by Harper Sloan
“Babe. I don’t have time to take my time. You want to finish? Fine, but it will be hard and fast.”
Her snarky mouth and creased brow immediately lift. The smile that takes over her face reminds me of why I waste my time with Mandy. She is fucking beautiful, and if I weren’t such a cold bastard, I might want something more than a way to get my rocks off with her.
She saunters over to my desk and hops up on the edge, spreading her long, toned legs and revealing her wet pussy. “Come on baby. I’m dripping for you.” She runs her red tipped fingernails along her folds, rubbing her clit a few times before pushing two fingers deep into her center. Sure enough, when she brings her digits out, they are gleaming with her juices.
“Want a taste, baby?” Her voice brings me back from my lust-induced fog, reminding me why she is here.
“Shut up.” I growl before shoving my arms under her legs and lifting her pussy to my lips. She grabs hold of my hair, gripping it with her long fingers as I stand with her still attached to my mouth, eating like a starved man.
“Oh . . . Greg, baby! Love your mouth, love when you eat me.”
I growl against her core, willing her to shut up.
Walking blindly back down the hall, I dip twice so that she doesn’t knock her head against the door frame, and toss her back into the rumpled mess of my bed.
She quickly crawls over to the edge, and before I can stop her, my dick is all the way down her throat. I pause to enjoy her wicked fucking mouth for a second, and then I softly push her off me. “No time, Mandy. Got shit to do.”
Reaching over to the side table, I grab another condom and roll it over my straining dick. I’m going to blow a nut any second now if I don’t get inside her body.
“Roll over.” She gives me another frown, but rolls over and pushes her ass high in the air. Grabbing one slim hip with my hand, I run the tip of my dick across her lips. Every time the steel of my jewelry hits her clit, she wiggles impatiently.
“Fuck me!” She screams, pushing back with her hips.
“Better hold on Mandy. Going to take you hard.” I ram into her pussy with one quick, deep thrust. She screams out in pleasure, rocking back to meet my forceful pounding. There is nothing loving about this; this is about a man and a woman meeting their needs.
It only takes a few minutes before her walls clamp tight on my dick, milking every last drop out of my body. With a firm slap to her cheek, I pull out and walk into the bathroom.
“Got to go, Mandy. Get ready. Time for you to take your fine ass home.”
I shut the door just in time to miss whatever object she tosses across the room.
Crazy bitches. This is why I’ve avoided relationships for so long.
CHAPTER 2
Greg
Parking in front of Axel and Izzy’s, I quickly jog up the steps and let myself in with my key. “Iz?” I call out, my voice echoing throughout the house.
“Back here, Greg. Just getting his bag ready for you.” Assuming her voice is coming from the kitchen, I take off in that direction.
Turning the corner to the kitchen, I almost knock Izzy to the floor in her rushed flurry of activity. “Baby girl, you have got to calm down. What exactly do you think is going to happen, huh?”
“Oh, Greg . . . I don’t know. I just feel like something is going to go wrong. Now with Nate sick, and the wedding this weekend, I just can’t stop worrying.”
“You need to chill. I promise you nothing is going to happen.” I wrap her up in a hug, waiting for her frantic breathing to calm down a little. “Where’s my little buddy for the day?”
“Over by the backdoor. He is obsessed with looking out the window right now.” I walk off, letting her continue her rush around the kitchen.
Ah, there he is. The day that Nathaniel Gregory Reid was born was one of the best days of my life. Not because he is my child, no. Because the girl that has grown to be a sister to me not only gave birth to him, but she beat her demons and won in order to do so. Plus, it helps that the handsome little thing is named after his favorite uncle.
“Nate! How’s the handsome baby boy today?” He turns from his window gazing and gives me a big, drooling smile. Scooping him up, I hold him close to my body, just enjoying the feel of his little body next to mine.
“Here’s his bag. Snacks, sippy cup, and his paci. Diapers, wipes, and all the other things you might need. His appointment is with Dr. Shannon. You know how to get to the pediatrician’s office, right?”
“Yeah, Izzy. I have this. I also have to go, or we will be missing that appointment. Want to trade cars so you don’t have to switch out his seat?”
