“Mommy, can I wear my sparkly tiara and carry my wand?”
Oof, this was getting worse. “Honey, I think maybe flowers in your hair might be better. What do you think?”
“But I’m a princess and princesses wear sparkly tiaras. And you can wear one too.”
“Okay, I have an idea. Why don’t we eat and we’ll talk about this later?” Her steak and potato were cut into small pieces, so all she had to do was stab the beef and chew the damn stuff.
“All right.”
I watched her take a bite as I did the same. Mom hid her chuckle behind a napkin. This farce of a wedding would be epically gaudy if Easton had her way. I pictured myself in a white Southern belle-type gown, encrusted with pearls and sequins, while a rhinestone tiara perched high on my head.
“Mommy, are you going to wear your hair curly?”
“I don’t know yet, sweetie. I’ll figure that out later.”
“Mr. Trishan Dad, what are you gonna wear? Will you dress like a prince?”
Mr. Trishan Dad? Where the hell had she come up with that?
“I don’t know,” Tristian said. “What does a prince wear?”
“A crown with lots of things on his coat.”
“I see. That might be a problem because I don’t have a crown.”
“Boppy can buy you one, can’t you, Boppy?”
“Not sure about that, Easton,” Dad said. “But eat your dinner, please.”
She stabbed another piece of meat with her pink fork. Thankfully, she was quiet for the remainder of dinner until Mom announced dessert.
“Who wants apple pie?” Mom asked.
“Mimi, does it got that crunchy stuff on top?”
“It does.”
Easton rubbed her tummy as she said, “Mmm. Do you got any ice cream for the top?”
“I do.”
“I want some!” she yelled.
“Easton, where are your manners? Is that how you ask for dessert?” I asked.
“No, ma’am. Mimi, can I have some with ice cream, please?”
“Yes, you may.”
Mom and I cleared the table and Rey stacked the dishes in the sink. Then we delivered the dessert to everyone. Tristian pretty much inhaled his. I almost asked him if he wanted to lick his plate.
“That pie was amazing, the best I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Mom said. “Would you like some more?”
“Gosh, no. I couldn’t eat another bite.”
A snarky comment almost pushed past my lips, but I refrained. Instead, I said, “If you all don’t mind, we’re going to leave.”
Tristian asked, “We are?”
“Yes. We have a lot to discuss.”
“Okay.”
We rose from our chairs and the peanut tried to get out of her booster seat. “Hey, you’re staying here tonight, remember?”
“Do I gotta?” Easton asked.
“Yep.”
“Don’t you want to?” Dad asked.
“I wanna go where Mr. Trishan Dad is.”
“Easton, tonight your mommy and Tristian need some grownup time. There’ll be plenty more time for you to spend with them.”
Her head hung as she said, “Oh-kayyy.” I knew that tone, but wasn’t falling for it.
“Give me a smoochie,” I said.
She tipped her face up so I could kiss her. “Can I get a smoochie from Mr. Trishan Dad too?”
He did his due diligence and put a smile on her face.
“Are you and Mommy gonna kissy-face tonight?”
“Kiddo, you might want to ask her that.”
Just when I was prepared to gloat over that question, the fucker threw me under the bus.
“Not tonight,” I said. “Behave for Boppy and Mimi, okay?”
“Okie-dokie.”
We finally broke free and walked back to my house. I rubbed my arms as we walked, thinking of what I was going to say.
“Are you cold? It’s a nice night for this time of year.”
“It is and I’m fine.” How was I going to handle this marriage thing? My belly was on fire. I shouldn’t have eaten so much for dinner.
I unlocked the front door and at that moment wished I lived miles away from my parents. My toe caught the threshold and I stumbled. Tristian grabbed my arm to steady me. When I gained my footing, I went to thank him, only he was close… too close and somehow we ended up kissing. Or rather he kissed me.
Heat exploded in my belly and I was helpless to deny him. And did I even want to? How long had it been since I’d been held like this? I didn’t count our other kisses. It was useless to pretend there was nothing between us when flames licked every inch of my skin. He deepened the kiss as I fisted his shirt and pulled him closer.
“I can stop. Just say the word.”
The word? What word? No wasn’t in my vocabulary at the moment. I kissed him back for an answer. He groaned into my mouth and it stirred me that much more. Should we go further? Yes, my body screamed. It had been denied a man’s attention for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like. Would I regret it? Maybe. Probably, but right now I didn’t give a damn.
My hand crept beneath his shirt and his firm muscles tensed. He broke off the kiss and dark, dark eyes that seemed to spark with silver stared back into mine. I didn’t stop but continued my quest. My other hand also joined in the exploration as his head dropped back and he sighed.
“Please tell me you’re not going to stop.”
A smile curved my mouth. “I’m not stopping.”
“One question first. Why the change of heart?”
What could I say? I needed to get laid? “You’re too hard to resist.” That was the truth.
“I’d say the same about you.” Then, to my surprise, he lifted me up and carried me to the couch. “I’d prefer being comfortable if we’re going to do this.”
“And what is this?”
“Huh-uh. I’m leaving that all up to you.”
