We got to the first store and walked to the door as snow danced around us all. I reached out and took Bailey's hand, lifting it to my lips and kissed the back of it as she smiled up at me.
"Thank you."
"For?" She squeezed my hand and wrapped her other hand around my bicep as she pressed her cheek against me.
"For playing along with him."
"I'm not playing along. I'm excited. I love kids." She released my hand and moved up to Nina and Austin. "I need my notepad, Sir."
"Oh yeah!" Austin handed it to her and reached out to take her hand.
Nina moved back to walk beside me as Bailey and Austin skipped toward the store. "Well, damn. I think we've been replaced, Bubba."
"I think so." I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You think there's enough snow at the house to make a snowman this afternoon?"
"The weatherman this morning said that we should be about knee deep in snow by five tonight. I'm thinking you and Bailey should put up a Christmas tree with Aus."
"Oh, I don't know, Nina." I released her and held the door open. "You know that damn tree still gets me right in the middle of the chest."
My sister turned and placed her hand over my heart. "And it's been two years. Austin deserves to start getting pieces of his holidays back, Jer."
I nodded. "You're right. Yeah, okay. We can get a tree. We'll stop on the way home and cut one down. We can make a big deal out of it."
A big smile covered my sister's face. "I'll get a basket and pick out some decorations while he's looking at toys. We can surprise him."
"Alright. Let's do it." I left her to her giddiness over the damn tree and went in search of my family. I stopped beside the aisle to find Bailey on her knees as Austin rattled off different toys, taking the time to show her each one as if she needed a visual to get the list right.
I leaned against the end-cap and took the moment in deep.
"You know that we didn't used to do this." Austin smiled over at Bailey, who was about the same height as him on her knees. "My daddy started it two years ago."
"Oh yeah?" Bailey's sweet voice pulled at my heart. "I like it. I think everyone should do it."
"Me too." Austin nodded and stared at my girl. "He did it to help me not be sad at Christmas."
"I like that your daddy has a big heart." She reached out and touched the side of Austin's face. "You have the same heart as he does, right?"
"I think so." He glanced down at his shirt and back up. "Well, maybe not the exact same heart."
Bailey laughed, and I could hear the tears in the sweet sound. "I think it's okay to be sad when you want to be. Even at Christmas. You just be you, okay?"
He nodded and turned back to the toys. "I'm not as sad as I used to be, but sometimes my chest still hurts."
Tears filled my eyes and dripped over to my cheeks as my heart broke in my chest. I needed to have more open talks with the kiddo about Laila.
"Well, I think we should put up a Christmas tree soon, and at the top, we can put a beautiful angel for your mom. What do you think about that?"
He smiled and turned to Bailey. "I like it! She would love that. I want a tree! Can we really?"
She fell back on her butt as he plowed into her with a big hug.
I wiped my eyes and my nose and moved over to help pull them up as the three of us laughed.
"What are you two doing?" I gave them both a look as I put them back on their feet.
They laughed harder, and Austin wrapped his arms around Bailey's waist and pressed his cheek to her hip. "Bailey said I could get a tree, Daddy. Please?"
"That okay?" Concern moved across her beautiful face, and I wanted to reach out and pull her into a long kiss, but I needed to be careful around Austin.
"Oh yeah. Nina is already running around this place getting decorations for us."
"Yay!" Austin bounced on his feet. "I want to help."
Nina pulled up on the side of our aisle and wagged her eyebrows. "Let's go kiddo. Get into the buggy and hold on tight."
"Nina." I gave her a look as Austin ran to her and she put him in the front of the cart. "Be careful."
"He's five. Get over it." She took off, and the sound of Austin screaming his head off in joy filled the store.
I turned and reached for Bailey. "Get over here."
"Am I in trouble?" She pressed her hands to my chest, one still holding the notebook and pen.
"No. Not unless you want to be." I leaned down and brushed my lips by hers. "Where did you come from, Bailey? Right when I thought I'd spend the rest of my life on shitty blind dates, there you were."
