Chapter Two
DJ
I’m startled awake the next morning by an excited little girl screaming from the open doorway, “Momma! Hatch! You’re home!” as she runs and jumps on the bed, joining us. This is not the type of wake-up call I personally had in mind for this morning, but this is even better. I wrap my arms around my little angel and kiss her on her forehead.
“I missed’d you guys sooo much!” she whines out.
“We missed you too, baby girl,” Hatch tells her, plucking her from my lap and bringing her into his own. “I got you some surprises, but you have to wait until we get into our new place so you can put them in your bedroom.” Oh great, I think to myself, the last thing you do is tell Ray that she has a gift and not give it to her right that second. Cue the meltdown in three...two...one.
“I want it now, Hatch,” she cries out.
“I’m sorry, baby girl, but it's packed up in the moving van,” Hatch says to her, but his eyes are on me, begging me to help him. It would serve him right for me to let him pull himself out of his own mess.
But seeing as my little demon child is fixing to explode, I decide to take charge and tell her, “That will be enough of that pouting, young lady. You’ll get it when you get it, but if you’re not good, you won’t get it at all. Do you understand?” The bottom lip comes out and starts to quiver, making Hatch get a look of panic on his face. But my child knows better and knows that I mean what I say.
“Y... yesss, Momma.”
“Good girl, now why don’t you go get dressed and let me and Hatch get up and take a shower.”
“Okays, Momma,” she says leaving the room, but still that bottom lip is out.
“If you don’t pull that lip back, you may trip over it,” I call out to her, getting the smile from her I was hoping for. I don’t like seeing my little girl upset, but I have to be the adult in her life and teach her about actions and consequences. I don’t like being the bad guy at all, but in this situation, I don’t want Hatch to end up bearing the brunt of her temper-tantrum. He has yet to see that side of her, and I am nervous about the day that her mini horns decide to come out to play. Hopefully he doesn’t run for the hills without a backwards glance.
“I’m sorry, DJ, I didn’t realize that telling her that would upset her like it did.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, lover, that’s something that you’ll learn about my little diva, she doesn’t have patience to have to wait for anything. Let alone something as special as a gift from the only man who’s ever taken an interest in her life.”
“Your ex is a fucking fool, it was bad enough he didn’t realize what he had right in front of him with you, but he willingly left his unborn child behind, never knowing what a treasure she actually is.” That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.
“Hatch, you have no idea what those words mean to me,” I am barely holding back the tears.
“They’re the truth, gorgeous, I’m not usually good with my words, but I’ll show you and Ray every single day what the two of you have come to mean to me. I may come off as gruff and rough around the edges, baby, but I want you to know right here and right now, that my heart does and always will belong to you and that little girl that just walked out that door.”
“Hatch, you’re going to make me cry,” I tell him with all of my emotions coming out in my voice.
“I only ever want to see tears fall from those beautiful eyes of yours if they’re good ones.”
“These would be good tears, Hatch.”
“Good to know, darlin’,” he says as he leans over me and kisses me.
“Are yous done showerins yet, Momma?” I hear called from behind the closed door.
I break away from the kiss in order to answer her, “Not yet, baby girl. Give us a few more minutes and we’ll be down.”
“O’s kay, hurry I misses you,” she hollers out.
“Won’t be long, sunshine,” Hatch hollers out to her.
“Pwomise?” She still has a hard time with pronouncing her ‘R’s’ in words.
“We promise, but the longer you stand there talking to us, the more time it will take for us to get down,” he tells her.
We hear her scurry away from the door and can hear her running down the hall.
“No running,” we hear Braxton call out.
“She can never wait to get to her destination, always in a hurry that one,” I say, causing Hatch to laugh.
“C’mon, up you go, we’ve got an anxious girl to get down to,” he says standing from the bed and pulling me up with him.
“Quickie?” I ask, wagging my eyebrows up and down at him.
“Don’t you know it,” he says to me all but dragging me behind him to the Jack and Jill bathroom we share with the kids. Locking the doors on both ends, he reaches in and starts the shower to let it warm. He quickly removes his shirt, sleep pants and socks, I have removed nothing while standing here watching my own personal striptease. “See something you like?” the cocky bastard asks.
“You know I do,” I state and begin giving him a show of my own. When I fail to move fast enough for him, he comes closer and reaches to pull my nightshirt over my head. “Hatch! I was getting to that!”