“What if I said I wanted you to take the lead?” Being in charge might not be the best idea. But then again…
“Not a chance, Curly Q.”
“Curly Q?”
“Love your curls. What can I say?”
“Reminds me of an uncle my mom used to talk about. His name was Curly, only he was bald.”
“No worries about that on your part. Enough of this small talk.” His brow arched.
I didn’t have to wait for him to make his move. His palm flattened against my chest and I fell backward onto the soft cushions. Once his mouth landed on my neck, the shivers hit first, then the heat. Electricity zinged through me until I was feverish with desire.
I plowed my fingers through his hair, clenching it. Only he stopped, and I moaned.
“Tell me what you want.”
“I don’t want you to stop.”
“How much more do you want? Touching? Kissing? Or more?”
I sucked my lower lip into my mouth.
“English, I need an answer.”
“I want more.”
He stood as I gasped. Then he reached for me and lifted me up. “Where to, Curly Q?”
“So you’re a poet now?”
He waggled his brows and I chortled.
“You’re beautiful when you laugh.”
“Only when I laugh?”
“Begging for compliments?” He was standing, still holding me.
“No, but it would be extremely difficult to laugh all the time.”
“Point the way and I’ll demonstrate exactly how gorgeous I think you are.”
“Up the steps and to the left.”
He took them two at a time, pushed the door open and kicked it closed behind us. I landed on the bed with a whoosh as he whipped off his shirt. I ogled the glorious sight before me as pure strength and brawn rippled with each move. My breath wheezed as he popped open the button on his jeans and then unzipped them. He went commando and I gulped when his manhood sprang forth. Lord, was I dreaming? I pinched myself as he
stalked toward the bed.
My ankles slid forward as he wrapped his fingers around them and dragged me to the side of the bed. Then he went for the waist of my jeans.
Oh, God, what underwear had I worn? I hadn’t expected to get naked in front of a man. Shit, shit, shit. When was the last time I’d shaved? I flinched when he tugged at my pants.
“You okay?”
“Y-yeah.” I relaxed when I saw the cute pair of pale pink cotton bikini undies. At least they were new and didn’t have holes or anything in them. When they disappeared, I sighed. I was reasonably smooth. My brain was foggy so I didn’t remember shaving recently. Thank you, God.
This time, my thighs were wrapped in his hands as he pulled me to the edge of the bed. Another gasp left me as he spread my legs wide. Butterflies invaded my stomach, making me wish I hadn’t eaten so much again.
“Hmm. Where to begin?”
“I, uh—”
“Shh. Close your eyes. I sense your anxiety.”
“Um, it’s been a while.”
“Don’t worry. I promise to pleasure you until you scream.”
“What?”
“Close your eyes.”
Pleasure me until I screamed? Stuart had never pleasured me. I’d had to do it myself when we were together. I wondered if Tristian really meant that.
Fingers tripped over my flesh as I closed my eyes. His touch was soft, and not aggressive. That was until he stopped. But holy hell, when his tongue licked me, it was divine. My back arched and I mewled, pushing myself closer.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
His warm breath fanned me and then I was lost. Fingers, tongue, it was difficult to know which. My pussy jumped to life as my hands sought something to grab. Turned out to be his head. I thrashed and bucked, but he didn’t stop his ministrations. I raced toward my climax, but when I neared, he stopped.
“What? Why?” I fought for air.
“You’ll see.”
Then he started again. Each time I got close, he stopped.
“You’re torturing me.”
“I said I’d make you scream and I’m making good on that.”
Time vanished as the cycle went on. My vocabulary consisted of “Yessss,” and “Oh, God, oh, God.”
Until it happened. And by it, I mean the bed spun out of control as every single nerve ending ignited and tossed me into a vortex. I screamed. I wasn’t sure what I said or how long it lasted, but when it ended, I was chewing on a pillow and drool ran down my chin.
“Fuck. What the hell was that?”
“An orgasm.”
I threw my pillow at him. “Stop it. I know that, but what kind?”
“It’s called edging. I took you to the edge over and over until the time was right, then bam.”
“You bammed me to orbit and back.”
“Good. Glad you liked it.”
Rolling to my side, I asked, “I screamed, didn’t I?”
“Uh, I’d say so.”
I fell back. “Was I loud and obnoxious?”
“No, you were sexy. But I did hand you the pillow so the neighbors wouldn’t call the cops.”
“Really? I was that loud?”
“It’s my fault. I did it to you.” Then he popped up, grabbed his pants and pulled out his wallet. All of a sudden, he ran, took a flying leap, and landed on a heap on the bed.
“Wow, someone is in a good mood.”
“You know it, because now it’s my turn to scream.”
Was he serious?
Chapter Thirty
Tristian
To say that English looked like I’d just donned a clown’s wig on my head for fun was an understatement. I cracked up. “Of course. I always scream when I fuck.”
“Um, okay.”
“English, I’m kidding. But you might be the one who brings me to my knees.”
Her sober expression had me kissing her luscious mouth. She was an absolute goddess and was unaware. Long wavy locks spread across the pillows as her body stretched out spreadeagle. It was all I could do to keep my hands off her creamy flesh. She was flawless in every way.
