by Lydia Rowan
His cock sprang free and Ariel looked down, taking in the tangled thatch of hair, his thick, heavily veined shaft, the soft-looking skin that covered his rod, and then the rounded head, tip red and slick with arousal. All of him, his broad shoulders, heavy pecs, muscled stomach, powerful thighs, combined to create an intoxicating picture. He was masculine perfection, and Ariel did not even try to resist the desire to touch him.
The weight of Matt’s hard, heavy cock in her hand had Ariel squeezing her thighs together to try to ease the insistent throb of her sex. She’d never been this turned on, this needy, and even though it had been years since she’d received pleasure from anything other than her own hands, she suspected the man had as much to do with her anxiousness as anything else.
His powerful body was pulled tight, his muscles bulging. The patient, somewhat detached Matt that she’d come to know was gone, and in his place was a passionate man who looked at her like he wanted to devour her. He’d have to wait.
She released his shaft, letting her fingers trail along his satiny skin before she kneeled in front of him. He stayed still but watched her avidly as she leaned forward and inhaled deeply, his musky, masculine scent filling her senses, making her almost light-headed with need. When she shifted, the crown of his cock brushed her cheek, the faint touch an intoxicating mix of hard and soft.
She moved again, let her lips brush his crown again and again, and the fluid that had seeped out of him wet her mouth. He moved finally, traced her jaw and then gripped her shoulder tight enough that she could feel how he struggled to maintain control. Stopping only long enough to smile briefly, she kissed the head of his cock almost chastely, the feeling of his hot flesh against her lips making her cunt clench with anticipation.
She kissed him again and again, and then she snaked her tongue out and moaned at the first taste of his slightly salty essence. She wanted more, so she lapped at his slit, and was rewarded with a fresh drop of his clear fluid and a tightening grip on her shoulder.
Mouth open now, she curled her tongue around the tip of his shaft and then sucked, taking him deep. His crown and thick shaft tested her limits, but the need to have as much of him as she could pushed her on. She could take less than half of him, but she sucked at him eagerly and worked the rest of him with her hands. A moan escaped her throat and vibrated in her mouth as Matt bucked his hips.
And then he was gone, and Ariel despaired at her now empty mouth. Matt pulled her up and captured her lips in a scorching kiss, his tongue tracing her mouth, his cock hard against her thigh.
He ended the kiss abruptly and then moved swiftly to lay them on the bed, Matt’s huge, hard body atop hers, his heavy, welcome weight making her cry out.
“Matt…” she said, and as she spoke, she widened her legs and pressed her sex against him, his hot skin searing her and making her already wet pussy even wetter.
She skimmed her hands down his sides, over his hard stomach, to his cock. He stilled again, and then mimicked her movements, moving his hands down her breasts, over her stomach, and down to her mound, and lower until he traced her slick lips and then nudged her clit with his finger. She widened her legs and he took advantage, spreading her lips and then passing his fingers over her hole, all the while massaging her clit.
He unfurled one thick finger and pressed it inside her and then added another. Her cunt clenched around his fingers, and she cried out, idly wondering how full his thick cock would make her feel if his fingers stretched her almost to capacity.
As he stroked in and out he fumbled at his nightstand and retrieved protection. The loss of his fingers was tempered by the excitement of watching him sheathe his hardness. Matt gripped his cock and then approached, spreading out on top of her again.
She sucked in a breath at the slight sting of his entry, but that discomfort was a drop in the ocean of pleasure he was unleashing. Inch by inch, he entered her as she opened to receive him, breath freezing in her chest when he was finally seated.
“You okay?” Matt asked, voice rough and deep with passion, his hard, hot cock pulsing inside her.
“Better than,” she said, and then she squeezed around him experimentally, trying to accustom herself to his girth and length.
He groaned and then moved, and pleasure reverberated through her, starting at the point where they were connected and spreading through her. And then he moved again, deeper this time, his groin bumping against her clit, and all thought left.
