Solitary Man (The Smith Brothers Book 3)

by Sherilee Gray

  “Sounds disgusting.”

  She cried in outrage, and I bit back another grin.

  “It’s delicious. I’ll make it for you.”

  I grunted.

  “Now you’re just being rude.”

  “Didn’t say anything, wife.”

  “You grunt a lot…that was your ‘your cooking sucks, Riley’ grunt.”

  “Nope.”

  She twisted more in her seat. “Okay, what was it, then?”

  “My ‘you can make it, but I ain’t eatin’ it’ grunt.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Oh, you’ll eat it.”

  I groaned. “Don’t talk about eating things, either.”

  She bit her lips together again, but they were curling up at the sides. “We’ve circled back, haven’t we?”

  I growled a warning.

  “You know, to the ‘kissing it and making it better’ part of the conversation?”

  “Didn’t need you to spell it out.”

  “I know.” Now she wasn’t even trying to hide her grin.

  I shook my head. In pain. Frustrated as hell. And happier than I’d ever been in my life.

  I couldn’t wait to get her somewhere so I could have her again.

  “Wow, you look kind of grumpy,” she said, sounding far too happy about it.

  I growled again, and she laughed.

  It was even better than her giggle.

  I still had another thirty minutes trapped in here with my sexy wife until we reached Beau’s place. With her scent filling the cockpit, driving me to distraction. With her laughter ringing in my ears, and her sweet smiles constantly aimed my way.

  I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

  But at least I’d die happy.

  8

  Riley

  Sunday night was family dinner night for the Smiths. Apparently, they alternated between Hank’s and Beau’s houses, since they lived close, and this week Beau and Freya were hosting.

  I sat at the huge dinner table, crowded with Cash’s family. Cash on one side, three-year-old Conner on the other, and one-year-old Charlotte on my lap.

  Given that I had never experienced anything like this in my life, I was feeling more than a little overwhelmed.

  Hank and Beau were huge like their cousin. Their wives, Birdie and Freya, who had welcomed me with open arms, had loaded the table with enough food for an army, which wasn’t far from the truth since Hank and Birdie had twins, two sets—Emmy and Beth, aged six, and Jake and Oliver, aged two. And Beau and Freya had Conner, Five, and yes, one-year-old twins as well—Charlotte and Baxter.

  Charlotte was squirming like crazy in my lap, and I looked around, unsure what to do. I glanced at Cash, who was holding her twin. Baxter was fast asleep. Everyone was eating—or trying to, in my case—while they chatted and passed plates of food.

  Hank and Beau sat to Cash’s left at one end of the table, and the three men were talking, though that was probably a stretch. Beau talked and Hank and Cash did a lot of grunting. Obviously, a family trait. The kids didn’t stay in their seats; they shifted around, constantly climbing on and off laps—and no one seemed bothered by all the moving about. Soon, the food that I thought we’d never get through was almost gone.

  So yes, overwhelmed was an understatement.

  “Let me take that little monster,” Beau said, standing and lifting his daughter from my lap. “You need to eat.” He turned and looked at his wife. “Can you get me a beer, Bear?”

  Bear?

  She flipped him off but handed him one. “Prepare for payback,” she said and smiled sweetly, but there was no missing the promise of revenge.

  Cash turned to me and frowned down at my plate. Why didn’t that surprise me? He was always worried about me eating enough, even though I certainly didn’t look like I was starving.

  I smiled at Beau. “Your daughter is adorable.”

  “She also never sleeps.”

  “Try having four that don’t sleep,” Hank said, as Jake and Oliver climbed their father like little spider monkeys. Hank steadied them while they stood on his solid thighs, one with his arms wrapped around Hank’s neck, the other trying to hang off the arm supporting him.

  Hank made a growling sound and stood suddenly. The boys squealed, giggling with delight as he carried them to the living room. He ended up on the floor, his boys climbing all over him laughing hysterically. The other kids piled in, and soon Beau joined in, a pile of giant men and giggling children.

