by T Gephart
I shrugged. “I know. Crazy shit. So yeah, I’m out.”
It should have been the end of the conversation, but that would’ve been too easy. Tibbs chewing his mouthful before adding, “so, we’ll hang out later. Actually, here’s a plan. Why don’t you leave your car at your mom’s and I’ll come get you. Then we can go do something, and I’ll drive so you can have a few beers. Trust me, after a few hours with a bunch of kids, you’re going to need it. I’ll drop you back in the morning to pick it up.”
“Is this your way to try and score birthday cake, Tibbs? Because if you want some, I can just bring some home.” I tried not to panic, my throat feeling tight.
Tibbs laughed, not noticing I couldn’t breathe. “Dude, your mom loves me. I’m like the son she never had.”
“She has a son, me,” I pointed out, not in the mood for the famous Tibbs logic.
“Exactly, which is why she needs me.” He waved his hand, not bothering to hide his grin. “Listen, tell you what. I’m heading to Long Island anyway in the afternoon to see my folks. Mom needs to fuss over Presley and make sure she’s okay. So, I’ll be out there anyway.”
Mention of his sister had my immediate attention, especially since I hadn’t spoken to her in the last few hours. I knew she had some kind of meeting at the Plaza, and I’d told her about my family thing tomorrow, but other than that, nada. “You both should stop by. Dinner is always early or the kids get cranky and my mom hasn’t seen Presley in forever. Annnnd, since we’ll have to leave to take her to work, I’ll have an excuse to leave.”
Oh, I knew I was being shady. Using Tibbs as the middleman so I could see Presley. Did I give a shit? Not even a little. Not to mention I liked the idea of her being with me and my family, the opportunity too good to pass up.
Tibbs nodded, oblivious to my ulterior motives. “Yeah, sounds good. You bringing the girlfriend to Maddy’s birthday?”
“No,” I answered truthfully, after all, I wasn’t bringing anyone. Presley was coming with Tibbs, so as far as breaking one of the commandments, I was free and clear. “I show up with a girl and my mother is going to be planning the wedding. I like this girl, I don’t want to scare her off.”
That was also true.
I wanted nothing more than to take Presley to my house and introduce her as my girlfriend. One, because my family already loved Presley, and two, because I didn’t want to hide it anymore. But that came with consequences, ones that would see my mother calling Mrs. Tibbs and the two of them already naming the grandkids. And that was pressure I didn’t want to put on either of us, especially since everything had been so great. So we compromised and got creative. I’d get to have my girlfriend with me, by my side, and we wouldn’t have to deal with the family drama that would surely erupt.
It was a win/win.
“Good plan. Let me know what Maddy wants and I’ll pick something up tomorrow. My mom will kill me if I show up without a present. Never thought I’d be excited to go to a kid’s birthday party, but your mom’s cooking is the best. I actually can’t wait.”
I barely kept the grin from my face as I agreed, “Yeah, me either, buddy. Me either.”
My mom’s family was Irish, which translated to a lot of fucking people. Even though most of them hadn’t set foot on the Emerald Isle, they popped out kids like it was their job. And don’t even get me started on religion. They lived their lives like Jesus was watching, and prayed to the saints and angels in an effort to cover all their bases. You’d be hard pressed to walk into any of their houses and not see a crucifix, the chance of a devoted holy wall, better than average.
But unlike my mom’s seven brothers and sisters, she’d only had us three; Deanna, Sarah and me.
Deanna was the oldest, and already had two kids. Mason was seven—who she’d had with her deadbeat first husband—and the birthday girl, Maddy. And Sarah—the middle kid—had a three-year-old son named Sammy. So, as you could imagine, my mother—whose family was huuuuuge—loved nothing more than getting the gang together and feeding everyone until they thought they were going to die. The woman was literally incapable of catering small, the idea that someone might go hungry as sacrilegious as taking the Lord’s name in vain. Which was why we were all crammed into Casa Leighton on a chilly Saturday afternoon.
