by Kinley Cole
“Jason, come here,” she begged breathlessly.
Obedient, I rose to stand in front of her, kissing my way up her body. I was aware of her instruction, but it did little to halt my kisses along the side of her throat, and my hands cupping her breasts in my palms. “What’s wrong?”
“I want you,” she groaned, gasping as I nipped at her collarbone. “Inside me. Not just your hands, or your tongue.” Her eyes had sharpened when I pulled back to see her face. “Please, Jason.”
Please, Jason. Jesus fucking Christ, I almost came undone right there with the sound of that plea on her lips.
Without further thought, I lowered my head and found her mouth again, kissing her, devouring her. I reached down between us and teased her legs apart, finding her hot, wet, and so ready. A primal growl of satisfaction rose in my throat, knowing that slick heat was in response to me, but it was quickly extinguished somewhere within our kiss.
Perhaps I should’ve waited, or warned her. But the animalistic part of me now drowned out the gentleman, and all I could think of was how fucking bad I needed to bury myself within her.
So, I did. Slowly, I entered her, and the gasp the sensation elicited was stifled as my mouth covered hers. Leah’s hands clutched my hips, her fingernails biting into my flesh. But she took everything I gave her, even arching her hips painstakingly slow, pushing me deeper into her.
Gasps, groans, and moans sounded softly between us as I began to move within her, but it was impossible to determine hers from mine, or where she ended and I began.
I was lost, beyond control, taken over by the tsunami wave of absolute perfection that was Leah Sullivan. The way her tongue danced so mesmerizingly with my own, the way her hard nipples felt as I rolled them between my fingertips, the beautifully erotic noises she made against my shoulder as I thrust into her, the way her body seemed to be made to fit mine.
“Oh God, Leah.” I couldn’t get more coherent words out, too enthralled with her.
Leah lifted one leg, hooking it around my hip. The movement allowed me to go deeper, and another curse word left my lips.
“Trust me,” I whispered, holding her against me tightly as I reached down and hooked her other leg around me, lifting her. I took two steps to the right, and pressed her back against the laundry room wall, barely falling out of rhythm as I buried myself inside her again.
This time, Leah’s gasp was louder. I could feel her thighs tightening around my hips, but her walls clenched deliciously around my cock, too.
Only the animal within me remained, and I lost the last shred of chivalry. I wanted to own Leah in that moment, needed her to succumb to me. Give herself over to me in the most intimate way she could.
Relentlessly, I thrust into her. She clutched herself around me, holding on to me as though I were a lifeline.
“Come for me, Leah,” I demanded through gritted teeth.
A small whimper was her only vocal reply, but I could feel her trembling, trying to hold herself together, clenching tautly—
Leah shattered beneath my fingertips. “Jason, oh God!”
I thrust into her harder, sucking in a sharp breath as she sunk her fingernails into my shoulders but unable to stop myself, overtaken by the violent shuddering of her body and how tight and rigid she became as her orgasm ripped through her. I held her in place with one hand, reaching up to press the other against the wall to steady myself.
But it was too late. My own release followed quickly, and Leah’s name fell from my lips with the urgency of a plea for survival. I buried my face into the side of her neck, muffling each grunt and gasp.
We stayed that way, her back pressed against the wall under my weight, my hand on the wall with my head on her shoulder, inhaling her intoxicating scent until my heartbeat had slowed to some semblance of normal.
“Oh my God,” Leah breathed.
I lifted my head to see if it was a good oh my God or a bad one, but the sleepy, dream-like grin on her face told me all I needed to know. “You okay?” I pecked her jaw lightly, then lowered her slowly onto her feet and reluctantly pulled away from her.
Leah chuckled as her legs trembled beneath her own weight. “Jesus, I’m shaking like a leaf.”
I brought my hand out to help her steady herself, and she clutched it. “Who would have thought laundry could be so strenuous?” I smiled, leaning down to kiss her temple again.
“Maybe laundry ain’t so bad after all.” She bent down and reached for her t-shirt on the floor. “If you’re helping me with it, I mean.”
