Devotion (Club Destiny #7)

by Nicole Edwards

  He and Luke silently stood side by side, watching as the nurse handled the baby like she’d done it a million times, using random instruments to check her, suction her nose and mouth, as well as clean her. In truth, Cole wasn’t sure what he expected to see when the baby came out, but he had to admit, he felt a little like Luke looked for a brief second. That’s when reality broke through, and it dawned on him that their baby had officially made her presence in the world.

  He remained right where he was, glancing over to see that Sierra had given in to sleep, and he couldn’t blame her. She’d been so strong, stronger than any of them probably expected. Then again, she had to deal with him and Luke. Cole smiled, remembering the way Luke had nearly launched from nervous father-to-be to neurotic in a few seconds flat.

  That wasn’t the case now. He was pretty sure they were all a little shocked, sobered by the fact that they were parents, and the only thing that mattered from here on out was the baby girl with her little eyes closed, her tiny fingers and toes all perfect and entirely hidden from view inside the security that she had found nestled in a pink blanket right there in the bassinette.

  “We’re going to take her to the nursery while mom rests for a few minutes. We’ll bring her back as soon as she’s awake. The two of you are welcome to come visit her,” the nurse told him after she finished putting the hospital bracelet on, checking Sierra’s, then Luke’s and Cole’s before wheeling their daughter out of the room.

  Another nurse was caring for Sierra, and Cole suddenly needed a little air. Moving back across the room, he kissed her on the forehead lightly before disappearing out the door, not looking back to see that Luke was following him. By the time he reached the main entrance to the hospital, he was pretty sure he was shaking and on the verge of hyperventilating.

  Within a minute of being in the fresh early morning air, he was feeling only slightly better.

  “You all right?” Luke asked, moving in close and not giving Cole the space he tried to convince himself he needed.

  Looking at him, Cole tried to force a smile. He felt like an overemotional wreck. “I will be.”

  To Cole’s complete amazement, Luke pulled him in close, palming the back of his head as he forced him to lean against him, chest to chest, forehead to forehead. God, the man’s simple touch was enough to ease the undercurrent of tension he’d had to endure thanks to his nerves.

  He loved this man.

  The sound of a throat clearing caught their attention, but Luke didn’t pull away abruptly. His voice came as a whisper between them, “she’s perfect. Everything’s perfect.”

  Cole pulled back, looking directly into Luke’s eyes, and this time his smile wasn’t forced. She was perfect. For just that brief moment, everything was right in the world.

  “I come bearing gifts,” Logan announced, moving closer to where Cole and Luke stood off to the side of the main entrance. Cole turned to face him at the same time as Luke, then they both were pulled into a hug, followed by solid thumps on the back as Logan congratulated them each in turn.

  Seeing that Logan had brought cigars, Cole merely laughed. He was suddenly grateful for the distraction because the emotional whirlwind he’d just endured had been enough to put him on his ass and he wasn’t sure he wouldn’t be laid out right there on the ground if it hadn’t been for Luke. Glancing over at his lover, he managed to exhale, forcing himself to release all that he’d held in. He was right, everything was perfect.

  Half an hour later, Cole was standing beside Luke as they peered through the glass window of the hospital nursery. They’d endured endless congratulations from Logan and Tag, and now they were showing off their daughter, letting their brothers see exactly how perfect their baby girl truly was.

  “Damn, bro. It’s a good thing that little girl looks like her momma.” Logan’s laugh echoed through the hall, causing Cole to grin. He was right, she did look like her mother, a tiny little thing with a head full of black hair.

  “I was thinkin’ the same thing,” Tag added, standing beside him, another thump on the back made Cole grin.

  Ever since he’d managed to let go of the tension, he found he couldn’t stop smiling. The euphoric feeling had suddenly taken over, and he was more than happy to stand right there with Luke beside him, a grin much the same as his own on his handsome face.

  “Shouldn’t you be taking care of your wife?” Luke asked, giving Logan a hard time.

