by Susan Stoker
Moaning, Hope grabbed his short hair with her fingers and held on as Calder explored. She wasn’t sure when he let go of her thighs but she groaned when she felt one of his fingers ease inside her body.
“Fuck, you’re tight.”
“Told you it’s been a while,” Hope replied.
“Gonna have to go slow when I get in here,” Calder said, more to himself than her. Then he shut up as his lips surrounded her clit and sucked at the same time his tongue lashed at the small bundle of nerves.
Hope felt her body tightening. It had been a long time since anyone had cared enough to give her an orgasm this way. Her ex sure hadn’t. He was more about making her pleasure him. He didn’t care if she got off as long as he did.
Hope widened her legs as far as she could get them and pushed her hips toward Calder’s magical mouth. She felt him smile just as her orgasm washed over her.
Shaking, she felt his finger pushing in and out of her body as she clenched her eyes shut and let the pleasure overtake her. It seemed to go on forever, but eventually, it receded and she opened her eyes and looked down at Calder.
He was still on his stomach between her splayed legs, but when he saw her looking at him, he removed his finger from her body slowly and stuck it between his lips. Hope knew she was blushing but didn’t look away.
“Delicious,” he said again, reverently.
Then he slowly sat up and got to his knees, forcing her to keep her legs open. Hope stared down at his erection. “Does that hurt?” she asked, then winced at the inane question.
“Not like you think,” he responded easily. “Give me your hand.”
Without hesitating, trusting him more than she’d trusted anyone in a long time, Hope lifted her hand and placed it in his. He kissed the palm, then wrapped it around his cock. Oh so slowly, he closed his hand over hers and squeezed.
Another bead of come dripped out of the tip and Calder moved their hands, catching it before it dropped onto her pussy. Without prompting, Hope moved her hand up and down his shaft, learning its texture and shape. Paying attention to what obviously felt good for him as she stroked.
Way before she was ready, Calder removed her hand.
“I wasn’t done,” Hope complained.
“I was about to be done if you kept that up much longer,” he told her with a grin, then reached for the condom.
He deftly rolled it down his cock then asked, “You ready for me?”
“I’ve been ready for you my whole life,” Hope blurted. She was embarrassed at her sappiness, but when she saw the emotion glittering in his eyes, she felt better.
Holding himself at the base of his cock, Calder scooted forward, pressing Hope’s legs apart as he went. She lifted them and squeezed his torso as she felt the tip of him press against her sopping-wet folds.
She couldn’t help but tense. The last time she’d done this hadn’t been pleasant. Her ex had been rough with her. Upset that she wasn’t as wet as he thought she should be. Instead of taking the time to make sure she was ready for him, he’d pushed inside her without a second thought.
“Easy, sweetheart,” Calder murmured. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She knew that. Consciously relaxing her muscles, Hope put both arms over her head and arched her back, showing Calder without words that she trusted him.
“Damn, you slay me woman.” And with that, he ever so slowly inched himself inside her. When she tightened involuntarily, he immediately stopped and brought his fingers to her nipples. They’d softened after her orgasm, but the second he began to lightly pinch them, they hardened into little rocks once more. “That’s it,” Calder praised as she relaxed around him.
He alternated playing with her nipples and rocking in and out of her, the combination eventually driving Hope crazy.
She was surprised when she felt his balls against her ass and looked down. She could see the root of his dick, but the rest of him was buried inside her.
“Okay?” Calder asked gruffly.
Hope nodded and slowly reached down and grabbed his arms. “I feel so full.”
“That’s because you are,” he replied, then eased his hips back an inch before pressing in once again. He repeated his slow in-and-out movement until Hope was squirming under him.
“More,” she said.
Without a word, Calder did as she asked, pulling out until just the tip of his cock was lodged between her folds, then pushing back inside just as slowly. He did this several times and Hope could see her juices glistening on the condom as he made love to her. It was carnal and sexy. She’d never seen that before.
“Harder, hon,” she told him, pressing up with her hips when he moved inside her.
Cautiously, after he’d pulled back once more, Calder dropped his hips. Hope moaned and he froze. “Are you okay?” he asked anxiously.
“Yes!” she said in frustration. “I need more though. Harder. Faster. Fuck me, Calder. You feel good like this, but it’s not enough.”
“Fuckin’ perfect,” Calder whispered before thrusting inside her so hard, Hope could feel her boobs bounce up and down on her chest.
“Yes! Like that,” she encouraged.
It was as if her words had removed whatever self-imposed barrier Calder had set for himself. He began fucking her like she wanted—and needed. His balls slapped against her ass over and over again. The wet sounds of sex filled the room. They both grunted and moaned as Calder continued to pound into her body.
Hope felt herself getting closer and closer to orgasm, but knew she’d never get there without touching her clit. Not thinking about anything other than getting off, she moved a hand between their bodies and frantically began to strum herself. Calder’s stomach slapped into the back of her hand with every thrust, but she barely registered it.
Wanting him to enjoy this as much as she was, Hope adjusted her hand so her pinky lightly scraped against his dick as it exited her body, and again when he pushed back in. Her index and middle fingers were slippery against her bundle of nerves, and she was about to go over the edge when Calder pushed himself all the way inside her and held still.