  I could see now why Cash wanted kids of his own. He didn’t say much, but there was no missing how much he loved his family.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  I nodded. “I mean, it’s a lot to take in. This only child spent most of her time alone. But this is nice and…noisy.”

  “Yep,” he said, his gaze softening as he chuckled. “Eat, Riley. You haven’t had much all day.”

  I filled my fork with roast meat and potatoes. “Do you come here a lot?”

  Cash stared pointedly at my fork, waiting for me to put it in my mouth. Only when I was chewing did he answer.

  “Usually once a month.”

  I nodded, chewing. “And this is all the family you have left, right? I mean, besides all your distant cousins scattered all over the place?”

  He nodded but frowned, head tilting to the side, looking confused.

  “You told me in one of your emails,” I reminded him and scooped up more mashed potato.

  “I did?”

  “You did. So you guys are pretty close? I like seeing this side of you.”

  “Come on, Uncle Cash,” Emmy said, grabbing his hand.

  He turned to her and smiled, and it was so full of warmth and love, it stole my breath. He let her pull him out of his seat, and he joined the wrestling match on the living room floor. I couldn’t contain my laughter.

  “Here, let me top off your glass,” Freya said, sitting down beside me.

  “Thanks.”

  Birdie walked over as well and sat down. “With any luck, they’ll wear my brood out and I’ll get a few hours’ sleep tonight.”

  Freya shook her head. “Either that or they’ll be so overexcited they won’t sleep at all.”

  Birdie groaned.

  Cash’s deep, rumbling laugh reached me, and I turned to see him “fighting off” Jake and Oliver.

  “He’s so good with them,” Freya said, a soft smile curling her lips. “They love when he visits.”

  “So how are things going?” Birdie asked. “Cash isn’t the most, um…talkative guy. I guess he’s similar to Hank in that way. It can be…frustrating.”

  “Ah, yes. Let’s just say I’ve been working hard on my mind-reading skills, and I’m not sure how accurate they are.”

  Cash glanced at me, his eyes locking on mine for a moment. Memories of the night before flashed through my mind, and I pulled in a sharp breath.

  “But then, who needs to talk?” Freya said and laughed softly.

  She hadn’t missed my new husband’s heated look, but then it wasn’t very subtle. I tried to fight my grin and failed. “There are definitely other aspects of our relationship that are progressing…very well.”

  Freya took a sip of her wine. “With these guys, that’s how they show affection, how they communicate their feelings.”

  Birdie nodded sagely. “Being physical comes naturally to them. They use their bodies, their hands, all day. They’ve been isolated, Hank and Cash especially, their whole lives. A verbal response comes second to a physical one more often than not. I learned quickly that Hank needs a lot of physical contact from me, even if it is just a hug. I mean, we’re an old married couple now, but in the beginning, it was a language he understood and stopped him from feeling…insecure or unsure, I guess.”

  That made sense, and it definitely helped confirm my experience. I’d never met a man like Cash, and I felt out of my depth more often than not. “When we emailed each other, he was a lot more open. It’s been hard to merge that Cash with this one, but I think we
’re getting there slowly.”

  Freya rested her hand on mine. “It was hard at the beginning for Beau and me, too, and he’s the chatty one. Then again, some of that might have been my fault, just a tiny bit.”

  Birdie giggled.

  Freya scowled at her sister-in-law, then rolled her eyes. “You may as well know, since you’re one of us now, and they love to tease me relentlessly about it. When I met Beau online, I pretended I knew more than I did about living in a place like this. But in my defense, I took one look at his picture and fell instantly in love with him. Then and there, I decided to make myself into the woman he’d advertised for…by watching Bear Grylls in action on the Discovery Channel.” She narrowed her eyes at her husband. “Yes, I know. I was an idiot. He figured it out pretty quick, and yes, things were a little rocky for us at the beginning, but we worked it out. Now I can fish like a pro, but Beau still loves to tease me, hence the nickname ‘Bear.’”

  Birdie cracked up, and I did as well. Then we kept on laughing as Freya regaled us with tales of her exploits pretending she was an outdoors woman, while Beau let her squirm.

  When the laughing died down, I glanced back at Cash. He was watching me, warmth in his eyes, and I gave him a knowing smile.

