by Lacey Black
“What?” he whispers, his breath fanning across my chin.
“That actually works out really well for me because I love you too.”
His eyes light up with excitement as he offers me the biggest grin ever. “Yeah?”
“Oh yeah. I’m pretty sure I started to fall for you in Richmond too,” I confirm.
“Those were two amazing nights.” He pulls me in and nuzzles my nose.
“I loved waking up beside you in the morning.”
“I loved falling asleep with you in my arms.”
“No interruptions.”
“No time restraints.”
“Just you and me and a whole lot of nakedness.”
“Those were my kinda nights.”
“What about tonight?” I ask, hopeful and eager.
“You notice your lack of a car, right? Well, I’m not taking you home. The only place you’re going is to my bed. Preferably without any clothes covering up this sinful body.”
With his hands sliding up my side and resting on my breasts, his lips find mine once more. This kiss has a little more passion, a little more intensity. As if I weigh nothing, Dean picks me up and moves me towards the hallway. Without breaking the kiss, he leads me into his bedroom and only stops when I feel his bed hit behind my knees.
“Just so you know, I expect you to be in my bed as much as humanly possible. I know you have your own place, but I like it better when you’re beside me.”
“I like that too.” Gazing up at him, I grip his shirt and lift it over his head. He doesn’t move as I run my hands up his chest, feeling the way the light dusting of hair tickles my palms. “Dean?”
“Yeah, babe?”
“I’m sorry about how I’ve acted lately. I was going to tell you everything tonight about the PCOS. I actually told Abby the other night, and it helped. She was very understanding and listened, asking questions when she felt the need. But she’s also the one who told me to tell you the truth and let you decide for yourself if a future with me was possible or not.”
“Smart woman. I should send her flowers. I know this great little shop.”
“She is, yes, but I would probably avoid sending another woman flowers. Especially ones you purchase from your current woman’s shop.” I give him a slight grin before sobering a little. “I was planning on breaking it off with you. I knew I was falling in love with you and knew it would be too hard to deal with you leaving when you found out about the PCOS.”
“You thought that I’d walk away when I found out about it, so it would be easier for you to do that now on your own terms.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Even after only knowing each other for a short time, less than a year on the calendar, and he already has me pegged.
“Yeah. I’m sorry.”
Reaching down, he grabs a hold of the hem of my shirt and gives it a lift. Without saying a word, he reaches around and unsnaps my bra clasp. With my breasts free, he palms them both and eagerly sucks one nipple into his warm mouth. I gasp at the instant flood of sensations racing through my body. My core is immediately wet and throbbing with desire.
“Silly, silly, Payton. Haven’t you figured it out yet? There’s no getting rid of me now. You were made for me,” he says before latching on to the other nipple and giving it equal attention.
“Please,” I beg, reaching for his belt buckle.
“I love it when you beg,” he quips, a wicked gleam in his dark eyes.
“I can tell,” I reply, palming his large erection. His hips flex into my hand as he grinds against me.
“Keep that up and we won’t be able to get to the good stuff.”
“I like the good stuff,” I murmur, stroking him through the denim.
“And I love you.” His whispered words are a statement, the punctuation, and everything in between.
Together, we strip off the rest of our clothes, taking our time and savoring the feel of each other’s bodies. When we’re finally skin-on-skin, Dean leads me back to the bed. His eyes are intense and dark with desire as he covers my body with his own. We’re both flushed to the core, his lips soft and gentle as he glides them over my neck.
“Do you trust me?” he whispers against the place my pulse is pounding.
“Yes.”
Pulling away just slightly so he can look down at me, he says, “No more condoms. You know we’re both clean. I want to feel your body wrapped around me, feel your pussy gripping my bare cock again.”
A shiver races through my body. “No more condoms,” I confirm.
