by S. M. Shade
“It’s a storm!” Cody cries with a giggle.
“All hands on deck, sailors!” Mason replies. He’s almost as wet as Cody. When he turns to give me a sheepish grin, my jaw falls to my feet. His head is shaved too!
“We got navy guy haircuts!” Cody says, beaming, and I force a smile.
“You did!” I reach to rub Cody’s head. “Looking good there, sailor.”
Mason gets to his feet and grabs a towel. “Time to get out, buddy. It’s getting late and navy guys get up early.”
“Pajamas are on his bed,” I tell Mason. Leaving them to it, I return to the living room to treat the furniture with the lice spray. Good thing we caught it early. I spend a few minutes tidying up before checking on Mason and Cody.
Mason is just leaving Cody’s room, a finger to his lips to shush me. “He’s out. Didn’t take five minutes.”
I follow him to his bedroom, and when he turns to grin at me, I’m struck again by how different he looks with short hair. “What do you think?” he asks as we climb into bed.
“I think it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen anyone do for a kid.” My hands travel over his scalp, feeling the bristles under my palms. Hmm, maybe this isn’t so bad. But oh, I’ll miss that dark floppy hair.
“You don’t like it,” he accuses with a chuckle.
“Mason, you’re gorgeous no matter what and you know it.” I run my hand over his head again. “I love how it feels.”
A mischievous grin cracks his face and he jerks the blanket off of me. I’m wearing panties and a t-shirt since we can’t sleep naked with a child across the hall.
“What are you doing?” I squeal as he scoots to my knees and pulls my legs apart. Placing his head just above my knee, he drags the bristles up the tender skin of my inner thigh, then down the other. Fuck, it feels amazing. “Mason,” I moan.
“Like it now?” he teases, pulling up my shirt and rubbing his temple over my nipples.
“I think you need to grow a beard.”
Laughing, he tugs my panties off. “You have to be quiet. Can you keep quiet?”
“Yes,” I moan as his warm breath puffs between my legs.
“That’s not very quiet,” he teases and delivers a long slow lick that makes me whimper. “I’m going to stop every time you make a sound.”
Oh fuck. His arms wrap around my thighs, pulling me to his mouth. I swear I really try not to make a sound, but when he slips his fingers inside and sucks me hard, I can’t contain it anymore and the words come tumbling out. “Oh fuck, yes, right there.”
With a dark chuckle, he stops everything and peeks up at me. “I let the whimpers go, but that was definitely a sound.”
“Mason.” I squirm as he grips my thighs tighter.
“You going to be quiet?”
“Yes, please.”
“Fuck, I love it when you beg me. Tell me what you want.”
“I want you to finish what you started.”
“You love it, don’t you? When I eat you.” His eyes are dark and filled with desire. “Tell me. I want to hear you say it.”
My hands rub across his rough, fuzzy head. “I love your mouth on me. Please, lick me until I come. I can’t wait anymore.”
Surprise and lust fight for dominance as he groans. “Grab a pillow to scream into, baby. I’m going to make you come hard.”
I’m glad I take his advice because his tongue goes to goddamn town on me and I couldn’t have held back the shriek that accompanied my orgasm if I was threatened with death. Before I can recover, he has his boxer briefs off and my ankles on his shoulders. “I’ve never been so hard in my life. This is going to be fast,” he warns, sinking into me.
I’m folded nearly in half as he pounds away, so deep inside me it’s a wonder I can’t taste him. I can feel another orgasm stirring, and I recognize the look of concentration on Mason’s face. He’s close. Time for a little payback.
“Don’t come. I’m almost there.”
Distress creases his features and I have to bite my lip to suppress a giggle. “Shit, Evie, I can’t.” Yeah, not so easy is it, Caveman?
“Wait.”
With a growl, he reaches between my legs and pinches my clit, catching me off guard and shoving me into another quick hard orgasm just before he shudders against me. “Cheater,” I pant.
Chuckling, he pulls me into his embrace. “I give the orders when we’re naked.”