  “What do you mean by ‘take care of’?” Logan smirked. “We already had to find a way to pass the time for a few hours.”

  “Nope. Don’t want to hear it,” Luke laughed and the rumble hit somewhere deep inside of Cole, making him relax even that much more.

  They’d done well.

  “You hanging in there?” Cole asked Luke when the silence descended around them, wondering if the same roller coaster of emotions was on a wild ride inside of him as well.

  “Yeah. You?”

  “Barely,” Cole whispered. “It’s still a little surreal.”

  “Is she as perfect as she looks?” Luke asked, sounding as though he didn’t mean for the words to slip out.

  “She is,” Cole reassured him and their hands touched, their fingers linking together between them again as they both stood in awe.

  “Like I said, just like her momma.” Logan once again chimed in.

  “So, what’s it feel like to be an uncle?” Luke asked, seemingly filling the time with idle chatter.

  “It feels like I’m gonna get to give you a hard time about a lot more now. A girl, huh? I hope she gives you two a run for your money.”

  The conversation continued around him, but Cole didn’t participate much. He smiled when it was expected, but he was more content to stare at their baby girl.

  Hannah.

  For the last six months or so, they’d tossed around so many names, Cole had a hard time keeping up, but the moment their daughter took her first breath, Cole knew she was their Hannah. Ever since they laid her precious body on Sierra’s chest, he had known his life would never be the same.

  For months, he’d been preparing for this day, secretly wondering whether it would be awkward for him and Luke, knowing that only one of them had created her. Thankfully, from the moment she made her appearance in the world, none of his insecurities seemed to matter. Only her. It was a blessed relief from all of the confusion he’d been facing lately.

  Now, with Luke’s hand in his, Cole felt the security of the love he’d embraced so many months before. He had a hard time even remembering why he worried so much.

  “You think Sierra’s ready to see us yet?” Luke asked, glancing over at him.

  He nodded his head, glancing into Luke’s hazel eyes, seeing the pure joy on his lover’s face. “Let’s get her some flowers first,” he told him, squeezing his hand before pulling away.

  To his absolute shock, Luke grabbed his hand, linking his fingers with his once more and turning to face him completely. “Don’t pull away from me,” Luke demanded and Cole felt the tension in his words.

  Their relationship had taken a turn in the last few weeks, probably because Cole had revealed more of himself than he truly expected to. He loved Luke with every piece of himself, and he accepted Luke and his inability to say how he felt, but there were times it got to be too much. Right this minute, seeing this side of Luke, the man who didn’t hide his true feelings, even in public, sent his heart soaring higher than he thought it could possibly go.

  Squeezing Luke’s hand once more to let him know he wasn’t going anywhere, they released one another and turned toward the gift shop.

  Three hundred dollars and practically every gift the tiny gift shop had to offer later, Cole and Luke were once again heading back to the labor and delivery floor where Sierra was.

  After gently knocking on the door to announce their presence, Luke pushed it open, and they both moved forward. To Cole’s surprise, Sierra was sitting up in bed, Hannah cradled in her arms as mother and daughter stared back at one
another. Cole’s breath lodged in his chest. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything as perfect as the picture they presented.

  When Sierra’s eyes met his, a brilliant smile tipping her perfect lips, Cole couldn’t contain his own grin.

  “Hey, baby,” Luke greeted Sierra as he moved around to the far side of the bed standing beside Sierra’s mother Veronica while Cole moved to stand on the opposite side of the bed, closest to the door.

  “Never better,” Sierra said sweetly, cupping the back of Hannah’s tiny head and looking up at Luke.

  Cole’s heart swelled as he stared down at his girls, then back up at Luke. A few hours ago, they’d been standing in the same place, holding her hand as she tried stoically to suffer in silence. To his amusement, that hadn’t lasted very long after the contractions began to increase in their intensity. No matter how tough he or Luke thought they were, it had been brutal to watch.

