Once Written, Twice Shy (The Broken Men Chronicles)

by Decevito, Carey

  “Hi, Mom,” Jasper said and gave her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. “Come on, Allie.”

  Julie allowed Alissa entry to her house seeing as Jasper had pretty much pulled her through the threshold before anyone could stop him.

  “Come see my room,” he said and kept dragging her by the hand.

  “Jasp-” Julie said but her argument had fallen on deaf ears.

  The hostility that rolled off of Julie was palpable. I followed the two and an irritated soon-to-be-hopefully-ex to Jasper’s bedroom. Unless Allie assured me that she’d be fine, there was no way I was going to leave the two women in a room alone—with or without my son.

  “Okay, buddy,” I said. “It’s time for Allie and me to go.”

  “Mom, is it alright if Daddy reads me my story tonight?”

  “Sure,” Julie said, a little too satisfied for my liking.

  “Are you going to be okay?” I whispered in Alissa’s ear.

  “Yeah, go ahead,” she said and gave me a reassuring smile.

  “Night night, Allie,” Jasper said and he gave her a quick hug after she’d gotten down to his height. “Can we make blueberry pancakes next time too?”

  “I won’t be here but I’ll make sure to teach Daddy how to make them. I’m sure he’d love your help.” I caught her amused wink. “Goodnight, handsome.”

  She kissed the top of his head and walked out of the room. I heard Julie’s feet shuffle which told me that the vulture had turned to follow Alissa.

  ***

  I came out of Jasper’s bedroom to find Julie standing in Alissa’s face while the woman leaned on the sofa’s armrest. I stepped back and stayed unseen around the corner.

  “If you think that you can just swoop in and take over, you have another thing coming, lady,” she said. I wanted to put a stop to all of it but something kept me rooted in my place. “I suggest you stick to wherever you came from because there’s no way I’ll allow you to be around Jasper. You might as well move on because I know Paxton, and he would never sacrifice his son for a little whore like you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” Alissa said with determination. I was impressed with her backbone.

  “You’ll change your mind,” she said, “no one wants a kid that isn’t theirs. In time, Paxton will come to see that all you are is a piece of ass to him. When he gets bored of you, he’ll dump you for some other floozy. I just hope he learns a few tricks along the way but from a woman like you, I’m sure you’re doing a bang up job at helping him out, huh?”

  I turned to peek around the corner and noticed that there was nothing but calmness surrounding Alissa. Hell, the woman hadn’t budged.

  “Are you done?” Alissa voice had gone flat.

  A blank expression made an appearance on my ex’s face. “What-”

  “It’s my turn to talk,” Allie cut in.

  Julie’s face flared crimson. “Listen here, you little-” I could have sworn I heard a growl. “There’s no way in hell that I’m letting you have him. He’s too good for you.”

  “So now he’s too good? A minute ago, he wasn’t good enough. Which one is it, Julie? Never mind.” Alissa crossed her arms at her chest. “That’s your opinion but I can damn well tell you that based on how you’ve treated him, you’re no better a candidate than I am,” she said and poked the waking dragon in the upper arm. “What are you so afraid of, Julie?”

  “Afraid? You think I’m afraid? Let me tell you what I see when I look at you,” Julie said. “What I see, is a woman who thinks she can show up and take over someone’s life because she doesn’t know how to find one of her own. I’ll tell you something, honey, the grass isn’t always greener. Now, listen and listen well. When you walk out of here tonight, I best not ever see or hear of you again. I don’t know where you came from or what you do but there’s no way in hell that I’ll let some new hot number in my husband’s life take over my family, do you hear me?”

  “Husband,” Alissa said and let out a snort, “Ha! Last I checked all you had to do is sign the papers and you’re both free. You do know there are other ways of getting around that right?”

  “He wouldn’t dare.” Julie’s venom-filled voice was a few octaves lower.

