HAPTER 12
Ellyn swallowed. She really didn’t want to speak to Chance alone, but she didn’t know what her resources were. She hadn’t thought about when he would be released, because that date should have been far in the future.
Now he was here. Intruding on her new life. She had Colton by her side, but this was her fight. Her mistake, though she’d never regretted Derek for a minute. She regretted that Chance was his father.
Never more than this moment.
She stood on the street between her past and her future. Not that she thought Colton was her future, but he represented what could be her future. Chance was not only her past, but her past mistakes. When she’d been young and foolish.
Chance glanced at Colton, then back to Ellyn. “I want to talk alone. About our son.”
“Talk here, or not at all,” she said.
He frowned. “I want to see my son.”
“That doesn’t mean you can just come barging in here. I had no idea you were out,” she said. “I have no problem with you seeing Derek, but you can’t come disrupt his life.”
“Disrupt? I’m his father.”
“And it is past his bedtime. I bet Shalia had a heck of a time getting him back to bed,” Ellyn said. “If you want to be a parent, fine, but you need to actually be a parent and that means you put his need above your own.”
“I don’t appreciate a lecture on how to be a parent,” Chance said.
Ellyn sighed. She didn’t want to fight, but she was damned if she was going to back down. “Then act like one. It’s late. We can discuss this in the morning. I’ll meet you somewhere.”
“Without your white boy bodyguard?”
“If I so choose, yes,” Ellyn said.
Colton squeezed her hand. She squeezed back. She didn’t want him to say anything.
“You come back to the Bronx,” Chance said. “You meet me at the playground down from where you live. With Derek.”
“Not with Derek. We work out the arrangements without him.”
“I want to see him,” Chance said.
He’d never wanted to spend this much time with her son before he was in jail. What was his angle? “No Derek until we work out custody.”
“Custody. Big damn word,” Chance said.
Ellyn could feel Colton seething next to her, but this was her fight. Not his. Her son. Her ex-lover. He didn’t need to ride in and make it all better.
“It is a big damn word and I’ve paid my dues to say it. I’ve been there from the beginning. With no help from you so I get to set the ground rules.”
“So that’s it? That’s my choice? Do what you say or what?”
“Or we’ll do it in the courts,” she said.
She had some money for a lawyer now. She would use it for this.
He frowned. “Fine. Tomorrow. One in the afternoon.”
He stomped away and she let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
“You okay?” Colton said.
She took a few deep breaths, while they stood on the sidewalk. “I am.”
“I don’t want you to go by yourself tomorrow.”
“That’s not your decision to make. Besides, I need you to take care of Derek.”
She saw the confusion cross his face. “Don’t go.”
“Colton. It’s not your decision to make. If he’s out of jail, I need to hash this out with him.”
“You’re going to let him see Derek?”
“He’s the father. He has rights.”
“But what kind of influence will he be?”
She pressed her lips together. “He’s Derek’s father.”
“I think you should talk to a lawyer.”
She waved a hand at him. “I will if we cannot come to an agreement tomorrow.”
She could see Colton’s frown in the light of the streetlamp. Tough. This was her problem.
“You have to protect yourself, Ellyn. Talk to a lawyer before you make any arrangements.”
Striding into the building, she didn’t want to discuss it. She crossed her arms while she was waiting for the elevator. Colton stood in front of her.
“Colton. Stop. It’ll be okay. I can handle Chance.”
“You’re afraid of him. Don’t deny it. You were trembling while you were speaking to him.”
She had been, but now she felt empowered. “I’ll be fine.” The elevator doors opened and she stepped in. “Good night, Colton.”
He followed her on. “I’m taking you all the way to your door. That’s what a gentleman does.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
Leaning against the opposite wall from him, she refused to make eye contact. Finally the elevator brought her to her floor. “Good night, Colton.”
He looked like a lost puppy dog. “You aren’t going to invite me in?”
“Why?”
He frowned. He clearly did not have an answer. “I guess it’s good night, then.”
“Did you think you were spending the night?”
“I had hoped to spend part of the night,” he said.
She sighed. A good bout of hot sex might just put her in a better mood. “Then come in.”
His smile lit up the whole hallway. “You won’t regret it.”
She doubted she would. Colton was an expert lover. She just had to keep her heart safe from him. That would get broken for sure.
***
Derek was asleep. Shalia was gone. Ellyn stood in the kitchen, eating leftover pizza. They’d missed dinner because of Chance.
He wasn’t missing out on sex because of her ex, especially because Ellyn could make pizza eating look sexy. In her fancy dress and bare feet, she held the slice out so it wouldn’t drip on her.
He couldn’t help smiling. Even if she was a little mad at him. He was staking his territory and frankly he didn’t want another man usurping what was his. That would include Derek, too. He didn’t care that Chance was Derek’s biological father. Colton could give him so much more.
And he would. He would be there for the boy. Not in jail.
Colton would bet that eventually Chance would be back in jail. He chose not to share these thoughts with Ellyn. Might not make her too happy that he wasn’t optimistic about Chance’s future.
