“What?”
“I have another first for us.”
“Our fight?”
I shook my head, quirking my eyebrow. I’d had enough of heavy and the pressure of the last several hours. “Make-up sex. I heard it’s epic.”
A smile crossed her face. She crawled onto my lap and cupped my cheeks. Her mouth hovered over mine.
“I’ll make sure of it.”
“Oh God, Becca,” I groaned. “You need to stop.”
She met my eyes, slowly sliding her mouth off my cock. “Really?” she murmured. “You want me to stop doing this?”
I pressed my head into the softness of the pillow. “I can’t even watch you. You look so sexy with my cock in your mouth, I’m going to come right now.”
“That’s the plan.” She slid her mouth down my shaft, her tongue doing that teasing, twisting thing to it, which drove me crazy and brought me back to the edge.
“Jesus,” I hissed, unable to keep my hips from propelling upward, trying to get close to the source of pleasure. I fisted my hands in the sheets. “Becca, baby. Let me be inside you, please.”
After one long, final lick, she pulled herself over me, straddling my hips. “Like this?”
Her heat was right there. Barely skimming the head of my cock. Tormenting me. “Yes.”
She leaned back, bracing her arms on my thighs, and sank down. Slowly. Easing herself onto my cock inch by torturous inch. Until we were flush. Until I was surrounded by her.
“Oh God, Reid. You feel so good inside me.” She moaned.
“Becca—”
Her voice dropped, her fingers clutching my skin. “Fuck me, Reid. I want you to fuck me.”
I loved hearing her say what she wanted.
And I loved fucking her.
Rising up, I gripped her hips, pushing her back on the bed, sinking farther inside her. She gasped at the feel of me. I groaned at the feel of her.
Then I gave her what she wanted. Fast strokes, hard pumps, pounding my hips into hers, making her grip me close, crying out my name. I lifted her legs to my shoulders, driving deeper. Harder. Hitting the spot that would push her over the edge.
She moaned and arched. Met my thrusts, cried my name. Her nails dug into my biceps, the slight pain only driving me higher. Nothing mattered in the moment. Nothing outside this room, this woman, was important.
Only her. Only the sensation of being lost with her.
There was no other place I wanted to be.
My orgasm hit me. Unexpected. Hard. A tsunami of ecstasy that tightened my balls, lit up my nerves, and shook my body. I roared her name, feeling her stiffen around me, her release spurring mine to lengthen and grow until I could barely breathe. Until I collapsed on her chest, spent. Unable to move except to press my lips to her damp skin and murmur her name repeatedly.
Finally, I slipped from her and rolled, keeping her close. Our ragged breathing calmed, the heat of our skin cooled, and I dragged a blanket over us, not wanting her to get cold.
“You,” she mumbled, her lips on my throat. “You are a fucking sex god.”
I chuckled.
“I had no idea you were going to become like this.”
“Like this?” I asked, curious.
“So good,” she replied. I could feel her smile on my skin. “You’re so good at sex.”
“I think you mean we’re good.” I dropped a kiss to her head. “Together.”
“Insatiable.”
“I need to make up for lost time. I figure in another five years, I should be good. By then, we can go at it once or twice a day, and I’ll be satisfied.”
She laughed, kissing my chest and lifting her head. “You’re the most amazing lover I’ve ever had, Reid.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m the last lover you’ll ever have, Becca.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “I’m good with that.”
I cupped her cheek. “I mean it. No matter what. Promise me we’ll find our way back to each other.”
“Always.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’ll always choose you, Reid.”
I brought her mouth to mine. “I know, BB. I know.”
Becca was finishing in the shower when my phone rang with an unknown number. Wary, I answered. “Reid Matthews.”
“Reid, it’s, ah, it’s Gerald. Gerald Holden.” He hesitated. “Rebecca’s father.”
“I know who you are, Gerald,” I replied dryly. “How did you get my number?”
“Richard gave it to me.”
