"You ready for me?"
She barely nods before my hips surge up, slamming into her until I'm buried deep.
"Oh my God." Her head drops back.
My hands go to her ass, and I drive into her faster. She arches, ramming down to meet my strokes and clenches.
"Don't," I bite out, "… so tight, hot… soaking wet. You're going to take me hard, baby."
Her head snaps up, and the blazing hunger in her eyes turns daring with challenge. She licks her bottom lip, trailing her hand up my neck to the back of my head, and fisting my hair.
"We did sweet this morning. I want it rough and dirty."
"Dress off, baby. Give me your tits."
She whips the dress over her head, strips off her bra, and arches up. My mouth closes over one nipple, sucking deep, knowing it'll leave a mark. I pin her to the fireplace and thrust harder.
"Hold on to me." The demand comes out clipped.
Her hands link around my neck and I pick up speed, driving in and out of her relentlessly, moving my mouth to the other side. Her thighs tremble around my waist as her breathing increases. She pivots her hips, flexing her muscles and closing even tighter around my dick.
I raise my face to meet hers and feel the heat searing through every inch of my body. Her green eyes are wild with hunger, glowing bright. They hold me hostage, telling me her thoughts without words.
The unfiltered desire bleeding through her sparks a new kind of possession. My hands dig into her ass, keeping her anchored to me. Sweat trickles down my back as I fuck her with determination.
She bucks into me, bouncing her hips until our bodies are moving in rhythm.
"Miller," she moans, her eyes glazing.
"Go, Princess."
"I want you."
"I'll be with you on the second. Give it to me."
Her head drops back to the wall, and I bend in, trailing my tongue over her pulse. She lets out a gasp, chanting my name.
A flood of heat coats my dick. Her body trembles as she comes undone, pulling me deeper and deeper.
"Shit." The familiar knot coils low in my stomach.
I angle her hips, adjust the position, and know I've hit the spot when she cries out, the sound ricocheting around the empty house. I lose control, drilling into her with relentless force.
"Too much… it's too much," she whines, pain slicing through the back of my neck where her nails dig into my skin.
"Touch yourself, I'm close."
"I don't need to."
"Your pussy is sucking me dry, baby. My balls are coated in you, ready to fucking blow. Get there."
Her eyes pop open at the same time she heaves down. That's all it takes for my cock to swell and explode.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," I grate out, feeling each pulse inside her as she convulses. My heart hammers against my ribs, thunder roaring in my ears. She yells into the room, wiggling against me.
My cock lurches inside of her again and she cries out in pleasure.
"Please," she begs, dropping her head to my chest.
"That's all you."
She stills, coming down and catching her breath. After a few minutes, her body jiggles with quiet laughter. "I'm definitely bringing out the bitch more often."
"Princess, you want to be fucked against a wall, just say the word. Give me a few minutes and we can have a repeat performance."
"I think you may need to carry me to the bathroom to clean up."
"In a second."
She raises her face to mine. "We're kinda messy."
"Don't give a shit. I came so hard my vision went black. Let me hold you like this for a little longer."
Her gorgeous smile radiates right before she slants in to kiss me.
Chapter 16
Miller
For the first time in hours, I catch Ashlyn alone and know it's my chance. She doesn't hear me coming behind her and jumps when I circle her waist and place my lips at her neck.
"You good?"
"Depends on what you mean by good. My stomach is about to burst, my muscles hurt from laughing, and in the last five hours I've been ridiculed and humiliated by my asshole brothers."
"Yeah, you're good." I kiss along her neck as she melts into me.
"I grew up with some wild family Thanksgivings, but this tops them all."
"Say the word and I'll get us home."
She spins so fast her hair whips my face, and I'm forced to loosen my grip. "Shit, babe, your hair is a weapon."
"Sorry.” She brushes my cheek. “But we can't go home. I've been waiting all day for this."
"This? Working yourself to exhaustion cleaning up the kitchen?"