“Not fast enough, DJ,” he mutters as he leans in and gently nips at my neck. “We’ve got a little girl waiting on us and that means we have to multi-task.”
“Mmm, like how you think, lover,” I whisper as his hands caress me while he leads me into the shower. “We’ll have to be quiet, though, in case the kids are in the other room.”
“Oh, we’ll be quiet, babe,” he replies as he starts washing me. Damn, his hands feel good on my body and I can feel my breasts swell and nipples harden the more he strokes up and down my sides. I won’t even discuss how wet I am right now! “Turn,” he instructs, and I find myself facing the shower head while he washes my back, his hand slipping between my thigh to my core. “I see someone’s ready.”
“Uh, yeah. That happened the minute you stripped down,” I tell him, turning my head.
“Like I said, this is gonna be fast,” he warns, turning me again so he can rinse me off. “Now, face the wall and spread ‘em.”
I snicker because he sounds almost like one of those old cop shows, you know the ones with cheesy lines? “Ouch!” I cry out when I feel the sting on my ass. “What was that for?”
“No laughing matter, gorgeous.”
“Jeez, Hatch, you sound like something out of an old cop show.” I feel his hand slip between my legs again and moan when two fingers enter me and begin to stroke, building the fire inside. “Fuck...I need you,” I tell him.
He pushes me down a little more so I’m almost bent in half with my hands splayed on the shower wall. With no warning, he enters me, and I groan at the same time he mutters, “Fuck.”
After brief seconds, he begins to move and the punishing pace he sets has my orgasm mounting. “It’s not gonna take long, Hatch,” I murmur, my voice sounding almost airy as he pounds into me, his hands gripping my hips so hard I’m sure I’ll have bruises.
“I know,” he says, his tone closer to a grunt than actual words.
I can feel it coming and move my head so I can muffle my scream just as Hatch leans over my shoulder and bites down, coming hard, which sends me over.
Long minutes pass as I try to regain my legs and Hatch holds onto me, giving me his strength. “C’mon, gorgeous, let’s get cleaned up and go see our girl.”
Gah, this man! Can I fall any further down the rabbit hole called love?
As we finally make our way downstairs, my little girl is impatiently anticipating our arrival.
“Does we gets to move into our new place todays, Momma?”
“Do we,” I correct her, “and yes we do, baby, are you excited?”
“I’s is, is Hatch gonna come stays with us?” she asks looking up at me beneath her eyelashes. Seems my daughter is just as infatuated and in love with Hatch as I am. Hatch leans down to her level where she’s sitting at the kitchen table. Rolling my eyes I decide not to correct her once again.
“I would love it if you, and your Mom, would allow me to move in with you,” he says pulling on her pigtail. She giggles at him and leans into him laying her head on his shoulder.
“I loves you, Hatch, please...please move in withs us,” she begs him with a look on her face that no one can help but fall in love with. She has perfected her ‘give me my way’ look.
“It would be my pleasure and my honor to move into your new home. Thank you for saying you love me, precious, I love you too.” I hear sniffles in the background and look over to see Cara crying.
“What? It’s these stupid pregnancy hormones,” she says to me. I can’t help but laugh at her outburst.
“Oh shit, Braxton, you have no idea what you're in for,” I tell him. He rolls his eyes at me and pulls Cara into his arms, then he whispers something in her ear that causes her to smile and she wipes the tears from her eyes.
“I can’t help it, Braxton, look at them, they’re building a family just like we did,” she says back to him. Hatch and I look at each other and I know he’s thinking the same thing as me, ‘We are building a family, and I personally can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.’
“Well, we won’t get anything accomplished just sitting here, Braxton, would it be okay if I pull the prospects to help me get the truck unloaded and taken into the new place?”
“Yeah, man, I’ll send out a group text requesting them to be here within the hour.”
“Thanks, man,” Hatch tells Braxton as he pulls me and Ray behind him. I guess we’re going to check out our new place and wait for the prospects to show up. I can’t wait to get this new chapter in our life started.
