by L. P. Maxa
His words send a shiver down my spine. I pulled back, looking at him. “Well, that was fucking hot.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded. “Fuck yeah. Take your pants off.”
***
We were lying in bed, side by side, playing our favorite zombie game. “Hey, I told Landry about everyone she is meeting with tomorrow.”
He pressed pause. “What did she say? Was she overwhelmed?”
I shook my head, unpausing the game and then firing off a few shots into an undead adversary. “Not at all, she seemed fine with everything.” I nudged him with my leg. “Everything is going to be fine, love. This house is full of warmth and family; we are going to get Landry all squared away emotionally. The courts are going to laugh in her mom’s face when she tries to get her back.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they will…but courts and lawyers mean that Landry is going to have to face her mom again. She’ll have to testify, relive the abandonment.” He hit pause again and leaned his head against the headboard.
I took his face in my hands. “You’re right, and that sucks. But that’s also the end. It’s happily ever after from then on, right?”
He smiled. “Right.”
Landry
Today was such a good day. When I was with Jacks and Bryan, it felt like we were a family. Like I was one of those happy kids from school that had two parents that cared about them. Jacks was my dad, and I was pretty sure that he and Bryan were more than friends…but that didn’t mean she wanted to be my mom. I didn’t know if I was even allowed to have another mom. Maybe you only got one, and if that one sucked, then too bad. We did so many fun things today, and we laughed so much. It was the best day I’d ever had.
I was a little nervous about all the people I had to meet tomorrow. My teachers always seemed to like me okay, when my mom bothered to take me to school, that is. But this counselor person? What if they told Jacks and Bryan that I was crazy, that I wasn’t a good kid? Maybe they would see the same things my mom saw. My mom was never a good mom, but she left me for a reason. And even though I tried real hard, I couldn’t figure out what that reason was.
Chapter Twenty-three
Jacks
Today was a long-as-fuck day. I went to the doctor first thing and waited there for over an hour. I made them rush the tests; I needed to get inside Bryan, sans condoms, tonight. Then the band and I had a conference call with the label, which consisted of a lot of arguing and threatening, from both sides. In the end they admitted they loved the demo we sent them. We could make the album we wanted to make, but if it didn’t sell, they were dropping us. Either way, we were free to write what we wanted, so we spent hours doing just that. I went upstairs long enough to hop on the Skype call that Bryan had scheduled with my GC. I knew the other guys were content letting the girls take care of all the house shit that needed to be done, but Bryan was already doing so much for me and Landry. I couldn’t put all that on her shoulders as well. I scrubbed my hands down my face, pulling my phone out to see I’d missed a call from the doctor’s office. I clicked the voicemail button and queued up the message. I’d left them very specific instructions to let me know if I was good. Whether I answered or not. I smiled listening to the nurse tell me I was all clear. I wanted to jump around and do a happy dance. I settled with texting my girl.
J: Doctor called
B: And?
J: We’re good to go, doll.
B: Would this be a bad time to tell you I’m not on birth control?
J: That’s not funny.
B: I’m not joking.
J: Fine. I’ll knock you up. I already have one kid, what’s another one?
B: I can’t tell if you’re joking…
J: That makes two of us…
B: I’m on the pill.
J: I know. I saw them in the bathroom the other day.
B: You’re weird. Come upstairs and meet Landry’s new tutor.
J: Be up in five.
“Dude.” I looked up at the sound of Dash’s irritated voice. “Will you get off your phone so we can finish this riff?”
I popped my knuckles. It was a bad habit but I’d been playing the same chords over and over and my fingers were starting to cramp. “I can’t, I have to go meet Landry’s new tutor.”
Luke twirled his sticks in the air, like a boss. “That’s what had you grinning like a madman? Meeting Landry’s tutor?”
I stood, putting my phone back in my pocket. “Nah. I was texting B. She makes me laugh.” She also made my dick hard as fuck, but they didn’t need to hear that. “I’m heading up, y’all staying down here?”
