by Sosie Frost
He rocked inside me, hands squeezing my hips. “Should have done this long ago.”
I would have let him too. Would have welcomed him. Offered myself to him. Given everything to him.
I’d loved him before. I loved him now.
And that made me reckless and foolish and so incredibly desperate for him. This wasn’t fair. We belonged together. We couldn’t change the past, but what had it done to him? The once playful, excited puppy of a boy had turned into a reclusive, gruff, bear of a man. Alone. Miserable. Struggling so hard to see the good in himself.
But I saw it. I knew it was there. And I fell for him with every breath, every stroke, every minute of every day that he denied the past and struggled to imagine a future where he belonged.
His future was in mine.
No more hiding. No more wilderness.
Just me and him.
Tonight was only the beginning.
Breathing was hard. Thinking impossible. A rushing, intoxicating intensity built so deep inside of me it actually ached with every hardened thrust. I gripped his arms. The muscles beneath my fingers tensed. He fought with himself, with me, with everything. Each drive inside me struck through him with the same shivering realization.
I hardly recognized the wild, rasping warning that growled from his throat. But the words stirred in me. I tensed, nodded, unable to speak.
“I’m not pulling out.” Rem stared at me, daring me to protest. “Now that I finally have you, I’ve gotta come inside of you, Cas. I gotta make you mine.”
And I would have fought him if he’d even dreamt of pulling from me.
I clung to him, tensing as my own excitement unwound every part of me.
He struck first—a hard, powerful thrust straight through me. He bottomed out as deeply as he could get, a solid and uncompromising mark of strength. He pinned me against his hips. Clenched his jaw. Sweated.
I arched as the heat of his seed burst within me.
My core first, then every muscle, every inch of skin. The tingles became shocks and transformed my breath, my words, my weakening strength into jagged and fierce energy. Every tremble rocked through me, a strike to my most vulnerable and sensitive secrets.
I came for him again and again, clutching at his shoulders and chest as our bodies still quaked and moved together. The heat and mess between my legs only hardened him more. A captured kiss, and he was on me again, wrapping me into his arms, threatening me with even more pleasure.
I giggled as he held me against his chest and swept me into the house.
“No cuddling?” I teased. “And here I thought you’d be a romantic.”
“Fuck cuddling.” Rem tossed me onto his bed and shut the door behind us. His cock hardened again, slick and intimidating and so very delicious. “I’ve been without you for five years, Cassi. Little girl, you’re in for a rough night.”
13
Rem
I didn’t wake up next to the woman of my dreams.
We never went to sleep.
Sticky, exhausted, and utterly spent, we crawled out of bed once the sun rose.
Cassi reluctantly dressed, smirking as she tucked her hair into a ponytail and borrowed one of my old shirts and a pair of boxers. She so easily fell into my arms now.
“I don’t want this to end,” she whispered.
God, the woman was beautiful. Sexy and dark and wild enough to ache me in all the best places.
I stroked her cheek, earning a smile. “Good thing this is just the beginning.”
No end in sight, but plenty of interruptions. The bedroom door crashed open.
Mellie sprinted into the room, diving into Cassi’s arms. “Yay! You’re home!”
Tabby followed close behind, escaping her crib even though she was groggy and wielding a heavy diaper. She gave her nanny a mischievous grin. Both girls pinned her in a hug.
Cassi arched an eyebrow. “Nothing like a toddler catching you on the walk of shame.”
“Nothing shameful about last night.”
She disagreed with a giggle. “Well, maybe some of it was shameful.”
“You liked it.” I had proof.
“You encouraged it.”
“You teased me.”
“You begged for it.”
I grinned. “I’ll beg again.”
Mellie smooshed Cassi’s face between her hands and drew her attention back. “I’m hungry.”
Cassi spoke through puckered lips. “Okay. Lemme get coffee first.”
“Why?”
Her glance to me wasn’t sly. “I’m kinda tired.”
Mellie cocked her head. “Why?”
