Kickback (Caldwell Brothers Book 3)

by Colleen Charles

  She flushes this delectable shade of freshly fucked pink and I stare. Something about her tugs at my heart, and I can’t stop drinking her in with my eyes. The sight of her soothes me and touches a place deep inside, making my frustrations just fade away. I can hardly believe that I sacrificed a whole shitload of things I wanted for something that couldn’t even hold a candle to having Haylee and Atlee.

  “It’s John.”

  “You’ve already decided I’m not enough for you, and you need to throw me over for another man,” I say, leaning back and tenting my hands in front of me. I know John is Atlee’s therapist, and I also know Dante’s got the Nevada Board of Health in his back pocket. His ire and immaturity is responsible for Atlee losing John. Just one more reason to hate his greasy guts.

  She smiles, and it nearly takes my breath away. It’s like she picks up on my mood like a seismometer picking up shudders in the tectonic plates.

  “I’m afraid Atlee will suffer if John leaves and goes to work for that specialty clinic in California. They’ve been together for three years. Ford, you don’t even understand. She’s not the same little girl she was back then. She used to have tantrums, lash out all the time. I couldn’t control her enough to take her anywhere but therapy and school. John’s made all the difference. So…I guess I’m here throwing myself on your mercy. Is there any way you could entice him to stay?”

  I look down at the code I’m writing and the feeble attempt at prioritization from a man who clearly isn’t in the medical field. A grin touches my lips, tugging them upward. Boy, do I have a new job for John. I don’t even ask Nixon about it because I plan on putting John on my own payroll. I’ve got the needs, and I’ve got the funds. Done deal.

  “He can help me with the development of the new app,” I say, pointing down at my code. “It’s been giving me troubles, and I could really use an expert to help me prioritize all the things I want to do. I need to know what should be in the initial release and what can wait until later and be done as enhancements on down the road. Have him call me. He can start Monday. Once he’s done with that, we can use him as our in-house therapist until Marcella graduates from her program.”

  She jumps up, and she’s around my desk and in my lap before I can blink. “Ford, that makes me so happy!” I snuggle her down on my semi, and her eyes grow wide as she stares at the open door.

  “If you hadn’t flung yourself at me so quickly, I would have told you to lock it so I can do this,” I say, capturing her lips in a searing kiss that escalates more than I want it to since we’re not alone. My tongue teases the seam of her full lips, and she opens on a sigh, allowing me greater access to plunder the warm recesses of her mouth. I drink in her taste. Her heat. Everything. There’s nothing but Haylee in my mind and heart.

  “Ah—”

  I sigh and look over at my brother. “Your timing’s impeccable per usual. What do you want, Nixon?”

  My brother actually blushes and looks down at the plush carpet. I can’t believe I’ve managed to flap the unflappable with a simple office lip lock. Haylee doesn’t move from her new seat, just puts her arms around my neck and stares at him too.

  “I met Reagan in the hallway, and he wanted me to tell you something.”

  “He must have forgotten it when he was here earlier bragging about his position as the star of our family. Shoot.”

  Nixon doesn’t even crack a smile. “Knock knock.”

  Haylee smiles and claps her hands together like a little girl about to get a lollipop for good behavior. This is going to go south in a hurry. Nixon possesses about as much sense of humor as a dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinking to high heaven.

  “Who’s there?” she asks, leaning forward.

  “Lumberjack.”

  “Lumberjack who?”

  “Leaf me alone. I wooden know where Ford’s stick is.”

  Haylee’s laugh streams around us like joyful bits of confetti falling from the atmosphere. All I can manage is a pathetic eye roll. The only indication Nix gives is a slight tug at the corners of his mouth. My phone buzzes on the desk.

  “Hmm...” I pick it up and flash the screen at my brother. “It appears the devil’s calling. He’s probably going to tell us that it’s frostier than a penguin’s ass crack down there because Nixon Caldwell made a funny.”

  “I thought it was pretty good,” Nixon says, his grin turning into a full-blown smile right along with Haylee’s. It would seem that smiles are contagious, kind of like yawns.

