CHAPTER EIGHT
Cassandra
HE WAS KISSING me and touching me everywhere, but I had yet to feel his skin under my fingers. I needed to touch him and feel the weight of his cock in my hand. I’d never really cared about foreplay before. None of my one night stands had ever seemed too willing to give it. The last time someone had gone down on me was Michael and it was only okay. Now that Ryan had eaten me as if I was his last meal and fucked me with his fingers, I wanted to do the same for him. I was getting wet just thinking about his cock thrusting in and out of my mouth.
But he didn’t give me the chance to take him. He quickly undressed and then had me pinned to the couch before I could bring myself out of my daze of staring at his gorgeous body. Over the past few weeks, I had grown accustomed to feeling his hard body wrapped around me in bed, but feeling and seeing were two totally different things. He wasn’t as large as his friends. He was lean, but perfectly muscular. He had a sexy V that led straight to his cock and a line of hair that went from his belly button down.
That’s where he caught me. I had been staring at his body and not paying attention to the fact that he was about to pounce. Just as his cock bobbed in front of my face and I was about to reach for it, he pinned me to the couch and slowly pushed inside me. His length filled me so much that it would have been painful if he hadn’t just stretched me. He stopped and took a few deep breaths as if he was getting himself under control. When he started moving, I moaned which made him pick up the pace. Before long, he was ramming his cock inside me. The trimmed hair above his cock rubbed deliciously against my clit. I didn’t need his fingers. He hit every spot as he rammed inside me.
He sucked my neck, surely leaving love bites behind, but I didn’t care. He was marking me as his and I’d gladly wear my spots proudly. He picked me up and carried me over to the table in front of the fireplace all the while his cock was still buried inside me. Laying across me, he gripped the edge of the table behind my head and pushed himself deeper inside me. I spread my legs wide for him to push deeper still. His lips consumed mine. His tongue danced with mine. His body became one with mine. He fucked me so hard that the table started scooting across the floor.
As he pushed me higher and higher, I opened my eyes and saw that he was watching me intently, waiting for me to fall over the edge. His eyes flared in the light of the fire as my pussy tightened around his cock. His eyes rolled back as he climaxed and spilled his cum inside me. Large pants of hot air spilled across my face as he tried to catch his breath. He kissed me sweetly and laid his forehead against mine.
“That was life altering. I thought I was going to pass out when I came,” he sighed.
“I thought you were going to break the table.”
“Not a chance. I built this. It’s as sturdy as a rock.” He shifted to stand and the table suddenly gave way, spilling us on the floor in front of the fire. Luckily, Ryan had rolled me so that I landed on top of him. I looked back at the table to see one of the legs had broken.
I looked back at him and we both burst out laughing. “Okay, I may have fucked you harder than I thought.” I smiled down at him and ran my fingers through his dark locks. Leaning down, I placed a kiss on his lips.
Part of me wanted to tell him that I loved him, but we’d only been married a few weeks. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if it freaked him out? I didn’t want to cause any ripples between us, so I did what any normal woman would do. I brushed my feelings aside and made it all about sex.
“That was just a warm up for what I expect next time.”
✯✯✯✯✯
We sat in front of the fire eating munchies and drinking wine. The wind had picked up and I could hear it howling outside. Ryan had brought blankets over for us to sit on and I pulled one up over my naked body.
“Getting shy?”
“No, I’m just getting cold,” I laughed.
“I can think of a few ways to warm you up.”
“I’m sure you could, but I need a little time to recover. I haven’t had sex in..” I blushed, suddenly realizing that he probably didn’t want to know about the last time I’d had sex. He just smiled and brushed it off.
“So, how did you and Logan start your business?”
“I went to school for engineering and Logan went for architectural and interior design. It just made sense to go into business together. I had money from my inheritance and I didn’t want to go work for someone else. Luckily, Logan felt the same way. We started the company and it was slow going at first, but after a few projects, it started to pick up.”
“You seem to have it all figured out.”
“Not quite. Logan is more pragmatic than I am. I get too wrapped up in what could happen, so he grounds me.”
“But you dream big.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but in business, you can’t always go big. Sometimes you have to know when to walk away.”
“Well, you guys did a great job with the VAS building. The investors are very impressed.”
“I’m glad.” He leaned in and gave me a kiss. “How did you get involved with that anyway? You seemed very wrapped up in it all.”
“It started with Michael. When he left and I found out I was pregnant, he told me not to wait on him, that there was no guarantee he would come home. I thought that the horrors of war were talking, but I soon found out that he didn’t want to come home. Anyway, in the meantime, I started visiting other VA centers to try and understand what other veterans were going through. Soon, it was no longer about Michael and all about helping veterans that needed more than what was offered. Some are lucky and live close to centers and have great resources, but others live too far away and they get lost in the shuffle. It kind of became my personal mission to help in any way I could. I spent two years putting together proposals for the center.”
