Can't Fight It (Fair Lakes Book 3)

by Kaylee Ryan

“Back when I was about nine, we begged our parents to get a TV out here for at night. Dad insisted we come down and sit by the fire, but Chase and I were too cool for that. So, they found that tiny piece of hardware at a yard sale, and when they brought it out on one of our trips, we were so excited to watch it. Little did we know, there was no cable or anything. For two years, that television sat right there on that shelf and mocked us.”

  A bubble of laughter spills from my lips. “That’s funny.”

  Colton shrugs. “We made do without one, honestly. We had bunk beds at the time, and usually, we’d sit around and tell ghost stories or build a blanket fort. When I was eleven, we brought an old Atari gaming system out here. I think that bad boy is still in the closet,” he says with a fond smile.

  With a smirk, I look his way. “I had one too when I was little. I was kickass at Donkey Kong.”

  Colton pulls me into his arms once more. “Really? I was the Tetris king.”

  I slip my arms around his waist and press my chest against him. “Maybe someday we can play. Together.” Oh, there’s definitely a little innuendo in my comment.

  He just smiles. “No one else I’d rather play with. Come on, there’s dinner in the oven. We can sit in front of the fire.”

  Dinner ended up being grilled salmon with vegetables and twice-baked potatoes. Apparently, Chase wasn’t the only one in on this little night away. Their mom also left a bottle of sweet white wine chilled in the refrigerator. Together, we dish up two plates on older mismatched plates and head into the living room. When he returns to pour us each a glass of wine, I take the opportunity to look out the sliding glass door to the lake.

  “My dad, Chase, and I spent an entire summer remodeling this place when we were in high school,” Colton says as he sets two glasses of wine down on the coffee table. “I remember not being very happy about being stuck inside all damn day. There was this girl a few properties down who was a freshman in college. She used to sunbathe beside the water, and if I was stuck inside, I couldn’t casually stroll by and check her out,” he adds with a chuckle.

  “Pervy,” I tease.

  “I was sixteen. Hell yes, I was pervy. I was just learning what that thing between my legs was for,” he states as he waits for me to take my seat and then joins me. We’re sitting across from each other, legs crisscrossed under the aged coffee table.

  “So, tell me about the remodeling,” I encourage as I cut off a piece of flakey salmon.

  “Well, the cabin was solid but was in desperate need of some updating. We installed new windows and doors, which helped a lot in the winter. We reinsulated and then added the paneling to the ceiling upstairs and then shingled the roof. Did you know Chase is afraid of heights?” he asks with a chuckle.

  “Really?”

  “Terrified. He pretended to be big and bad, but every time he was asked to run something up the ladder, he practically pissed his pants,” he tells me. Even though he’s poking fun at his brother, I can see the love clearly in his eyes.

  “Well, I’m not really a fan, either,” I confess. “So, if you plan any roofing projects, you’ll have to find another helper.”

  We eat in silence for several minutes, both of us enjoying our food. “This place is great,” I finally tell him. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

  As he stabs an asparagus spear, he says, “I’m hoping to bring you here a lot, Hollis. And Milo. My parents don’t use this place as much as they used to. They’ve taken to sightseeing around the US. Chase used it every once in a while when I was in the Army, but for the most part, this place sits empty a lot.”

  I give him a smile. “Well, let’s use it. You can teach me how to fish.”

  “You don’t know how to fish?”

  I shake my head. “I’ve never been, and I have to be honest, the thought of touching a slimy fish kinda freaks me out.”

  “I’ll help you. You and Milo. I can’t wait to bring him here and watch him play. All of us here, together. As a family.”

  I’m smiling so wide, my face hurts. And my heart? It feels like there’s no way I could possibly love this man anymore, yet here I am, falling further and further in love with him every day.

  When the food is gone, I reach across the coffee table and take his hand. “So, I was thinking.”

  “About?” he asks as he brings our joined hands to his mouth and runs his lips over my knuckles.

  “The wedding.”