I reminded myself to kick Richard’s ass the next time I saw him—which would be tomorrow.
“What do you want?”
“So much for the niceties, I suppose,” he muttered. “Are you still here? In Victoria?”
“Yes.”
“I need to ask a favor of you.”
Becca walked into the room, a towel wrapped around her body. Water glistened on her skin, her hair a dark mass of waves draped over her shoulders. She walked toward the closet to get some clothes as I listened, my eyes following her movements. She was pretty and graceful. I loved watching her move.
I realized he was waiting for a response. “Well, this should be good. What can I do for you, Gerald?”
At her father’s name, Becca’s head snapped up. Frowning, she held out her hand as she stomped across the room. I tried not to laugh at her anger, shaking my head and holding up my finger to stop her.
“I would like you to bring my daughter and come see me today.” He cleared his throat. “If that isn’t asking too much.”
“Wouldn’t it save us all a lot of time and grief if you just berated me over the phone? Listed my faults and the reasons for your intense dislike while I shaved or something?” I stood and paced the room, frustrated. “That way, you get what you want, and I can feel as though I’ve accomplished something while being told what a loser I am and how I will never be good enough for your daughter.” I barked out a laugh. “The added bonus is I can spare Becca listening to your venom. So, why don’t we do that, Gerald? You can start anywhere you want. Maybe alphabetically would be good. A is always a good place to start. I’ll even help you. Ass. I’m an ass for speaking to my girl’s father this way, but hey, it’s exactly what you expect of a bastard like me, right? Look—I already gave you B. You can carry on with C now. I imagine coward will be at the top of your list. Or maybe you have a better word. Go ahead. Hit me.”
I sucked in some much-needed oxygen after my diatribe. Becca gaped at me from across the room. There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.
Then he started to laugh. Big, loud guffaws. I pulled the phone from my ear, wondering what the hell was going on. Finally, his laughter died and he spoke.
“Reid, I’m asking. I’ll beg if you want. Give me fifteen minutes.”
I looked across to Becca. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes fixed on the bundle of clothing in her hands. She wasn’t going to ask me to do anything I didn’t want to do, even though she was torn. I could see that from her body language.
“Fine. You get your fifteen minutes. Unless I get fed up and walk out.”
“Thank you.”
“And I’ll be taking Becca with me this time.”
“Understood.”
I hung up and tossed my phone on the bed. “We’re going to see your dad before we go sight-seeing.”
Becca’s eyes glowed in the room. “I love you, Reid Matthews. You’re a good man.”
I stomped across the room. “Whatever. I want breakfast first. I prefer to have my character torn apart on a full stomach.”
I stopped at the door, turning.
“And that includes pancakes. A huge stack of them.”
She nodded, a soft smile lighting her face. “Okay.”
I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. The pancakes, bacon, and eggs I had wolfed down were weighing heavily on me, and I wondered if perhaps we should have held off eating until after her father spoke his mind. Again.
Beside me, Becca sighed. The
grip she had on my hand tightened. She leaned forward. “You asked us here, Dad. What did you want to say to Reid?”
If it were possible, Gerald Holden looked more uncomfortable than I did. His shoulders were stooped, and he looked older than yesterday. Not so intimidating.
Or maybe he looked that way because I no longer gave a shit.
He cleared his throat. “I owe you an apology, Reid.”
“You owe your daughter one as well.”
He frowned but nodded. “I was out of line yesterday.”
“Which part?” I snorted. “There were so many insults; I don’t know which was worse.”
Becca squeezed my hand, and I scrubbed my face with my free hand. “Sorry. I guess I’m angrier than I thought I was.”
Gerald leaned back. “You have every right to be. I apologize for all of it. The insults and innuendos, even the outright hostility.”
“Why?”
“I beg your pardon?” he asked.
“Why are you apologizing? Do you mean it, or is it simply to get back into Becca’s good books?”