“Baby, you look tired.” My mother shook her head as I helped clean up the balloons and streamers from earlier in the day. “You getting enough sleep? Just last week I read an article that said lack of sleep was as dangerous as cocaine.”
“Orla, leave the man alone. He works long hours, he’s fine,” my dad piped in, trying to play interference. I wasn’t just my mom’s only son but her “baby” as well.
“Mom, I can assure you I’m fine, and I’m getting plenty of sleep. Would have preferred a little more today but couldn’t miss Princess Maddy’s big day.”
The princess in question was passed out on her father’s chest. She’d been hyped up on sugar and cake, crashing hard once the last of her little friends had left. Sammy was also taking a nap, dangling like a stunt dummy from my mom’s two-seater. “Should we move him to one of the spare bedrooms?” I asked my sister, Sarah, who was sitting in her husband’s lap. I swear if they didn’t make another baby before they left the house, it would be a fucking miracle.
She laughed, showing a complete lack of concern. “He sleeps like that all the time. It’s worse if you move him.”
Mason—who apparently was too old to nap—was checking out his little sister’s present haul. He was quietly entertaining himself on the iPad I’d given her—because I rocked as an uncle and was determined to be their favorite—while his mom was uploading the three thousand photos she’d taken to her social pages.
Content that I was getting enough sleep, my mother moved on to other pressing matters. “What time are Justin and Presley coming? I’m so glad you invited them over, you should have told them to come earlier for the party. Justin loves my cooking.”
“Tibbs, Mom, call him Tibbs.” I shook my head, my mother hanging on to Justin even though no one hardly called him that. Hell, even his old man was calling him Tibbs, as was most of his family. “And they were hanging out with their parents earlier. Trust me, he’ll eat enough when he gets here to make up for whatever he missed earlier.”
She shot me a stern look. “I’ll call him the name his mother gave him. And don’t you go making him feel bad. I love him like another son.”
Rolling my eyes, I finished filling the trash bag in my hands and carried it out to the garage. I’d barely put the bag into the trash can when my phone buzzed with an incoming message, an announcement from North that he was a new daddy to a little girl named Ava. Quinn and the baby were doing fine, Mack already at the hospital with him. Gave me a warm feeling in my chest to hear his good news, and doubly excited there would be a new princess to celebrate next year on the same day as my niece.
“Quinn and North had a baby girl, Ava,” I announced, walking back into the house.
My dad laughed, pointing to Tibbs and Presley who were already in the living room. “Gotta be quicker than that, Son, Tibbs already told us.”
“Can you believe North is a dad?” Tibbs shook his head in disbelief. “We definitely need to go out and celebrate tonight.”
It was funny, his voice fading out even though he kept talking. Because whatever he had to say was no longer important when she was in the same room.
Jesus, she was beautiful.
Dressed down in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, her face was makeup free and her hair pulled back. She was perfect, every inch of her breathtaking as I fought the urge to go over and kiss her.
I’d never get tired of looking at her, or wanting to touch her, the idea that I couldn’t, driving me crazy. And if her smile was anything to go by, she knew exactly what I was thinking.
“Sweetheart, you want to go put your bag in Jared’s room? You can change in there before you need to go.” It was my mother’s voice that pulled me from my daydream, my
eyes blinking as I thanked God no one saw me staring.
“You need to go to my room?” I asked obviously having missed part of the conversation.
Tibbs mock punched me in the ribs. “Her bag, you moron. She brought her clothes and stuff so she can get ready for work.”
Presley lifted a small overnight bag, her brow rising with it. “You want to show me to your room? Probably best if it’s out of the way so no one trips on it.”
I didn’t even hesitate, nodding my head so fast I almost got whiplash, thankful for the opportunity to get her alone for a minute if that was all I had. “Sure, I’ll show you where it is. We’ll be right back.” My head tipped to the hallway, hinting to her that she should follow.
