“NOT. A. PROBLEM,” I whispered in his ear, rotating my hips against his groin.
Spinning me around, he placed me on the step above him, making us the same height, and caught my mouth in a searing kiss, his tongue staking claim to mine, his lips wild. I matched him, tilting my head and scraping my nails along his upper back, sucking his tongue into my mouth. Leaning closer, I took everything he had to give.
Breaking away for a breath, he ripped my shirt over my head, letting my unhooked bra fall by our feet. He licked a wet path along my jaw and down my neck, tracing the length of my collarbone. Heat flared hot and fast between us. This was no slow-burning flame.
This was an inferno.
I hooked my leg around his hip, and he pushed between my legs, his hard length evident through his thin boardshorts. Panting with desire, I yanked his face back to mine, nipping his lower lip before he took control again, his lips devouring mine, forcing my head back in submission. He tasted faintly of doughnuts, and I couldn’t get enough.
My nails raked his chest, and he fisted a chunk of my hair and tugged. I bucked against him, wanting more. He ran his nose back up to my ear, nuzzling the soft skin.
“Impatient?” He chuckled, his eyes hungry, his hands returning to knead my aching breasts.
“I thought you couldn’t wait.”
Grunting, he closed his teeth over the sensitive slope of my shoulder, nipping me in warning. Running his hand up my smooth thigh and beneath my skirt, he slipped a finger under my panties, finding me already wet for him.
His eyes dilated as he watched another digit disappear inside me, readying me for his invasion. I rocked against him, meeting his rhythm and urging him to go faster. Withdrawing his hand, leaving me throbbing, he gripped my hips, forcing me to turn around on the narrow stair to face away from him. The flat of his hand pushed on my lower back, and I bent over, presenting him with my lace-covered ass.
Wasting no time, he bunched my skirt around my waist, not bothering to remove it, and groaned as he palmed my butt, massaging my cheeks. I rocked back against him, needing him to touch me, take me, fill me. Biting my lip, I remembered his warning to stay silent and fought against the temptation to say his name, wanting to beg.
Frustrated, I glanced over my shoulder. His face was a mask of concentration, focused on his task. One hand ran along my wet slit, the other loosened the drawstring of his shorts.
Freeing himself, he stroked his cock, and raised his eyes to mine.
“Hold on,” he rasped, warning me, and squeezed my butt hard before rubbing the sting away.
My fingers curled around the edge of the step under me, and I braced myself for his delicious onslaught. “Waitin’ on you,” I breathed.
Moving the soaked material covering my sex to the side, he slid deep, seating himself fully inside me, his fingers digging into my sides for traction. My thighs muscles tensed, and I sucked in a breath, going up on my tiptoes to take him and relishing the feel of him pressed close. I sensed his restraint as he waited for me to adjust.
I lowered back down to my heels, accepting the last of his length. Moaning in pleasure, I lifted my head, pushing back, ready for more.
That was the only signal he needed.
Widening his stance, he plunged into me, no waiting, just like he’d promised. With powerful thrusts, he took me roughly. I don’t even know if he realized the words that spilled from his lips, praising my body, worshiping me.
I met his tempo, opposites attracting in the most primitive way. Back and forth, in and out. Male and female.
Reaching back, I cupped his balls, massaging him, and he wrapped my hair around his fist in response, forcing the bend of my back to curve farther. My hand dropped away from him. Above me, he swore under his breath at the change in position.
I gasped as the head of his cock hit the perfect spot inside me, rubbing it with each advance. My panting accelerated, and he picked up his pace another impossible notch, the sound of our skin slapping together echoing through the empty stairwell.
Time stretched endlessly as he worked my willing body. The pressure inside me climbed to an impossible height with him pushing me higher, faster. Releasing my hair, he bent over me, reaching around to pinch my clit between his thumb and his finger, pitching me over the edge. My mouth opened in a wordless scream as I bucked, utterly consumed by the tsunami crashing through me.
West came with a shout he didn’t even try to muffle. Tensing behind me, he pulsed into my core, joining me in my release, his embrace the only thing keeping me from collapsing.
