by Toni Aleo
Charlie scoffs. “Then hey, maybe you should date Mom,” he teases.
I look up, rolling my eyes. “Charlie, cut it out.”
He laughs as I meet Lincoln’s heated gaze, his lips pursing toward me. “On that note, I’m getting out of here. You guys have a nice weekend.”
Charlie mumbles something along the lines of having to go to his dad’s, which I feel for him, but I’m excited for my weekend because it involves that man right there.
When the boys come barreling down the stairs to say bye to Lincoln, I reach for another envelope as Charlie leans on the island. “Do you need help?”
I smile. “Unless you have money for all these bills, then it’s my job.”
He smiles weakly, and I return to what I’m doing. I glance at him a few times, surprised he is still sitting there when usually he’s hiding from me. “Everything okay, love?”
He looks up to me and nods. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Okay.”
“It’s just…”
He pauses, and I glance up to him once more. “Just?”
He struggles with his words as he moves his fingers together. “Do you miss Dad?”
I pause what I’m doing. “No, love, I don’t.”
“So you don’t think you two would ever get back together?”
“I don’t,” I say without hesitation. “He’s moved on.”
“But you haven’t.”
I blink in confusion. “No, but I’m busy with you, Louis, and Elliot, and my job.”
He slowly nods. “But are you happy?”
A smile pulls at my lips. “Oh, Charlie, I’m so much happier now than I was before. I can promise you that.”
“I feel like you are. You’ve been smiling a lot.”
“I have a lot to smile for. Three wonderful boys, a great career…”
And a really great man who seems to really like me. I can’t say that, though.
Not yet.
“But don’t you worry about me, my love. It’s my job to worry for you, not the other way around.”
His eyes cut to mine, and the love in them rattles me to the core. “I’ll always worry for you. You’re my mom.”
I reach out, taking his face in my hand. “I love you so much, Charlie.”
He leans into my hand and nods. “I love you too, Mom.”
When he gets up, I ask, “So you tongue-kissed Crystal today?”
His head falls back as he groans. “I’m going to kill you guys!”
When he runs off and the twins start screaming, I just shake my head. It’s almost like old times. The kids being crazy and trying to kill each other. It’s refreshing. I can’t help but grin at the fact they said I should date Lincoln. Did they suspect something? Should I be worried? I don’t know if they’re ready for that. Or maybe I’m stalling because if I tell the boys, then this is real, and it being real scares me.
Because I can get hurt.
But all that goes away when I see a letter from the boys’ school.
I know that letterhead; it’s from the financial department.
Opening the letter quickly, my heart pounding in my chest, I feel nothing but pure rage.
Simon told the school I was to pay half of the boys’ tuition.
“That son of a bitch.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Vera
I didn’t sleep.
I was so angry, I couldn’t.
Simon is lucky the boys were home when I got the letter. When they went to bed, though, I tried calling him, but he didn’t answer.
Fucking coward.
But I knew his work phone.
Lincoln told me to talk to my lawyer first, but there is no need. I am not obligated to pay this, and I won’t. Lincoln tried to calm me down; he even gave me a back rub until he heard the boys coming, but it didn’t help. I was furious. Especially after talking to someone at the school that morning.
As the phone rings, I tap my toe to the floor, my eyes wide and full of anger.
When he finally picks up, my voice drops an octave. “You are delusional if you think I’m paying for half the boys’ school.”
“Vera. How nice to—”
“Fuck you, Simon,” I bite out. “How dare you? I called the school. You gave them all my information and told them to come after me for the money? That I was a deadbeat mother who didn’t want to pay for my sons’ tuition? It’s not my fucking job!”
“I can’t afford it.”
“Then we pull them! That’s what normal people do. They don’t call the kids’ school and badmouth the mom to them! I have to face these fucking people more than you do. How dare you?”
“You’re blowing—”
“I am a great fucking mother, Simon, and you know it. That’s why you’re doing this, because if I won’t pay it, it’s more change the boys will have to go through. You know I don’t want that, so you’re trying to make me the bad guy.”
“I mean, if the shoe fits.”
“You son of a bitch. I’m not paying! I will pull them and blame it all on you.”
“And I’ll say it isn’t my fault. Since you’re doing the pulling, I’m sure they’ll believe me.”
My jaw drops. “Why are you doing this to me? I wasn’t the one who left you; you left me. I don’t understand why you are making my life so hard.”
“Because I hate you.”
I hate how surprised I am at the statement. It is so out of the blue. “Well, please, don’t fucking hold back.”
“You were never there for me—”
“Because you were fucking anyone with tits, Simon. Instead of being with me—”
“You worked all the time!”
“After the fifth time you cheated, yeah, I did go to work. I had to, but even so, I’m a good mom just as you’re a good dad, and I don’t know why you want to do this. Why you want to fight with me. Can’t we just raise the boys?”
“No, because you’re trying to replace me!”
“Oh, for the love of God.”
“I bet you’re fucking him.”
“Jesus, Simon. Are you that jealous of him? He doesn’t want to be you. He doesn’t even care about you. All he cares about is the boys.”
