by Ali Parker
As we drank, my mind was spinning. And it wasn’t just the alcohol, either. I didn’t need to be in New York to run my company, but I didn’t need to do it from here, either. I could sell it to someone who could give the investors what they needed. I could use the money to pay off Victor Brantley so that mark on Mila and all my other loved ones was erased. And I could do what I had always wanted to do.
Didn’t Ted say he still had a job for me at the fire station if I really wanted it? Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
It was okay to live my own dream. Even if that dream looked different than what my father would have wanted for me. All I had to do was make it happen.
And I had a whole fucking company that I could sell to get the money to make a life for my family while I pursued my dreams. I wanted to be with Mila and my baby. I wanted to give them the life they deserved. I wanted to be a firefighter and risk my life saving other people.
And that was exactly what I was going to do.
Chapter 68
Mila
Late on Friday night, my phone rang. I was already sleeping, and it took me a while to find my phone on my nightstand.
“Are you awake?” Ben asked.
I smiled. “I am, now.”
“Can I come over? I have great news.”
I looked at the alarm clock next to my lamp. The red numbers said it was well after midnight.
“Of course,” I said.
Half an hour later, a cab pulled up and dropped Ben off in front of my apartment building. I had been looking out for him. I buzzed him up before he rang my apartment, and I smiled when he stumbled up the step to the front door. He had been drinking.
When I opened the front door to him, he stepped forward and folded me against his body.
“I missed you,” he said.
I laughed. “It’s been two days.”
“Two days too many,” Ben said. He smelled like beer and cigarette smoke.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“I was at the bar, having drinks with Jerrod.”
I raised my eyebrows. It was good news. Unexpected, and good. I led Ben into my apartment and closed the door.
“Get back in bed,” Ben said. “We’ll talk in the room.”
I smiled and padded back to the bedroom with Ben on my heels and climbed in under the covers. Ben kicked off his shoes, took off his jeans and his jacket and climbed into bed with me wearing only boxers and a t-shirt. He pulled me against him so that I lay on his chest, and he started telling me how he had invited Jerrod out to talk and how my brother had actually shown up.
“He’s okay with us being together, now,” Ben said. “We talked about everything, and both apologized. And I think he’s kind of excited about being an uncle.”
I smiled. I was so happy things were fixed between Ben and my brother. I wanted to be with Ben. We would have made it work even though my brother had hated the idea. But I would rather have him approve. His friendship with Ben was as important to me as it was to Ben. It had been like this my whole life.
“And I’ve got everything figured out when it comes to Brantley,” Ben said.
I stilled when I heard the name. “How?”
“Don’t you worry about that. I’ll keep you and Junior safe from harm, and that’s all that matters. Do you trust me?”
I kissed Ben. “With my life,” I said.
He smiled and kissed me again and another time before our pecks became deeper. His tongue slid into my mouth, and he kissed me like he meant it. He tasted vaguely of beer but mostly of affection and passion. I loved it. I loved him.
The kissing quickly turned into more. Ben’s hands started roaming my body, squeezing my breasts, tugging at my nipples through the tank top I had been sleeping in before he pulled it off. I was warm and cuddly from sleeping, and his hands on my skin felt amazing.
I worked his shirt over his head as well so that we were topless together. When I rolled against him to carry on making out, my bare skin pressed against his. We were as close as we could get with nothing – not material or the problems with Jerrod or Skylar or even Brantley – between us.
Ben pushed his hand into my pants, and I opened my legs for him. His fingers found my slit, and he smeared my wetness around a little before he ran his fingers in circles around my clit. I moaned and gasped into his mouth. He worked magic with his hands, and I shivered and trembled as he brought me closer to my first orgasm in very little time.
Before I orgasmed, Ben retrieved his fingers and with two hands he worked my pants down my legs.
“Have I told you how beautiful you are?” Ben asked.
I blushed, and I was sure he could see it in the semi-darkness. He chuckled and kissed me. I tugged at his jocks, working them down his legs as far as I could reach while kissing him, and Ben squirmed on the bed, clumsily getting them off the rest of the way.
We were both naked, and everything between us was perfect. Our bodies were pressed up against each other and Ben’s cock was hard and hot against my hip bone. I was wet and feeling his dick against me made my stomach contract with need for him.
Ben didn’t give me what I wanted, yet. He ran his hands over my body, exploring every inch. He took his time not to miss a single spot, and he made me feel loved, worshipping my body with love rather than lust.
When he finished running his hands all over me, Ben shifted down to my feet. He lifted my foot and kissed my toes. I giggled when it tickled, but Ben continued, moving further and further up my leg. He kissed the smooth skin, moving over my knee and toward my inner thigh. I sucked my breath in sharply when he nipped the delicate skin with his teeth, gentle enough not to hurt me but a thrill shot through my body.
When he reached my pussy, Ben only breathed on my pussy lips before he moved down to the other foot and started all over again with my toes.
I groaned in frustration, dying of need for him to be inside of me, to touch me, to push me to that first orgasm that he had promised by almost taking me there.
Slowly, achingly, Ben made his way up my other leg, over the knee and onto the tender skin of my inner thigh.