  Now, he’s all ears. “Tell me.”

  “What if we do what Chase and Gabby did? And got married here?”

  His smile is absolutely breathtaking. “To be honest, I don’t care where we marry, as long as you’re officially mine at the end of the day, but to get married here? Yeah, that’s perfect for me, babe.” Then his lips are on mine, slightly awkward, since he’s leaning across the table.

  When I pry my lips from his, I ask, “How about the end of March? That gives us three months to plan. It should be enough time for Mom and Tina to plan their trip too.”

  Again, his lips brush over mine. “That’s perfect. So fucking perfect, Hollis.”

  “Do you think Gabby and Chase would mind? I mean, we’re sort of copying them.”

  “They won’t care, sweetheart. This place means as much to Chase as it does me. I bet they’ll be honored,” he tells me, again sweeping his lips across mine.

  And then he moves, shoving aside the coffee table and sending our drink glasses flying as he lays me back on the large rug. The fire is roaring, just like the blood in my ears. Colton presses his body into mine, covering me from head to toe. His hands are everywhere. My jaw, my hair, my neck. Everywhere he touches, his lips aren’t too far behind.

  “I think you have a thing for making love in front of a fireplace,” I tease, recalling our very first time together.

  “I have a thing for Hollis and making love to her anywhere and everywhere,” he tells me without removing his lips as they graze across my collarbone. He continues to blaze a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses to every sliver of exposed skin. When he realizes I’m wearing too many clothes, he slowly pushes my sweater up and over my head, which is quickly followed by the removal of my blue jeans. He also relieves me of my matching bra and panty set, and considering the bottom part was already soaked, they weren’t doing me any good anyway. “That’s better.” He grins a full-watt smile just before his mouth pounces.

  First, he starts at my chest, licking and sucking on my nipples. Only after they’ve both received enough attention, he starts his descent downward. Colton attacks my pussy like a man possessed, and in only a handful of seconds, has me teetering on the edge of release. My fingers grip his hair, and my hips gyrate against his face all on their own.

  When he thrusts two thick fingers into my body, my orgasm slams into me like a tsunami. I can barely control my limbs, let alone my voice. “Colton,” I groan, riding his tongue and the waves of my release.

  He’s up and removing his clothes before the tremors subside, his eyes locked on me. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you come.” He strips off his long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and boxer briefs within seconds. “I love hearing you scream my name,” he adds as he pulls a condom from his pocket and sheaths his hard length.

  Colton stretches out over the top of me once more, lining us up perfectly. My legs wrap around his hips as he flexes forward, filling me completely. We both sigh. Together.

  My hands grip his hard ass, but he refuses to budge. He’s taking his time, savoring the feel of our union, and cementing our emotional connection from now to eternity. I don’t even know why, but tears burn my eyes. I try to blink them away, but of course, Colton sees them. He stops moving. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I reassure him, shaking my head. “I just… love you so much.”

  His smile is soft as he gazes down at me. He runs his palm up my jaw, caressing my cheek, as he replies, “I love you too. So fucking much.”

  And then he moves.

  Finally.

 
; Not slow and unhurried, but with passion and vigor. A second orgasm starts to build as his cock slides along my G-spot. With each thrust, I see stars, feel the power of the release looming just within grasp. He brings his lips back to mine and kisses me with the same passion his body is displaying.

  “Come for me, sweetheart.”

  So I do. I cry out his name a second time, but I’m not alone. He’s there with me, gasping and shaking as he whispers my name. The moment he stops moving, his body sags against mine. I welcome the weight of his body, the heat of his skin, the tenderness of his touch. Colton rolls to the side, taking me with him. I’m tucked securely against his chest, our legs intertwined.

  “I was thinking,” I start, sighing against his skin.

  “If you’re thinking, Hollis, I don’t think I did a very good job.” He chuckles.

  I snort. “No, you did that perfectly. I was thinking about something else.”

  “Let me hear it.”