“That’s fine, and Greg . . . thanks.” She leans up and gives me a kiss on the cheek before smothering Nate in love. I might have even seen the poor kid begging me with his eyes to get him out of here. Uncle Greg to the rescue.
* * *
We make it to the doctor’s office with minutes to spare. Getting Nate out of the car and into the office is the easiest part; trying to get my dog tags out of his mouth is a whole new issue. I know Izzy hates it when he does this to Axel, but damn, the poor kid is miserable. He goes from happy as hell to screaming in two seconds. I hate seeing little man in pain, so I know it has to kill Izzy and Axel.
Walking up to the sign in desk, I smile at the pretty little blonde. “Hello, I need to check in Nate Reid to see Dr. Shannon.” She looks up at me, eyes wide, and I swear drool forms. I hate reactions like this. Yes, I am a large man, but damn. “Miss? Nate. To check–in.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry.” She makes a few notes, looking up at me a couple times before blushing and almost shoves her head through her monitor. “Do you have your son’s insurance cards? We just put a new system in, so we need to make sure they match.”
The sharp pain that always comes crashing through my system at just the thought of having my own child never seems to dull. One day.
“Nate’s my nephew. His mother, Izzy, didn’t leave the cards, but I can assure you nothing has changed with their insurance.” Since this little chick is still drooling, I’m guessing it’s a safe bet she didn’t hear a damn thing I just said. Looking down at her nametag I get ready to help her focus, scanning the basic script ‘Lauren’ before addressing her, “Lauren, darlin’?” She blinks a few times, and then finally gets with the program. She checks Nate in, and instructs me to have a seat to wait for someone to call us. Joy.
* * *
Following her instructions, I take Nate and plop down on one of the hard chairs in the waiting room. Jesus Christ, these things must be made for women or extremely small men. Adjusting Nate to make sure I can at least keep him happy and silent for the moment, I dig my phone out to send a quick text to Izzy to let her know we are here. Nate once again decides my tags make the best teething toys. Izzy can kick my ass, but there is no way in hell I will take those from him now that he is happy. Hell no.
Thirty minutes later and a soaked shirt, tags, and Nate, someone calls his name. “Nate Reid?” I hear the voice off to the side. Looking up, it’s now my turn to swallow my tongue. Holy shit. It’s been a while since just by looking at a woman knocked me on my ass. This is no ordinary woman. No, this woman screamed sex.
Her hot pink scrubs mold to her body as though custom made just for her. Maybe a good six inches under my six-foot-three, with legs so attractive that even her horrible uniform can’t hide it, and tits . . . fuck me, those tits, huge. I have to force my tongue from darting out to lick my lips. Once I can finally remove my gawking eyes from her chest, I look up and meet the high arch of one dark brow and mocking blue eyes. Shit.
“Mr. Reid?” Damn, even her voice is sexy as hell. Low, raspy and even my dick takes notice.
I clear my throat before trusting myself to speak. “Cage.”
“What?” Huh? Damn . . . what did I just say? Cage. Smooth, real smooth.
“Not Mr. Reid. I’m the uncle, Greg Cage.” I feel like the teenage boy that just got his first boner for his best
friend’s mom. Could this get more awkward?
“Alright, Uncle Greg Cage, and how is this little guy today?”
I go to answer her, but before I can get the words out, Nate makes an odd sound deep in his throat. I register Nurse Wet Dream’s gasp, and I step back right before Nate covers my whole body with his vomit. Way to help a man out, Nate.
* * *
After a ridiculously long and very uncomfortable doctor’s visit, Nate is finally ready to leave. Izzy is going to freak. Double ear infection. The doctor explained that’s the reason Nate so lovingly decided to cover me in his baby barf. And to make matters worse, I had to help hold the little guy down while the nurse stabbed his chunky little thigh with an antibiotic shot. I haven’t seen the sexy as sin nurse since the doctor handed me Nate’s prescriptions and walked off. I don’t even realized that I don’t know her name until I am walking Nate and his puke back out to the car. Well, Nate isn’t rocking the foul smelling shit anymore.
