by Jodie Larson
“So you’re saying I’m hotter than three guys who are way older than me and the kid who screams he can wipe his own ass. Nice.”
She’s trying really hard to look offended. Only she can’t fool me. I can see the little creases around her eyes, giving her away.
I run my hands over her hips and give her ass a gentle squeeze. Before I can pick her up, a cell phone rings in the kitchen, followed by another one.
Turning our knowing gazes to each other, we just shrug.
“Looks like it’s time,” she says, climbing off my lap.
“I guess so.”
Cockblocked by a baby. And it’s not even ours.
Lyric Nichole Evans is about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. All six pounds, four ounces of her. I can’t stop holding her, which is amazing all on its own because Quinn keeps trying to take her from everyone.
“She has your nose,” I say to Adrienne as I brush the tip of my finger down the tiny bridge.
“Thank God for that,” Quinn mutters under her breath. I throw her a look, which she responds with sticking her tongue out.
“She’s beautiful,” Tatum says next to me, softly stroking the shock of soft, dark hair covering her head.
All the guys are gathered around Kade, nowhere near us women who can’t help but fawn over this precious little life.
I look up at Adrienne, who’s glowing even more than usual. Damn, I want to look that good after I give birth. Eventually.
“You did good,” I say, relinquishing Lyric to Tatum. That sweet little baby curls into her arms and makes the most adorable squeak. I watch as Tatum fights back the tears. There’s nothing I want more in the world than to see her and my brother have a baby. They’ve been through so much together.
As if he knew I was thinking it, Myles walks over to his wife’s side, wraps an arm around her waist and stares down at the little girl with a look of wonder and awe.
“Hey, little girl. It’s your Uncle Myles. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to reverse anything your dad teaches you about the guitar so you learn correctly.”
And he just ruined it.
Tatum looks up at Myles. Their love is evident on most days, but right now, it’s beaming so bright you could probably see it from space. Myles gives a slight nod; a small movement but one that carries a big meaning. They’re going to keep trying.
Breck walks over and grabs a chair next to mine. “She’s cute.”
I nod. “Kade is going to have his hands full with her.”
He laughs. “If we thought he was protective of Adrienne, I think we’re about to see a whole new level of caveman from him.”
“Can’t say I blame him. Though I have the feeling that she’s going to have him wrapped around her little finger.”
Kade’s waiting on Adrienne hand and foot, fluffing her pillows and grabbing her water in between peppering kisses along her face.
I want a love like that. Someone to adore me without being showy about it. They’re the most perfect match I’ve ever seen.
Stealthily, I slide my hand over to Brecken’s and lace our fingers together on his thigh. No one is paying attention, giving me a sense of boldness I’d never dream of doing in front of everyone. Not at the risk of physical injury to the man I’ve been infatuated with most of my life.
When he looks over, I find myself getting lost in those steely gray eyes. A slow, meaningful smile tugs at my lips. If we’re not careful, I’m going to give away our secret because I want nothing more than to crawl onto his lap and continue what we started back at my house.
In fact…
“I think I’m going to head out, give these guys a little privacy,” I say, releasing my grip on Breck and moving to stand.
Adrienne looks tired now. And who can blame her. Her body just spent hours trying to push a tiny human from it. I’m tired for her.
Quinn and Tatum look between me and Brecken, then to everyone else in the room before settling on Adrienne and Kade.
“Yeah, we should all probably leave and let the new parents bond with this little angel.” Quinn presses her lips to Lyric’s forehead. Her pink face scrunches briefly before snuggling back into the warmth of the blanket.
“Thanks for coming, you guys.” Adrienne yawns and gives a small wave. Quinn reluctantly gives up Lyric to Kade, who can’t keep the smile off his face as he looks down at his daughter.
His daughter.
That’s so weird to say.
The five of us head toward the elevators. Myles and Breck lead the way, talking about something to do with the band.
Tatum grabs my arm, holding us back. Quinn notices and stops as well.
