“You finish up your lunch so we can get you down for a nap. You’ll need rest if you want to participate in all the fun stuff.”
“Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Uncle Cole!”
She pressed a kiss to my cheek before rushing back down the hallway, and I crouched there, in absolute shock, as the warmth of her small lips stayed against my skin. I brought my hand to my cheek and slowly rose up as Hank clapped me on the back. Ginny winked at me before she turned around, following after Millie and calling something out to her.
“She’s doing great,” he said.
“Yeah. She really is,” I said breathlessly.
I joined them for lunch before taking Millie home, then promptly tucked her in for a nap. I put her down on the couch with Hope, then sat there while holding her hand. That routine was new, her wanting me to hold her hand. But for the past couple of days, she’d wanted me there until she fell asleep.
Once I felt her hand relax in mine, I got up to go call Layla.
“You caught me at just the right time,” she said. “My planning period just started.”
“I was wondering if you were busy tonight.”
“Tonight?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Uh, not really. Just preparing for the stuff with the fifth graders in the gym tomorrow. Why?”
“Well, Millie is going to be having dinner and a movie with your parents tonight. I figured if you were free…?”
“Ah. I see what you’re getting at.”
I chuckled. “Good.”
“What if we go bowling?”
I paused. “Bowling?”
“Yeah. Bowling. You know, with balls and pins.”
“You want to go bowling?”
“You don’t?”
Not quite what I had in mind, but… “No, no. Bowling’s fine.”
She laughed. “You had your mind in the gutter, didn’t you?”
“Not at all,” I said.
“You’re a terrible liar.”
“So, bowling and greasy bowling alley food for dinner?”
“And the terrible beer. Can’t forget that.”
“I didn’t know you drank beer.”
“I don’t. But my brother does.”
I paused. “Your brother’s coming bowling with us?”
“I don’t know. I figured we could invite Lance and Nicole if we wanted to. Make it a nice night out. I know that girl doesn’t get out nearly as much as she likes to put on she does.”
“Lance and Nicole?”
“Yeah. Your best friend and mine.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So, what do you say? Bowling alley around five thirty?”
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
“See you then!” she exclaimed.
She hung up the phone on me, and I swallowed my laughter. I shook my head and shot Lance a text, letting him know of the plans. I hadn’t talked with him in a little bit. I was busy with Millie, and he had some new client who was really giving him hell those days. He hadn’t even been by yet to see the final product from our weekend of treacherous painting.
So I had no clue what Layla was talking about with this Nicole business. I shot him the details of the plans, then confirmed them with Layla. There was a bowling alley on the other side of Bangor that had seen Lance’s fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighteenth birthday parties. After confirming plans all around to see one another there at five thirty, I shot Layla a text, letting her know I’d be picking her up around five.
I packed Millie a small bag, just in case she needed a change of clothes after dinner or had an accident. Then, we tended to Hope. The second Millie woke up, the puppy started wagging her tail, spinning in circles and letting us know she really had to go outside. We took our small dog for a walk and played around with her for a little bit. We ran around in the backyard and really worked up an appetite. I had Millie get Hope some water and food for our outside bowls. Then, we checked the gate to make sure Hope wouldn’t get out while we were gone.
And after all that, we took off for Ginny’s.
“Now remember, we always use our manners, okay?” I asked.
“I know,” Millie said.
“Please and thank you. Always.”
“Okay.”
“And don’t demand things. If you want something, ask politely. And if they tell you no, what do we do?” I asked.
She sighed. “Breathe deep and say ‘okay.’”
“Good.”
“Uncle Cole?”
“Yes?”
“I…”
We pulled into the driveway, and I paused, waiting for Millie to finish her statement.
“You okay, Millie?” I asked.
“Yeah. I’m okay,” she said softly.
“There anything you want to say before we head in?”
But before she could make up her mind, Ginny came out onto the porch.
“Miss Ginny!”
Millie unbuckled herself for the first time and threw open my truck door. My eyes widened and I quickly unclipped myself, scrambling out of the truck after her. I reached for her bag in the back, yelling at her to be careful. But Ginny leapt off the porch and ran for her, picking Millie up and swinging her in the air.
“Miss Ginny! Miss Ginny!” she exclaimed.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re back, Millie.”
I jogged up and passed her bag off to Hank, who had just stepped out onto the porch. I rubbed Millie’s back and kissed her cheek, then watched as Ginny carried her inside. I waved to Hank one last time before the three of them disappeared inside, leaving me standing alone in the driveway.
Fucking hell, did leaving her somewhere ever get easier?
I looked at my watch and cursed underneath my breath. If I didn’t leave now, I’d be late picking up Layla. I trotted back toward my truck, hopped in, and buckled up.
When I looked through the windshield, I saw Millie standing at the window with Hank and Ginny behind her, as she waved at me. She waved and she waved, with a massive smile on her face. It brought tears to my eyes as I waved back, and then the curtains fell in front of them.
My little girl was growing up much too quickly.
Hmmm. When had I started thinking of her as my little girl?
