by LK Collins
“It won’t. Plus, would you prefer her in a pair of high waisted skinny jeans or a pair of daisy dukes?
“True. But her stomach . . .”
“Give her a little room, she’s almost fifteen, she’ll remember this moment. Trust me.”
We walk into the store, and Rianna is closing the curtain to the dressing room with her outfit in hand. Roan and I take a seat on the large red ottoman to wait for her, and he whispers into my ear. “God, I’d love to fuck you on this.”
I giggle and wonder if all couples are as insatiable as we are.
“Promise you won’t hate it, Dad,” she calls out, and he glares at me. I pinch him, and he yells, “I promise.”
Then the satin curtain opens and out she comes. The jeans fit her tiny body flawlessly, and the shirt is actually a bit big on her, which I like because it covers her stomach even more. I glance at Roan, who is smiling as he says, “It looks nice, Ria.”
“Can I get it?” she asks enthusiastically.
“Sure.”
“Yes!” She jumps up and down and then runs to hug him, then me. I hold her back, loving how something so simple has made her so happy.
Chapter 31
Roan
“You were great today,” I tell Mia as I pass her a cold beer.
“Thanks.” She seems shy in her response as if she doesn’t believe me.
“I mean it, from the wall paper idea to the outfit with Rianna, you’re incredible.”
“So are you, Roan,” she says. I love when she says my name like that—so low and seductive. I can’t wait to hear her scream it later. Sitting down on the couch, I stretch my arm behind her, and she nuzzles against my chest.
“What do you wanna do?” I ask.
“Just this.”
“Yeah?”
“Uh-huh,” she tells me, and I kiss the top of her head. My phone vibrates, so I set my beer down, pull it out of my pocket, and see a message from Chandler.
Chandler: Drinks?
“I think your brother is having a hard time adapting to us.” I show her the phone, and she smiles.
“You think?” We both laugh. To say Chandler is having a hard time is an understatement. He’s bored out of his mind. He’s been dependent on me for so long now that he’s straight miserable.
“Should I invite him over here?” I ask, feeling bad deep down.
“Sure,” she says, and I love how easygoing she is about everything.
Me: Wanna come over here? Shoot a game of pool and have a few drinks?
Chandler: Abso-fucking-lutely!
“What’d he say?” I show her the phone again. “Why don’t I go home so you and he can hang out alone? He needs it.”
“No!” I shout, and she laughs hard at my outburst, covering the bottom of her nose, so beer doesn’t come out of it.
“I can come back after he leaves.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, not really liking the idea of her leaving but knowing that I need to spend some time with Chandler.
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She looks up at me, and I cup the side of her face with my right hand and hold her in place as I kiss her tenderly.
“God, your lips . . .” I whisper against them, and she pecks me one last time before getting up and walking to the door. She drives me nuts.
Sitting here lost in a lust-filled Mia daze, I find myself tearing the label off on my beer bottle.
What did I do before her?
I get up and grab another beer before I rack the pool balls, and there is a knock on my door. “Come in,” I holler, already knowing it’s Chandler. Once I have the game set up, I turn to him and spot the bottle of Patrón and six pack in his hands. “Damn, woman, were you, like outside my house?” I tease him.
“Maybe. I’ve fucking missed your fine ass,” he jokes as he sets the stuff on the counter. I take out two shot glasses as he cracks open the bottle.
“What have you been up to, man?” he asks me.
“Not much, getting ready for Maisy’s birthday.”
“Oh yeah. When is it again?”
“Friday,” I tell him as Rianna emerges from the basement.
“What up, girl?” he asks, and she gives him a side hug.
“Not much.” She grabs a soda from the fridge.
“You’re looking super fly tonight.” His words make her smile. She’s still wearing the outfit from today.
“Thanks, your sister bought it for me.”
“No shit? She does have good style. She got it from me.”
“She’s pretty cool.” Rianna tosses the words over her shoulder as she heads back downstairs.
“The girls are warming up to her?” he asks.
“Yeah, for sure.”
“Nice, things still good between you two?”
“Yup.”
“Then, where is she?”
“She went home so we could have some guy time.”
“Damn, I raised her well.”
“You did. So what have you been up to?” I ask, feeling like I haven’t seen him outside the office since Mia and I got together, which is probably exactly the case.
“Nothing. You’ll be happy to know that I haven’t slept with Casey . . . again.”
“No?” I ask confused because she hasn’t quit yet.
“Nope.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Why not?” I blurt out and hand him a shot.
“You said not to.”
“Like you’ve ever listened to me.” We clink our glasses and knock back the shots. I instantly feel the liquor burn in the bottom of my stomach and love the sensation.
“Ready to lose a game of pool?”
And he tells me, “Fuck no!”
Chapter 32
Mia
“Baby?” Roan asks when I pick up my phone.
“Yeah?” I respond, looking around my apartment. I must’ve fallen asleep on the couch. It’s after two thirty in the morning, and I do my best to wake up.
“Are you coming back?” His voice is a mix of slur and heat and lusty impatience.
“Are you drunk?”
“Maybe.” I giggle at him, never having heard him drunk like this.