"No! Our duties are done. Now the women get to relax and get to the fun stuff."
"If we go home, I promise you we'll get to the fun stuff naked." I roll my hips against hers.
"Haven't you been paying attention at all today? Tonight is the best part."
"Babe, I was busy frying turkeys and being bossed around by Mom."
She purses her lips and squints her eyes. "Excellent point. You missed most of it. This is our reward for days of preparation and cooking. Annie's making her famous martinis, and we're doing the girly stuff. Talk about babies, plan our Southern Home Holiday Light tour tomorrow night, which your mother has strong opinions about, and probably discussing the no-longer-a-secret shower on Saturday."
This last part is news to me. According to Ashlyn, who volunteered to help Renee with the shower, it was still top secret. "Who squealed?"
"Pierce made a compelling argument about surprising his wife. He was persuasive."
I nod, understanding exactly what she means.
"So, you go join the men outside and do manly things like watch football, drink beer, and hope we don't get highly inebriated."
"Highly inebriated is welcome."
"Did you forget you invited my brothers to stay with us?"
"Why does that matter?"
"We can't have sex with my brothers in the house." She lowers her voice to an almost inaudible level. "It isn't happening."
"Why the hell not?"
"Really, Miller?"
"I'll call the Brasher and get them in a room right now."
"Too late, they already dumped their stuff. Maybe next time you'll think about your loose-lipped invitations."
"We'll see." I lean in to kiss her, not willing to argue about this when there's a chance she'll pull an attitude and make me hard.
"I love your games."
"You're gonna love how I get creative soon."
"You held out on me for over a week. I think you'll be okay for a few nights." Her eyes shine and she chews on her bottom lip.
"Princess, you better join the hen party and drink Annie's martinis before I drag you out of here and give your dad a reason to shoot me."
She smiles wide. "And you better join the guys before you miss all the good gossip."
"We don't gossip."
"Mmhmm, that's not what I hear. Besides, I think they're waiting for you." She squeezes my hand and kisses the underside of my jaw before sliding out of my hold and going toward the dining room.
Ashlyn was right. When I get to the backyard, everyone is under the cabana with their eyes trained on me. I grab a beer and sit next to Evin, thinking he's the safest bet. "What's up?"
"Nothing yet, you're the star of this year's show."
"Hardly."
"Just wait."
As if on cue, Dozer clears his throat. "I suspect next year Janie will go all out to top this."
"I'm sure she'll have help." I take a swig of beer, unsure where he's going.
"I'm no woman, but Janie thinks it's important to share all sorts of stories with me. At first, it didn't make much sense, but today I saw the importance of these families being together. It was an honor to be a part of it."
His sincerity hits me hard. "You're always welcome."
"I suspect Christmas will be the same with a newborn in the mix."
"Probably."<
br />
"Janie and I talked about it. Austin and Andrew agreed. We're willing to give you Christmas this year, too. But, boy, next year you have to get used to sharing holidays."
"We'll work it out."
"With that being said," Dozer pauses, taking a sip of his drink. "Did the additional design changes delay, or are you going to have my baby girl's house finished by Christmas?"
Ashlyn used more of her extra budget to add to her dining room, which required bumping out a wall. The electricians had to rewire a few things. His expression tells me he probably knows this. "It'll be cutting it close. The changes didn't add much of a delay, but we lost about four days. Andi and I are rearranging some jobs to get extra help. Once the drywall is in and it's safe, Ashlyn is ready to get started, too."
"What materials you have on hand right now?"
"Everything, but it's Kendrick's policy to give employees this weekend with family. I planned to get some stuff done, but won't have a crew until Monday."
"Wrong, you have a crew right here." He throws his thumb to his sons.
"I appreciate that, but the same goes for you. This is a weekend for family."
He slices his eyes to my dad, who dips his chin in some kind of agreement.
"You guys into this?"