Again, he didn’t touch my pussy even though he came so close. Instead, he moved up my hip bones and kissed my stomach, my ribs, moving past my breasts to my shoulders and working his way down one arm. When he reached my fingers, he sucked them into his mouth and played with his tongue around them. It was a strange feeling, ticklish and such a turn on.
Ben let go of my hand and moved across my chest, avoiding my breasts, moving over my shoulder and down my other arm. When he reached my fingers, I was just about losing my mind with lust. I wanted him inside me so badly, and he’d been teasing me by not touching any of the areas I so desperately wanted him to touch.
When Ben pressed his fingers against my pussy, I jumped. I had wanted it so badly, now that I had it, it was like a jolt of electricity shooting into my body. Ben pressed his thumb against my clit and pushed two fingers into me. He moved his thumb while curling his fingers over my G-spot, and it didn’t take long at all before I fell apart on the bed, the orgasm that had been pending shattering me.
“Oh, my God,” I gasped when I could breathe again after the pleasure subsided. Ben covered my mouth with his and stopped me from saying anything else. He put his hand on my thigh and pulled my one leg up. He pushed his dick against my entrance. I held my breath in anticipation, breathing out as he slid into me. I moaned when he was deep inside of me, his cock twitching as if it was eager to get going.
I was eager for Ben to get going.
Ben slowly slid out of me again until he was barely inside of me. He pumped lightly, keeping only the tip inside of me, and I cried out in frustration as he continued to tease me. Finally, he pushed into me all the way again, and I moaned until he was buried to the hilt.
When Ben pulled out again, he teased me in the same way.
“That’s it,” I said.
Ben laughed. “That’s what?”
“I’m taking over. Y
ou’re driving me crazy.”
I pushed Ben onto his back. He let me, of course. I would never be able to wrestle someone like him down. When he was on his back, I straddled his hips and lowered myself onto his cock. I moaned when he pushed into me. I sat on top of him, rocking lightly, taking a moment to adjust.
“You’re so hot when you’re on top of me,” Ben said with a smile.
I put my hands on his chest and started rocking my hips back and forth. Ben gripped my hips, moving with me and his eyes rolled back in his head as I picked up my pace, riding him faster and faster. I tipped my head back and closed my eyes, too. I sat up, not resting on his chest anymore and I rocked harder and harder. Ben’s dick was deep inside of me before I realized that he hadn’t bothered with a condom.
Perfect. He felt amazing without a condom. I couldn’t believe what I had been missing. This was another first for me.
I loved that all my firsts were with Ben. I wanted it no other way.
My clit had been rubbing against Ben’s pubic bone, and the longer I rode him, the more my body became numb, pleasure and a pending orgasm taking over. I rode him, pushing through my body trembling until the pleasure bloomed from my core and took over. I cried out, my muscles spasming and I tightened around Ben’s dick. He grunted as I collapsed on his chest, the pleasure rendering me useless. Ben held me as I orgasmed, riding out the waves of pleasure with me.
When the orgasm faded away, Ben rolled me over. I didn’t know how he’d done it without pulling out but suddenly I was on the bottom, and his dick was still inside of me.
“My turn,” Ben said softly, and he started moving his dick in and out of me. But it wasn’t fucking. This was making love. The way Ben moved on top of me, slowly, sensually, was like he was trying to tell me how he felt about me with his body. His eyes were on mine. Despite the darkness in the room, I could see how deep they were, and I was falling into them. I could fall forever into those eyes that were as deep as the ocean, a dark blue that always sucked me in.
Ben pushed harder and harder, the pace picking up and we breathed harder, sweating, walking down the same road of pleasure together.
When he orgasmed, I orgasmed, too. He pumped into me, and I felt him filling me up. Unlike with a condom, I could feel every small movement his dick made, and it was erotic. It dragged my orgasm out longer and longer until I kept falling and I couldn’t stop myself.
When the pleasure finally subsided, Ben pulled out of me. I gasped, tighter than I usually was when he was done with me. Ben lay down beside me, and I rolled onto his chest the way I always did after we had sex. Ben put his arm around me, and we lay together. His heart beat against my cheek. I listened to his breathing slow down as he calmed after the sex we’d had.
“You’re amazing,” Ben said.
I smiled. “Because I’m good in bed?”
“Because you’re you.”
He kissed me, and we lay together in silence for a while.
“Do you want to talk about baby names?” Ben asked.
I was surprised. “I didn’t know you would like that.”
“Of course. We don’t know what it will be, but we can choose names. I was thinking Jordan or Morgan or Riley. Those are all unisex names.”
“And I don’t like any of them.” I giggled. “I like Charlie or Blake or Landon if it’s a boy. And Lauren or Nicole or Samantha when it’s a girl.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Ben said.
I nodded. “It’s our future.”
Ben kissed me again.
“That’s exactly what it is.”
Epilogue
Ben
Seven Months Later
When I unlocked the door to the house I had bought six months ago, I was stepping over the threshold as a father. It was the first time, and I was very aware of it. A lump rose in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
“Ready?” I asked Mila. She nodded and climbed out of the car. She moved comfortably. It was amazing how women bounced back from giving birth in no more than a day or two. It would have been different if she had had a C-section or something, but Mila had given birth naturally.
