Working Back

by BJ Harvey

  I still, wanting to give her time to get used to me, but the bite of her nails into my skin and her tongue diving between my lips make it an impossible feat.

  From then on, it’s hell for leather. We go at each other like it’s been forever since we’ve touched—because it has. Our lips fuse together. Her hips lift to meet my thrusts, drawing me deeper inside of her. My hands can’t touch her enough, and my mouth can’t kiss her hard enough, long enough. I wonder if I even need air to breathe because that would mean not having my mouth on her. She hooks her calves around my thighs, pulling me closer, and it’s everything that I’d imagined it would be.

  Her muscles tense, her arms tightening around my shoulders as I feel my climax barreling toward me. My thrusts become erratic, and I know I have to get her there again before letting myself succumb to my own release. I slide my hand between us and press two fingers to her clit, stroking over the slick nub. She tears her mouth from mine and buries it in my neck, nipping and kissing my skin, her soft whimpers coming hard and fast as she lifts up, and up, and then, with a tell-tale hitch of her breath, she cries out my name and her orgasm takes hold of her. Two clumsy thrusts later, I plant myself to the hilt and groan out her name as my own release hits me like a freight train going a million miles an hour.

  We lay there in each other’s arms as we come down from that incredible high. When I try to roll to the side, she holds me tight, keeping my weight on her, not letting me go.

  “This is where you always belong. Right here, in my bed, in my arms. I’m yours for as long as you’ll have me,” I murmur, pressing my lips to her cheek. When her breath catches, and she stills, I know she didn’t miss the significance of my words. In that one confession, I’ve willingly laid myself open, revealing my one remaining vulnerability.

  As if she’s realized how open and bared I am, she turns her head, bringing her lips to my ear and saying the exact thing I needed to hear.

  “Good. Because now I’m finally home.”

  Faith

  April and Ronnie pick me up the following Saturday, with Jax and Jamie going with Bry and Ezra to play golf. I’ve been looking forward to tonight all week. Not only because I left my sex toys in a dumpster back in Sydney when I moved out of my house there, but also because socializing is something that’s been lacking in my new life since coming back home.

  When I went to Australia, Bryant wasn’t the only one I left behind and went radio silent on. There were a few friends from college in California too. I didn’t have many since I was always so wrapped up in Bry and our families. I was tunnel-visioned, and one of the things I made sure of when starting all over on the other side of the world was to set about reevaluating my priorities—and that meant friends.

  April and Ronnie wouldn’t have realized that by inviting me along tonight, they were offering me more than just time to get to know them. It’s also a chance to expand my social circle, and I hope that will help me not get so wrapped up in my life with Bryant that I lose myself again.

  Ronnie pulls up the car outside a cute two-story bungalow not far from where I grew up.

  “Let’s go. I’m more than ready for some girl time,” April says before opening the passenger door.

  “What am I? Chopped liver?” Ronnie says with a laugh.

  April looks at me and rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean. We’re all caught up on the newlywed life, and that’s all about—”

  “Sex?” I say.

  Ronnie laughs and points at me, “Bingo! But also, good to know I can get an update on the most talked about couple in the family without having to ask you flat out.”

  I stop mid-step, my eyes bugging out at April who just grins at me, hooks her arm with mine, and leads me up the path behind Ronnie who is already knocking on the front door. Before I can ask who’s been talking about us, we’re met by a grinning brunette.

  “Hey, ladies. You’re the last to arrive,” she says, stepping aside to let us in. She looks at me as I cross the threshold. “Hi. You must be Faith. My husband has told me all about you and your surprise wedding. I’m Nat, Jase’s wife. He works for the construction company your husbands use.”

  “Oh, I’ve met him. He’s um…”

  “Interesting? Handsome? Puts his foot in it a lot of the time? The love of my life? All of the above,” she says with a laugh. “But don’t hold him against me.” She leans closer.

  I giggle and shake my head, soon joined by Ronnie who grabs my hand. “Time to talk once we all get a drink.”

  “A drink would be good,” I reply. “Has the party already started?”