“Don’t think we didn’t see that little gesture when you two were sitting down.”
“Shh!” I harshly hiss through my teeth. “Shut up. Do you want him to hear?” I point to Myles, who is completely oblivious that we’re not even next to them anymore.
“So, spill it. What happened between you two?” Quinn asks.
Part of me wants to scream it to the heavens. The other part, the larger of the two, wants to keep this information to myself. It’s private, not something to gossip about or cheapen it in any way. Asking Brecken to keep this a secret was hard enough. He thinks I missed the disappointment on his face, but it was hard not to. And I’m disappointed too. I hate living in secret. That means no public dates that can’t be explained, always walking around on glass, not being able to kiss him in the middle of the street, just because I can.
It’s not fair.
But, to appease the hounds, I should throw them some sort of bone. “We’re slightly more than friends.”
Quinn bounces on her toes. “Really? Oh my God, you two are adorable together. Have you done it?” She moves around me with a scrutinizing glare. “You have. I can sense it.”
“Just like you could sense when that last step was coming and you fell off?” Tatum smirks.
“I was drunk. My judgment was impaired,” Quinn retorts, pointing a finger in her face.
Linking my arms through theirs, I drag them toward the guys. “Please leave it as that. No one can know about this. And the fewer people that know, the better.”
“Wait.” Tatum stops us again. “You’re saying you want a secret affair?”
“Want and need are two very different things. If the situation was different, I’d proudly shout it from the rooftops that he’s the guy for me.” I chew on my bottom lip and re-link our arms together. “But, it is what it is, so keeping this quiet is the only way it’s going to work. Besides, he’s only here for two months. Why bother starting anything significant? Long distance isn’t going to work.”
“Yeah, tell that to Adrienne. How do you think she got pregnant?” Quinn says, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder.
“They’re different. They had an established relationship. We…Brecken…” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “I don’t want to start something that may not finish.”
Two sets of sad eyes meet me as I tug them down the hall again.
“You don’t know that,” Tatum says quietly.
“I think I do. We agreed to keep this casual and fun and if one of us starts to have feelings, we’ll stop and go back.”
“Yeah, but do you think you can go back after that? You don’t strike me as the casual type.”
Quinn’s right. I’m not. I know it, she knows it. Hell, Tatum knows it. But like any good liar, if you say it enough times, you’ll start to believe it.
“I don’t have a choice.”
We catch up to the guys and make our way down to the parking garage.
“Anyone up for a late-night snack?” Myles asks, rubbing his stomach.
Quinn shakes her head. “I’m going to go harass my husband a bit before I go home.”
“How’s the new guy he hired to take over manager duties?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Seems okay. Gabe hasn’t let him close on his own yet. It’s only been a few days. I’m guessing once he gets comfortable with ev
erything and knows what to do, it’ll be easier to cut the apron strings.”
“I get it. It’s his baby. He’s worked there for how long? You don’t just give up control like that.”
Quinn stops beside her car and opens the door. “Yeah, I know. Which is why I’m going there to distract his worries.” She wags her brows.
“Just keep your shirt on!” Tatum yells before Quinn shuts her door.
We laugh as she drives away, her middle finger jutting out the window.
“She’s not keeping her shirt on,” I say with a shake of my head.
Myles visibly shudders. “Please stop saying that. I don’t want that image in my head.”
Tatum laughs and takes his hand. “Come on, wimp. Let’s go home and you can take my shirt off.”
“Deal.” He picks her up and throws her over his shoulder.
“I don’t want that image in my head,” I repeat Myles’ words as he laughs at me.
With a smack on her ass, Myles and Tatum walk to their car. Luckily, we parked on a different floor, so Brecken and I head to the staircase.
“Lyric was adorable,” he says from behind me.
The rhythmic pounding of our steps echoes in the empty stairwell. “She was. Her cute little nose and bowed lips.” I sigh. “She’s going to be a heartbreaker one day.”
