Samuel: Second Chance Romance/Secret Child (Cooper Brothers #2)

by Nikki Ashton

  I remembered that night clearly, and being unsure what to say, I’d looked at Josh who was staring at me intently, but I knew that I didn’t want to lie and tell Frankie that he was his dad. I often wondered whether Josh held that against me, and whether that was why he’d never bonded with Frankie, but it was something I would never know and didn’t actually care about any longer.

  “What exactly did you say?” Sam asked, his voice unsure. “I know it was something about me leaving before I knew about him.”

  “Exactly that. That you left before you knew about him and that I couldn’t find you to tell you.

  Sam let out an unsteady breath and I felt for his hand on the blanket next to mine.

  “He accepted it Sam,” I replied, turning my head to face him.

  “And then he finds out I was just a fucking shit who didn’t give a damn.”

  “Sam, he doesn’t care.”

  He looked back up to the sky. “I’m glad he knows the truth Maisie, but I don’t want him to hate me for it.”

  “The fact that he hasn’t questioned either of us about it since we told him should tell you something, shouldn’t it?”

  Sam shrugged and turned his gaze back to me.

  “That he doesn’t care,” I answered. “I know him and if he was really upset about it, he’d have asked me a load of questions and would have been wary around you, but he isn’t; he loves you already. He idolised you when he thought you were only his swimming coach and the man who protected us from Josh, but it’s gone to a whole new level now you’re his dad.”

  “You think so?”

  “Yes, now what’s your next question?”

  Sam leaned up on one elbow and looked down on me, deliberating what his next question would be. As his eyes grazed down my face and then my body, all my senses started to tingle. His breathing was steady as he took in my hands resting on my stomach and down my bare legs to my pink painted toes.

  Slowly Sam’s eyes travelled back up and when they rested on my face he took his bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it as he perused me. The want in his gaze sent adrenalin rushing around my body, heating my skin and turning my nipples hard.

  I wondered how we’d gone from me answering questions about Frankie, to him making me wet just by looking at me.

  “Sam?”

  “Okay my next question,” he said, lowering his face to mine. “Can I kiss you?”

  I blinked rapidly, stupidly thinking I had a choice and that I could tell him no, but my body was arguing with my stupid brain. It was telling it that I was an idiot if I didn’t give this man a chance, that all he wanted was to prove himself and that I should give him that opportunity.

  “If this goes wrong,” I whispered with Sam’s lips merely inches from mine.

  “We deal with it, like adults, but I’ll swear I’ll do everything in my power to make this work.”

  I shook my head and almost cried out as he ran a gentle finger down the side of my face.

  “No, if you have to try too hard then it’s not working.”

  Sam nodded once and then lowered his head, taking my lips in a soft yet insistent kiss. His tongue pushed for me to open up my mouth and as soon as I did, the ecstasy began.

  Slow, languid strokes and gentle nips coupled with his teeth dragging slowly across by bottom lip stoked up the fire starting in the pit of my stomach. A hand threaded through my hair and a knee pushing my legs open fanned the flames until my whole body was heated with need and want and lust.

  I reached up and grabbed Sam’s shoulders, pulling him down on top of me and loving how heavy he felt. My heart may have been timid and nervous, but my body was screaming for him to be all the things I wanted him to be and do all the things I needed him to do.

  His large hand moved up my side pushing my dress up to my waist, before continuing upwards and cupping the side of my breast. His thumb skimmed my already hard nipple while his other hand cupped my face gently.

  Desperate for more than just his hard cock pushing against me through his jeans, I let out a frustrated moan and moved my hands down to his waistband and grabbed at his button. Sam gave a throaty ‘no’ and started to move down my body. He kissed along the swell of my chest, down my body and over my stomach, all the time pushing my dress further up.

  “Take it off, Maisie,” he groaned as he reached the waistband of my knickers and reverently kissed the stretch marks that I’d tried to hide from him once before.