“You realize it’s almost three in the morning?”
“I know, and I’m so fucking horny for you.”
“Oh my God, Roan.”
“What? My cock wants you, please come back, I’m too drunk to drive.”
I glance at my bag on the floor by my front door. I’m all ready to go, I was just waiting for him to call. “I’ll be there soon.”
“I’ll be waiting,” he tells me, and then I disconnect the call.
The drive is quick, especially at this time of night. And within fifteen minutes, I’m pulling into Roan’s driveway. His house is dark, so I quietly let myself in through the unlocked front door and head straight to his bedroom. When I reach it, I’m shocked at what I find.
Passed out on top of the covers is Roan. He’s naked and has his dick in his hand. His snores fill the room, and I go to his side to sit on the bed, admiring everything about him. While I stare, my heart skips a beat, and I resist the urge to not snap a picture of his gorgeous tattooed body.
“Roan?” I whisper and kiss him tenderly on the lips.
He kisses me back, stretching his body, but his eyes never open. He lets go of his dick and wraps his arms around me, pulling me completely on top of him. I hold on to him the best that I can, sneaking my hands underneath his shoulders. He kisses the top of my hair as I settle my cheek against his chest, listening to his heart, which is softly beating in my ear. The sound is soothing, and before I know it, I’m drifting off to sleep with him.
I’m not sure how long I slept, but I wake to my pants being removed. My eyes flutter open. The first light of the day is shrouding Roan’s body as he kneels next to me. He smiles, and I return the gesture as his fingers ghost over my skin, sending electricity coursing through me.
Then he lies on his side, my back is to his chest a
s he lifts one of my ass cheeks and spreads me open wide for him. The tip of his shaft is warm against my sex, and I’m almost panting in expectancy. He doesn’t make me wait long. Everything inside me is on fire the instant he enters my body.
He kisses my shoulder, and the sensation of his lips on my skin makes me whine for more.
The things he can do with his mouth are magical.
“Yes,” I whimper as he pushes and pulls in and out of me, so slow and methodical. Rubbing me just right. Just where I need.
“Fuck, you’re tight,” he grumbles, and I clench his shaft even harder. He sinks his teeth into my neck, and my body bows away from his. He holds me against him, closer and tighter. “Don’t pull away from me,” he says.
Jokingly, I move away again, but this time he flips me face down. His cock still inside me pinning me against the mattress, as he stretches my hands above me, and locks his feet around mine. I’m stuck under his control, and he’s relentless, barreling in and out of me. The softness of the morning is gone. I find myself lifting my ass into him while I moan into the pillow, loving every single second of his intense attack.
“Fuck, Roan,” I whisper, barely able to get the words out.
“You like getting stuffed?” he grunts into my ear, and all I can do is nod my head. Somehow, the pleasure is off the charts, more intense than ever before. Any control that I had or thought I had is now long gone. He has complete power over my body, and there is not a thing I can do. My pleasure is at his mercy. He strums it and coils it tight, demanding I go higher and higher with each thrust and nip.
I squeeze Roan’s hands tighter, so hard my knuckles hurt as my trembling orgasm takes over, vibrating through me just as his cum fills my body and his barely restrained grunts fill my ears. Together we lie spent, our bodies settling, his heart wild against my back—such a contrast to the gentle pulse I fell asleep to. I hope every night ends just like that and every morning begins just like this.
Chapter 33
Roan
“I think it’s a perfect gift.” Mia smiles at me as I hold on to the tiny heart pendant, rubbing my thumb over it again and again.
“Can I get this one engraved?” I ask the jewelry store employee.
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll take it then.” At this point, I would have taken it anyway. Mia and I have been shopping all day, and I want nothing more than to get out of here.
“Good choice,” Mia says, and I can’t help but lean down to drop a kiss to her perfect lips.
“Thank you for today.”
“Are you kidding me? I had so much fun.” She bends to collect the bags she set down while I was talking to the clerk, and I point to something else in the case, mouthing to the employee that I want it, too. Mia doesn’t notice, and for that, I am thankful.
My phone vibrates, and I pull it out to see a text.
Rianna: We’re starving! Are you almost done, can you bring home food?
Me: Yup, just cashing out at the last store now. What do you girls want?
The woman walks over, and I hand her my Amex card before she says the total. We really abused it today. “The girls are hungry, what do you feel like?”
“Whatever they want.”
I text Rianna back.
Me: You girls pick and text us your order. Love you.
I sign the receipt, and the woman says, “The engraving should be done tomorrow by five.”
“Great, if I’m not available can my girlfriend pick it up?” I glance at Mia, who has wandered over to another case, and then I slip her necklace into one of my bags.
“Yes, of course, what is her name?”
“Mia Cavalano.”
“Fantastic. You’re all set, have a wonderful night, Mr. Reddick.”
When we leave the store, the mall is desolate, and I ask Mia, “What time is it?”
“Nine fifteen.”
“Damn, woman, you are a shopaholic.” I’m normally the guy who knows exactly what he wants and is in and out of the mall as fast as humanly possible. So, for me to spend the whole evening here is almost unheard of.
After loading all the bags into the trunk of my car, I get a text.