  “You know, Nix. If you didn’t indulge Reagan with this night gig, he’d be forced to keep his day job. Rein him in, won’t you?”

  Nixon shakes his head and holds up one finger. “No way. If he didn’t have an appropriate outlet for his brand of comic relief, do you know how bad he’d be? I couldn’t handle it. There’d be so damn many stupid one-liners and practical jokes around here, the Armónico would resemble a three-ring circus, and the ringmaster would be wearing Gucci custom and quoting Gideon v. Wainwright.”

  I laugh and nod, giving him a short salute as he leaves. “You’re probably right.”

  Haylee stands and heads toward the door, calling back over her shoulder, “I’ll have John call you to work out the logistics. Ford, I’m really, really happy. This is the right thing to do. I know it is.”

  My heart skips in my chest as I open my mouth to say what I need to say next. “Haylee, there’s another reason I want to hire John.”

  She turns back, her head tilted in interest. “Why’s that?”

  “Well, as I’ve been building this app on Asperger’s, I’ve become an expert on the signs and symptoms, and I think I know why Atlee has the disorder.” I swallow hard. “It’s me. She got it from me, Haylee.” I blink, feeling the emotion swamp my face. “It’s one of the reasons why I run in difficult situations. Why I…”

  Prefer to be alone. Can stare at code from hours on end. Have difficulty with relationships.

  “When I started reading about it, I knew it was me,” I finish miserably. “It also falls in line with the results to some cutting edge genetic testing I had done a while back. They haven’t isolated the autism gene yet, but there are other markers. My genius doctor friend told me to consider it when I start my own family.”

  Haylee comes back and sits on my lap again, wrapping her arms around me tight. “You’re perfect, just like Atlee is perfect, and we’ll work through this together. Us three and any other equally perfect soul that decides to bless us with their presence on down the line.”

  After she leaves, Nix comes back into my office and sits down across from me, and I realize this is going to be one of those days where I work my social game and don’t get anything constructive done around app development. So much for launching my app on time. In the tech world, time is money.

  “Who’s John?”

  I look at my brother, realizing he must have heard some of mine and Haylee’s conversation. I try to push back the frustration rippling through my mind at the thought of not getting this life-changing app up, running, and out the door. Kids with disabilities are counting on me. Taking a deep breath, I know I’m going to have to confront the reality that just slapped me in the face. John’s coming on board at my expense, but my heart’s telling me to push forward.

  John will help Atlee and Linc — and me — and the app will help everyone else that the clinic unfortunately displaced from regular occupational therapy.

  After I fill in Nix, he completely agrees.

  Chapter 25

  Haylee

  “Ford, do you love Mommy?” Atlee’s little voice fills with emotion, becomes breathy and my chest tightens as I wait for his response. “For real?”

  “Yes, Atlee. I’ve always loved your mommy. Now, I love you too. If it’s okay with you, we can be a family.”

  She claps her hands and squeals so loud that Gerald trots up to see what all the fuss is about. “There aren’t any gummy worms for you, Gerald,” Atlee says, patting him on the head. He head bumps
her in response and groans as she scratches under his chin. “But maybe we can have a cake to celebrate our new family. I’ve always wanted a family, Ford.”

  Her little voice sings with joy, and it slays me wide open as my heart splinters. It doesn’t belong to me anyway. My baby girl and her daddy both own my heart and my soul from now until eternity.

  “Did you know that Aunt Dixie is picking me up right now so we can go get mani-pedis?” Atlee asks Ford.

  “I did. Aunt Dixie is a great lady. You’re a lucky little girl to have so many people who love you.”

  I chuckle at the fact that I don’t understand the family dynamics yet. I don’t feel like I’m dropping the line or failing at motherhood because I’ve been doing it solo for so damn long. But I know, without a doubt that my heart is so overflowing with love for this little bundle of awesome sauce that even if her daddy and I make mistakes, she’ll have our backs.

  “I’m going to get red with crystal diamonds, just like Aunt Dixie!”

