by Alison Bliss
Cowboy nodded. “He’s had his ass kicked by several of us already. It doesn’t ever change anything. He’s still the same old asshole he’s always been.”
Jeremy’s unexpected arrival had dampened the mood for the entire group. Everyone stared at me with concern in their eyes, and I bit into my lip to keep it from quivering. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go. My little boy should be surrounded by the people who loved him on his birthday. Not spending the day with a guy who never treated him special a single day in his life.
“You okay?” Seth asked.
No. I wasn’t okay. I was nearing my breaking point, knowing that I’d been unable to protect Austin once again. But as tears pricked my eyes, I blinked them away. The last thing I wanted to do was have a public meltdown in front of everyone.
“Yeah, I…I just need a moment to myself.”
…
Overwhelmed with frustration, I escaped to my bathroom and stood there sniffling and wiping away tears that wouldn’t stop falling. How had this even happened? Was it my fault because I’d pushed Jeremy to take an active role in Austin’s life? Was that why he was doing this—to punish me?
I gazed at myself in the mirror and cringed at the guilt etched in my solemn features. Though I knew I’d done nothing wrong, that somehow didn’t matter. Regardless of how I felt, there was no way for me to stop Jeremy from exercising his parental rights when the court order demanded that I allow him unsupervised visits with his son.
And with that revelation came another bout of tears.
Distraught, I lowered my tear-stained face into my hands and wept uncontrollably. Pain and confusion lashed at me, competing for my undivided attention. I didn’t understand his motives, but to think that Jeremy would do all of this out of spite was almost too much to bear.
I hadn’t heard anyone come into the bathroom, but strong arms wrapped around me and pulled me tight into a firm chest. I didn’t need to hear the person’s voice or see his face to know who offered me the comfort of his arms. I’d recognize Seth’s heady scent—something spicy and overtly male—anywhere.
Without hesitation, I wiped my swollen eyes and nestled against him, resting my cheek on his chest. His heart thudded against his rib cage with steady, even beats and, like a newborn baby, the soothing sound calmed me almost instantly.
He continued to hold me, giving me plenty of time to get a grip on my emotions, and I took advantage of his generosity. He was so warm, while I felt like someone had dumped a giant bucket of ice water over my head. So I clung desperately to him…and the exquisite heat of his body.
I don’t know how long we stood like that, but eventually I shifted and gazed up at him. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice shaky.
“It’s no problem,” he said, a great deal of frustration in his tone. “I know it’s hard to deal with that asshole but just keep in mind that it’s only temporary. Jeremy doesn’t want to be a father, and the court will see that. I have no doubt you’re going to win the case against him. Everything will work out, you’ll see.” He smiled lightly.
The tender expression on his sincere face and the positive words were just what I needed in that moment. He offered me hope in a situation where I had been feeling helpless, and the sweet gesture lifted my spirits and had my heart swelling. Without thinking, I lifted onto my tiptoes and brushed my lips across his.
It was just a chaste kiss that was sort of meant as another thank you, but he froze as if I’d startled him with the unexpected lip-lock. I immediately realized my mistake and moved out of his arms, backing toward the sink. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Seth grasped my arm and pulled me back to him. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what? Apologize?”
“No,” he said, slanting his hard body firmly into mine. “Don’t stop.” Then he lowered his head, covering my mouth with his this time.
His lips feasted on mine, the pace growing faster as he thrust his tongue into my mouth, capturing mine. The taste of him on my tongue sent my heart into overdrive, and it pounded relentlessly against my rib cage. But I was hesitant to go there with Seth again. I was already starting to care about him way too much as it was. The last thing I wanted to do was get intimate with Seth only for him to take my heart with him when he left. Yet I couldn’t seem to stop kissing him back.
Maybe it was an act of desperation on my part, but I needed someone strong to hold on to right now. And whether I liked it or not, that someone was Seth.
Not that he seemed to mind.