  “After the wedding, I’d love to go somewhere warm and tropical for our honeymoon.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Maybe Costa Rica or Tahiti. I’ve always wanted to go to both of those countries, but never really had a reason.”

  “I think a honeymoon would be the best reason of all,” he sighs, his thick fingers lazily stroking my back.

  I know we should get up and take care of our mess, but I don’t really feel like moving, and I can assume Colton’s in the same boat. We lie together for several minutes, just breathing. I’m not sure how my life went from chaos to absolute perfection, but it did. In a matter of weeks, I found the person I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with.

  And his son.

  The most spectacular little boy, who just so happens to call me mama. How did I get so lucky?

  Snuggling in even closer, I whisper, “I’m ready.”

  “Ready for what?” he asks through a yawn, even though it’s still fairly early in the evening.

  I glance up and meet his gaze. “To spend the rest of my life with you.”

  The smile says it all. “That actually works out perfectly because I’m so fucking ready too.” His lips graze softly over mine. “From the moment I saw you, I knew. Every day, I feel it, my love for you. I can’t fight it.”

  “Me either.”

  After a few more minutes, we finally get up off the floor. Colton takes care of securing the screen in front of the fire while I take all our dirty dishes to the sink. I try to blot the spilled wine and am grateful it was white. At least it won’t leave too horrible a stain.

  “Leave it until morning,” he says, extending his hand toward me.

  I can’t help but smile. We’re both naked. At some point, he got rid of the used protection, but we’re both in need of a shower. Taking his offered hand, he leads me up the stairs, flipping off the remaining lights as we go. When we reach the loft, he pulls me toward the tiny bathroom, a mischievous grin on his face.

  “You know, when I was younger, I always wondered what it would be like to sneak a girl up here,” he whispers, as if his parents downstairs can hear him.

  “Oh, really?” I reply, whispering to play along.

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure Chase did when he was eighteen and dating this girl from high school. I was off in the military, and when I called Mom, she told me there was a lot of noise coming from the loft the night before. She thought he was working out up there or something, so she left him alone.”

  I snort. “Working out. Sure.”

  “Right? I didn’t want to be the one to tell her he was working out all right, but not the way she was thinking. That’s not exactly something you want to discuss with your mom, even when you’re two thousand miles away.”

  Sobering, I run my fingers along his hairline. “I know I’ve said this before, but thank you, Colt, for your service.” Then, I go up on my toes and kiss his lips, the slightest burn of his scruff tickling my cheek.

  “Have a thing for military men, do ya?” he teases, much like how I teased him downstairs earlier.

  “I have a thing for Colton Callahan,” I confess, reaching for the knob in the tiny shower stall. When the water is as hot as the man standing beside me, I pull back the curtain and step inside. “Now, let’s get back to this whole sneaking a girl in here fantasy.”

  “You’re my fantasy come true.”

  With a smile on his face and my heart in his hands, he follows me into the shower and proceeds to show me exactly how mind-blowing that fantasy is when brought to life.

  Epilogue

  Colton

  I’ve always loved this place. This cabin holds so many childhood memories for me, and I love that Milo, and now Ella, get to have those same experiences. As our family has grown, we need to talk to Mom and Dad about adding on a couple of bedrooms. I plan on making this place a big part of my son’s childhood, and I know that Chase feels the same way about Ella. She might only be a few weeks old, but I know my brother.

  “Got you another,” Chase says, handing me a beer and taking the lounge chair next to mine. “We’re going to need to add on,” he says, reading my mind.

  “Yeah. Couple of bedrooms, at least.”

  “I think we need to expand this patio too. That way, we can add more chairs and maybe a covered area to keep the babies out of the sun.”

  “You already thinking about more?” I ask him. I’m not giving him shit. I really want to know. Having another has been on my mind a lot lately. My wife growing round with our baby is a new fantasy of mine. One, I can’t wait to make a reality.

  “Yes.” There is no hesitation in his answer.

