by Parker, Ali
Since there were six cars, two were left unmanned in the right corner. I was glad it was just the four of us, and we all started on opposite sides of the square course, swapping anxious and eager looks as we waited for the employee to turn the power on to the cars.
Jace waggled his eyebrows at me. “You ready for a beat down, Ms. West?”
I shook my head at him. “You’re the one who should be worried, tough guy. All this talk. No action. I think the kids and I are coming for you.”
Jace scoffed. “I don’t think so. They wouldn’t dare provoke me.” His voice was full of false bravado and drama.
I looked to Paxton, who was on my right. “What do you think? You want to give your dad a taste of his own medicine for once?”
Paxton’s eyes gleamed.
“Hey now,” Jace said. “Don’t turn my own son against me.”
I grinned and tightened my grip on the levers. “Sounds like someone’s getting scared. Are you scared, Jace?”
I could tell he was trying not to laugh as he flexed his ego. “I’m not afraid of you three. You weigh about the same as me combined. Bring it on.”
I turned to Linden. “You with us, champ?”
Linden grinned. “Let’s do it.”
Jace locked eyes with me. “I know where your loyalties lie, now. Look alive, traitors. I’m coming for you!”
The power went on with a bang. Music started. Lights soared across the course in bright colors, and the cars surged to life.
I pushed forward on the levers, and the car accelerated toward the center.
Everyone angled their cars toward Jace, who came barreling toward us with a battle cry that made me giggle.
Our cars slammed into each other, and we were all rocked backward. The boys roared with laughter as they tried to steer their cars back into the center. Jace didn’t give anyone any time to recover. As I was in the process of turning my car back to the center, he came screaming toward me and slammed into my right side. I let out a startled shriek as my car skidded sideways, and then I gave into the care-free laughter that bubbled out of me as the boys closed in on me and followed Jace’s lead.
So much for that alliance, I thought to myself as I watched the boys steer away from me so all three of them could gather in a corner and talk without me hearing.
Jace was giving them instructions.
They all turned their sights on me.
I swallowed. “Now hold on just a minute!”
They all pushed the levers forward. Jace laughed like a cartoon movie villain.
I considered fleeing.
Then I turned to face them and pushed my levers down, my own laugh ringing in the course, the boys howling along with us.
I could get used to these sounds.
Chapter 27
Jace
The Jurassic-themed underground mini-golf course was without a doubt the coolest part of the park. At least, Paxton and I thought so.
The entire ceiling was covered in plants. Artificial, of course, seeing as how we were in a basement, but it looked convincing enough in the dim lighting. Fake trees shot up out of the ground, and dinosaurs of all kinds had little cameo appearances throughout the course.
Paxton made sure to pet each one we came across, and Linden followed suit. Emelia was always ready with the camera to snap some candid pictures as the boys fooled around and stuck their arms in the open mouths of raptors.
The time on the course became more about messing around and having fun than it was about actually golfing. Emelia was embarrassingly bad. Even the first par, which was just a straight tap to the hole, took her four shots.
In the beginning, I tried to assure her it would get easier. She’d get used to putting and get a feel for it, and she’d do better.
I couldn’t have been more wrong.
One of the pars took her eleven shots.
Eleven.
While she was horrified and somewhat agitated by her poor performance, I found it endearing, and I liked her all the more for it.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders as Linden and Paxton worked at sinking their balls at the end of the third to last par. “Don’t sweat it, babe. We all have to suck at something.”
Emelia pouted and crossed her arms. “I wanted to beat you.”
I chuckled. “Well, save it for something you’re actually good at. Which, now we know, is officially not go bumper cars or mini golf.”
She continued to brood playfully. She pushed at my chest and shrugged out from under my arm. “Yeah, yeah. You just wait and see. One of these days, I’ll kick your butt so hard you won’t know what hit you.”
I grinned. “I look forward to it.”
We finished the course, with me coming out with a very unreasonable lead compared to the other scores, and then made our way back up to the main level where we indulged in some arcade games.
Much to my delight, Emelia was terrible at those too.
I kicked her ass in some racing and shooting games and proceeded to wipe the pavement with her at skee-ball, shooting hoops, and some games that were just dumb luck.
She handled her epic and consistent losses like a champ.
And then she spotted a Dance Dance Revolution game against the far wall. It was abandoned. Nobody around it. But it lit up in bright pink and purple as if it was calling to her.
She grabbed my arm. “There.” She lifted a hand and pointed across the room to the game.
Linden followed her gaze and grinned. “Let’s go!”
He and Paxton took off, and Emelia pulled me along beside her. “All that trash talk is about to come full circle and kick you in the ass, Reynolds.”
“You assume I’m a bad dancer?” I quipped. “Might I remind you it was my dancing skills that first got you into bed with me six years ago?”
She tried to scowl at me but failed. Her pursed lips curled up in a flirty little smile, and she giggled before shaking her head at me. “Fair enough. You’ve got moves. But do you have DDR moves?”
“What the hell are DDR moves?”