I pulled the shirt from her hands. There was no way in hell I was letting her cover up the masterpiece before me. “Leah, I will do laundry with you anytime, anywhere.”
“Anywhere?” Her eyebrows shot up, curious.
A mischievous grin tugged at my mouth. “Anywhere, pretty lady.” I leaned forward, pulling her to me again. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you could talk me into anything, if you wanted to.”
“Is that so?” She beamed up at me, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Anywhere, anything. You know, I’m kind of starting to like the sound of this.”
“You know what?” I kissed her again, this time with more warmth. “Me too.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
LEAH
Every morning on the dot, Jason saved the day. He arrived early enough that we could share a cup of coffee together and I could get ready without interruptions. Sliding the dark red shade of lipstick across my lips, I stared at my reflection and a grin pulled against my mouth.
Confidence had been reborn within me the very moment Jason Nightingale told me in no uncertain terms that every fucking inch of me was beautiful. It wasn’t his words that made me believe it, but the way he proved it to me with the grip of his hands on my hips, the crash of his lips against mine, and the way our bodies intertwined and became one. Everything I thought I knew about being in love was destroyed in that laundry room.
Jason was everything Zach wasn’t. He was attentive, not only to me, but to Luxe as well. I knew Zach loved our son, but his priorities were backward. Luxe felt more affection from Jason in the short couple months that he’d been babysitting him, than Zach had shown him in ages. And while it filled my heart with joy, my heart broke at the same time.
I fluffed my hair on my shoulders, switching off the light in the bathroom and walking down the hall. Laughter from Jason and Luxe bounced off the walls and danced on my eardrums. I peeked around the corner of my son’s room. The boys were playing superheroes, as usual.
With a soft knock on the doorframe, Luxe looked back at me while Jason whooshed the Superman action figure through the air.
“Hi, Mommy!” Luxe gave me a big, cheesy grin.
Jason’s eyes drank me in from head to toe and he waggled his eyebrows. “Meow!” he purred, and laughter poured out of me.
“We’re not playing cats, Jason. You’re Superman, ‘member?” Luxe sighed, exasperated, and it made Jason and I both laugh harder.
“I know, Spidey. I forgot for a second, that’s all.” Jason tried to hold back his amusement, forcing a serious expression onto his face.
I stepped into the bedroom, swooping down to pull Luxe up into my arms. He wrapped his arms around my neck and grunted loudly as he gave me a big squeeze.
“I love you, Mommy!” He pulled away from the hug, cupping my cheeks with his small hands.
“I love you more, buddy.”
Luxe puckered his lips at me and gave me an exaggerated smooch. I set him down, and noticed that I’d left a trace of lipstick on his lips, beginning to rub at it.
“I got your lip stuff on me again, huh?” Luxe placed his hand on his hips and rolled his eyes. “Can’t you give me kisses goodbye before you put that yucky stuff on?”
“Next time, I promise.” I held my pinky up to him, and he reached his hand up to curl his own around mine. I used my other hand to wipe the last remnants of the red smudge from his bottom lip, much to his distaste.
Jason stood up. “Hey, Litt
le Man, there’s been a bank robbery. Can Spider-Man take care of that while Superman takes a short breather?”
“I’m on it!” Luxe puffed out his chest before reaching for the action figure.
Jason rose from the floor and came toward me, a light shining in his eyes and a grin on his face—a grin that made me want to head right back into that laundry room with him, and “wash” every damn piece of clothing in my apartment, even the clean ones. I backed away from him slowly, heading further down the hall, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth.
“You better watch what you’re doing, pretty lady, or you’ll be late for work.”
“I’m not doing anything.” I gave him a devilish grin as he stepped closer, towering over me, pressing his firm chest against mine. A gasp escaped my throat and my head tilted back as he inhaled the scent of perfume I’d dabbed on my neck.
“Just like I’m not doing anything either, right?” Jason whispered just before nipping at the sensitive skin on my neck, a sensation that created a puddle of wetness between my legs.