“You just like to boss me around.”
“You like it when I do,” he accuses.
Damn it, I do. I don’t understand it, but hearing him tell me to bend over or not to come instantly turns me on. “I don’t want to like it,” I mutter.
His hands thread through my hair. “It’s okay to like it. You don’t take any shit during the day. Won’t let anyone control you. Letting me take control takes some of the pressure off and lets you relax.”
“And it makes you happy.” I can see the joy on his face when I submit to him. It gives me an idea for his upcoming birthday.
“It shows me how much you trust me.”
“As long as you don’t bring the whips and chains into it,” I tease.
“You know I could never hurt you. I just love to have you under me, begging, depending on me to bring you pleasure.”
“I love it too.” I snuggle up to him and rub my palm over his fuzzy head. “And I could get used to this.”
“So, I’m still your tatted Adonis?”
“Am I still your stubborn spitfire?”
“Sexy stubborn spitfire.” Soft lips press against mine. “Thanks for everything, Evie. I don’t know what I’d have done without you today. I haven’t spent a lot of time with kids.”
“You were great.” I rest my palm against his cheek. “Are you nervous about the DNA results?”
“Terrified. It’s not that I don’t want him. But…everything will change in ways I can’t even predict.” He looks anxious as he asks, “How are you going to feel if he’s my son?”
I give him a reassuring smile. “Happy for you and him. He couldn’t ask for a better father.”
“You won’t be upset at all?”
“Not upset.” My fingers curl absently through his chest hair. “I’d be lying if I said I’m not concerned about dealing with his mother, and how she’ll fit into your life.” Like whether she’ll get clean and they’ll reunite as a family. As badly as I’ve always wanted a family, I can’t stand in the way if there’s a chance Cody can have both his parents together.
He rolls to his back, pulling me to lie on top of him. “She’ll never be anything to me. There’s no reason to ever be jealous of her.”
I am jealous, but not for the reason he thinks. I’m jealous of any woman who can have a baby. “I’m not jealous,” I insist.
“I would be. If you had another man’s baby, it’d kill me. Any little Everlys are going to belong to us.” At the sight of my eyes filling with tears, he adds, “Not now, love. You know…someday, maybe. I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“I can’t,” I whisper, laying my head on his firm chest. “I can’t have kids. Ever. I’m sterile. You might want to keep that in mind, Mason. Think about it before we go any further. I can’t give you a family.”
Strong arms wrap around me. “Oh, Evie, sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Never seemed like the right time.”
“Were you born that way?”
“No, what Frankie and Mark did, I was too little and it damaged me…left scar tissue that prevents me from conceiving.”
“Fuck, baby.” His hand grips my hair and he tilts my head so I’m looking at him. “It doesn’t change anything, Panda. If we want kids, we’ll adopt. There are so many kids like Cody…like you and Ian.”
Nodding, I lay my head back on his chest. “Let’s not talk about it tonight. We have enough on our plates at the moment.”
“Okay.” Mason watches as I get up and get a fresh pair of panties. “Such a shame to cover up that
ass,” he remarks.
“Put your underwear on. We don’t want to scar the poor kid if he wakes before us.” I laugh and throw him a pair of boxer briefs.
“Yes, dear.”
Chapter Ten
Mason
Five year old’s wake at the ass crack of dawn. There’s a hesitant knock on our door before a little dark head peeks through. “Can I get up now?” he asks.
“Sure, buddy. Give me a minute to get dressed and we’ll have some breakfast.”
“Kay.” His footsteps pound down the hall to the living room and the television blares to life. A smile curls my lips as I gaze at Evie, curled up beside me. She looks so innocent asleep. I want to protect her, wrap my arms around her and keep any pain from ever reaching her again. At the same time, I want to tear her clothes off, say filthy things to her and hear the same from her lips. No one has ever satisfied me in bed the way she does. And she loves it as much as I do. Perfect. Fucking perfect.
My heart aches at the thought of her confession last night, and I’m determined to track down the men who hurt her, who stole her ability to have children. One thing at a time, though. Today, I find out if I’m a father.
