by J. M. Dabney
“I think seventeen years is a little too old. Go feed the kid. I'll be down in a minute.”
“Take all the time you want. Nap or just relax.” He dropped a kiss on her nose, then straightened and pulled the blanket across her.
Before he lost his resolve, he forced himself to leave her and opened the door to find an amused Miles leaning back on the wall opposite the door.
“Son, we really need to work on your timing.”
“Pop, you only have to put up with me for a few more weeks, and then my mom is all yours.”
“I wished I'd had more time with you before you left,” he said as he followed Miles downstairs to the kitchen.
“You spend plenty of time with me.”
“Not nearly enough. You and your mom should've been here a long time ago.”
“Maybe, but we're here now. I told Ma earlier that I'd always wanted you to be my dad, but now that I think about it, you kinda were.”
“What?”
“You did all the Dad things. Helped with homework. Coached my teams. I always saw you at my graduations, and you even showed up for my stupid plays.”
“You stole the show when you played the cloud in kindergarten.”
“Asshole.”
“Have some respect for your old man.”
“I do. You were always there when Ma needed you, and that meant more than anything.”
“Let's make that beautiful mom of yours a nice dinner.”
“We have plenty of groceries.”
They worked easily as a team to get steaks, roasted vegetables, and salad started by the time Philly appeared. He held out his hand to her, and she came to him with a smile. She tucked herself under his arm and hugged his waist.
“Looking good in my clothes, Ms. Kilmer.”
He grinned as Miles snorted from across the kitchen. Moments, that's what Philly had said, he really loved these moments and hoped he had a lifetime of them.
Philly Wasn't Ready!
They'd left the afternoon before to drive to New Mexico to drop Miles off at school, and they'd had one last dinner the night before. Spending the night just outside of Denver had been her last-ditch effort at holding onto her baby a little longer. She bounced her legs up and down the closer they got to the campus. “I'm not ready, tell him he can't go.”
Bret chuckled, and she balled up her fists, and she shot him a glare.
“I'm not finding my baby moving out all that funny.”
Bret reached across the expanse of the bench seat and took her hand. “Baby girl, we're ten minutes away from campus, and I think telling our son he can't go to college should've been said, oh, months ago.”
“I thought I was ready, but I'm not. He's only seventeen. Maybe he'd like to take a year off.”
She felt like she had to puke as they drove onto the campus and toward the dorms. She focused on the back of Miles' car as they followed him. What the hell was she going to do without him? They'd always been a team—just the two of them. Well, until recently, Bret had become a bigger part of their lives this summer.
The place was packed with kids and parents, but they got lucky when a few places near the front of the building cleared out. She didn't hurry to get out. She stared as Miles got out of his car and waved at them. The pride she felt for her son overwhelmed her.
“Philly, look at him. You raised an amazing young man. You should be so proud of the job you did.”
“I am. And I thought about this so many times, but it's different to know that in a few minutes I'm going to tell my baby goodbye. He'll only be home on holidays.”
“I know, and part of me understands because I'm not quite ready to let him go either.”
Her and Bret got out of the truck. She ran to her son when he opened his arms, and she hugged his waist tight.
“Let's go find my room and see what kind of space I got.”
She let him lead her into the building, sidestepping crowds of people and then they got to an open door. The room was small with mirroring twin beds, desks, and dressers. He motioned her in first, and she smiled at the cutie with blond hair who was making one of the beds.
“Hi.”
The boy spun with a shocked look on his face. His pale lashes darkened with mascara and his eyes defined by liner. He was adorable especially with the way he nervously fidgeted from one foot to the other.
“Oh, hi, I'm Luca, are the rooms mixed? It's so great to have a girl—”
The boy talked a mile a minute, and she had trouble keeping up with him. She wanted to just hug him.
“No, I'm Philly, Miles is your roommate.”
It was cute how the boy's big hazel eyes widened.
“Hi, Miles, I'm Luca.”
“Nice to meet you.”
She glanced over her shoulder to find Miles looking at the boy and trying not to laugh.
“Oh, your dad and sister came to drop you off, that's so nice. My parents said bye at the door and said they'd see me for the holidays.”
Miles lost it then, and she felt so sorry for Luca when the boy looked like he was going to cry.
“He's not making fun of you, Luca.”
“This is my mom, and her much older man,” Miles explained.
“I'm not that much older, son. Hello, Luca, I'm Bret. Ignore my woman and our weird son.”
“You have a lot of tattoos are you a biker?”
“No, Luca, I'm a principal. Although I do like to take my bike out any chance I get.”
“Wow, wish my principal looked like you. I would've liked going to school more.”
That longing little sigh had both her and Miles busting out laughing. They held onto each other, and Bret's glare only made it worse.
“Are they always like that?” She heard Luca ask.
“Yes, always.”
Bret's voice didn't have even a hint of condescension but was filled with happiness and love. The way Bret treated her—cared for her still amazed her. Never once in all her imagining of what her life would be had she thought that she'd had a chance with the man. It was just all silly teenage fantasies, and then later they were her bright spots when life got too hard or dark.