He was optimistic about his own future.
Especially his short-term one.
Ellyn finished her pizza. He’d only eaten one slice. He wasn’t hungry for food. He was hungry for Ellyn.
He stalked across the kitchen to stand in her personal space. She looked up at him, her eyes dark with passion. For him. Only him.
He kissed her, wanting to mark her. Wanting her to know that she was his. He didn’t own her, but she was his and his alone. He wanted only the best for her, to make her happy.
Her lips were soft and warm and just what he wanted. And so much more. He wanted to be inside of her. He wanted to show her how he felt and his commitment to her.
“Ellyn?”
“Yeah?”
He nipped down her neck. “Can I keep doing this?”
“Please do.”
He was only being polite by asking. He wasn’t planning on stopping. Nope. He was all in. All. In. He’d never been that way with anyone.
He scooped her up and she squealed a little. “I can walk.”
“I know. I like to carry you.”
She was light in his large frame. Her arms went around his neck and she nuzzled his neck. “I could probably get used to this.”
“I hope you get used to this. I want to do it. A lot.”
He set her on the bed as if she were made of china. She was that precious to him. In a short time she’d become a large part of his world. He wanted to make her happy. Right now and in the long term.
She lay on the bed, staring up at him. He turned the light on. He wanted to see her. All of her.
“You are a sexy and beautiful woman and I want to make you have to bite the pillow to not scream and wake up Derek.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”
“Bet no one’s ever said that to you,” he said as he removed his tie and set it on the nightstand.
He placed his cufflinks next to it, then unbuttoned his shirt. He took off his shoes and then knelt by her at the edge of the bed.
“No,” she said, her voice rough.
Good. She was turned on, too.
He slid his hands up her dress, his lips following his hands. He kissed as much of her thighs as he could. He could smell her arousal and the scent went right to his dick. It strained against his zipper. His friend would have to wait. She came first.
He slid her panties off, then dropped them on the floor. He had full access now. With his thumbs he parted her folds. She tasted like Heaven. Her back arched and she pushed herself into him.
She moaned and mewled as he stroked and licked her to her first orgasm. He hadn’t even used his fingers yet. When he looked at her face her eyes were heavy-lidded. He smiled. That was what he was talking about.
He pulled her to her feet, then spun her around. He unzipped her dress slowly kissing each vertebrae as he went.
“Mm.”
She clearly liked it. With her dress gone, he undid her bra, then laid her back down on the bed. His eyes feasted on her for a moment. Smooth, mocha skin. Curves in all the right places. What a woman.
And she was his.
He put his body next to hers then began to stroke the nipples of one breast, while his other hand found her warm center. He hooked two fingers in side of her.
“Oh, Colton.”
Her eyes fell closed and he could watch as the pressure inside of her build. Her back arched. Her fingers clutched the bedspread. She gritted her teeth. He enjoyed the show.
He enjoyed the control, too, truth be told. He liked to make a woman come. There was power in it and he was a guy who liked power.
A keening sound slipped out of her lips as her vagina clenched around his fingers. Bonus.
Then he put on a condom. Straddling her, he put the tip of his penis right in her entrance.
“What do you want, Ellyn?”
“You know.”
“Tell me.”
He wanted to hear the words. He needed to hear the words.
“I want you inside of me, Colton.”He complied, sliding into her warm and wet channel.
*
Ellyn wasn’t sure where else Colton could take her, but he managed to make each successive orgasm even better than the last.
He entered her slowly, as if he intended to torture her. He was successful. She wrapped her legs around him, making him go deeper. Touching her in ways he hadn’t previously.
“Damn,” she said.
That was as coherent as she could be. She reveled in the fact that he knew what he was doing. She couldn’t have communicated to him what she wanted, anyway. Words would not form in her mind. She was reduced to only pictures in her brain. As if he could see into her mind, he did what she asked.
A little faster. A little slower. Achingly slow until her fingers clenched into his shoulders. She was probably drawing blood, but she couldn’t stop. His love-making was sweet and languid and her body just wanted to orgasm again.
“Let go,” he whispered in her ear.
He also whispered dirty, naughty things to her. About what else he wanted to do. They mixed with the images wrought by her physical sensations. She was goo. Nothing more than a mass of nerves and reactions.
Other than her hands and their vice grips on his shoulders.
And then it was there. Her climax. Like a surprise party where everyone had actually kept the secret. Her body arched into him and she didn’t know if she made a sound or not. He kissed her, so maybe he did that to muffle any sounds coming out of her mouth.
She floated at the top of the orgasm for what seemed like forever. He sped up his rhythm, prolonging it all. With a grunt and a gritting of his teeth, he came inside of her.
The only sound for the next few minutes was their heavy breathing. Colton rolled off of her, then went to the bathroom, she presumed to get rid of the condom. Her body mourned the loss of him.
Her limbs were just beginning to work again so she crawled under the covers, leaving a spot for Colton. He came back, stretched then slid in beside her. He shifted her up against him.