Our eyes locked; mine challenging and defiant, his wary and sad. He shook his head. “I mean it. I’m an old man, Reid. Stuck in his ways, as Rebecca has pointed out. Cantankerous and pigheaded, as Richard stated.” He passed a hand over his head. “I have always been overprotective of Rebecca. I know that. Yesterday, I was—” he paused as if searching for the right word “—wrong. I was wrong to judge you. Becca says I’m too black and white, and she’s right. I was that way on the job. I had to be. I’ve seen so many things, witnessed so much bad stuff—”
I held up my hand, my eyes narrowing in anger. “And I haven’t? I was stuck in prison for four years. I saw plenty of things that still haunt my dreams. I’ve had to handle the rejection my past mistakes cause me time and again. I can’t escape it, and I probably never will. Don’t use your job as an excuse. You simply decided not to like me.” When he didn’t deny it, I kept talking. “I will tell you something, though—I was questioned, handcuffed, and put in jail, and those cops still showed me more respect than you did yesterday.” I jabbed my finger into my thigh in vexation. “I would never do anything to hurt Becca the way you did. She comes first. She has from the moment I met her.”
“He treats me so well, Dad,” Becca interjected. “I’ve never been happier.”
“I can see that.”
I didn’t respond. He’d asked me there, so it was his time to speak.
“I acted appallingly, and I said things I shouldn’t have. Made assumptions based on my history, rather than the person standing in front of me.” He straightened his shoulders. “I was wrong about you.”
“What changed your mind?”
His expression softened. “The blatant love my daughter has for you. She reminded me so much of her mother the way she stood her ground and told me off.” A flash of a smile appeared across his face. “She’s never done that before.”
I waited.
“Richard told me off as well. Plus, he told me what you did, Reid. You put yourself, your career, and your very freedom on the line to make sure Becca’s issue was resolved. You didn’t allow anything or anyone to stop you. She was your priority.”
“She always will be.”
“I know that now. I knew it the moment you left last night. You let me off the hook. You could have demanded she go with you, but you didn’t. I heard what you said about family and not coming between us.” He sighed, the sound long and slow. “I knew I had made a mistake, but I was too stubborn to do anything about it.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Becca told me once that you trusted her decisions. You never interfered once her mind was made up. To me, that means you trust her judgment.”
He nodded, confused.
“Why didn’t you extend that trust to me?” I asked. “I was angry you dismissed her feelings for me as if they meant nothing—when, in fact, they are everything. The disrespect you showed for us both is what angered me the most. You should have known she would never believe in someone who was the kind of person you had decided I must be. You never even gave me a chance.”
I felt Becca tense beside me, waiting for his response. I lifted her hand, kissed the knuckles, and held it close to my chest.
Gerald met my eyes. “Because I was afraid I would lose her to you.”
“Daddy,” Becca whispered under her breath.
“And now?” I asked.
He tapped his cane on the floor as he mulled over my words. “Now, I think I was as much of a pigheaded asshole as Richard said I was being. I think you will care for Becca the way I have always wanted her to be cared for. And,” he added, “I think you understand the need for family. My worries were simply that. Given what I witnessed yesterday, I can put them aside.”
We stared at each other, neither breaking the gaze.
He finally spoke. “The question is, can we move forward, Reid? Can you put aside my behavior, accept my apology, and we go from there?”
I pursed my lips, looking down at my feet. I knew I could insist on a better apology. I could call him on so many of his nasty words and drag it out until I felt the slate was clean. I could refuse his offer of forgiveness and walk away, taking Becca with me, and let him suffer. Except, I thought of Rodney and the pain he felt with the separation from his daughter. His wish they could reunite. The grief and regret he felt daily over the silence between them. I knew what he would say to me. Would I want Becca to regret the last years of her father’s life, having to be caught in the middle between us? For Gerald to suffer meant Becca would as well. Regretting that would mean she would regret me, and I didn’t want that to happen. Rodney would want me to be the better person.
“I think we can do better than an apology.”
Gerald frowned. “Oh?”