Fuck.
“Okay, stop. You’re just being evil now. I have to go, and Luxe is right there in his room,” I whispered, softly smacking his chest to push him away. But his hands grasped my lower back.
“Have a good day.” His gaze fluttered between my eyes and my lips. I stood on my tiptoes and pushed my lips against his. I felt his hand travel through my hair and rest at the back of my head.
I will have a good day, because all of my days since you’ve come into our lives have been good. But today would have been even better if I could’ve had a little sex with my coffee.
“You too.”
DRAGGING MYSELF UP the stairs of the apartment building, a tantalizing aroma danced into my nostrils, spreading through the hallway. The closer I got, it dawned on me that the delicious scent was coming from my own apartment.
Seriously, what did I do to deserve a man like this? It all seems too good to be true.
I unlocked the door and opened it slowly. The sound of something sizzling in a pan met my ears. I stepped in and locked the door behind me, then slid out of my uncomfortable high heels.
Jason had a dishtowel tucked in the back pocket of his jeans and his shirt was nowhere to be seen, his back muscles suggestively shadowed by the dim kitchen lighting. As I stepped closer, I could see faint pink scratch marks along his shoulder blades, and a giggle escaped me. Heat rose swiftly in my cheeks as I thought of how those marks had gotten there. I knocked two knuckles against the wall to let him know I was home.
“Oh, hey.” Jason scooped shrimp, onions, and a colorful array of peppers onto a plate.
“Hey, yourself. Get a little hot in here or something?” I winked at him playfully.
“Actually, yeah.” He chuckled, scooping another helping of the gorgeous meal onto another plate, then pulled a few tortillas from the warmer. “I figured Luxe probably wouldn’t like this kind of thing, so I already made him a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. He’s in his room watching a movie. Hope you don’t mind?”
“Of course I don’t mind. I appreciate it, greatly. You know you don’t have to do all of this?” I said through a soft smile.
“I know I don’t. I do it because I want to, Leah.” Jason turned away from the stove to face me, and my eyes focused on his abs. “You two have given me so much to look forward to, you know that, right?” He wiped his hand on the dish towel, watching me.
I stared back, appraising him with a crooked grin. “Well, like I said, we really appreciate it.”
I turned away from him and headed toward Luxe’s room. Opening his door, I saw my little guy sitting in the middle of his room playing with his toy cars while he watched his favorite movie for probably the twentieth time this week. I snuck in behind him and wrapped my arms around his small frame.
“I gotcha!” I roared, laughing menacingly.
“Not for long!” Luxe squealed as he began kicking his feet, trying to wriggle away from me. I set him down and he turned to face me, wrapping his arms around my waist for a big hug.
“Did you have a good day, buddy?” I asked him, leaning down to press my lips against his forehead. Luckily, my lipstick had worn off, otherwise I would have accidentally broken my promise to him from earlier this morning.
“Yeah! Jason is the funnest! We played superheroes and trucks, we put together my big puzzle, and he even taught me a new game!” Luxe squealed in excitement.
“Oh, yeah? What game is that?”
“Hot Lava! We put the pillows from the couch on the floor and a pillow from my bed, too, and he pulled the chairs from the table and put them in the living room too so we hopped on all of them trying not to fall on the carpet because the carpet was...hot lava!” he exclaimed, his hands waving excitedly as he spoke.
His animated story hit me hard, and tears stung my eyes. I’d never seen my baby boy this excited about anything before. Pulling myself together, I straightened my posture and blinked back the tears, furrowing my eyebrows as I stared down at his big, brown eyes.
“You two hopped on the couch pillows? You know what that means...” I brought my hands up and curled my fingers, making them look like claws, just as Luxe’s face had started to falter. “That means I’m gonna get you!” I growled.
“Uh oh!” Luxe screamed and bolted around me out from his bedroom. “Jason! Mommy is gonna get us for hopping on the couch pillows!” He ran and hid behind Jason’s tall, broad frame.
