by Natalie Ann
“So you could get sick again? Just sitting here?” That was bad.
“Maybe. I hope not, but it’s been known to happen.”
“Would it be better if I left you alone tonight?”
“I want to say yes, but I really don’t want you to go. What if I feel better later and you aren’t around to fulfill all that talk in the car?”
“I’m surprised you remembered it with the way you fought back the urge to toss your cookies.”
He gagged and she felt rotten saying that. He put the toast down and picked the tea up. “Maybe I’ll stick with this for a bit.”
She reached her hand over and laid it on his. “I’m sorry, Cade. That was bad of me. I bet your siblings just love this weakness of yours.”
“Let’s not talk about it. I think Jessica did this on purpose for the clowns in the nursery issue.”
“You might be right. What am I missing with the clown thing?”
“I’d rather not say. It’s best it doesn’t come from me. If Mason won’t tell Jessica, then I can’t tell you. My mother would kill me. My other brothers don’t even know. Ella was so upset and embarrassed. It’s just one of those things between the three of us and my mother, and I paid the price for it.”
“How’s that?”
“My mother lectured me for thirty minutes straight in the car.”
She burst out laughing. “Oh my God, that is horrible.”
“My mother is good at finding all our weaknesses and pushing them.”
“I love your mother.”
“It seems to me she likes you quite a bit.”
“Really?” she asked. Jolene had been overly sweet to her tonight.
“Yeah. I’m hearing she feels you might be the only one that could put up with me.”
“I doubt that,” she said. “You’re not that bad.”
“Tell my family that.”
“I did tonight.”
“What?”
She hadn’t meant to say that. “Nothing more than defending you when they talked about how you were the prankster of the family.”
“You defended me?” he asked, his eyes growing all soft. “Guess someone has to.”
“Well, that someone was me.”
Relax and Enjoy
The next morning, Cade rolled over and stretched. Alex was sound asleep next to him. His stomach didn’t seem to be rebelling, so he took that as a good sign.
Unfortunately, last night the little bit of toast he had didn’t want to stay down. The tea hadn’t helped either. He ended up getting sick twice more. Talk about mortification.
The funny thing was, he was at his worst and she ended up being at her best.
The only person who’d ever taken care of him before had been his mother. Sure, everyone always felt horrible for him when he got sick like this, but after he found the magical Zofran pill, he didn’t have days like this often. The alcohol prevented him from taking it though.
He’d had every intention of spending the night at Mason’s, but it seemed Jessica wanted time with Mason and since she looked so uncomfortable, it wouldn’t be fair to stay in the house. He was thinking the two of them didn’t have too many peaceful nights. Or they wouldn’t have too many in the future.
He got up and made his way into the bathroom and decided to take a shower but detoured to the sink and brushed his teeth first. Of course he’d done that a few times last night too. At least he felt somewhat human at this point.
He was just rinsing the soap out of his hair when he felt a cold breeze on his ass, then warm hands wrapping around his waist and soft lips on his back. “Do you mind some company?”
Turning around, he put his lips on hers and showed her exactly how much he didn’t mind. She didn’t let him kiss her long, though, before she moved her lips to his ear. “I never got to do what I wanted last night.”
“Sorry about that,” he said. “But I sure do appreciate you taking care of me.”
“Anytime,” she said. “Now I’m going to take care of you in another way.”
He hoped that meant what he thought. She didn’t make him wait for the answer with her lips moving over his chest, then lower when she dropped to her knees. He was showing her that there was nothing wrong with him right now.
She grasped him in her hands and started to stroke up and down, her warm tongue coming out to play. Just licking the tip, teasing him, making him wait for the prize. Making him wait for her to show him what she really had on her mind. He’d been eager for a lot of things in his life, but never as much as right now, waiting for Alex to proceed with her plans.
She didn’t make him wait long for that either, her mouth moving over the length of him, taking him in deep, then sucking and pulling out, moving back down. Shit, he wasn’t going to be able to last long if she kept that up. And he really wanted to savor this as long as he could.
He stepped forward so that the water was hitting his back and staying off of her right now, not that it seemed she minded it spraying over her head as she went to work.
She leaned back and looked up at him, a look full of promise and greed. Then she smiled and dropped back down, taking him fully into her mouth. He groaned, the sound of it vibrating off the walls. She didn’t even pause, didn’t flinch, nothing. Only kept going like she was lost in a world so much like him.
Just the two of them alone. One where no one could bust on him, or her. One where they thought the same. They didn’t have to worry about lack of or no communication. Their bodies knew what the other wanted, the same with their minds.
But right now, she was controlling him in a way he couldn’t remember ever being controlled before. Nor did he ever want it to stop.
Her mouth was moving up and down, her hands in the mix, then she was stopping, leaving him on the edge, starting up again, changing it, her tongue just licking and swirling around the tip.
He had no clue what she was going to do next and every time he thought he was going to lose it, she’d stop, then start up again, doing something different. “Alex,” he said, grinding his teeth. His legs were shaking right now. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on like this.
