by Cassia Leo
“Turn the picture over,” Perry said in his deep voice.
I turned it over and saw a famous saying written in Luke’s messy scrawl: There’s no place like home.
“He said I’m not allowed to take you home until you put on those shoes and click your heels together while you read that out loud three times.”
I looked at Perry incredulously and he smiled big, showing all his perfect white teeth. “He would do something like that.” I slipped the red shoes on and planted my feet on the floor of the car then clicked my heels together. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.”
Perry cackled so hard I thought he was going to burst a lung.
“Ha, ha. Can you take me home now?”
Perry shook his head as he tried to compose himself. “He never said you had to do that, but I couldn’t resist.”
I punched him in the arm and he continued to cackle as he pulled out of Greene’s parking lot.
When I entered the house, I was surprised to hear the sound of cartoons coming from the living room. I walked through the foyer and found Luke stretched out on the sofa with Lucas asleep in his arms.
“What happened? Is he okay?”
A million scenarios went through my mind why Lucas would be home early: my parents got sick of his fussiness; he was running a high fever; he fell off their bed and cracked his head open.
Luke shushed me as he glanced over his shoulder. He pointed the remote at the TV to turn it off as I came around the sofa. Lucas’s chubby cheek was mushed against Luke’s solid chest—it was no surprise Lucas preferred sleeping on Mommy.
I sat next to Luke and softly stroked Lucas’s head. “What happened?” I whispered.
“I was going to take you to Vegas, but then I realized that no matter where I took you, it would just seem like a cliché, and neither one of us would be as happy as we are when we’re at home together.”
I smiled as I realized we both had the same idea. “Do you know what I was going to give you for Valentine’s Day?”
“A watch?”
“Very funny,” I replied. “I was actually going to cook for you and give you the best blow job you’ve ever had in your life.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Better than the one you gave me last night?”
“Even better.”
“What the fuck did I do to deserve you?” he said, stroking Lucas’s soft hair.
“You gave me three orgasms last night and one beautiful child last year.” I looked down at my new outfit. “Not to mention this dress and these shoes. What the hell, Luke? Did you pick these out?”
He smiled as he looked me up and down. “I had some help from Reese.” Reese Maxwell was Luke’s gorgeous twin sister. “She picked out the dress, but I remembered the shoes.”
“I’m awfully dressed up to go nowhere.”
“Dinner’s in the oven and the table is already set…on the bed.”
I let out an adoring sigh. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”
“You carried this spawn,” he said as he laid a soft kiss on Lucas’s forehead. “And you carry my heart. I have to treat you right so you don’t drop it. That’s why I called Josh and told him he’s not allowed to call me after six p.m. After six, I belong to you.”
“Do you want me to put him down?”
“I can do it. You get the dinner ready. It’s just some take-out I picked up on the way home.”
I set up our Chinese take-out on fancy plates then placed them on the breakfast trays he laid on top of the bed. I cracked open a bottle of champagne, and by the time I got to the bedroom with our drinks, Luke was in the bedroom setting the trays of food on the floor.
“I thought we were going to eat?”
He took a glass of champagne from me and held it up. “What shall we toast to?”
“How about we toast to gorgeous red shoes and deliciously looooong blow jobs?”
“I’ll toast to that.”
We clinked our glasses together then each downed our entire glass and dropped them on the carpet before I reached for his belt buckle.
“I knew you weren’t hungry,” he said as he reached behind me to unzip my dress.
“Oh, I’m hungry all right, just not for Chinese.”
I pushed him onto the bed as my dress dropped to the floor, and he stared up at me wide-eyed. I licked my lips as I watched his erection grow inside his boxer briefs.
“That is so hot,” he said as I kicked my dress aside and knelt before him.
I slid his briefs down and tossed them aside as I breathed in his scent. I raked my fingers down his chest as I positioned myself between his legs. I wrapped my fingers around the head of his beautiful erection and slid my hand down to stretch the skin nice and taut. I could sense the tension in his body as I licked the moisture off the tip. “Mmm…”
“Baby, you’re teasing me.”
I licked my lips then wrapped them over my teeth as I took him into my mouth. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth, and I slowly pulled my head back. I sucked gently on the tip then licked my way down to his balls. I took one into my mouth and sucked as I gently massaged it with my tongue.
“Oh, fuck,” he moaned. “That feels good.”
I pumped my fist slowly up and down his cock as I paid the other ball some attention then ran my tongue down the underside of his sac. I licked my way back up to his glorious erection and took him fully into my mouth.
“Oh, yeah.”
I bobbed my head about ten times before I pulled my head back and swirled my tongue around the sensitive ridge, paying close attention to the bottom side.
“I don’t think I can take much more of this,” he groaned as he reached down and pulled me up so I straddled him. “Sorry, baby, but I just want to be inside you.”
I eased myself down onto his cock as I kissed him. His hands roamed over my breasts and my back before coming to rest on my waist. He lifted me up and down on top of him as I kissed the column of his throat.