“Don’t worry, buddy. I can take care of this.” Jason narrowed his piercing eyes at me and quickly came toward me, lifting me up as though I were weightless and hanging me over his shoulder.
Laughter from the three of us filled the apartment, and I didn’t even care if we were being too noisy. This was the most fun Luxe and I’d had in a long time.
Jason carried me to the couch and laid me down, then turned back toward Luxe and held his hand up for a high-five. “See, buddy? We make a great team, huh?”
“Duh!” Luxe smacked his hand against Jason’s. “Mommy?” His tone had changed. It was sweet and innocent, and he batted his long lashes at me.
“Yeah?” I figured it was probably on the tip of his tongue to ask to stay up late tonight since it was Friday.
“Can Jason stay here with me tonight, Mommy?”
Oh, my God. Can Jason what? I can’t believe this child of mine just asked that.
“Uh...um...” I failed to find a proper response because I wasn’t quite sure how to go about it.
“Yeah, Leah, can I spend the night tonight?” Jason batted his lashes at me, playfully mocking Luxe and exaggerating his pleading expression. His bottom lip puckered out and everything.
“Oh, good grief. I suppose. But, you two better go to bed when I say so.” I winked, then had to turn away from them, despite Luxe’s exuberant cheers. I swallowed hard as the butterflies from my gut crept up into my throat.
What had I just agreed to?
LUXE HAD GONE TO HIS bedroom to finish his movie while Jason and I dined on shrimp fajitas. After we finished eating, I shooed Jason away from cleaning up and instructed him to go play with Luxe. He had already done enough for us; he didn’t need to clean, too. As I was cleaning up and putting the dishes into the dishwasher, my phone started to ring. Drying my damp hands on a towel, I picked up the phone and saw Zach’s name lighting up the screen.
Great. What does he want? To cancel for tomorrow night?
“Hello?” I knew my tone wasn’t the most pleasant, but to be fair, it was because I was so used to being let down by him that every time he called I assumed that was what was about to happen.
“Hey, I was just calling about tomorrow night.”
I knew it, the fucking prick is going to cancel again.
“What about it?” I bit out, rage already coursing through my veins.
Luxe and Jason laughed as Jason held him in his arms, whooshing him through the air like one of the action figures.
“Faster, Jason! Faster!” Luxe
yelled at the top of his lungs.
My stomach dropped, knowing Zach must’ve heard them.
He cleared his throat. “Who’s Jason?” I could tell by his tone that he was holding himself back from blowing up at me.
“A friend,” I lied. “So, what about tomorrow?” I asked again, quickly redirecting him from the topic as guilt began to crowd my stomach.
“Uh, okay. Well, I’m going to be a little late picking him up tomorrow night, and I just wanted you to know.”
“And you had to call and tell me that?” I asked through an irritated sigh.
“I’m really trying here, Leah.” Zach’s voice grew firm, but I just rolled my eyes.
“So what time should I be expecting you? I have plans.”
“You have plans?” The condescending ass put emphasis on you because I wasn’t a woman that ever had plans outside of him, Luxe, and work. I’d never gone out with girls from work, and after having Luxe, I lost touch with a lot of my friends from high school as they weren’t parents yet.
“Yes, I have plans.”
“With who?” I could hear the jealousy breaking through his teeth as the question slowly and firmly spilled from his mouth.
“Does it matter? What do you and what’s-her-face have planned with Luxe tomorrow?” I tried to keep my tone hushed and not raise my voice. I didn’t want Jason to know I was having a spat with Zach. But, most of all, I didn’t want Luxe to hear a word of it.
“You’re right, it doesn’t matter. Sorry for asking.” Zach’s voice was laced with thinly veiled hatred.
I ended the call, a small grin of satisfaction tugging at my lips. It seemed that the playing field between us had been leveled a bit, and I had to admit, I kind of liked the idea that it’d taken him completely by surprise. He didn’t like any of it much, but I couldn’t decide which part Zach disliked more—that I’d moved on, or that I’d risen from the ashes of what we’d once been, becoming someone he didn’t fully recognize.