  I lifted my shoulders and dragged my cotton dress over my head, leaving my hair messed over my face. As I threw it to one side, Sam looked up at me, his chin resting on my stomach and his eyes hooded.

  “How the fuck did I not know you had no bra on?”

  I smiled coyly, glad for the hidden support within the dress when I saw the pure, heated desire in Sam’s eyes.

  His mouth moved away from my stomach and he instantly took my nipple into his mouth sucking, licking, and biting, making me cry out with the pleasure. As he continued to elicit mewls of yearning from me, his hands moved down to my knickers, pulling them to one side and running a finger over my centre coating it with my wetness.

  “Oh my god,” I gasped, as his knuckle grazed my clit.

  Sam didn’t speak but continued to administer kisses to my almost naked body, adding an extra finger inside my knickers as he pumped them in and out of me, intermitting it with circling the tiny bud of nerves which sent me spiraling.

  I was about to cry out that I was almost there, when Sam hooked his fingers into the sides of my knickers, pulled them down and then dragged them over my feet and threw them to one side. “I need to taste you,” he said as he pulled away and moved his hands down my legs until they were wrapped around my ankles. Slowly he pushed my legs apart, encouraging me to put my feet flat on the ground.

  I drew in a deep breath and held it, looking up at Sam and begging him with my eyes to do it. I needed it and him so badly.

  With a deep groan his hands went up to my inner thighs and gripped them, his fingertips pushing into my soft skin. I let out the breath and as I did, Sam dropped his head and with one long lick, pulled his tongue through my wetness causing me to scream out with the pleasure that engulfed me. He suckled on me and fucked me with his tongue, his stubble adding extra friction that made me buck my hips wildly.

  In and out and sucking, in and out and sucking. Repeating it until I couldn’t hold back the wall of noise that escaped from my mouth that was already parted on a gasp.

  “Sam.”

  My voice echoed around the stillness of the lake, disappearing into the air as I came and came and came. Every part of my body shook as Sam continued with his rhythmic pattern, not stopping until he was sure he had drained me of every last pulse of my orgasm.

  “Oh shit,” I gasped, my chest heaving.

  Sam dropped a kiss to the inside of my knee, his touch on my sensitive skin made me quiver.

  “No, oh god no more.”

  Sam chuckled and smoothed his hand down my leg before reaching over to one of the bags.

  “I’ve got wet wipes,” he said, clearing his throat. “But I didn’t bring them because I thought we’d be…anyway hope they’re okay.”

  I lifted up onto both of my elbows and still breathing hard, grinned at him.

  “They’re fine…thank you…but…what about you?”

  Sam arched a brow. “What about me?”

  “Well you haven’t…you know.”

  He let out a laugh and shook his head. “I haven’t, you’re right, but I wanted this to be about you today. I wanted you to relax and me to relax you.”

  He wiggled his eyebrows and reached for my dress.

  “Here you go.” As he passed it to me, he stooped to kiss my cheek. “You look beautiful when you’ve just come.”

  He watched me for a few seconds until I smiled and then moved away. As I dressed and cleaned up I could see from the corner of my eye that he was tidying things into the bags and I was pretty sure I saw him wipe his fac
e too, which made mine flame with embarrassment. Once I was finished, I turned back to see Sam straightening out the blanket.

  “We’re not going?” I asked.

  “Do you want to?” He paused, a hand on one corner of the blanket.

  “God no, I just thought you were packing up.”

  A beautiful smile broke out on his face and I could only bask in the warmth it brought.

  “No, just making it more comfortable.” He dropped down onto the ground and patted the spot next to him on the blanket.

  I did as asked and once I was sitting, he pulled me into his arms and dropped us back to looking up at the sky again.

  “You okay?” he asked softly as he rubbed a hand up and down my bare arm.

  Snuggling closer to him, I nodded. “Hmm, I’m very good, thank you.”

  He kissed the top of my head and wrapped his other arm around me. “The sun is going to go behind the trees in a minute, you might start to feel cold.”