She touched as much of him as she could, moving her hands over his strong back, the muscles of his ass, his lean flanks, and he did the same, gripping her hips and then cupping her breasts as he thrust, his strong, sure motion making her cry out. Her distended nipples brushed against his palms, and when he captured them between his fingers and stroked his thumbs over them, she squeezed her walls around his cock tight.
Wave after wave of pleasure washed over her, and she cried out, body first tense and then lax as she shuddered through her climax. She held Matt as she came, her only touchstones his hard body on top of her, his rigid cock inside her.
He went impossibly harder, stilled, and groaned his own climax on a low breath. They stayed connected in that most intimate way, the beat of Matt’s heart matching her own. She brushed a hand against his hair, slightly damp with the sweat of his exertion, kissed his hard jaw, his masculine lips.
“Can you stay tonight?” he whispered against her mouth.
Her response was a kiss.
Chapter Seven
“What are my girls up to today?” Matt asked as he walked toward Ariel’s front steps.
“Hey, Dr. Matt!” Dani called as she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around his legs.
“Hey, Dani-girl,” he replied, squeezing her shoulders.
In the three weeks since their first date, Ariel had seen him several more times, whenever she’d had a chance, really. And he’d come to the park with her and Dani and stayed over for dinner a couple of times. Ariel and Matt hadn’t really defined their relationship, not in so many words, and in truth, she’d been nervous about Dani spending time with him. She’d never done this before, hadn’t even really contemplated it, but somehow, while she’d been thinking about things, Dani and Matt had been busy becoming the best of friends, using the few times they got together to build what seemed to be an ever-strengthening bond. Dani wasn’t shy; being so just wasn’t in her makeup, but she’d especially taken to Matt, called him her new best friend—absolutely raved about him all the time.
And it seemed Matt felt the same. He was kind, attentive, patient. Fatherly. It scared the crap out of her and made her so happy that the depth of that happiness scared her even more. It was one thing for her to get involved, but Dani…? She’d have to be careful, make sure that her daughter wasn’t hurt.
“We’re riding bikes. Dani thinks it’s time to go without training wheels.”
“Is that so?” Matt asked, beaming down at the girl.
“Uh-huh. I’m going to big-kid school, so I have to ride a big-kid bike.”
Dani spoke with absolute certainty and clarity, and Ariel’s heart softened. She’d wanted this so badly, wanted to make a life where Dani was free to worry about bikes and big-kid school and not money or where she’d wake up the next day, and so far at least, it seemed to be working.
“I see the logic. Do you know how to ride a big-kid bike?”
“Nope. Mommy’s gonna teach me.”
“Not until you put this on,” Ariel said as she stepped forward and placed the hot-pink helmet on Dani’s head. It matched her bike, pink with silver accents—Dani had thought the pink and purple was too babyish—to a T.
“All right. You ready?” Ariel asked Dani.
“Yep!” she exclaimed as she jumped on the bike.
She proceeded to tip right over.
“Hold on, sweetie,” Matt said. “Let Mommy help you.”
“Thank you, Dr. Matt,” Ariel said as she grabbed the handlebars with one hand and the seat with the other, he
r hand brushing against his strong, warm fingers, the touch a reminder of how amazing those fingers felt on her body.
She clamped that train of thought down tight, but not before she looked at Matt and saw that his brain had clearly been in much the same place.
“Would you mind?” she asked, tilting her hip toward him. “My phone is in my pocket.”
She sounded breathless, airy, and Matt certainly noticed. But he didn’t say anything, just pulled the phone out of her pocket, pausing long enough to give her hip a tight squeeze as a wicked little smile flashed across his face.
“Let’s go, girls,” he said a moment later, phone turned toward them.
“You remember what I said, right, Dani? Just ride like you always do,” Ariel said.
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay, start pedaling.”
She did, and they were off. They wobbled, Dani furiously pumping her little legs to stay balanced, Ariel jogging behind her holding the bike tight, Matt beside her with the camera. Then, Dani seemed to get the hang of it, began to pedal steadily, and then Ariel let her go.
