I've Got You

by Becca Seymour

  “Also,” she threw over her shoulder as she tugged open the door, “there’s nothing quite like a new coffee machine for your soon-to-be dedicated staff to help make us loyal as hell.”

  I shook my head as she left and ran my hand over my face. My return to the clinic couldn’t start fast enough. A smile drifted across my lips as I left and made my way to my meeting.

  Chapter Fifteen

  DAVIS

  I stood at the door and stretched my neck from side to side. Libby, oblivious to the rare nerves taking flight in my gut, wriggled in my arms, desperate to be put down. She was so eager to explore and walk. She was growing too damn fast.

  “In a few, wriggle ass.” I tickled her tummy, and she squealed in delight. The door opened midsqueal, and I glanced over at a smiling Scott. “Hey.”

  “Hey, back.” He stepped outside rather than waiting for me to step forward. His lips landed on mine, but for nowhere near long enough. “Here, let me take this little lady.”

  Warmth spread in my chest. I loved his confidence with Libby, his eagerness to not only help but to get to know her. I lifted Libby so he could take her and shook my head, my lips curving upwards when I heard the raspberry he blew.

  “Come on in.”

  I did so and was immediately aware the house no longer looked or sounded like it did the last time I visited. Instead, the sound of Scott’s nephews playing filled the house, with what sounded like a kid’s TV show playing in the background. Also, the once organized space was littered with toys and mismatched shoes.

  “I’ll introduce Libby to the boys.”

  I followed Scott, dropping her change bag on the floor before I stepped into the sitting room. The two boys were parked in front of the TV, where some loud and brash show was playing. The younger of the two was on his feet doing a dance, while the eldest’s attention drifted between the screen and the cars.

  “Toby, Hunter.” Scott’s voice was light, and I was certain there was a smile on his face. His nephews turned to face him. “This here is Libby.” He sank to his knees and placed Libby down. Immediately, she reached for a car and started to bang it on the ground.

  Toby’s mouth twisted a little when he looked at Libby, his toy, then at Scott.

  “This is Davis’s daughter.”

  He looked in my direction, and I watched Toby follow his gaze as he took me in. His eyes narrowed a little, and he tilted his head as he said, “You’re Uncle Scottie’s boyfriend, Mommy said, and we have to use our manners and be kind to Libby.”

  “Err—”

  My glance flicked to Scott and my mouth split wide. “That’s right, I am. And if you can use your manners, I’ll be impressed, but nudge me if I burp and forget to say excuse me.”

  Toby’s eyes widened, and he giggled. Hunter seemed to take that as his cue to stop dancing, spin to face me, and burp. And holy shit, who knew a kid that little could not only belch on cue but so freakin’ loud.

  “Impressive,” I said just as “Hunter Samuel, that had better have been real and you had better have remembered your manners,” flowed into the room.

  Hunter dropped to his ass, a look of panic flicking across his features. “Sorry, Mommy.”

  Scott snorted and ruffled his hair. “Good job, kiddo.”

  “Uncle Scottie’s boyfriend…?”

  I glanced over at Toby. “Yes, Toby?” I asked, stepping further into the room, super aware Scott was watching our whole exchange with a somewhat bemused expression.

  “One of my friends, Jessie, has two mommies, and she’s gay.”

  I clamped my mouth shut, trying my hardest not to laugh. “That’s great.” I had no idea what to do with that.

  He nodded. “Jessie picks her nose and eats it.” He wrinkled his nose. “Does Libby pick her nose and eat it?” His gaze shot to his car Libby had gripped in her hand.

  I pressed my lips together, determined to ignore Scott’s shaking shoulders and address Toby as seriously as his frown suggested the question was. “No, Toby. There’s no nose picking as yet. She may suck and nibble at it though.” He looked at me in horror, his focus returning to Libby just as she shoved half of his car into his mouth.

  “That’s not my bestest toy, so she can keep that.” He scooted away from my slobbering child.