“Fuck, yeah,” he said. “That is so fucking hot.”
Hope saw him looking down at their bodies and her eyes followed his gaze. She saw him buried to the root inside her, her hips jerking up and down against him as she fingered herself.
“I’m coming!” she breathed, seconds before her entire body tensed and she came.
“Oh my God, that feels so…you’re so hot and tight around me…yesssssss.”
Hope knew Calder was coming too because his own hips jerked a few times. She wished she could feel his come inside her body, but knew the condom was a good idea for a while.
Seconds after he stopped jerking, Calder’s eyes popped open. Turning but keeping them connected, he looked up at her.
Hope blinked in surprise when she found herself lying on top of Calder. Her knees were drawn up and she was crouched over him.
“I love you,” Calder said. “That was perfect.”
“It was,” Hope agreed. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “You don’t ever have to thank me for making love to you, sweetheart. It was my pleasure, believe me.”
“Mine too,” Hope joked. She lay her head down on his shoulder and slowly stretched her legs out. She felt his cock slip from her body and gave a little groan of complaint.
His chest vibrated under her with an accompanying moan.
“I need to take care of the condom.”
“Mmm hmmm,” Hope murmured, suddenly exhausted.
She felt Calder shifting her but didn’t open her eyes. His lips touched her temple. “I’ll be right back. You need a washcloth?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m good.”
“Yes, you are,” Calder agreed.
Hope smiled but didn’t open her eyes. She felt as if she weighed eight hundred pounds and had melted into the mattress. Calder returned in what seemed like seconds and she let him arrange h
er so she was on her side, using him as a pillow this time. His arm was tight around her back and he felt nice and warm against her belly.
“I’ll get you up in a bit and we can put on pajamas,” Calder told her. “Don’t want Billy coming to look for you and finding us naked.”
He was so thoughtful. Hope sighed in contentment. “Okay.”
“Hope?”
“Umm?”
“Are you awake?”
“Umm.”
He chuckled. “Okay, I’ll shut up. Sleep, babe.”
“Calder?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you for picking Billy up today. And for teaching him how to be safe.”
“I’d do anything for him. And you.”
“Love you,” Hope whispered.
“Love you too. Now, sleep.”
It usually took Hope half an hour or more to fall asleep. Nighttime was when she worried about everything. Billy. Money. Joseph. A job. But not tonight. Tonight, she was out within seconds.
Chapter Fourteen
A week later, Hope was standing in Calder’s kitchen getting Billy’s lunch ready. Calder was sitting at the bar eating a bagel and drinking a cup of coffee. Joseph was in the other room, entertaining Billy before it was time to go to school.
She froze when she heard what Joseph was saying.
“Grandparents’ Day is in two weeks, huh? Are you sad that you won’t have anyone to visit the school with you? Me? What about me?”
Hope put down the knife she was using to spread peanut butter on Billy’s sandwich and turned to stare at Calder. She wasn’t sure whether to be upset, happy, or to run into the other room and comfort her son. Before she could decide, Joseph spoke again.
“I’d be honored to come. I’m supposed to get these casts off today when I see the doctor. Maybe I can actually walk in there instead of being wheeled in.”
There was silence for a moment, then Joseph said, “You know, this would be much easier if you just asked me what you wanted instead of writing it down.”
Billy made a noise in his throat and before Hope knew it, Calder was standing at her back. He had his arms around her and had put his chin on her shoulder. Hope clasped his forearms where they rested around her upper chest and held on as they continued to listen to Joseph talk to Billy.
“You can call me whatever you want, son. I’m not that partial to ‘Grandpa’ though. Makes me sound like an old fart. What do you think of PopPop? That’s what I called my grandpa. Yeah? You like that? Good. Me too.”
Hope turned watery eyes up to look at Calder. “Did that just happen?” she whispered.
“Yup,” Calder said with a smile. “Looks like Joseph is now Billy’s unofficial grandfather. You okay with that?”
“Am I okay with that?” Hope echoed. She turned in his arms and wrapped them around his neck. “You have no idea how sad I’ve been that Billy wouldn’t ever know his grandparents. There’s no way I’d want him around them anyway, but it’s been just me and him for so long, I knew he’d benefit from having someone else to talk to. Having Joseph in our lives is a miracle.”
“You aren’t alone anymore.”
“I know. Although sometimes I still have to pinch myself to believe it.”
“Not only does Billy now have his PopPop…he’s got my folks too. We’ll have to think of different nicknames for them though, so we all don’t get confused. They’re going to spoil him rotten.”
Hope bit her lip and whispered, “Calder.”
He leaned down and kissed her, lingering.
His touch brought back the night before, when they’d spent an hour caressing, licking, kissing…no part of their bodies was off limits. It had been extremely intimate and carnal at the same time. By the time he’d entered her, Hope had been on a hair trigger. He’d fucked her hard and fast, and nothing had felt better.
“I love you,” she whispered when he pulled back.
“I love you back,” he told her. “What’s the plan today?”
