Paths: A Killers Novel, Book 2 (The Killers)

by Brynne Asher

  “You about done talking, baby? I’m in the mood to play with you. Trust me, it’ll be in your best interest.”

  I shake my head at him, giving in, and he sees it. He grins as he takes a step back and sits on the side of our new bed, holding his hand out. “Come here.”

  I put my hand in his and step toward him where he pulls me between his legs. His hands go straight to my ass and his lips straight to my nipple. I press myself into him as I moan and feel him squeeze me in his big hands.

  He rolls his tongue around my nipple right before he pulls it between his teeth, biting down just enough for me to feel it everywhere.

  I close my eyes and let my head fall back to enjoy every second of it, because I know with every ounce of my being that Grady would never hurt me. I feel it every time his eyes land on me, every time he touches me, and every time he tells me he loves me.

  Every. Single. Time.

  He sucks me into his mouth one more time before releasing me with a pop. His hands make their way up and down my ass and thighs when he looks up to me. His expression is heated, his eyes warm, and his voice heavy when he asks, “You gonna let me play?”

  Oh.

  I’ve lost my voice. Instead, I nod.

  “Turn around, Maya.”

  I close my eyes, but I turn.

  Still standing between his legs, his hands start to move lightly on me. I lean back into him and melt.

  “This is where it begins.”

  I moan when he brushes a light finger over my clit, and I spread my legs just enough to let him know I want more.

  “You saved me when we lived across the street, but this is a new start. From here on out, it’ll be nothing but good.” His fingers go from light on my clit to firmly cupping me between my legs, and his other hand squeezes my hip. “Sit.”

  I do as he says and lower my ass into his lap. It’s easy to feel his hard, thick cock through his jeans, and knowing that’s all for me—forever mine—I sink back into his chest.

  His face comes to the side of mine and when his lips touch my ear, he whispers, “I’ll make sure this is good.” His hand comes up to my lower belly, making my breath catch, and he presses in. “For us.”

  I turn my face and put my lips on his. Once I made my decision, I have never doubted it. I know life with Grady is going to be good.

  His hands slide down my body to my thighs. When they reach my knees, he pulls my legs apart to straddle his.

  Then he spreads his legs—spreading me.

  I exhale as my head falls back to his shoulder.

  His voice is as smooth as his fingers running through the wet between my legs. “There you go.”

  Not knowing where to put my hands, I grasp his thighs below me. The more he touches me, the firmer I grip. His hand roams—teasing, massaging, and even twisting my nipples. All the while, his other one never stops its constant torture on my clit.

  He wasn’t kidding when he said he was in the mood to play.

  When he spreads his legs even farther, really far, he whispers in my ear, “I just decided I’m a big supporter of yoga.”

  I’d laugh if I could, but I can’t. Instead, I exhale loudly and arch my back for more of his touch.

  “You like that.”

  Oh, I do, but I don’t answer. It obviously wasn’t a question, I’m pretty sure he knows I like it. His fingers continue to tease, until finally, one fills me. Deliciously and divinely.

  “Please,” I whisper, doing my best to press into his hand, but his other arm drops to my waist to hold me tight.

  “You want more?” he asks.

  “Yes.” I nod at the same time the word falls from my lips, trying to relay how much I want more. I really want more. Hell, I want more so much, I can’t even think straight.

  Then perfectly, just like my Grady has been since the day I first worked on his shoulder, he gives me what I need.

  He gives me another finger and more pressure on my clit. But he also holds me tighter, angling an arm up to cup my breast possessively.

  “You gonna come for me, baby?”

  My body is humming from head to toe as he teases me, giving me more, then less, evilly delaying my imminent orgasm, leaving me hanging in the balance of the most beautiful purgatory ever.

  Orgasm purgatory—it’s like walking a sexual tightrope that only Grady can balance.

  One of my hands comes up to the side of his face when I beg, “Grady, baby, please.”

  “Hmm,” he breathes in as he puts his lips to my neck. “Love you, Maya.”

  Then he really finger fucks me while giving my clit more pressure. I gasp and arch and call out for him. All the while he holds me tight.

  And finally, I’m consumed.

  When I lose his hand between my legs, I feel myself going up. He turns and the next thing I know, he’s laying me face down on the bed. I’ve barely had a chance to catch my breath when I feel Grady pull my hips up until I’m on my knees, he instantly fills me from behind. “Oh, yes.”

  He’s surrounding me from above, enveloping me where I feel him everywhere as he starts to move. He doesn’t take his time as he did when he was in the mood to play. I feel his need as he pounds into me.

  “Never felt this,” he growls into my ear where he’s hovering. “Never get enough of you.”

  “I hope you never do,” I breathe and arch my back. “Love you, too, baby.”

  As if my words lit a fire in him, he moves, and I feel every muscle in his body as he makes me his. I’ll always be his.

  When he finally comes, thrusting into me the last time, I feel his body tense over mine. Totally spent, I let my knees slide out from under me and he follows, staying connected.

