by Jessie G
“You know, some people would say that buying the house next door makes us clingy.”
“Yeah, well, they would be idiots. This is the perfect house.” With the barest nudge, Billy pushed him back onto the bed and then knelt to remove his shoes. Liam was content to lay there and let his husband strip him—physically and emotionally—knowing he needed both to be whole. “Our own space, in the neighborhood we love, steps from the family we need.”
On the outside, their house looked a lot like Saul’s. Three floors, a great front porch, lots of windows, and a rooftop entertainment area. But the inside needed work, which fed Owen’s desire to build something that was uniquely theirs. The end result was an open and welcoming main level with all their common space, a second level with three equal-size suites, and a third level that would accommodate their expanding family.
“Except it almost wasn’t ours,” Billy reminded softly, just before he whisked Liam’s pants and briefs away. “We had already begun the process with Corey and Cam, and our money was earmarked for those expenses. The burden of securing the house fell on Chris and Owen, and that was too much to ask of anyone.”
He remembered the initial excitement when Saul told them about the house and how he convinced their neighbor to give them twenty-four hours before they moved forward with the listing. He remembered listening to Chris and Owen crunch the numbers, and the feeling of loss when they finally admitted it wasn’t doable. Even if they had a decent down payment, they needed a mortgage big enough to cover the balance and construction costs and no bank was going to give them that kind of money.
“If Saul hadn’t called Ric…” Again, Liam trailed off, swallowing back the tears that threatened every time he thought about Alaric’s generosity. He didn’t even blink at the amount needed and had given them such ridiculously low terms to pay it back; it could only be considered a loss for him. Before they knew it, they had the keys, and everyone was pitching in to get the renovations done in record time. “Because of them, we have a home to give our children.”
“Exactly,” Billy confirmed. Because their family never failed.
Standing at the foot of the bed, Billy undressed quickly, adding his clothes to the haphazard pile, before he slid up the bed and pulled him close. That big body wrapped around his—all that muscle keeping him safe and coarse hair teasing his skin—never failed to calm him completely. He loved their house and couldn’t wait to raise their kids here, but Billy would always be his home.
Snuggling in, he pressed his lips to Billy’s and whispered, “We’re parents. In a couple of days, our children will be right upstairs in the nursery. Close enough to touch and hold and love and…”
“Crazy, huh?” With a satisfied rumble, Billy closed his eyes and Liam knew it wouldn’t take long for him to fall asleep. Both of them, really. Safe in Billy’s arms, his fears put to rest, his body was relaxing fast. “I love you, Liam.”
“I love you, too, Billy bear.”
The soft snore made him laugh and wiggle closer. Sometimes he worried that all the shit in his head would never be resolved, but here in Billy’s arms, he knew it didn’t matter. Billy loved him just the way he was.
Chapter Seven
Billy
“Billy, please.” The soft moan woke him seconds before a warm wet tongue slipped over his balls, bathing and tugging them into delicious heat. His hands were moving before his brain could process, reaching for the man who knew just how to drive him crazy. As his fingers sank into the silky length of Liam’s hair, his husband moaned again, the hum traveling from his balls right up his spine.
“Damn, baby.” Head thrown back, he could only gasp as Liam took him from sleeping to ready to blow in a blink and wasn’t sure if he wanted to slow them down or let it happen. “I love your mouth.”
Another hum had his body tensing before Liam released him—the break more loss than reprieve—to slither up his belly until all he could see was that gorgeous face. “I need you.”
The week before the babies were born, Liam’s therapist pulled him aside and expressed his concern for how Liam might react to the birth. Despite their hard work, his husband still struggled to experience the happiness of the moment without letting the past weigh him down. So they were prepared for the emotional storm that hit as soon as they were alone, and he believed they weathered it successfully. But he knew his husband would need a physical release as much as an emotional one, and they’d both succumbed to exhaustion before that could happen.
