“What do you mean I can’t pick them up?” I asked, frowning at the teacher from Mack’s classroom.
The tall, slim woman held her nose high as she sighed heavily as if speaking to me was a problem for her. “I’m sorry, miss. You can’t take them home.”
“It’s Mrs James.” I corrected, still trying to get used to that name myself.
“Miss Holloway, you can’t stop her. She’s our mum.” Toby frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.
I smiled at him for defending me. He’s such a sweet kid.
His teacher shook her head. “Karen Morgan is written down as your mother. I’m sorry, but you cannot leave with a stranger.”
Toby’s hands were in the air as he exclaimed, “But they’re married! She’s not a stranger. We live with her and Dad. Oh god, he’s going to be so mad when he gets here. I can’t wait. Where’s the popcorn?”
She just ignored him. “I will wait for your father to arrive.”
“I’m Mack and Toby’s stepmother. Why can’t I take them home?” It was our week, and Griffin had no problems with me picking the boys up. They were teens, for crying out loud. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”
“It’s called protecting the children, Miss James.”
“It’s Mrs James, and don’t give me that.”
Her brows raised. “You cannot take the children because there’s been a formal letter, addressing us that you’re not authorised to do so. Please, just wait until their father comes to collect them.” Well then, that explained that. With a defeated nod, I took a seat beside Toby and rolled my eyes. He smirked, and Mack slumped forwards, burying his head on the desk.
“For fuck's sake.” God, my panties get wet every time he gets mad. “This is pathetic.”
Before long, my knight in shining armour was here—well, knight in a navy blue suit who rocked a week-old shadow around his chin. Standing up, he came over and kissed me on the cheek then looked at their teacher. “I thought this was cleared up. She’s my wife.”
I’m his wife! I loved saying that to anyone and everyone who would listen.
“Mr James, there had been a formal complaint made about your… partner coming to collect your children.”
“They walk home when they stay with Karen. What fucking difference does it make if my wife picks them up herself?” Griffin shot back, glaring.
“Maybe you could have a one-on-one session with Karen to dis—”
He cut her off once more. “Bullshit. This isn’t even an issue. Mack and Toby are my sons. Ayla is my wife, and Karen is the only one with the issue. I’ll be getting my lawyer involved.” Turning from her, he motioned for the boys to grab their bags and leave. “We’re going, and I authorise my wife, Ayla to be allowed to pick up our kids from school. Write it down.”
Did I say my panties were wet? No? Oh, ok. They are actually soaked.
Walking to my car, he sighed as he opened the driver’s side door. “I’m sorry, baby. I thought this shit was over with.”
I shrugged back as I slid into my seat. “It’s okay. I mean, I don’t know what the problem was. I dropped them off, and we were literally almost at the car when they were called back. I’m sure if the boys didn’t want to come with me, then they’d have said so.”
“I’ll meet you home, alright?” he asked, leaning over me as I clipped up the belt. His mouth were mere centimetres from mine. “Drive safe. I’ll follow behind.”
“I like it when you’re behind me.”
“I like it when you’re coming around my cock.”
Laughing, I faked disgust. “You dirty man, get away from me. No sex for you tonight.”
“Try to resist me, baby.” His mouth finally closed the distance, and he kissed me longingly and tenderly before pulling away completely. “I love you.”
With a smile, I replied. “Love you back.”
There were a thousand things I wanted to say to Karen right now. She was doing my head in. Ever since Griffin had banned her from coming into our house or even getting out of her car, she had gone worse than before. He had a hearing coming up in four days, and I had a feeling things were not going to go so well.
Karen was due to take the boys back to her place tonight, and they did not want to go.
The boys wanted to live with us. They asked about that all the time, but Griffin, being the nice one, told them it was one week here, one week there. He was doing the right thing by Karen even though she wanted him to suffer.
Hell, she wanted him back.
***
Flicking the kettle on, I pouted as I faced the wall. “Why can’t we go on our honeymoon? We’ve been married nearly two months.”
“We could go to my parents. They still have no idea I’m married to the sexiest woman alive.”
I laughed, facing him. “How come she did not tell them?” I really thought she would do so just to make drama for us.
“I think she wants me to start my own war with that one. Fuck, Mum’s going to lose her shit.”
That was an image I did not need in my mind. “You’ve got that right.”
He just rolled his eyes. “We’ll go on our honeymoon soon, I promise you.”
“I need to find work soon. Maybe I could bag up groceries in the grocery store. Coles or Woollies?” It would not matter where, just as long as I brought something to the table money wise.
“Say you get a job, and then you end up pregnant, you won’t be able to keep working.” His voice turned serious. “I don’t see why you have to work.”
“Because I refuse to let you pay for anything. Besides, I enjoy working. It gave me something to do. You know, other than you.” I grazed a finger over his hip bone. “Speaking of that, you want to go have a quickie?”
A low groan escaped his lips, and he sighed. “Wish I could, pretty, but I have to get back to work.”
“Such a shame. I knew sex would stop after I married an older man.” I loved to tease him.
Checking his watch, he stepped back out of the pantry and then came back in again, closing the door and smirking. “Very quick, and I’m not old. Just wise.”
