by Toni Aleo
His balls drew up and he squeezed her hips in his hands as he tried to ignore his need to blow his load. Moving his mouth with hers, he pulled back, stilling inside her as he said, “This is going to be quick. You fucking drive me insane.”
She cried out, her nails digging into her shoulders as she thrashed against the wall. “That’s fine, we have all night long.”
“Yeah, we do,” he panted against her neck as he thrust once, then twice, before completely losing himself inside her. As they both fought for breath, his face in the nook of her neck, he knew that he shouldn’t be embarrassed for his quick performance because they did have all night long and, when she was ready, they’d have the rest of their lives, too.
“Hey, can you do me a favor?”
He smiled. “Get off you because I’m squishing you?”
A breathless laugh left her lips and she shook her head, hugging him tighter against her. “No, I was gonna ask if you can pick me up for the dinner at Piper’s.”
His smile grew because he knew that she knew that she was basically asking him to go to the dinner with her but instead of pointing that out, he said, “Sure.”
“So I can drink, of course, no drinking and driving, you know.”
“Of course,” he said, laughter lacing his voice, but when she pulled his head from her neck and met his lips with her own, all laughter was pushed to the side as hot hunger took over. He hoped she was ready for a really long night.
Because he sure was.
WHEN REESE walked in with Phillip and Claire, she could see her mother and sisters, plus Elli, all share a wondering look. She didn’t know why she had asked to ride with him. She knew her story of over drinking was bullshit since she never drank around the kiddos, but she said that was the reason to cover up the fact that she just wanted to ride with him and Claire. She liked being around them. They made her smile; they made her feel good, alive even. Way more fun than driving the twenty minutes alone. But seeing these looks on her family’s face made her nervous and also reminded her to stay clear of them.
All of them.
Claire rushed past her, picking Ally up and kissing her on the cheek loudly, as Phillip went to shake hands with Erik, who was holding Dimitri. She just stood there, not knowing what to do. When Piper came towards her, looking too cute in a pair of black skinny jeans and a billowy red top, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around her.
Pulling back, Piper smiled as she set Reese with a look. “So nice seeing you didn’t come alone.”
Reese rolled her eyes. Maybe drinking would be a good idea. “Yeah, the ride is lonely here, you know, but man, it is worth it. This house is perfect.”
Looking around Piper’s new five bedroom, two-level home, she smiled. Like Piper’s personality, the family room was a bright red with black and white accents. Along the wall were big pictures of Dimitri and some of her and Erik. Along the south wall where a huge TV hung, obviously for Erik’s intense love for Xbox, was hockey sticks, glued to the wall, spelling ‘Titovs,’ and above it said, ‘Home of the’. Reese’s heart expanded at the sight of the words before taking in the leather couches, the gamer chair that sat in the corner, and the many baby toys.
This was a home. A true, loving home, and part of Reese was jealous. She loved her studio apartment, it was wonderful, but she sort of yearned for this. A place to hang her dance shoes and be proud. Maybe she needed more space, that was why she was jealous of Piper, or maybe it was the love that surrounded her beautiful sister. Erik came over, snaking an arm around Piper’s waist, and she took Dimitri out his hands, placing a sweet kiss on his cheek before holding him out for Reese. She took him eagerly, snuggling her nose in his neck.
“Hey buddy, how’s auntie’s boy doing?” she cooed, kissing his sweet mouth before snuggling him closer in.
“Reese Pieces!”
Reese smiled as she looked down at her niece. Love exploded in his chest as she bent down, wrapping her arm around Ally. “Hey, baby girl.”
“Hi! Guess what!”
“What?”
“Shelli and Posey and Baby Owen and Evan are here!”
“Wow, that’s a lot of kids, huh?” she asked, sending Elli a grin.
Ally waved her hands in the air. “Yes! It’s almost a hockey team, Uncle Shea said!”
Reese laughed as she kissed her cheek again. “I know!”
“Guess what?”
She smiled as she said, “What, baby?”
“I’m gonna have a baby brother very, very soon. We get to go pick him up at the hospital!”
“I know! Isn’t it exciting?”
“It is. I can’t wait! I want to hold him and love him like I do Dimitri,” she rambled on before leaning into her.
Reese cuddled Ally in closer, kissing her temple before nodding. “I know and you’ll be the best big sister ever, huh?”
She smiled widely as she declared, “Yup!”
“Can I play with your baby brother, Ally?”
Ally and Reese looked up to see Phillip with an easy smile that hit Reese straight in her core. Ally giggled as she nodded, reaching for Phillip. He picked her up, kissing her loudly on the cheek. “Thanks, I can’t wait to meet him.”
“We are naming him Journey because it took a journey for him to get here!”
Reese cut a look at Phillip before looking over at her sister, who was grinning like that was the greatest name in the world. It wasn’t any of Reese’s business, it wasn’t her baby, but for goodness sakes! Seriously? Journey? Shaking her head, she squeezed Dimitri in close, taking in his precious scent of baby powder as she watched Phillip holding her niece so close. He looked good with kids, really good. Not that it mattered.
With a smile, she said, “That’s wonderful, Ally.”