“You’ll see.”
Within thirty seconds of the game starting, I realized I was screwed. What started off as some simple “footwork”, as Emelia called it, soon turned into a frantic pattern of steps I had to follow on the screen. My coordination was not nearly what it used to be, and I found myself stomping my feet on every tile I could without managing to land a single right step.
Emelia only missed two.
The boys cheered her on, and Paxton leaned on the rail, clapping his hands along to the music. He was full of life today, and his smile hadn’t slipped away since breakfast. He was engaged and playful and ready to jump into whatever activity we lined up next, and I was thrilled to see him having such a good time.
I was hopeful this energy would carry on to his school week. Hopeful, but not foolish enough to assume it would.
When the game ended, I was wheezing for breath. I leaned on the railing and wiped the fresh beads of sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. “Remind me to never do that again, Pax.”
Paxton giggled. “You suck, Dad.”
“Oh geez. Thanks.”
Emelia leaned in close. “Yeah. He’s right. You do suck. How does it feel? Loser.” She teased.
I chuckled. “One victory out of thirty, and you turn into a bully. All right. All right. We’re learning a lot about each other today.”
“Shut up.” She laughed, hopping down from the platform. “You started it.”
I was about to quip back with something clever, but Paxton tugged on my hand and told me he was hungry. Linden said he was, too.
We made our way to the restaurant attached to the building, where we sat down and had a nice, quiet dinner. The kids were tuckered out after their day full of play, and Emelia and I were a bit worn down, too. We ate quietly, the four of us discussing the day and our favorite games. Then, when the meal was done and paid for, we piled back in my truck.
The kids fell asleep in
the back seat before we passed the “Welcome to Crofton” sign. We had about half an hour left of road time, and I glanced over at Emelia, who was sitting with one leg crossed over the other and her cheek resting in her hand so she could gaze out the window.
“Did you have a good time?” I asked.
She rolled her head to look at me. “I had a wonderful time. Did you?”
“I won almost everything. Of course, I had fun.”
She laughed softly. “And here I was thinking boys got more mature after thirty.”
“Who told you that?”
She shrugged. “Society.”
“Society lied.”
Emelia reached across the console and took my hand in hers. “I’m okay with that.”
I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “Is it moving too fast if I ask you guys to spend the night tonight instead of driving you home?”
“Maybe.”
“I don’t care.”
“Me neither.”
“Is that a yes?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
We held hands for the rest of the drive. It was nice. Mundane, simple, maybe overrated by some people’s standards, but it was nice.
The boys were still sound asleep when I pulled into the driveway at my house. Emelia and I both got out of the truck quietly, opened the back doors, and pulled our sons out of the truck. Neither of them fully woke up. Linden mumbled into Emelia’s shoulder, and Paxton held on to me tightly as we walked up to the front door. I shouldered my way inside and told Emelia to follow me to Paxton’s bedroom.
I put Paxton down on his bed and pulled out the single bed that was in a drawer in his bed frame. Gwen had insisted we buy it when he outgrew the crib so that in the future, when he inevitably started having sleepovers, his friends would have a bed of their own and Paxton could still sleep in the comfort of his own room.
Tonight would be the first time we ever used it.
Emelia laid Linden down. I gave her a pair of pajamas that were still too big for Paxton, and we both got the kids ready for bed. Then I grabbed Linden a blanket from the linen closet in the hall and draped it over him.
I caught Emelia watching me as I tucked him in. Her eyes were glassy, and when she caught me looking, she smiled, cleared her throat, and slipped out of the bedroom.
I followed and met her out in the kitchen. Putting a hand on her shoulder, I asked if everything was all right.
“It’s better than all right,” she whispered. “Today was perfect. I just… I enjoyed every second of it. And I’m happy. And so is Linden. And it feels really good.”
I knew how she was feeling. Every word she said echoed in my core. “I feel the same way.”
She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug and rested her cheek on my chest. There was something unspoken between us, words that floated in the air that tugged at our throats, but neither of us said a word. I hugged her back and rested my cheek on her head. Her hair smelled fresh. Like eucalyptus and lavender.
“How about a glass of wine?” I asked.
She looked up at me. “That would be lovely.”
Emelia busied herself with looking at all the pictures on my refrigerator while I opened a bottle of merlot. I poured us each a glass, pushed one into her hands, and tapped the side of my glass against hers. “To a perfect day.”
“And perfect company,” she added.
We moved from the kitchen into the living room, where we sat side by side on the sofa. She tucked her legs up and leaned against me, and we spent the first five or so minutes sitting quietly together, enjoying the closeness we’d both wanted all day but refrained from in order to not complicate things for the kids.
“I think they had a really good time together,” I said.
Emelia lifted her chin and looked up at me. “Me too. Linden was in his element. Especially on those stupid bumper cars. Did you see that smile? He hasn’t smiled that big since last Christmas. And that’s saying something. No kid has ever loved Christmas as much as Linden. I think he’ll believe in Santa until he’s forty.”
I laughed. “Wouldn’t that be a miracle?”