Oh shit! I think Hatch may end up murdering the prospect, Jaxson. Ralynn it seems is experiencing her first little crush and Hatch isn’t taking it in stride. We’ve had all four prospects show up to help us out, they are all pretty young. Chet is around twenty-four, Boothe is about twenty-one, Maxum is the same age as Boothe and Jaxson is the youngest of the group at barely eighteen. Hatch is steadily giving Jaxson the stink eye and I’m contemplating stepping in and saving the poor kid before he finds himself six-feet under. Ralynn is Hatch’s little girl, and no one will ever be good enough in his eyes as it is.
“Baby girl, why don’t you go show Maxum where you want your bed setup,” I say, trying to separate my daughter from Jaxson.
“Sounds like a fine idea to me,” Hatch says to my statement, meanwhile giving the poor boy a go to hell look, Jaxson shrugs his shoulders because he knows he’s done nothing wrong.
“She’s just a little girl, Hatchet, I would never do anything to your girl,” Jaxson tells him.
Hatch, realizing he’s being hard on the kid, who in my opinion has done absolutely nothing wrong, tells him, “You’re right, prospect, but that’s still my little girl, I don’t like to see her flirting with anyone her own age, let alone someone older like you are.”
“I get it, if I had a little girl I’d feel the same way.”
“Glad to hear we’re on the same page,” Hatch says holding his hand out to shake. Jaxson returns the gesture and the two slap each other’s backs. Men, I swear I’ll never understand them and their ways.
Hours fly by and before I know it we’re just about done, the furniture has been put into place, the boxes are nearly completely unpacked and I’m utterly exhausted. When we got here, I was surprised to see a new bedroom set in the master room and when I asked Hatch, he simply said that we needed ‘our own’ bedroom set, not one that was his first or mine, for that matter! So, my old set was donated to the local women’s shelter. And then, when I went into what is now my office expecting to set up my desk, I found it gone and, in its place...holy fuck...he found a desk that is so deliciously divine that I cannot wait to get in there and work! It’s an L-shaped desk with enclosed glass cabinets that line the top and small shelves for my reference materials and knick-knacks in a deep cherry wood. Fucking gorgeous! And he had their IT guy, Bandit, fully wire me up! Plus, the new chair? Hell, I may never leave my office again. Well, except for sleep. And sex. Oh, and food, although he filled one of the desk drawers with my ‘go to’ snacks, too. I’m feeling so spoiled and loved right now I can’t stand it!
My legs, feet and arms feel as if they’re being weighed down by lead. I’ve just plopped down on the couch and Hatch comes and stands over the top of me. He leans down placing his arms on the back of the couch and gives me a light kiss on the lips.
“I’m going to order Chinese and have it delivered. When I’m done placing our order, I’m gonna go pick up the rugrat from Axe and Cara’s place,” he says placing one more small kiss on my lips and then leaves me to my own musings. Axe is Braxton, and we sent Ray over there earlier in the day when she kept getting under our feet. With tomorrow being Monday, a school day for my little girl, I’m happy that I managed to get her room completely done, organized and clothes put away. The bathroom is nearly finished, but I know where the essentials are that haven’t been so bath time should be easy...that is if my girl is in agreement.
I must’ve closed my eyes because the next thing I know Ralynn is perched beside me on the couch and lightly stroking my face with her tiny little fingers.
“Momma, ares yous awake?”
“Yes, sweetheart, I am now. Momma didn’t mean to fall asleep, she was just so tired. How was your day with Luca and Lily?”
“We’s played cops and robbers because Luca says we can’t always plays girls games. We was gonnas play doctor, but Mr. Braxton said apsalutsley not. I don’t knows whys, we didn’t haves a real stethamascope! He’s sillies, Momma.” she says while giggling at her statement.
“Have’ta say, I agree with Braxton on the no playing doctor thing,” Hatch says coming into the room and joining us on the couch. He grabs Ray and lifts her up in the air, “No playing doctor, little missy!” he says before tossing her up and catching her on her way back down, nearly giving me a heart attack, thank you very much!
“You would agree with him, you Neanderthal, they’re kids, what can they really get up to playing doctor for Christ’s sakes!”
“Woman! No boy, regardless of who he is, will be playing doctor with my girl. No chest examinations of any type! End of discussion.”
“You’re crazy,” I tell him causing him to laugh at me. Just then the doorbell rings and Hatch gets up and pulls his wallet from his back pocket.
“Dinner’s here, why don’t you ladies go and get the forks out and make us some drinks and I’ll meet you there.”