As if he’s reading my mind, my phone buzzes with a call from Landon. “You have the results?” I ask, without saying hello first.
“I’m waiting on an email from the lab. I should have it in the next hour. We have a few additional issues to discuss. Your place in an hour okay?”
“I’ll be here.”
Evie opens one eye and peeks up at me. “Everything okay?”
“Yep.” She smiles when I kiss her forehead. “Lawyer will be here in an hour with the test results.”
“Let’s hope he shows before Jamie.”
“Either way, she isn’t leaving with him.”
“Good. I’m going to shower. Someone dirtied me up last night.”
She squeals when I smack her ass. “I like you dirty. Hurry and join us for breakfast. I’m making pancakes.”
“Mmm, on my way.” She rolls over and pulls the blanket over her head. Chuckling, I tickle her bare foot before leaving the room. She’ll never be a morning person.
Cody grins up at me from the couch where he’s watching cartoons. “Good morning. Do you like pancakes?” I ask, and his eyes widen along with his smile. “Let’s go make a mess.”
He giggles and follows me to the kitchen. After I throw the ingredients together, I hand Cody a big spoon to stir the batter. He looks like he’s in heaven. I suppose he’s not used to having much attention paid to him.
When the pancakes are sizzling on the griddle, he looks up from his glass of milk and asks, “Do I have to go with Mom today?”
“No, buddy. We’re going to figure something out.” I notice he didn’t say “Do I have to go home?” He probably doesn’t know the meaning of the word. “Where have you been staying, Cody? Do you usually stay with your mom or someone else?”
A sigh raises his chest and he looks sad. “Aunt Karen was taking care of me, but she died so we had to leave her house. I miss Aunt Karen, and Juan. He was my friend that lived next door. He went to my school.”
“I’m sorry, honey. There are people I miss too.”
Curiosity fills his face. “Who do you miss?”
“My mom.”
“Oh, did she die too?”
“Yes, a long time ago, when I was little.”
His expression turns thunderous. “I don’t miss my mom. I hate her.”
I place a plate of syrup smothered pancakes in front of him. “Why do you hate her?” I’m trying to sound nonchalant. I don’t want him to think I’m questioning him.
“She made me leave Juan and my school. She gets mad if I’m hungry or I don’t want to sleep in the car. It’s cold in the car at night, and boring.”
“You’re right. No one should ever have to sleep in a car. Yuck.” Evie walks in, and I see the dismay in her eyes at the topic of conversation.
“Hi, Evie!” Cody greets. “We’re having pancakes.”
“All right! Can I eat with you?”
“Uh-huh.” He scoots his stool over and pats the one beside him. Look at the little rugrat try to charm her.
“Cody was telling me how much he likes school,” I tell her.
“That’s great. Did you like to color?”
“Uh-huh, and I learned letters. I want to read, but I can’t.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll learn. You’re very smart.” Evie rubs his head.
“That’s what my teacher said.”
“Do you remember the name of your school?” I ask.
He grins up at me. “Yeah, Little Learners Preek-school. My teacher, Ms. Anna, said we were her best little learners.”
“I’ll bet you were,” I reply, noting the name of the school for later. It’s a good place to start looking for shot records.
His face drops at the sound of a knock on the door. “Is it my mom?”
“I’ll go see. You just finish eating.” I’m relieved to see Landon at the door, briefcase in hand. “Well,” I demand, before he’s even through the door.
“The boy is yours.”
The floor shifts beneath my feet. I feel like I just got punched in the solar plexus. My lungs have decided to quit processing oxygen. Evie and Cody step into the room, and Evie takes one look at me and sends Cody to his room to get dressed. Her arms are around me, her soft voice in my ear. “Breathe, sweetheart.”
“I’m okay,” I gasp. How humiliating. Why don’t I just swoon like a proper damsel in distress? “He’s mine, Panda. Cody is my son.” Tears spill down Evie’s cheeks as I do my best to blink mine back.
