He looked at the immaculate, beautifully manicured lawn and shrubbery. He didn’t know the name of one plant or flower they’d planted, nor did he care. But as he admired the adobe-colored house with a dark roof, the just-cut green lawn, and the pretty flowers scattered throughout, Grey acknowledged for the first time that the small home they’d chosen suited them.
Grey exited and helped Avery out of the vehicle, aware of Rick in the car, parked and idling, behind them. Avery seemed not to be bothered by her shadow, and she quickly slipped her hand into Grey’s, as if she sensed how much he needed her warmth and support as they readied to see his mom and stepdad.
“It’s a great community,” she said. “We passed a clubhouse, and there are so many people outside walking their dogs. They must love it here.”
Grey nodded. “I was just thinking how perfect it is,” he said. “The right size and so immaculate outside. I bet they did it all themselves.” To his surprise, he heard the pride and admiration in his voice.
Avery gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. She turned toward him, a smile on her face, so open and sweet he had to have a taste. “The house itself is so beautiful.”
He braced his hands on either side of her face. “So are you,” he said, his tone as gruff as the sudden surge of need. He always wanted her, but every damn time he looked into those eyes, it caught him off guard.
“Don’t get started here. I have to go in and face your parents.” But a pink flush of arousal stained her cheeks.
“And you don’t want to be all wet and aroused when you do, huh?” he asked. Just the thought of her moist panties had him shifting uncomfortably where he stood.
“Grey!” she said, horrified, but the heady glaze in her eyes told another story. She was just as affected as him.
It had been a long day, from worrying about the press to concern about her refusal to be serious about them to having to face his family after so long. He couldn’t think of a better way to de-stress than to lose himself in Avery. He pressed his lips hard against hers, pouring everything he had and felt into the kiss. She welcomed him, opening herself easily, his tongue claiming hers over and over.
“We have to go in,” she finally murmured between breaths, but her hands weren’t pushing him away, they were curling into his shirt, her nails biting into his skin.
With difficulty, he pulled away and drew in deep, calming breaths. A glance told him Rick sat discreetly in the driver’s seat, ignoring his clients making out like teenagers behind the car.
“Grey!” His mother’s voice brought reality crashing back around him.
He held up one finger toward her. “Just a sec,” he called back.
He glanced at Avery, her eyes bright, cheeks flushed, and mouth puffy from his kiss. He swiped his finger over her damp lips. “You ready?”
“I think you should be asking yourself that question,” she muttered, glancing down at his cock, straining hard against his cargo shorts.
“Yeah. Talk to me about something. Anything.”
She rolled her eyes. “You started it. Now pull yourself together.” With a wink and a laugh, she drew her shoulders back and headed to greet his mother.
* * *
Grey’s mother met him on the front porch and hugged him tight, the familiar smell of her perfume wrapping around him. His mother had always been petite, five foot two, and when she hugged him, he towered over her. But that didn’t make the strength of her hugs any less potent, and a lump formed in his throat.
“My baby boy.”
Though he was slightly embarrassed at her word choice, he was also close to a complete breakdown at how easily she welcomed him home, no questions asked.
“Hi, Mom,” he said, finally extricating himself from her embrace and taking her in.
She’d aged well, her skin still nearly flawless and the lines in her face minimal. Her hair was still dark, no grey, and she was clearly relaxed and happy. Life obviously agreed with her.
She grasped his hands in her weathered, work-worn ones. “Let me look at you.”
Grey shot Avery an amused glance, and she grinned back at him.
“Hush,” his mother said. “I’ll get to her next. Humor me.” She looked him over thoroughly and said, “You need to eat.”
Avery burst out laughing, redrawing his mother’s attention to her.
“It’s so good to see you again!” His mom kissed Avery’s cheek. “Thank you for bringing my boy home.”
Avery’s eyes grew wide, and distress flashed over her face. “No, I didn’t. This was all him.”
Grey’s mother pinned Avery with a knowing stare, one Grey had been treated to many times growing up. “A mother knows. He came home for you.”
“Mrs. Mendez,” Avery began.
“Susie. You always called me by my first name, remember?”
“Susie.” Avery’s smile grew more genuine. “Don’t believe everything you read in the papers. I didn’t have anything to do with breaking up the band,” she rushed to assure his mother.
As if his mom cared one bit whether or not Tangled Royal existed as long as Grey was happy.
“Those rags,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“This one was reputable, but they still got it wrong,” Avery said.
“Doesn’t matter. I always knew you two were meant to be.”
“Mom, let’s go inside,” Grey said before she could spook Avery any more.
As Grey walked into the house, he was struck by the memories that assaulted him. The scent was familiar as his mom’s perfume lingered. And the pictures on the walls, the pieces on the shelves, the furniture in the living room were all equally familiar. They’d allowed him to buy the house, but they’d kept the old furniture. Some of the pieces were refurbished, but Ricardo always had a talented hand, and Grey felt certain he’d done the work himself.
Instead of frustration, a sense of pride welled up in him for both his mom and stepdad. “Is Ricardo home?”