  “I’ve got my jacket,” I replied with a yawn, my orgasm having taking a lot out of me.

  “I think this is better.”

  Sam’s chest was comfy and his arms around me made me feel warm and cosy and before I knew it my eyes were getting heavier and heavier. Just as I was about to fall into that wonderful place between relaxation and sleep, Sam’s chest started to move up and down as he started to laugh.

  “What?” I asked, lifting my head on another yawn.

  “You,” he replied, smoothing my messy hair back from my face. “Every time I give you an orgasm you fall asleep on me. I don’t know whether to be offended or feel like a King because I’m so damn good.”

  I started to giggle. “I’m sorry, but it really isn’t anything to be offended by.”

  “You sure?” he asked, looking down at me.

  “Yep. It’s a great skill you have there.”

  “That’s good.”

  As we lay in silence a thought suddenly struck me.

  “How come none of the food Frankie wanted was in the bag?” I asked, suddenly awake. “There were no cheese triangles or strawberry milk in either of those bags.”

  I sat up and poked Sam in his hard chest.

  “Frankie was never coming with us, was he?”

  Sam grimaced and scratched his head.

  “Sam, was he?”

  “Nope,” he groaned. “It was our little plan for me to get you on a date.”

  “You could have just asked me?” I rolled my eyes. “What sort of example is that to show your son?”

  Because I was grinning, Sam did too and started to laugh. Soon I was joining in with him and it felt good, both of us laughing and smiling and enjoying being together.

  “So what next?” Sam asked.

  “About what?”

  “Us. What happens now?” He placed a hand on my cheek. “Are we doing this?”

  “This being?”

  He picked up my hand and playfully nibbled on my fingers. “You want me to beg, Maisie?”

  I shook my head.

  “Are we doing this being a couple thing?” he reiterated. “I want to and I think you want to, but I’m happy to keep if from Frankie for a little while, if that’s what you’d prefer.”

  “You wouldn’t mind? I just want us to be sure first. Maybe have a date without sex,” I ground out, feeling a little embarrassed.

  Thankfully, Sam nodded. “I agree. Let’s do that, although I swear I didn’t plan on that happening today, I just looked down on you and you looked so fucking adorable and beautiful and sexy and I couldn’t resist it.”

  I leaned forward and kissed the corner of Sam’s mouth, wrapping my arms around his neck as I pressed against him. I wanted to move forward and I wanted more with Sam, so I was going to be brave and trust that he wouldn’t hurt either me or Frankie.

  “I think we better go,” Sam said on a chuckle as I snuggled closer. “I might just have you on your back again if you keep pushing those tits against me.”

  “Sam,” I admonished, pushing back and slapping at his chest.

  “Sorry, but it’s the truth.” He jumped to his feet and held out his hand for me. “Besides, I’d like to spend a bit of time with Frankie before I have to go to the Leisure Centre at six.”

  “You’re going to the Leisure Centre, on a Saturday night?” I asked, feeling deflated as he pulled me up.

  Sam curled his top lip. “Yeah, you know Timothy the kid that got into trouble at the pool?”

  I nodded.

  “Well his younger brother can’t swim and the family are going on holiday next week, so his parents asked me if I could give him some intensive lessons before they go. I couldn’t really say no.”

  “How’s he getting on?” I asked, picking up the blanket.

  “Okay. This will be his fourth one, I’ve been taking an hour or two out of work and doing them straight after he finishes school all week.”

  “You never said.”

  As I looked at him, Sam blushed, something I had never expected from him; he was usually so confident.

  “Well, you know teaching kids to swim isn’t my favourite pastime.”

  I started to laugh. “Only because I gave you shit about it.”

  “Yeah, you did, but it worked out okay in the end.”

  He winked at me and a whole host of butterflies swarmed in my stomach. “Yes, I suppose it did.”

  With that Sam pulled me to him and kissed me again and I was sure if my phone hadn’t started ringing, I’d have gladly laid down on the blanket for him all over again.

