by Ann, Natalie
“I didn’t think of it. Jade will be alone too. She never brings anyone unless she is dating for a period of time. Last I knew she hadn’t been seeing anyone.”
Wyatt laughed. “Jade won’t bring any guy around us even if she had been dating someone for a while and you know that.”
“Yeah, not sure what I’m thinking.”
“So who cares if Mom knows about Paige? I didn’t think it was a secret.”
“It’s not. I just haven’t brought it up and if she hears it from someone else then she’ll get annoyed.”
“And we know Mom’s favorite can’t get on the shit list.”
“Ass,” Noah said, filling his plate at random now. “When is Payton getting here with the sandwiches and salads? Sam just put out all these finger foods he bought at the store or stuck in the oven.”
“Not true,” Sam said from behind them. “Dani put them in the oven. I got home a short time ago. Bryce and Payton are on the way. You know Payton, she ended up making a ton of cookies too.”
“Bryce has to be in heaven,” Noah said.
“No more than me,” Sam said, slipping his arm around Dani’s shoulder as she walked into the room.
“Are you trying to butter me up, Sam?” Dani asked.
“Noah commented that Bryce must be in heaven because Payton is always cooking for him. I was just mentioning that I was there too.”
She kissed his cheek. “I’m not sure how Sam stayed single so long, but I’m glad I hooked him.”
“I was waiting for you,” Sam said, kissing his fiancée on the lips and then walking to the fridge.
The doorbell went off, then the door opened and they all heard a loud giggle. “Ryder must be here,” Noah said.
With his filled plate he moved over to the living room where Paige had been sitting by herself since Dani had moved away. “Sorry to leave you alone.”
“No problem,” she said. “Dani is nice. I need to find a new hairdresser now that we live here. I’ve been trimming it myself and shouldn’t. I’m going to go see her and get an actual style.”
“I like your hair,” he said.
“It’s simple and straight,” she said back. “Nothing to like or dislike.”
“Then what’s the problem?” he asked, squinting one eye at her. He had a feeling this might be one of those trick questions he always seemed to get tripped up on.
“There isn’t a problem. I was just saying I liked her and was going to have her cut my hair.”
She reached over and pulled a mozzarella stick off his plate and bit into it, the cheese spreading. He brought his finger up to break it off and she laughed. There was something about her that just made him feel young and carefree about everything in life.
“What was Sebastian doing tonight?” he asked.
“Just hanging out with my father. They will watch the ball drop and if my father gets called out, he’ll make Sebastian go with him.”
The past week while Sebastian had been staying with his grandfather, the two of them took advantage of being child free with Paige staying with him. He didn’t have to get up to go to work, so it was easier for her to leave from his house.
He’d never had a woman stay so long before with him and at first wasn’t sure how he’d feel about it, but so far the four nights hadn’t bothered him. She was planning on staying until she picked Sebastian up on Saturday.
“He’s keeping busy then? Are you having withdrawals from him?”
She texted him every night, if not called him. Sebastian knew where she was staying, he could see it on the app on his phone, but no one said a word about it.
“No. I think it was good to have this time away, but I do miss him. I guess it’s a touch of what will happen when he goes to college in a few years.”
“He’s talked about college already?”
“He brought it up a few weeks ago. Not a long conversation. I think someone wants to introduce you.”
Noah turned to see Ryder standing there. “Noah, this is Melanie. Melanie, my cousin Noah and his girlfriend, Paige.”
They both reached their hands forward and shook. Melanie was a typical date of Ryder’s. She was in a red dress that could only be described as having to be peeled off and bright enough to hurt his eyes. Her platinum blonde hair came out of a bottle, her breasts and lips from an office. Not that he was staring, but when they were put front and center like that it wasn’t easy to avoid.
“Oh, food,” Melanie squealed loudly.
“See ya,” Ryder said, moving her to the kitchen.
“Damn,” Drake said walking in. “Ryder stopped to introduce us to the Baywatch Babe when we were walking in. Where does he find them?”
“No clue and I don’t want to know,” Noah said. “Paige, this is my other brother Drake and his fiancée, Kara.”
“Nice to finally meet you,” Paige said. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Hopefully good things,” Drake said.
“Does Noah ever say anything negative?” she asked.
He thought for a second and realized that he didn’t. Not often at least. It went back to always wanting to be a leader and putting on a good example for the kids.
“She has your number,” Drake said. “I’m going to get a drink. What do you want, Kara?”
“Soda is good. I’ll sit here and chat with Paige.”
“There’s the real food,” Noah said when he heard Bryce’s name. “I’m going to help them carry it all in.”
Drake turned and followed him out along with Wyatt, Sam, and Ryder. Their family always helped each other without even asking.
* * *
“So what do you think of the family so far?” Kara asked.
“Everyone seems nice. I don’t have that big of a family so this is an experience.”
Kara smiled. “Same here. I’m an only child and my childhood left a lot to be desired. But these siblings and cousins, they are like glue. You’ve met everyone, right?”