  Alissa got up to her full height, leaned into Julie and said, “You think? I may have only known him for a short amount of time compared to you but I can damn well tell you what you’ve known for a while now. Come on, Julie, you’re not stupid. The man has been lonely and deserted, he deserves better and you know it. For once in your miserable life, let him be happy.” She sighed. “I don’t care if it’s not with me, just let him go. He needs to move on, you have. For Christ’s sake, you’re pregnant with another man’s child!” My heart skipped a beat as I heard those words from Alissa. “I don’t know why you keep holding on to him but I can tell you that there’s no good payout for anyone in the end if you don’t let him go. You have Todd, what if the man wants to get married? We both know that Paxton won’t take you back. If anything, do it for Jasper, don’t you think that your son deserves to see both his parents happy even if it’s not with each other?”

  “Why you self-righteous bitch,” Julie said. “You think you know it all, don’t you, preaching about things you don’t have a clue about?”

  “I know more than you-”

  “Is that so?” Julie smiled and I knew the woman was about to lay it on thicker than thick.

  My feet took action and brought me into the living room. “Julie, that’s enough,” I said. My blood boiled. If it weren’t about chasing what little happiness I have and making me miserable, I’d admire my son’s mother’s tenacity.

  Her head snapped in my direction and I came to a stop beside Alissa. I put a hand on her lower back. “Go on and wait for me in the car.” I handed her my car keys. “I have a few things I would like to say to Julie, here,” I said so my not-so-significant other could hear me loud and clear.

  I waited for Alissa to disappear outside.

  “She’ll ruin us, Paxton,” Julie said.

  “You’ve done enough of that all on your own, Julie,” I said. “Alissa’s right, I’m sick of being stuck as I watch you move on with your life and I can’t do the same. It’s been a year since you’ve left, Julie. A goddamn year!”

  “How long have you two known each other?”

  “You sound as if I’ve betrayed you somehow. Last I checked, I wasn’t the one who ran around or the one that gave up without a fight,” I said. “We’re friends. Well, we were.” Who knows now.

  “Bullshit! She said she was your girlfriend yesterday.”

  “You started it,” I said. “You attacked her with insults. She was simply trying to get a rise out of you. I can see now that it worked and I’m glad it did.”

  “What about forcing the divorce?”

  “I will if I have to,” I said. “You’re not leaving me much of a choice here, Julie. I’m done with the games.”

  “Then you won’t see Jasper. I won’t allow him to be around that blonde bitch,” she said.

  “You heard Alissa, Julie, she’s not going anywhere, not unless I want her gone and that’s far from the case.”

  “So you’d pick her over our son?” she asked.

  “You know I wouldn’t, but I’m not giving up on her either, I shouldn’t have to,” I said. “So you either sign those papers by Friday or I force the divorce through the courts. If you want to be a bitch and deny me my son then I’ll take that up with the courts too, Jake’s always loved a good fight or have you forgotten? I have my rights, Julie, any judge will agree with me.” I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a cleansing breath. “You know what’s right, just do it. It’s all I have to say to you.”

  I walked to the front door and paused when Julie asked, “What happened to you?” I turned to her, confused. “Since when have you lost your easy-going persona and traded it in? You’ve become some hard, demanding, down-to-business kind of man.”

  “You wanted to play dirty, the game
is on,” I said. “I don’t take threats of losing my son lightly, Julie. Goodbye.”

  Chapter 7

  We drove back to my place in complete silence. I couldn’t get Alissa’s words out of my head. It felt nice to know that I had someone willing to go to bat for me; someone who was loyal outside of my family. I didn’t know what to think of it though but I knew that when Alissa’s visit was over, that things between us would be different—they already were if I were willing to be completely honest with myself. I only hoped that Julie wouldn’t ruin it all with her resistance.

  “I’m sorry about Julie,” I said as I walked us up the front steps, a hand on her lower back, guiding her forward.

  “It’s not your fault,” she said. “I just couldn’t take it anymore. I know it wasn’t my place, I had to say something.”

  I nodded, unlocking the door.