  “It won’t be easy,” Birdie said, drawing my attention back to her. “I didn’t find Hank the same way you and Freya met Beau and Cash, but I know what it’s like to try to connect with these guys. I felt insecure a lot because I had no idea what Hank was thinking. I had to change my mindset. You can’t compare these guys with any other man you’ve been with. They don’t play games. What you see is what you get.”

  “That’s…reassuring, but also a little frightening,” I said.

  “Yeah, it can be, and hard to get used to. And probably even more so with a man like Cash, since he’s been on his own so long,” Freya said.

  I sipped my drink, quietly observing my husband with his family. I had assumed he just needed time, that eventually he’d relax with me, talk more. Now I wasn’t so sure that would happen. “Maybe we should start writing to each other again,” I said, chuckling as I thought about his beautiful emails, even as my heart tightened a little bit.

  Finding out Landon had been the go-between had definitely come as a shock. He knew everything we’d said to each other. Some of it very personal. But I guess I couldn’t be angry. Without Landon’s help, I wouldn’t be here now.

  “If you ever need to talk, we’re here,” Birdie said.

  Freya filled my glass again. “Absolutely. Anything you need, we’re here for you. You’re family now, and I for one am happy you are.”

  Cash

  Riley’s soft footfalls reached me as she came down the stairs.

  The house was silent; the others had gone to bed. Riley had just finished in the bathroom, and I turned to watch as she rounded the corner. She was wearing a long-sleeve thermal top and tiny sleep shorts. Light from the fire danced over her curves, making her skin glow.

  I wanted to strip her down and have her naked.

  “Okay?” I asked, throat tight with need. Being around a big family like this wasn’t something she was used to.

  She smiled. “Better than okay.”

  I moved toward her with purpose and scooped her up. She giggled softly as I carried her across the room and laid her on our makeshift bed on Beau and Freya’s living room floor.

  I covered her, staying up on my elbow so she didn’t take my weight. “You still hurting, darlin’?” I asked. Despite her reassurances, I still worried that I’d caused her pain. It was all I’d been able to think about.

  She slid her hands over my shoulders, one curving around the side of my neck, the other brushing over my beard. “I’m fine, I promise.”

  I shifted, bringing my hands in between us and covered her breasts, massaging their heavy weight. She moaned softly, and I stared into her brown eyes, making sure there was only pleasure, no pain.

  “I like your family,” she murmured.

  Yeah, I’d gotten that. It’d been hard to miss. This made me happier than I knew what to do with.

  “I’m glad you have them,” she whispered.

  “Me too.”

  “I usually spent the holidays alone at boarding school or with my grandmother. I think my folks had me, then realized the whole parenting thing wasn’t for them.” She shook her head. “What I’m trying to say is, I’ve never experienced anything like I did tonight. I really liked it, Cash. And I like them a lot.”

  Christ, she tore my heart right out of my chest. How could someone leave Riley behind? How could they not want to be with her every second of every day?

  “They really like you, too, darlin’.”

  I stopped massaging and slid her top up slowly, revealing her lovely, soft, bare breasts. My breathing turned shaky as I cupped the sides, lifting them, pressing them together, then leaning in and gently sucking one of her nipples into my mouth.

  We both moaned. I kept it gentle, not something I was good at, but she needed that from me after last night, after the way I’d taken her.

  I sucked, soft and light, one nipple and then the other, until she was squirming and restless beneath me. “Gonna take care of you,” I rasped, meaning it in every way that it could, and kissed my way down her rounded belly, skin smooth, breathing in her delicate scent.

  A scent that was now branded on my senses for the rest of my life.

  My mouth traveled along the edge of her shorts. “You still need me to kiss it better, wife?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do,” she said, fingers sliding through my hair.

  I gripped the elastic waistband of her shorts and tugged them and her panties all the way down her legs, then tossed them aside. I spread her wide and took in her slick, swollen pussy, licking my lips, my mouth now watering for her.