Watching as the child, who hadn’t yet realized she was alone, rolled down the street, Ariel felt a prick of tears behind her eyes. But these weren’t of sadness, but of happiness.
“I’m riding!” Dani called, looking over her shoulder.
“You are! Look at where you’re going, sweetie!” Matt called, and Dani snapped her head forward and rode to the end of the street.
Matt, holding the phone steady, reached out and pulled her next to him with one strong arm, and together, they watched Dani ride to the end of the street. Ariel was smiling so wide her face hurt, but she didn’t care. It was a wonderful moment, one made that much sweeter because Matt was there.
When she stopped at the end of the street, Dani turned and called, “I did it!”
“Great job, Dani-girl!”
Matt and Ariel quickly walked down the sidewalk and when they reached Dani, Ariel grabbed her in a tight hug.
“Oh, you were so good!” she said, kissing the soft braids that were decorated with white barrettes.
“The big kids are going to be impressed,” Matt added, smiling brightly himself.
••••
“What?” Matt asked later as he watched Dani ride up and down the street. Ariel’s face, which had seemed stuck in a smile, had twisted down and her eyes had clouded.
“Nothing important,” she said, rolling her eyes. “I sent Matilda that video. Check out her response.”
Matt glanced at Ariel’s phone.
She’s so beautiful. Shouldn’t she have on elbow pads and knee pads? And did I hear a man’s voice on that tape?
A scoff bubbled up before Matt could choke it back.
“Par for the course. But I’m surprised Mrs. Mallick texts.”
Ariel gave a scoff of her own. “That’s my doing. It was that or phone conversations, and I picked the lesser of two evils.”
“I knew you were smart,” Matt said. Before he stopped to think, he leaned in to kiss Ariel, brushed his lips across hers. She returned the peck and then pulled back quickly, glancing in Dani’s direction.
“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.”
She nodded and smiled sweetly before turning back to Dani, leaving Matt to his thoughts. Which were a jumble. What was he doing here? And why did it feel so right, so natural? He didn’t doubt that the woman next to him had a lot to do with that, but there was more; there had to be.
Matt never, ever allowed himself to get this close to a woman, but Ariel and Dani had become a part of his life, a part he didn’t want to let go of. And that was dangerous for both him and them. He couldn’t give them what they needed or deserved, and he could admit that this, not war, not death, not pain, but this, their sweet little family, scared him.
And reminded him too much of the past, of how bad it could all turn out. He’d spent countless days like this before, his parents happy, him happy, not a care in the world. And in an instant it had been gone, the life he’d known snatched away and replaced with a hellish reality that had gotten worse and worse as his father had gotten mired in grief so deep that the man still hadn’t made it out.
You’d be different.
The voice rang in his head, sounding so much like his own that he almost believed it. He knew he was resilient. Or at least he thought so and knew the folly and hubris of thinking anything was impossible. People changed, things changed, and there were no guarantees. Staying alone was the closest he’d ever get to certainty.
And it had been easy enough. His life had never felt empty, and he was seldom lonely, so he’d never been tempted to change his mind. But with Ariel and Dani, the ease and joy that they brought into his life had made him realize that maybe he was missing something without even knowing it, made him think about the quiet stillness of his home being replaced with life and vibrancy.
“What yourself?” Ariel said, nudging him with her shoulder.
“Sorry,” he replied, grabbing her hand quickly and letting it go just as fast and feeling resentful of that fact. He wanted to touch Ariel whenever he wanted, be bold and open, but being able to had costs he wasn’t able to pay.
“You seemed a little lost for a minute there. Is Matilda texting you too?”
He laughed, though the sound was muted. “I’m not so unlucky.” He glanced at her. “This was nice, spending time with you and her today.”
“It was,” Ariel said.
Matt wanted to kiss her again, wanted to stay with her.
And the fear that thought sparked held him still.