“He’s out back. Why don’t you go help him with the grill, and Avery and I will go into the kitchen.” Grey glanced at Avery, but she was already following his mother into the kitchen, the only room she’d let him do a complete overhaul in because Susie loved to cook.
Grey found his stepfather outside on the patio.
“Grey!” Ricardo, a tall, slender man with salt-and-pepper hair, stepped over and pulled him into a one-armed hug, patting him on the back. “It’s good to see you.”
“Same,” Grey said.
“Your mother is over the moon. She’s so happy you’re here.”
Grey did his best not to squirm. Though he knew his stepdad wasn’t trying to make him feel bad or uncomfortable, he did. There were still things that needed to be said between them.
“So tell me how things are going for you,” Ricardo said. “Is the band really splitting up?”
Grey nodded. “We reached the end. It’s hard to explain, but we’re all ready to do our own thing.”
Ricardo reached into a cooler and pulled out two beers, handing one to Grey. They popped the tops, and he took a long, cool drink.
“I can understand that. You should be proud though. You went out and accomplished your dream. Not many people can say they did that.”
Warmth filled Grey’s chest as Ricardo gave him the words his own father had always denied him. “Thank you,” he said, infusing his tone with emotion and meaning. “So how are you? How’s Mom?”
“Living the good life, thanks to you.” He gestured to the backyard with the nice-size patio, a pool on the side with a spa. Where they sat, there was a barbeque built into a stone wall. “Put this in myself,” he said with pride.
Grey grinned. “The house looks fantastic.”
“I’m glad you pushed us to move. Your mother is so much happier here. Good neighborhood, nice friends. Thank you,” he said, not for the first time.
Grey shook his head. “Don’t. Don’t thank me. I’m glad you’re happy. It’s all I wanted, but back then
Ricardo put a weathered hand on Grey’s shoulder. “No need, son.”
“There’s every need.” Grey’s voice caught, the word son still echoing in his head. “Back then I wanted you to be different. I didn’t want you to be a janitor. I wanted you to have aspirations and dreams.”
“Nothing wrong with wanting more,” the older man said. “I was happy with a decent job that fed my family, but I respect what you accomplished.”
He didn’t get it. “I was embarrassed,” Grey said, needing to say the words, to purge them and the awful feelings from his brain. “I acted and treated you like my father treated me, and that’s unforgiveable.”
Ricardo led him to a set of chairs, and they settled in. “When I met your mother, you were an angry, hurting boy. You had good reason. I don’t imagine it was easy for you to go to school while your stepfather cleaned up everyone’s messes. Your reaction was normal for a teenager. Even more normal for one whose father messed up his head.”
“Even later, when I insisted you move, I wanted you to live where I thought you should. I didn’t understand or respect who you were or what you wanted.”
“You wanted to make our lives better. How can I fault you for that?”
“How can you not? Worse, I haven’t been home in too long.”
Ricardo leaned back in his chair, his long, tanned legs stretched in front of him. “You’re here now, yes? And you see what’s really important in life?”
Grey inclined his head. “I hope so.”
“Then your mother and I did our jobs. Whatever we instilled in you back then, what you rejected because you didn’t understand, you now accept. With age comes wisdom. Only by living life can you figure out what’s truly important.”
“Do you see why I fell in love with this man?”
His mother’s voice took Grey by surprise. He’d been so focused on listening to Ricardo’s wise words he hadn’t heard the women join them. He glanced at Avery and his mom, wondering how much they’d heard. From the dampness in his mother’s eyes, too much. And maybe enough.
“You chose well, Mom,” Grey said to her for the first time.
“I know.” She smiled and kissed her husband’s cheek. “There’s something to be said about marrying for love,” Susie said. “And learning from past mistakes. Can we move on and just enjoy our day together?” she asked.
Grey nodded, knowing he’d learned so much from these two people in front of him and hoping he could use it to make his life as happy as theirs obviously was.
He rose and walked over to Avery, slipping his hand into her smaller, softer one. “Everything good?”
She nodded. “Your mom’s amazing. And that kitchen? Grey! It’s so great. State-of-the-art.”
“It’s the one thing she let me gut and do from scratch in the house. She loves to cook.”
“Well, you should see what she has ready to put on the grill. You’d think she had a week’s notice that we were coming. And the desserts? To die for.”
He grinned. “That’s my mom.”
The rest of the evening passed quickly. They reminisced about Avery and Grey in high school, bringing him back to the reason he’d returned home. The woman who was currently helping his mother bring dishes into the kitchen from the patio, where they’d eaten dinner. In the short time he’d been back, he’d realized Avery still understood him in ways no one else did. She saw the fragile boy beneath the rock star persona and supported him. That was what Avery meant to him, did for him.
The chemistry was a bonus and had only grown stronger over the years. Watching her in that sexy dress, her hips swaying as she walked, her cleavage covered due to the higher halter but hints of her full breasts teasing him beneath the material, Grey decided family time was over.
“We need to get going,” Grey said, rising to his feet.
“Grey! I haven’t finished helping your mom yet.” Avery shot him a chiding gaze that only served to make him hotter.
“You two go. We’re finished here,” his mother said.