His lips have a little more urgency in them, as he lifts my left leg and hitches it high on his hip. He explores my mouth with his tongue as I feel him slowly pushing forward and sliding into my pussy. Gasping, I open my eyes and find his locked on me. It’s always amazing with Dean, but this time there’s something else there.
Love.
When he’s buried to the root, he groans. “God, you feel so fucking good.” He holds perfectly still as if savoring the feel of our bodies joined together.
“Mmmmm,” I purr, blood zinging through my body.
And then he moves. Pinning my hands over my head, he uses them for leverage as he thrusts into me. He’s completely relentless, raw with desire, as he pushes us both higher and higher. Together, we’re climbing towards a blockbuster orgasm, one that will change us forever. Because there will no longer be a Dean and a Payton. We will be one. One heart beating together, one soul sharing a future.
I know it.
I can feel it.
When I’m unable to hold off the pending orgasm any longer, I give in to the rush of sensations. The way his chest hairs tickle my nipples. The way he holds me down as if staking an ownership in my pleasure. The way his pelvic bone grinds against my clit, creating the most epic flood of desire.
My orgasm washes over me, sending me flying and soaring above the clouds. Dean is right there with me. He tenses above me, thrusting with more force than ever before, as my internal muscles grip him with everything they have. A loud groan slips from his lips, and it’s immediately followed up with my name.
As he starts to still above me, his lips find mine once more. Our labored breath is mixed as we pant and kiss, shutters and aftershocks racing jointly through our bodies. He keeps touching me, as if he can’t get enough. Eventually, he starts to peter out, no pun intended, and lies on top of me. The heaviness of his weight doesn’t feel restricting, as I would have usually thought, but instead feels comforting and grounding.
“Wow,” he says, nuzzling his nose against my ear.
“Yeah,” I pant, loving the feel of his body against mine. “Let’s do it again.”
Dean laughs in my ear, making me smile widely. “I’m not the spring chicken I used to be, sweetheart. Give me a few more minutes to collect my thoughts and I’ll be ready to go again.”
He carefully rolls off me, leaving a trail of warmth and wetness behind. That’s definitely something you don’t think about when you’re used to using condoms. Without a word, he jumps up and goes to the bathroom. I take a moment to ogle his muscular backside as he walks into the room and flips on the light. He doesn’t cover up or hide, just grabs a washcloth and wets it with warm water. After taking care of himself, he rinses it well and comes back into the bedroom. Again, he doesn’t say a word as he washes off my thighs and between my legs.
“Why are you smiling?” he asks as he tosses the cloth into his hamper and climbs back into bed.
“I’ve never had someone do that before.”
“What? Take care of you?” He turns on his side and scoots against my back, spooning me against his body.
“Well, yeah.”
“Get used to it, sweetheart. I know you don’t want someone to step in and take control, and I have absolutely no intention of doing that. I just want to help share the burden. My job is to help shoulder some of the weight when things get too heavy for you to carry, okay?”
“Okay.” What else can I say?
He gets me.<
br />
I find myself dozing off to sleep, feeling better and lighter than I ever have in my life. Even though our family is dealing with a great loss, I find myself happy. Dean has done that. He has offered me something I never thought I’d have.
Hope.
“I love you,” he whispers, his voice gravelly with sleep.
“I love you,” I reply as he places a kiss on my shoulder.
Together, we fall asleep.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Dean
Three months later
It’s a beautiful May day. The sun is shining brightly in the sky, and the entire Summer family is gathered in the back yard of Brian’s home. I’ve come to really enjoy spending time with Payton’s entire family, but none more so than her father. As a boy who was raised without one, it’s an indulgence I find myself enjoying as much as possible.
In fact, he invited my mom along on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon cookout. Mom has taken to Payton like a fish to water. They’ve done shopping trips with Bri and lunches whenever they can squeeze them in. It’s heartwarming to see, especially since Payton lost her mother as a teenager.
“Daddy, watch!” Brielle exclaims as she swings the little plastic bat and hits the little wiffleball on her first attempt.
