Chapter Fifteen
Cassie
“Momma.” I woke up to the sweet sound of my son’s voice, about two seconds before he jumped on top of me. “Up, Momma. Up.”
I cuddled him to my chest and kissed the top of his head, “Hey, wild man, did Daddy steal you from Gigi?”
I could hear the air leaving Declan’s lungs from across the room where he stood. “That’s the first time, uh, I didn’t realize…” He walked over to the bed and sat down. Wyllie left me and crawled in Declan’s lap. “That’s the first time you’ve called me his daddy like that, in front of him.”
I grabbed my phone off the nightstand, taking a picture of them. Both in jammies with their hair all a mess, almost identical expressions on their faces. There were so many times over the last sixteen months that I’d look at Wylder and think, damn, he looks like his dad. “Well, you are his daddy. It’s high time he knows it, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it is.” Dec lay down next to me and picked Wyllie up, buzzing him around in the air making airplane noises.
I laughed. Wyllie’s delighted giggles were infectious. “What’s my mom doing?”
“She was downstairs drinking her coffee and feeding Wyllie doughnut holes.”
I tickled Wyllie’s tummy when “the plane” landed next to me. “Was Gigi feeding you doughnut holes again? Incorrigible.”
Declan smirked. “I take it he gets to eat whatever he wants when he’s with Gigi and Papa?”
“You know it.” I sat up and stretched. “I’m going to shower and get dressed. You got him?”
The grin he flashed me was full of amazement and joy. “Yeah, I got him.”
I took my time in the shower, giving Declan and Wyllie the chance to bond.
And it gave me time to have my much-needed mini panic attack.
I hadn’t wanted things to get complicated, yet I’d had sex with Declan. All night long. Smooth move. I was sore from last night. It’d been a long time since I’d used my body like that. Oooo, speaking of hot unprotected sex, I needed to take my pill when I got out of the shower. Another baby with Declan was not what needed to happen right now.
***
“Dec?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you seen my birth control pills?” I’d turned the bathroom upside down looking for them the past five minutes. Every drawer had been opened, every cabinet. I’d unpacked and repacked my bathroom bag twice.
“Uh, no. Should I have?”
“They were in my toiletry bag yesterday and now they aren’t.”
“That’s weird, maybe they are with my box of condoms.” He chuckled.
But I suddenly didn’t find anything about this amusing. “Those crazy old hags. This has gone far enough. Meddling is one thing, sabotage is another.” I stormed out of the room, wrapped in a towel. Dec grabbed Wyllie off the bed and followed close behind. I yelled for my mother, my voice echoing off the walls and reverberating through the massive house. I finally came to a stop in the kitchen.
“Good lord, Cassandra, what are you yelling about?”
“Did you steal my birth control pills?”
“What?”
“Did you take my pills?”
“Oh, darling, don’t be silly. Why on earth would I do that? And why are you wearing a towel? Get back upstairs and put some clothes on your person, right this instant.” She waved her hand in the air, dismissing me. “It’s thirty degrees outside, you’ll catch pneumonia.”
“I’ll go change when I’m good and ready, and you have heated floors. Now, just because you are crazy and you want—”
“Hellllooooo.” A high-pitched, singsong voice called out from the back door and Mrs. Preston breezed into the room, floating on a subtle cloud of Chanel Number Five.
Declan narrowed his eyes. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
“I came to see my sweet boy.”
“Aw, Mom, that’s so—” Declan’s words cut off when Mrs. Preston plucked Wyllie from his arms and showered him with kisses. Not even bothering to hug her son.
I turned back to my mom, hands on my hips. “Mother? Are you going to answer me?”
She rolled her eyes and mirrored my stance, hands on her hips. “Oh I hardly think that ridiculous question needs an answer.”
Declan turned a wary eye on his mom. “Speaking of missing contraceptives, Mom, did you take a box of condoms out of my bag?”
Mrs. Preston put a hand over one of Wyllie’s ears, semi ear-muffing him. “Declan Wylder, don’t talk about condoms in mixed company. It’s tacky.”
“Why not? I already knocked Cassie up once, so you know she and I aren’t shy.” Declan winked. He said all that just to rile up his mother.
And it worked. “Declan. Don’t say ‘knocked up.’ You two are just being so silly.”
My mom walked over and stood next to Mrs. Preston, making a united front. “Wait a minute. How do you know your prophylactics are missing? Were you looking for them last night? I thought you said you two weren’t together?”
Declan turned a slight shade of red. “Uh, well, I just noticed they weren’t in my bag this morning when I was getting dressed.”
My mom cocked her head to the side, looking between us. No doubt trying to break us with her mom glare. “Hmmmm…sounds suspicious to me. But we don’t have time for this. You two run upstairs and get dressed. We have to leave for brunch in thirty minutes.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Y’all are going to brunch with us?”
“Yes, of course we are. Brice called first thing this morning and said we simply must. Your fathers are playing an early round of golf at the club, so they’ll meet us there. Now go change. I detest being late.”
Mrs. Preston nodded. “Oh me too, it’s so rude.”
I pointed at my mom, and then for good measure Mrs. Preston. “This is not over, you two.” Then Declan and I dutifully headed upstairs.
I could feel him staring at my ass. “You like what you see?”
All of a sudden I was swept off my feet; Declan was sprinting with me in his arms. “I like what I can feel even better. And if we hurry, we won’t get in trouble for being late.” Declan dumped me on my bed for the second time in only a few hours and ripped my towel off.
My mind was racing. I wanted him, but I didn’t want him. I was so damn confused. “Dec. This is really irresponsible. I mean, we don’t have condoms and I can’t find my pills.” He grabbed my legs and pulled me down to the edge of the bed, flipping me onto my stomach and dropping his pants.
“I know. This is ridiculous.” He angled my hips up and leaned down to take me in his mouth. My head dropped down to the bed and I turned to putty in his hands. “You like that, baby?” I couldn’t even form the words to tell him yes, I just pushed back against him so he’d get the message. After a few minutes he stood. “Cassie?”
This time I managed a soft yessss, giving him permission to drive into me. He stilled and rested his head on my back. Placing sweet kisses down my spine. “Nothing matters when I’m with you, Cassie. All I can think about is being inside you. It’s like I have tunnel vision and the only way to clear it is to hear you scream my name.”
He stood back up and ran his hand over my ass cheek before slapping it lightly. I knew I should stop him. I knew what could come of unprotected sex between the two of us. Not to mention the emotional mess I was sure to end up in. He obviously had issues with what I’d done to him. He wasn’t asking for a lifelong commitment, which was what I needed. But his words, combined with the feel of him filling me so completely… I was helpless.
“Dec…” My words sounded like a whisper, like a plea.
“Shhh…Cassie, I’ll be careful, baby. Just relax.”
He pulled out completely before slamming back into me. He steadied my hips with one hand while he trailed the other up my back, pushing me farther into the mattress. I was lost to him.
“Oh God, Dec. Don’t stop.” His rhythm was relentless and I fucking loved it. “Oh God.”
He buried himself to the hilt and then ground against me. “That’s it, baby. Scream for me, Cassie.”
“Declan. Fuck. Don’t stop.”
He put both hands on my hips, holding me still while he went to work. “Come for me, baby.”
I screamed his name one more time, not caring who heard me. I felt him pull out seconds before I felt his release on my lower back.
“God, Cassie. I’ll never get enough of you.”