Truth Be Told (Blackbridge Security Book 4)

by Marie James

  I smile down at her before pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

  “Are we going to do this? Are we going to be a family?”

  “I have to get a job.” I don’t argue with her, don’t tell her that I have no problem with supporting her. I have the means and would give her and Alex the world without either of them needing to even ask, but I know her personality.

  “Lots of jobs around here. The schools are great, too. Wren sent me a list. We can go over them if you like.” I shift to grab for my phone, but she stops me.

  “We can do that later.” Her eyes drop to my mouth forcing my arm to wrap her tighter. “I think that’s what I want.”

  “You think?”

  She grins, an utterly mesmerizing sight.

  “Yeah.”

  “I need you to be sure. We’ve said some horrible things not just in the past but recently. I’m not trying to manipulate you or force you to let your guard down so I can hurt you. I’m in this a hundred and fifty percent.”

  “Me, too,” she whispers.

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  I kiss her then because how could I not? Our tongues tangle, and I swallow down her soft moans, shifting her body until she’s straddling me, my cock flat against my stomach and already leaking for her.

  “We can’t do this again,” she says looking down at my dick.

  “No? Watch me.”

  “Alex will be back soon,” she says, a sad look on her face as if she’s disappointed as much as I am.

  The reminder of the warning text I got from Deacon not long ago has me gripping her hips and lifting her off my lap.

  “Are we going to talk to him about us?” I ask as I hand her some clothes. I could suggest a shower, but I like the idea of her smelling like me just a little while longer.

  “I think we have to.” I smile. “What’s that grin for?”

  I shrug. “I thought you’d say you wanted to see where things go between us.”

  “I told you I love you, Ignacio. I didn’t use those words lightly. I know exactly where we’re heading.”

  “Yeah? And where is that?”

  “This is our forever.”

  She squeals when I spin around, t-shirt over my head but my arms not through the holes and tackle her back down to the bed.

  “Forever, huh? Sounds like a long time.”

  She can’t respond because my mouth is on hers once again.

  ***

  “You’re making me nervous,” Alex says, his eyes darting between mine and Tinley’s as he settles on the sofa.

  “We just want to talk to you,” Tinley cajoles, but it doesn’t seem to calm him any.

  “Your mother and I—”

  “Are you breaking up because I’m such a bad kid? I promise I won’t do anything else to—”

  “Breaking up?” Tinley looks at me before looking back at our son.

  He looks directly at me. “I thought you were going to stick around. I thought you wanted us here.”

  I reach for him, but he pulls his hands away.

  “We’re not breaking up,” Tinley says as I try to swallow down the emotion clogging my throat from his reaction and assumptions.

  I still have such a long way to go with both of them.

  “Technically, we weren’t dating.”

  “That’s supposed to make this better?” he snaps, his eyes finding a spot on the wall because he’s refusing to look at either of us.

  “We’re together,” Tinley spits. “We weren’t together until today. I mean not technically.”

  Alex looks between the two of us. “You weren’t?”

  “You thought we were?” I ask, loving that my son is shocked.

  “I mean, yeah. I knew you guys were fighting, but I thought you were together.”

  I smile, my lips pulling back until it’s spread across my entire face.

  I won’t go into detail with my nearly thirteen-year-old son about the things Tinley and I suffered through to get to this point, but I can calm his fears.

  “We wanted to talk to you about moving to St. Louis. You don’t have to decide today, but—”

  “Yes,” he cries. “I do. Yes. Let’s move here.”

  His eyes move to his mother, begging her to agree.

  “I want to be here, too.” She grabs my hand, and I look down at her trembling hand. Her weak smile says she has a lot more to say to me, but she’ll wait until an appropriate time.

  “Are you getting married?”

  Like a kid on Christmas, Alex’s eyes light up with his question.

  “We, umm,” I look to Tinley for a little help, and all she does is smile and shrug. “We haven’t talked about that yet.”

  I’d marry this girl today if given the chance.

  Tinley bites the inside of her cheek, refusing to meet my gaze.

  “But you love each other.”

  “Always have,” Tin says, her face softening.

  “Always will,” I add.

  “Then we need a puppy!” Alex jumps up too full of excitement to stay calm.

  “I don’t know about that. I think we need—”

  “Are you thinking a big dog or lap dog?” I interrupt her. If the boy wants a damn dog, he’s getting a damn dog.

  “So, I was thinking a dalmatian or one of those furry ones. Are they huskies?” He looks to his mom, and all she can do is shake her head.

  We spend the rest of the day talking and making plans for our future, as a family.

  Chapter 38

  Tinley

  Most days are amazing.

  Some days are hard.

  Some days I can’t believe my good fortune.

  Some days I wonder when the other shoe is going to drop because there’s no way this is my life.

  How do I have a great job, three floors below Ignacio’s office in the same building?

  How do I have a man that holds me in his arms every single night?

  How is my son doing so well in his new school, making friends and enjoying the new baseball team he’s on?

  How did I get so lucky after all of my lies?

  When is it all going to crash and burn?

  Today is one of those days.