Rianna: We really want Taco Bell.
Me: Seriously?
I text her back and then show Mia the screen as a huge order pops up in another text. And then Mia’s response is not at all what I expect. “It does kinda sound good.”
“Oh my God, what is wrong with you women?” I pull out of the lot and head to Taco Bell. After ordering thirty dollars worth of their food, my car smells like it, and I can’t lie, I’m kind of excited to eat it.
“So, is there anything else we need to do before the party?” Mia asks me.
“I don’t think so. The bowling alley is handling everything.”
“What about her home-cooked meal?”
“Oh shit, yes. Let’s talk about that with her tonight.”
I pull into my driveway and turn the car off. Before going inside, I grab Mia by the side of her face and kiss her softly. Her lips mold against mine, making my cock throb. As fast as the kiss starts, it stops, and I rest my forehead against hers for a beat, trying to get myself under control.
“Ready to go eat this crap?”
She nods happily, and I don’t think there is anything that could ruin our day. It’s been perfect.
But as we walk through the front door, a very familiar face looks over at me.
My world stops.
I can’t breathe through the anger that pulses violently through me.
What. The. Fuck.
Standing in the middle of my living room is Georgia. Rianna is screaming at her to leave, but Maisy is clinging to her side.
My insides are spinning, spiraling deep into emotions I can’t decipher. My grasp of reality slips through my fingertips. Maybe this isn’t even real at all. I close my eyes, hoping they are just playing tricks on me, but Rianna’s verbal assault is relentless, and when I open them she is still here. I go into defensive mode.
“Rianna stop!” I shout.
Tears are rolling down her face as she looks at me, waiting for me to make this right. “Take your sister downstairs.”
“No, Daddy!” Maisy looks over at me. Georgia’s arms are clenched so tightly around her tiny body it makes my vision tint in red. That woman has no right to hug Maisy after abandoning her. Those hands that I used to love and do anything for, which broke me in the most unimaginable way, should never get to hug her daughter again.
“Your mom and I need to talk,” I kneel in front of Georgia so I can look Maisy in the eyes and block out the fact that I’m so close to my ex that I can smell her perfume.
“If I let go, she’ll leave again,” she whispers, hiccupping. I hope Georgia is paying attention and really getting a good look at all the pain she has caused these two girls.
“I won’t let her leave yet, I promise, baby.” Georgia loosens her hold, and Rianna snatches Maisy away as if Georgia has the plague. I watch my oldest drag my youngest through the living room and down the steps to the basement. Once the girls are out of sight, I glance over my shoulder, expecting Mia to be standing in the doorway. She’s gone.
Fuck my life.
“What are you doing here?” I snarl, even angrier that she’s affecting not just the girls but also Mia.
“It’s good to see you, too, Roan.” Her condescending tone is too much. How dare she just come into my home like this and expect to exchange friendly chitchat.
“Fuck you, don’t play games with me, Georgia.”
“I’m not playing games. I came back for Maisy’s birthday, that’s all.”
“Why didn’t you call me first?” After all these years, why this birthday?
“I don’t have your number.”
“It’s the same fuckin’ number it was when you lived here.” Goddamn, it’s really fucking hard to keep myself composed. “You would know if you had bothered to call at any point in the last seven fucking years.”
<
br /> She runs her fingers through her long blonde hair, and it isn’t until this moment that I realize that she’s sober. I haven’t seen her sober for a long, long time, so this is a sight. “I wanted to call. You have to believe me,” she says, and those few words are the last she should say.
“Why? Why the fuck should I believe anything . . . anything at all that you say? You left me with a goddamn note, and you left our little girls alone in the middle of the fucking night. You’re a horrible person.”
“I know I am and that’ll always be my greatest regret in life.”
“Good, I hope it keeps you awake at night. Just like it does to Maisy and Rianna.”
Tears stream down her face, but I don’t give a shit. I hope she cries until she’s stuck alone in the middle of a lake of her own tears.
“I wanna make this right. I wanna make everything better.”
“Fuck you! There is nothing left for you here, you can’t undo what you did.”
“I’m so sorry, Roan.” I rake my fingers through my hair in frustration and look around my house, wishing I had a way out, a way to make this all stop.
Chapter 34
Mia
My hands are still trembling as I try to unlock the door to my condo. My insides are a wreck, and I have no clue what to do. Never in a million years did I ever consider that Georgia would show back up. Although, I should have prepared myself for it. I mean . . . why wouldn’t she, especially around one of the girl’s birthday?
Finally, I get the fucking door open. My purse falls to the floor, and I head straight to the kitchen. Grabbing an empty wine glass and opening a bottle from the fridge, I sulk to my sofa, the image of her there and Maisy clinging to her is burned behind my eyelids. I’m barely able to pour myself a glass, but I know my nerves need it. I could imagine what Roan and those girls are going through right now. And as much as I wanted to stay and help, I couldn’t. It isn’t my place.
Do I have a place? Now that Georgia’s back, will it be for good? Is Roan going to end things with me to be with her? My stomach feels queasy, and I just want to talk to Roan to make everything better, but I can’t. He’ll call when he can.