  After many moments, I feel his breath finally even, and turn my head. “Grady?”

  He kisses my forehead. “Hmm?”

  I exhale. I’m not sure now is the time, but if it’s not, I have no idea what will be. Today has been busy. But now, being connected as we are, it seems to be as good a time as any. “My period was due today.”

  He freezes momentarily, but I doubt I would’ve even noticed had he not been touching me everywhere. Pressing his still hard cock into me, he gives me a squeeze.

  When he doesn’t say anything, I go on. “I’m pretty regular, you know, give or take a day or two every once in a while.”

  He leans up enough to reach my lips and kisses me. “I’m more than good with that.”

  I open my eyes wider to look into his and smile small, whispering, “I am too.”

  His face turns serious. “I’m gonna marry you.”

  My face softens. “I know.”

  “Soon, baby.”

  “Okay,” I agree.

  With that, it looks like we’ll be getting married in the very near future. And whatever that future looks like, I know it will be perfect.

  Chapter 28 – Balls to the Wall

  Maya –

  I smack the balloon with my pool noodle toward Butch.

  When I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about how I’m almost two days late, somehow this popped into my head. Before work, I made a quick trip to the store and bought an armful of pool noodles with bags of balloons. After I cut the noodles in half and blew up some balloons, I gathered the residents. We’re sitting around tables that have been pushed together playing balloon tennis.

  I named the activity Smack It, but now I’m rethinking this because I think Foxy is getting into it on a whole other level.

  “That’s right, smack it like you mean it, Butch!” Foxy
yells across the table.

  I don’t know whether to grimace or laugh.

  “No one’s hittin’ it to me,” Betty complains.

  “Here.” I pop the balloon up with my noodle and lob it to her so she can have a turn.

  “This is stupid,” Miss Lillian Rose whines. “Donuts and Dominos was on the schedule. We can’t eat donuts while we’re smackin’ a balloon.”

  Foxy leans up out of his chair, and you’d think it was match set at Wimbledon as hard as he hits it. It flies as fast as a balloon can fly and hits Erma right in the face.

  Foxy raises his noodle in the air. “Score!”

  “Foxy!” Erma screams. “You’re a buffoon.”

  His only rebuttal is to point at her with his noodle. “I win!”

  “There’s no winner.” I try to frown at him, but I’m sure it comes across lame. I bet this is why parents have trouble disciplining children—sometimes their bad behavior is too cute.

  At the reminder, I sigh.

  Children.

  This brings my thoughts back to why I woke up in the middle of the night.

  I don’t feel different, but I also don’t feel like I’m about to get my period. I do know for a fact I’ve never once analyzed how I feel as much as I have in the past two days. Do I feel pregnant, do I not feel pregnant, what does being pregnant even feel like? Am I bloated, do I need chocolate, am I emotional?

  And if I am pregnant, what kind of mom will I be? It’s not like I have a good example. At least I know what kind of mom I won’t be—Vanessa Augustine was no role model.

  Suddenly, I have the overwhelming desire for a donut.

  Does this mean I’m pregnant? Or is it just because I smell donuts? And can I smell the donuts because my senses are heightened or is it just because there are donuts on the next table?

  Honestly. I’m so over myself, I can’t stand it.

  I toss the balloon and hit it down the table to Betty as I berate myself for over-analyzing my uterus and my sense of smell.

  “Spank it, Betty!” Foxy yells.

  “For the love of it all,” I say but can’t stop myself from grinning. “It’s Smack It. I should’ve just named it Tap the Balloon.”

  “Oh, Maya.” Foxy narrows his eyes and slides back and forth in his seat. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he was constipated, but this is Foxy. He’s giving me his sexy eyes and doing one of his little dances. “I’d tap that. Bow-chicka-wow-wow.”

  I can’t help it. I burst out laughing and throw my noodle across the table at him.

  And Foxy shows me how spry he really is, because he catches it in midair as he keeps moving in his chair. “Boom—now I can spank with both hands.”

  Oh my.

  *****

  Grady –

  The next day…

  I can’t wait for her to be done working two jobs. I want her here more. She doesn’t need to work at all, but she loves being at the Ranch, and it looks like that PT job will officially be hers soon. She seems excited about that. Lucky for me—she can electrocute me any time she feels like it.

  When I push the button to lift one of the garage doors, I’m surprised to see her small compact car already parked for the day. She’s home early—it’s barely five o’clock.

  Seeing her car reminds me we need to buy her a bigger one. It snows enough here she needs a four-wheel drive, plus, if she is pregnant, we’ll need it sooner than later.

  I go to my phone to unarm the security system, and I shake my head when I see it’s already unarmed. We’ve only had the system for two days, but I’ve told her when she’s here, it needs to be set. It also needs to be set when she’s not here, and so far, she doesn’t seem to understand how strongly I feel about this.

  As I walk through the mudroom and into the back hall, I round the corner and find her in the family room, tucked in the corner of the enormous sectional that was delivered a few days ago. “Hey, you’re home early.”