“I’m right here.” Putting his hands behind his head, he let himself relax into the mattress and gave his husband a lazy smile. “Take what you need.”
Liam’s mouth slammed over his, hot and demanding, as he planted his knees on either side of Billy’s hips and thrust forward, grinding them together. Just as roughly, he pulled back and put one restraining hand on Billy’s chest, the slender fingers curling into the coarse pelt as he pushed himself up. “Stay there.”
Like he had any desire to leave? “I ain’t moving.”
“Oh, you’ll move.” With that hand still holding him down, Liam reached behind himself with the other, found Billy’s eager dick, and positioned himself over it. “You know what I was doing while you were sleeping?”
As the head of his dick sank easily into Liam’s warm depths, Billy could guess, but he shook his head. Liam wanted to tell him, and he really wanted to hear every torturous detail. “Snoring?”
“That’s you, silly bear. I do not snore.” Dark eyes narrowed to slits, daring him to argue, and Billy bit his tongue. “And while you were snoring, I was getting myself ready for you. I woke up so hard, Billy, I just knew if I didn’t get myself under control, it would be over too fast. But I couldn’t, not with your arms around me, your breath tickling my ear. I love the way you hold me. Did I ever tell you that?”
“You can tell me a million times and I’ll never tire of hearing it.”
“Hmm.” Liam sank down all the way, taking him to the pubes, and placed his other hand on Billy’s chest. “Not sure what’s better. The way you hold me or the way you fill me up. Soon, you’re gonna do both. Yeah?”
Soon wasn’t going to come soon enough, but first… “Tell me what you were doing, Liam.”
“Ahh, greedy bear, do you want me to tell you how I coated my fingers with lube and pressed them to my hole, working myself open while I laid there in your arms?”
Yes, that was exactly what he wanted to hear.
“I was so warm and relaxed, so eager for it to be you, that the first finger slipped in nice and easy. But my fingers aren’t as thick and rough as yours, so I added a second one, hoping it would feel like you.”
Billy groaned when Liam began moving, his hips rolling in a slow figure eight that made his eyes cross and his breath catch. “Did it?”
“No,” Liam whined softly. “Not even when I got a third finger inside. It wasn’t enough.”
“Baby…” Gritting his teeth against the urge to grab and take, Billy could barely respond.
“I know how much you like to watch me do that, Billy. I do. And I’m sorry you were asleep, but I needed to be able to do this.” With his fingers digging in hard, Liam braced himself and pulled up, held himself there for one earth-shattering second, and then slammed back down hard enough to make them grunt. “I needed you to do this.”
The second time he did it, Billy thrust up, meeting him halfway, and they both groaned in relief. Billy knew he was wrapped around his husband’s finger, just as he knew that when it came to sex, Liam wanted the aggressor Billy was a master at hiding. And here in their bed, Liam knew just how to use his power to get all his desires fulfilled, and Billy wouldn’t have him any other way.
“I need you to fuck me, Billy. To fill me up and hold me down, to make me take it hard and fast so that every inch of my body feels it long after we’re done. I don’t want foreplay, which is so fucking crazy, Billy, cause I love what you do to me with your hands and mouth. I do. I love it so much, but it’s no
t what I need right now. Okay? Is that okay, Billy? Will you…will you… Please, Billy!”
Billy reared up, grabbed on, and flipped them so fast, Liam’s hair was still flying when he slammed him onto the mattress. Without giving him a second to breathe, Billy grabbed him by the ankles and folded him in half. Pinned and powerless, eyes wild and smile triumphant, Liam chanted his name as Billy snapped his hips forward, setting an erratic beat.
“Do you feel me now, Liam?” Billy punched forward until the sound of the headboard hitting the wall joined their chorus. “Or do you need it harder?”
“I need…” Liam grabbed his wrists, holding on as Billy used his weight to keep him in place. Immobile. Held down and forced to take it. That’s what his husband asked for, and that’s what Billy gave. “I need…”
“What?” Desperate for the words, Billy ground down and demanded, “What do you need? Tell me!”