“I love you so much,” he said as I took his face in my hands. “I will never do anything to jeopardize that.”
“I love you, too, babe.” I kissed him hard as he came. “Let’s try to do this date thing at least once a month.”
“Okay, but only if you promise me one thing.” He leaned his forehead against mine, panting as his cock throbbed inside me. “I want one more baby.”
I grazed my fingers down his neck and over his chest before I kissed him slowly. He grabbed my butt and, just like that, his erection began to grow inside me. He flipped me roughly onto my back and slid me farther up the bed.
“Is that a yes?” he asked as his hand slid under my knee and he sank deep into me.
I gasped and dug my fingernails into his back. “Oh, yes,” I breathed. “That’s a big yes.”
He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”
Part 6
Trust in Me
Chapter 1
Brina
My parents told me I should always help someone in need if I had the means. After nearly destroying my relationship with Luke by trying to help my parents, I realized there was a line that could be crossed when helping others—and it was blurry as hell. But working for the Kingston Foundation had awakened that longing inside me, the desire to feel needed.
Luke stood in front of the full-length mirror adjusting his tie, and I couldn’t believe that after four years together and three years of marriage, he still took my breath away.
“Are you going to be home in time for the birthday dinner I’m making?” I asked as I helped him with his tie.
“You don’t need to cook me dinner, honey. That’s Myrna’s job.”
He planted a soft kiss on my forehead and set off toward the walk-in closet to get his coat. I followed behind him.
“But I want to make you dinner,” I insisted. “I don’t like having everything done for me all the time like I’m incompetent. We’ve
had this conversation a million times.”
“Brina, we already spend enough time apart as it is. I don’t see the problem in accepting a little help so we can spend my birthday together.”
“Now you’re going to make it like I don’t want to spend time with you on your birthday?”
“Please, baby. Can we talk about this tomorrow? You can make me dinner today if that’s what you really want. I’ll wait.”
I heaved a deep sigh, because I knew he’s right. I wouldn’t get home from the ribbon cutting and the schmooze-fest with the trustees of the Kingston Foundation until almost six in the evening. By the time I finished making dinner, Luke would have waited over two hours. Then we’d probably have a quick dinner with Rhianne or Lucas screaming through at least half of the meal. By the time we got to bed, we’d be too exhausted, mentally and physically, to do anything more than get in a quickie before falling asleep. The only time we ever got time to ourselves, to really indulge in each other, was when I allowed Myrna, the nanny-slash-housekeeper, to help me out. And I hated admitting defeat.
I should have been able to do this on my own. Billions of women before me had done it. But the foundation had been taking up way more time than I anticipated. And now that we were opening up our first counseling center, my schedule had become especially hectic.
I grabbed Luke’s arm before he could leave the closet. “I’ll ask Myrna to make you your favorite pad Thai noodles.”
He smiled as he stepped toward me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You know what I want for my birthday?”
He slid his hands over my ass and pulled me against him.
“To unwrap that massive present in your pants?”
He leaned in to kiss my neck and I sighed. “Nothing,” he whispered, his breath tickling the hairs on my nape as he lifted my dress and took my ass in his strong hands. “I want to forget everything and everyone else exists. I don’t need food or gifts. I only need you.” His left hand slid forward and into my panties. “If you come home early tonight, so will I.”
He plunged two fingers inside me and I gasped. “Oh, my…I…”
He pulled his fingers out and thrust his tongue inside my mouth as he massaged my clit. I whimpered as my body curled into him.
I wanted nothing more than to come home early and give myself to him, but I couldn’t. The ribbon cutting and the banquet with the trustees couldn’t be rescheduled. They were flying in from all parts of the country for this banquet.
I clasped my hands tightly around his neck and leaned my forehead against his as I tried to find the strength to tell him this. Instead, I let out a high-pitched moan as my legs trembled.
“Come on, baby,” he whispered, kissing me deeply as my muscles tensed and I climaxed.
Letting out a deeply held breath, I leaned against him for support. “That’s not fair. I had no say in when this banquet was scheduled.”
His fingers grazed my sensitive clit as he pulled his hand out of my panties and I gasped. He smoothed down the skirt of my dress as I attempted to regain my footing. His mouth was set in a hard line, and I knew he was disappointed, but knowing Luke, he was about to say something comforting and diplomatic.
He lay a soft kiss on my earlobe and turned to leave. “Do what makes you happy, Brina. That’s all I want. I’ll see you when you get home.”
I arrived at the counseling center at nine a.m. to find a crew of painters setting up in the lobby. The chairs in the lobby had all been pushed to the center of the space and covered with plastic sheeting. More plastic sheeting was being taped to the baseboards to cover the slate tile floor.
“Good morning, Mrs. Maxwell,” said Henry, the lanky, red-haired foreman for the painting company. “Ben asked us to come in and do a few touch-ups before today’s ribbon cutting.”
“Is Ben here?” I asked as I made my way toward the hallway, which lead toward the conference room where I would be meeting with the trustees later today.
“Ben is in his office.”
“Thank you, Henry.”