“And then you met me.”
I smiled at him. “And then I met you.”
“What happened with Michael?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. We were dating when he went off to basic and I thought we had something great. Little did I know that he wasn’t ever planning on coming back to me. He just didn’t care about me like that. He had different plans in life, and that was fine, but he didn’t tell me. I was so shocked when I found out I was pregnant and he didn’t care. I thought he would at least do something for his child.”
“Is he on the birth certificate?”
“Yes. I suppose it would have been easier if he wasn’t. I never went after him for child support, so it would have been easy to say that it was someone else’s. Maybe he wouldn’t be after James right now.”
He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear and cupped my cheek, running his thumb across the corner of my mouth. “Maybe, but you can’t fault yourself for hoping he would take part in James’s life.”
I yawned, suddenly feeling tired. I glanced at the clock to see it was already after midnight. Ryan pulled me down into his arms and my cheek rested against his shoulder. His hand skimmed my back as he ran his fingers lightly up and down my spine. The warmth of the fire lulled me into a light sleep.
“I’d never walk away from you and James.”
I squeezed him tight and kissed his chest. “Thank you.”
✯✯✯✯✯
I was sad the next morning when I woke up and Ryan wasn’t there, but then I smelled bacon cooking and realized that he had just left me to sleep. I rolled to my back, snuggling in the blankets and stared at the ceiling. He had really put a lot of work into this house. The living room had to be my favorite room of the house. It had a beautiful view of nature and I longed for a snuggly winter day to sit by the fire and read.
“Mrs. Jackson, your breakfast.”
I looked up to see Ryan carrying a tray of food. I sat up and wrapped a blanket around me to keep warm as he set the tray in front of me.
“This looks delicious.”
“Anything for my beautiful wife.”
He gave me a sweet kiss and sat next to me to eat.
“Mmm. God, this is so good. I love bacon so much. When I was pregnant with James, I used to eat six slices of bacon every morning for breakfast.”
I looked over to see Ryan staring at me with so much heat, I thought I would combust.
“What?”
“I want you to moan like that while you’re eating my cock.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Will it be wrapped in bacon?”
He growled and quickly moved the breakfast tray off me. He was inside me and thrusting hard and deep before I had a moment to protest the loss of my breakfast, though I soon forgot about it. However, he did eat the bacon off of me and it may have gotten in some very intimate places by the time he was through with me.
✯✯✯✯✯
“All we heard about last night and this morning were stories of Ryan. It would seem your son is growing quite attached to him.”
Mom and I stood at the window watching Ryan, Dad, and James working on the adirondack chairs outside. It was cold out, but they insisted on finishing them before winter hit. Ryan said he wanted me to be able to use them on the first day of spring.
“It’s a little surprising because of how it all started, but Ryan really puts in an effort with him. I think James really likes having a man around the house.”
“And what about you?”
“What about me?” I asked as I took a sip of tea.
“Do you like having a man around the house?”
I blushed as I thought about what we did last night. “We’re definitely getting along better. I think I might-” I couldn’t finish the thought, afraid I would jinx myself.
“I think he might, too.”
I nodded. He hadn’t said anything yet and I wasn’t going to pressure him. If he decided he wanted us past the custody hearing, he was going to have to be the one to tell me. I didn’t want to pressure him. “He’s a really great guy. I wish now that I hadn’t put him off for so long. I could have been happy a long time ago.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
I turned and quirked an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean?”
“Honey, I think you two were brought together because of circumstances. Who knows what would have happened if he found out you had a ten year old a year ago.”
“Do you think he wouldn’t have given us a chance?”
“That doesn’t matter. What matters is what happens now. I just mean that life works out the way it’s supposed to. You weren’t meant to be with him a year ago. This is your time with him and for whatever reason, fate or destiny or whatever cosmic power didn’t want it to happen before now. Don’t focus on what could have been, just what’s happening now.”
The guys came in an hour later for dinner. I was getting the plates down when Ryan came up behind me and placed his hands on my hips as he kissed my neck. He wasn’t shy in front of my parents or James and I realized that I didn’t want to hide either. It was good for James to see that we liked each other. When I got the plates down and walked to the table, my mother was smiling and blushing slightly.
My phone rang in the other room just as we were sitting down. I got up quickly to answer it and saw that Michael was calling.
“Hello?”
“Cassandra, it’s Michael.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Have you thought any more about James spending time with me?”
“Michael, now isn’t a good time to talk about this.” I walked further away from the dining room so James wouldn’t overhear my conversation.
“When is a good time? I’ve given you a few weeks to think about it, but I need to know now. Are you going to let him come stay with me? I want at least a few nights a week. He’s my son.”
“You can’t expect me to just let him go stay at your house. You’re a stranger.”
“I’m his father.”