Seth tangled his fingers into my hair and pulled my head to the side as he slid his tongue down my neck and sank his teeth gently into my sensitive skin. I gasped, and a familiar longing surged through my entire body. In that instance, the warmth he’d offered me changed to heat and, like mercury in a thermometer, the temperature between us rose to a whole new level.
My fingers weaved into his hair, pulling him closer as he tried to unbutton my blouse with little luck. The urgency rushing through my veins must’ve matched his, but our bodies were too close together for his fingers to be effective. So I guess he figured ripping it open was a better way to go.
As the buttons flew every which way, I pulled back in shock and looked down at my top that was hanging wide open. “Hey! I liked this shirt.”
“I’ll buy you a new one. I couldn’t wait any longer to do this,” he said, sliding his fingers under the satin cups of my bra and shoving them both up and out of the way. Then his warm hand palmed my breasts, fondling gently, before his head lowered to suck one hard nipple into his mouth while he pinched the other one.
I sighed, and my eyes nearly rolled up into the back of my head from the pleasure spiraling through me. Oh. Well, in that case… “Forget the shirt,” I said, not giving a damn if he tore every blouse I owned from now on. Just as long as he didn’t stop what he was doing.
Taking his sweet time, Seth paid an enormous amount of attention to my breasts. His mouth moved over each of them as he took turns cupping and weighing both with his hands.
Seth stepped back and pulled off his shirt, involuntarily flexing his pectoral muscles in the process. As my eyes trailed over him, taking in his sinewy arms and powerful physique, my stomach spasmed low and deep. He was beautiful. Like a Greek god that belonged on an altar for people to worship. But when he knelt in front of me, and his hands found their way under my skirt to the band of my underwear, I had a feeling it was my “altar” that he was more concerned with. With a gentle tug, he pulled the white satin panties down my legs and waited as I stepped out of them. He rose slowly and tucked them into the front pocket of his jeans with an intense look on his face. “These belong to me now.”
I wasn’t sure what to say to that since I’d never had a guy claim my panties before. “Well, I’m sure they’ll look cute on—”
Seth spun me around to face the opposite direction with dizzying speed and bent me over the sink’s counter. I sucked in a hard breath as he leaned over me. “Watch it,” he whispered, his breath tickling the back of my ear. “Or I’ll fuck you so hard you won’t be able to walk normally for a week straight.”
My first thought was, Dear God. My second thought was, Yes, please. But I didn’t say anything, since after a comment like that, nothing really seemed fitting. So I just tilted my hips, which lifted my ass higher into the air.
He lifted the back of my mid-length skirt, and one large calloused hand tracked deliberated over the crease of my buttocks, down my backside, and between my trembling thighs. My pulse quickened as his long fingers slid between my slick folds, teasing and taunting me mercilessly. “Mmm. Just the way I like you…wet.” He hummed appreciatively in my ear.
All the dirty talk had only aided in that, which I had no doubt was his intention all along. “So what are you going to do about it?” I challenged.
“Depends. What do you want? What’s your fantasy, Bobbie?”
I lifted up onto my elbows and gazed at him in the mirror over the sink. “
Um, I’m pretty sure you’re already fulfilling it.” I opened the medicine cabinet, pulled out a condom, and handed it to him.
His lips curved as he positioned himself squarely behind me and unzipped his jeans. Within seconds, he had the condom on and the blunt head of his hard cock pressing against me. “You sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said with an exasperated breath. “Now quit talking and get on with it. You’re killing me here.”
He chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
Grabbing onto my hip with one hand, he started to guide himself inside of me at an unduly harsh angle. My breath hitched, and my eyes fluttered closed as my nerves fired warning shots to all of my limbs, letting them know that something wonderfully erotic was incoming and that they should brace themselves for impact.
Apparently, the exquisite agony wasn’t mine alone, since Seth threw his head back and a thick, very male groan tore from his throat. “Jesus. You’re impossibly tight.”