  But when Hannah was born, Sierra’s tears of joy streaming down her face as they laid her against her chest, the weight of the world lifted. Mom and baby had made it through without complications. It was as though the final piece of the puzzle was now in place, completing the three of them in ways they hadn’t expected.

  Cole watched as Sierra stared down at Hannah, the baby’s pretty blue eyes roaming briefly before her lids slid closed as she dozed. Their baby girl, so utterly perfect, was the little piece that solidified what they had started so many months ago.

  “So, how does it feel to be fathers?” Veronica asked, glancing back and forth between him and Luke. At this point, Cole had no idea how to explain the feeling.

  “It’s a bit surreal at this point,” Luke admitted honestly, and Cole met his gaze.

  “Well, I’m going to leave the four of you alone to bond for a little while. Xavier is on his way over, and I told him I’d meet him in the lobby. We’ll be back soon.”

  Cole watched as Veronica kissed her daughter on the forehead, then her granddaughter before slipping out of the room.

  “Do you want to hold her?” Sierra asked, sounding understandably tired as she looked between him and Luke. “Not that I want to give her up, but I will.” The smile on her face lit up the entire room, and Cole couldn’t hold back his answering smile.

  Even though the elation of Hannah’s birth hadn’t worn off, and he hoped it never would, Cole couldn’t help but wonder whether Hannah actually would change the way he and Luke reacted to one another. Up to this point, it didn’t even appear to be an issue, but his fears still lingered down deep. He knew Hannah’s birth had changed him, and he was pretty sure it’d changed Luke as well, maybe more so, he just wasn’t sure how yet.

  When Luke leaned over Sierra, smiling down at the baby in her arms, Cole felt a pang in his heart. Seeing Luke with a baby, their daughter, was heartwarming.

  Cole watched as Luke took the tiny bundle, the strong, powerful man looking infinitely softer with a baby in his arms.

  Cole could’ve sworn he noticed a fleeting moment of uncertainty flash in Luke’s green-brown eyes, but if he did, Luke quickly masked it.

  Part Two

  Seven weeks after the birth of their daughter...

  Hannah Gabriella Ackerley

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Good morning,” Luke whispered close to Sierra’s ear as she snuggled beneath the blankets, covered almost to the top of her head.

  “Mmmm, what time is it?” she asked.

  Luke smiled as he glanced over at the clock on the bedside table. “Six thirty.” He knew he needed to get out of bed and into the shower, but he had a difficult time pulling himself away from Sierra’s soft, warm body.

  Sliding his hand down beneath the blankets, Luke traced the gentle curve of her waist, then over her hip, gently squeezing her thigh.

  “You know what that means, right?”

  “It means I get to sleep for a few more minutes?” Sierra asked sweetly, followed by a startled laugh when Luke squeezed her thigh, tickling her in the process.

  Glancing over, Luke noticed that Cole had woken, probably from Sierra’s laughter. He wasted no time rolling over and successfully trapping Sierra between the two of them. Her eyes had yet to open, but Luke saw the smile on her face and enjoyed the way she pushed her bottom against his hips.

  Not willing to let the opportunity pass, Luke ground his erection against the sweet curves of Sierra’s ass, growling low in her ear.

  “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Sierra teased, but Luke got the impression she genuinely was hoping for a couple more hours of sleep. He knew she wasn’t going to get them because any minute now Hannah was going to wake up demanding her breakfast.

  “I do. I’ve got to go to work, but I can always spare a few minutes for the two of you,” he answered her, pressing his mouth against the hollow between her neck and shoulder.

  Cole had yet to push too far, probably trying to work his way through the fog of sleep, but Luke saw the hunger reflected in his midnight blue eyes. Reaching over Sierra, Luke gripped Cole’s naked hip and pulled him closer.

  A sudden whimper sounded on the baby monitor that lived on the bedside table alongside the clock.