“Show her the upstairs bathroom as well. It’s been a while since she’s been here,” my mom called after us, my heartbeat kicking up a notch as we made it to the bottom of the stairs.
“Will do, Ma,” I yelled back, unable to peel my eyes from the hottest woman I’d ever seen. “I’ll give her a quick tour.”
Presley bit back a grin, running a hand slowly down my chest. “Take me to your room, Leighton. We wouldn’t want to disappoint your mother.”
Fuck.
I was definitely going to hell.
Presley
THE MINUTE THE door closed, Jared had me pressed against the wall. His mouth on mine as his hands moved down to my ass. I was dying, anxious to kiss him from the moment I’d walked in. And when I finally got the chance, I felt like I was going to explode.
“Fuck, Presley.” His mouth moved from my lips to my neck. “We’re both going to end up in a lot of trouble.”
My hand slid down his chest and landed on the front of his jeans. He was hard, rubbing himself against my hand. “I’ve wanted to sneak into this room for years, who knew it would be that easy to score an invitation.”
“You thought about being in here with me?” His hand moved to the front of my jeans, popping the button. “Thought about all the things I’d do to sweet little Presley?”
“Hey, I was never sweet,” I moaned, his fingers slipping into my underwear.
We didn’t have much time, five minutes or maybe ten, before someone would come looking and wondering why it was taking so long. But I didn’t care, taking those stolen moments and precious touches, breathing out a shaky breath as his thumb circled my clit.
“I want to make you come so badly,” he panted against my skin. “Right here, in this room where I’ve jerked off to you more times than I can count.”
“You jerked off thinking of me?” My body tingled as his thumb continued to move. I was positive it wasn’t possible to orgasm in a minute, but my body was completely up for the challenge.
His head nodded slowly, kissing me hard as he plunged in a finger. “Enough to make me think I was a deviant.”
As horrible as it was to admit, it was hot making out in Leighton’s old bedroom, getting fingered while his family was downstairs. Maybe I was a deviant too, my body bowing against the wall as he added another finger.
“Go faster,” I begged, burying my head in his shoulder, his twists against my clit picking up speed as my hips rocked against his hand.
My breasts strained against the soft cotton of my T-shirt, wanting to be touched as I grew wetter. I’d assumed we wouldn’t get the chance, his family commitments mixed with my work schedule meaning we’d be lucky to even kiss.
“Oh my God, I’m so close.” My body shook, his fingers pumping inside my slick center as his thumb circled. I was so turned on it felt like I was buzzing, my body vibrating like a tuning fork that had just been struck.
It wasn’t enough, needing more contact as I bucked against his hand. My head banged against the wall. His free hand reached up, cupping my mouth as I whimpered, the sensation, a war of pleasure and frustration as I chased the high.
“Shhhh,” he laughed, kissing my neck as his voice deepened. “I can feel how close you are. Feel your greedy pussy clamping around my fingers. You want more of me, Presley? You want my cock buried inside of you? Have me fuck you right against this wall while people wait for us downstairs?”
It shouldn’t have turned me on, shouldn’t have been so hot, but as he growled against my neck, I felt more worked up than was rightly appropriate. “Yes, I want that. I want you so badly.”
My words were muffled, lost against his palm as my eyes widened. He pumped into me, nodding in an unspoken promise that he’d give me whatever I asked.
His hand against my mouth slipped, his lips stealing my heated moan before it could escape.
We were so close, everything touching and yet barriers of clothes separating us. But it didn’t matter, my body splintering into a million pieces as he kissed me feverishly, taking my pleasure into his body like it was his own.
“God, you’re beautiful.” His kisses slowed, his hand still buried in my underwear. “I love watching you come, Presley.”
I kissed him back, hungry for more as I reached down and rubbed against the bulge in his jeans. I knew he’d be hard, wanting to give him exactly what he’d given me.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen.” He brushed my hand aside, sliding his fingers out of me. “We’ve already tempted fate, let’s not get totally stupid.”