So many years this was what she'd always wanted. That shit she hid. It hadn't been about going off to school and never stepping foot in Brand again. Her dreams had turned more domestic—she'd wanted to be loved. She'd pretended to be something for so long, how the hell did she stop masking the daydreams and finally be honest?
After that, they, along with Luca, made quick work of bringing all Miles' bags to his room. They unpacked and made his bed, well, Luca took over that because apparently, they weren't doing it right.
“Come on, we're taking you two boys to dinner before we have to get on the road,” Bret announced.
“Oh, I don't want to be a bother.”
“No bother at all. We all have to eat, and I know Philly isn't ready to leave just yet.”
As Bret pulled her to his side, her arms automatically went around him. Luca sighed again.
“They're so cute,” Luca whispered.
“They are. It's sickening. Glad I won't have to witness it. The walls are way too thin at home.”
Luca's face went up in flames.
“Don't embarrass your mother and Luca. At least not until he gets used to you.”
Luca was tiny compared to Miles, but he looked even smaller when Miles threw his arm across the boy's shoulders. They disappeared and left her alone with Bret.
“Are you doing okay, baby girl?”
“Better, but…”
“But what?” Bret asked as he took her face in his calloused hands.
“I'm just going to miss him.”
“I will too, but he'll be home on breaks, and I'm sure he'll call you every day.”
“I'm his mother. He shouldn't have to put me at ease.”
“That doesn't mean he won't try. But I'll reassure him that I will take very good care of you while he's away.”
“You shouldn't hav
e to do that either.”
“But I want to. I'm being patient and not pushing, but I want…” Bret paused and took a slow breath. “I want forever, Philly.”
He captured her lips for a quick kiss and then he was walking away. She stood there in the middle of her son's new home as she watched her man turn the corner and out of sight.
She knew Bret grew frustrated, but every time she opened her mouth to say those three powerful words, she froze. Not because she didn't feel them, but they had the power to change everything. Bret would be able to destroy her, and she couldn't push herself to break the tight rein she had on her control. She needed it. That steely grip was how she stayed safe, and she wasn't ready to hand it to him yet.
She strode out of the room and stopped as she found Bret resting against the wall beside the door. Bret didn't inquire about what she was thinking just laced his fingers through hers.
“We better catch up to Miles and Luca, or they'll go off to eat without us.”
“I'm sorry,” she whispered as she laid her forehead on his bicep.
“You never have to apologize to me, Philly. You're everything and the only one I've ever wanted to make mine. If you're not ready, baby girl, I'm here when you are.”
“Thank you.”
“Let's go, sexy.”
“Only you think so.”
“Good, I'd hate to have to fight someone over your affections.”
“Asshole.”
“Maybe, but you adore me anyway.”
“Maybe, Mr. Stoker, maybe.”
Would Philly Say Yes?
A month of having Philly to himself was heaven, but he did miss Miles too. He'd picked her up from work an hour ago and brought her home to the ranch. Tonight was the night he'd ask her to move in with him. Philly spent most of her evenings there, or he stayed at her trailer.
He finished drying off and put on sleep pants, then turned off the bathroom light as he stepped out into his bedroom. He smiled at his woman who was sprawled across his bed. Her beautiful, naked body on display taunting him.
“Hey, baby girl,” he greeted her as he crawled onto the bed beside her and like always, she turned to curl up against his side.
“When did you know you wanted me?” Philly asked, then kissed his chest. “Nineteen, right?”
He ran the question around in his head and didn't know if he'd be able to explain it. “Yes, nineteen. And it wasn't some early mid-life crisis or whatever. You were a beautiful woman.”
“I was, huh?”
There was a hint of insecurity. It didn't happen often, only showing up when she felt stressed, and he loved his woman's confidence. She had no problem telling him what she wanted and how she wanted it. He'd never had a lover like Philly.
“Philly,” he softly said her name and waited for her to look at him. “Do you know how sexy you are in your waitress uniform and messy bun?”
“You think so?” Philly's voice turned husky, and she slid across his body to straddle his hips.
He stroked his hands up her plump thighs, the beautiful flare of her wide hips and up to her small breasts. Weeks had passed since he'd touched her the way he wanted. Life, both hers and his got in the way. They had quickies where they could, but he wanted to be able to love on his woman for hours and not just to take the edge off. It was more than sex though. He'd quickly realized he wanted to spend his life with Philly—only her.
Slow and steady, he kept reminding himself, but his patience was growing thin. He wanted to confess.
“So sexy, every inch of you. I especially love…” He plucked at her nipples and smirked as her back arched. “Now, when did you fall in lust with this old man?” His cock grew hard and pushed against the cotton that kept them separated. He'd never asked when she wanted him. Philly's crush on him—that he'd known for months, but he was curious about when it became more.
“I think I was fourteen.”
He groaned and arched as she drew her short nails down his chest.
“Walking into that classroom. Sexy button-down shirt and those slacks that showed off an amazing ass. How I got an A in your class, I have no idea. Every time you said my name I couldn't think. It was so embarrassing.”