Gathering me in his arms, he pulled me onto his lap, sitting sideways across the bottom step with his back against the wall and my skirt bunched between us. Aftershocks rocked my body, and his ragged breaths tickled against my ear. Pushing my tangled hair off my damp neck, he dropped soft kisses along its length, the motion almost reverent.
I sank into him, too spent to do anything but exist. The whole party could conga line past us in that moment, and I still wouldn’t budge, satisfaction seeping through every inch of my body.
I ran my hand down his strong thigh, relishing the hard muscle bunching underneath me. His arms looped around my waist, and he hugged me to him, his soft sigh the only sound I needed to hear.
My heart fluttered in my chest. I ran my thumb along the hair tie circling his wrist, hoping it meant what I thought it did, but too scared to ask. Theo’s casual comment kept me from diving headfirst into the fantasy of us, together and finding a happily ever after that easily.
But for now, in this dim stairwell, I’d settle for this feeling of completeness. Closing my eyes, I savored the moment. His skin hot against mine, our limbs tangled together, our chests rising and falling in sync. Who needed promises of forever when right now felt so damn good?
THE NEXT MORNING, I was on my first cup of coffee, sitting at the kitchen island in my cottage, when my phone rang. Forcing my eyes to focus, I saw Hailey’s name flash across the display.
Sliding my finger across the screen, I hit the speaker button so I wouldn’t have to hold the phone. “Mornin,’” I managed.
“Hey!” Her bubbly voice filled the kitchen. She was clearly a morning person. Perky freak.
I waited, fortifying myself with another sip of coffee. If someone called me before ten on my day off, they should keep their expectations low.
“You there?” Her voice was more hesitant this time.
I summoned up some energy. “Yup.”
“Cody and I are visiting Uncle West this morning. He’s going to teach us how to fly a kite on the beach. If you aren’t busy, I was hoping you’d come too.” She paused. “And maybe bring your camera?”
I smiled into my mug, the lure of hanging out with all three of them too much to resist. “Sure. Give me a bit to finish my coffee, and I’ll head over.”
Thirty minutes later, I parked the Jeep next to West’s big dually. Checking the time, I saw it was still a few minutes to ten. I mentally congratulated myself for being productive this morning as I gathered my equipment and headed for the beach.
West already had the kite airborne, Cody perched on his shoulders, as they watched it flutter high above them. Something sharp caught in my chest, watching West with him. Hailey stood next to the duo, helping to steady Cody. It took me a moment, but I realized it was some kind of special stunt kite, with two lengths of string running between it and West. By pulling back one arm at a time, he had it dancing in the sky, performing an infinite series of figure eights.
They hadn’t noticed me yet, and I stayed back out their sight, putting the camera to my eye and capturing some images without them knowing it. Candids like these always turned out the best and felt the most real. Cody’s innocent delight was evident—listening to him giggle the way only toddlers can. He threw his arm up to the sky and then grasped West’s head again when he wiggled off balance. He pointed at the kite and pulled on his uncle’s ear, ordering him around. West followed his directions obediently, chuckling along with him.
A sudden gust of wind made the kite shudder and pulled West forward a few steps. Cody teetered and slipped but fell uninjured into Hailey’s ready arms. Spinning him around in a few circles, their laughter filled the air. When they stopped, they were facing my direction, and I was caught.
Hailey waved, signaling me to join them. Heading in their direction, I took a minute to enjoy the display of West’s bare back, his muscles flexing as he adjusted the kite.
“Where’s General Beauregard?” I asked, coming up next to him.
He glanced over, his eyes running a quick path down my body.
I blushed, remembering our adventure yesterday.
Afterwards, by the time we’d rejoined the party, Rue had arrived and was talking with Theo. We’d been chatting for ten minutes when Grady walked in with the anime pixie. She didn’t say anything outright, but Rue’s posture had stiffened, and when a few minutes later she suggested heading to the waterfront in town to watch the fireworks instead, I didn’t have the heart to tell her no. Theo had rounded out our threesome, and we’d left, but not before West had given me a lingering kiss goodbye and warned Theo what would happen to him if he didn’t watch out for me and Rue.