He was right. Of course, he was right. It had been how many minutes? Ten? More? I had no idea how much time we’d spent in that room, but I knew it was longer than it took to drop off a bag and show me the bathroom.
“I want to blow you so bad,” I ground out in frustration, my voiced irritation making him grin.
He groaned, pressing his forehead to mine. “And I’d like nothing more than to have you suck me. But not right now, it’s going to have to wait. You remember where the bathroom is up here? Or do you really need me to show you?”
“I remember,” I pouted, watching him adjust himself in his jeans.
He lifted his fingers—the ones that had been inside of me—to his lips and sucked them. His eyes flickered, savoring what was in his mouth before returning his gaze back to me. “Not even close to the taste I wanted, but it will have to do. I’m going to do the best I can to hide this,” he pointed to the hard rod pressing against his fly, “and then meet you back down there.”
“Okay, I might just go ahead and get changed. Save me time in case dinner is running late.” I glanced back at him, my fingers teasing the bottom of my T-shirt.
He coughed, that bulge he’d readjusted probably needing additional attention as he took a step toward the door. “Sure, whatever you want.”
“Maybe I’ll make myself come again before I do.” My hand moved from the hem of my top to my waistband. “You know, since I’ll already be naked.”
His look was heated, almost murderous, as he froze. “You are not playing fair.”
I laughed, unable to help myself.
Of course, I’d been kidding. Because not only was my body still limp from the orgasm he’d given me, but I wasn’t perverted enough to get myself off while everyone else was downstairs. Sure, that was pretty hypocritical since I’d seemed to have no problem at all when he was doing it, but logic was funny like that.
“Go,” I motioned to the door, “I promise I was joking.”
With one final kiss and a heated huff, he left me alone in the room. I heard the faucet running from the bathroom down the hall, waiting until I heard his footsteps descending the stairs before I finally allowed myself to take off my clothes. I didn’t trust myself. Or him either to be honest, knowing how easy it would be to pull him back into the room and finish what we started.
Uh, so much for not being a pervert.
Shaking my head and reminding myself his entire family was downstairs including his mother, I got my clothes out of my bag and started to change.
His room hadn’t changed much since he’d moved out. It was painted the same slate grey, just with a fresh coat, his old queen-sized bed pushed against the wall. But the energy was different, the smell of him gone when he’d walked ou
t the door instead of lingering in the room like it used to when he slept there. I liked it, the fresh scent of his cologne or deodorant, the thought of it making me smile. The memory of sneaking up to his room with the excuse of looking for my brother flashed in my mind. He’d smelled delicious back then too, the urge to bury my face in his pillow still very vivid even though it had been years ago.
It was ridiculous to be so excited about how someone smelled. Surely that wasn’t normal. And yes, I knew the perfume industry had banked millions on the idea of being able to entice us with concoctions designed to send us into a frenzy, but frenzied wasn’t what I felt.
I felt happy, safe, content. Like my heart was expanding in my chest as my lungs drew it in. It wasn’t sexual. Okay, it wasn’t just sexual. It was more.
Oh.
My.
God.
It wasn’t just sexual.
And not in the same friendly way I used to appreciate him either. It was different.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
I paced nervously around the room, my pulse quickening as I padded around in bare feet. It was waaaaay too soon to be having those kinds of feelings. Not only did I have my bad-news ex still trying to fuck up my life, but I was literally on the verge of the biggest move of my career. I didn’t have time for a serious relationship, not one that attracted the L word.
Had I ever been in love? Like real love, and not just infatuation or lust. Maybe? I didn’t know, my chest tightening as I tried to talk myself off the ledge. It wasn’t the time. It was NOT the time. And it wasn’t like I could just confess to Jared I was tangled up in feelings. I mean, obviously we’d cared about each other for a really long time, but this was so incredibly different.
I was in love with a guy—and other than Raelle and Bennett—no one knew I was even dating.
Fuck.
“You okay there, Sweetie?” Leighton’s mom rapped at the door. “We’re just about to sit down and have dinner, you find everything you need?”