Chapter Eight
“Granny!”
Ariel halfway rolled her eyes but managed to stop herself before she made the full circuit. She was not a child and even though Matilda seemed to want to treat her that way, and sure as shit made her want to act that way sometimes, she would not give in to that impulse.
“Danielle! You’re riding the big bike. I had to come see for myself,” Matilda said, smiling down at the girl.
“Look!” Dani said, and then she sped off, covering the same patch of sidewalk she’d passed probably a million times since she’d gotten the hang of it.
Matilda watched for a moment, taking pictures as Dani rode, but as the girl turned to come back, she walked over and stood next to Ariel, that grandmotherly pride she’d displayed moments ago shifting to mother-in-lawly disapproval.
“Is it safe for her to ride here?”
“She stays on the sidewalk, and we don’t get much traffic down this street.”
“It only takes a second, one moment of you not paying proper attention and she could be gone,” Matilda said seriously.
Ariel’s stomach clenched with fear as she imagined it, something she’d done before, so often, in fact, she’d dragged her feet on getting Dani off the training wheels. But she’d known if she let fear control her, Dani wouldn’t leave the house, let alone ride a bicycle. And Ariel wouldn’t put that on her daughter, stifle her childhood with fear that would follow her into adulthood.
And then suddenly, Ariel was angry as the full implication of Matilda’s words hit her.
“I know that, Matilda. I do everything I can to make sure that Dani stays safe, and I can’t shelter her. How will she learn to live as an adult if I do?”
“That won’t matter if she doesn’t make it to adulthood, now, will it? And I see she still doesn’t have elbow pads and knee pads either.”
Ariel closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. She would not let Matilda get to her; she would not get into a pissing match. After repeating that mantra until she’d mostly convinced herself she believed it, Ariel glanced at Matilda, who again looked at Dani with love shining in her eyes. For a moment, she considered explaining herself, assuring Matilda that before Dani got to the point that she rode unsupervised she’d make sure she was fitted with every accessory on the market.
Considered it and then decided against it. Matilda’s concern was well placed and probably well meanin
g, but Ariel was not in the business of justifying how she chose to raise her daughter to anyone, especially someone who would smother the girl before she could grow into the person she wanted to be.
“She’s not on the BMX circuit, Matilda. I think she’ll be okay on the sidewalk,” Ariel said instead, hoping Matilda was satisfied but ultimately not caring.
Matilda’s eyes hardened, and she turned to face Ariel. “It’s irresponsible, but she’s your daughter, so I guess you get to do what you think is best.”
Ariel almost choked. Matilda, making a concession? The devil had to be shopping for snow boots.
“Was that Mathias Poole’s voice on the video?”
Or maybe not.
“Why?”
Her and Matt’s involvement wasn’t a secret, but she knew Matilda well enough to guess this wasn’t friendly conversation.
“I should know who Dani’s exposed to.”
The mantra started up again, and Ariel really had to focus on it. She paused, waited several moments before she felt calm enough to speak.
“She’s with me, and you know I’ll make sure that Dani is not around someone she shouldn’t be. Don’t you?”
Matilda stood silent, an unusual occurrence, but at least she’d chosen silence rather than outright refutation of Ariel’s competence. That was somewhere in the vicinity of progress if Ariel tilted her head just right and squinted.
“Besides, Matt’s lived here his entire life. You know him.”
“And I know his background. No motherly influence to speak of, and that father of his walked around so busy boo-hooing, he barely raised the boy. He had no guidance whatsoever, practically raised himself. Who knows how he turned out?”
Ariel’s interest was piqued, badly, but there was no way in hell she was gossiping with her mother-in-law about a man she was sleeping with. She trusted Matt, and when he felt the time was right, he’d share whatever he wanted to with her. Oh, she might strongly encourage him to open up, but she wouldn’t take any information from Matilda, no matter what. To make no mention of how freaking awful the woman was being. She couldn’t reward her bad behavior. Had to push back on it, in fact.