“You outdid yourself, Colton.”
“If you keep a woman happy, she comes back for more,” he said.
She chuckled into his neck, enjoying his masculine scent. She liked the hard planes of his body. Made him feel capable to her. As if nothing bad could happen while he was there.
Just when she situated herself comfortable around him, the doorbell rang.
“Damn,” she said.
“Are you expecting anyone?”
“No.”
“Stay here. I’ll answer it.”
He pulled on his pants and shirt, not buttoning it. She waited a moment, then put on a robe.
Colton stood in the doorway, talking to someone. His jaw was clenched, his hand so tight on the door that his knuckles were white.
“You have a choice, here, Chance,” he said.
Ellyn stopped in the hallway. She and Chance hadn’t been lovers for ages, but he still sometimes had a jealous streak. If her ex knew she was sleeping with Colton, he might get violent. Derek didn’t need that.
“You giving me choices?” Chance asked.
“Yes. You can leave quietly and I won’t call the cops. Or, you can stay in this hallway until the cops get here. I’m sure your parole officer will be happy to bail you out of jail.”
Ellyn moved closer. Colton tucked her behind him. Chance had that glazed eye look. He had no idea what time it was, she was sure. And he’d already scored some drug. She guessed he wasn’t going to reform any time soon.
“I want to see my son,” Chance said.
If the realization that she and Colton were together had hit him, he wasn’t saying. Ellyn just wanted him out of there. In case Derek woke up.
“It’s the middle of the night, Chance,” Ellyn said. “We agreed to meet tomorrow to work out custody agreements.”
He blinked, then recognition dawned on his face. “Oh. Right.”
He backed away from the door.
“Go home, Chance,” Ellyn said.
He nodded, then pushed the button for the elevator. Colton didn’t close the door until the man was halfway down to the lobby.
“First of, security is clearly lacking in this building,” he said. “I think you should move in with me.”
“Move in?”
“Yes. You’ll be safer. I don’t want Chance knowing where you live and surprising you when you’re alone.”
“He isn’t a threat.”
He grasped her shoulders. “Ellyn, he was high. Do you want Derek around that?”
She bit her lip. He was right. She had to protect Derek and have control over Chance’s visits with him.
She sighed. “Okay. We’ll move tomorrow.”
He tugged her closer. “You won’t’ regret it. You can have your own room and all the privacy you want.”
***
Colton liked that Ellyn and Derek were under his roof. He’d moved them in and now they sat around his not-often-used kitchen table. Chance, not surprisingly, had not shown up for his meeting with Ellyn.
Colton hoped the man was long gone. He had no use for him.
“Ellyn? Are you done yet? You have two starving men out here,” Colton said.
“Yeah,” Derek chimed in.
Colton couldn’t help but laugh. Derek had become a part of him now. He couldn’t imagine his life without the little boy around. He hoped that Ellyn was in no hurry to move out.
In fact he had a box in his pocket that would insure she would never leave.
The doorbell rang and Colton hoped that Chance had not found them. He opened the door to find a courier with an envelope.
“Ellyn Johnson?”
Ellyn poked her head out of the kitchen. “Yes?”
“This is for you. Sign here.”
She did and the courier left. Ellyn opened up the envelope, then gasped. Colton took it from her and read it.
“He wants full custody,” she said.
She leaned against the wall as if she couldn’t stand up anymore. Colton took her in his arms. “We’ll fight it.”
“What?”
“You have a job and I have good lawyers. We’ll fight it. Besides. I might have a solution for this problem.”
“Huh?”
She wasn’t hearing him. She was thinking about life without Derek. He had to get that out of her head. “Ellyn, we can fight this. I have more money than he does.”
“Colton.” She was crying.
He wanted to stop those tears. Damn Chance. He was ruining a great night. This was supposed to be special. Colton had gotten a special cake with his question on it.
Instead he went down on one knee. “Ellyn?”
She looked to only be half listening to him. “What?”
“Ellyn, I need you to focus.”
She shook herself then looked down at him. “Fine. I’m focused.”
He pulled out the box he’d been saving for a few days. He’d never been so sure of anything in his life.
“We can handle this. Will you marry me? Then I can help you fight for custody of Derek.”
She looked at his face, then at the ring. Why wasn’t she smiling? Why wasn’t she saying yes? What was going on here?
She shook her head. Slowly at first. Then faster. “I can’t marry you, Colton.”
His heart hurt. Why not? It took him a moment to form the words. “Why not?”
She let go of him. “I can’t.”
She ran down the hallway to her room. Colton stood, staring off in her direction. What the hell? Why couldn’t she marry him? This made no sense.
“You okay, Mr. Hamilton?”
Derek hugged him around his legs. “I’m not sure Derek, but let’s get you some food.”
If he was to be a parent, he had to remember to put Derek’s needs above his own. As much as he wanted to demand an explanation from Ellyn, Derek needed to eat. That was more important.
With a sigh, he put food on a plate for the little boy then sat with him while he ate.