Deciding it’s best not let Izzy know just how sick Nate is, I drive down to the office to pass the little guy off to his father so that I can go home and shower. At least this way, if Sway comes out to attack me, I can protect myself with the shield of baby throw up.
“Ohhhhh!” I hear squealing like a damn pig before I can even climb out of Izzy’s car. It’s laughable that I think I might be able to avoid Sway. I swear that man never works, just sits by the window, and waits for someone from Corps to walk past or drive up.
“Gregory, get your fine ass over—THE BABY!” And now, I have Sway in all his glory running towards the car. How a man as round as him can run on four-inch heels without busting his ass is beyond me.
“No, Sway. Calm your ass down right now.”
“Gregory, why are you all wet?” He pants, stopping as close as he can get without crawling into my body. I take a step back and shift Nate in my arms. Away from the deranged man.
“Would you please stop calling me Gregory? You sound like my damn mother.” Sway reaches out, again, to take Nate from me. “No, Sway. Not today.”
“But, Gregory!” He gasps and holds his beefy hand to his chest. Jesus.
“Got to run, Sway. You want to visit with the baby, then go attack Ax.” I can hear Sway clicking behind me across the parking lot. This man, woman, whatever the fuck . . . I might give him a hard time but he is hilarious. “See you around, Dilbert!”
Walking into the office never fails to give me a massive sense of pride. Pride in myself, and pride in my boys. Before joining forces with Axel and the guys, I was doing pretty fucking hot by myself, but the more clients I picked up, the more overwhelming things got. Plus, that was when Izzy was going through so much shit . . . I just couldn’t afford to be away that much. She needed me, and I will never fail another woman I love again.
Izzy and I have the best friendship. A lot of people think it is crazy, me being so close with a chick, but Izzy isn’t just anyone to me. She is my blood . . . even when we aren’t really. She holds just as big of a piece of my heart as Grace once did.
Damn, I miss Gracie.
“Hey, Greg.” I hear a voice call softly from behind the reception desk.
“Emmy. How’s it been around here, babe?”
“Everything’s fine, Greg. Axel is running around like a mad man though. I think he’s stressed about this weekend.”
“I bet,” I laugh, shifting Nate’s body in my arms, “Got to go drop little man off. Not staying, but I’ll see you this weekend.”
“Alright, Greg.” If I hadn’t seen her bust one of the boy’s balls over some shit, I would swear the timid little mouse is all weakness.
Shaking my head, I continue down the hall towards Axel’s office. I can hear him booming orders through the closed door. Shit, someone must have seriously pissed him off this morning.
“Wouldn’t do that if I was you.” Turning around, I catch Beck’s stoic face. Never good when this easy-going guy starts acting like a little bitch.
“Problem?”
“Yeah. About six and a half feet of pissed off. What the fuck is going on with him?” He reaches up and rubs his neck, another sure sign that Beck is stressing shit.
“My guess, the same thing that’s eating Izzy. With all the shit they went through, they are both afraid to blink until the wedding is over.” Damn shame too. Axel and Izzy don’t have the fairytale beginning that most couples as perfect as them deserve. It might have taken them a while to reconnect, but they are worried for no reason. Not one of us would let anything happen to postpone this event.
“That all that’s biting your ass today, Beck?”
“Just more shit with Dee. I don’t know why I try so hard, I honestly don’t.” Looking closer, I notice the stress weathered all over his body. He is vibrating with frustration, and it is not a good look for him.
“What’s the deal this week?” I ask, knowing damn well she has been giving him the run around for the better part of the last two years. I don’t think anyone really knows what happened, but they went hard and heavy, then Dee put the brakes on real quick.
“Hell if I fucking know. Looks like she is bringing some tool from her office to the wedding. I don’t know what the hell her issue is with just admitting we had something. I tell you this though; I am sick and tired of waiting for her to pull her thumb out of her ass.”
“Right. Not getting in that shit. You might be my brother, but that chick will always out rank you.” I turn and knock on Axel’s door, not waiting for his reply before pushing our way through. Drama between Beck and Dee is nothing I want to dip my toes into. Hell no.