My wallet lay on the bed, so I opened it and pulled out a condom. “Would you care to do the honors?”
“Okay, but make sure I do it right.”
“It’s easy. Tear open the packet.”
“I know that much, smartass.”
“Pull out the condom.”
“Okay, if you’re going to be such an ass, you do it.”
“Pleeease.” I kissed her.
“Give it to me.” She opened it with care, pulled it out and I shifted to give her access to my dick. I was beyond hard and ready for her, hoping I lasted longer than a few minutes. I took her shaking hand and assisted her.
“Not too hard, huh?”
“On the contrary. I’d say you’re very hard.” She winked.
“And I’m going to show you exactly how hard I am.”
“Can you go slow? It’s been a long time.”
I touched her forehead with mine. “We’ll go as slow as you want. You can set the pace. Would you rather be on top?”
“No! This is good.”
“English, I don’t want good. I want perfect with you. We can stop if it doesn’t feel right. You only have to say the word.”
“I want this.”
“Okay.”
Inching in, I took it slow. With each tiny thrust, I gauged her reaction to know what my next step would be. Soft moans told me I was on target. I was finally fully seated. She was soaked, so I wasn’t hesitant, but asked her first. “You okay?”
“Perfect.”
“What I wanted to hear.”
“Rock my world again.”
That was my plan. She was certainly rocking mine. I stared at her beautiful face as I pumped in and out of her. My body rested on one arm, freeing the other to caress her breasts and body. When I was close, I reached for her clit, making her come just as I did. Then we kissed. I pushed my fingers through her blonde curls and smiled. “Well?” She furrowed her brow, so I massaged it. “Did I rock your world?”
“Yes, but I had to concentrate on not screaming.”
“You can always bite me.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I asked. “Love bites are sexy, especially if they’re from you.” She flushed a lovely shade of pink. “You’re not fond of compliments, are you?”
“It’s not that. It’s just I’m not used to them.”
“Then get used to them because I plan to dole them out a lot.”
“Why weren’t you this happy when we first met?” she asked.
“Good question. I didn’t have much to be happy about, other than work. My family life was nonexistent, I’d just moved back here so I didn’t have much of a social life to speak of, so yeah. Not much to smile about.”
“And now?” Blue-green eyes pierced me.
“Things are looking up. I have you now.”
“Do you really think we have a chance?”
“I honestly do. I think we have a lot in common, and will find even more as time goes on.”
“What if we don’t work?”
Caressing her cheek, I said, “I refuse to think in those terms. But remember we’ll draw up a contract. You can put in it whatever you want.”
Her eyes darted away. Then she said, “All I want is for Easton not to get hurt.”
“I want the same. Let’s do our best to make that happen.”
“Gosh, this is so fast.”
“Sometimes things happen fast for a reason. You know when you know.”
“Do you? Really?”
I kissed her cheek. “Yes, you do. And the two of us can make this work. I am convinced of it.”
“Okay. But promise me if anything is going wrong, we talk about it. We have to keep the channels of communication open. No guessing what’s happening or mind-reading.”
“Agreed. Shall we kiss on it?”
She snickered. “I was hoping fo
r more.”
“That can be arranged.”
Hours later we emerged from her room and went downstairs for a snack.
“I have lots of cookies.”
“Do you have whipped cream?”
“Of course.”
We ate cookies, milk, and whipped cream and it took me back to my youth. I reminisced out loud. “I had a shitty childhood. We all went to boarding school because my mother didn’t want to raise us. But before we went, we were at home, each raised by nannies. Mine was so-so, but my older brother’s was great. She would sneak us cookies and milk and those were the best times I remember. My dad traveled a lot for business so we were stuck at home with my mother, who never wanted kids.”
English’s hand covered her chest. “That’s awful. Why did your mother have any kids at all?”
“My dad wanted them. He knew how she was before they married and promised her we would go to boarding school when we were ten and that the nannies would do all the work.”
“Still makes me sad. I love my daughter so much. I can’t imagine.”
“I don’t have any kids of my own, but I would never in a million years do that. Easton is such a joy and I see how much you love her.”
Her smile warmed me and so did her next words.
“I see how you are with Easton. You’re great with kids and will make a great dad someday.”
Then she frowned, which sent ants crawling in my gut. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you prepared to take on the responsibility of becoming an insta-dad?”
The ants vanished. “Oh, that. She’s amazing, and yes. We already have a bond. I’m looking forward to it. I might spoil her though.”
“I’ve noticed. One thing I ask is that you never undermine my authority and that we discuss things with each other before approving them.”
“Agreed.”
“One other thing. That little girl is smart and can be manipulative, like she is with that dog. Don’t let her be. She’ll have you agreeing to things you’d never thought you’d do.”
“I can see that. She’s very hard to resist. With that missing tooth, all she has to do is ask and she’ll receive.”
“See? She knows it too. Other than that, I’m sure we can work through everything.”
“One question. What about a wedding?” Women usually wanted one, but I didn’t care either way. I would love to see the look on my mother’s face if we got married in Vegas and came home and told her.
For The Love of Easton : A Single Parent Romance and Sequel to For The Love of English Page 16