  I glance over at him, and he’s smiling as he watches his wife and newborn daughter. I know that look, and the feeling deep in his chest all too well. Hollis might not have given birth to Milo, but in every other way, she is his mother. The week after our tropical honeymoon in Costa Rica, we started the process for her to legally adopt him. That night she cried herself to sleep in my arms. I hated to see her tears, but they weren’t from pain or heartache, no, they were from happiness.

  “What about you?”

  “Every fucking day,” I admit, placing my bottle to my lips and taking a long pull.

  “You know how that works, right? You need some pointers, big brother?” He smirks.

  “Nah, I’m all good. Thanks,” I say, shaking my head.

  “I wish Mom and Dad could have been here.”

  “Me too, but it’s better that they already had that cruise planned. Where would everyone have slept?”

  “Good point. We need at least two more bedrooms. One smaller and maybe a huge one with a few sets of bunk beds for the kids.”

  “How many are we talking?” I ask him.

  “As many as she’ll give me. You?”

  “That about sums it up,” I say, making him laugh. Our laughter captures our wives’ attention, and they stop their conversation to look at us. They’re both smiling with babies in their arms.

  “Dada.” Milo points to me and wiggles in Hollis’s arms.

  “No, sweetie. You can’t crawl on this concrete. It will hurt your knees,” she explains. Well, she tries to explain. He doesn’t understand and couldn’t care less. He wants to see his daddy.

  That’s me, Daddy, and seeing his little hands reaching for me as he calls for me, has me on my feet and moving toward them. “Come here, little man.” I scoop him up into my arms, and he giggles when I blow a raspberry on his bare Buddha belly.

  “I was trying to get him down for a nap,” Hollis tells me.

  “You giving Mommy a hard time?” I ask my son.

  “Mama.” He reaches his arms out to go back to Hollis.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” I tell him. “What do you say, you and I go inside and change your diaper, grab a bottle, and rock a little?”

  “And this one,” Chase says from behind me. I turn to watch him take a sleeping Ella from Gabby’s arms. “Is going to go lie down as well. We’ll stay inside with the kids. You ladies enjo
y your break.”

  “And to what do we owe this occasion?” Gabby asks.

  “You did all the work,” Chase says, glancing down at his daughter. “And I’m hoping I can convince you to do it again and again, so it’s my job to make sure you’re taken care of.”

  Gabby physically relaxes at his words, and the smile playing on her lips tells me that my brother definitely knows how to woo his wife and how to have her melting at his words.

  “And what’s your excuse?” Hollis teases.

  “Maybe if you’re well-rested, we can work on baby number two,” I say, tossing her a wink. I turn to head inside, but not before catching her shocked expression. Take that, Chase. You’re not the only Callahan who can turn their wife into a puddle of sweet sticky goo when it comes to hitting them with all the feels.

  Inside, I grab a bottle and Milo’s favorite blanket. It’s a fail-safe, and once he’s snuggled up with his belly full, he falls right to sleep. Getting settled in the rocking chair that my parents brought up here a few weeks ago, I settle Milo into the crook of my arm and offer him his bottle. He takes it greedily as he always does. With practiced skill, I tuck the blanket up around his face. The soft plush material against his skin already has him closing his eyes.

  “Damn, I need to start that,” Chase says, sitting on the couch. He reaches over on the couch and grabs a small pink plush blanket, and places it over Ella, who’s sleeping on his chest. “It’s chilly in here anyway, right? With the air conditioning?”

  “Yes, and can you believe Mom and Dad installed air conditioning? We couldn’t even get a working TV when we were kids. Now, they’re flipping out that the house might be too hot for their grandbabies.”

  “Mom swears it’s different,” Chase tells me. “I called her out on it, not because I’m mad but to just give them shit. She says that when it’s your grandkids, you get to spoil them and send them home. She claims that’s her job.”

  “Well, you already know with this little guy that their spoiling game is on point. Get ready.” I chuckle.

  “We’re ready, aren’t we, Ella?” he asks his sleeping daughter. “I never thought this would be our lives, Colt.”