  Yesterday, Ignacio mentioned a vacation, some time away from it all, lazy days spent on a beach as we watch Alex and Rufus, our adopted shelter dog play in the surf.

  Last night, I went to sleep with a smile on my face and plans in my head.

  This morning, I woke up alone.

  It’s not uncommon. Some days Ignacio has to head into work early, and I miss the brush of his lips across my forehead because he knows I’m a grump when my eyes open before the sun is shining outside.

  I’ve done it dozens of times since we moved in with him.

  Today was different.

  Today I climbed out of bed wondering if he was coming back, if it was all a dream.

  Today has been hard, even with the text updates I got from Ignacio letting me know how Alex’s Saturday practice was going, even with the phone call and hearing his voice when he wanted to know if I’d eaten because he was grabbing food.

  Everything says we’re okay, that we’re happy and making amazing plans for our future, but that doubt was still able to crawl inside of me, turning my entire day sour.

  “I told him not to,” Ignacio says as he finds me in the kitchen, my hands buried in soapy dish water. “But he ate half of your spring roll.”

  He presses a kiss to my cheek, waiting until I turn my head for him to kiss my lips. It’s not a sweet innocent kiss. It’s one with promise, and sex is something we’re good at. I never have doubts when he’s inside of me, but we have a son, so staying in bed and showing his love that way isn’t always possible. I see his dedication in his work, in the way he takes care of Alex, the way he always needs to be close and touch me when he’s here.

  I sigh, stuck in my head, begging my brain not to sabotage the good things I have here.

  “What’s wrong,” he whisp
ers, his palm cupping my jaw when I try to move my head away. “Stuck in your head again?”

  I hate that he can read me so well, that he can tell when worry begins to form.

  He kisses me again, and those worries once again begin to fade.

  “Aww, really? Come on guys!”

  Ignacio smiles against my mouth, unwilling to break the kiss even when his son is complaining.

  “Go in the other room if you don’t want to see me kissing her,” he says, his eyes lighting up with humor.

  Alex grumbles some more, but he leaves us alone in the kitchen.

  “I hated waking up without you this morning,” I confess, because the first time I got like this, he made me promise to be open about it.

  “I’ll wake you up tomorrow with my mouth between your legs,” he promises.

  And just that easily things are right in my world again. Not because of the promise of sexual favors—although amazing—but because he knows exactly what it takes to get my mind back on track.

  “Anna texted me again today,” I tell him.

  I know he heard me even though he’s focused on trailing kisses down my neck.

  “She’s still hounding me about going out.”

  “Yeah?” Another kiss forces me to tilt my head. “I’m surprised she hasn’t shown up demanding you to go with her.”

  “She threatened it this time.”

  “You should go.”

  “She wants to go out tonight.”

  “You should go,” he repeats, his face pulling back so he can look at me.

  “I’m a mom.”

  “And she’s very pregnant. You should go, have a good time.”

  “I’m a mom.”

  “Moms get to have fun, too. Alex and I will be fine here, unless you really want to hang out and watch the game with us.”

  Ugh. No, thanks. I love watching my son play, but other than that, I could leave sports altogether.

  “I hate that you never got to go out and have fun because you were always busy raising our son, but I want you to go.”

  “You want me to come home half-drunk, so I’ll finally agree to do that thing you want.”

  A mischievous smile spreads across his face as his eyebrows waggle up and down.

  I slap a wet soapy hand against his chest, but he doesn’t seem to care as he pulls me closer. “Stop. Never going to happen.”

  “Tell me you’ll go.”

  “I’ll go,” I agree.

  “Tell me you won’t be worrying about us or feeling guilty for having fun.”

  That’s a whole other ball of wax. “I’ll try.”

  “That’s my girl.” He kisses me again, one hand at my back, the other gripping my ass as he crushes me against his chest.

  “Jesus! Guys! That’s inappropriate!”

  Ignacio pulls away as we both turn our heads to look at Alex. The kid has one hand over his eyes, trash from the meal he just ate in his other hand.

  “Always dramatic. Is this what we have to look forward to now that you’re a teenager?”

  His birthday was last week, and the kid thinks he’s grown. I’m glad it’s two against him now, because I would’ve already lost my sanity with the things that have been coming out of his mouth lately.

  “You’re always kissing,” he grumbles.

  “You’re always sneaking up on us,” his dad argues.

  “We could put a bell around your neck,” I suggest.

  “Wouldn’t make a difference,” Ig mutters.

  “I’m going to my room. Can you guys get that out of your system before the game starts? I don’t want to have to build a wall of pillows like last time.”

  The second Alex walks out of the room, his dad picks me up and carries me down the hall.

  I barely have time for a shower before Anna shows up.

  ***

  “So, you won’t get too full!” Whitney yells over the music blaring from the jukebox.

  “But it’s still a margarita?” I look down at the drink, a pale green liquid in floating ice cubes.

  “It’s on the rocks,” Anna explains, her hand clutching a bottle of water as she gives my drink a longing look.

  Her stomach is big enough to enter the room long before she does, but she seems like one of the happiest women in the world.