Ally grinned widely at her before kicking to be put down. Phillip did as she asked and then she was off, chasing after who she thought was Shelli, but it could have been Posey, no telling, those Adler kids favored each other completely. When Phillip reached out for Dimitri, taking him from Reese, she wanted to complain but then he cuddled the little boy into his chest and her heart stopped at the sight. She fought for breath as Phillip lightly kissed Dimitri’s head before grinning down at him. Why did she like him a little more like this?
“How’s my buddy? Good? Mommy feeding you? Is Daddy letting you hold your hockey sticks?”
Piper rolled her eyes as Erik scoffed before saying, “Damn right I am.”
“I wish he wouldn’t though,” Piper said before breaking away from Erik and taking a hold of Reese’s arm. “Come help me cook.”
Reese shook her head no, as Piper pulled her arm. “No way.”
Piper laughed as she set her sister with a look. “What the hell, I’m slaving over a stove all day. I need help.”
“She had it catered,” Erik muttered, receiving a glare from Piper and a grin from Reese.
“Yup, not going,” Reese said with a quick shake of her head.
“Yes, you are,” she demanded, pulling Reese across the house. For such a little person, Piper was strong a hell and somehow she got Reese into the kitchen where her mother, Harper, and Elli stood, all with knowing smiles on their faces.
For fuck’s sake.
Acting as if nothing was going on, Reese walked up to her mother, kissing her softly on the cheek before hugging Elli and Harper next. “Hey guys,” she said sweetly before going to the fridge. She felt their eyes on her but nothing was said as she turned from the fridge, sipping the water she had pulled from it.
“So,” Reese said with a smile. “What’s up?”
“Nothing much, how about you?” Piper asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing new.”
They all eyed her suspiciously and Reese fully expected them to come at her, but to her surprise, her mother turned to Elli and said, “Dear, I meant to tell you, I ran into your mother yesterday with your sister.”
Elli froze at the words, and Reese found herself doing the same. Elli hadn’t spoken
to or even seen her mother in years. Reese was okay with that because the woman was the epitome of a crazy bitch, and she didn’t care for her at all. She constantly brought Elli down. Calling her fat, ugly, almost anything to hurt her. Elli was better without her, especially her sister Victoria. Reese never physically wanted to hurt someone the way she wanted to take out Victoria. Oh wait, Kevin too, but he’d been lucky enough to be taken off her hit list. Victoria still remained, though. She tried to ruin Elli and Shea’s relationship back when they were dating but, thankfully, the two overcame that because, honestly, the world really didn’t turn without the two of them together. They were love and happiness. Rainbows and unicorns. Basically, they were all one big, happy family that nothing could come between.
Elli cleared her throat. “Did you now?”
“Yes, she asked about you. I told her that if she cared, she’d call you herself, but she claimed you wouldn’t answer her phone calls and are keeping her grandchildren from her.”
Elli rolled her eyes as Harper scoffed. “Not that Elli doesn’t have every right to do that, but she wouldn’t. You know that, Mom.”
Rowan nodded. “Of course I do, that’s why I told her to kiss my ass. I started to walk away but she grabbed for me and, to my surprise, ask Blake on this one, her eyes were full of tears and she asked me if I had pictures of the kids.”
Elli bit into her lip. “What did you say?”
“I said I did, and I hope this doesn’t make you mad, darling, but I showed her because I wanted her to know what she was missing.”
Reese wasn’t sure how she felt about that, and she wasn’t sure that Elli knew how to feel either because she just looked down at the ground, off in her own world, as Harper said, “I wish you would have kicked her in her vagina, Mom! Jeez!”
Rowan glared as she smacked Harper’s arm. “Jesus, Harper!”
Piper laughed as Reese shook her head, her eyes still on Elli. When Elli looked up at Rowan, she said, “It’s fine, I haven’t heard from her though, and I doubt I will.”
Rowan reached out, snaking her arm around Elli’s waist and kissing her cheek. Reese’s mom had always been the mom that Elli needed. Elli was a sister to Reese. She might be a lot of things, mom, wife, and owner of a hockey team, but to Reese there was no other title for her but sister. They might not share the same blood, but they were family. “Then her loss, you will always have us,” Rowan said with a smile as Piper and Harper both grinned at her.
“She’s right, Elli,” Reese said. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
Elli’s face broke in a grin as she hugged Rowan close before the door to the kitchen flung open and Phillip ran in, hiding behind it. He glanced over at her, and she smiled at his red face and boyish good looks.
“Is that water or vodka?” he asked, out of breath.
Reese snorted. “Water.”
He grinned. “Wasn’t sure if you resorted to drinking yet,” he said, grabbing the bottle and taking a long pull before handing it back to her. “Gotta go, I am playing an intense game of hide and seek with the kiddos. Claire is a beast at this game and showing the girls all the sweet hiding places. I still can’t find Shea, Erik, and Jakob. I’m pretty sure they are hiding with beer somewhere.”
“They better not be! Shea has the boys strapped to his chest,” Elli complained.
“I can’t confirm or deny that he isn’t drinking a beer, boss, but I will find out and report back.”