  I laughed and took the car from Libby, fearing she’d end up swallowing one of its wheels. She looked at me hard, no doubt debating whether or not she would share the strength of her lungs with the house. Fortunately, Hunter’s whooping as he stood and started dancing distracted her enough that she pushed herself up and ambled over to watch him intently.

  “How about I get this car washed so it’s saliva free?”

  Toby nodded. “Okay.” He then returned to his cars, his interest immediately elsewhere.

  Scott stood and bumped shoulders with me. “You had a good day?”

  I turned toward him and placed my palm on his lower back. He’d popped into the coffee shop not long after lunch, and we’d been rushed off our feet. He’d apologized so many times about leaving me high and dry while he was sorting out his return to the hospital. It was sweet, but I’d reminded him with a laugh that the replacement dishes we’d purchased appreciated him returning to his calling as a vet. His cheeks had immediately colored, and he’d rolled his eyes.

  “Yeah, thanks. It settled down not much after you left.”

  Guilt once again flittered in his eyes.

  I shook my head before he could even start. “I’ve already advertised, so don’t worry yourself about it, boyfriend.”

  His narrowed eyes made me smile.

  “What?” I laughed. “From the mouth of babes and all that.”

  “You’re impossible.” He shook his head, but humor lit his eyes. “Jenna told him that, not—”

  My hand curled around his waist and I squeezed. “No getting away from it now. No take backs.” I waggled my brows at him.

  He snorted. “No take backs, huh?”

  I pressed a light kiss on his lips. “That’s correct,” I said, pulling away.

  His eyes had closed when my mouth had touched his. Every kiss, no matter how brief or passionate, had him responding similarly—his eyes would close, a soft sigh would escape as he breathed into me, and his shoulders would relax the slightest amount. I fucking loved it.

  A throat clearing had Scott pulling back more fully and looking over my shoulder. A pink hue touched his cheeks, so light I was sure I wouldn’t have seen it if I were a little further away. I stepped to his side. Jenna stood in the doorway, a small smile on her lips and her eyes wet. Her hand was at the bottom of her neck. After a moment, she blinked and stepped toward me. I reached out my hand only for her to sweep it aside and pull me into a tight hug. For a little woman, she was strong.

  “Thank you,” she whispered close to my ear, the words barely audible. I held her a little tighter. With one more squeeze, she stepped out of my arms, her mouth stretched wide, her eyes almost dry. “It’s so good to meet you, Davis.” She peered around me. “And this beautiful girl must be Libby.” I turned in my daughter’s direction. She was bouncing on her feet, her knees bending like crazy and her gaze still fixed on Hunter.

  “Yes, ma’am. And it looks like she’s besotted with Hunter. I’ve already started preparing speeches to warn off her wannabe dates.”

  Jenna laughed. “From what I’ve heard about her daddy, I can imagine you’re not exaggerating.” I wasn’t. Tanner thought it was hilarious. “But I would imagine she’s going to be a force to be reckoned with too.”

  I grinned with pride, having no doubt she would. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  “I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the kids if you want to finish off, Scott.” She cast a happy glance at her brother.

  “Thanks, Jen.” He turned in the direction of the kitchen, grabbing my hand and tugging me along.

  “You cooked?” He’d told me he could cook, but I’d yet to eat at his place.

  “Why d’you sound so s
urprised?”

  I shrugged. “Not surprised as much as happy that you’re cooking for me,” I replied honestly.

  His gray eyes met mine. “Hopefully that happy feeling will stay, as long as it’s edible.”

  In the kitchen, I looked around. I was impressed with how tidy everything was. “So, what’s on the menu?”

  “Don’t get too excited.” He picked up the oven gloves. “I had to make sure the boys could eat, and Libby would manage too.”

  “I have some—”

  “No, it’s all good. I made sure she’d be well fed.”

  Heat bubbled up my body at Scott’s ability to keep surprising me with his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.” I stepped behind him when he’d placed the hot tray down safely, and pressed a kiss to his neck. His breath hitching was one of the sweetest damn sounds ever.

  “My pleasure.” His voice was whisper soft. He turned. With half-lidded eyes, he zeroed in on my mouth. The pinging of the microwave had him jumping, though. I huffed in amusement.