I took credit. “We stayed up late.”
“Doing what?”
“We played a lot of games,” she said. “That’s all.”
“Cassi won.” I winked. “About ten times.”
Cassi gave me a pinch and shooed the kids from the bedroom. “Who wants pancakes?”
“Mememememe!”
I raised my hand. “Me me me.”
She baited me with that smirk. “You had enough to eat, Mr. Marshall.”
Bad girl. “And you tasted like maple syrup.”
“Sweet talker.”
I licked my lips. “Your fault.”
Cassi hoisted Tabby into her arms and led Mellie into the kitchen. “Okay. I’m going to make you guys my mom’s super-secret family pancake recipe. But you have to promise not to tell anyone what goes in it.”
Mellie’s blue eyes widened. “What is it?”
“Bisquick,” I winked.
Cassi smacked me again. “Don’t insult my mother’s cooking. God knows you ate enough of it growing up.”
“Had to. There was never any food at my place.”
“So, instead you ate us out of house and home?”
“All the Bisquick I could stuff in my cheeks.”
“She made them from scratch!”
Never insult a woman when she’s got her hand in a bag of flour. A plume of flour burst in my face. Bad, bad girl. Shouldn’t have started a fight so near heavy artillery. I grabbed a wooden spoon from the drawer and countered, giving her bottom a quick smack. She squealed and threatened to topple the flour bag over my head.
“And here I offered to make you breakfast in bed.” I patted the white dust from my shirt.
She waved a hand over the screaming girls. “And what would we do with the hungry kids?”
“It’s a big woods. Let ‘em scavenge.”
Cassi let loose the hounds. “Mellie, Tabby! Get him!”
Mellie needed no encouragement. She bolted at my legs, giggling and striking my thighs with little balled fists I’d learned could actually inflict some hurt on defenseless places. The kids laughed as I led them through the kitchen and across the living room. No longer was the couch a safe refuge. I no sooner dove over the back when Mellie roared, charging over an end table to get to me. Blocks ricocheted off the ground. A sippy cup bounced into the hearth. The remote to every electronic device cracked against the ground. Batteries plinked away.
A little destruction never stopped a toddler. She charged with a ferocious giggle and tugged the blanket off the couch. All the better for me to use as a net. I twisted the kid inside the knitting, nearly breaking a lamp as I rolled off the sofa. I returned to the kitchen for a chance to sweep Cassi into my arms.
Denied by Tabby. The baby whimpered and reached for me. I kissed her cheek instead.
She liked that. “Unc Hunk!”
Cassi patted her bottom. “You little rat.”
“Uncle Hunk, huh?” I grinned. “What’s Cassi been saying about me, Tabby? You think she likes me?”
Tabby nodded as I nodded.
“You think she really likes me?”
Tabby’s smile grew.
“Do you like her?”
Didn’t even need to mime it. Tabby’s slobbery grin spoke for us all.
“Do you like her more than your favorite and only uncle?” I asked.
“Y
ep,” she babbled.
Cassi grinned. “Oh, the betrayal! Good girl, Tabby!”
A furious scream echoed through the kitchen. When left unattended, Mellie tended to cultivate glasses of water. She cackled and pitched the water at me. Unfortunately, the glass flew too.
“Got you!”
The cup shattered against the floor. Water spilled everywhere. The baby wailed in fright.
And I was soaking wet.
I reflexively shouted. “God damn it!”
The words echoed off the walls. Mellie, eyes wide and face pale, crumbled to the floor in terror. Tabby cowered against Cassi.
Fuck me. I’d scared them.
“Sorry.” I gentled my voice. Didn’t help. The irritation still hardened the words. “Are you okay?”
Cassi’s gentle scold was a lot more suitable for a kid than my idiotic roar. She knelt to face Mellie and shook her head.
“Oh, Mellie, that wasn’t nice at all.”
Mellie’s eyes glistened with tears. She tried to bolt, but Cassi took her hand. Only made me feel worse.
Great. The kid wanted to hide from her damned uncle.
