have let her wear it. Would’ve encouraged it. She lived her life through their oldest daughter, a source of contention between him and Dedra throughout Rebecca’s life. Dedra hadn’t been a bad mother—they just didn’t share the same ideals about how to raise the girls. She’d have let them do any and everything they wanted. Sebastian wanted to lock them up until they turned forty. Or longer. He tried to settle for them wearing decent-fitting clothing and minimal make-up until they reached eighteen.

  Finally, when Rebecca emerged this time, Sebastian pronounced them ready to go. They all piled into the minivan—the Dadmobile, as Jessica liked to call it—and headed to the football game only fifteen minutes behind schedule.

  When they arrived, Rebecca was five minutes late for the squad’s warm-up. She tried to let Sebastian take the fall—which he would have done just to keep her out of trouble this one time—but Sadira frowned, glancing at Sebastian as if to gauge his reaction to the girl’s story. Giving a shrug and nodding, Sebastian watched the two. He couldn’t hear what Sadira said, but by the look on Rebecca’s face, her coach wasn’t buying it. There seemed to be a heated exchange, but, surprisingly, Rebecca only ducked her head and began running laps around the football field before changing into her uniform.

  Then Sadira approached Sebastian. God, he didn’t need this. Sadira was walking, talking sex on long, toned legs. Before Dedra had left them, Sebastian had been too busy trying to keep their marriage together to notice the sexy, chocolate-skinned beauty. Now, Sadira was the object of many of his nighttime fantasies. And that was just messed up. The girl couldn’t be much older than Rebecca. Certainly not old enough to know what to do with the sexual appetites of a man like him. Now, she approached him in black leggings that hugged her thighs and ass like a second skin. An over-large sweatshirt helped ward off the late-night December air, but she had to be chilly. Would her nipples be stabbing through whatever bra she wore underneath? He imagined it was a black sports bra to match her leggings.

  “She says it’s your fault she was late?”

  Sebastian had to shake his head a little to dislodge the erotic image he had of stripping off that sweatshirt and fastening his mouth over one hard nipple through her bra, flicking his tongue over the peak until she squealed. He cleared his throat, adjusting his coat to cover his growing erection. “Well, she’s running laps, so I’m assuming you didn’t believe her.”

  “Didn’t say that. But the rules still apply.”

  Instead of answering, Sebastian asked a question of his own. “You know anything about a boy named Jacob?”

  Sadira snorted. “I know he’s sniffing around Rebecca like he wants to give her the GaGa Disco Stick.”

  There was absolutely no way for Sebastian to control his laughter. Serious as the matter was, Sadira obviously had the matter in hand, even if he didn’t. “A bit of a crude analogy, don’t you think? This is my daughter we’re talking about.”

  “Yeah, well, I never did subtle.” Sadira nodded in Rebecca’s direction. “She’s a good kid. A bit like her mother, but she has more of you in her than she’d like to admit. Don’t worry about Jacob. He’s not good enough for her, and she knows it. She’ll hold out for a better catch. Girl’s toying with him because she can.”

  “You seem pretty certain of that.”

  “Believe me.” She gave him a level look. “I know how girls work. That one”—she nodded again at Rebecca—“is just confused. Hurt and angry. She’ll come around. Realize her behavior is a bit self destructive and change her tune.”

  “Before she gets pregnant?” The thought gave Sebastian hives.

  “Yeah.” Sadira chuckled. “Before we have to call you gramps.”

  “Not funny, sweetheart. So not funny.”

  “Miss Sadira.” Zoe tugged on Sadira’s shirt. “Can I cheer with the big girls tonight?”

  Sadira bent down to tweak the little girl’s nose. “Of course! I can’t sit my best girl on the bench, now can I?”

  Zoe gave a delighted shriek and headed off to the girls’ locker room, where she had her own little corner that Sadira had sectioned off with threats of doom and gloom to anyone who touched it.

  “Hey, Jessica!” Sadira called across the field to where Jessica was talking with friends, looking a little forlorn. So not like the spunky ten-year-old from a year ago. “Get dressed! I need your tumbling tonight!” Immediately, the girl’s countenance brightened, a smile splitting her face from ear to ear.

  Jessica might not be the cheerleader type, but the girl was tough as nails in gymnastics. Though she was proficient for her age on all apparatus, tumbling was where she excelled. Sadira always made sure to include her in some way.