I look up to see Cody standing uncertainly in the doorway. “Come here, buddy.”
“What’s wrong?” he asks. “Why is Evie crying?”
“I’m just very happy,” Evie assures him.
“Oh. Why are you happy?” Evie glances at me, and I pull my son onto my lap.
“Because we just found out I’m your dad, and I wanted to be your dad so much.”
His little face lights with joy. “Really? The spit test?”
Everyone laughs. “Yep. Spit tests don’t lie.”
“So I can stay with you?” he asks, his eyes glowing with hope. Landon gives me a quick nod. “Yes. I’m going to take care of you. Do you understand? You won’t ever run out of food or sleep in a car again.”
“Can I go to school?”
“When it starts in the Fall. You’ll be a big Kindergarten man.”
“Yay!” Hopping off my lap, he dances around the living room.
Landon nudges my shoulder. “We have a few issues to discuss, Mason. Preferably before Ms. Weldow returns.”
“Let’s go play outside while your dad talks with his friend a minute, okay? We can try out your wiffle ball bat,” Evie suggests.
“Okay!” He bounds out the back door.
Evie bends to kiss me and whispers, “You’ll be a fantastic father. Take your time. Do what you need to do.”
Landon presents me with a ton of paperwork and advises me we have an emergency custody hearing this afternoon. The good news is that Jamie not only has a criminal record a mile long, but also three outstanding warrants for possession, prostitution, and so help me, armed robbery. Custody will be a cinch. “Armed robbery?” I ask, and Landon nods.
“She knocked over a convenience store with a junky pal of hers. Shoved a pistol in the man’s face. You picked a real winner here, Reed.”
“She wasn’t like that when we met. Once the drugs got hold of her, I couldn’t pull her back. How much time is she facing?”
“Once the prosecutor is presented with Cody’s medical report, I expect a charge of child neglect or endangerment to be added. All together, probably ten to fifteen years.”
“So, when she shows back up here?”
“Call the cops, discreetly, so she doesn’t run.”
I run my hands through my hair, anxiety gripping me. “I’m sure there are a million
things to be done I’m not aware of. The doctor needs shot records, the school…”
Landon squeezes my shoulder. “You have time to work all that out. Right now, all you have to do is get to know your son and show up in court at three-thirty today.”
I take a breath and get a grip. He’s right. “Now,” Landon continues, “I have some information on Mr. Perkins.”
I glance over my shoulder to be sure Evie hasn’t returned before we discuss her father. She wasn’t real thrilled with the news he was alive and hasn’t brought it up since. “You found his address?”
“I did, but if you intend to speak with him, you’d better hurry. He’s dying of pancreatic cancer. He has only a few months at most.”
“Shit. Okay, one thing at a time. I’ll be in touch to arrange something soon. In the meantime, Evie isn’t to know.”
I have my brothers and now a son. Someday soon I’ll make Evie my wife. So much family, something my girl will never have. Not even children with her own blood. I want to at least give her a chance to meet her father before he dies.
“I also have news on Daniel Fennel.” My hands instantly ball into fists. The son of a bitch tried to kill Evie. I should have taken him out when I had the chance and spared her a trial.
“Have they set a date for the trial?”
“There won’t be a trial. He plead guilty to stalking and attempted murder. Sentencing is next month. He won’t be a problem for you or Ms. Hall.” Relief floods through me. We can put the whole thing behind us.
Landon gathers the paperwork I’ve signed and shakes my hand. “I’ll see you in court this afternoon.”
“Thanks for everything.” I owe this guy a bonus.
* * * *
The custody hearing was a breeze and I now have temporary custody of my son.
Alex and Parker are standing outside the courtroom when I emerge, my brain churning with a million things I need to do.
“Asshole!” Parker barks. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Damn it all. Evie must’ve called them. “I haven’t known for twenty-four hours myself.”
“Of all the women to knock up, Jamie Weslow? Dude, if she had as many cocks sticking out of her as she’s had in her, she’d look like a porcupine.”