I skirted around the roll of plastic on the floor and made my way to the corridor and toward Ben Hoffman’s office. Ben was the Executive Director for the Kingston Foundation. Though I was technically his boss, Ben didn’t really take orders from anyone, and he was quite the perfectionist. He came highly recommended from Luke’s mentor, Jerry Wilshire. Ben did his job very well, maybe too well, but he seemed to fall to pieces around me, and I couldn’t quite figure out why.
I entered the office, and Ben was holding his cell phone to his ear, holding up a finger as if to say, “Give me one sec.” I took a seat in the sleek chair in front of his desk and crossed my legs as I waited for him to finish his conversation. He leaned forward over his desk as he gripped his dark hair. I wasn’t sure if he was stressed or he was trying to hide his face.
“Yeah, tell her she needs to call the mechanical contractor about the warranty. The controls should be covered, and we can’t have anyone upstairs until they’re working. This shouldn’t even be a fucking issue. I want them here by noon.” He hung up and looked up at me with an apologetic expression. “Sorry. I went upstairs this morning and the controls for one of the a/c units aren’t working. I’ve had to call four different people to get ahold of the super. What’s up?”
His fingers were tapping the top of the desk as he leaned forward. He was nervous. Ben lost his wife last year in a car accident and had been raising his three sons alone since then. We paid him enough to hire a nanny, but he insisted he didn’t need one. I admired him, but I didn’t envy him.
“Do you think it would look terrible if I skipped out on the banquet a little early, you know, after I’ve already met with all the trustees?”
“Why? What do you got going on?”
“It’s Luke’s birthday, and I think we need a reason to celebrate that’s not related to the center. It’s been taking up a lot of my time.”
His fingers stopped moving and his eyes widened as he sat back in his chair. “Right. How old is he now?”
I paused for a moment, unsure why he cared how old Luke was. “He’s thirty-two today. So do you think that would be okay?”
“Well, you are the base of this foundation, Brina. I do think it would look bad, but your marriage is important. If you feel you need to leave early then that’s what you should do.” He stared at the desk phone for a moment before he continued, “There’s someone here to see you. He’s waiting in the boardroom.”
“Who is it?”
He cast a weary look in my direction. “I had the security guards check him for weapons and he’s clear. Just some homeless kid. Says he served with your brother.”
My heart stopped at the mention of my brother. Everyone here knew how my brother committed suicide while suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, right before he was scheduled to leave for his second tour of duty. Everyone knew I was there with Ryan when he jumped off the hospital roof. It’s the reason we started the foundation and built this counseling center. But it still felt like a punch in the gut every time someone mentioned him.
Ben must have seen the pain rising to the surface in my facial expression. “You don’t have to talk to him, but I felt kind of sorry for the guy. I figured the least I could do is ask. I’ll tell him to leave.”
He got up and rounded the desk to leave his office, but I grabbed his hand as he passed me. “Wait.” He looked down at my hand and I quickly released my grip on him. “I’ll talk to him; just give me a minute to pull myself together.”
The muscle in Ben’s jaw clenched as he gave me a curt nod and headed out of the office. I leaned forward in the chair and hid my face in my hands as I took a few deep breaths. The last time I met someone who had served with my brother, it did not go well.
I met Christian Perez at a community service awards ceremony for veterans. We had a ten-minute conversation where I discovered he was going through some terrible things—nightmares, insomnia, debilitating depression—but he insist
ed he didn’t need help. His expression was dead, occasionally reverting to a sort of manic smile that was more sad than frightening. I ended up leaving the ceremony early, because I was so upset by my conversation with him. I couldn’t stop imagining that what happened to my brother would happen to Christian if he didn’t seek help.
I stood from the chair and made my way out of the office, pressing my lips together as those emotions that always ebbed just below the surface began to swell inside me. The walk down the corridor to the boardroom was frightening, only made worse by the fact I was nearing the area of the building where the air conditioning wasn’t working. It was hot.
I reached the boardroom and immediately saw him through the glass wall. He was scarily thin, but not as dirty as I imagined he would be. He leaned forward on the conference table, his fingers toying with the bill on his black baseball cap. I swallowed my nerves and pull the glass door open.
He looked up and my heart jumped a little at the troubled look in his eyes. He saw the fright in my eyes and he looked down at the smooth surface of the maple conference table. I instantly felt horrible. He probably got those kinds of looks all day and didn’t expect to get one in a counseling center for veterans.
“I’m Brina,” I said as I approached him, holding my shoulders back to let him know I wasn’t afraid of him.
He stood from the table and I held out my hand to him. Removing his hat, he took my hand to shake it gently. His sandy blonde hair was shaggy, and he had a major case of hat-hair, but without the hat I could see that he was younger than Ryan was.
“Brandon Newell,” he said, letting go of my hand.
He put his hat back on and waited for me to take a seat before he followed suit.
“You knew Ryan?” I asked as I tried not to stare at the burn scars on his right hand.
“Sorry. I know I probably look a little out of place here.”