  “I’ll get that.” Stepping away reluctantly, I collected the container and set it to the side. “What do you need me to do?”

  “If you can sort everyone’s drinks, that would be great.”

  “No problem. What would you like?”

  He angled his head to look at me. “There’s wine and beer, but I wasn’t sure if you’d be having a drink.”

  He was already aware I rarely had anything beyond a single beer when I was driving, especially when I had Libby with me. “I’m good with water.”

  He nodded his understanding. “Then that’s fine by me too. Jenna will probably want wine; the white in the fridge will be good.”

  I set about organizing drinks for us all, collecting Libby’s sippy cup from her bag in the process. Placing the drinks on the table and Libby’s on the high chair, which I recognized as hers from Tanner’s place, a firm sense of rightness settled over me. Scott was making all the right moves, going above and beyond in ensuring Libby was considered in everything we did. I turned to watch him starting to dish up. He moved around the kitchen, seeming content in the space despite the busyness of his task.

  “I was thinking.” I stepped away from the table I’d finish setting. “Maybe after dinner, if Jenna and the boys can do without you, you could come back to mine, help me tuck Libby in for the night, and maybe then we can have something stronger.” He paused, a spoon raised in the air as he threw me a look with such heat that my eyes flared and my pants tightened. “It’ll still be early.” I cocked a shoulder and offered him a smile that I hoped to hell was as seductive as I intended it to be.

  “Yes.” With a bob of his head, he threw me a wide grin. “I’d like that. A lot.”

  He’d been right. I liked it when he said yes to me. I mentally shook my head, aware we had to get through our early dinner, and I had to maintain a civil conversation with his sister. “Shall I rally the troops?” I indicated my head toward the sitting room.

  “That’d be great. Thanks.”

  Turning on my heel, I took a deep breath, ready to put on my game face and win Jenna and his nephews over.

  My nerves had proved to be unnecessary. By the end of dinner, which had been simple yet tasty, I’d managed to offer Jenna a job as Scott’s replacement, but on a trial run, which Jenna had insisted on. Not only that, but I’d achieved the killer of belches after dinner. Both boys had been so impressed they’d demanded to show me their new bedroom.

  Jenna was great. It was obvious with how she steered away from trickier conversations regarding her husband and her move that the next few weeks or maybe months were going to be a challenge, no doubt not just for her but also the boys, but she was assertive and together. It didn’t fully connect with the picture Scott had painted about her marriage. This version had a glimmer of hope in her eyes and excitement in her voice. I liked her, and her boys were fun.

  “Righto, boys.” I stretched my legs out before me, readying to stand. “I imagine it’s your bath time.” I’d heard the tub filling in the bathroom.

  “It certainly is.”

  I angled and looked at Jenna, who stood in the open doorway to the boys’ shared bedroom. I offered her a smile, then turned back to the boys. “Let’s get these cars quickly put away first; then it’s time to get moving.” They groaned in sync but put away their toys without any second request. I was impressed. “Is Libby downstairs?” I glanced at Jenna as I stood.

  “Scott has her.” She took a step out of the room, which I read was her invitation for me to follow. In the hallway, she studied me for the briefest of moments. “I hate that I haven’t been around for him through all this.” She hugged her sides, a tremor in her voice.

  I tilted my head and said softly, “I think he feels the same way about not being there for you.”

  A single tear spilled down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly, her gaze flicking to the boys’ room and then back to me. “We make a pair, right?” She laughed humorlessly.

  I fought hard not to fidget, uncomfortable with her tears. “I think we all have heavy baggage to drag around with us at times, you know? All we can ever do is learn from whatever has happened, what we’ve lived through, and grow. Make sure the same shit doesn’t hit us.”

  Jenna looked a little calmer when she spoke. “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  “For Scott, for seeing how special he is. He could be an arrogant prick growing up.” I snorted and she laughed. “It’s true.”

  “Oh, I believe you.”

  Her laughter sobered. “I now understand why he was that way though, why he felt he had to protect himself—”

  “By being an asshole.”