Despite his great bulk, the wetness emanating from me paved the way for him to reach his intended destination. Once he commandeered my body fully, the snug fit became much more bearable for both of us. Especially for me after his hand trailed down my front to touch me intimately. It was a great distraction from the overwhelming amount of pressure I was feeling.
Slowly, he began to move inside of me, each drag of his penis shooting off sparks behind my eyelids. When the continuous movement sped up, the slick glide of his cock pumping in and out of me with rapid succession sent electrical pulses fizzling through my body and heat pooling low in my gut.
“Faster,” I moaned, my body shivering with excitement and anticipation as I strained backward against him. I ached for a physical release before the pressure building inside of me caused any kind of permanent damage.
He stopped momentarily and grasped my hair in a firm yet gentle grip. “Do you want to do this yourself? If so, I’d be happy to change positions with you.”
Though I doubted he meant for me to fuck him from behind, I couldn’t help but giggle at the erotic image that passed through my head. And apparently that only aggravated him further.
“You might want to hold on to something,” he warned, though he didn’t really bother to wait. Seth slammed into me repeatedly with much more determination and effort than before, and my knees nearly buckled with the effort to hold myself upright. It was as if each powerful thrust was meant to punish me for my bad behavior.
Works for me.
Tingles ricocheted through my body, but I wrapped my fingers around the sink faucet and hung on for dear life. But just to be a smart-ass, in between thrusts, I said, “First one to have an orgasm loses—”
His fingers pressed errantly against my clit, triggering the live bundle of nerves to go off like a gunshot, and the incredible physical sensation hit hard in my gut. That one single touch provoked a cry of pleasure as insistent waves crashed over me and my hips undulated like crazy, creating an interesting rhythm between us. Seth stilled me with his hands and rode me hard through the ensuing explosions happening inside of me. I don’t know what the hell he had done to me, but light bent in ways that it shouldn’t, time seemed to stop, and I was almost certain that rivers were now running backward.
But he was still going. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem any closer to having an orgasm now than he had when he’d walked into the bathroom. Damn him and his superb control. I wanted to grant him as much enjoyment as he’d gifted to me, but that was a little hard to do when he seemed like he could keep going forever. In an attempt to spur him on, I leaned farther down and reached between my legs. My fingers grazed his balls, touching ever so gently and massaging them carefully in my hand.
After a lot of time passed, he still seemed no closer to climax than before. In fact, he’d even slowed back down, and I grew frustrated. What the hell did it take to get this guy off?
I gazed over my shoulder. “Would it be helpful if I, uh…you know.”
One eyebrow rose. “Sucked my dick?”
“Well, I wasn’t going to put it so crudely, but yeah. I mean, if you need me to get you there in a different way…”
He stilled and then chuckled. “Sweetheart, if you’re thinking I’m having a problem getting off, trust me, I’m not. I’m just basking in the glory of your body while I have the opportunity to do so. But if you’ve got better things to do, I can speed this up for you.”
I cringed. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it. I only want to make sure I don’t leave you…um, hanging.” God. I sound like an idiot.
He thrust in me to the hilt and his cock swelled even more inside of me. “I could stop now, and I’d still walk away from this a satisfied man. You underestimate the power your body holds. Pleasure is not solely wrapped up in the climax.” Then he grinned. “But I do realize that you have guests that you need to get back to so…”
Oh crap. Forgot all about them.
With perfect skill, Seth once again pressed his fingers to my clit as he pumped in and out of me furiously. I didn’t know what the hell kind of magic button he was pushing between my legs, but my breath instantly backed up into my lungs and the stirrings of another orgasm suddenly was in reach.
Jesus. How the fuck does he do that?
Desire swamped my system, and pleasure raced over me as he sent me soaring for the second time. I threw back my head and let loose a cry as our eyes met in the mirror. The fierce look of concentration on Seth’s face as his gaze burned into me only increased the scorching tension running between us.