“They’re my boys, and all they do is talk about him. Lincoln this, Lincoln that, Lincoln loves this. It’s fucking annoying.”
“So because the boys actually like the nanny, you are treating me like shit? I don’t understand why. He isn’t replacing you—”
“You have to be fucking him to back him up this hard.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I inhale deeply. “Even if I were, I wouldn’t admit it to you. And another thing—none of this has anything to do with the fact that you have to pay for the school if you want them to go there. I’ll have Lincoln homeschool them. I don’t care.”
He scoffs. “He isn’t qualified for that.”
“Actually, he is. If you read all the paperwork I sent you on him, you’d know that.”
“I won’t approve that.”
“Well, I won’t take them out of a school and put them in a new one when I have the option. So you can pay this, or Lincoln can homeschool. The ball is in your court.”
He growls in frustration. “You’re the one making this hard.”
“No, you are, and for the first time, it’s my turn to say, I’ll take you to court over this.”
“You fucking bitch.”
I glare. “If that’s all—”
“You know what? I don’t know why I thought he would fuck you—you’re awful. Boring. Worthless. Which is why no one wants you. They never have. That’s why I had to always take care of you. Out of fucking pity.”
I press my lips together. “We have nothing else to say—”
The line goes dead.
Biting on my lip, I close my eyes as I let my head fall to the desk.
Why do I let his words hurt me so badly? I know none of it is true, but I can’t shake his nasty words. And what bothers me the
most is now I’m thinking about Lincoln. What if he is with me because he feels sorry for me?
But I know that isn’t true.
I try not to think of what Phillip told me, because it scares me. I mean, it is so early… How in the world could Lincoln even be thinking of forever with me? Wouldn’t he get bored of me? What if I am worthless and awful? What if he just really likes being in bed with me, and when things get hard, he runs?
Cheat on me.
I hate Simon.
For he could be the reason I lose Lincoln.
When a knock comes at my door, I look up and ask, “Yes? Come in.”
I fully expect it to be my assistant or even Richard, but when Lincoln pops his head in, my face breaks into a grin. “You.”
“Hey. Is this the fancy dancy Ms. Woods’s office?”
I stand up, coming around the desk as he comes in holding a big vase of roses.
“Because if it is, her boyfriend came to cheer her up.”
Her boyfriend…
Oh wow.
I want to say it’s the roses that have me gasping for air, but it’s him. He blows my world to smithereens. He comes toward me, and I’m in awe of him as he sets the vase on my desk. “I mean, you said you worked all the time, but I didn’t know you were like hot shit here.”
I scoff. “I’m not.”
“Yeah, you are. I asked to see Ms. Woods, and everyone straightened up when I said your name.”
I grin back at him. “Oh, it’s nothing, but Lincoln, these roses are stunning.”
“Nah, you are,” he says, pulling me into his arms as his mouth comes down on mine. I haven’t kissed him in what seems like forever, and hell, I missed his lips. Melting into him, I deepen the kiss, needing it. Pulling away, he takes my chin between his forefinger and thumb. “You’ve been crying.”
I swallow hard. “No.”
“Liar, I can tell. Your makeup is gone.”
Holding his gaze, I try to think when Simon even noticed I had cried. He hadn’t, and most of the time it was because of him, but Lincoln noticed. “Simon is a dick.”
“Well, I know this.”
I shrug. “He called the school and told them I was a deadbeat mom.”
His brows pull together. “When did you find that out?” He moves a piece of my hair behind my ear.
“I called on my way in.”
“What a jackass.”
“Exactly,” I say softly, moving my hands along his chest. “It’s been a shitty morning. He said some shitty things.”
He moves his hand into my hair, tipping my head back. “Like what?”
I shrug, not wanting to tell him.
“Tell me.”
I swallow hard, looking down at his chest. “That he pitied me, which is why he stayed with me for so long. Said I was boring and worthless. Just a bunch of bullshit.”
“Right. Bullshit. You know none of that is true.”
I look up at him and want to ask him if everything Phillip said is true. But I don’t think I want to know. At least not this way. All I know is that he likes me and wants to be with me. But what if Phillip is right and my fears of Lincoln changing his mind are true? It absolutely rattles me, and I hate that. “He just fucks with me. That’s all.”
His eyes burn into mine as he tips my head back, kissing my jaw. I want to ignore my crazy thoughts because when he looks at me like that, I have to believe he wants to be with me. But I was with a man who cheated left and right but looked me in the eyes like he loved me.
So what do I know?
“Want me to make it all go away?”
My body catches on fire. “How do you propose to do that?”
I’m breathless as his beard scratches down my neck. “I could take you right here, on this desk.”
When he bends down, taking me by the back of the knees, I wrap my arms around his neck. “Lincoln!”
He chuckles against my mouth as he sits me on the desk. “I could eat you right here, make you scream for me as I lick your clit and suck it into my mouth.”
I draw in a deep breath as his eyes bore into mine.
“And then I can take you over this desk, from behind, slamming into you until everyone in this office knows how their boss sounds when she is really excited.”
My eyes widen. “You wouldn’t.”