Her words hiccupped as she sobbed. “S—s—sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “I just…I lost my temper. It’s okay.”
Mellie wasn’t convinced. She nibbled her fingers, face red with tears.
So how many doll babies did I have to buy to make up for this mistake? I’d already plumped her up with chocolate when I accidentally stepped on her foot a week ago. Before that, I had to score her a three-foot teddy bear when her tantrum got me so pissed off that I slammed the bathroom door and broke the hinge.
The stories were all true—kids were expensive. Especially when a man had a bad temper and limited patience.
“Go sit down.” Cassi sent her to the couch. “There’s glass in here. It’s dangerous.”
“Same for you.” I handed Tabby to Cassi before the kid waddled over the glass. “I’ll clean up. Just gotta get a towel.”
The laundry room had become a secondary wardrobe for the kids. Piles of socks and shirts, panties and leggings. None of them clean, of course. Like an idiot, I’d told Cassi I’d handle the chores. Figured little clothes would make for a little load of laundry. Lesson fucking learned.
A knock rattled the cabin. I dropped the towel.
“Shit.” My words echoed inside the dryer. “Fuck me.”
What was the date? I checked my watch.
“Shit, shit, shit.”
How the fuck did I forget?
I rushed to the living room just as Cassi opened the door.
The county representative wore a scowl. It looked better than the pantsuit. Chubby, irritated, and one coffee short of a good morning, the woman had already marked an unsatisfactory box on her clipboard. She eyed Cassi’s shirt and boxers with a huff.
“I’m Theresa Raymond, CPS. And you’ve obviously forgotten our appointment.”
Cassi’s eyes widened. She glanced from the woman to me, hackles immediately rising. “God damn. I know Rem’s new with babysitting, but that’s why he hired me.”
Shit.
The one fucking time my best laid plans actually got me laid was the one morning I shouldn’t have welcomed Cassi in my bed.
“Mr. Marshall…” Theresa clicked her pen and scribbled more notes. “I understand our meetings are infrequent, but I’d hoped for something of this magnitude you’d understand the responsibilities expected of you…”
She stared at my bare chest. Not quite drooling. More…judgmental.
Yeah, the snake and sleeves inked on my fleshed didn’t inspire confidence in everyone.
“Wait.” I grabbed a shirt from the back of the couch, dodged the upended table, and approached the door. “Hi. Yeah. I remember. We were just—”
“My goodness.” Theresa stared at the living room, the kitchen, and the broken glass. “What in Heaven’s name are these children being subjected to?”
“Whoa. Wait.” Cassi turned momma bear in an instant, and I prayed she wouldn’t maul the one woman I desperately needed to keep the kids safe. “What’s going on? Who are you?”
Theresa didn’t offer her hand. She stepped through the entryway, shooing Cassi from her path, and surveyed the rest of the house.
“The home matches the owner…” She frowned. “Unkempt.”
“Hey, I’m kempt.” Sure, the shirt was covered in wet playdough or something damp and purplish, but I looked good in all manner of toddler gunk, goo, and garbage. “We’re just running behind this morning.”
Theresa stared at me through meticulously hair-sprayed bangs that framed her expression into a limited range of irritated, frustrated, or pissy.
And shock.
She now looked shocked.
She clutched the clipboard to her chest. “Mr. Marshall, I expected drug use from your sister, but not from you! Have you no shame, taking in these children only to subject them to the same environment?”
“What?” I rubbed my face. The white powder dusted away. Flour? “No, no! That’s not—”
“Absolutely unacceptable!”
“You don’t understand!”
“I’ll have to report this immediately. I’ll send a car for the children—”
Cassi panicked and blocked her path. “Ms…whoever you are. Wait. That’s not…it’s flour. We’re making pancakes. It’s flour. Rem, what’s going on?”
Theresa’s mouth edged into a hard line. “I see.”