My body shuddered. Seth’s delicious mouth curved, and his expression then changed to one of ecstasy. The wild, untamed look in his eye was that of a warrior who was completely in tune with his body, as well as mine.
He groaned loudly, savoring the sensations as he finally gave himself permission to have an orgasm. Then, as if he were summoning a spirit from beyond, he let his head fall back and mumbled something in a native tongue that I didn’t understand. Didn’t matter. It was totally sexy, whatever he said.
Boneless, I collapsed against the counter but kept my legs in a locked position to stop myself from dropping to the floor. “What the hell did you just say?” I panted out.
He leaned forward and kissed my shoulder. “I said thank God.” Then he smirked. “By the way, you lost. Twice.”
If two orgasms on demand was the consolation prize for being a loser, then I’d forfeit to him every damn time. Because, at this point, I knew only two things for sure. Having sex with Seth had just returned me to the world of sexually active woman. But unfortunately, he had just ruined me for all other men.
Chapter Thirteen
By the time we emerged from the bathroom, I’m pretty sure all the adults at the party understood exactly what had transpired in that room. If they didn’t have a clue, it was because they were blind. Or as dumb as a box of rocks.
Seth couldn’t seem to stop smiling, and I couldn’t seem to stop sweating. I thought I could play it cool and pretend like nothing had happened between the two of us, but my mussed hair and smeared makeup didn’t help matters any. Nor did the fact that I was wearing a different blouse, since Seth had ripped all the buttons off my other one.
Oh, and my damn panties were still in his pocket, though no one could probably tell that I was missing my underwear unless they had X-ray vision. Then again, Emily did give me a few suspicious nods of approval, and Anna blushed beet red every time she even looked at me.
The only person who looked overly concerned about the whole situation was Jake. I don’t think any of my other boys liked that I just got banged in a bathroom by my live-in handyman, but the others didn’t seem to worry nearly as much about it. After all, I was an adult.
But it took me forever to convince Jake that I was really okay before he would actually leave. His gray eyes had spoken volumes when he turned them onto me and said, “Call me if you need anything.” Probably because he’d casted a warning shot onto Seth with them directly afterward.
Thankfully,
they all finally left.
Seth and I were quietly putting away the leftover party food, but the dreaded awkward silence bothered me. Not only was I worried about my son and what he was doing at the moment, but there was also this unspoken tension between Seth and I now. So I sighed and said, “I’m sorry.”
Confusion warped his face. “For what?”
“I’m sorry about…earlier, I guess.”
“Why? I’m not.”
“I don’t know. I guess since I instigated it, I thought maybe I should just say I was sorry for—”
“Stop apologizing for it. You and I both know we’ve been tiptoeing around that for weeks. It was bound to happen eventually.”
“Yeah, maybe. But we shouldn’t let it happen again. For all the reasons we previously stated. It’s just not smart for us to do.”
He paused. “Okay,” he said, grabbing a beer and heading onto the front porch.
He didn’t seem at all happy with my comment, but I couldn’t worry about that right now. I had something more important to do. I picked up the phone and dialed Jeremy’s number. Not surprising that he didn’t answer. So I called my mom at work to let her know what had happened at the party.
The part about Austin, anyway.
She’d been there for the first half of the party to see him open gifts and have some cake. But after that, she’d gone home to catch up on some paperwork sitting on her desk. When she answered, I filled her in on what Jeremy had done, and she had all the appropriate responses that any protective mom and grandma would have. She said she wanted to smack the tar out of Jeremy, threatened to slash his tires for me, and then asked me if I was okay. Not necessarily in that order.
I teared up a little while we talked, but got better once we changed subjects and she started to tell me about running into an old friend of hers from high school. I was leaning on the counter listening to her talk when Seth entered through the screen door behind me. Almost immediately, his gravelly voice ground out, “I’m sorry, but I can’t stop thinking about fucking you. Damn it, Bobbie, I want to do it again.”