  April, Ronnie, and Nat all start laughing again and suddenly, it’s obvious I’ve totally missed something.

  “Um, what’s the joke?”

  “Honey, there is no sex-toy party. That’s just the code word we tell everyone,” Nat says, walking into a large open-plan living room filled with more women I don’t know. “Between kids, work—”

  “Pets, school,” April adds.

  “Husbands,” Ronnie says with a laugh.

  “Sit down, ladies, you’re making me nervous.” Natalie sweeps her hand out to a couch in the corner. Once we’re comfortable, April leans forward in her chair and gives my arm a gentle squeeze. I look around the room and notice that everyone is looking at us—or, more precisely, at me. And tonight, we have a brand-new headline act—Faith Cook.

  “Right, let’s get the introductions out of the way,” April says, breaking my thoughts. “Everyone, this is Faith, Bryant’s new wife. And Faith,” she says, looking at me before turning back to the group. “From left to right, there’s Natalie’s best friend, Mia, who’s married to Matt, and they were at your surprise party.”

  “He owns the construction company, right?”

  “That’s the one,” Mia says. “And you’re the woman who none of us saw coming. And you’ve definitely got that newlywed-glow thing going on, which means you’re getting some and you’re getting it good.” I shrug and grin, earning a laugh from Mia, who looks to a gorgeous petite redhead sitting on the couch beside her. “I like her already. She knows her power; we don’t have to train her up.”

  My eyes bug out of my head.

  “You’ll have to excuse my sister-in-law. She’s known for saying whatever comes into her head. I’m Kate, by the way,” the redhead says.

  Mia nods. “But I’m not wrong. Faith has big lady balls to marry a guy she hadn’t seen in years.”

  Ronnie appears in front of me and hands me a glass of white wine. I take a sip and enjoy the crisp, fruity taste as it works its way down my throat. “I knew Bry was the only man I’ve ever wanted, and I came back prepared to do whatever I had to do to prove that to him.”

  Natalie holds her hands up in the air. “Big ol’ lady balls, I’m telling ya,” she announces, earning a round of laughter from everyone.

  “But marriage?” Mia asks. “You’re a bigger woman than I am. If Matt had proposed the first time we’d hooked up, I’d have run a mile.”

  “Says the woman who got married in Vegas,” a gorgeous brunette next to Kate says, meeting my gaze. “I’m Mac, by the way. Best friend to this one,” she says, tilting her head to Kate, “wife to Superman, and mom to three hellions who I love to death but who drive me crazy on a daily basis.”

  “Amen to that,” a tall, svelte blonde on the other side of the room says. “Hi. I’m Sam.”

  “Her husband owns a sex club,” Ronnie says, bouncing in her seat. Sam rolls her eyes at her, but her lips twitch as she does it. “My three children who make me earn these nights of freedom.”

  “At least yours aren’t twelve going on twenty,” Mac says.

  “Back to introductions, Mia, Kate, Mac, Sam and—” April says before there’s a crash-bang coming from the entryway.

  “Hi. Hi. Sorry, we’re late. Someone had to empty the udders for the hungry mini Carsen’s before we could leave.” A dazzling brunette who looks like a younger version of Mia announces, walking into the room with two bo
ttles of wine in her hand, and behind her is Abi.

  I meet her eyes, and my chest tightens. We haven’t seen each other since the hospital and before that, when she warned me off going through with marrying her brother so quickly.

  “And this is Dani, Mia’s perpetually late sister, and Abi, who you know already,” Natalie says, rounding off the group.

  From there, everyone falls into their own mini conversations, with Abi crossing the room and taking the spare seat next to me on the couch.

  “Hey,” she says. “Long time no see.”

  “Yeah… we wanted to give you space so you guys could settle into life with twins—”

  “And I didn’t exactly make you feel welcome. I wanted to apologize for that. I was a hormonal pregnant woman who took out her frustrations on you.”

  “It’s understandable,” I say with a small smile.

  “No, it was dumb. My brother has never gotten over you, but since you’ve been back, he’s the big brother I never knew I was missing.”