  Her eyes dart to mine, surprised. She was staring at the ugliest Christmas tree on earth, as she insisted we bring it from her rental at the winery. She said the memory of me cutting it down is one of her favorites, and told me next year she expects me to do it again. When she filled me in on this, I immediately decided to have a grove of trees planted on the back half of our property. If I plan for it now, at least we’ll have decent trees in the future.

  But I can’t take my eyes off her face. Her expression is almost void of emotion, and it’s not one I’m used to seeing. “You okay?”

  She shakes her head, but just like she’s done to me before, her words contradict her expression. “I’m fine.”

  I drop my workout bag, forgetting all about talking to her about the alarm, and move straight to her. She tilts her head back, looking at me as I get close and moves her legs for me to sit. Frowning, I ask, “What’s wrong?”

  She shakes her head again. “I thought I’d be relieved.”

  My frown deepens. “Relieved?”

  She sighs. “It must have been all the activity or stress of the last few weeks. Or, who knows, maybe it’s all the Flamin’ Hot Fritos I’ve been eating and my system is off. I can’t remember the last time I was three days late.”

  I try not to let my disappointment show, because as our days together have added up, especially the last few, I’ve been doing my best not to get excited.

  We’re new. Not only are we new, but we’ve just moved in together, we have a non-date set in the very near future to get married, and as much as I know I love her and this is right, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re new.

  Still.

  I didn’t lie when I told her I was good if there was a baby. The last couple days when she told me she was late and wanted to give it a few more days before taking a test, I was becoming more and more good with the thought of becoming a father. A different kind of father.

  A good father.

  No—a fucking great father.

  I try not to let my disappointment show, because I don’t know what she’s thinking. I bring my hand up to her chin and turn her face to mine. “What?”

  It’s her turn to frown. “What?”

  I raise my brows. “What are you thinking?”

  She bites that damn lip, and just like every time it happens, my cock twitches.

  But fuck, her eyes start to well. She’ll never know how deep that cuts me, and I’ll never tell her because I never want her to hide it.

  She shrugs as her eyes fill and her voice cracks. “It’s silly—I know. Especially after I freaked about us being careless, but I was sort of getting used to the idea.”

  I brush her jaw with my thumb and let out the breath I was holding. Leaning in to kiss her, I taste her tears as they fall to our mouths. When I let go, I put both hands to her face, wiping the wet from her cheeks with my thumbs. I’m serious as shit when I lower my voice. “We didn’t give it a full go. You teach me about your ovulation cycle and come January—it’s balls to the wall.”

  Damn it, she smiles but her tears come stronger, and this time she nods her head in my hands.

  I can’t take her crying, so I pull her into my arms and stuff my face in her hair where I mumble, “Like I need another reason to make love to you. January’s gonna be a fun month.”

  She nods as her face is stuffed in my neck. “I’m sorry. You didn’t sign up for this, but I’m a little emotional while I’m on my period. I swear, I’ll get it under control. It’ll pass soon.”

  This makes me laugh as I rub her back. “Then it’s a good thing I’m good with women.”

  And fuck me, s
he starts laughing as she continues to cry into my neck.

  I hold her while looking at the ugliest Christmas tree ever that sits in our new house and I see our future. A new path—our path. A path that can only be good.

  Epilogue

  Three Years Later

  Grady –

  “This must be take your kid to work day,” I say, and look over at Crew who’s holding a wiggling Vivi in his arms. She’s grabbing at his cheeks and lips as she arches her back to get down.

  We’re in the middle of summer. The sun is out and it’s hot, but for some reason the one-year-old little girl is wearing rain boots with her sundress.

  “She wants Cayden,” he says, flipping her around so her back is to his front where she has no leverage. Holding her easily with one arm wrapped around her middle, her dark hair falls around her little face as she continues to wiggle. “Addison doesn’t know we’re here, but she will if I let her climb all over the tires again. Last time I brought her home covered in dirt and grease, I got a lecture about making sure she’s dressed for boot camp. I have a feeling this isn’t what Addison had in mind when she dressed her this morning.”

  I look back out to where Cayden is climbing over the old rubber creating black smudges all over his arms and legs. Now his face is covered and his clothes are filthy.

  Nothing a dip in the pool won’t fix.

  I smile when he pulls himself to his feet and looks at me waving. “Daddy, watch!”

  He jumps off the side of the tire and lands in the center before starting the climb to do it all over again.

  “Good job, bud,” I yell back. “Two more and we’ve gotta go.”

  He starts to scramble faster.

  “With the new group starting next week, our schedule will be tight. I’m not sure how available Asa’s gonna be. For now, we’ll have to pick up the slack.”

  Given the sabbatical I took years ago, I have no problem with that. Especially given Asa’s current situation. I’m more than enjoying seeing him spin his wheels, so I shrug. “It won’t be a problem. Maya’s going part-time. I finally talked her into it since she’s in the homestretch.”