“Sounds like a plan, come on, Ray, let’s go get things ready,” I say as she lets me know she wants a piggyback ride. She’s getting too big for this, but as long as I can still do this with her I will. I lean down and she jumps on, “Ride ‘em cowboy!” she yells out like she has always done. I break out in laughter and do a giddy up causing her to chuckle and kick her legs on my hips as she wraps her arms tightly around my neck. When we finally make it to the kitchen, I let her slide slowly down my back and bend down until I know she’s steady on her feet. Those sore muscles of mine are rearing their ugly head and I’m having a hard time straightening back up.
“What’s wrong?” Hatch asks me, walking into the kitchen with his hands filled with bags.
“I’m just sore is all,” I say to him as I place my hands on the counter to assist me in straightening my body up fully. “Nothing a nice hot bath won’t help,” I say trying to get that frown off from his face.
“If it doesn’t, you aren’t going anywhere tomorrow but that bed upstairs. I was given a few extra days off work to help get us settled.”
“Hatch, I know you’ve been itching to get back to work, don’t worry about me okay? I’ll be fine, I promise. I’m just going to go over my edits and take it easy anyways.”
“We’ll wait and see what you feel like in the morning before we make any final decisions,” he says to me, giving me a stern look.
“Alright, Hatch, I’ll give you this one,” I say, knowing that it will do me no good to sit and argue with him once his mind is made up about something he strongly believes in.
We sit down and eat our dinner, Hatch is drinking a beer and I’m having some water with lemon slices and Ray is drinking her juice box. Once dinner is consumed, I get Ray in the bath and tucked into bed. As I make my way into our bedroom I can hear Hatch in the bathroom. I walk in there to hopefully join him in the shower, but stop dead in my tracks in the door jamb. My thoughtful, caring man has drawn me a bubble bath and has lit candles around it. Where he got the candles is a good question, but not one I want to explore at this time.
“Hatch! This is beautiful.”
“Get undressed and climb in, gorgeous,” he says to me while shutting the water off. “I’m gonna leave you to soak, go check on the little munchkin and come and take a shower. Do not get out of that tub until I’m done.”
“Yes, Daddy,” I say with a chuckle in my voice.
“Later tonight, I’ll show you just how much of your daddy I am, sweetheart,” he says to me leaving the room. I strip out of my clothes and step into the tub, as I sink all the way down, I rest my head on the back and let the warm water soothe me. With my eyes closed, I hear Hatch come in and strip out of his clothes and turn on the shower. I visualize in my head each of his movements and can picture what he’s doing with the sounds I’m hearing. Sitting up, I grab my loofa and add my soap to it. As I’m washing my body I think of all the things I need to get done. I need to make it through my beta notes, see what changes I want to make, then get it sent off to my editor. Once that task is complete, I need to get to the office and get organized for my new job at the complex. I can’t believe Braxton and the guys are giving me the chance to manage Rebel Townhomes for them. The trust they are giving is astounding since I haven’t ‘technically’ known them that long.
“You almost ready to get out of that tub?” Hatch asks, breaking into my train of thought.
“Almost,” I tell him as sink into the tub and get my hair wet so I can wash and condition it.
“Let me help,” he murmurs, taking my shampoo and working it into my scalp. His fingers massage and soothe and I feel myself drifting away in a cloud of bliss. “Lean back, gorgeous.”
I do as he asks, and he pours warm water over my head, rinsing away the shampoo. Wait, when did we get a pitcher in the bathroom? Eh, I don’t think I really care at this point. “Do you want conditioner?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be fully rinsed out,” I reply.
He works the conditioner in and then lightly rinses it out, which will ensure I can pull a comb through my thick hair.
“C’mon, gorgeous, let’s get you out of there before you turn into a prune.”
I stand, and he helps me out, enveloping me in a huge towel. Carefully drying me off, he scoops me up and carries me to the bed where he lays me down like I’m a priceless porcelain doll. “On your stomach, gorgeous.”
Rolling over, I stretch out, groaning a bit at the way my muscles ache. I feel him get on the bed and then I have his warm hands, covered in lotion, rubbing and stroking me. “Oh my God, Hatch, that feels marvelous,” I murmur, my eyes half-closed.
“As much as I want to christen our new bed, I don’t want you hurting,” he replies, working the knots out of my shoulders. “I know you’ve got a book to finish.”