  “Three minutes,” Luke warned Sierra. He knew they had about that much time before Hannah made her presence known throughout the entire house.

  Sierra had already roused even more now that she knew sleep was not about to come again for a little while anyway.

  “Three minutes, my ass,” Sierra laughed. “You’re insatiable.”

  True. Luke didn’t disagree there, but he deserved some credit. Both he and Cole had been deprived of Sierra’s sweet body for the last seven weeks thanks to her doctor’s orders. The little minx had waited until they were all dead on their feet the night before to let them know that the doctor had given her the go ahead to have sex.

  Despite his body’s baser urges, Luke hadn’t been able to keep his eyes open. For the last week, they’d been learning about diapers, formula (more so than anything else) and car seats and endless other items required to care for Hannah properly. All the while, taking care of a very grumpy, extremely colicky baby, and by the time they managed to get her to sleep, the three of them were ready to pass out themselves.

  Hannah’s persistent wail streamed through the monitor and Luke rolled over onto his back, grumbling as he did. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to put off burying himself inside of the woman now crawling over him to get to her feet.

  “Damn woman,” Luke groaned as she straddled his hips, teasing him ruthlessly. “Do that again and you’ll find my cock buried deep in that sweet pussy without even a please to go along with it.”

  Cole laughed and pushed up out of the bed before he disappeared into the bathroom. Luke knew damn well that Cole was going through the same withdrawals as he was. They were taking the term blue balls to the extreme these days.

  What he didn’t understand was how their little hellcat was managing to turn them away so easily. She’d been like kindling for the last week of her pregnancy, ready and willing to go up in flames at just the slightest touch from either one of them. It seemed as though Luke’s impromptu decision to give Cole a blow job on their couch while she was making dinner had flipped a switch inside of her.

  Needless to say, ever since Hannah was born, they’d managed to refrain, forced to pleasure her orally a time or two, but mostly they’d been holding out. At this point, Luke was well past the point of frustration.

  Luke watched as Sierra grabbed her robe, effectively covering her sweet, naked body, and disappeared from the bedroom. With effort, he manage to sit upright, his feet touching the floor as he tried to get his bearings.

  He had things to do today, but the only thing he wanted to do was to wait right there until Sierra was back. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that, so he glanced up at the bathroom door, hearing the shower turn on.

  His curiosity almost got the better of him. He could only imagine what was going on behind that closed door.

&nbs
p; ~~*~~

  Cole stood beneath the hot water, waiting for it to clear the fog from his brain.

  His dick was as hard as a steel pipe, and the firm grip he had on it wasn’t helping matters much. The teasing he’d endured for the last few days was beginning to take its toll on him. Sierra had dealt the final blow the night before when she’d told them that the doctor had given her the ok for sex, but then they’d all been too tired to do anything about it.

  Now here he was, his dick in his hand and at the point he didn’t care how he found relief. His balls ached. He closed his eyes, tipping his head down beneath the spray as he absently stroked his cock, wondering how much longer he could take this. Letting the heat of the water ease some of the stress from his shoulders, he tried to relax.

  The sound of the bathroom door opening caught Cole’s attention, but he kept his eyes closed. If Luke wasn’t careful, Cole was going to take him by his hair and shove his cock down his throat at any second. He wasn’t sure where the aggression was coming from, but he was past the point of caring about the boundaries of their relationship.

  If he couldn’t bury himself in Sierra’s sweet body soon, he was ready to indulge in the next best thing.

  With his eyes closed, he allowed his mind to drift, imagining the feel of Sierra beneath him, Luke’s warmth at his back. For a second or two, it felt almost real, but he was scared to open his eyes for fear it’d just be another daydream. It was almost like Luke was right there with him, his warm body pressed up against his back, dragging a ragged groan from him.

  He knew where this would lead and as much as he wanted Sierra’s smooth thighs wrapped around his hips, or the delectable taste of her pussy coating his lips, he needed to bury his cock in someone. He didn’t have a preference at this point.