She runs towards the makeshift first base, where Lexi is waiting. Bri fakes left and runs right. Lexi pretends to be caught off guard and lets my daughter make it safely on base.
Ryan comes over with two beers and sits in the folding chair beside me. “You should be thankful they let Brielle play. They’re usually very competitive. So much so that I hate playing sports with them,” he says with laugh. “But since Brielle begged and with Meghan still not herself, they’re bending their rules a little bit.”
“Yeah, even with my five-year-old out there, I’m glad I’m not playing.”
“Yeah, most of them cheat,” he adds, holding out his beer bottle for me to clink.
“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know. Payton is horrible at Uno.”
“Cheaters. All of them. That is their grandma’s fault. She’s a sneaky little woman, but I love the stuffin’ out of her,” Grandpa says, taking a seat on the other side of Ryan. Then he leans in and whispers conspiratorially, “Plus, she’s dynamite in the sack.” And then to add to my mortification as I choke on the beer I just took a swallow of, he adds a wink. Glancing over, we find Emma with her head close to my mom’s. Why does that worry me?
Before long, Levi joins the party, dropping something off at the food table before grabbing a beer and heading our way. “Hey, man,” Levi says as he pulls up a chair beside me.
“Working?” I ask the young man I’ve met only a handful of times. I know he’s Abby’s best friend, but according to Payton, there’s something else going on there. Even if neither of them acknowledges it.
“Yeah, last night. I caught five hours of sleep before heading over,” he says through a yawn. Levi’s a fireman and EMT, but spends a lot of his free weekends playing guitar for a popular local band.
“Come on, Levi! Abby’s team is behind. She needs your strong, fine ass to knock one out of the park,” Lexi exclaims from the outfield.
Glancing over, Abby’s face flames bright red as she stands at the plate with the bat. Levi stands up, and even from my position off to the side behind him, I can tell his eyes are on the youngest Summer daughter. There’s almost this poetic, erotic exchange that happens when he steps up beside her and takes the bat from her hand. I can feel the sexual tension all the way over here.
Levi steps up to the plate, the tiny little bat so small in his hands. He turns and says something to her that I can’t hear, but if I were reading her body language, I’d say it was something of the teasing variety. Abby laughs and takes a step back out of the way. Jaime lets the ball fly and Levi creams it into the field behind the house. Payton and Lexi take off running towards the ball, but Levi is too quick, rounding the bases with his long strides.
When he rounds second, he catches up to my daughter. It’s hilarious as he bends down and swoops her up into his arms. Brielle’s laughter can be heard all the way to the front lawn, and there’s no missing the smile on her face as Levi carries her around third and over home plate. He sets her down and lets her stomp on the floor mat, jumping up and down in victory. AJ and Abby give her high-fives before Levi swoops in and grabs Abby in his arms. He holds her against his chest for a moment, swinging her around, but quickly changes his hold and throws her over his shoulder like you see firemen do in movies. Abby screams for her release, which only earns her a swat on the ass from Levi.
“Those two. One of these days, they’re gonna find themselves unable to deny their feelings,” Orval says as we all watch the girls tease each other about the last minute victory.
“Agreed,” Ryan adds as Jaime walks our way. His eyes are glued to her as she sashays a little extra for his benefit. There’s no missing the smile on his face as she struts up and takes a seat in his lap. “Close game,” he says, giving Jaime a drink of his beer.
“They cheated. Again.”
“You all cheat,” Orval adds.
“Grandpa!”
“What? It’s true. Remember Candyland when you were kids? I always had to keep one eye on each of you and my own gingerbread man. They always moved.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jaime mumbles before taking another drink of beer.
“Hey,” Payton says as she walks over to me. I pat my leg in invitation. Before she takes a seat, she glances around nervously. My girl still gets a little shy showing affection in front of her family. When she sees Jaime perched on Ryan’s leg next to me, she slowly lowers herself onto me.