He growled as she leaned forward and pressed her soft form against his bare chest. She rubbed her pretty, little tits against him. He cupped them in his palms. He raised his head to draw Philly's left nipple into his mouth. Wrapped his tongue around it and sucked, and she quivered above him. He felt Philly shifting to work his pants lower, and he dropped his head back on the pillow. He lifted his hips to help her push the cotton to the top of his thighs. He jerked as she took his hard, aching cock in her small hand.
Every muscle in his body seized up as his bare cock was placed at her wet hole and her tight pussy was sliding down his length.
“I learned a lot about what my clit was for that year.”
“Okay, I'm a bit conflicted over how to feel about that. I feel like a bit of a pervert for getting harder at teenage you rubbing that pretty pussy while thinking about me.”
She laughed huskily and straightened to watch him from under heavy lids. Her moves were slow and sensuous as she rode his cock. His woman was his every dirty fantasy come to life. Slowly she lifted her hips, and they groaned in unison as she slammed back down.
“Aw, now, Mr. Stoker, not only teenage me used you as my favorite fantasy.”
“Tell me, baby girl,” he ordered.
“My favorite was when you'd bend me over your desk after class. The edge cutting into my thighs.”
She leaned down until her mouth just touched his.
He gripped her plump cheeks, pulled and pushed her along his cock until she was whimpering sweetly. Philly ground against him as she started to ride his cock with sexy rotations of her hips. He lifted her until his dick slipped free.
“Get on your hands and knees.”
She did exactly as he asked. He knelt on the bed behind Philly, stared at the rounded curves of her ass. He groaned as he brought his hand down on one then the other as he watched the way her ass bounced.
“Are you on birth control?” The shameless part of him that said she was his wished she'd tell him no, but they hadn't talked about children. He got harder thinking about that sweet curve of her belly getting bigger.
“Yes, so quit stalling.”
He wrapped his hand around the base of his cock and slammed forward, her flirty smirk disappeared as her mouth fell open. Her body arched into an upward curve. He flatted his hands at her lower back and stroked upward. He rode Philly with long, slow strokes since he knew his baby girl liked his thick, pierced dick.
His pace sped up as he leaned over to rest his chest against her back. Philly whimpered his name as he lifted his right hand to squeeze her breast, and he plucked at her nipple. He couldn't get over how she bucked and writhed beneath him. Philly rode his cock, meeting him thrust for thrust.
Philly tightened almost painfully around him, and he pushed past the clenched muscles of her hot, wet pussy. Their sweaty skin loudly slapped together.
“Fuck, baby girl, so close.”
He groaned as the nails of her left hand stroked his balls. Then he started working her clit.
“Fuck me, harder, please.” She hissed the plea. She turned her head, and her lips brushed his.
He sucked at her lower lip as he did as she asked. He fucked her hard and fast as he sunk his teeth into the lush curve of her lip. It wasn't long before she was screaming and the sound of her release had him on the edge. He straightened, gripped her hips in his hands and lowered his gaze to where his cock disappeared into her soaked pussy. Savored the obscene sounds of his cock disappearing into her. Her cream coating his dick and he fucked her faster until he watched her brace her hands on the headboard.
She let out a long, agonized whine and he came, emptying himself into her. Stroking in shallow thrusts drawing out their pleasure until his thighs shook. As he fell to the side, he took Philly with him. Placed his right
hand to turn her face toward him. Kissed her in tender sips of her lips and tasted the salt of her sweat. He then splayed his hand across her belly holding her to him.
He gently stroked her as he eased her shaking and loved the way she continued to grind against him.
“I'll never get enough of you, baby girl.”
“I hope not.”
“Move in with me.”
He hated the moment she moved away from him, and his cock slipped from her spasming pussy. Philly turned over to look at him.
“You want me to move in?”
“Yes, I've wanted to ask you for a while. We spend most nights together. I just want you here. To make a home with me. Do you want that?”
He noticed her eyes closed and tears slipped from beneath her eyelids.
“Hey, baby, what's wrong?”
“This is the first time in my life that…that I've been happy. I loved my life with Miles, but you want to keep me.”
“Yes, I do, for however long you'll let me. To be honest, I hope you'll decide to make this more permanent down the road, but until then, I want to come home to you every night. You in our bed. So, will you move in?”
Philly nodded as she took his mouth in a deep kiss, and he clutched her to his chest. He loved her. Her independence. Her strength. She was everything he'd dreamed of in the woman he'd make his, and soon he'd ask her to marry him, but again, he had to be patient. He'd just be happy she'd agreed to this one step, and if she was never ready for marriage, Philly would still be his.
Philly Loved Her New Normal
Bret moved around the kitchen putting dinner in the oven. She stood leaning back against the island in their kitchen. Even after months, it was still odd to think of Bret's house as hers. She turned slightly to set her glass of iced tea on the counter and came up behind Bret. She slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his powerful back.
She smiled and sighed as he stretched his arms back to wrap around her. The discomfort from the years of no affection had faded, and she savored every touch Bret gave her. What she'd come to enjoy the most was just curling up with him on the couch at night before bed.