Glancing at the mostly cleaned table, Avery nodded. “If you’re sure.”
“You two have better things to do than hang out with the old folks. I’m just so happy you came by.”
“And I’ll come again, Mom. I promise.” He rose and hugged his mother tight. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too.”
Grey said good-bye to his stepfather, and Avery made her rounds too. Finally, they were in the car, driving home.
“Things went well, yes?” Avery asked.
“Very.” Although he and his mother hadn’t had an in-depth conversation, she’d heard what he’d said to Ricardo, and in his heart, Grey knew she understood how he felt.
“Someone was in a hurry to leave though.” Avery turned her head, and he caught her gaze for a moment before returning his focus to the road.
“And you wonder why?” He placed a hand on her knee and inched his fingers up her silken skin, reaching slowly higher until he encountered lace.
He wondered what color it was, and he accelerated, wanting to find out faster.
“Grey,” she said, her attempt at reprimanding him turning into a moan as his fingers slid over her sex, and he discovered her panties were already damp.
“Problem, sugar?” he asked, stroking the lace covering her slick, hot flesh, and his cock jumped inside his shorts.
“You need to drive,” she said, her voice hoarse with desire.
He swallowed a moan of his own. “Good thing for you I can do two things at once. And do them both well.”
His gaze remained on the road, but the rest of his senses were attuned to her. He pressed his thumb over her clit, and her thighs parted, giving him better access.
“Do you want to know why I left so quickly?” He didn’t give her a chance to respond. “I’ll tell you. Because I watched you all night, so sweet and pretty as you helped my mom, and all I could think about was messing your hair with my hands, hiking up that dress, and taking you hard and fast. You want that too, don’t you?”
She arched her hips, her pussy thrusting against his fingers, so needy.
He wanted her at his place, and that’s where he was headed, but first he had to hear her come. He gripped the wheel with one hand, his teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached.
With his free hand, he slid his fingers beneath her panties and encountered bare flesh. “Fuck, you’re wet for me.” He stroked her sex, lubricating his fingers, gliding back and forth over her clit.
He caught sight of his exit and managed to take the correct one, her heavy breathing beating a rapid cadence in his ear. He toyed with the tiny bud, alternating between tweaking between his thumb and forefinger and soothing with slick strokes.
“Grey, God, harder, so close. So close.” Her hips bucked rapidly against him, and she grabbed his wrist, shoving his hand hard against her sex.
She was frantic and he couldn’t focus. Couldn’t get her off without killing them both. He didn’t know what the fuck he’d been thinking. He’d just needed to feel her so damned bad.
“Hang on.” He swore and removed his hand.
She whimpered and began to stroke herself with no help from him. Fuck that. “Do not come without me,” he ordered.
“Seriously?” Her gaze met his, a heady mixture of disbelief and desire filling the depths.
“Yes,” he bit out, pulling over to the side of the road not far from his apartment.
She was still stroking herself when he shoved the gearshift into park, removed his seat belt, and maneuvered his body closer so he had more room, more leverage.
“Hands on either side of your lap,” he said in his deepest, most commanding tone.
She balled her hands into fists at her sides, and he relaxed a bit.
He leaned across the console and kissed her hard, at the same time sliding her panties down to her knees. He pushed two fingers inside her tight channel, gliding in and out, pressing hard on her clit with his thumb.
Her body, already on the edge, convulsed immediately, gripping his fingers as she came. “Grey,” she cried out and rode out her climax, a sight so fucking beautiful it was seared in his memory forever.
When she fell back against the seat, limp and sated, he pulled her dress down, covering her sex. With her sweet pussy out of view, he hoped he’d make it home without dying first. He’d broken into a sweat himself and pushed his hand hard against his cock to calm himself down before he could even think of driving again.
Without warning, a knock sounded, and both he and Avery jumped in surprise. He turned to see Rick gesturing for him to roll down the window. He’d forgotten about their shadow, and clearly Avery had as well.
Grey shot her a wry glance, made sure she really was covered up, and hit the window button. “Hey, man.”
Rick rested an arm on the top of the car and leaned down to look inside. “Just making sure everything’s okay here.”
“We’re good. We just had something to discuss.”
Rick treated him to a knowing smirk. “Well, you might want to keep moving before someone notices you.”
“Right,” Grey muttered. “You’re off duty till morning,” he informed the man.
Rick tapped the top of the car and headed back to his vehicle.
“Oh my God,” Avery said on a horrified moan. “If he’d come over a few seconds sooner …”
At the thought of another man seeing Avery undressed, Grey’s protective instincts rose to the surface. “And that’s another good reason to head home.” Along with his aching cock and the driving need to bury himself deep inside Avery as soon as humanly possible.
Chapter Eight
Avery wasn’t a multi-orgasm girl, so she was surprised she was aroused again by the time they reached Grey’s apartment. Of course, she’d immediately noticed how hard he was from giving her pleasure, and she wanted to reciprocate. She wanted to hold his hard, stiff length in her hands and taste his cock with her mouth. She’d never had these thoughts about any man before, and for sure they’d never aroused her to the point of needing to come again so soon.
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