  Her smile was watery when she nodded. “Yeah. But I haven’t seen that in him since being here, and I think you have a lot to do with that, so thank you.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t take credit for anything. Well, maybe for making him a bit happier.” He’d definitely brought me that. “But the rest of it, Scott accepting who he is, coming out, making this new choice for him, are all him. We haven’t known each other all that long, but I’m proud as hell of him.”

  “You care about him.” There was no question intended.

  “I do, a great deal.”

  Her smile was blinding. “So thank you for that.” She stepped over to me, placed a small kiss on my cheek, and squeezed my bicep. When she leaned away, she said, “Scott seems eager to head back to your place. Best not keep him waiting.” She stepped around me to collect her boys.

  Satisfaction rushed through me. I was just as eager.

  When I stepped back into the room after settling Libby down, Scott’s eyes immediately held mine. I didn’t miss the slight shake in his hand when he brought his beer to his lips, nor did I miss when he downed the entire contents. I somehow contained my self-satisfied smirk that he was so wound up, only managing to do so because of the ball of nerves in my own gut.

  We both knew that him being here meant we’d be progressing from the hot kisses we’d shared. While it was unspoken, the heated glances and touches were all an agreement to something more. He still wasn’t ready for sex, and I wasn’t sure when he would be, and that was okay. I could wait until he was certain.

  Foreplay could be a hell of a thing, and I was eager to reach that point.

  With a determined stride, I headed toward him, my focus on his every movement. His chest rose and fell quickly, his hand trembling when he placed the empty bottle on the table.

  “Did Libby go down okay?”

  Silently, I nodded and stopped before him. My hand found its way to his cheek, and he expelled a shaky breath. A smile formed on his mouth. After moving my hand to his nape, I let my eyes roam his face, landing on his lips—the only warning before I pulled his mouth to mine.

  The kiss was bruising and perfect. Heat whipped through me, fueling my need to speed this up and get a taste of the man I’d been dreaming about. I couldn’t wait to get him under me, have him at my mercy so I
could show him exactly what he could look forward to.

  I tugged at his shirt, managing to pull it off him with the slightest of breaks, my lips returning to his with a ferocity that had me scrambling for more. My shirt quickly followed, and his jeans were next. I hesitated the barest of moments over my fly.

  “What?” Concern filled his breathless voice.

  Our eyes connected and my tongue traced my bottom lip, his gaze following it.

  “I want to see you too.” He’d read my hesitancy correctly. This could all be too much, too soon for him, which seemed crazy in my head since his cock was bare and hard between us.

  I stripped, my grin unapologetic, my need obvious with my straining cock that bounced free. His wide eyes took me in, his breathing picking up as he closed the fraction of an inch between us. We brushed against each other, hardness and heat, the contact making us both gasp.

  “Sit down.” I edged him toward the sofa, caressing his chest, enjoying the softness of his skin and the ridges of his pecs. His stomach was blissfully not a hard slab of muscles. Instead, his flesh was supple and warm, perfect for the kisses I started to trail down there.

  Finally, he sat, and I shifted between his opened legs. Trailing my hands up his calves, then his thighs, I deliberately kept my gaze on his face. Pleasure warred with a sweet nervousness that was so fucking endearing, my dick twitched. “I’ve got you.” My whispered words had his eyes connecting with mine, and he exhaled audibly. Scott’s lips ticked up slightly, his fingers reaching out and touching my cheek.

  “I know.”

  It was all the permission I needed as I lowered my mouth to between his legs.

  Admittedly it had been a while, but it was so much better than I remembered. Having Scott needy, groaning, desperate before me as I darted out my tongue and encircled the tip was a heady thing. I knew this was only the second BJ he’d ever received from a man, but that first time would soon become insignificant and be buried under the memory I was going to give him. I was on a mission to blow his fucking mind. Lapping at the bead of moisture, I gave his balls a gentle squeeze, careful not to be too heavy handed. I sucked and licked, and then flicked my tongue over the tip, knowing it would feel unbelievably sensitive and be driving him to distraction.