  I already imagine Ford standing on the front porch, cleaning his shotgun as a mini skirt and tanktop-clad Atlee bounds down the stairs toward a little pervert driving a red Camaro that matches her long fingernails. In this one, I’m on Ford’s side.

  Not. Gonna. Happen.

  “It would be super cool if you painted your nails pink to match Gerald. I bet he would really like that,” Ford says, already knowing that it’s best to offer a tempting alternative so she thinks what you want her to do was really her own idea.

  She hisses in a breath as her eyes light up. “No, I’m gonna have them done just like Wonder Woman. Red and blue with gold stars. Thanks, Ford!”

  As if on cue, Dixie explodes through the door, all brash blue eyeshadowed and velour track suited inch of her. She’s a vibrant and loud version of solid love.

  Ford and I exchange a look as Dixie shepherds Atlee out of the house, both of them giggling and planning their strategy to get the most of their girl’s day. I can’t explain how I’m feeling except that it’s like déjà vu, a feeling I know like the back of my hand.

  He walks toward me from the living room like a lion stalking his prey. My heart hammers in my chest because I know exactly where this little interlude is headed, and I welcome it. He scoops me up, my legs dangling over the side of his arm, and carries me to the kitchen counter. My rump hits the Formica, and Ford stands between my legs, making us about eye level with each other. I like what I see reflected back at me. There’s happiness and passion.

  And love.

  His piercing blue gaze doesn’t leave mine as he dips his head and captures my lips with his. I twine my fingers around his neck, feeling like I need his weight on me. I want to feel completely claimed so that every single doubt, even the ones residing in the furthest recesses of my mind, get swept away with the force of his love for me.

  I inhale, drinking in his scent. His tongue plunders my mouth, taking and demanding like it never has before. It’s as if he wants to prove himself to me with every movement, every touch.

  I lean back again and feel his lips cross over my cheek, down my jawline and neck to land at my pulse. I can feel it throbbing there as my heart gallops out of control. Ford’s tongue darts out to lick it, and I about jump out of my skin.

  “Haylee, I think I missed you before I even knew I missed you,” he says, moving down my chest to the edge of my t-shirt. My hands find his hair and thread through the thick strands, wanting to feel every sensation possible. Ford Caldwell belongs to me and only me.

  Forever.

  “I know just how you feel,” I say as his hands rip the top of my shirt down, exposing my lacy bra and pebbled nipples to his eyes and mouth. He does the same to my bra, and the cool air caresses my exposed breasts, offering a tiny bit of relief before he takes one in his mouth and sucks, bringing the heat right back.

  “I want to be inside you so badly,” he groans, ministering to my other nipple in exactly the same way. I fling my head back, wishing my jeans were on the linoleum floor, exposing my pussy because it feels like it’s going to explode.

  “Please…take my pants off.”

  His hands move to my jean’s button and pops it open. I lift my hips to help him slide my jeans off and onto the floor. The only barrier between us is my lacy thong. Ford pushes it to the side, lifts me as if I weigh nothing, and lowers me inch by aching inch onto his steely cock. My body expands, taking everything he’s got and demanding even more. His breathing becomes erratic as he grips the span of my waist with both hands.

  “Shit. I didn’t even think about a condom,” he grins and bites my neck. “And ask me if I care. Are you mad at me?”

  I think of another child of Ford’s, this time an active, brilliant little boy in the spitting image of his father. My ovaries ache, and I want him to come inside me so we can bring that fantasy to life.

  “No, I want it too. There’s always room for one more.”

  He chuckles and drives even deeper within my slick heat. “Only one? How about a few more? I have a shit ton of brothers, remember? You’re an only child?”

  “You want five kids?” I ask, hissing a breath through my teeth. I’m not sure my body or my mind can take it.

  “Nah, maybe just a couple more. How about we make our first compromise while I’m balls deep inside your tight pussy?”

  I smile at him, feeling like the eight years we were apart never even happened. “I think making compromises like this could be one of the smartest communication decisions we ever make.”

