“Yes, hopefully so.” I noticed her wording, and it gave me a bit of hope that Caleb would be able to stay with me.
She seemed pleased with the inspection, and just to be safe, I showed her the rest of the house. I had a bathtub, so that made bathing easier for a child. Still didn’t have any clothes for the boy, but I’d washed what he did have on every night and made sure it was dry before morning.
She checked the locks on the doors, looked in my cabinets. It was a pretty thorough inspection, but nothing I hadn’t considered. I may not have children of my own, but I had a background in early childhood education and owned a daycare. I knew safety. Probably more than some parents do because I’d been tested on it countless times in school and by the state for my certifications.
“Well, I see no reason Caleb can’t remain in your custody until his father returns,” Ashley said at the conclusion of our tour.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.”
“We try to keep children with family as much as possible, and it’s clear Caleb is comfortable with you.”
I squeezed Caleb’s hand reassuringly. “Yes, I’ve helped care for him since he was an infant.”
I saw Ashley out of the house and said our goodbyes. As soon as the door closed behind me, the tears began to fall. Not tears of sadness or fear, but tears of relief. Caleb didn’t understand that, however, and reached his arms up toward me. I picked him up, holding him close.
“It’s going to be okay, Caleb,” I whispered. “It’s going to be okay.
Ooo000ooo
Caleb was tucked away in his bed, fast asleep. It was only after nine in the evening, but I was beat. I climbed into my own bed, pulling the covers over me, and closed my eyes. It was the first time I’d been able to relax all day. Not only did I have to work long hours at the daycare, I was also parenting a toddler, something I wasn’t prepared for. And all this with social services, well, it was taking its toll on me. But for now, I’d won, I would be able to keep Caleb.
My phone buzzed, causing me to jump. Part of me was cursing, thinking Andy had finally decided to respond, but when I saw who it was from, my tone changed entirely.
It was Grant.
How’d the meeting with CPS go?
Outside of the daycare, we hardly ever spoke. It was almost entirely about business. Sure, it hadn’t always been that way, there was at least one summer we’d started to get close to one another, but since he’d come back from the war, he was a different man. He was much more closed off.
Seeing his text warmed my heart. He cared about us, and he obviously cared about Caleb. He might like to act tough, but truthfully, he was a softie on the inside.
I typed my good news, telling him how I’d get to keep him until they found Andy. I thought that might be the end of it, but he responded.
Good, I’m glad to hear that. He belongs with you.
Every once in a while, I’d catch a glimpse of the old Grant. The protective older brother type, the guy who offered to teach me how to play football when I expressed an interest in high school. Most guys would have laughed at little old me trying to play a so-called man’s sport, but not Grant. He’d taken me under his wing, just like he’d done with Caleb.
Thank you for everything. You’re really good for him, especially since his own father is often MIA. You’re a good influence on him.
I bit my lip as I waited for a response. Maybe I’d pushed too far, but I wanted him to know how much I appreciated all that he’d done. He was easily one of the best men I’d ever met, and seeing the way he bonded with Caleb put thoughts into my head I knew I shouldn’t have.
He’d make a damn good father.
Grant took some time to respond, but when he did, it was short and to the point.
Thanks. He’s a good kid.
Grant wasn’t the overly affectionate type, and I knew it made him uncomfortable to be praised. But sometimes, he just deserved it.
I put my phone away, feeling giddy about the good news - and about Grant’s messages. Hearing from him outside of work was nice.
Not that I expected us to be more than friends - or as he liked to refer to us, family. There was a part of me that had always hoped we might end up together one day. Leah had teased me briefly about us getting together a few months back when Grant took care of me after the fire at the daycare. But I wasn’t sure he felt the same way I did; it often seemed that he considered me as another little sister.
Except, of course, that one time long ago.
I thought about that summer. Leah was gone, and I was bored. Grant had been teaching me how to play football. It turned to goofing off, where I play-tackled him. He fell to the ground even though there was no way I could take a guy his size down. We fell together, and I landed on top of him.
His body had pressed into mine, and my eyes almost popped out of my head when I felt his erection pressing into me. He’d been turned on, and hell, so was I. I’d always thought him incredibly hot, but to feel his body underneath mine had been magical.
Before I knew what was happening, we started kissing. I’m not even sure who kissed who - one second, I was straddling him, staring into his gorgeous brown eyes, and the next, our lips were locked and we were rolling around the grass.
At one point, he was on top of me, staring down at me. He whispered, “God, you’re so beautiful,” and those words were forever etched into my memories.
He thought I was beautiful.
Back then, I’d been a bit of a tomboy. My hair was often super short in a pixie cut. I wore jeans instead of dresses. Preferred playing football over going to prom. He could have had any girl he’d wanted in high school, and he’d dated a few blonde cheerleaders from time to time.
But he thought I was beautiful.
I was a virgin back then, but in that moment, I was ready to give myself to him. I told him this, and he pulled away. He’d acted like I’d slapped him when I told him I wanted him to be my first.
My body had ached for him back then, and it still ached for him today. I allowed my hand to move down underneath the blanket, pushing my nightshirt up. With one hand softly teasing my nipple, I pushed my panties aside with the other.