Brecken grabs my arm and twirls me toward him when we reach the landing. In one swift motion, I’m pressed against the wall with Brecken kissing the life out of me. I reach up and tangle my fingers in his hair. Nothing but heavy sighs echo around us as he ravages my mouth, tasting me like a starving man. I tug on his hair as he moves to my neck, licking a slow, torturous trail down the v-neck of my shirt.
“Brecken,” I pant out while scanning the area for any movement. We’re alone but at the rate we’re going, we’re about to move toward a whole new level of public display.
He looks up, lust swirling within the depths of his irises. With a quick peck, he grabs my hand and drags me up the last few stairs to our level.
“Slow down.” I can barely keep up with his long strides on a normal day, let alone following him when he’s on an obvious mission.
At this time of night, the parking garage is sparse; very few cars are left, so there’s no need to hit the button to find where we parked.
We stop at the door and I find myself pushed against the car, caged in by his arms.
“You look amazing,” he says, running his nose up and down my neck, causing my nipples to tighten instantly.
Just below my collarbone, he latches on and sucks at my skin, coloring the area, marking me with his brand. It’s easily covered with my scrubs or a shirt, but visible enough to let me know I’m his.
I haven’t had a hickey since I was a freshman in college. And that was more from being drunk rather than a love bite. Before, it was sloppy and misguided. Now, Brecken is claiming his stake.
If we’re not careful, we’ll move into feelings. Something we agreed not to do.
Pushing him back, I open the door and guide him into the front seat. With another glance to scan the area, I climb on top of his lap, moving the seat back as far as it’ll go and on full recline.
“What did you have in mind?” God, I love that low rasp to his voice when he’s turned on. Granted, I’ve only heard it a handful of times; most of them being recently.
He runs his hands up my bare thighs, letting his fingers skim under the hem of my shorts. I tease my fingers along the collar of his shirt while moving my hips along the hardening ridge of his jeans. Brecken sucks in a breath as I skim along his erection with my core.
“I can’t wait until we’re back home. I need you now,” I whisper in his ear before taking the lobe between my teeth.
That was the answer he was looking for. Within seconds, my shorts are off—or at least around one ankle. Brecken is tugging at his zipper, struggling a little to get his jeans below his hips. The minute his cock bobs out from under the confines of his boxers, I tug my panties aside and plunge myself down. No need to prep. The stairwell session was enough to prime me. Not to mention the sheer excitement of this venture into public sex.
Front seat car sex is more complicated than I thought. Not as much room as they make it out to be in the movies. But it doesn’t matter as Brecken grips my hips and bounces me on his lap. Hard and fast, then slow and grinding. I tighten my grip on the seat back as I lean forward. He removes one hand to push up my shirt and tug down the cup of my bra, setting my breast free to his ministrations.
The windows fog as we continue this pace. Our breaths heating the air between us.
Quickly adjusting my position, I put my feet on the seat and use more muscles than I thought I possessed in my legs to move up and down that glorious cock. Summoning every porno move I’ve ever watched on TV or Tumblr, I brace my hands on the dash, careful not to lean back on the steering wheel. The last thing we need is the horn going off and drawing more attention to the rocking car parked in the corner.
“Holy shit, where’d you learn to do that?” he asks, his eyes glued to the spot where we’re coming together.
“Internet,” I breathe.
Every muscle in my shoulders ache, but I find myself drawn to the same sight as Brecken, watching as I bob up and down his dick, listening to the slick sounds we’re making as sex fills the air.
“I can’t…I can’t…” I can feel him tense beneath my ass, knowing he’s about to plunge over the edge.
“Do it. Don’t hold back,” I say, feeling my own release teetering the very same precipice.
He takes hold of my hips, thrusting hard into me. The instant he presses his thumb against my clit, I fall headfirst over the edge. Stars spark behind my closed lids as I cry out his name, clawing at something, anything to keep me from floating off into space. As soon as he pins me against his hips, he jerks once, twice, then growls his release, filling me while stroking out the last of his orgasm.