  I take a second to contract my internal muscles and draw him further in, feeling the fullness. The claiming. It’s a complete turn-on to feel him inside my body, while I look him in the eye and banter. It’s all still there. The lust, the passion, that twinkle in his eye that makes me feel like I can do anything, and he’ll have my back.

  “You feel incredible, Ford,” I say, grinding my clit against him. His cock rubs against my walls, the contact causing him to hit my g-spot in exactly the right place. I’m reaching, striving for the precipice, and it’s not that far away. His eyes caress my exposed skin, making every inch of my body feel claimed by him. My entire being has turned into a towering inferno lit by Ford Caldwell, and I feel like I’m going to explode into a sunburst of sensations.

  Ford grinds harder, trying to touch his body with mine in every way possible, and I fling my head back on a tortured moan. Heat starts at my toes, curling them and snakes its way up my body, along my spine and landing on my cheeks. Stars flash before my eyes as Ford reaches between us and strums my engorged clit, sending me over the edge.

  The earth-shattering orgasm goes on for seconds, and I savor every last pulse until I float back down to reality. All I can think of is that I want this man, this family, and this feeling for the rest of my life, however long that may be.

  “Thank you,” he whispers, his breath hot against my skin. “For giving me my second chance.”

  I grip the top of his head like a lifeline and kiss his hair, my heart swelling to overflowing. “I think that’s the other way around.”

  He grins and moves until he can touch his lips to mine. “I think we can both agree that we might not have put our best foot forward when we were kids. But we’re older now. We’ve both lived a life. I think we can safely say that those boneheaded mistakes will remain firmly locked away in the past.”

  Words fail me in the tenderness of the moment, and I simply hold him to my bare breasts, seeking his warmth and finding it. The peace and love I’m finding in Ford’s arms, knowing I have a partner in everything for the rest of my life bathes my soul in a light so bright, it resembles the afternoon sun. He’s going to support Atlee and me, and love us through anything, even when we’re throwing bitch fits about gummy worms and Big Brother and Wonder Woman’s invisible jet.

  And even when we might not deserve it.

  Ford squeezes my waist and plants a kiss on my neck, slowly stepping back and bringing me with him, never breaking contact.

  “I
think it’s time to move this play to the bedroom for Act II,” I say as he carries me toward the last door in the hallway. “I think we should participate in the wheelbarrow race at the employee barbecue. Except, not naked, of course.”

  “The what?”

  “Don’t tell me that Nixon doesn’t spring for a summer party for his employees?” Ford asks, dropping me gently onto my comforter and covering my body with his.

  I laugh and plant a kiss on his lips. “Nope. He only has a Christmas party, and Dixie and I haven’t missed even one. Last year, she jumped up and screamed because she won a waffle maker. Said she saw on Paula Dean that it could make Paninis and omelets too. She’s crazy, but she’s the good kind of crazy.”

  “That she is. How about you and I get the good kind of crazy right now?”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” I say, breathing in the scent of the only man I’ve ever loved or ever will. He hovers over me and captures my lips before I can say anything more. There’s plenty of time left for words. We’ve got forever, and as long as I’m in Ford’s arms with Atlee by my side, there’s nothing that I can’t accomplish.

  After I’m done modeling for Taryn, I’m going to go back to UNLV and get my Master’s in Marketing so I can help her with her ad campaigns. I feel like I finally moved out of my mom shadow and took my rightful place as a woman of value. I’ve come home to myself.

  “Forever, Haylee,” Ford whispers, snaking his body down mine. This time, he’ll keep his vow. I know that with every breath in my body. “I promise you that. Nothing less.”

  “Forever,” I echo and seal his vow with one of my own.

  Epilogue

  “Do you have it?”

  I creep into the dead of night, salivating when I see Antonetti and Charles holding a metal cage. I don’t want to think of what’s inside it because even I have standards. But after tonight, the Nevada Board of Health is going to shut down the Armónico’s steakhouse and every single fucking dream Carter Caldwell has of getting his own show on The Food Network.