She opened the car door and lifted the carrier out of its brace.
“I’m coming,” I said, running to her. I took the carrier from her so she didn’t have to strain herself and put my arm around her as I carried little Landon in the other hand.
Mila had given birth to a beautiful baby boy twenty-four hours ago. It had been a beautiful surprise. I would have been just as proud if it was a girl, but I was so happy it was a boy. Landon Atwood had a great ring to it.
We walked together to the nursery. Mila took Landon out of his carrier. He squealed and started crying when she disturbed him.
“Oh, hush baby boy, we’re home.” She laid him down in the crib, and Landon calmed down immediately.
“I can’t believe we’re here,” Mila said, looking down at our son. Landon wiggled a little before his dark blue eyes closed again and he fell back to sleep.
Time would tell if his eyes were going to change color or if Landon would have the same eyes as mine. I didn’t mind either. He already had my dark hair.
“He’s beautiful, my angel,” I said and kissed Mila on the cheek. “You did a great job.”
Mila laughed softly. “I didn’t make him alone.”
“No, but you birthed him alone. I had no hand in that. And thank God. That looked painful.”
Mila made a face like she was irritated, but she was smiling, and I laughed. Softly, so we didn’t wake Landon.
When Mila was sure Landon was sleeping soundly, she unpacked the baby bag she had brought with her from the hospital. She put the clothes we had taken along into the closet.
The nursery had been my baby shower gift to Mila when she had had her shower with Skylar, both our mothers and some of the ladies she had met at the prenatal classes. After she had received so many gifts, she had complained about not knowing where to put it all. I had led her to the room that had been off-limits to her for weeks. When I had opened the door, tears had filled her eyes.
The room had been decorated in yellow and gray, gender neutral because we had no idea what to expect. I had bought her top of the range baby furniture – a pine crib that I had especially made, the most expensive nursing chair that rocked back and forth, a change table with nappy holder and bin and a bath and everything she could need by way of soaps and creams and powders. I had had pictures framed, all in black and white to fit the theme, and I had put soft toys everywhere.
Now, with Landon in his crib and Mila moving around, unpacking the bag and making sure everything was ready for when Landon woke up, the nursery was finally complete.
When Mila turned around, she blushed.
“What?” she asked shyly.
“Nothing. I’m just looking at you. You’re beautiful.”
Mila shook her head. “I still smell like the hospital.”
It didn’t matter what Mila thought, she was gorgeous to me. Not only did she look fantastic for someone who had just given birth and spent the night in the hospital, but she was glowing. Her hair was much longer than when we’d started dating, and she had picked up a bit of weight during the pregnancy. She hated it, but she was curvy, a little plump in all the right places, and I loved it.
I loved her no matter what she looked like, I decided.
She had been through something amazing to bring Landon into the world. I had been with her in the delivery room, and I had been terrified at how she had screamed. But Dr. Holt hadn’t been worried at all, and the labor had been short before Landon had decided to make an appearance.
“Come,” I said to Mila, taking her hand. “You should lie down.”
“But if he needs me?” she asked.
I walked to the crib and switched on the video monitor. It had a camera and a microphone on baby Landon that showed him to us, and we could hear him cry in our room. I had made sure I had gotten the best on the market.
Mila reluctantly agreed, and I took her with me to the bedroom. I wanted her to rest while she could. She was tired after a night in the hospital and after giving birth, and I knew that the next while was going to be hard for both of us.
When we lay on the bed, Mila and I watched Landon sleeping on the monitor for a while.
“He’s perfect,” Mila said.
“He is,” I agreed. I had never seen anything more perfect in my life.
“When do you need to be back at the station?” Mila asked.
“The boys gave me the week off to be with you,” I said and smiled.
I was back at the Fire Station. Ted had made good on his promise, and he had given me my job back the moment I had asked. Everyone had welcomed me back with open arms, except Tyler. He had been wary, but after a while, we had picked up where we had left off. I had realized that Tyler had been angry with me leaving because he grew attached to people. But he could become another great friend. I wasn’t going anywhere.
I had sold the company as Jerrod had suggested. I had thought about it long and hard and decided it was what I wanted. I hadn’t wanted to be the CEO of the company in the first place. Not when my father had left it to me and not when Uncle Dean had, either. I had put in the work and found someone worthy of the company. I heard it was thriving, now.
The money received for the company sale had been enough to pay Brantley, and I still had enough left to give Penny an amount. I felt Uncle Dean’s widow had deserved a bit of an allowance after everything she had been through because of my father.
After Brantley and Penny, I had bought a large house in Portland for me, Mila and Landon, and I had put the rest away as an investment for the future. We had so much money we would never struggle, even if we both stopped working.
Mila and I were both working because we loved what we did. Mila didn’t want to stop nursing after she had Landon, and I understood. She asked for fewer shifts so that she could be home.
I didn’t want to stop being a firefighter, either. Someone had to help, and I was doing that with the boys at the station.