"I come from here." She smiled and lifted to her toes.
I kissed her long and hard, putting every bit of my thanks, my desire, my hunger for the sweet woman into my attack.
"Wow," she whispered and gripped my shirt with her free hand as she wobbled on her feet. "More of that please?"
"Oh yeah. Tonight. After the tree and stuff. We'll put Austin to bed and then lots more of that." I kissed her again and wrapped my arm around her shoulders as we went to find Austin.
It wasn't hard. You could hear him yelling in delight from a mile away. The sound was music to my ears and a balm to my soul.
20
Bailey
"How is that?" I moved back and glanced down at Austin, seeking his approval.
He put his hands on his little hips and tilted his head to the side as he studied the tree. "Oh yeah. I like that a lot. We need a few more candy canes, and it should be perfect."
We had stopped by the Christmas tree lot just outside of the city and cut down the perfect tree for Jeremy's living room. It almost touched the ceiling, but not quite.
It had been an emotionally stressful day seeing that the holidays had to be so damn hard on Austin and Jer. I had witnessed the heaviness coming off of both of them, and more than anything else, I wanted to solve it. I wanted to take it away, but to do so would be to ask them to forget their pain, to forget Laila existed.
It was unfair to them to even think about it.
"Daddy?" Austin glanced back.
I turned to find Jeremy sitting on the couch, watching us. His big, strong shoulders were rolled in a little, and his expression sad.
"I like it. It's beautiful." He straightened up once our attention was on him. "You need me to put the angel you guys got on the top?"
"Yeah. It's for Mommy." Austin knelt down to grab the angel. "You think she would like it?"
Jeremy stood and gave what looked like a forced smile. "Oh yeah. She would love it. Let me see, and I'll get it up there for us."
Austin handed it over and moved over to me.
I reached down and picked the little guy up without thinking much about it. He was probably bordering too big to be carried around, but I didn't care.
"Let me grab my ladder." Jeremy turned and walked toward the garage door on the side of the kitchen without looking at either one of us.
I moved over to the couch and sat down, pulling Austin fully into my lap. "We need to write your Santa letter. You know that, right?"
"We still have a week until Christmas." He glanced up at me as he pressed his little cheek to my shoulder.
"Yeah, but we gotta mail it to the North Pole. Come on, man. You don't know how this works?" I used a funny voice and crinkled my nose.
He laughed and wrapped his arms around me. "Can I tell you something?"
"Anything." I leaned down and kissed his forehead, feeling more comfortable with him than I did with Rhys or Jeremy.
"Do you think you and my daddy will get married? Like, maybe you could be my mom?" His voice diminished to nothing more than a soft whisper.
"I don't know, sweetheart. I love your daddy a lot, but sometimes dating is a messy thing."
"Like making pancakes?" He blinked a few times and squeezed me tighter.
Jeremy walked back in and put the ladder up. "What are you two turkey's whispering about?"
"Nun-ya," I responded and s
miled down at Austin.
"What's Nun-ya?" he asked.
Jeremy laughed and glanced down at us from the top of the ladder. "It means, 'Nun-ya' business. None of your business." He gave me a look. "Stop teaching him to be bad."
I laughed. "I'm not teaching him that. We were talking about pancakes."
"Yeah right." Jeremy turned and put the angel on the tree.
"We were, Daddy!" Austin sat up.
I rubbed his back as we watched Jeremy finish getting the tree topper on.
"You like it?" Jer turned and smiled down at us. "Is it straight?"
"It's perfect." Austin got up and walked toward the tree. "Mommy would love it."
"She sure would, Buddy." Jeremy climbed back down the ladder and knelt in front of Austin. "Okay, Mister. Bedtime. Go brush your teeth and holler when you're ready for me to tuck you in."
"Can Bailey tuck me in with you?" He glanced over his shoulder and lifted his thumb toward me.
I laughed as Jeremy assured him that I could come too. Austin bounded off, and I stood.