  “He’s always been Bryant. I never defined him.”

  “No, but he wasn’t truly alive, or at least, something was missing about him that none of us could put our finger on. It’s obvious now that it was you.”

  Her admission makes me feel good but also a little sad. I know I needed the time away to be the person I always wanted to be, but I also regret staying away for so long.

  She turns her body my way. “Faith, I don’t want you to stay away from us. We’ve got your back and—I hope—that means you’ll be sticking around now…”

  I lean towards her, reaching out to grab her hand with mine. “I know I’ve got to earn back everyone’s trust, but I promise you, Abs, I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay, and I would not have married Bryant unless I knew that it was forever.”

  She tilts her head, her eyes studying me. “Does Bry know that?”

  “I damn well hope so, but he doesn’t seem to talk about the future.”

  She frowns. “What do you mean?”

  “We haven’t talked about what happens next, like once the house is finished. It’s the only place we’ve lived in, and obviously, the house is going to be finished and sold, but then what? I’m a planner. I need to know what’s next.” I feel my heart speed up and I take a long, slow breath to keep it under control.

  “Can we join in on this little chat? Because if anyone here can offer advice about a Cook man, it’s Abi and the two of us,” April says, dragging a dining room chair in front of the couch and sitting on it. Ronnie slides in beside me and wraps an arm around my waist.

  “So I married the protective one,” April says.

  “And I got the somewhat extroverted, impulsive one,” Ronnie continues.

  I grin. “Bryant’s the smart one.”

  Abi laughs. “And I’m the wild child. Whereas Cohen is…”

  “Intense,” Ronnie says.

  “Smart at life, and so so clueless when it comes to women,” April adds.

  I giggle at that because even as a teenager five years younger than us, he thought he knew everything there was to know about the opposite sex.

  Abi bumps me with her arm. “Faith, remember the first time he got slapped in the face for a horrendous pick-up line he’d heard one of the brothers talking about? He thought the girl had simply misheard him.”

  “That’s right,” I say with a smirk. “The next time he tried it, it was with a senior when he was a freshman at high school. He got punched out by her defensive lineman boyfriend. Of course, that meant Jax and Jamie had to pay the guy a visit, not to rough him up, but simply to put the fear of God into the boy and defend the Cook name,” I say with a mocking gruff voice.

  “Baby brother definitely learned his lesson after that. Well, we thought he did. Since then, it’s been a revolving door when it comes to his love life.”

  “Doesn’t even come close to Ezra though.” I sigh. “I’m just glad most of the men in our lives found good women in the end.”

  “You know that includes you too, right?” Abi says.

  “’Cause Bry may be many things, but he’s not stupid,” April states matter-of-factly.

  Abi locks eyes with mine. “And maybe this is all so new, and he’s living for today rather than thinking ahead because the last time he did that…”

  I gasp as the realization hits me. Oh my God. That’s it.

  “It’s not that he doesn’t want to—it’s that he doesn’t want to scare me off like last time,” I say. “I can actually fix this.”

  Ronnie’s brows bunch together, her expression firmly in the ‘What the hell is she talking about?’ category.

  I’m too in the zone now to acknowledge her. “It’s not just about being the perfect wife and learning how to cook, and giving him good sex—”

  “Hold up… you cooked?” Abi asks, her eyes wide as saucers. “Bakes? You? The woman who made her Easy-Bake Oven catch fire? You cooked, and he ate it?”

  “Oh, yeah. He told Jax all about it. You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, apparently. It didn’t stop him making jokes about me having a bun in the oven though.” Ronnie covers her mouth as a huge gasp fills the now quiet room.

  “What?” April, Abi, and myself all gasp in unison. I do the math in my head. Jax and Ronnie got married five weeks before I got back. These two don’t fuck around.

  “Um… surprise?” Ronnie says, her eyes traveling around the group as a whole.

  “That’s why you offered to be the sober driver, you sneaky bitch,” April says, playfully whacking Ronnie’s arm before standing up and pulling her in for a hug. We all follow suit, and by the time we’ve all congratulated Ronnie on the news, which I’m now wondering if my husband knows or not, our previous conversation about Bry and my future with him is forgotten. Not by me, though. I had a plan—to be the best wife I could be while proving I still loved and always would love him—but now, it seems I need to step that up to the next level.

  Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do, I’ll do it.

  As I look back out to this group of women who I know are going to be my great friends—and allies—in life, an idea forms in my mind of exactly what I have to do.

  And I’m going to need their help to pull it off.

  “So let me get this straight. There are no sex toys?” Dani asks loudly. Apparently, I’m not the only one who didn’t know the code word.

  “Oh, little grasshopper, so much to learn have you,” Abi says with a sly smile.

  “Zach’s at home expecting a show when I get back. He even said to surprise him with something special,” Dani says.

  “You can surprise him. It just won’t be with a toy. I’ve always found a little finger is always a welcome addition,” Nat says with a wicked smirk.

  “Definitely surprises them,” Sam says, a knowing grin curving her lips.

  Mia giggles. “Oh, yeah. Right when you’re really getting into it, and you can feel them just about to lose it, you just—”

  “Stick it on up there,” April says, and I choke on my drink, coughing and spluttering between giggles.

  Ronnie pats her palm on my back. “There, there, Faith. Bry won’t know what hit him if you surprise him.”

  My wide eyes switch between April and Ronnie. “Are you guys fucking with me?”

  “Maybe,” Ronnie says with a wink. “Then again, never say never.”

  “And it’s not like you’re coming at him with a strap-on,” Mac says. “I did that as a joke once, and I swear, Daniel locked himself in the bathroom. He said he didn’t, but for a man who’s all man, I swear he turned a whiter shade of pale.”

  We’re all laughing now. I haven’t met Mac’s husband, Daniel, but he must be quite a man to be married to her. She’s a crack-up, but I can also tell she’d be quite the handful.

  “So strap-on is off the list,” Mia mutters.

  “My mom would disagree,” Natalie says. My head snaps to her face, and I feel like one of those cartoon characters with their eyes bo
uncing out like Slinkies.

  “Um…” I say, not quite sure I want to know any more of this story.

  Mia catches my look and laughs. “Your expressions are priceless, ladies. Natalie’s parents are in a polyamorous relationship with two others.”

  To her credit, Natalie shrugs off the wide-eyed looks on April, Ronnie, and my faces. “Mom and Dad are together. Mom also has a boyfriend, and Dad has his own boyfriend. But there are no three-sausages-one-bun things going on.” She holds her hands out in front of each other and links her fingers together. “It’s three separate relationships that coexist at the same time, within three joint living spaces.”

  “You’re so cool,” Ronnie breathes.

  “How on earth would I explain that to Ax?” April says, dissolving into a fit of giggles. “He still thinks Jamie and I watch movies and eat junk food every night since it’s like a never-ending sleepover now.”

  I shake my head, my lips curved up. “I need to see Axel again. I never really got to talk to him last time.”

  “Oh, don’t you worry. He’s got a list of questions longer than his arm for you,” April says.

  “Should I be worried?” Surely I can handle an eight-year-old boy. Right?

  “Only if he insists on asking you about the size of an elephant’s penis. I’ve tried to dissuade him from that particular question, but I doubt I’ve been successful,”

  “You’ll have to bring him ’round. I’ll bring him some zoo stuff from work.”

  “Be careful. You’ll steal him away, and you’ll be the new favorite.”

  I shrug. “There are worse things to be.” Secretly, I can’t wait to try and be his favorite now.

  “Did someone say penis?” Natalie asks, reentering the conversation. “I agree. Whatever you were saying.”

  “You’re crazy,” Kate says, shaking her head at Natalie.

  Natalie beams. “About cock? Always.”

  Not long after that, we all get ready to leave. Despite being nervous about tonight, I’m so glad I came, especially since we’ve all exchanged numbers and I’m the newest member of the phone tree. Mia made a joke about a sex tree, but I got lost when she started explaining how that came about. This group of friends seems to be a little incestuous. Then again, I fell for the first boy I ever kissed, so what do I know?