“I wouldn’t?” His lips turn up like the Cheshire cat’s.
“You would.”
“I would.”
And I would let him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lincoln
I move my hands up her thighs, and my body goes tight from the feel of her sweet thighs on my palms. Her eyes are dark as she grins against my lips, looking so fucking beautiful I can’t stand it. I wish that grin never left her lovely face. I hate what Simon does to her. He’s such a douche. But she’s stronger than she realizes, and I’ll always be there beside her, cheering her on.
I sweep my tongue along her lips, and then she scoots to the end of the desk, wrapping her legs around my waist as she opens her mouth for me. I slide my hands up her thighs, taking her ass in them as she deepens the kiss. I have missed her so much. While I know we have the weekend, I can’t wait. I need her, and something told me she needed me today.
Pressing myself into her center, I pull my lips from hers, gazing into her eyes as I squeeze her ass. Nothing is said as our eyes stay locked, her fingers playing along the back of my neck while I mold her ass in my hands. I don’t know what is happening, but I refuse to let it stop. Moving up her hips, I take her panties in my hands, pulling them down and off her legs before throwing them to the floor. Her eyes are swirling with such desire and heat that my cock strains against my pants.
Holding my gaze, she moves her hands down my body and undoes my pants before taking my cock and running her fingers along the tip of me. Taking in a rough breath, I watch as she puts her heels on her desk, opening herself for me, before guiding me inside her. Disappearing inside her, I groan against her mouth.
Taking her back in my hands, I move into her, so slowly I almost can’t handle it. One thing is for sure, her eyes are driving me insane. They’re so dark, her face flushing as I move in and out of her. Her pussy so wet and wanton, just for me. Cupping her by the back of the neck, I drink in her beauty as I continue to move into her slowly. I don’t want this to end. I want to be right here for the rest of my existence.
Laying my forehead to hers, I move my nose along hers as she squeezes me with her tight pussy. Gasping against her lips, I squeeze her neck as I still inside her. I’m about to blow, and I’m just not ready. When she opens her eyes, her lips parting, I can’t stop myself. “You are better than he is.” Her eyes widen a bit as I go on. “You are beautiful. Stunning actually, and you deserve the fucking world, Vera. The whole thing.” She takes in a breath, her lips pressing to my bottom one, and I don’t move. Needing her more than ever. “When it’s all said and done, the boys will know who loves them the most and who never bad-mouthed the other. They admire you for your strength just as I do.” She brings her hands to my face, moving her thumbs along my beard as I hold her gaze. “You blow me away, Vera. Honestly.”
She pulls me closer, her lips meeting mine, and when she sweeps that sweet tongue along mine, I can’t handle it. Holding her by her ankles, I thrust into her, her mouth never leaving mine as I continue to pound into her sweet pussy. She feels like heaven, and with each thrust, I feel myself falling harder and harder for her. I don’t know if that’s smart since I don’t know what she is feeling, but real love isn’t a waste of time.
And Vera is no waste of time.
She’s everything.
When her lips pause against mine, I gather her in my arms, picking her up off the desk before her legs wrap around me. I thrust up into her as she holds on, her mouth never leaving mine. She kisses me like she never will again. From the combination of her kiss and my cock deep in her, my balls go so tight that soon I can’t stop my release. Groaning against her mouth, I jerk up
inside her as she squeezes my body with her lovely thighs.
I carry her to the side of the room and press her into the wall as our mouths continue to move with each other, our tongues teasing as our hearts pound in time together. I’ve never in my life felt so fucking complete, and when I pull back for a deep breath, I almost come once more at the sight of her.
“Stunning.”
Her face is flushed, her lips swollen, while her eyes are bright and full of such life. I know I didn’t cure her shitty day, but maybe, just maybe, I made it a little bit better.
For she has made my life.
Moving her fingers along my jaw, she cups my face before kissing my nose. “You’re too good to me, Lincoln.”
I inhale hard. “I can be better.”
Her eyes widen. “I don’t think I could handle that.”
“Well, get ready, ’cause I’m nowhere near done.”
A sneaky little grin pulls at her lips. “It means the world to me that you came here today,” she whispers against my lips.
“I wanted to make your day.”
“You did.”
Her lips curve as she presses them to mine and our arms tangle with each other. Fuck, I want so desperately for this to be for forever.
But then we’re interrupted.
She pulls back when her phone goes off. She looks at me as she says, “Yeah?”
“Ms. Woods, there is an email from accounting that needs your attention at your earliest convenience.”
“I will get right on that,” she calls.
When the line goes dead, I smile. “Gotta get back to work?”
She nods. “Unfortunately. Can we continue this later?”
“Absolutely,” I say, kissing her once more as I pull out of her, lowering her to her feet.
Looking up at me as I tuck myself back in my jeans, she grins. “Thank goodness I have baby wipes.”
I laugh as she heads to her desk and grabs her wipes before cleaning up. “Hey.”
She looks up at me, her hands between her legs as she gives me a goofy grin. “Yeah?”
“How do you feel about telling the boys?”
She looks away, her shoulders going tight as she throws the baby wipes away. “I thought we said after they went with Simon?”