"I'm proud of you," I said as I walked toward him.
"That so?" He wrapped his strong arms around me and leaned down to kiss me softly several times.
"Yes. I know today was hard. I'd take every bit of it from you if I could." I leaned against him, enjoying his strength and the peace I found in his arms.
"I would never give that to you or anyone else." He cupped my face and studied me. "But it means the world to me that you'd take it. Let's get Aus in bed and take some time for each other."
"I’d like that." I pressed upward and kissed him in a way that I knew would let him know just how badly I wanted to take care of him.
"Hot," he whispered against my lips. "So naughty."
"And I need a spanking." I smiled, kissed him again and turned as Austin yelled that he was ready.
We tucked the little guy in and walked back to Jeremy's bedroom. I turned to face him and pulled my t-shirt off as I walked backwards down the long hall.
"More," he commanded.
I undid my bra and flung it into the spare bedroom.
"Your jeans. Face away from me." He walked into the bedroom behind me and closed the door.
After turning around, I undid my jeans and slid them and my panties down my legs as I bent over slowly.
A groan ripped from me as he knelt behind me and gripped my thighs. He wasted no time pressing his mouth to my pussy and using his strong hands to massage my ass.
"Jeremy," I whispered roughly as I glanced up and reached for the edge of the bed. I gripped it with both hands and closed my eyes as he rolled his tongue through my folds and sucked at my sensitive skin. My legs shook as he ran his thumbs over my asshole, pressing in a little, but nothing more than a good tease.
A full sized mirror was on the wall to my left as I glanced over there. Seeing him kneeling behind me, his huge body locked in place, muscles bunched and me naked, bent over, beckoning to whatever he wanted was enough to fling me off the edge of sanity.
I screamed and pressed back. He groaned and worked me with slow torturous licks.
"Please fuck me," I moaned and arched my back as he stood and ran his hands up my back, pressing in and gripping my sides greedily.
"All night, baby." He patted my ass and glanced over at the mirror with a naughty smile on his lips. "Like watching us?"
"It's such a turn on." I locked eyes with him in the mirror and watched as he pulled his shirt over his head and kicked off his jeans. He was going commando, so no need to strip off any underwear. His dick was thick and fully alert. My mouth watered to see it glistening at the tip.
"I'll get a condom in a minute." He gripped himself and stroked a few times before moving up behind me.
I shook with anticipation as I watched him bend his knees a little. His legs were beyond sexy. So strong and well developed.
A moan rolled through me as the thick tip of his cock pressed against my ass, pulling down as he moved down to my pussy in a slow movement.
"God, you're so fucking hot, Bailey." He ran his hand up my back and gripped the back of my neck as he rimmed my entrance, pushing in a little and pulling up on his cock to create pressure.
"Don't tease me tonight. I need to feel you inside of me." I gripped the sheets and turned back toward the bed to let my head drop.
"You're not in charge, Angel, so hush." He pulled his cock out and back up to my ass.
I pressed back, wanting to know how much of him I could fit inside of me. Pain raced through my back, and I moved forward and cried out.
He popped my ass and growled. A warning. "Stay still and let me explore you. Yes?"
"Yes," I mumbled and let out a long whimper as he rimmed my asshole again, pressing in a little and pulling down, stretching me.
"I love the way your body opens up for me, baby. You should see how wet you are."
"I can feel it," I murmured as he slid his cock back down to my pussy and played his game a few more times.
By the time he gave me a few inches, I was testy and shaking hard. A growl ripped from my lips as I jerked my head back. "Enough!"
He smiled and slapped my ass hard. "Get on that bed, and I'll fuck you the way you want to be fucked. After you come, I'm taking my goddamn time, though. Bossy bitch."
I smiled and got on the bed, my knees pressed to the edge, my shins hanging over. I pressed back until my stomach was against my thighs and my ass hung over the edge far. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." He walked up as I turned my face to watch him in the mirror again.