She sighed and nestled in closer to me. “I will do whatever I can to help him believe for as long as possible. Once that magic is gone, there’s no getting it back.”
I ran my fingers through her hair. “There are certain ways a person can get it back.”
“How?”
I lowered my head to press my lips to hers. Her breath hitched in her throat as I slid my tongue between her teeth, and then she reached up with her free hand to stroke my cheek.
“Like that,” I whispered when I pulled away.
Chapter 28
Emelia
Jace was right.
This thing between us was magic. It had been since the very start six years ago.
Jace stroked my cheek with his knuckles. “Drink that wine. Don’t rush. We have all night. And I want to savor every minute with you.”
My skin burned for him to touch me.
Spending the entire day together had been a blessing, but it was torture, too. We couldn’t indulge in sweet kisses whenever the mood struck us. We couldn’t hold hands. Couldn’t flirt our asses off. We had to keep it all under wraps in front of the kids, and now that they were sleeping soundly, it was like we’d both finally been able to pull the layer of self-restraint back and give in to the need for the other person.
“I don’t want to wait,” I whispered, arching my back to reach up and nip at his lips. “I want you now.”
Jace shifted beneath me. I ran a hand down his stomach and stroked his hardening cock under his jeans. A thrill went through me like an electric shock.
“I feel like I’ve been waiting forever.” I pressed my lips to the side of his neck and worked my way up to his ear. “Please don’t make me wait any longer.” I nibbled his earlobe as I went to my knees on the sofa, minding that I didn’t spill my wine all over the place. He smelled like fresh linen.
“Not here,” he said, his voice strained.
I got to my feet. Jace followed. Then, like two kids sneaking out of their house after curfew, we tiptoed down the hall to his bedroom. I went in first, and he slowly closed the door behind him. We winced as it groaned on its hinges.
“Shh,” I scolded.
“It’s not me, it’s the door,” he whispered back.
As soon as the door closed, I pulled my shirt off over my head. When Jace locked the handle and turned to face me, I was already shimmying my leggings down my legs and kicking all of my clothes out of the way toward his dresser.
He moved toward me like a predatory animal, lithe movements, rippling muscle, carnivorous stare. My skin prickled, and my pulse fluttered, and he picked me up to set me down on the edge of the bed. Then he put his hand on my chest and pushed me down onto my back.
“Stay,” he commanded.
It was an unnecessary demand. I wasn’t going anywhere. I was right where I wanted to be.
Jace undid his jeans. I propped myself up on my elbows to watch him strip. Every muscle dared me to slide right off this bed and show him just how much I’d wanted him today. In time. He’d give me my chance.
He stepped out of his jeans, abandoned his shirt, and then dropped to his knees at the foot of the bed. “Lay back.”
My shoulder blades settled on the bed as I lay down and stared up at his ceiling. Moonlight shining in through an open sliver of the window painted a pale stripe of light across the speckled white.
I gasped when Jace pulled my panties aside and spread my pussy to run his tongue between my folds. He started out gentle, taking his time, warming me up, and I grew more and more delirious and impatient by the second.
It felt so good. Too good. Dangerously good.
And I couldn’t make any noise. Not tonight.
I held on to my moans and whimpers when he slid a finger inside me. His tongue continued to swirl over my clit as he worked his finger in and out of me, and I rocked my hi
ps, pressing his finger into all the best places inside me. He adjusted to my rhythm, curled his finger up toward my G-spot, and quickened his speed.
When he drew my clit between his lips and suckled, I came apart.
A moan escaped me, and I clenched my teeth, desperate to stay quiet as my body gave way to tremors and quakes of pleasure. Jace moaned into my pussy, pleased with the work he’d done, and I plunged my fingers into my hair and tightened them into fists at the root as the pleasure intensified.
When I came down from my high, Jace was kissing the inside of my thighs. “Good girl.” He pinched the sensitive skin on the inside of my thigh with his teeth. I cooed. “Now go to your knees.”
“No,” I whispered through clenched teeth.
“No?” His tone was sharp. I loved who he became in the bedroom. My boss. My ruler. My everything. He was firm and demanding, and I was so turned on by how much control he wanted, but it was my turn to return the favor.
My turn to taste him.
Jace got to his feet and stared down at me. The moonlight painted his body and his muscles in extraordinary contrast, defining his swollen chest and shoulders and his jawline.
My mouth flooded with saliva, and I inched to the edge of the bed, held his gaze, and then slid off to crouch down in front of him. “No,” I said again.
His gaze darkened.
I ran my hands up his thick, muscular thighs and worked my way toward the prize between his legs. I’d been hungry for him all day, and I was finally about to get my fill. I took my time, strung him along, and ran my tongue up and down his shaft from hilt to tip. He shivered and didn’t look away. I hoped he couldn’t. I hoped he was so caught up in this that all he was aware of was me on my knees for him.
I parted my lips and took him in my mouth. I pressed my tongue against his shaft as I took him deep, feeling him press into the back of my throat, and then I held him there.