I came. He came, then he left back for work again.
Finally done making my hot chocolate in the new coconut flavour I got, I walked out with a smile on my lips. Griffin sure knew how to make a girl happy. Toby and Mack were in the media room watching tv, so I went to the back porch and sat on a lounge chair, curling my legs up as I watched the hail storm bucket down.
Life out here was so much different than in the suburbs. Well, being near Karen was more like it. I could come outside and not worry that she was snooping around. Our home was Karen-free, and it was an amazing feeling—like freedom. Griffin and I could breathe on our own without her interfering or always putting her two cents in.
Things had turned out so much differently since being here: me losing my job, and Harvey having a baby. I hated that I was so jealous about that. It was not fair. Then again, when was life ever fair? We had been trying to get pregnant for a couple months, almost three, and nothing was happening. I hated that I was getting my hopes up every month only to be let down. Sex was the best part, though. We were fucking like crazy animals most nights.
As I took another sip from my mug, the screen door flung open, and Toby stood there with a sad smile. “We have to go. She’s here.”
My mood suddenly dampened. I hated when they had to leave. With a nod, I stood up and walked over to him. “Go help your brother. Get his bag. I’ll just go tell her you’re on your way.”
When the rain had eased enough for me to run over, I ran to her, and her window wound down. “Karen, can I have a word?”
“What? Where is Griffin?”
“He’s at work.”
“Work? You’re here alone with them? Oh, I don’t believe this.”
“Just shut up for five damn seconds.” I snapped at her, losing my cool. “You need to give it a rest. You and he were never married. Yes, you share children together, but that’s it, Karen. You can’t keep trying to push me out of their life.” This was growing old. “Wouldn’t it be easier if we could make an effort to get along? I don’t want to always fight with you.”
Her eyes darted away, and she pursed her lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Really?” I scoffed. “Like the school letter? Saying I’m unable to pick them up? I’m his wife.”
“Yes.” She sneered, and the car window rolled up. The door flung open, and she stepped out. “I know that you’re his wife. You married him. Big fucking deal! You’re not their mum, and just because they call you that, doesn’t mean it means anything. They’re doing it to be nice.”
“No, they’re not.” I shocked myself at how hard my tone was. “You don’t deserve those boys. You deserve no one, you miserable, old woman. You can act all motherly, but I see right through you, and it’s not a pretty sight.”
She laughed, tucking a strand of her bob behind her ear. “You’re just an easy fuck for him, and trust me, he’ll be bored just like he was with me. You’ll never really be family. You’ll never have his mother’s approval or his friends because they’re all on my side. You need to realise that you’re a dumb cow. You’re no different from me, Ayla. I’ll always be in his life. He and I are meant to be. He may not know it now, but he will soon, and then you’ll be nothing but a regret in his life.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m nothing like you.” I would never be.
“I heard you lost your job. Funny how you’re living off him.”
That was true. It was not my fault, though. “And unlike you, I did have a job. You’ve been freeloading off him for years. At least I have money saved from work. All you do is wait until the money hits your account, and then you’re ready to party.”
Her hand lifted, and I was ready for the slap across the cheek, but Mack ran down between us, facing me. “Mum, can you tell Dad that I left my book in his car?”
Karen looked at Mack and glared. “She’s not your mother. You never call her that again or look out!”
Point proven. She’s so mean to them.
I ignored her glares as I hugged them both, kissing them each on the cheek. I waved them off and finally walked back to the house, feeling sadder now that they were gone and the house was empty. This house was meant to be filled with noise and kids running around.
I wondered if I could talk Griffin into having two rather than one. One thing at a time. I don’t want to scare him off.
Dinner was not anything exciting, just an easy lasagna. I sat alone, eating as I waited for Griffin to come home. The roles have been reversed. I wondered if he was this bored when he had to wait up for me. Probably.
So I headed to bed and pulled out my sexiest lingerie, taking about fifty photos just to get a decent one of me lying in the bed with a come fuck me now look. I took another shot of my legs spread with my finger deep inside my wet pussy and sent that to him, too.
The front door slammed with a thud, followed with his shoes being quickly thrown off and keys being tossed to the floor. His feet thumped down the hallway towards our room.
His eyes were filled with hunger as he began undressing. “Fuck, you’re a naughty girl.”
“Why?” I grinned, stretching out and pushing up my ass to reveal the black G-string. “You don’t like?”
A groan escaped his throat as he came at me. His hands skimmed over my ass until I felt the sting of a firm slap. “You know just how much I like it. I was so instantly hard for you.”
The material ripped and was thrown to the floor as he pushed apart my thighs even more, pressing his thick erection against my entrance.
“I was lonely,” I muttered as I turned to look back at him. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too. Now, I’m going to fuck you and then make love to you. I just need to blow really fucking bad first, then the night is all yours.”
Biting down on my lower lip, I smirked. “Use my pussy, baby. Fuck it however you want.”
His thrusts were to the hilt. My body bounced forwards as his hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me back with each forceful thrust. “I plan on it.”