I stood and extended my hand. “Hello, Mr. Holden. I’m Reid Matthews, Becca’s boyfriend. I’ve heard so much about you from her. It’s good to meet you, sir.”
His hand was shaking as he closed his fingers around mine. I could hear Becca’s stifled sobs behind me.
“It’s good to meet you, Reid. Please, call me Gerald.”
I winked at him. “Gerry, it is.”
Reid
WE LEFT SOON after our talk. Gerald insisted we enjoy the day, the way we had planned. I was grateful since I wanted the day with Becca. We both needed the break. We agreed to come back on Sunday for the family brunch since Richard, Katy, and the girls would attend as well.
Becca showed me around Victoria. She took me past her old school, where she lived, and the place she waitressed on weekends and during the summer. She pointed out various attractions, and we had lunch with some of her friends. They were wonderful people, and I enjoyed hearing their stories about Becca when she was younger. It gave me ammunition to tease her.
We did a boat cruise in the late afternoon, with the sun shining on the water, catching the glints of gold and red in Becca’s hair as she leaned into me by the rail. The breeze picked up some strands, tickling my face. I laughed and gathered her hair into my fist, pressing a kiss to her neck.
“Okay, BB?”
She peered up at me, her shy smile in place. “Today was a good day, Reid.”
I kissed her again. “Yeah, it was.”
Emotion filled her voice and her eyes. “Thank you.”
I wiped a tear from her cheek. “You don’t have to thank me for anything.”
“Yeah, I do. You amaze me, Reid Matthews. Every time I think I can’t possibly love you more, you prove me wrong.”
“Then I hope to prove you wrong for a very long time, BB.”
She smiled even as another tear ran down her face.
“Hey,” I murmured, turning her in my arms. “No crying.”
“Okay.” She sniffled.
I laughed. “Why don’t we go back to the hotel? We can order in Chinese food, watch a movie, and snuggle on the sofa for a while. Later, we can go back to that place for another
triple threat.”
“I’d like that.”
“Good.”
“Maybe we could get some extra chocolate sauce.” She kissed my chin, her fingers fluttering over my skin. “For after.”
“Oh yeah!” I grinned. “After. I’d like that.”
She snuggled in tight to my chest.
“Good.”
On Sunday, I watched Gerald with Richard’s children. Gracie climbed into his lap, patting his face and babbling away to him. I could see why Richard loved her lisp. There was no choice—you smiled listening to her. Heather was asleep on Gerald’s shoulder, his hand spread wide across her back. Veins protruded under the thin skin like a dull roadmap, his wedding ring loose on his shrunken finger, but his hold was sure. He was patient and loving, his voice soft and soothing. He listened and played. Teased and laughed. Offered kisses and cuddles to both girls. He was the perfect image of a grandfather.
That was the man I had hoped to meet while here. The caring man Becca told me stories about.
The man who would be part of my life.
It hit me right then.
My future.
I wanted to marry Becca, knock her up, and have babies together. Lots of babies. Gerald would be an awesome grandfather.
The table fell silent. Richard’s fork was partway to his mouth, frozen midair. Katy’s eyes were round with shock and Becca gaped at me.
Apparently, I had uttered that shit aloud.
Except, it wasn’t shit. It was what I wanted. More than anything. I wanted babies. A family. I wanted them with Becca.
Richard shook his head. “Reid, shut off the not-so-inner monologue. You’re digging your own grave, kid.”
Gracie bobbed her little head. “Wats notted up, Daddy?”
Richard threw Katy a pleading look. She shrugged as if to say, “You’re on your own.”
“It’s a game, baby girl.”
“Tan I pway?”
“No!” he almost shouted. “It’s . . . it’s like baseball. You hate baseball.”
“Otay,” she lisped with a frown. “Iz it, Mommy?”
“Yep. Just like baseball. Home runs and all. Only with smaller balls.” Katy smirked.
Reid: Vested Interest #4 Page 22