  She entered the house ahead of me. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back where she turned to bury her face in my chest and my arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. “Thank you,” I said in her hair. She took a deep breath and I felt the tension leave her body. She pulled away and pecked me on the cheek before heading toward the sofa where she dropped like a ragdoll.

  Reaching for the camera that we’d left on the coffee table earlier in the day, she asked, “Did you take a look at these?” I shook my head. “Come see.”

  Cuddled with each other, I let her control the device as we looked through each photo taken throughout the day.

  “You weren’t kidding when you said you were a shutter-bug.”

  There were photos of my son and me at the fair, the water park, the ice-cream shop, and the few I had taken of her and Jasper on the park bench with their icy treats. My favorite was the one where he had nailed her on the nose with his cone and she had returned the gesture; the end result was a photo of Jasper looking up at her with a wide grin while Allie had her head tilted back laughing, looking carefree. I had managed to get a few additional shots before I had to break them apart, sensing that a food fight was brewing.

  I found myself watching her reaction while she looked through the photos I had taken. She was beautiful and the emotions that flashed through her features made her look radiant. Her expressions resembled that of a young child witnessing something for the first time—they were honest; candid even and I was ignoring the rest of the photos because I was so taken by her.

  I ended up taking the camera from her hands, turning it off and setting it on the coffee table.

  “Hey,” she said, “we weren’t-”

  My lips were on hers, my hands framed her face and she whimpered beneath my aggressiveness. I pulled away and smiled at the look on her face. That well-kissed expression made me want to do it again and again.

  “I was expecting a thank you for the photos,” she said, her voice filled with huskiness, “but I’ll definitely take that.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said. She pecked me before leaning into my shoulder and I laid us down. I sighed. “Four more days until you leave.” My heart felt heavy.

  She lifted her head and said, “In a rush to get me out the door already?”

  “Hardly,” I said and squeezed her tight, “I kind of like you here.”

  “Hmm…” She turned so her body lay atop mine, crossed her arms over my chest and set her chin on them. We lay there, staring at each other as I played with the loose strands of hair that ran down her back. Neither of us seemed to want to break the comfortable silence.

  She began to trace the contours of my face. My eyes closed instinctively as I relaxed further into the sofa, savoring the silky feel of her fingertips.

  “Keep your eyes closed,” she said.

  I smiled, obliging her.

  Her lips descended onto mine with their warmth and softness. Her kiss was sweet, slow and tender hands clasped the sides of my face. There was no doubt that she took the prize home for innocent sensuality.

  I groaned my discontentment when her lips left mine. She let them skim the day-old scruff of my cheek, nuzzling as she got to my jaw bone and nipped my chin. It was slow and torturous—I loved every second.

  In an effort to disperse the tension that was building in my body, I slid my hands down her back and around to let them rest on her bare thighs.

  Her kisses stopped, then recommenced. These ones were to my eyes, my nose, and my forehead. They were sweeter than the others—the kind that made you feel more than just lust—they were the kind that made you fall for a person.

  Her lips brushed the edges of my mouth as she spoke. “Open your eyes.”

  I did. She had pulled back a bit more so I could see her entire face smiling down at me.

  “What was that for?” I asked with a hoarse voice.

  “For today,” she said, “it was one of the best days I’ve ever had.”

  “I’m glad you had fun despite having Jasper around to entertain,” I said. “I-”

  Her fingertips reached my lips. “I know it wasn’t planned and it could have been under better circumstances but I would have hoped to have met him at some point,” she said. “I’m glad it happened. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun as a kid to be honest. This trip was about two friends getting to know each other better. Part of knowing you includes your son, Paxton.”

  “Friends,” I said and tried to hide my disappointment, “with benefits I suppose?”

  She blushed. “Well-”

  I laced a hand into her hair and clasped the back of her neck. Pulling her face down, I crushed her lips to mine. I bit down on her bottom lip. She opened with a gasp and I plundered her mouth. She still tasted of the strawberry ice-cream she had eaten earlier.