  “You’re good to them,” Sebastian said in a low voice, knowing his tone showed how much her kindness affected him personally. “Thank you.”

  Smiling, she said, “They need a woman in their life to keep them straight. I’m afraid you’d let them walk all over you if I weren’t careful.”

  “Hey, just this evening I made Rebecca change clothes three times before we came out.” Sebastian couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at his lips. They’d done this before and Sadira always said the same thing.

  “Exactly. She should come out dressed appropriately without you having to tell her. She’s pushing you because she knows she can.” Sadira turned to go, but not before looking over her shoulder, giving him a sassy smile. “But don’t worry. I don’t think girls ever outgrow that particular trait.”

  God, he wanted her! Jogging away from him, that pert, rounded ass of hers seemed to taunt him. If he spanked it, would those taut globes move just that split second before stilling under his palm? If he didn’t know better, he’d have thought she did it on purpose.

  Chapter Two

  The night was full of chilly weather, football players, cheerleaders with more enthusiasm than raw talent, and a small-town good time. As it should be. Oh, there were some parents who took everything way too seriously, yelling at their sons on the field or instructing their daughter to “keep your pom-poms up!” but, overall, Sadira loved it here. Loved her job as a teacher and cheerleading-and-gymnastics coach. And, as uncomfortable as it sometimes was, she was growing to care way too much about the entire Taylor family.

  Rebecca, even with her typical teenage rebellion in full blossom, carried a pain so deep, Sadira longed to sooth her as only a mother could. While Jessica and Zoe missed their mother, Rebecca and Dedra had been extremely close. The girl probably felt as betrayed as Sebastian did.

  Yeah. Sebastian. There was one subject she’d best stay away from. It would be so easy to fall for the stunning father of three. Not only was he charming, with movie-star good looks and a body to die for, but he was so good to his daughters it made her heart ache. What woman wouldn’t fall for that? Since his wife had left them all nearly a year before, the girls had become increasingly clingy with their father and, surprisingly, with Sadira herself. Probably because she was with them so much in and after school.

  Still, she always felt like she was intruding, no matter how much the girls or Sebastian seemed to welcome her presence. The last thing she wanted was to be seen as a replacement mother. Unfortunately, that was exactly what she felt like.

  The game went as expected. That is to say, their team lost. But Sadira praised her cheer squad, and they all called out encouragement to the boys on the football team and, ultimately, everyone left with smiles on their faces.
r />   Except Sadira.

  She loved school activities, not only because she loved working with teenagers and young kids, but because it got her out of her empty apartment. When no one suggested pizza or ice cream afterwards, she gamely waved as everyone left. Inwardly, Sadira dreaded going home.

  “Miss Sadira!” Zoe came running, pigtails flying, her cheeks flushed a cherry red in the chill fall air.

  “You better catch up to your dad. He’ll leave you here, and you’d be stuck with me.” She grinned, knowing full well Sebastian Taylor would never leave one of his precious girls behind.

  “Like that would be a bad thing.” Zoe grinned broadly. “Thanks for letting me cheer with the big girls.”

  “Oh, sweetie! You’re very welcome. I like having you with us. You’re going to be a great cheerleader.”

  The child beamed, her toothy grin enough to brighten even the darkest nights. “You want to get pizza with us? Dad said we should ask you since you’re so nice to us.” She glanced over her shoulder as if looking for someone before she continued. “Don’t tell Dad, but he picks out terrible pizza. I like it when you come with us because you know what I like best.”

  Sadira laughed. “You little imp! And here I thought you liked my company.” She scooped up the child and tossed her over her shoulder, catching her by the backs of her thighs so Zoe had to brace herself with her hands on Sadira’s back. “I’ll get you for that.”

  Thankfully, this gave her a small reprieve from a night alone. Her place was really empty since her mother passed away the previous summer. The Taylor clan was just what she needed to cheer her up.

  As she approached the Dadmobile, as the girls affectionately called it, Sadira’s gaze inevitably found Sebastian. His big, muscular frame leaned lazily against the passenger side, arms crossed as he watched her make her way to the van. Why did her breath have to quicken at the sight of him? The possessive gaze did something to her insides that was probably illegal in several states. She was sure the images that predatory stare put in her mind certainly were.