I backed out of the driveway and started for Layla’s apartment. She was waiting downstairs for me and didn’t even wait until the truck stopped before she hopped in. She leaned over and kissed my cheek, making me smile as I turned my lips toward hers.
I captured them, tasting her, feeling her moan against my mouth.
“You look incredible,” I murmured.
“Keep talking like that and you just might get lucky,” she said, giggling.
“That a promise?”
She shook her head as she buckled herself in and we headed across town. We pulled into the bowling alley parking lot with ten minutes to spare, so we got out of the truck with plans to secure a bowling alley for the four of us.
Only, my mind had other ideas.
“Come here, gorgeous.”
She squealed as I tugged her into me, then stepped off to the side. I pressed her against that faded brick facade, crashing our lips together once more. I felt like a teenager again, making out against the wall of the bowling alley. My hands roamed her body, caressing her waist and gripping her hips. Her arms draped themselves around my neck, pulling me closer as our tongues danced. They tangoed, deep within the wells of her mouth, and I growled into her.
Suddenly, I heard someone clear their throat behind me.
“Oh, shit,” Layla snickered.
“Uh, hi there,” Nicole said.
“Cole,” Lance said curtly.
I chuckled as I turned around and found the two of them standing behind us. Lance didn’t look amused, but Nicole was practically grinning from ear to ear. Layla hugged her best friend, and I shook Lance’s hand, who soon pulled me into a hug where he patted my back a little too hard.
“Let’s not make a public spectacle of my l
ittle sister, yeah?” he murmured.
“Got it,” I answered.
I pulled back and he smiled at me, before clapping me on the back again. I gave Nicole a quick hug, and then the four of us headed inside. I had to admit, Lance and Nicole looked nice standing next to one another.
“I can go put in the order for a pizza if you guys want,” Nicole said.
“I’ll come with you. I want to get a beer while I’m at it,” Lance said.
Layla shot me a look, and I curled my lips over my teeth. We rattled off our orders for food and drinks, and I watched the two of them walk away and how they kept bumping shoulders with one another. Watching them, I felt it right in my gut. I thought back to those days and how a first date could really make or break a couple.
“Ready to go find our lane?” Layla asked.
I held out my hand for hers. “Ready whenever you are.”
22
Layla
“I’m feeling girl versus boy. How do you feel?” Nicole asked.
“Hmm, I feel like that’s a good idea. How do you feel?” I asked.
“I feel like I have great ideas.”
“I feel like you sometimes have great ideas.”
“I feel like someone should ask us how we feel,” Lance said.
We all stood around, drinking our drinks and eating our first slice of pizza. We ended up girls versus boys and it was laughable how terrible my brother was at it.
“Didn’t you bowl all the time back in school?” I asked.
“That was years ago, dick,” Lance said flatly.
“Hey now, don’t talk to my best friend that way,” Nicole chided.
“Yeah, Lance. Don’t talk to her best friend that way,” I repeated.
“Why did we agree to do this again?” Cole asked.
“Because you want to get laid later,” I said, laughing.
“Can we not?” Lance asked.
As the three of us laughed, my brother was a blushing mess.
The date went really well. Between beer, sodas, and pizza, we ended up playing two games. Girls versus boys, which Nicole and I won by a long shot. Then, couple versus couple. Which Nicole and Lance won by only two points. It hurt, seeing that score and taking that loss. Lance made sure to rub it in my face as we all changed back into our shoes. But the high point of the evening was watching Nicole and Lance go back and forth.
Bantering. Flirting. Smiling at one another.
They really did look cute together.
“Good call,” Cole murmured.
“Don’t pat me on the back. I wouldn’t have known anything had Nicole not blurted it out to me over the phone one morning,” I whispered.
“I can hear you,” Lance said.
“You’re a shit whisperer, you know,” Nicole added.
“Sorry that I think you guys look cute!” I exclaimed.
Cole stuck his finger in his ear and wiggled it around as we all fell apart in laughter.
“We’ll have to have another date soon and fix this tie we’ve got going, though,” Nicole said.
“Oh, you’re totally on,” I said.
We all gave one another quick hugs before he practically dragged me out of the bowling alley.
He cranked up the car before pulling out his phone. A smile crossed his face, and I leaned over to read the text. It was from Mom, and the message was simple.
Mom: Millie’s already asleep on Hank’s side of the bed. I’d hate to disturb her. Why don’t you pick her up in the morning?
“Well, I guess that frees up my evening,” Cole said.
I snickered. “Does it really shock you, though?”
“Not one bit. Between a full stomach and a movie with your dad? I’m shocked she didn’t fall asleep in the chair with him.”
I giggled as Cole slipped his phone back into his pocket, then backed out of the parking space. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, then slid my hand down his thigh. If Millie was staying the night with my parents, why couldn’t we both have the date we wanted tonight?
“Layla?”
My lips pressed to his ear. “Why don’t you take me back to your place?”
He grunted as he sped out of the parking lot, and I giggled as I snuggled against him. We rushed through town, skidding into his driveway before he turned off his truck. Our lips collided and he pulled me against him, my legs straddling his pelvis. He scooted out of the truck, and I wrapped myself around him, our lips already intertwined. My tongue filled his mouth as his hands explored my body.