Theo’d rolled his eyes. “These two? What could possibly happen?”
Nothing but the inevitable. Rue had picked up a scruffy guy who swore he played drums in a band rolling through Charleston, and she’d disappeared, leaving Theo and me drinking cheap beer and watching the sky glitter.
West nodded at his nephew.
“I left him inside with Wyatt. I didn’t want him running down Cody.”
A quick glance confirmed that the oversized hound was taller than his nephew.
“Good call.”
“I’m a good uncle.”
I wrapped my arms around him from behind, using the pretense of giving him a hug to run my hands over his taut abdomen.
He made a noise in the back of his throat and shot a glance at me over his shoulder. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing.”
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re enjoying it.”
His hum of agreement vibrated through me where I pressed against him. Pinching his side, I moved away and picked up the camera again, pointing it at him.
“Gonna pose for me, stud?”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice so only I could hear. “You want some private shots for your collection? That could be arranged. But not with the squirt underfoot. And only if you’re in them too.”
My breath caught, imagining what we would look like, tangled and thrusting, frozen in black-and-white.
Nudging me with his shoulder, he waited until I met his eyes.
“Exactly,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
“What are you going to take pictures of?” Hailey asked as she sidled up next to me.
“You,” I answered. “And Cody. And Uncle West. Wanna smile for the camera, little man?”
I snapped photos for the next thirty minutes or so, until Cody’s attention waned. I don’t know how Hailey found ways to keep him entertained all day.
She and Cody settled down to build a sandcastle, and West switched into teacher mode, instructing me in the finer points of flying a stunt kite. I mastered the figure eight—it was easier than it looked—and was enjoying making it swoop low to the ground, kamikaze-style, before jerking it back up just before it hit the sand.
I tried to get fancy, attempting a barrel roll by stepping over the strings. It didn’t work. At all. My foot got tangled in one of the strings, and I lost my balance, tumbling into the sand and dropping the kite strings, although not fast enough to catch myself from landing face first. Pushing to a sitting position, I had just enough time to see the kite nosedive onto the beach, thudding to a stop.
“Crash!” Cody yelled, pointing at his fallen toy, looking thrilled. Jumping to his feet, he ran over to me. “Uh oh. You have a boo-boo.” After pausing to press a wet kiss to my nose, he took off down the beach. “Kite fall down. It has a boo-boo too!”
West helped me to me feet and dropped another kiss to my gritty nose. “Better?”
I nodded, brushing sand off my face and clothes. “Sorry for messing up the kite.”
“We’ll get it flying again,” he said with a shrug.
“You think?”
His eyes caught mine. “Oh, ye of little faith.”
Ten minutes later, it was airborne again, and he showed off some advanced tricks that sent the kite dipping and twirling through the cloudless sky. Cody gasped every time West yanked on the string, the rainbow kite performing an intricate dance for its captive audience.
He nudged my side with his elbow. “Told you we’d get it in the air again.”
“I should have known you’d come to the rescue.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’ll always rescue you, Sadie. Always.” The unexpectedly rough tone to his voice caught me off guard, and when I looked up at him, his eyes were dark and serious.
Swallowing hard, I excused myself to take some more pictures, not wanting to read too much into his comment, his stare.
Cody lit up around his uncle. It pained me that his own dad was missing out on this, sacrificing this time with his child to keep us safe by serving in the military. And West seemed comfortable with Cody, taking the time to play with him in a way I bet most guys wouldn’t.
After awhile, Hailey drifted over to me where I was standing about twenty yards down the beach. “Can I see?” She pointed at the camera.
As I showed her some of the better ones from today’s session, she smiled big, laughing at some of the goofier moments between her son and brother.
“He’s good with kids, isn’t he?” She tipped her chin toward West.
“He is,” I admitted, knowing he’d be a great father if we had kids one day.
If we have kids one day?
I gasped and put my hand to my chest, rubbing hard at the ache there. Where the fuck had that thought come from? My eyes were drawn to him in that moment, as he tossed Cody in the air like he weighed nothing. The little boy’s squeals hit me squarely.
Would our kids have his gorgeous eyes? Would our daughter get his laugh or our son his broad shoulders? Would they share his sense of humor, passed along with his DNA?