***
Placed at the dining table with a cup of tea, my laptop was on job search as I scanned for any kind of work available in the area. I was not going to be like her. I would not live off him. Griffin walked in, raising his brows as he glanced at the page then shook his head.
“I told you, you don’t need to do that.”
Picking up my hot tea, I paused as I brought it to my lips. “I want to work.”
“Ayla, you don’t have to work. I have a ton of money.”
“I don’t want to be like her.” She was right. I was living off of him. I could not be like her anymore. “She told me… that you’ll go back to her.”
He frowned, sitting beside me and bringing my legs up onto his lap. “When did she tell you this? Because you know that’s not true at all.”
“We had a few words…” I paused, making sure his reaction allowed me to continue. “I called her a miserable old woman”—I felt horrible for it—“and told her she deserves no one.”
His lips parted, but he did not speak. He just nodded then exhaled slowly. “She wouldn’t have liked hearing the truth about herself.”
I wanted to burst out laughing. He was right. “I don’t think she did. She told me I was just a young pussy for you.”
“You’re an amazing pussy for me.”
“Griffin, I’m being serious. She went off at Mack for calling me mum. I really didn’t want to let her take them home for the week.” I had the right mind to grab the boys and take them both back inside. Even if they were both teenagers, I felt the need to protect them.
He pulled me by the legs, drawing me closer. “I love you, you know that?”
“I had a feeling you might be, especially after earlier,” I said, wiggling my brows as I relived the memory in my mind. “I love you, too.”
The lid of the laptop closed, and he pushed it away. “Take a year off. If you’re not pregnant within then, you can work. But I think you should take the year and have some time for yourself.”
Umm.. Who the hell is this man?
“Griffin, are you stoned?” He had to be.
He laughed. “I assure you, I haven’t been high for a while. I’m just saying that you have been doing so much for the boys and me. You put up with so much between working and taking care of the house. You deserve a break, Ayla. Let me take care of you for once.” His eyes were on mine as he reached up, caressing my cheek softly. “I want this. You’ve been through so much this past year: I treated you like shit, you’ve dealt with my psycho ex—and all you asked me for was a ring and a baby. I really want to give you that baby, so let’s just take the year to fuck like crazy and try to knock you up without you stressing about work or anything else.”
My jaw was slightly opened. I was shocked. “Umm…” What could I say to that?
“Say, ‘Yes, Griffin, I’ll take the year off.’ ”
Have you ever been drunk on words before? In a daze of lust mixed with arousal? That’s what I was in right now. Damn it. He was turning me on with his words, and I was falling for it!
“Okay, fine. Yes, Griffin, I will take the year off.” I sighed giving in. “No, wait. Just one question,” I pointed out. “Say I get pregnant, what happens after that year is up?”
He laughed “Ah, baby! You already agreed.” He grinned, closing in his mouth to mine. “And, baby, no way in hell will I let you go back to work after a year’s up.”
“But—” That was so not fair, but his mouth closed the distance, and I was too busy kissing him back to fight him off.
My hips ground against his, skin to skin, and my breasts bounced as I tightened my arms around his neck and kept rocking. His fingers dug into my ass cheeks, pulling me back and forth faster. I moaned loudly as a finger slipped inside my puckered hole. My every nerve was exploding with pleasure as I shook against him.
My voice breaking, I cried out with a whimper. “F-fuck me… harder.”
He stood from his sitting position on the dining chair, and my legs tightly wrapped around his hips. He laid me flat on the kitchen table and slammed into me over and over as my orgasm shattered me completely, milking him empty inside of me.
Both of us was left breathless as his tired body lay over mine. Starting to kiss me from my neck to my collarbone, he reached for my hardened nipple and bit gently. “Let me pierce this.”
“Mmm… Okay”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, you can do anything you want to me right now.” I was that out of it. He could probably tattoo me, and I would not feel a thing. I was utterly exhausted.
His phone rang, and he went to pull out, but my legs tightened around him. He smirked and instead, picked me back up. Limp inside me, he walked us to the bench where his phone was vibrating. I giggled, slipping down a little.
“It’s my lawyer,” he said grimly. “I need to take this.”
“Of course, you do.” God, he definitely had to take this. Any news was worth hearing, and with his last hearing due in a couple days, we needed to be on the ball with what was happening. Even if it were close to midnight, he had to take the call.
We both stood naked in the kitchen as Griffin talked and paced around. He would give me a glance every now and then. I was not sure what to make of them. Was it good or bad? I could not tell. He gave nothing away. The boys expressed their wishes to live with us, and I hoped Karen was not going to do anything to screw this up.
When the call ended, he sat his phone back down and turned away from me. Both his hands gripped the bench top until his knuckles turned white.
I walked behind him and placed a palm over his hand. “Griffin…” I said in an unsure voice. I was suddenly afraid to hear what he had to say.
I did not miss the streaks of water running down his cheeks as he emptily whispered, “I just lost my rights of custody.”
I frowned. This could not be right. Perhaps, I was not hearing clearly. “So what does that mean? When do you get the boys back?”
“I don’t, Ayla.”
I did not understand. “She can’t take them from you.” From us.
His spilling tears broke my heart. “Every second weekend. I get them pretty much four nights a fucking month.”