by Ashley Jade
The heart she likes to pretend she doesn’t have.
Goddammit. I have to force myself to focus because she hasn’t come yet.
I grab a fistful of her long dark hair and tug her head back. Like me, she likes it rough and I ain’t complaining. “Baby girl.”
Her eyes flutter closed. “Yeah?”
I drag my teeth along the nape of her neck because I know how much it drives her crazy. “You’re dripping all over my balls.”
Balls that are currently slapping the back of her thighs with every punishing thrust.
Her mouth falls open. “Oh my God.”
I splay my hand on her flat belly and lightly graze her clit, giving her that extra rush.
She moans as I fuck her hard and fast, working her just the way she likes it.
The walls of her pussy grip me so tight it almost hurts as she mewls and sputters a bunch of incoherent things into the air.
Fucking hell. I love the way she comes.
All my senses spring to life with her sounds, scent, and touch until the only thing I see and breathe is her.
Pleasure blurs my vision and muddles my brain. A moment later, I’m right there with her.
I silently thank my lucky stars she’s on birth control because coming inside her is pure fucking heaven.
“Jesus Christ,” she breathes, her body sagging forward.
Kissing the crook of her neck, I slap her ass. “Most people just call me Oakley.”
She tosses her head back and giggles.
Yes, ladies and gents. Bianca Covington giggles like a schoolgirl after she gets some supreme dick.
Which is awfully ironic right now considering she’s currently wearing her RHA uniform since it’s the first day of her senior year.
She starts to move away, but I halt her. “Not so fast.”
“Wh—”
I stick my finger inside her and bite back a groan when I feel my cum. “Do you have any idea how much it turns me on knowing you’ll be walking around with my cum inside your sweet pussy all day?”
Hell, I’m getting hard again just thinking about it.
Her breathing hitches. “I don’t have to leave for school for another five minutes.”
I’m the one who’s laughing now. My little eager beaver.
Kneeling, I fix her panties and press an open-mouthed kiss to her now covered pussy. “Enjoy the souvenir.”
Head cocked over her shoulder, she looks down the length of her body at me. “Dick.”
I grin. “Yeah, but you love it.”
There’s a slight smirk on her lips as she turns around to face me. “More like I’m a sucker for it.” Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pulls me in for a quick kiss. “I don’t want to go to school.” Her mouth drops to my jaw. “It was so much more fun when you went there.” Those pouty lips of hers travel to my earlobe next and I can’t resist cupping one of her tits. So firm and perky. “Think of all the hot sex we could have had. I bet we could have found an abandoned classroom where you could bend me over a desk and—”
I give her ass a playful swat because I know exactly what she’s doing. Giving it as good as she gets it.
“Stop making my cock hard and get your ass to class.”
“Fine,” she says with a pout before she saunters out of the bedroom.
She’s almost to the front door when she pauses. “I’m only a phone call away if you need me.”
And just like that, my good mood dissipates.
While Bianca’s at school today, I’ll be heading over to my dad’s to meet Clarissa Jasmine for the first time.
It’s been a little over three weeks since he begged me to stop by and he won’t let up.
However, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as fuck about it.
Bianca must sense this because she treks back over to me. “Everything will be fine.”
I highly disagree. There are too many variables to consider. Too much shit that can go wrong.
First one being the most obvious. I’m not cut out to be an older brother.
Jace—the responsible motherfucker in our crew—is the one who’s made for this shit.
My reckless ass can’t even manage to buy groceries.
“She’s gonna love you,” Bianca assures me.
I snort. “She’s only nine months old, she has no idea what love is.”
Shit, I’m only just starting to realize what it is now.
Thanks to the girl standing in front of me.
She palms my cheek. “Doesn’t matter. You two will have a bond. You’ll see.”
I start to argue, but she removes her necklace and places it over my head.
Perplexed, I stare at it in confusion. I know how much the St. Christopher pendant Liam gave her back when they were kids means to her. “What are you doing?”
She fingers the pendant I’m now wearing. “Liam was not only a great brother, he’s also a great guardian angel.” Sadness lingers in those baby brown eyes as her fingers drift to the silver feather she pairs with the charm. “I want him to watch over you today and give you some big brother luck.”
Jesus. This girl. She never fails to split me wide open when she shows me her heart.
“Bianca, I can’t—”
She silences me with another kiss. “Yes, you can.” A smirk plays on her lips as she edges away. “Besides it’s the least I can do since you refuse to let me go with you.”
“Only because it would turn into a bloodbath.”
And she knows better than to try and deny it.
My girl has a sharp set of claws and a jealousy streak that’s about two miles too long.
There’s no way in hell I’m putting her in a room with Crystal because chances are my vindictive stepmother won’t make it out alive.
And fuck knows there aren’t enough conjugal visits in the world to ever satisfy my appetite for Bianca.
Ergo, it’s safer if she goes to school and I head there alone.
“I appreciate you loaning me your necklace,” I tell her because there’s no use arguing about it.
Once Bianca sets her sights on something, that’s it. Game fucking over.