“No, you aren’t. He has a father now that spends time with him and didn’t wait ten years to figure out that he wants to be a part of his life.”
“Who? You weren’t with anyone when Alisha and I stopped by.”
“Just because he wasn’t there doesn’t mean he wasn’t a part of my life.”
“What did you do? Marry someone in the few weeks since I saw you?”
I didn’t say anything, not sure if what I said would be held against me.
“Christ, you just went out and married someone to spite me?”
“No, I-”
“I’m his father, goddamnit and I won’t let you keep him from me. I’ve already got a lawyer and he says I have a good chance at getting time with my son. Maybe I’ll get joint custody after the stunt you pulled.”
“Don’t you dare threaten me. You can’t walk into our lives after all this time and-”
The phone was ripped from my hand and I spun around to see Ryan holding it with a look of anger.
“Michael. This is Ryan, Cassandra’s husband. Don’t you ever threaten her or James again. Do you understand me? If you want to see James, you’re going to have to go through the court system because there is no way I’m trusting you with my son voluntarily.”
He listened as Michael yelled and threatened him, but Ryan kept his cool, never showing any sign of nervousness. I on the other hand was a basket case.
“Send your lawyers. I don’t care. I have enough money to fight you and make sure you never get custody of him. From now on, you don’t contact Cassandra or James unless it’s through a lawyer or I’ll slap a harassment suit on you and file a restraining order.”
He hung up the phone and turned back to me, his eyes softening. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt myself sink into his touch. He had just saved me. I was about to lose it and probably say something that would hurt us in court. Tears flowed and I finally let go and allowed someone else to carry the burden for once. He rubbed my back and gave me light kisses until the tears stopped. He pulled back and looked fiercely into my eyes.
“There is no way I will allow anyone to take James from us. We’ll fight him every step of the way. I don’t care what it costs. We’ll sell our home and move back into your apartment if that’s what it takes.”
I smiled up at him and kissed him deeply. “Thank you for being here for us.”
“No place I’d rather be, Cassie girl.”
I wanted so desperately to believe that was true, but the fact was, this whole thing was just beginning and he could still decide that we weren’t worth it.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
I pulled back to see James standing in the doorway. I quickly wiped my face and put a smile on my face. “Nothing sweetie. I-”
Ryan put a hand on my shoulder and shook his head slightly. I didn’t understand. Why would he want me to tell James the truth? He didn’t need to know until there was something to tell, but I decided for once to trust that Ryan would handle the situation the way he thought was appropriate.
I stepped aside and allowed Ryan to pull James over to the couch and sit down. I sat across from him in an armchair biting my nails and hoping that I was making the right decision.
“You’re almost a man now, right?” James nodded. “I have some things to tell you and I need you to listen and behave like the man I know you are, okay?”
James straightened and gave a firm nod. “Okay.”
“Your mom is upset because she got a call from your biological father. He wants to take your mom to court and try to get partial custody of you, but your mom and I don’t want that to happen.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s been ten years and he wasn’t interested before, so your mom and I want to protect you from whatever he’s trying to do. Also, if he got partial custody, that would mean you wouldn’t be with us all the time.”
“So what do we do?”
“Well, he has lawyers and we’re going to get lawyers. Really good lawyers and we’re going to do everything possible to make sure he doesn’t take you away from us.”
“What if he does?”
“Then we’ll handle it like men. You’ll spend some time with him and get to know him.”
James sat for a minute thinking it all over. “Do you think I’ll get a say in whether or not I see him?”
“That’s something we’ll have to ask the lawyer. Do you want to meet him?”
“I don’t know. I don’t really ever think about him. What if I want to meet him, but I don’t want to live with him?”
“How about this? We’ll get in touch with a lawyer and after he’s reviewed our case, I’ll set up a meeting where you can ask him anything you want?”
“Okay.”
Ryan had been right. He treated James as if he was a man and he was dealing with it all so well.
“Why don’t you go sit down. We’ll eat dinner and then head home.”
James ran off to the kitchen and I saw Mom and Dad standing in the doorway. Dad gave a nod and then they followed James.
“Thank you so much for that. How did you know what to say to him?”
“I remember being his age and just wishing that someone would talk to me like an adult instead of a kid. He’s at the age where he wants to know what’s going on.”
“I am so lucky you came into our lives, Ryan.”
“I got lucky the day I decided to ask you to be my wife. Best damn decision I ever made.”
I smiled at him. “Is that why you had a panic attack in your office?”
He laughed. “Okay, it freaked me out at first. How did you even know about that?”
“Seriously? You and Logan couldn’t have been more obvious. Besides, I’ve had years of practice at sniffing out lies.”
“Remind me to never lie to you again. I think that was the most terrifying moment of my life. You’re a real ball buster.”
“Yeah? Maybe I could get a job with Sebastian as an interrogator for his company.”