"Son, have you heard Ashlyn and Janie talking this week?"
I shake my head. "I'm usually at work. I know they have plans each day."
"Well, let me fill you in. Tomorrow, those women are going Black Friday shopping. Why the hell people do that shit with the internet available is a mystery to me, but they're going. Then tomorrow night, we're all being dragged to some historical holiday shit. Saturday, the girls are doing a baby shower. I'm not here to shop and I'm sure as hell not here to sit in a hotel room when there's work to get done."
"What the hell is she shopping for? We've had so many deliveries in the last three weeks that we had to stack them in the office."
"Considering she let go of ninety percent of her old things and everything she owns fits in your garage, there's no telling."
"So instead of enjoying the time off, you want to work?"
"Miller, for years I was forced to stay quiet while my daughter changed into another woman. She was almost a stranger. I would have done anything to get a glimpse of the girl she once was. Now she's back, and if she wants to be in her home for Christmas, I'll do whatever I can to make that happen."
"Us too," Andrew throws in.
"All right, I'll set us up for tomorrow." I ease back in my chair, feeling comfortable that I'm off the hot seat. If the Rhodes men want to spend their time helping, it's an advantage for me.
"Brace, brother," Evin says under his breath, sliding a bottle of Jack and empty glass on the table between us.
Pierce looks entirely too smug sitting across from me. His eyes go to the area where Cole is alternating between watching the game and playing a game on Pierce's phone. "Cole, do me a favor and go check on Darby."
Cole's head pops up with a look of anxiety. "Is it time?"
"Hope not, buddy, but she's been doing a lot today. Make sure she's good. Sit with her if she needs you."
He stands, shaking his head. "We shouldn't have let her go to work this morning. It was too much."
It amazes me how much my nephew is like my brother. Those are words he would have heard directly from Pierce's mouth. No doubt he knows Pierce's opinion on Darby working this morning to help her team prepare for the Thanksgiving dinner at Brasher.
"Just make sure she's okay," Pierce instructs him again.
"Am I going to miss the good part?" Cole looks crushed.
"Yep, I'll fill you in later. While you're in there, grab your sister and call your mom."
His shoulders slouch as he goes to the house, clearly more excited about checking on Darby than calling Connie. I can't blame him.
"Pierce, tell me you handled it. Annie and I are not pleased Darby went in this morning," Edward states when Cole is in the house.
"It's handled. Plus, she'll be pregnant again next year."
My side of the family takes this in stride, fully aware of Pierce's goal to add five more children to his family. Darby agreed to three more. I've got my money on Pierce.
The Rhodes men don't seem fazed by his statement, all three of them focused on me. The hair on the back of my neck prickles, and Pierce's expression slides back to smug.
"Jesus, do I have to pour it for you, too?" Evin utters, filling the highball glass nearly full.
"Speaking of pregnancies, what's the next step in your plan?"
The bluntness of Austin's question brings it all together. Evin's oversized pour now makes sense.
"Are you asking me if your sister is pregnant?"
"Not now, she's not. That's obvious. But do you plan on having kids?"
"Yeah, I want kids. Ashlyn does, too."
"When can we expect them?"
"Maybe you should talk to Ashlyn."
"I'm not talking to Ashlyn. I want to keep my balls intact."
"Let me jump in here. We'll get back to the kids. I want to know what happens next. You'll finish her house and then? You plan to let her move out and live alone? Date a while? Slow this bullet train down?" Andrew's disapproval bleeds through his questions.
"Not my intention at all. These past three weeks are as slow as I get in my relationship with your sister."
"Then what's the damn plan?"
I cast a glance at my brother, who's openly smiling. "You enjoying this?"
"Fuck yeah. Karma is a bitch. What goes around comes around." He's still bitter about us ganging up on him last year on this same day about Darby. I wouldn't be surprised if he planted the seeds to instigate this.
I'll deal with him later. "No disrespect, but I think this is a conversation I should have with Ashlyn first. But know, I'm not going anywhere."