  Maisie

  the present

  “I can’t believe they’ve let the fucker out on bail,” Sam hissed as Frankie shot upstairs to go to the toilet.

  The phone call had been my solicitor telling me that Josh had his court date, but had been given bail. It was something he’d warned me about, but as I had a restraining order against him, I knew Josh would be an idiot to come anywhere near me or Frankie.

  “We knew it might happen,” I said, taking an opportunity to curl up on my toes to kiss him.

  He kissed me back but his face was heavy with a thunderous glare. “If he comes near you and Frankie, I’ll fucking kill him.”

  “He won’t. He’d be stupid to.”

  “And?”

  “He’s not that much of an idiot, Sam. He knows he’s already in a lot of trouble, I don’t think he’d give himself anymore.”

  “Well whatever, there’s no way I’m going to the pool now. I’m staying here. I’ll sleep on the sofa, I don’t mind.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re not letting that little boy down. Plus, aren’t you supposed to be going out with Elijah and your mates tonight? I heard you organizing it earlier with Elijah when we dropped Frankie off.”

  “That definitely isn’t happening.” He started to pull his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll do the swimming lesson, but I’ll be back here by eight at the latest.”

  As much as I wanted him to come back, I also didn’t want to stop him having a life, or more to the point, start rushing things. Okay we had a child together, but that didn’t mean we should fall into him staying over or being here all the time.

  I put my hand on his phone and pushed it down. “No, Sam. Go out tonight. We’ll be fine and if I hear even the slightest noise I’ll call you and the police straight away. There’s new locks on the door, and on the side gate, so he can’t get into the back garden, so I swear to you we will be okay. Plus, I’m pretty tired after a really intense orgasm some guy gave me down at the lake, so I’m going to go to bed early.”

  That brought a grin to his face and he kissed me hard, pulling away as soon as we heard Frankie clattering down the stairs.

  “Hey, Dad,” he cried. “Will you play Fifa with me?”

  Sam looked at me and when I nodded, he turned back to Frankie. “Yep, come on then, let me show you how good I am.”

  With a quick squeeze of my bum he left me staring after him and hoping that we got it right this time, be
cause it wasn’t just Frankie’s heart that was invested.

  I was slightly disappointed in the fact that Sam hadn’t called me or Frankie before his night out, but figured he was busy with the swimming lesson and then getting ready.

  I still went to bed feeling a little disgruntled though, particularly after what we’d done at the lake. Grumpily I’d stomped up the stairs, checked in on Frankie and then slipped into bed and immediately chastised myself for being such a girl. I’d managed to get on with my life when he’d abandoned me after getting me pregnant, so I was damn sure I could survive one night without a text message.

  When my phone started to ring, pulling me from a deep sleep, my heart jumped because my first thought was it was Sam. He was probably home and had drunk dialled me. When I picked up my phone though it said it was Amy calling.

  “H-hello,” I stammered, my heart pounding in my chest.

  “Maisie, I’m so sorry to call you this late, but I thought you should know-.”

  “Oh my God, is it Sam?” I cried over the top of her, knowing there would be only one reason why she’d call me at one in the morning.

  Amy drew in a breath on the other end of the phone. “He didn’t turn up to go out with Elijah and their friends, so they just thought he was running late, but when he still wasn’t there after a couple of hours and they couldn’t get hold of him, Elijah was worried. He was going to get a taxi over to Sam’s apartment, but got a call from his mum and dad saying a local patrol car had seen the lights on in the leisure centre and the door was open so went to investigate. They found Sam in the changing rooms.”

  With each word my skin got colder and colder as fear crept over me. “Is he...?”

  “He’s in intensive care at the moment,” Amy continued, her voice breaking. “He hit his head and has only drifted in and out of consciousness.”

  Tears crawled down my cheeks and my stomach turned over and over as I thought about Sam being hurt and us possibly losing him before we’d even had a chance of a future together – as a family.

  “Can I see him, can we…”