“Just relax and enjoy,” she said, pulling him back in her mouth.
“I’m not going to be able to hold off much longer,” he said, through clenched teeth.
“No one told you you had to.” Then she turned the dial up another notch, moving faster and applying more pressure.
“Alex,” he said, trying one more time.
“Shut up, Cade. Just enjoy it. You’re killing my mood.”
He snorted. There was no killing any mood for him. Instead she went right back at it full force almost sucking him in with a tension to rival a hoover. His hands went out to the walls and he braced himself, terrified he might embarrass himself even more in front of her if his knees buckled.
“F—,” he started to say when every nerve in his body started to coil tight, but he couldn’t even get more than the syllable out. He was shaking right now, trying to hold back and then asked himself why the hell he was. She’d given him permission to go and he was going to. Not that he could hold back any longer.
She kept it up, kept going until he was positive there wasn’t anything else left for her to swallow or him to give.
“Jesus,” he said, leaning against the shower wall, the steam covering them.
“Just Alex will do,” she said standing next to him and wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’m glad you were able to enjoy it.”
He laughed. “A dead man could enjoy that.”
“Thanks, I think.”
“Totally meant as a compliment.”
“I know,” she said, snuggling in some more. He could get used to this side of her. She didn’t often cuddle or hold him. Most of the time when they had sex it was hurried and frantic. Both of them trying to reach the end. She never let him take his time. Cherish her. Treasure her.
Whenever he tried, she always rushed him on to the end. Like if they
took their time, it’d mean more than a booty call.
He wanted it to mean more.
“Cade,” she said, her lips on his neck.
“Yes?” he said, stroking her back.
“I’ve never had shower sex before. What do you say?”
He laughed. “I say yes. I need to get a condom though.”
“I’m protected with an IUD. I’ve had it a few years. Not that I’ve been with anyone for a long time, but it has other benefits too.”
“If you’re sure?” he asked. “I’m always protected. I want you to know that. I know you know I’ve been with other women.” He didn’t want to bring that up right now but it’s not like he could avoid it either.
“I figured you’d be responsible. I’ve always been responsible too. I don’t want you to think otherwise. IUD was a backup plan for me. I just never wanted to risk having kids until I was ready.”
He was done talking about this. He didn’t want to think of her with anyone else, and the thought of her with a child right now—his child—was filling him full of feelings he’d never known he could possess.
He pushed back a step and sat on the bench, then pulled her in front of him, having her straddle his hips and slide down.
“Guess you didn’t need much time to recover,” she said.
“Not likely. I’m not an old man.”
She laughed. “No you’re not.”
Her hands were on his chest now, her fingers spread wide feeling him as much as she could while she started to move up and down. Not fast, not hurried, but slow and controlled for once.
“Touch me,” she said.
He did. He had to. His hand slid down between her lower lips and started to stroke her little swollen bud, flicking it between his thumb and finger, making her his.
Seemed she liked it because she picked up her pace and started bouncing up and down, her chest jiggling the way he loved it so much, so he buried his mouth anywhere he could on her skin, sucking and licking, nipping, pinching, and stroking below, feeling her ride him like he was a bucking bull and she was holding on for more than eight seconds.
When he felt her start to tighten around him, he found her tender flesh and started to flick at it, causing her to moan louder than him. She was so wet and hot, the steam filling around them and their bodies, moving at a pace he wasn’t sure was even possible.
“Cade!” she shouted as she clenched him tight, squeezing him and milking him dry. Her teeth would no doubt leave a mark on his shoulder as his head went back and hit the tile wall. But all he felt was a connection to her deeper than he’d ever felt with another woman before in his life...or wanted to feel with anyone else.
A Great Guy
“Thanks, Alex,” Cade said when he shut the door to her car at Mason’s house a few hours later. He’d taken a Zofran just in case, but honestly he felt pretty good. Fifteen minutes didn’t normally get him that sick, but after yesterday, he wasn’t taking a chance.
Alex pulled out of Mason’s driveway and Cade walked up to the front door, went to just walk in, but remembered his brother didn’t live alone anymore, then rang the doorbell.
“Hey,” Mason said. “Come on in.”
“I’m just grabbing my car.”
“No rush. Jessica is in the kitchen throwing some lunch together. Do you want something? Where’s Alex?”
“She dropped me off and went home. She had a few things to do today. I’ll just get out of your way.”
“Cade,” Jessica said from the doorway, her hand on her lower back. “Come in here and sit down so we can apologize.”
He grinned. He loved it when she ordered them around. More so when it was Mason, but he had a soft spot for her since she was the first one to really give him crap the first time he met her. He thought Jessica had a great personality, but realized maybe he’d overstepped his bounds a few times lately.
“What do you have to apologize for?” he asked, pulling out a chair. There was a bunch of leftover food spread out from the night before. He thought it’d look gross to him after being so sick but surprisingly he was still starving.