Smith sat his bass on its stand. “I think I’m done for today too. Let’s just pick back up here in the morning.”
Dash rolled his eyes but followed us up the stairs anyway. He really wanted to get as much of this album completed as possible before the baby was born. We all headed into the kitchen, where the girls were gathered around the island. I looked over at Smith; his eyebrows were raised in question. I just shrugged, I had no idea what was going on either. All I knew was that I was supposed to come meet Landry’s tutor. “Hey, ladies. What’s up?” None of them turned to look at me, but Lexi did manage a shushing motion behind her back with her hand. Once we got to the edge of the kitchen, I realized the problem. There was a very cut, very Australian man standing in the middle of the room. I rolled my eyes and headed through the crowd of every female that lived in our house.
The man stopped his story as soon as he saw me. He held his hand out. “Hey, mate, you must be Jacks. Nice to meet you! I’m John.”
I took his hand. “John. Nice to meet you too. I see you’ve met all the girls…” Even the ones you won’t be working with. His smile was nothing but genuine and friendly. Poor guy didn’t even know that he’d walked into a room full of chicks with very possessive boyfriends. We couldn’t help it, we were used to being the sexiest men in the room. But accents mattered. Just ask Smith.
“Yeah, yeah. I met with little Landry here and Bryan. Then everyone else came home. I didn’t interrupt you guys in the studio, did I?”
I shook my head. “No. We were done.” I looked over at Landry; she was wearing the same goofy grin as the rest of them. “Buttercup, you approve?”
She blushed and nodded.
I clapped John on the shoulder. “Looks like you’re hired, man. I’m assuming you and my girlfriend worked out a schedule?” I was very subtly leading him toward the door. And letting him know that Bryan was off-limits.
He nodded. “Yeah, mate, we did.”
I opened the front door. “All right, great! Well, thanks so much for agreeing to help Landry. We’ll see you soon?”
He chuckled. “You’ll see me soon.” He wasn’t stupid; he knew I wanted him out of the house and away from my girlfriend.
When I went back into the kitchen, Bryan was trying to hide a smile by pressing her lips together. I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her toward me. “Well, he seems lovely.”
“He does, doesn’t he? And he’s a genius. Like, literally, a genius. Plus, Landry and he hit it off.”
I snorted. “I’m sure he hits it off with all females, no matter the age. He’s quite charming.” I looked around the room. “Where did everyone go?”
“Dash grabbed Lexi and pulled her down the hall when she tried to follow you and John toward the door. Luke took Landry to the studio. He promised her they could practice for an hour tonight. And Smith threw Dylan over his shoulder and took her upstairs when she asked if he could talk with an Australian accent.”
I fisted my hands in her hair. “Does that mean that we have an hour alone?”
Bryan grinned. “After all that I just told you, all you heard was that Landry will be in the studio for an hour?”
I leaned down, kissing her behind her ear. “Fuck. Yes.” I picked her up, loving the feel of her legs wrapping around my waist. Loving how easy it came, to touch like that. “I have been thinking about doing this, like this, all damn day.�
�
Bryan put her arms around my neck, taking my earlobe in her mouth before giggling. “All you’ve been thinking about all day is fudging without a condom?”
I reached the top of the stairs and headed into our room. “I’ve been thinking about bare-backing my girlfriend all day, yes.” I shut and locked the door, bypassed the bed and then sat B down on the bathroom counter. “It made for some very interesting song suggestions.” I winked at her before closing and locking both bathroom doors and turning on the shower.
She glanced around the small room. “What’s with all the locked doors and noise reducers?”
I stalked back over to her, settling myself between her legs. “It’s to help block out all the sounds you’re about to make.” When she narrowed her eyes, I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Don’t even deny it, doll. Last night I had to put my hand over your mouth.” I kissed her little frown, sweeping my tongue inside her mouth. “No worries, baby. I loved it.” I removed my shirt and let my jeans fall to the floor.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “This is how you want to do this? The first time without a condom, a quick romp on the bathroom counter?”