Speaking of which. “We still doing that thing tonight?”
That thing consists of sitting her brothers—my two best friends— down and telling them I’m boning their baby sis on the regular now, but not to worry because I’ve developed serious feelings for her and intend to do right by her.
Yeah. The whole thing’s gonna go over like a sloppy blow job in the middle of church on a Sunday, but shit’s gotten too deep between us to keep them in the dark any longer.
Therefore, I’m ripping the Band-Aid off.
Although I’m starting to suspect Dylan already knows the truth about us, but she doesn’t want to bring it up because then she’d have to keep it from her boyfriend Jace.
Either way, Bianca deserves a man who’s not afraid to stand up and declare to the world that she’s his.
Even if doing so is bound to cause more than a few waves.
Hopefully it won’t cost me my friendship with Jace and Cole, though.
But if it does? Hell, Bianca’s worth it.
“We don’t have to—” she starts to say but I shake my head.
“We’re doing it.”
I don’t want to be her dirty little secret anymore.
I did that shit with Crystal and I’ll be damned if I have to do it with Bianca too.
Things are different between us. Stronger.
Because unlike Crystal, I know Bianca would never use or betray me. I trust her.
Apprehension flashes in her eyes. “Everything’s gonna change, Oakley. Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
I tip her chin. “Everything’s already changed.”
She gives me one of her gorgeous smiles. “True.”
I drop my mouth to hers, enjoying the way her soft lips sweep against mine.
There’s still one more thing I have to tell her.
“I�
��m gonna be taking more shifts at the bar.”
Her forehead crinkles. “Why?”
“Because I’m no longer working for Loki…or rather, I won’t be after I give him the rest of my stash and tell him I’m out.”
I made the decision a couple days ago when I took Bianca for her road test. I was so proud of her when she passed, and it hit me how hard she’s worked to come this far. How strong she was for conquering her fears. It dawned on me what I could lose if I ever got caught and landed in the slammer.
Being a bartender at a sketchy bar won’t give me access to a lot of cash, but it’s better than dealing drugs.
Her smile is so bright it practically lights her up from the inside out. “Really?”
“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck. Talking about this shit makes me feel like less of a man and I hate it. Bianca’s not the gold digger type, but she grew up rich and is accustomed to certain things. I hate not being able to give her what she wants. “But my money situation will be tight for a while. I won’t be able to take you anywhere fancy—”
“Are you kidding?” she interjects. “I don’t care about going anywhere fancy. As long as I’m with you, that’s all that matters to me.” She laughs. “You could be a janitor for the rest of your life for all I care. What you do for work doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
Oh, hell. There she goes again. Tugging on the strings of the dead thing in my chest.
Rising on her tiptoes, she gives me another kiss. “I’m really proud of you for ending things with Loki. I know it wasn’t an easy decision.”
That’s the thing, it was an easy decision.
Once I realized I could lose her…it was like something in my head finally clicked.
Do I still struggle with my cravings for drugs? All the damn time.
Sometimes the urge is so strong—so consuming—I have to stand in a cold shower and scream my brains out so I don’t run off and snort something or drink my weight in whiskey. It’s a challenge I’ll always struggle with, and there are days I’m afraid I’ll screw up and give in.
But right now? I’m trying my hardest to take it one day at a time and not go down that dark path, because I don’t want to fuck this up.
I want to be a better man for her.
And for me.
“You’re late for school,” I remind her.
She gives me one last kiss. “See you later, handsome. Everything will go great today, you’ll see.”
When I grumble, she kisses my hand and whispers, “Just pretend I’m right there. Holding your hand the entire time.”
I’m not the type to get nervous. Usually when I walk in a room and spot someone I don’t fuck with, I ease the tension with a joke and keep it moving.
But not this time.
Because I loathe the woman standing in front of me.
The bitch who broke my heart into a million different pieces without a second thought.
Unfortunately, she’s the gatekeeper to my family.
“Hi.”
Crystal’s face screws up when she answers the door, like she smells something rotten. “Your dad’s still stuck in a meeting with a big client. He should be here soon.”
“Oh.” I take a step back. “I can come back lat—”
“No. He’s been dying to see you and he’ll be upset if I let you leave.” She opens the door wider. “Come in.”
It’s weird being invited into your childhood home.
I take a tentative step inside. “Thanks.”
Hands tucked into the pockets of my jeans, I follow her into the kitchen.
She buzzes around the open space like a busy bee and it’s obvious she’s on edge. “Can I get you something to drink? Water? Juice?” Her eyes narrow. “Whiskey?”
I let that dig roll off my back. “I’m fine, thanks.”
We stare at each other for a beat.
Crystal’s always been attractive—just like my cousin Dylan, she’s just shy of too thin and has long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Giving birth did nothing to change that.
However, unlike Dylan, Crystal’s insides are ugly.
A weird twist goes through my chest when I realize there are no lingering feelings for the woman in front of me.
Well, other than resentment.
I was worried there might be, but I should have known better.