“We all had a bunch to drink last night and thought it was funny to send you home with Alex. After you guys left I realized that even though it was a short drive, you might not have fared so well?” Mason asked.
“Nope,” he said quickly, reaching for a plate and filling it with a little bit of everything laid out on the table.
“Sorry about that,” Jessica said. “It was probably my fault for twisting Alex’s arm to have her follow me to the house. Everyone was talking about picking the boys up and she was kind of left in the dark.”
“I probably had it coming. Sorry if I’ve overstepped myself with the big mama jokes lately.”
Jessica snorted. “You have, but I’ve come to expect no different from you.”
She was grinning so Cade didn’t feel too bad about it. “How are you feeling? Truly? I know Mason has mentioned you’ve been sick a few times, and well, we know I can sympathize.”
“It’s not too bad as long as I actually get sick. Once I throw up I feel fine. It’s when I just feel nauseous for hours on end. That is the worst. Thankfully it’s not often.”
“Trust me, I know how you feel.”
He dug into his lunch and was just hoping they’d change the subject, but they didn’t. Mason wasn’t normally this talkative. “How was Alex with it all? I’m assuming she didn’t leave you alone since she brought you here?”
“She was good. Took better care of me than Mom ever did.”
“Really?” Mason said, looking over at Jessica then back to him.
“What is so surprising about that?” Cade asked around a mouth full of potato salad.
“Nothing. Just that you never wanted any woman you dated to really know about that little weakness of yours. She knows and was good with it.”
“Your point?” Cade asked. He was trying not to be snotty, but it was hard. He hated talking about this and was still annoyed to this day he had to deal with it so often.
“What’s going on with you two?” Mason asked.
“I’d think it’s pretty obvious since she brought me home and took care of me last night.”
“I’m guessing she did more than take care of you,” Jessica said, winking. “All of us were talking about having fun last night with the boys. Unfortunately, you didn’t get so lucky, did you?”
Yep, there she was busting his ass like he loved so much. “Lucky enough in more ways than one.”
Alex showed a side of herself last night that led him to believe she was more invested than she wanted to say. The question was why she was so afraid.
Mason laughed. “So things are good, then?”
“Good enough,” he said fast.
“Which means there is more going on?” Mason asked.
“Just let it go,” he said.
“She defended you last night,” Jessica said.
“I heard.”
“You don’t get it,” Jessica argued. “Alex really stood up for you. Not just a few token words about how you always made people laugh when they needed it but sang your praises enough that your mother was all but bouncing on her toes over it.”
“What does that mean?” Cade asked. “The comment about Mom?”
Jessica and Mason just eyed each other some more and he was starting to think he was being left out of the loop of something.
“Nothing,” Jessica said. “She likes Alex a lot. We all do. I’m just glad you’re with someone that fits in with us so well. It’s almost like she was a perfect match that just fell out of the sky.”
Mason and Jessica laughed, but he just shook his head. “Tell her that. She just wants to be friends.”
“That’s not the impression I got last night,” Jessica said.
“It’s the words out of her mouth for the most part. Her actions might speak something else, but she isn’t letting me in on much.”
***
Monday morning, Alex was
ready to get started early and just pulled into the parking lot when a big truck stopped next to her. She looked in the cab and saw it was Mason. Geez, every time she turned around one of the Fierce family members was stopping over.
“Hey, Mason. What are you doing here?”
“I knew you started early. Cade said so. I was wondering if I could talk to you about an idea I had before you got busy.”
“Sure,” she said. “Follow me in the building.” She waited while he shut his truck off and started walking with her. “What did you have in mind? Don’t you have to run it by everyone or something like that?”
“No. Not for the shop. Not like you think. I mean Cade takes care of some things, but when it comes to the shop or online items, Ella does the ordering for me. Well, Jessica is actually slowly taking over some of that. She isn’t doing tours as much and I’ve got her doing more paperwork at the moment. Less for me and Ella to deal with.”
“That’s nice that she can help out,” Alex said, unlocking the door.
“She’s going to start brewing with me after the babies are born. Or so she thinks, but I’m sure she’ll have her hands full.”
“She’s not going to stay home with the babies?” Alex asked, flipping lights to the shop now.
“She will, but she isn’t someone to stay home and do nothing. My mom will be watching the kids on and off while Jessica comes in with me and does some work when she wants. The rest she’ll probably just do from home. We’ll figure it out as it goes. Whatever works for her, will work for me.”
“That’s nice. I like your family dynamics. How you all seem to work together.”
“We’re good that way,” he said, smirking at her. “So I wanted to do some glass coasters like the glass on the shadow boxes. I thought they’d be a good item to sell. The other thing is, I was wondering if you could etch into stone, like marble. Or a heavy stone like that?”
“I could try. I haven’t yet but I think it’d be something unique to your brand if we could find some dark red stone.”
“That was my thought exactly. I can have Ella look into products. Or Jessica.”