I loved him.
It was sudden and undeniable in that moment.
The sun shone brighter, and the sand felt warmer beneath my feet. The camera hung forgotten in my hand. The roar of the ocean swelled, providing the bass line, while the gulls sang soprano, celebrating my revelation. Behind the man—my man—and the boy, the lone cloud in the sky shifted in the breeze, almost resembling a heart if you tipped your head and squinted a little. I froze, unable to take it all in, everything suddenly overwhelming. It was too much, too bright, too big to absorb.
Hailey waved her hands in front of my eyes, looking between me and West, a concerned expression on her face.
“Hey! You okay?”
“Yeah,” I replied faintly. “Everything’s perfect.”
Behind us, a door banged open, shattering the moment.
Hailey and I both swiveled, turning toward the sound.
General Beauregard barreled across the sand, baying as his big body stretched out between strides. Behind us, I heard Cody giggle, his exclamation of “Dog!” making me smile.
Raising my eyes to the beach house door, I faltered.
Aubrey was standing there, hair wild, holding her hand to her eyes to shield the sun and wearing oversized gym shorts and a shirt that I was sure had come from West’s drawer. She was on his balcony, leaning against the rail like it was the most natural position in the world.
“Heeeeeeey!” The drawled greeting and finger wave she sent our way were like nails on a chalkboard.
Wide-eyed, I turned to West.
He was moving in her direction, storm clouds brewing in his expression.
I paused and then followed him. Hailey called for me, but I ignored her. My field of vision had narrowed to the man I loved and the woman determined to ruin it all.
He climbed the stairs, growling at her to get inside, with me just steps behind.
Closing the sliding glass door behind us, he glared at her, hands on his hips.
“Why are you wearing my clothes?”
She tittered, her gaze glancing off me.
“What did you want me to come outside wearing?”
He growled. “What happened to your clothes?”
“You know what happened,” she shrugged with a suggestive smile, running her fingers through hair that clearly hadn’t seen a brush today.
My breathing was shallow, but I waited. My dream come true wasn’t going to morph into a nightmare before my eyes. That wasn’t how it was supposed to work.
Stepping forward, he rose to his full height.
“I know you showed up late to the party, already wasted, and drank even more. And Wyatt offered you the couch, despite my objections. I know you slept there last night—alone, and in your own damn clothes.”
She shrank a little under his fierceness.
“I didn’t think you’d mind,” she said finally, peeking up at him from under her lashes.
“I mind.”
She pushed past him toward his bathroom, rubbing her body along his as she passed.
I hissed, narrowing my eyes, and West yanked me to his side, giving me a reassuring squeeze. While she gathered up her clothes from the tiled floor, he leaned down to me. “I promise you, I didn’t touch her.”
I nodded, but kept a careful watch on her. Underestimating her would be a mistake. So would pushing her too far. We were locked in a fierce game of tug-of-war with West as the prize, but the bitch didn’t seem to realize she’d already lost.
Aubrey didn’t look at me as she swept from the room, but she paused in the doorway, her eyes sly. “Enjoy him while you have him. It won’t last. It never does. And then he’ll come back to me, like always.”
I started forward, but he stopped me, blocking me to keep me from advancing. Smart man. My hazy plan of bitch-slapping the smile off her face probably wasn’t my brightest.
“I’ll handle this,” he said when he bent down and caught my mutinous gaze.
If looks could kill, I would’ve already handled it.
Raising his eyebrows, West squeezed my hand. “Give me five minutes.”
I huffed in disbelief, tearing my face away, and crossed my arms over my chest.
Sighing, he turned back to where Aubrey was lounging against his doorframe, studying her perfect fucking manicure. Lowering his head, he caught her arm as he strode out the door and down the hall, cursing under his breath. Their footsteps echoed as they moved farther away.
Left behind, alone, I sat on his bed and looked at my hands absently, unsure what to think. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his nightstand drawer wasn’t shut all the way, and as I went to close it, something familiar caught my attention. Yanking it all the way open, I stared down at a glossy stack of photos.
Aubrey. Her boudoir session.