I laid back on the pillows, circling my clit. I was so wet already. I was being eaten alive by the need, my insides craving to be filled with Grant’s cock. I’d never seen it, but I’d felt it, and he was obviously well-endowed.
I slid a finger inside, but that wasn’t enough. I needed more.
I slipped in another.
Then another.
I stretched myself open, trying to imagine what it would feel like to have Grant thrusting his cock inside me. With my thumb on my clit, I proceeded to finger my pussy, picturing Grant rising and falling above me.
“Yes, yes,” I muttered, my thighs trembling as I slid down lower onto the bed, flat on my back.
As much as I wanted to, my hands could only reach so far inside of me. There were parts of me that remained untouched, and I yearned for more. This was nothing more than a tease, reminding me of what I couldn’t have. But it would have to do.
“Grant, yes, Grant,” I whimpered. “Come inside me, please.”
I wanted to watch as his face contorted into a look of bliss, listen as his breathing grew ragged and turned to low moans. I wanted to feel his cock pulse deep inside me as he filled me with his seed. I begged for it in my fantasy, and since I was in control, it happened.
I pictured Grant burying his thick shaft balls deep into my pussy, shooting his load inside of me. That pushed me over the edge, and I had to stifle the noises coming from my mouth as I came hard around my fingers. My pussy spasmed, tightening and releasing around my hand just as it would his cock.
Wave after wave of pleasure shot through me until I relaxed into the bed. I breathed heavily for a few seconds, as the world around me spun. It felt so good, but I knew there was no way it would compare to the real thing.
But sadly, that’s all I had, and when it
came to Grant, it was probably the closest I’d ever come.
Chapter 7
Grant
“You know, I’m worried about Piper.” Leah had a look on her face, one I knew well. She wanted to do something nice for her friend. “She works herself to the bone, and now she’s practically a single mom too. I’m sure she wasn’t prepared for any of this. Do you think she’s eating?”
I was at my sister’s house, hanging out and having a beer. Matilda was in her arms, and the little girl was fast asleep.
“I don’t know.”
Leah frowned as if she expected me to have all the answers. “I think we should take her some food over, maybe pick up some groceries for her. What do you think?”
“Now?” I asked, looking at the baby in her arms. She looked so peaceful; it would be a shame to wake her.
“Yeah, why not? I doubt she has much to eat, not like she’s had a chance to go to the store.”
“But when will Kellen be back?” Kellen was helping Levi, our fire chief, with some renovations at the firehouse, and he’d been gone late into the evening for a few days. I didn’t expect him to get home until after most of the stores were closed.
Leah sighed. “You’re right. He won’t be back until late, most likely. I guess we’ll have to do it tomorrow, I just worry so much, you know?”
I did know. I hadn’t thought about it until she’d mentioned it, but now that I was, I couldn’t get the thought out of my head. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to go without food. I pushed myself off the couch.
“Where are you going?”
“Going to the store,” I muttered as I tossed my beer can into the trash.
Leah chuckled. “You like to act like a big, bad tough guy, but you take care of those you love, Grant. I knew you’d do it.”
I shot her a grumpy look. She’d set me up. Or maybe she hadn’t meant to, but it worked out that way anyway. Leah gave me a knowing grin, just like she used to when she’d told me I’d get in trouble for something and she was right. Leah liked to be right.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I growled, not sure if I was annoyed at her for her little game or thankful that she’d pointed out that Piper might need some groceries so I could feel useful.
I left Leah’s house and ran to the only grocery store we had in town. It was small but had the basic necessities. I had no fucking idea what I was doing, though, since I usually just survived on beer and whatever meat I picked up to grill.
Piper didn’t have a grill, though. She didn’t even have a place for it. Her house didn’t have much of a patio or backyard since it was surrounded by woods.
I walked the aisles a few times, trying to think of meals my mother used to make for us. Chili seemed easy enough. I picked up some beans and meat for that. There was some deli food being packed up and marked down, so I grabbed a rotisserie chicken, just in case she hadn’t had dinner yet tonight. I grabbed some vegetables, knowing that Piper liked salads and ate fairly healthy. Lettuce. Cucumbers. Tomatoes. What else went in a salad? Hell if I knew.
Bread, milk, and eggs were obvious and easy choices. I grabbed some cereal for the kid, then put it back when I considered how much sugar was in it. I picked up some yogurt instead. Not sure if the little guy liked yogurt, but it was packaged in squeezable tubes with cartoon characters on the outside. What little kid wouldn’t like that marketing?
With a pretty full cart, I went to check out.
A blonde twenty-something named Marcy was at the cash register, she batted her eyelashes at me. I tried not to look her in the eye, not wanting to give her the wrong idea.
“Oooh, my son loves these things,” she said, holding up the yogurt. “But why are you buying them? I know you don’t have any kids, Grant Barnes.”
She giggled, trying to be flirty. She was recently single, and every time I came into the damn store, she tried to flirt with me.
“It seemed like a better option than the cereal,” I muttered. “Less sugar.”