I grabbed her shorts and panties and pulled them off at the same time. “No. This is the way I have to do this.” I glided two fingers inside her tight pussy, causing her to bite her lower lip. “I’ve never done this before,” that I can actually remember, “and I know that feeling you, skin on skin, is going to feel too good.” I stroked her walls, working her up, making her wet enough for me to add a third finger. “I won’t last nearly as long as I’d like. So, we’ll do it this way, and then tonight when I have you naked in our bed…I can stay inside you for hours.” She placed her arms on my shoulders, letting her forehead rest against mine. She was panting. Her thighs were clenching around me. She was close, too close. I stilled my hand. “You ready, baby?” She nodded, breathless. I positioned my cock right where it longed to be. I inched in slowly. This time when I kissed her neck and whispered in her ear it was just as much for my distraction as hers. I could barely breathe; feeling her like this was better than anything I could have ever imagined. My drug, my new addiction, just became a habit I was more than fucking proud of. “God, baby.”
She dug her heels into my ass. “I’m okay, I want it all.”
I pulled out and thrust back in, farther. I just couldn’t really fit at this angle. “I need…more room.” I put my hand at the base of her throat, pushing her back and making enough space for me to slip the rest of the way in. I had one hand at her neck and one hand on her hip. “Doll?”
Her eyes locked with mine. “I’m fine. Promise.”
That was all the reassurance I needed. I pulled out and nailed back in. My legs started to shake; it was too much. Feeling her like this, seeing her like this. She was every man’s fucking wet dream, and she’d agreed to be all mine, mine.
“Oh, god, Jacks.” She put her hands on my waist, guiding me, making me take her rougher. Harder. “Don’t stop.”
Thank fuck she was close. Because I was barely hanging on. “So. Fucking, Good. Doll.” Each word was punctuated with my hips, hammering into her. She was moaning, panting. If I hadn’t turned the shower on, someone would have heard us.
“Jacks!” She screamed my name as she shattered around me. The feel of her already tight core milking my dick was the icing on the cake. I came—hard, loud, and inside her.
***
We were all gathered around the dining room table; Luke and Landry had ordered Chinese while the rest of the house had been…occupied. “Buttercup, how was your lesson?”
She smiled but looked to Luke. Seeking his praise. “She is going to be one hell of a drummer.” He winked at her then turned to me. “She’s really good, bro. She’s a natural.”
“Do we need to get her her own set? Something smaller?” I took a huge bite of lo mein, then washed it down with my beer. Chinese food, sex, beer, and a drum prodigy for a daughter. My life was AH-mazing.
Luke shook his head. “You know, I really don’t think so, man. She’s doing remarkably well with my practice set.”
Landry was smiling, ear to ear.
Luke turned to B. “When does she have tutoring? What days?”
“Uh, John comes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from ten to twelve.” Luke opened his mouth, but Bryan wasn’t finished. “Then Dr. Mark, the counselor, comes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from two to three. And Landry asked if she could take swim lessons, so those are on Wednesdays from three to four.”
Holy hell, my kid was busy. Was that okay? For kids to be so busy like that? I mean she needed the tutoring and the counselor, but the swim and drums? Was it too much? Bryan didn’t seem to think so, and Dylan wasn’t bitching at the other end of the table. So I assumed it was okay….
Luke chuckled. “All right, looks like you and me can hang out evenings and mornings.”
Hmmm…Luke was usually hung over every morning, and ready to go out every night… I looked around the table. Lexi wore a satisfied smile and Bryan winked at me. These girls ran this place and everyone in it, and most of the time we were oblivious. My soft laughter was cut off when I heard the doorbell ring. I was instantly terrified. Diane wouldn’t come here so late at night and everyone I knew was seated around this table. It had to be Landry’s mom. “I’ll get it.” I stood and looked around the table, making sure everyone understood that Landry was to stay away. I took a deep breath and opened the door. Once again I was faced with a wisp of a woman. She was so thin, so damn empty. It was clear to see that neglect wasn’t her only problem. “You shouldn’t be here.” I knew without a doubt that child protective services had told her not to come to the house, that they would set up supervised visits when the time was right.