  Leaning in, I gently lapped her up. She was hot and so wet. Perfect. I settled in, getting comfortable. I wanted to make her feel good, that’s all I needed. Yes, I wanted back inside her, but I’d die before I’d hurt her. If she needed time after last night, I’d give it to her. I’d give her anything.

  I licked and sucked her carefully, slowly kissing her pussy until she was panting and her fingers were fisting my hair tight. I didn’t stop or change pace, just kept things slow and soft, ignoring the driving need of my cock and focusing solely on Riley and making her feel good.

  She was panting now, her thighs spreading wider before closing and pressing against the side of my head as she rolled her hips. I wrapped my arms around her silky thighs, holding them there, licking from her opening to her clit, sucking lightly before sliding back down. Over and over, I licked and sucked, then finally, I dipped my tongue inside her before moving back up to her clit and suckling a bit longer.

  I repeated the move, pressing my tongue a little deeper, sucking her clit a little longer with every pass, until Riley was quivering, her breasts shaking, her hips squirming.

  “I need you,” she said. “I want you inside me when I come, Cash.”

  I stilled. “You sure?”

  She whimpered. “Yes.”

  I rose up over her, and her hands dropped to my briefs, shoving them down as she wrapped her legs around my waist. Her hands found my cock, and she led me exactly where she wanted me. I squeezed my eyes closed as the head slipped inside.

  Oh hell.

  She wasn’t ready for this. How could she be after the way I fucked her the night before? But as I looked down at her, my hips angled forward like they had a mind of their own, and I slid deeper. There was no pain on her face, just pleasure.

  “Yes, Cash, more.” She tugged me down, and I kissed her hard, groaning against her lips as she flicked her tongue inside, tasting me, tasting herself.

  I started to move, keeping things slow, easy, not wanting to hurt her again. Riley tore her mouth from mine, arching against me, and her fingers dug into my ass as she ground up against me.

  “Darlin’,” I bit out. “Trying to be careful with you.”

>   Riley was lost to her pleasure, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Her eyes were glassy and heavy, her lips puffy, mouth open. “Harder, Cash,” she said and gasped. “Please, I need you to fuck me harder.”

  My control was hanging by a thread. “Riley…Jesus.”

  “I want it,” she said, then moaned helplessly.

  I could deny her nothing. And the hot, unrelenting need to thrust deep and hard won out at her plea. I withdrew, then snapped my hips forward, slamming into her.

  She arched under me, crying out. “Yes. Again.”

  I quickly covered her mouth with my hand, and her eyes glazed over, the pleasure on her face unmistakable. She was going to kill me. My sweet, sexy, little wife was going to destroy me with every thrust of my hips, with every clutch of her tight-as-hell pussy.

  “Gonna take my hand away. Can you be quiet?” I rasped.

  She shook her head and one of her hands left my ass, covering my hand over her mouth, asking me without words to keep it there.

  Oh, Christ in Heaven.

  My hips slammed against hers again—instinct, hunger, need taking over, driving my cock in deep, almost brutally. Her hand flew back to my ass, digging her nails in.

  I locked eyes with hers, getting lost in her hunger for me, feeding off it, and started fucking her like she wanted me to, like I desperately needed to be.

  Slow. Hard. Deep.

  Her body jarred with each of my thrusts, her gaze getting hotter, her hold on me tighter. I couldn’t look away. I was addicted to the sight of her getting off on the way I fucked her. How much she loved me stuffing her full of me. How much she loved her big, clumsy, inexperienced husband pounding into her like a wild, rutting bull.

  My fingers were still curled tight over her mouth. And on the next brutal thrust, she tightened around me. Her eyes widened. She was close. I picked up the pace, slamming into her harder, faster. “Gonna come,” I growled out. “You gonna come with me, wife?”

  She nodded.

  I pounded into the perfect, tight heat of her body, twice more, and she arched beneath me, her nails clawing at my skin, her inner muscles gripping me so tight I saw stars. I didn’t let up. I thrust into her over and over as her muffled cries washed over me, as my balls drew up, cock pulsing, and I shot hot and hard, deep inside her. Oh God. Her pussy pulsed around me relentlessly, taking everything I had.