“Whatever,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ll find him and beat him.”
“Please make sure I am there to watch that,” Phillip said with such a serious face. Elli laughed as Phillip turned to look at her. “Gotta go.”
“Take me with you?” she asked, reaching for his arm. He looked back at where the four women stood watching them and shook his head.
“I’ve seen Piper ruin a whole gaming area, Harper scares me, Elli is my boss, and I want your mom to like me… sorry babe, you’re on your own.”
With that, he placed a quick kiss on her cheek before running out of the kitchen, dodging Posey before running down the hall as her sweet giggles flooded the hall. When Reese turned back, all of the women were grinning like cats that had eaten a family of mice.
“What?”
Harper shrugged. “Just wondering what is going on with you two?”
“Yeah, you two make a cute couple,” Piper said.
“I think you guys would be great together. Phillip is a really great guy,” Elli added.
“I just want more grandbabies,” Rowan all but cooed.
Scoffing, Reese shook her head and decided she needed an out. Fast. Cocking her head to the side like she was hearing something, she reached for the door and then yelled, “Shea? Is that you? Of course, I’ll come help with the boys!”
And then she was gone.
It was short-lived though. She tried hiding with Shelli and Posey, but it didn’t work. The two little girls that favored their mommy with big green eyes and dark hair gave her up to Elli and, before she knew it, Reese was seated at the table with Claire on one side and Phillip on the other. She didn’t mind the seating much, but she did mind the way her mother was staring at the two of them. She could see it in her mother’s beautiful brown eyes, she was planning their wedding, the names of their children, and picking colleges for Claire. It scared her to the core.
Everyone else was digging into the amazing food except for Elli and Harper. They were taking care of the girls while everyone talked about the house, the Assassins’ winning streak, and then Claire’s winning weekend. Reese could tell that Claire was a little shy with everyone gushing over her but she could see it in her eyes that she loved the attention, and so did Reese. She loved that they cared so much about Claire. That they were proud of her the way she and Phillip were. She loved being with her family and like she knew they would, Claire and Phillip fit in like a piece to their big family. She was having a blast and thankfully, no one had said anything about them being together. Instead, they all enjoyed each other’s company. The guys joked and razzed each other, while the women talked mainly about the kids and Journey coming very soon.
Reese still hated that name but looking at her sister and Jakob, she decided that as long as they were happy, nothing else mattered. When Elli sat down, she leaned back in her seat, her face flushed. That was weird and, as Reese watched her, the more she knew something was up. Especially when Elli didn’t touch the plate that Shea had made for her.
“You’re not eating?” she asked to Elli.
Everyone stopped talking, turning to Elli. Her cheeks became rosy as she shook her head. “I’m not hungry right now.”
Shea smiled next to her, kissing her cheek before taking the piece of ham off her plate. “I sure am though,” he said before taking a huge bite out of the ham. “Piper, the food is great.”
Piper grinned and said thank you but Reese was staring Elli down because something was definitely up. Elli didn’t skip meals, except when she was… “Oh my God, you’re pregnant again!”
Elli paused as everyone whipped their head’s towards her. Shea kept eating, fighting the shit-eating grin that wanted to show as Elli bit into her lip. “I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Elli said, sipping a glass of water. Everyone else was drinking wine, which just gave further proof to Reese’s claim.
“You are! You never pass up a glass of Fallon’s wine!”
Elli threw her hands up. “Yeah, so what! I always am.”
“Oh my God, Elli!” Harper said, shock visible all over her face. “You didn’t tell me!”
“I just found out, like yesterday,” she groaned. Shea on the other hand, was smiling as he devoured the food in front of him.
“Jeez, don’t you know what birth control is?” Piper teased with a shake of her head.
“Didn’t you get pregnant on birth control?” Erik asked her, and she set him with a glare.
“No one asked you,” she snapped quickly.
“I know, believe
me, this was not planned!” Elli admitted with a groan.
Everyone laughed as Shea wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her loudly on the lips. “I promise, last one.”
“Damn right it is,” she scoffed. “I’m getting my uterus taken out just to be sure your super sperm don’t have anywhere to go.”
That had everyone laughing, and then it died down as everyone congratulated the two. Rowan kissed and hugged Elli tightly before squeezing Shea’s arm. “What are you hoping for?”
Elli shrugged her shoulders. “I have two of both. I really don’t care, and I think we are going to wait until it comes to know. A big surprise for all of us.”
“That’s nice.” Rowan grinned and everyone was smiling, excited for the new additions that were coming to the family.
When Elli turned from Rowan and pinned Reese with a look, causing her to pause mid-bite, she asked, “What?”
“Well, since you threw my business on the dinner table, why don’t we turn the tables?”
Reese shook her head as her heart sped up. “I don’t see what that would accomplish,” she said, putting her fork down. “No table turning needed, Mrs. Adler.”
“Oh, it will accomplish a lot. So just answer me this, Ms. Allen, are you and my leading scorer serious?”
Everyone eyes fell on them, all obviously wondering the same thing. Hoping to change the subject to hockey, Reese turned to Phillip and asked, “You’re the leading scorer?”