This was getting out of hand. Mellie wailed from the couch, and Tabby now joined the chorus. Sobbing children didn’t promote the image of a safe and nurturing environment. Neither did shards of glass and overturned end tables.
At least Theresa hadn’t found the spider living in the hall closet—pissed that I’d exiled his buddy.
I guided her out of the house. “Let’s talk. Away from the kids.”
Theresa snorted. “That will be best.”
I didn’t dare glance at Cassi.
Christ, how was I going to explain this to her?
One thing at a time. First priority—keep the kids.
I led Theresa to the porch, closing the front door behind me. The morning was crisp, clear, and a perfect opportunity for fate to fuck me over once more. Theresa stepped over Cassi’s robe, discarded by the porch swing. Her eyes read most of everything and her judgment put together the rest. This didn’t amuse her.
She folded her hands and waited for me to dig a deeper grave. Joke was on her. Now that Cassi knew I’d lied to her? I was already six feet under.
I sucked in a breath. “Look, Ms. Raymond.”
“Mr. Marshall, I placed these children under your guardianship as I believed it was better for the girls to live with a direct relative. Have I made the wrong decision?”
“No. Not at all.”
“I find that hard to believe, given the evidence of this morning. A forgotten meeting. A thoroughly unkempt house. A dangerous situation in your kitchen. Crying children. And…” Her gaze darted down. “A scantily clad woman in the house.”
“Scantily clad?” Christ, I wished. “She’s in her pajamas.”
“Yes. Another…concern. I was not told you would host unrelated women in your home. Frankly, I fear this placement may not be the most suitable arrangement for Melanie and Tabitha.”
Goddamn it. “Look, you said it was going to be temporary, so I took them in. It’s been three months now, and I had to do something. We’re adjusting. We’re getting along. The kids are happy and healthy. I even hired a damned nanny to help take care of them.”
“Ah, so…she’s the…nanny. Of course.”
I didn’t like the tone. “What’s that mean?”
“Well, she’s bla—” Theresa stopped herself before she gave me reason to toss her off the property. “She’s suited for a service role.”
I stepped too close, my voice low. “Lady, it doesn’t matter if she’s the nanny or my wife. Don’t you ever fucking presume anyt
hing about her based on her…suitability.”
Theresa frowned, but at least she didn’t check off some racist ass box on her chart. She held the clipboard to her chest and nodded.
“Your sister has completed her rehab,” she said. “She will be returning home soon.”
“Good.”
“Until that time, you are responsible for the wellbeing and safety of those children.”
“Have been for three months.”
“And if you’re lucky, it won’t be for much longer…which, in my professional opinion is a good thing.”
“Lady—”
“We must think of what’s in the best interest of the children.” Her interruption rivaled her stare. Sharp. Uncompromising. Absolutely honest and undoubtedly correct. “I have your records, Remington. I’ve conducted interviews from long-term residents of this town, and I’ve noted your behavior in our prior meetings. Believe me, I placed those girls with you because of our internal policies, not my own preference. We both know you are not a man who should be responsible for those little girls. You aren’t just a bad influence, you’re entirely toxic.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“But I did it. I did what was right. I took them in.”
“Then let us hope you did not traumatize them any further.” Theresa wrote a new date and time on the back of her business card. “Clean your house. Calm the children. And be responsible enough to remember our future meetings. I’ll return in a week. I’ll expect more of you, Mr. Marshall, though I’m not sure I could be any more disappointed than what I’ve seen.”
“Yeah. Feeling’s mutual.”
Theresa stormed off my porch. Good riddance. I grabbed Cassi’s robe and headed inside, slamming the door behind me.
The kids flinched again. Little lips quivered, and their eyes widened with tears.
“Uncle Rem is mad at me…” Mellie sniffled.
Christ. Theresa was right. I did traumatize the girls.
“No, I’m not mad at you.” I mussed her hair. “Everything is okay. I just had to talk to our…friend outside.”
That placated the kids.
Cassi wasn’t as easy. She stared at me, even her curls shaking in a quiet rage.
“Rem, what was that?”