“I need to see her. I need to make sure she is okay.” She tried to look over my shoulder into the house.
I shook my head, standing taller. “You should have thought of that before you abandoned her for over a week. You’ll only upset her. She doesn’t want to see you.”
“She’s my daughter!”
I took a step toward her, my hands clenched at my sides. “She is our daughter. And I won’t let you hurt her, ever again. Now, leave.”
I stepped back, about to shut the door in her face, when I heard Landry behind me. “Mom?”
My heart hit the floor. The fear in her voice was undeniable.
Bryan rushed into the entryway, scooping Landry into her arms. But it was too late, the damage was done. My daughter was in tears, sobbing in fear that she would have to go back with her mom.
Amelia took a step forward. “Landry, baby?” Seemingly confused as to why Landry would be upset at seeing her. This lady was crazier than I thought.
Bryan headed up the stairs with Landry, and I stepped onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind me. “Are you happy now? Does it make you happy to see her like that? To see her cry? What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why are you doing this to her? You left! Do you even understand that? She’s just a child. That damn house could have burned down with her inside it!”
It was barely visible, but a sliver of sadness passed across her face. She spoke quietly, the harshness from earlier gone. “She’s all I have.”
I ran a shaking hand through my hair. “You need to leave. I’m filing a complaint with CPS and I’m reporting this to my lawyers. If you come here again, I’ll get a restraining order issued.”
“A girl’s place is with her mother. The courts are going to see that.” She took in the house behind me. “Money doesn’t matter.”
I nodded. “You’re right, money doesn’t matter. Love, family, safety, stability. That’s what matters. And that’s what she has here.” Some of the fight was leaving me. If Landry wasn’t upstairs crying, I might have even felt some empathy for this woman.
“Who was that girl? The one who came and picked Landry up?”
I put my hands on my hips. “That’s my girlfriend, Bryan.”
She let out a humorl
ess laugh. “You think the judge will like that? The current chick you’re screwing being in our daughter’s life?” Her eyes hardened again. “I’ll see you in court.”
Chapter Twenty-four
Bryan
I was sitting in our bed, wearing nothing but one of Jacks’s vintage band tees, waiting for him to tuck Landry into bed. It had taken us over an hour to calm her down after she saw her mom at the front door. Her sanctuary had been breached. And there was nothing any of us could do to give her back that feeling of safety. At least not right now. It was just becoming more and more evident that her mom had no idea what it took to be a parent, to put your child’s needs and feelings above your own. I’d only been with Landry for a week, and I had already figured that out. How her mom had nine years with her and was still clueless was beyond me. Jacks came into the room, shut the door, and launched himself on the bed—landing expertly between my legs. “Nice.”
He chuckled. “Your pussy is like a magnet for my dick.”
I wrapped my legs around his chest, squeezing mercilessly. “You want to talk about it?”
He shook his head. “I actually don’t. If I talk about it, I’ll get angry all over again. And right now, I don’t want to be angry. Landry is sleeping peacefully and you are here in our bed. So for tonight, I want to pretend that Amelia doesn’t exist. That okay?”
It was okay. It was more than okay. Because come tomorrow morning, when Landry woke up and remembered seeing her mom, we’d have to start calming her down all over again. So I nodded, smoothing his hair back off his forehead. “Hey, are you good with all the activities I set up for Landry? You seemed a little…perplexed at dinner tonight.”
He rested his chin on my stomach. “As long as Landry is happy, and she wants to do the extras like swim and drums, then I’m good.” He kissed my stomach, making my breath hitch in my chest. It seemed like such an intimate, loving gesture, probably because Dash did it to Lexi’s pregnant belly all the time. “Did you make early mornings and late evenings the only time she could work with Luke on purpose?”