She cocked an eyebrow and flipped the box of yogurt sticks around, pointing at the line about sugar.
“Crap.” I shrugged. “Oh well, a little sugar can’t hurt.”
“When did you start caring about sugar, Grant? Not like you need to diet or anything.”
“It’s not for me.”
I left it at that. It was none of her Goddamned business who I was buying food for. I didn’t want the world to know Piper needed a handout, seemed like the type of thing you’d want to keep quiet.
Perhaps it was my tone of voice, I don’t know. She dropped it and rang the item up, putting it into a bag before moving onto the next item.
“Making chili?” she asked me as she rang up the beans.
“Again, not for me.”
“I’m just asking because if so, you’re missing the chili powder. Though you might have it at home, I—”
“Be right back.” Dammit. Chili powder.
I hurried down the seasoning aisle and felt like I’d landed in a whole different country. Cumin. Cardamom. Garam masala. What the hell was all this? I found the chili powder, grabbed it, and hurried back to the checkout.
Marcy had finished ringing everything else up, and I handed her the chili powder.
“You know, I think it’s sweet that you’re taking care of Piper and that little boy.”
“What are you talking about?”
She gave me a “Do you think I’m stupid” look with her hands on her hips. “Come on, Grant. I can’t think of any other kids in your life besides your sister’s stepdaughter, and she’s too young for yogurt. I put it together easily. Plus, this?” She held up a large bag of cherries with her eyebrows raised.
“What?”
“All the years I’ve worked here, I’ve never seen you buy a single fruit. And we all know Piper is obsessed with cherries.”
I’d put the bag of cherries in my cart without a second thought. She bought cherry anything and was always eating the cherries off Leah’s sundaes, ever since we were kids and Leah admitted she didn’t like them.
I shrugged. It was still none of Marcy’s business.
“You’re a good man, Grant,” Marcy said, sighing. “And Piper is lucky to have you.”
“We’re not—”
“Sure, you’re not.” Marcy winked at me as she handed me my receipt. “I’ll be sure to tell Piper I’ll keep my hands off her man next time I see her.”
I didn’t want to argue. There was no point in it. I took my bags and headed for the truck. Everyone from my sister to the Goddamned cashier at the grocery store were acting like Piper and I were a thing.
They couldn’t be more wrong, I thought to myself as I drove away from the store. I headed toward Piper’s place. It was just after eight in the evening. I hadn’t seen her at all that day, hadn’t needed to do anything at the hotel or daycare, so I spent the day working on our rental properties instead. For the last few months, I’d been working at the hotel and the daycare so much, I’d almost always run into her at some point every day. It felt almost wrong not having seen her that day.
I pulled into her driveway and parked, loading my arms with bags of groceries. I walked to her front door, setting the bags down at my feet. I knocked and waited. Knowing that kids often went to bed fairly early, I was afraid of waking Caleb. I didn’t want to ring the doorbell just in case. I was about to knock again when the door swung open.
Piper stood there in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. Likely her pajamas, since her hair was messed up. Almost like she’d been sleeping. Her eyes widened when she saw what was at my feet.
“What’s all this?” she asked.
“Leah and I thought you might need some groceries. You’ve been working a lot, and dealing with Caleb, so—”
“Grant, you shouldn’t have.”
“It was Leah’s idea,” I said quickly.
She cocked her head to the side and studied me, an amused grin on her face.
Even with no makeup and her hair standing u
p on one side, she was still fucking gorgeous. The yoga pants hugged her tight little body, showing off her hips and ass. Her tank top did little to hide her cleavage.
“Thank you,” she said softly, and before I could say anything more, she wrapped her arms around me and hugged her body against mine.
And of course, every drop of blood dropped to my groin.
She pressed a kiss to my cheek and whispered again, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, really.” I froze against her. I didn’t want her to feel my erection pressed.
She pulled away and bent over to grab the bags at my feet, and her tank top slid down. She wasn’t wearing a bra and I saw more of her perfect breasts than I ever expected to see. Even a hint of nipple was exposed as the shirt fell forward.
My cock grew harder in my jeans. I’d have to take care of myself tonight, at this rate. But for now, I needed to help Piper carry everything inside.
I grabbed most of the bags before she could, and together, we carried them inside. I followed Piper into her kitchen and set them down on the countertops. She began putting the groceries away, her cute little ass wiggling with every step she took. It was absolute torture to just stand there and watch, so I helped too.
“You brought me cherries? I can’t believe you remembered.”
“How could I forget? You get cherry everything.”
She blushed. “I didn’t know you were paying attention.”
“I’m not. I mean—” I rubbed my face, trying to think of some other explanation for remembering such a small, seemingly insignificant fact. “I mean, even Marcy at the store knew you liked cherries. It’s not a big secret, you know.”
“Marcy?”
I shrugged. “She guessed I was picking stuff up for you based on that alone.”
“Huh, that’s so random,” Piper murmured, turning around with the bag of cherries and popping them in the fridge. She bent down, and I noticed her yoga pants were pretty sheer. She wasn’t wearing panties. She stood up and turned around, an odd look on her face.
“What?” I asked.
Junior For The Mountain Man Page 5