He gripped the back of my neck hard and my right ass cheek with his free hand. "You want this dick? You get it."
"Please?" I lifted up a little as he pressed into me with one hard thrust. The moan that filled the air around me was slutty, need, relieved.
"No need to be nice now." He rocked against me, fucking me with deep, short thrusts. "Your ass is on the naughty list for sure."
I laughed and bounced back a little, fucking myself on his massive cock. Another orgasm swelled in my stomach but didn't hit until he pressed his thumb into my ass and gripped my cheek with the rest of his fingers.
"God," I mumbled and rolled my hips, enjoying the sensation of him tucked into both of my holes.
"Yeah, sweet girl. Fuck yourself on everything I'm offering you." He leaned over a little farther and wrapped his hand around the side of my head, his fingers pressing to my lips. "Suck on them like you would this big dick you like having in your mouth."
I moaned loudly and pulled his fingers into my mouth. The sound and scent of our fucking left me trembling with need. My orgasm hit full force a moment later, but Jeremy didn't let up. He pressed his dick deep into my sloppy wetness, his thick thumb faster in my ass, and his fingers fully into my mouth.
"I'm gonna come, Bailey. You're too much, baby. Let me get a cond-"
I bit his fingers as I rocked through my orgasm, my thoughts lost to pleasure.
"Ouch! Damn." He fucked me harder as if angry with me. "Fine. Don't say shit to me later when you're carrying my baby."
I moaned again and opened my mouth. He pulled his fingers out of my mouth and gripped my hair as he jack-hammered my pussy and worked my ass open.
"I got on the pill," I whispered through the lusty haze.
"Such a good girl." He pulled out and removed his hand from me. "Let's be safe just in case."
"How-" I cried out as he pressed the head of his cock to my ass. "Take what you can, but be careful."
I pressed back against him as my body lit on fire. Never in a million years had I experienced anything so good.
He reached around and gripped my breasts, pulling at my nipples as he bit along the top of my back. "I'm so close. Squeeze me real good with that tight ass, and I'm going to unload inside of you, Bailey."
I whimpered at the thought and pressed back before milking a few inches of his cock over and over.
"That's it," he moaned against the back of my nec
k as deliciously hot come filled my ass with each additional thrust.
"So good," I moaned and pulled at his dick with my body until he forced me to stop.
Jeremy moved back and held onto my ass cheek. "Fuck me. That was incredible."
"I'll grab a towel."
"No. Come get in the bath with me." He patted my ass and walked to the bathroom. "Let me hold you and then we'll get in bed together and do it all over again."
"Hell yes." I got up and walked to the bathroom, my body sore, but my appetite was high. I wanted more. I wanted everything he was willing to give me.
He turned on the bath water and reached for me, pulling me flush against him. The firm press of his strong chest against my breasts felt so fucking good, so right.
"You're drowning me in lust and love, B. Is that what you wanted to do?" He brushed my hair back and leaned down to kiss me a few times.
B. He hadn't called me B since we were kids. It was the nickname he gave me when he and Jeremy first became friends in Junior High.
I smiled up at him and wrapped my arms around him. "I just want you to love me."
"Too late, sweet girl. You're behind the curve by a few weeks." He kissed me until the bathtub was ready. We got in him in the back and me in front. I pressed my hand against his strong cheek and relaxed against him while he washed my chest and promised me the world.
I wanted to offer it back to him, but I had one hurdle to overcome, and it was a big one.
His mother.
21
Jeremy
One Week Later
The week leading up to Christmas was a juggle and a half. With Austin out of school and everyone wanting to have a fucking holiday party, I was aching to spend time with Bailey. She seemed to be having the same craziness in her own world. I needed our lives blended sooner rather than later. I wanted her beside me.
"What's up, man? Merry Christmas Eve!" Rhys's voice filled up my ear as I pressed the phone to it and paced out in front of the fire station.
Captain Hotness: A Single Father Bad Boy Novel Page 12