  “Let’s not kid ourselves, Alissa,” I said against her skin as I trailed hot, wet kisses down her jaw. Her head tilted back and I moved down her neck. “We’re not friends with benefits and you know it.” I pulled away to gauge her reaction. Her lips were swollen and pursed, and those gorgeous breasts of hers rose and fell at a more frantic rhythm. I smirked. “I believe the word you used yesterday was girlfriend?”

  “About that,” she said and bit down on her bottom lip.

  “Shh.” I reached up and trailed my thumb, releasing the soft flesh from her pearly whites.

  Her eyes shuttered to a close and I took advantage of the fact that she was straddling me to let my fingers do the talking. I trailed a slow path from her lips, down her jaw bone and ran it out to her shoulder from her collarbone. She shivered. I continued down to the junction between her breasts and enjoyed the view seeing as her shirt had inched lower.

  “I don’t think I can ever grow tired of how you feel against my skin,” I said but pulled my hand back. The absence of my fingers made her eyes open and she peered down at me. “Why don’t we move this to the bedroom?”

  She nodded, her eyes giving off a sense of urgency.

  ***

  By the time we had reached the bedroom, my shirt was off and my pants were unbuttoned. I dropped my jeans and kicked them off to the side.

  Giggling, she asked, “In a rush are we?” She attempted to walk to me.

  “Stay,” I said with my hand help up. She froze. A zing of arousal floated down my spine to settle in my groin. This sexual demand and control thing was heady stuff. Why I hadn’t tried it before, I’ll never know.

  I walked to her, grabbed her around the waist and kissed her hard with possession. My hands found the edge of her shirt and tugged it up and over her head. Her arms wrapped around my neck and with her lips over mine, I went straight to undo her bottoms.

  My lips left hers and moved down her body as I helped her wiggle her shorts down. I knelt in front of her and smiled at the sight of the tiny black lacy number she was wearing. Looking up, she was grinning down at me. “I wondered if I’d ever get to see those again,” I said.

  I watched her face as I ran my thumb over her lace-covered lips and felt the humidity from her juices. The hand that cupped her rear felt her quiver. Tapping each of her legs, she stepped
out of her shorts. I kissed her core through the material and looked up at her again. Her head had tilted back in rapture.

  “Turn around,” I said. She did. I found myself face to her firm bottom. “Has anyone ever told you what a fine ass you have?” My hands rubbed up her legs, onto her bare cheeks before pausing on her hips. I nipped her, making her jump.

  “Pax!” I laughed at her reaction.

  There was more I wanted to do to her, so much more. I made my ascent, letting my hands rub up her sides, to her shoulders, pushing her bra strap to the side and ran a path of kisses from her shoulder to the back of her neck. My fingers trailed down until I could wrap one arm around her waist and hold her against me. I nipped the tender skin behind her ear and felt her body begin to shake when I rubbed my erection into her firm ass.

  “I want you on your back, on the bed,” I said and sucked her earlobe, “eyes closed.” Her breath caught.

  I reached between us and undid the clasp to her bra with one hand before I allowed her to move away.

  I lowered myself beside her, feeling her body warm mine. “This is a little something different,” I explained. “I don’t want you to move, I want you to listen to my voice and feel my touch.” I ran a light finger over her collarbone. She hummed. “For months, you’ve been teasing me with your stories, your flirty comments, and toying with mention of things you would do to me if we ever met face-to-face,” I said as I nuzzled her ear. “This isn’t what it’s all about. Don’t get me wrong, by the time the night is over, I’ll have fucked you the way I know you ache to be fucked, Alissa.” She whimpered. My fingers began tweaking her pert nipples, hardening them further—her body’s responses amazed me.

  “I will ravage your body until you’re begging me to stick my cock into your pussy.” I shifted and nudged my knee between her legs, rubbing it against her heat. She spread her legs further for me and dug her butt into the mattress.