“Not Jade,” she said. “Wyatt and Ryder intruded on our dinner one night, so I’d already met them. Everyone else is tonight.”
Kara laughed. “They love to just drop in on people during their meals. Wyatt and Noah got us one night too. I think Wyatt seems to get people the most. When his time comes I hope everyone jumps him at once or at least multiple times.”
“I think it’s kind of sweet that they do that and feel so comfortable with it all.” Paige leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I have to say I’m a little nervous about meeting Jade.”
“Don’t be. She’s a sweetheart, but she will tell it like it is. Make no mistake there. I work with her every day, so I knew her before I started to date Drake.”
Paige knew the history behind Drake and Kara’s relationship. The same as with Sam and Dani and Bryce and Payton.
“But like you said, you knew her. I’ve got a sister and, well, it’s always been drama.”
“Jade can be drama but not in that way. You’ll see. It’s kind of funny to watch. Those boys are very protective of her and that is where the drama comes from. But she’s just as protective of them.”
They stopped talking when Bryce and Payton came over and were introduced. Payton was just stunning. Blonde hair, blue eyes, she put women like Melanie to shame yet she was so normal at the same time. She didn’t have a lot of makeup on; she wasn’t in skintight clothing. She just blended in like the rest of them yet stood out too.
“I’ve been hearing nothing but rave remarks on your cookies,” Paige said to Payton.
“These Fierce men are so easy to please. Give them food and sweets and they are all set.”
“I make my own food,” Ryder said, coming over and giving Payton a kiss on the cheek. “Not that I don’t enjoy yours. And did you bring me that recipe I asked for?”
“I’ll email it to you,” Payton said. “I’ll be back in a bit. I know Dani wanted to set everything up so I walked away but now I need to make sure everyone knows what is what before they start to h
elp themselves.”
“I’ll go help you,” Kara said and stood up.
Paige found herself sitting on the couch alone again. She made eye contact with Melanie and hoped it didn’t come off as an invitation to talk.
“So you’re the girl Noah is hiding.”
She turned and got her first look at Jade Fierce. “I didn’t know he was hiding me,” she said, standing up.
“Oh, please sit down. I’m Jade if you couldn’t figure that out. And no, he isn’t hiding you. But I just found out my brother has been dating you for weeks and not only did my cousins know but so did my twin. I hate when the boys never share anything with me.”
“You’re kind of outnumbered, aren’t you? I’m not sure I’d like that either. But I’ve got a sister, and well, sometimes being an only child isn’t a bad thing,” she said, smiling.
“Only Sam knew what it was like to be an only child and that was for two years. Then the family pollinated like a beehive.”
“With all the activity here, that’s a pretty good description.”
“So tell me all about yourself. My mother doesn’t know about you, does she?”
“Your mother knows who I am.”
“Really!?” Jade said letting out a huff. “I am the last to know.”
Noah came over and sat on the other side of her. “You wouldn’t be the last if you didn’t show up last all the time, Jade.”
“I was trying to decide what to wear.”
“Why do you need to spend so much time on your clothes when it’s only family?” Noah asked.
“Because the shirt I had on I realized I wore a few weeks ago to work.”
Paige started to laugh, thinking Jade was joking, then when she caught Jade’s grin knew she was serious. “You can’t wear the same shirt twice in a month?”
“No. I’ve got too many clothes to do that.”
“You couldn’t do my job then,” she said.
“What do you do? And how did my mother get to meet you and then never say a word to me?”
“I’m a dental hygienist,” she said. “And I met your mother last year when my nephew, Sebastian, was in her class.”
“Nephew?” Jade asked.
“I’ve got custody of him. It’s a long story.”
Jade started to laugh. “And now he’s in high school. Noah, you sly dog you.”
Paige started to laugh, even more so when Noah blushed. Who would have imagined that? But she felt the need to defend him. “Actually, Sebastian kind of set us up. In a way.”
Jade patted her leg and stood up. “Don’t kid yourself on that. Noah does what Noah wants and no one can talk him in or out of it.”
25
Fine On The Table
“I had so much fun tonight,” Paige said when Noah parked in his garage. “Your family is great.”
“They are,” he said, getting out and going to the door. “I’m glad you had a good time. I know they can be a little much to take in at times, but they all mean well.”
“Everyone was friendly and sweet. The women seemed just as close as the men. They even tried to make Ryder’s date feel comfortable.”
“We are all used to Ryder and his dates. She won’t be at the next family function so it’s not that big of a deal. Even if he was with someone long enough and we didn’t like her, no one would treat her differently. Well, they might ignore her or stay away from her, but they wouldn’t be mean or say anything mean if talking to her.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know what that was like.”
They were in his mudroom taking their jackets off and hanging them up, slipping off their shoes. “Because of Cora?”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about that tonight. Not when it was the start of the new year. When the ball had finally dropped he’d pulled her in, his mouth going to hers and kissing her softly. Then deeper. Everyone was paired up but Wyatt and Jade and being twins it was kind of funny to see the two of them frowning at each other while the rest of the family kissed their significant others.