Chin tucked in, faced flushed, Liam looked up at him through a curtain of wet lashes and grinned. “Harder, Billy.”
It didn’t seem possible, but his body responded, setting a punishing beat that left no more room for words. Billy knew it couldn’t last. Didn’t want it to. He needed Liam to find his release before pleasure turned to pain, and at this pace, they were precariously close to that line. When his own balls drew up tight and his husband still held back, Billy got right in his face and growled, “You think you can hold out on me?”
“Not—” Liam whimpered and tensed, but he didn’t give in. “Yet.”
“Right now.”
“Billy…”
Billy swallowed his name right off Liam’s lips, taking his mouth in a bruising kiss that finished them both. Liam wailed beneath him, his body clenching so hard, Billy winced as his own orgasm raced to the surface. Spilling himself inside Liam was satisfying on all levels and had them both shivering as Billy struggled to ease them down.
In contrast to their frenetic joining, Billy took care as he untangled them, stretched out Liam’s cramped limbs, and then rolled until he was once again on the bottom. From there he could massage Liam’s legs and backside while watching for any signs of distress. “Okay?”
“Nope, I’m great. Ecstatic. Elated.” A big yawn ruined the effect and Liam grinned sheepishly before snuggling in. “On top of the world.”
All the emotions Liam struggled to find on his own.
“Gonna feel you for a week.”
“Yeah, you are.”
“Then I’m gonna want you to do it again.”
“And have your screaming wake up the babies?” Billy scoffed, finally allowing himself to laugh. His husband sounded so relaxed and happy that any worry he had about hurting him was pointless. Liam knew what he was asking for and trusted Billy to give it to him. “No way.”
“That’s not funny, Billy. First, I’m not the loudest one in this house, and second… Hey, where are you going? Come back here and be my pillow.”
“As much as I’d love to, it’s already after six.” He paused at the side of the bed and waited for the room to right itself. Liam might have taken the brunt of their lovemaking, but Billy wasn’t any steadier at the moment. “I’m going to run you a bath so you can soak for a while before we leave for the hospital.”
Rolling onto his back, long limbs splayed wide, Liam was the picture of temptation. “Will you get in the tub with me?”
As hard as it was to say no, Billy had to shake his head. Liam was in no condition to back up that suggestive invitation, and once he calmed down, he would be itching to see Ashely and Drake. “No, I need to make us breakfast and let Cam know what time we’ll be there.”
Despite Corey’s assurances that she would be fine, Cam was determined to stay with her wife at the hospital and she wasn’t going to leave until they were there to relieve her.
“You take such good care of us, Billy.”
Billy didn’t answer. Couldn’t. There was a time when he had been a selfish bastard, hurting the people who loved him and ruining his life in the process. But he knew he was different now and hearing Liam acknowledge it was just the validation he needed.
Chapter Eight
Liam
“Surprise!”
Liam grinned at the whispered greeting that wasn’t much of a surprise at all. Before Chris and Owen started planning the baby shower, they came to them first. The family had understood Corey’s aversion to doing it before the birth, and they absolutely didn’t want to overwhelm her or the babies the day they came home, so she had actually been part of the preparation.
Now, two weeks later, they were hosting their first event as a family in their new home and he couldn’t have been more thrilled to see the Connor’s on their front porch. Dillon bounced beside his guardians, face split in the widest grin and arms overflowing with gifts, but it was Vivian—one of their official grandmas—who whispered the greeting.
“No need to whisper,” Liam assured as he leaned down to kiss her weathered cheek. “So far, the babies sleep through everything.”
“Let’s hope that lasts,” Vivian teased as she made her way inside.
Dillon was next, his feet doing a little shuffle as he tried to juggle the presents so he could offer his hand. Liam waved that off and took him in a quick, one-armed hug instead. The boy had come so far since moving in with Red and Bull, but they were always conscious of how they approached him. Their group was boisterous and tactile and affectionate, all things Dillon craved but could only handle in small doses.