Gah, can this man get any better for me? Content to let him continue his ministrations, I drift off to sleep, a smile on my face.
I wake up in the middle of the night cocooned in the warmth of his arms. How on earth did I get so fucking lucky to have this man? Scooching back a bit, I can feel him pressed against my low back and a grin forms. Quietly turning, I keep an eye on him to make sure he hasn’t woken up and when I see he is still sleeping, I ease my way down his body until I get to where I want to be, and then I take him in my mouth. Never one for giving head, I crave Hatch and love being able to give him the pleasure that he gives me. As my tongue begins slowly stroking his hardening length, I moan before wrapping my hand around the base and tugging slightly. I know I’ve always been the kind of woman who feels that as long as a man knows how to use what he’s got it doesn’t matter his size, but Hatch? Makes me a liar. He’s definitely well-proportioned and I feel myself growing wetter the more I move over his length. I’m lost in pleasing him, occasionally fondling his balls, when I feel his hands move under my armpits and I’m dragged up his body. He pulls me close as his lips crash onto mine and I’m lost, my only thoughts centered in the here and now, in this bed.
“Gorgeous, love waking up with my cock in your mouth,” he whispers. “You feel like riding?”
Do I feel like riding? Is there a Vatican City in Italy? Nodding my head, I sit back and position him where I want him most, sliding him through my folds to tease a little more.
Without warning, he grabs my hips and impales me, causing us both to moan in pleasure. “Now ride, DJ,” he commands.
As if I’m going to just sit here! He’s thrusting upward while I’m moving and soon, our pace has us both sweating. His hands come up and cup my breasts and I arch back, wanting those calloused fingers stroking my nipples. “More, Hatch, please.”
“Your wish is my command, gorgeous,” he replies, surging up so he’s now got his back against the headboard with me straddling him. Leaning down, he takes one nipple in his mouth and gently nibbles, causing me to swivel my hips faster. “Shit, DJ, you keep that up and I’ll be coming.”
With him thrusting up and hitting my g-spot, and me grinding down and hitting my clit, I’m pretty much there and between panting breaths, I tell him, “I’m so fucking close, Hatch.”
Once again, I find our positions switched with me now on my back and my legs splayed over his shoulders as he powers into me, his hand between us stroking my clit and his mouth? Oh dear heavens, his mouth is nipping, licking and biting along my neck and collarbone. Helpless to do anything except take it, I wind my arms around his neck and whisper, “Kiss me, lover.”
When his lips touch mine, I detonate. I can feel every single inch of him as my pussy pulsates around his dick and I scream out his name which he captures with his lips. He freezes over me and I can feel him as he fills me. “Better every time,” he whispers before flopping over on his side and pulling me against him.
“You always say that, Hatch,” I tell him teasingly.
“Because it's the damn truth, woman,” he says smiling at me.
Long minutes pass as we try to catch our breath. “Love you, DJ,” he says, pulling up. “Let me get something to clean you up.”
Fuck, we forgot a condom. Oh well, I’m on the shot so we should be good, right?
When he comes back, I hold out my hand for the wet cloth and he shakes his head before climbing back into bed and handing me my nightshirt. As he gently wipes up our mess, I ask, “Why the nightshirt, lover?”
“Figured we would probably have a little girl bouncing in here in a few hours and those are questions I don’t want to answer.”
“Good point. What about you?” I ask, slipping my nightshirt on over my head.
“Got it covered,” he replies, reaching over the side of the bed and grabbing his boxers. “I may not have ever been a Boy Scout, but I’m always prepared.”
“Mmmhmm, except a few minutes ago.”
“About that...I lost my head and it won’t happen again. I’m clean, never been unwrapped before.”
“And I’m on the shot, so we’re good, Hatch. There’s been no one since my ex until you.”
“First of all, no talk of other men with you at all...especially in our bed. And thank fuck, I hated the thought of going back to using them especially after being in you and feeling how warm and wet you get on my dick.”
“Caveman,” I reply, smacking his shoulder. “But, I seem to have a fondness for cavemen these days. And I promise, no talking about others while in our bed. That goes for you too, lover boy.”
“Agreed, now let’s get a little more shut eye before we have to be up with the munchkin,” he says, leaning over and giving me a kiss. Life is so perfect, I don’t see anything getting between us—ever.