Bianca’s hold on me is airtight and nothing’s ever gonna fucking change that.
I open my mouth to ask where Clarissa Jasmine is, but then I hear it.
The sound of a baby crying.
Immediately, Crystal runs out of the kitchen and into the adjoining room. “Someone’s up from their nap.”
I flick my gaze to the playpen set up in the living room.
My heart does this weird stutter thing the moment Clarissa Jasmine’s blonde head pops up and I can’t help but wander over.
Reaching down, Crystal takes her out of the playpen and bounces her on her hip.
Innocent blue eyes peer up at me in wonder.
“Hey, Clarissa—” I stop myself because that name is a goddamn mouthful. Especially for someone so tiny. “C.J.”
Crystal shoots me a dirty look. “Clarissa Jasmine.”
C.J. it is.
“Can I hold her?”
Her stare travels over my face, focusing on my eyes. It’s obvious she’s checking to see if I’m high.
“For once your pupils don’t look bloodshot,” she remarks before she passes her over to me.
Whatever nerves I felt disappear the second she’s in my arms and I want to kick myself for staying away for so long. I was scared I’d feel bitter or jealous, but I don’t. It’s the complete opposite. She’s awesome.
I watch in amusement when C.J. yanks on the pink bow Crystal must have stuck in her hair at some point. I can’t help but laugh as she grunts in frustration when it doesn’t come out.
“She’s beautiful.”
Crystal beams as she leans over and secures her bow. “I know. We made a good-looking kid.”
My chest twists like someone stuck a knife through it.
Because I’ll never know.
Crystal had a miscarriage with our baby. And while that was in no way her fault—what was her fault was using me to get knocked-up so she could play it off as my father’s while she tried to convince him to ship me off to military school and live happily ever after.
Fortunately, my dad shot military school down real quick.
Unfortunately, Crystal lost the baby that would have been mine soon after that.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t briefly wonder if I was C.J.’s father when I found out Crystal was pregnant again, but then I realized the timing didn’t match up so she couldn’t be mine.
Conceding to her plight with the bow, C.J. gives me a big happy grin that showcases her chubby cheeks and the three little teeth inside her mouth.
But that’s not what makes it hard to breathe.
While C.J. mostly takes after Crystal…that big cheeky grin of hers? That’s all my dad.
Fuck. I miss him.
Whomp…there it is. The unmistakable pang of guilt.
I want to confess. So fucking bad.
But I don’t want to be the one responsible for putting the proverbial nail in the coffin of his marriage with Crystal.
He loved my mother—so much so I know he never really got over her—but she hurt him too much.
Hurt us both too much.
I don’t want to destroy whatever happiness he thinks he’s found with Crystal and tear his family apart.
I look down at my baby sister and a sharp twinge of protectiveness surges through my gut.
I want better for her than I had.
C.J. deserves to have two parents.
Therefore, it’s best I find a way to get along with Crystal and keep this secret buried for the rest of my life.
“I’m Oakley,” I tell C.J., not that she’ll understand.
Giving me another cheeky grin, she start
s babbling incessantly, telling me a very intense baby story.
Then she clasps her hands around my face and I hear it.
It sounds a lot like Uh-oh instead of Oakley, but I’ll take it.
“Uh-oh works too, kid.”
Fuck knows I’m just one giant uh-oh waiting to happen.
Crystal smiles. “She’s so smart. She’s always trying to say every new word she hears.”
No surprise there. My dad is one hell of a brainiac. Clearly my apple fell off the tree and landed in a goddamn ditch somewhere, but it’s good to know C.J.’s didn’t and she’ll be able to make something of herself.
Before I can stop her, she reaches for my necklace and sticks it in her mouth.
“Clarissa Jasmine, stop that.” Crystal rushes to remove it from her mouth. “You don’t know where that’s been.”
I have to stifle a laugh when C.J. ignores her mother and does it again.
“Don’t worry, it’s my girlfriend’s,” I tell Crystal as I remove it from C.J.’s mouth. “She’s clean.”
Except when we’re in bed. Then she’s my dirty girl.
Grinning, I look down at C.J. “Can you say Bian—”
“I really don’t want you talking about your little w-h-o-r-e-s in front of my child.”
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up. “My girlfriend isn’t a whore.”
Unlike her, I don’t spell out the word.
Beside me, Crystal tenses. “Right.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to remind her she was once on my roster too, but I don’t.
Out of respect for C.J. not Crystal.
“She’s not,” I grit through my teeth. “She’s smart and—”
I stop talking because I don’t know why I’m telling Crystal about Bianca in the first place. It’s none of her damn business.
Hell, I should be thanking her for doing a number on me, because I ended up with something so much better.
A ride or die girl that will always have my back.
And unlike Crystal, Bianca would never pull some shady shit.
Crossing her arms, Crystal makes an irritated sound in her throat. “If you say so.” She sighs. “I have to go switch out the laundry. Can you keep an eye on her?”
“Sure.”
She starts to walk away but pauses. “You can put her down if you want. She likes playing on the floor.”
“Okay.”