Time stands still as we lean against each other, holding on for dear life. His warm breath on my ear sends a chill down my spine. I press my lips against his neck, feeling the racing pulse beneath the surface. It matches my own, in more ways than one.
Pulling back, I look down at him, completely sated and still as sexy as ever.
“You.” Kiss. “Are.” Kiss. “Amazing.” Kiss. He grabs the sides of my face, lavishing his lips over mine, kissing away whatever air was left in my lungs.
A tap on the window elicits a screech from me while scrambling to tug my shirt over my chest.
Brecken tries to sit up, but it’s no use, as long as I’m still in his lap. And I’m not about to hop off and create even more of a scene than what we already are.
Pushing the button for the window, it slowly rolls down to reveal the unamused face of the security guard.
“You two mind taking this somewhere else? Like home?” he says, all serious and curt.
My bare ass is hanging out for the world to see, but Brecken quickly wraps his hands around my hips, trying his best to cover me. The movement doesn’t help the situation because he slides even deeper inside me, awakening the beast that I thought was satisfied.
“Of course, sir. We’ll be on our way.” I hide my face, burning with embarrassment, into the crook of his neck. I can only imagine how red I am. Judging by my racing heart and warm-to-the-touch skin, I’m a shade past crimson.
“Please do.” The guard doesn’t say another word and quickly leaves. Somehow we never noticed the flashing yellow lights in the back window. Then again, my eyes were closed and there was a ringing in my ears, effectively blocking out the world.
As soon as we roll up the window, Brecken brushes back some hair from my face and laughs. “You dirty, naughty girl.”
“Me?” I squeak. “What about you? You started this whole thing in the stairway.”
He silences my laugh with a quick peck. “Well, if we don’t move, the real cops may come and I’m pretty sure that’s not in either of our best interests of keeping t
his quiet.”
“Oh, God,” I groan and carefully slide off his lap. We really didn’t think this through. We’re both a mess and I’ve never been more thankful for leather seats in my life. Brecken looks around with a frown.
“You don’t keep an extra shirt or towel in here?”
I quirk a brow. “Now why in the hell would I keep a towel in my car?”
“In case you decide to go swimming at some point?” he responds, mockingly.
Shaking my head, I slide over to my seat while keeping my feet on the dash. “No, sorry. Not a lot of time to go swimming. Alone.”
Brecken chuckles as he pulls his shirt off, gripping it behind his neck and tugging it forward. For a moment, I’m speechless. Obviously I’ve seen him naked before, but it will never stop taking my breath away. He’s perfect. All chiseled muscle and sinewy lines. I’ve always read about muscles like these in books. I never once thought I’d be pressed up against them one day.
Leaning over, he uses his shirt to clean me up, taking extra caution not to overly clean and start something he can’t finish. To my surprise, he doesn’t toss the shirt on the floor in the back. Instead, he keeps it on his lap once he adjusts the seat back to its normal position.
“Hungry?” he asks, starting the car and finally backing out of the parking spot.
I nod. “I wasn’t before, but now I am.”
Breck laughs. “It’s the orgasms.” He blows on his nails, obviously proud of a job well done.
It’s not entirely false. If I was a teacher, he’d get all the gold stars and a mountain of plus signs behind that A.
On the way to my house, I call up our favorite Chinese place and order more food than we could possibly eat. The lady on the phone was less-than-pleased since they were fifteen minutes away from closing time. I just hope they don’t spit in our food.
Breck parks in the garage, now that I finally have full use of the space back. When we enter the quiet house, I start flipping on all the lights. Force of habit. Living alone, even in a secure neighborhood like ours, doesn’t ease my fears.
“Hey, take it easy on your electric bill,” he says behind me.
After I turn on the last lamp in the living room, I face him and shrug. “Sorry. Old habits die hard.”