“Joseph has his doctor’s appointment at noon. He’s supposed to get his casts off, as you heard, but at the very least they’ll change them out if he still needs them. I’ll take him with me to pick up Billy after school and, depending on how Billy’s test goes today, I thought I’d take him out to celebrate.”
“I wish I could come,” Calder said.
“I know, but there will be other tests to celebrate,” Hope told him.
“If I could reschedule the autopsy, I would.”
“I know,” Hope told him. “It’s fine.”
“You’ll be careful?” Calder asked. “I’m not happy we haven’t been able to figure out who the man was who came into the school, or who sent the notes.”
Beth was still trying to figure out who the mystery man was. Hope had insisted on watching the video, even though she hadn’t recognized the man from the still pictures Beth had sent over. It hadn’t helped. Even seeing the man in action hadn’t done anything to help her figure out who he was. She knew Calder was worried, not only about Billy, but her too.
“Of course. I’m not going to do anything to put any of us in danger,” Hope reassured him. “I’ve had enough of living on the edge to last me a lifetime.”
Calder kissed her again, then leaned over to grab the rest of his bagel. He put the plate in the sink even as he was shoving the bread into his mouth.
Hope rolled her eyes at him. Calder wasn’t exactly the most couth man at times, but he’d been a bachelor for years, and she’d rather him eat what he wanted, how he wanted, than be stiff and uncomfortable around her. It was amazing how at ease they were with each other. She’d thought after living with her for a while, he’d miss his solitude, but he’d told her in no uncertain terms that he loved having everyone in his house…that it made it more like a home. Less lonely.
“I gotta get going,” Calder said after he’d washed down his bagel with the last swig of coffee.
“I know.” Hope kissed him one more time then called for Billy.
The little boy came running into the kitchen, all smiles.
“You ready to go?” Hope asked.
He nodded quickly.
“All right. Go say bye to Joseph, then grab your bag. Don’t forget to make sure your homework is in there.”
Billy held up a piece of paper that had the word “PopPop” on it and pointed.
“Right. Sorry. Go say bye to PopPop.”
Billy beamed and spun on his heels. Hope smiled at her son’s retreating back. For so long, Billy hadn’t been allowed to be a normal little boy. He’d had to be quiet and fade into the woodwork, for their own safety. She loved seeing him blossom now. Loved seeing his natural energy not be suppressed.
“I’ll call before I head into autopsy,” Calder told her, before leaning down and kissing her once more.
“Okay. I’ll probably be at the hospital.”
“I’ll text if you don’t pick up.”
“Sounds good. Have a good day. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
Hope followed Billy and Calder to the garage door and waved after they were in the truck and backing out. She closed the garage behind them, then closed and locked the kitchen door. She wasn’t taking any chances with her and Joseph’s safety. Anytime they were in the house, the doors were secured. When they went out, the car doors were locked and she made sure to always park near other cars, just in case.
She didn’t like not knowing who seemed to be upset with them. Thinking it was Earle had actually been easier because at least she knew him. Knew what he was capable of. A nameless enemy was much scarier.
Hope headed for the living room and Joseph. They had a few hours before they had to leave for the hospital. She was looking forward to sitting and chatting with the man her son now called PopPop.
Hours later, Hope sat in the waiting room at the hospital. She was frustrated that Joseph’s appointment was taking so long. Calder had called earlier, as he’d said he would. They’d had a short conversation
about their day and what to have for dinner before he’d had to hang up and get back to work.
She’d hoped they’d be done at the hospital in time for her to go pick up Billy, but it wasn’t looking like that was going to happen. Sighing in frustration, Hope called Milena. She didn’t pick up. So she then called Mickie, who also didn’t answer.
Starting to worry she wouldn’t be able to find someone to help her, Hope called Mackenzie.
“Hello?”
“Oh, thank God you’re there.”
“Hope? What’s wrong?” Mackenzie asked.
“Well, nothing really, but I need help.”
“Of course. What can I do?”
“I’m at the hospital with Joseph. He’s supposed to be getting his casts removed today, but there was an emergency and we had to wait an extra hour before he could be seen. He’s back with the doctor now, but it’s been a while and I haven’t heard any news. If I left right now, I could get to the school in time to get Billy, but I can’t leave Joseph here. Would you mind going to the school in about half an hour and picking him up for me?”
“Of course not. I have a short meeting to go to first though. Is that all right? I’ll probably be about fifteen minutes late.”
Hope sighed. It wasn’t ideal, but since Mackenzie was doing her a favor, it would have to work. “Yeah. I’ll call the school and let them know that you’ll be picking him up and when you’re getting there. Are you sure it’s okay? I hate to impose.”
“Hope, of course, it’s okay. We’re friends, it’s what friends do.”
“Thanks.”
“You want me to bring him to the hospital?”
“No. I’m hoping we’ll be done soon. We’ll just meet you back at the house. Billy has a key in his backpack so you can get inside.”
“Sounds good. I’m glad Joseph is doing so well. I remember when I was growing up, there was an old guy who fell on the stairs in front of his house. He was bedridden for months because he broke his hip. My mom brought him food all the time, but eventually, he died. I don’t know of what, because I was little and no one would tell me, but I remember feeling sad because he was really nice.”