Shortly after, everyone started to help Sam and Dani clean up, knowing they were all going to leave and start the year off right. Himself included.
“You just never knew what she’d say. If she was in a good mood, she was so much fun to be around. But if she wasn’t getting the attention she wanted, she’d act up.”
“Was that part of her mental illness?”
“I don’t think so. She was always wanting attention. Even the doctors said she most likely didn’t develop schizophrenia until her teens or later. There were times she’d just throw temper tantrums when she didn’t get her way. She’d trash her bedroom. I’ll never forget the first time she did that. She was eight. She wanted to watch a different cartoon than what was on. My mother said no and Cora went to her room and we heard this loud crash. My mother went running and saw Cora had knocked over her bookshelf and was just flinging stuff everywhere.”
“Yikes.”
“So you see, there were a lot of reasons why my parents didn’t believe her when she said stuff. Anyway, I don’t want to talk about this and I’m not sure why I even brought it up. I’d rather bring something else up.”
He smiled when she said that, her hands going right to the button and zipper of his jeans.
“I like when you do that,” he said.
“Undress you?” she asked, pulling his shirt out and over his head. They were in his kitchen now and he wondered what her plan was.
“That too.”
He slid his hands through her hair, pulled her head closer and laid his lips to hers. The need to touch and taste her was overwhelming his senses. It didn’t matter that he’d lain next to her in bed each night for several days. It didn’t matter they got up together and had breakfast, then dinner that night.
All that mattered to him was that he was spending the night with her again. That he was going to make her his.
Her hands lowered his jeans along with his underwear and freed him. “Now this is what I’m talking about,” she said her mouth not even hesitating as she covered him.
She was on her knees in front of him in the kitchen where the only light was from the glow of some night lights plugged into the wall.
He could see her silhouette but didn’t even care. He had to shut his eyes so he could just feel her lips around him. Her tongue licking and tasting. Her hands stroking.
Shit, this was the best way to start any year in his mind.
His hands went into her hair to guide her head at a pace to slow the hell down. He didn’t want this to end and at the rate she was going he’d be the Minute Man.
“Paige,” he said.
“Hmm.”
That didn’t help any either. “Slow down.”
“No,” she said, starting to suck on him like he was a Popsicle on a hundred-degree day. Then she stopped. “You know what might help?”
“What?” he asked.
She stood up and walked to the fridge, opened it up, and got chocolate syrup out. “I saw this in there and thought it was funny when I didn’t see any ice cream in the freezer.”
“I like chocolate milk now and again.”
“I like chocolate milk too,” she said flipping the top and dripping the cold syrup on his stiff cock. The sensations were just shooting through his body right to his toes.
She dropped the bottle on the floor, her mouth covering him and sucking harder than before.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” she said. He knew he was going to be a hot sticky mess and didn’t have one care in the world about it.
“Paige, I’m going to blow any minute.”
“Finally,” she said, her mouth moving up and down, her hands with it. There was a pressure building he wasn’t sure he’d ever felt before. It was on the tip of his tongue to warn her again but he’d done it and she wasn’t stopping.
Then suddenly there was no warning to be given. Everything clenched tight in him and then let out. She kept sucking and slurping him up like chocolate m
ilk through a straw at the bottom of the glass until he thought his knees were going to buckle.
He stood there taking in some deep breaths while she stood up and smirked. “My knees hurt. Your wood floors aren’t that comfortable.”
He picked her up and put her on the dining room table a few feet away. “I’ll get some soft area rugs for next time.”
“What are you doing?” she asked.
His hands went to her jeans and undid them, then lifted her up to yank them off her hips and legs, sending them to the floor. “Don’t move.”
She looked at him like she didn’t know what was going on, but she stayed put while he went to his room and got a condom to slip on.
“Can I tell you how sexy you look stalking around the house buckassed naked by the glow of the lights?”
He just ignored her words, grabbed her hips, yanked her to the edge of the table, and plunged right inside of her.
There were no words coming out of her mouth, which was just fine with him. He wasn’t in the mood to talk anyway. All he wanted to do was fuck her and fuck her hard. She pulled something out of him on so many levels that he’d never experienced before.
“That’s it,” she said, her hands going around his back and holding on. Her legs wrapped around his hips, his hands went under her ass and pulled her up. He was like a bucking bronco slamming into her again and again as she held on to take what he was giving her.
Her nails were leaving marks on his neck, the bones of her ankles in his spine.
He felt nothing but the pressure of her muscles as they surrounded him telling him she was extremely close.
He shifted to the wall, put her back against it, his hands on each side of her as he moved faster and harder. A picture was knocked off the wall and he didn’t have a care in the world when he heard the glass break. What was one more thing to clean up tonight?
“Don’t stop, Noah.”
He didn’t. He couldn’t even if he had the control to.
She was close. Her breathing was telling him that, so he kept up the pace even though he was running out of steam. But the minute her muscles pulsed around him, her voice yelling in his ear, he found a surge of strength to carry on.