It shocked me that we actually made it inside his house.
He walked inside and whipped me around, pinning my back to the front door. I heard it close with a bang before he locked it. Our kisses were sloppy. I ran my fingers through his hair, then wiggled down and gripped his shirt, pulling it over his head.
Our clothes came off in a flurry as we stumbled our way upstairs.
I heard Hope yipping outside. It made me giggle as we practically ran into his bedroom. My back fell to his mattress as his lips wrapped around my puckered peaks, teasing my engorged nipples. I moaned at his touch. I bucked and rolled against him as his hands spread my legs, pressing against my knees as my pussy folds opened for him, exposing my swollen nub as he kissed down my stomach.
“I want you. I want you now,” I panted.
He rushed back up my body, and I felt the tip of his cock press against me. I rolled, my pussy swallowing him down in one massive gulp. I cried out in ecstasy. I felt him spreading me as his cock pulsed against my walls. He growled as he captured my lips again. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up, his cock sheathed within me. My clit raked against his tightly wound curls as he pushed me up the mattress until my hair splayed across his pillows.
Then, his eyes met mine.
“You’re fucking gorgeous,” he murmured.
I blushed. “Why did this take us so long, Cole?”
He bent down and caught my lips. The kiss was soft, unlike most of his movements. He slid out slowly, then eased himself back in, giving me time to adjust to his thickening cock. I gasped for air and ran my fingernails softly down his back. I wrapped my legs around him and locked him against me, eager to feel him, eager to please him, eager to take his cock as he peppered my skin with kisses.
“Perfection,” he growled.
He pulled back and slammed into me, causing my back to arch. He did it again, our bodies colliding as he lapped at my tits. My heels dug into the small of his back. As I rocked my clit against his body, my eyes rolled back and electricity shot through me, causing everything to fall black. With every snap of his hips, colors burst in my vision. Juices dripped down my ass as his cock swelled bigger inside my body. I cried out his name and dug my nails into his skin. I felt his thick muscles rolling against me, working for our combined pleasure.
And when I opened my eyes, I found him looking down at me, before he tossed my leg over his shoulder.
“Holy fuck,” I choked out.
“Open up for me. Let me in.”
“I—holy shit. Cole.”
“You have no idea how beautiful you look pinned underneath me.”
His words ignited me; filled me with a pounding desire that matched the thrust of his hips. My jaw unhinged and my sounds choked off inside my throat. I bucked against him as I reveled in the weight of him. The feel of him. His grunts and his groans. The way his cock pulsed, signaling its own end. His hips stuttered. His balls smacked my ass cheeks. I cupped his face and drew him down to me, sucking on his lower lip.
“Please. Please, Cole. Please. Please. Oh, fucking hell.”
“I’m coming. I’m coming. Lay—la—”
Threads of hot arousal poured into me, triggering my own release. I pressed into him, my pussy milking his cock for all it had. My leg slid off his shoulder. He collapsed against me, his muscles pressing me into the mattress. I felt smothered by him, completely overtaken by this beast of a man I’d somehow missed my entire life.
And I adored ev
ery second of his intrusion.
“Shit. Fuck, Layla.”
“Oh, God yes.”
I panted for air as my body released. I fell limp against his bedsheets as my pussy continued to spasm. I rested my head against the side of his. I kissed his shoulder, unable to move the rest of my body. I trembled underneath him and felt his muscles twitching from the sheer power of their release. My lower lip quivered, and I saw stars that exploded and died upon the beautiful form of the man on top of me.
“Don’t move,” I whispered.
He kissed my temple, and I wrapped my arms around him. I spread my legs farther, feeling him inch down between my legs. I wrapped myself around him and locked my heels around his calves. His warmth was inviting. Intoxicating. Addicting. And I wasn’t ready to let him go.
Thanks heavens tomorrow is a teacher workday.
“Do you work tomorrow?” Cole murmured.
I shook my head, unable to muster the strength to respond.
“Would you like to stay with me tonight?”
I smiled as I nodded my head.
“Can you talk?”
I giggled before I shook my head no again.
“Well, if you want to sleep in something, you can borrow one of my shirts.”
I cleared my throat. “Actually, I think I’d like that.”
I sat up, feeling comfortable in my own nakedness for the first time since losing Brent. I watched his chiseled body slide off the bed and his thick cock swing between his legs. I swallowed a moan and licked my lips, letting my head fall off to the side.
“Like what you see?” Cole asked.
And when he jiggled his pert ass for me, I giggled.
“Jerk,” I murmured.
“Hey, you’re the one staring.”
He tossed me a shirt from his drawer, then dug out a pair of boxers for himself. I slipped the shirt over my head, feeling how loose it was on me as it draped all the way down past the middle of my thighs. It felt so easy, being with him, snuggling underneath the covers. As he drew me into his arms, I wondered if it would stay that way.
Because Cole was the first thing that made any sense to me in a very long time.
23
Cole
Brother’s Best Friend Page 14