"You moving in with her?" Andrew pushes.
"Oh fuck, son, let that go. Of course he's moving in with her. She's building her home meant for a family. I want to know when this will be official. Janie's about to drive me crazy," Dozer grunts.
"Soon, but as you know, Ashlyn has to be handled delicately."
"You broke down those walls a long time ago. Don't waste much more time."
"It almost sounds like you like me." I send him a cocky smile, raising my eyebrows.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself. I figure the second time around she'll pick a man who owns a razor. But for now, she's got a slug who knows how to build her dream home. That's what counts."
This breaks the damn, and Pierce chokes mid-sip, roaring out as he doubles over. Evin, Dad, and Edward have the decency to contain their laughter to general obnoxiousness.
Austin and Andrew openly praise their dad with backslaps, and Dozer looks pleased with himself.
I take the drink beside me, gulping a few swigs, and let them have their fun. When the laughter dies down, I take my shot back. "Build her dream home, bring her back to herself, and openly adore her. There will be no second time around."
Dozer sobers, his posture straightening as he locks eyes with me. "I'm trusting you on that."
I tip my glass to him, giving him the southern gentleman's handshake of respect.
"Everyone all straight now?"
"Not yet, I understand Pierce built his wife a bakery for their wedding present. What are you going to do to top that?"
"Yeah, what are you going to do to top that?" Pierce is now all out gloating, enjoying this too much.
"I have an idea," I answer vaguely, not ready to share the news of my idea if she wants to go out on her own and open a practice.
Dozer finishes his drink, nodding.
"My sister is not knocked up-yet, she's getting a move-in boyfriend who hasn't put a ring on her finger, and you haven't told us your plan," Austin replies. "I'm still looking for answers."
"I'm thrilled my son is bringing that ray of beauty into my family." Dad finally adds something to the conversation. "Hopefully, yo
u have the smarts to get her down the aisle soon before she realizes what a pain in the ass you can be."
I narrow my eyes over the rim of my glass, wondering what the hell ever happened to loyalty. Then I figure it's my turn to have some fun.
"Already booked the hotel in Vegas. I'll make sure all your announcements arrive the day it's inked."
Every man's face goes stone still, the brothers snapping tight.
"Touché, brother, that'll be epic. I'll follow your lead on that shit." Evin, who isn't affected by my announcement, clinks his glass with mine.
"You take my baby to Vegas and elope, I'll bury you. No shit, I'll walk away without blinking an eye," Dozer growls.
I rest in my seat, letting it hang in the air, not showing any emotion. "Now are we all straight?"
"Almost. Since you want to be a badass, what are you doing about this city slicker calling my house looking for Ashlyn?"
The air changes, every man now sitting straight.
"He hasn't called again, right?"
"No."
"He does, you give him my number directly. I'll deal. She's blown it off, focused on everything else. Let's keep it that way. Her money was transferred, her life is moving on, and she doesn't seem to miss one thing about what she left behind. That fucker comes into play to mess with her head, he'll deal with me."
This seems to appease Dozer. "No problem."
There's a comfortable silence for a few seconds before the back door opens and Cole races to the railing. "Dad! Help! Darby can't get off the sofa. Ashlyn tried to help, but she's now on the floor rolling around hysterically laughing. Maya said the baby turned."
Pierce, Evin, and Edward are all on their feet, and there's a screech from Darby in the background for Cole to stop overreacting. This is my chance for payback.
"You got this?" I ask Evin.
He glances back, catching onto my play and nods, stepping around.
Pierce takes off, and I casually jump up at the same time, slipping my foot out. He goes flying into the pool, his eyes locking with mine with a deathly blaze.
"Karma, motherfucker," I mumble, heading to help my poor overloaded sister-in-law off the couch while my soon-to-be family howls their asses off.
Miller's Time (Southern Charmers Series Book 2) Page 19