“Did you buy out the store?”
“Pretty much.” With a quick look back at his guardians, Dillon asked, “So, uh, am I gonna get to hold the babies? Bull said we might not be allowed because of germs, but…”
“I think we will definitely make some exceptions,” Liam promised. “Especially for their cousin and hopefully, our go-to babysitter.”
“Cousin?” Despite every attempt to treat him like family, the shock was still there, but so was the crushing need to believe Liam meant it. “I’m not really their… I mean... Can I be?”
It was hard not to sneak in another hug, but Liam knew better. “Already are, little dude. Now get in there. I’m pretty sure I heard someone screaming for a diaper change a few minutes ago.”
“Uh…diaper?” Dillon squeaked, his shaggy head shaking fast. “I, uh, I think I’m gonna need to work my way up to diapers.”
Dillon was disappearing inside before Liam could tease some more, leaving him standing there with Red and Bull. Both men were smiling, which was a good thing, but there was a definite sheen of tears in Red’s eyes and Liam wasn’t sure he could take it. “If you start crying, I’ll start crying, and then Corey will hear us and she’ll start crying, and…”
Red grabbed him in a fierce hug, giving them both a place to hide their sniffles. “We are so proud of you, Liam.”
“Yeah?” He knew it on a subconscious level but hearing it and feeling it was like getting a shot of confidence, and lord knew, he needed all he could get.
“More than we can possibly say.” Red eased back and graced him with a tremulous smile. “Dad.”
“God, that sounds so weird, right?” He figured Ashley and Drake would be adults before he got used to hearing it.
“We think it sounds perfect.” With one last squeeze, Red looked back at Bull, then hustled inside.
Liam watched him go and couldn’t say why he was hesitant to meet Bull’s gaze. He had never been intimidated by Bull’s size or the fierce expression that had softened a lot since Red came into his life. But it was also very rare for him to be alone with Bull. In fact, given a second to think about it, Liam couldn’t think of one single time.
When he and Chris first arrived at the halfway house, they were stuck together like glue. That hadn’t changed when Bull offered them jobs at the garage, or when they moved into Saul’s house, and by the time it did, there were so many people around that private conversations became something you asked for when you needed help. Though Liam couldn’t say his life was
problem-free, he worked them out with Chris for the longest time, and now with Billy. If they asked the others for help, he would be part of the conversation, but it wasn’t something he started or did on his own.
Yet, the abundant life he had now was only possible because Bull had listened to Jared and came to their rescue. Liam didn’t let himself think about it often, but he believed they would have died in prison if that hadn’t happened. With no formal charges, hearing, or sentencing, there was no time limit or option for parole. They had no way out until Bull offered his hand and pulled them free, changing the course of their lives forever.
For that alone, he needed to find his courage.
“I heard you’re taking a leave of absence from the garage,” Bull began when Liam remained silent.
“Oh, well, yeah.” It wasn’t how he expected the conversation to start and he wasn’t sure if Bull was disappointed with his decision, but he made no secret about wanting to be a hands-on dad. “Cam has to be back in court next week, which she’s not happy about, and Billy’s going back the week after.”
“I know Ty told him to take as much time as he wanted,” Bull interrupted.
“He did and Billy appreciates it, but we don’t want to take advantage.”
“Liam…”
“No, this is the right thing. The shop is close enough that he can come home at lunch and there will be plenty of reasons to take time off. You know he’s going to want to be there for their first doctor’s visit or when they need shots or…” Liam shook his head. “Ty has been great, Bull, but we won’t take advantage.”
“Fair enough. And Corey?”
“They offered her eight weeks paid or six months unpaid.” When Bull sighed, Liam nodded. “Right, she’s going back in eight. It doesn’t help that her office has been calling every day. She bleeds for that job and knowing there are kids in need… It’s been hard and it will only get worse when she goes back to work. I don’t envy her.”