  I shrug, putting the straw to my mouth and sucking. Ignacio was right that I never go out. Hell, I’ve only ever seen blended margaritas before, but it tastes like I remember. I had one at a party once in high school, and I honestly haven’t done much drinking since those days. I always needed to be sober in case something happened to Alex and he needed to be carried to the hospital. I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if he needed me, and I wasn’t in the right state of mind to tend to him.

  “You should try the daiquiris next!” Pam, the office manager for Blackbridge Security adds. She’s a lot of fun. They all are. I expected just Anna to show up at the condo, but she had Wren’s girlfriend Whitney, Flynn’s fiancée Remington, and Pam with her.

  They didn’t say a word about my jeans and comfortable top when they invaded our home. Anna grabbed my hand, told Ig that I would be well looked after, and then they dragged me out.

  We landed at an Irish pub called Paddy’s, and although the jukebox is a little too loud, the atmosphere is amazing. For some reason, although men are watching, not a single guy has bothered to approach. I feel safe surrounded by these women, safe knowing that Ignacio and Alex are at home watching the game.

  “I used to work here,” Remington says as she bends closer. Her cheeks are already pink with the heat of the alcohol. “Flynn got me fired.”

  I tilt my head, running through the information that’s been piled on me tonight.

  “Your fiancé got you fired?”

  She nods, an overexaggerated up and down of her head.

  “Long story,” she says with a wave of her hand like it doesn’t even matter now.

  “Next round,” Anna says as she approaches with a tray of drinks making me realize I didn’t even see her get up and leave the table.

  “Just this one for me,” I tell her, drawing my margarita closer to my chest.

  She winks at me, but she still sets a daiquiri on the table in front of me, pushing it with the tip of one finger. “Just in case.”

  She smiles at me, one hand rubbing her swollen belly.

  “You have to drink,” Whitney urges. “This round is for Anna since she can’t have alcohol yet.”

  They all look at me as the straw in my mouth makes the sound indicating I’ve already drained my first drink. Eyebrows raise, and a cheer echoes around me when I set my empty down and pick up the new one. “For Anna!”

  Chapter 39

  Ignacio

  I smile into my pillow when Tinley comes into the room. I don’t even have to look up to know her movements are fueled by alcohol. She drops her shoes on the floor, her clothes coming off in a soft whisper of fabric, and my cock is already at half-mast by the time she climbs into bed.

  The warmth of her naked body covers my equally naked back.

  “You’re naked,” she says with a giggle as her lips press to a spot between my shoulder blades.

  “Mmm. Do that again.”

  She obliges, her tongue sneaking out to taste my skin.

  I live for these moments, the times where she comes to me in the darkness. Most nights end with us tangled together, me inside of her, but each time is like the first time, anticipation filling my blood and making me want to rush to the part where I slide inside of her.

  Tonight, is no different, but I hold off, begging my cock to stop aching long enough for me to see exactly what she has in mind.

  Soft tits press to my back and she tries to wiggle a hand under my waist.

  “What are you doing?”

  She giggles, the scent of alcohol on her breath as she leans over my shoulder.

  “I want to touch my cock.”

  “Your cock?” I tease, lifting my hips enoug
h so her hand can wrap around me.

  One simple touch is all it takes to make me groan into the pillow under my head.

  “Mine,” she whispers against my skin.

  She squeals in delight when I flip her over.

  When she settles back on me, legs straddling my hips, I’m delighted in the smile on her face.

  Her hair is a mess, eyes lazy as she smiles down at me.

  “Are you ready for me?” She bites her lip, hands working up and down my rock-hard dick.

  “No.” She frowns, her hands stilling on me. “I don’t sleep with drunk chicks.”

  “You won’t fuck me?” She leans up, lining my cock right against the heat of her core. “Okay.”

  Instead of sinking down on me like I figured she would, she slides away.

  “Tin, wait.”

  We’re in this for the long haul. Sliding inside of her while she’s drunk wouldn’t be taking advantage of her, and I know she wouldn’t regret it in the morning. In contrast to what she said earlier, I wouldn’t try anything new, something she told me she wasn’t ready to try.

  “What are you—fuuuckkk.”

  Her lips wrap around my cock, and I’m gone.

  Lost.

  No longer here in this room.

  Is that heaven over there to the right?

  We’ve been officially together for a while, and although I get my mouth on her every chance I get, she hasn’t done this. I know it has to do with what I said long ago, just like I know her sucking me to the back of her throat right now means that she’s finally letting go of everything from the past. This is her telling me we’re real. She’s no longer afraid to move forward with me.

  I take as much pleasure in that as I do her mouth working me over.

  “Jesus, Tin.” I tangle my fingers in her hair, moving it out of the way so I can see her pink lips working over my length. “Fucking sloppy. God, I love it.”

  Spit drips down my nuts, making them tighten against the tickle.

  “If you want me to fuck you, you better stop. Oh, shit do that again.” She looks up, lips smiling as she traces her tongue from my balls to the tip before swallowing me down again.

  “Mmm,” she moans around me, and shit I’m going to come.

  “Do you want to swallow?” Her head bobs, giving me permission, and I don’t make her wait a second longer.