“What d—” Axel barks out before he realizes who is in his office.
“Nice douchebag. Your son decided to decorate me with his vomit today, so it’s your turn. Love this boy, but I don’t like smelling like your woman’s tit milk.”
“Why do you have my boy? Where is Iz? Is she okay?” He goes to get up, as if he is going to run out of the office to check on his woman. Damn, he is turning into a fucking pussy.
“Calm down. Jesus Christ. What is going on with you two? You’re acting like a little bitch that just got her period, and she is on edge just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Nothing is going to happen, you feel me?”
He sighs and drops down heavy into his chair. “Yeah. I keep feeling like any second she is just going to disappear again, and nothing I do gets that image out of my mind. Not one damn thing.” He shakes his head, collects his thoughts, and looks back at me. Determination blazes in his eyes. “Give me my boy, and don’t cuss around him asshole.”
“You’re an idiot, Axel. Izzy is with the wedding something or other. Nate has been running a fever, so I just left the doctor. She didn’t want to worry you, but serious as shit, right now there is no way I am taking him home and explaining all this to her when she is already freaking her shit.”
“Yeah, she said something about him not feeling well last night, but he was happy when I left for work this morning. Is he okay? Dammit, why didn’t she call me? You shouldn’t have had to take my boy.” He pulls Nate to his body and snuggles close. That ache in my heart stings a little deeper at the sight.
“I don’t know, maybe because you’ve been acting just as bad as she has for the last two weeks. He’s fine anyways. Ear infection, both ears. But I explained to the doc what the deal is with this weekend, so he gave him an antibiotic shot to speed shit up.”
I toss Nate’s prescriptions on the desk, kiss the little dude’s head, and slap Ax on the back. “Buck up and calm the fuck down. Nothing is going to happen. But, if you can tell me the name of nurse sin, I’ll give you a hundred bucks. Shit man.”
Axel’s laughter booms through the room, making Nate smile his toothy grin up at his father. “I know exactly who you are talking about, and if you tell Izzy I said this, I’ll cut your balls off, but damn . . . that woman. You see the size of her tits?”
“Hell, how could I miss them?”
We shoot the shit for a while before
the smell of myself makes me want to add to the mess. Axel almost loses his shit again when I tell him what Izzy’s phone call this morning interrupted. Axel has never been a fan of Mandy. He thinks she is a ‘gold digging whore,’ and at this point, I can’t say I disagree with him too much. Leaving the office, and having Emmy make sure the path from the door to my truck is Sway clear, I take off in hopes to clean off and relax for a few hours before something else is thrown in my lap.
CHAPTER 3
Melissa
Another long day I think will never end. Patients run over again, and Dr. Shannon refuses to close the doors until almost 8:30. I hate breaking plans with Cohen, but there is no way he will be able to go to dinner with me now. I fight the urge to punch a hole in the wall and continue my path to the bathroom, stripping the day’s scrubs off on the way.
My mind wanders to the man who came in with Izzy’s little boy today. He seemed like such a natural with Nate that it is obvious he has been around kids before, but Iz has never mentioned him. I had been lucky to strike up a friendship with Izzy West over the last ten months. When I first met her, I was on the other side of Dr. Shannon’s door and coming in with Cohen instead of working. We struck up a friendship, and at the time, it was what I needed.
I remind myself to not to think about the events that led up to me becoming friends with Izzy. My sister would kick my ass if I shed one tear over her. No way. I’ve had my big girl panties on for over a year now and there is no damn way I would let memories pull me down.
Shaking off the pain that only comes when I look at Cohen’s face, or think about my sister is the only reality I know right now. But I am damn good at it. I’ve dealt with losing my sister, but it doesn’t make the pain vanish.
After my shower and nightly routine, I settle down on my worn couch and pick up the phone. It’s time to check in with mom and face the music of missing out on another date with Cohen.
“Meli-Kate! You are in trouble my love. I had to explain, again, to Cohen that we cannot use the kitchen table as a launching pad for his assault against the imaginary ninjas in the house! Do you know how long it takes to calm him down when there are imaginary ninjas attacking his Nana’s house?”