“Hi. Good game.”
“They cheated, as always. They pulled in a ringer from the bullpen.”
“Bri seemed to have fun, though.”
“She had a blast. She’s very competitive. Fits in nicely,” she adds with a small smile.
I agree. My daughter fits in beautifully with Payton and her family. And they’ve all taken to her instantly, including her in everything they can. Bri eats it up like ice cream. She’s never had so much doting attention from so many women and men in her life. And that’s not including the extra devotion she gets from Payton. Those two are two peas in a pod when they’re together, which is often.
Abby and Levi join us as new drinks are passed around. The conversation quickly turns towards the one thing I’ve learned it always does around this family: sex.
“Ryan, how’s the pussy treating you?” Orval asks with a straight face. Unfortunately, for poor Ryan, who was taking a drink of beer, he wasn’t quite so lucky.
“Excuse me?” he stutters, his jaw practically dragging on the lawn.
“The pussy. Last I heard, she was tearing you up.”
“The cat,” Jaime whispers loudly through laughter and tears.
“Oh, yeah. That pussy. She’s…great.” The sarcasm rolls off Ryan in waves.
“Boots still doesn’t like Ryan much,” Jaime says, running her hand across his chest. “She gets mad when he touches me.”
“She bites me.”
“Yes, she bites him a little, but she’s just so cute,” Jaime coos.
“And how’s the pussy for you, Dean?” Orval asks, catching me off guard.
“Ummm, I don’t have a cat, sir.”
Everyone looks between Orval and me when he smiles widely and says, “I know.”
I walked right into that one, didn’t I? The entire group bursts into laughter, and even though it might be at my expense, I join in. When the laughter dies down, he glances back over to me, one eyebrow raised as if waiting for my answer. “It’s…great, sir.”
Orval laughs before turning his attention to Abby and Levi.
“Great?” Payton asks discreetly, the slightest of smiles playing on the corner of her lips.
“Well, what was I supposed to say? That his granddaughter rocks my world almost nightly?”
> “Gorgeous, brilliant, and fabulous granddaughter,” she corrects.
My laughter draws attention, but I ignore them. “You are correct. You are gorgeous,” I start, kissing her bare shoulder. “Brilliant,” I add with a kiss to the back of her neck. “And fabulous.” This time, I go for the gold, turning her towards me and placing a kiss on those lush, full lips that taste like strawberries and beer.
I’m just starting to coax her mouth open with my tongue, completely oblivious to our surroundings, when a throat clearing interrupts us. “The toy room is available upstairs, you two.” Emma is there, a mischievous and flirty little smile splayed across her face.
“I wanna go play in the toy room!” Bri exclaims, walking with Emma.
Before I can say anything, Payton and all of her sisters yell, “No!”
“Is it messy? Is that why I can’t go in there? Daddy always makes me pick up all my toys at the end of the day or I can’t have my friends over to play.” The way everyone is laughing at Bri’s sweet innocence, I can tell there’s a story here.
“Toy room?” I whisper, inhaling the scent of her shampoo.
“Think Fifty Shades. Not Sesame Street.”
“Really?” I ask, pulling away to gauge if she’s telling me the truth or not.
“Dead serious.”
“Can I see it?”
“No! I don’t even want to know what’s in there. My grandparents use that room, Dean.”
“All right, all right.” I turn her and tuck her against my chest. Together, we watch as Levi and Abby play with Bri by the swing set. “Maybe we should build our own red room of pain.”
She tenses against me and slowly turns her head. “You know about the red room of pain?”
“I’ve seen the movie.”
“Really?”
“And read the book,” I confess.
“Shut. Up.”
I shrug. “I wanted to see what all the hype was about.”
“And?” she asks, eyes wide with excitement.
“Had to jerk off every night for a week while I read it.”
The glorious sound of her laughter fills the air. “I’m sure that was a terrible hardship.”