Through His Eyes

by Nikki Ash

  We drive down a dirt road, and when we turn the bend, the most gorgeous cottage comes into view. It’s two stories tall with a beautiful wrap around porch on the bottom floor, complete with bench swings. Lachlan parks the SUV and then goes around to the back to get our stuff out.

  “We’re sleeping here?” I ask dumbly.

  “Yep. Grab Kinsley, and I’ll grab the stuff.”

  The second we walk in, Lachlan’s name is called, and a young, petite, blond-haired woman comes scurrying out from behind the counter to greet him. “Ay, my sweet boy,” the woman says in a similar accent to Lachlan’s, only much, much heavier. “It’s been too long. How’s your ma? Your da?” She hugs him tightly then backs up. “I feel like I haven’t seen them in forever.”

  “They’re good. They decided to stay in Galway through the holidays,” he tells her. Then he turns to me and Kinsley. “This is my girlfriend, Quinn, and her daughter, Kinsley. Ladies, this is my cousin Kiara. She owns this place with her husband, Kevin.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” I extend my hand to shake hers, a little shocked I’m meeting someone in Lachlan’s family and a lot giddy that she’s so sweet.

  “Kinsley, here, wants to get a pumpkin,” Lachlan tells her.

  “Yes!” Kinsley hops up and down. “Can we?”

  “Well, Lachlan has brought you here during the perfect weekend,” Kiara says, bending slightly so she’s closer to Kinsley’s level. “Tomorrow is the annual fall festival. There will be bounce houses, face painting, fresh popcorn, hay rides, and…there will be thousands of pumpkins to choose from.”

  Kinsley’s eyes light up. “Thank you, Lachlan!” She runs over to him and hugs his waist. “I want to get a pumpkin so big!” She stretches her arms out wide as far as they can go, and Lachlan laughs.

  “Whatever you want,” he says, but when I shake my head, he adds, “as long as your mom says it’s okay.” His last comment has me laughing and Kinsley pouting.

  “Let’s get you guys settled in.” Kiara walks back behind the desk and grabs a couple of keys from the hanging board. I love how old-school this place is. I love New York, but I also miss all the country comfort you find in North Carolina. “Quinn and Kinsley, you’re in room 201, and Lachlan, I’ve put you right next to them in 202. They’re on the second floor.” She hands us our keys. “Here’s an activity guide for tomorrow. Breakfast is served from six to eight, and lunch from eleven to one, but I imagine you will be at the festival during that time. If you need anything, just dial zero.”

  “Thank you,” I tell her, taking my key at the same time Lachlan takes his.

  To me, she says, “Kevin isn’t here right now. He’s running around, getting everything ready for tomorrow. It’s an all weekend event. But please find us tomorrow, so I can introduce you.” Then to Lachlan, she says, “I know he would love to see you.”

  “Sounds good,” he tells her at the same time I nod.

  Lachlan takes our suitcases up the stairs, and we follow him. When we get to my room, I unlock the door and let Kinsley run in. When I see it’s not a single room, but a suite with a living room, and two bedrooms, I say to Lachlan, “We could’ve shared a room.”

  “If you don’t feel Kinsley is ready to see me wake up in her home, she’s not ready to share a hotel room.” He kisses my forehead. “I’ll hang out like I always do and then head over to my room to go to sleep.” Oh, this man…

  Kinsley picks her room, and since we haven’t had dinner, we venture out to get something to eat. The entire town is as adorable as the B & B is, reminding me of Gilmore Girls. When we get back, Kinsley takes a bath and puts on her pajamas. She’s excited to have a TV in her room and asks if she can lie down and watch a movie. I can tell by her yawn, she will be out within minutes.

  “Would you mind hanging out while I shower real quick?” I ask Lachlan. He gives me a mischievous look, and I almost ask him to join me, but my self-doubt rears its ugly head, and I chicken out. We haven’t even had sex yet. I think Lachlan is trying to take things slow for my sake, but a small part of me wonders if maybe he isn’t as attracted to me as I am to him. I immediately chide myself for thinking like that. I’ve been working on being more positive lately and thinking like that is not a step in the right direction. I know Lachlan is attracted to me. I can see it in his eyes, in the way he kisses me and loves on my body. And if that’s not enough, he makes it a point to tell me every day how beautiful I am.

  “Sure,” he says, eyeing me up and down. “I’ll be right here.” He kicks his Vans off and sits on my bed, leaning back against the headboard.

  My intent is to shower quickly, but once the hot water is raining down on me, I take my time, washing my body and hair and shaving my legs. When I get out, I wrap the plush towel around my body. After brushing my hair and teeth, I’m about to drop my towel to get dressed when I realize I didn’t bring a change of clothes in here with me. Taking a deep breath, I step out into my room.

  When Lachlan’s eyes leave his cell phone and land on me, his brows rise, and if I’m not mistaken his pupils might even dilate slightly. “I forgot my pajamas,” I tell him, going straight to my luggage. After sifting through it twice, it’s apparent I completely forgot to pack my pajamas. Damn it!

  “Everything okay?” Lachlan asks.

  “I forgot to pack something to sleep in.” I pout. I only brought one outfit for tomorrow, and the clothes I wore today aren’t exactly comfortable to sleep in. “Any chance you brought an extra shirt I could sleep in?”

  “Sure,” he says, but the devilish grin on his face contradicts his words. And when he stays seated, but leans forward and removes his shirt, I know why.

  “I meant a clean shirt!” I say with a laugh.

  “Beggars can’t be choosers,” he volleys back, extending his hand that’s holding his shirt.

  When I reach out to grab it, he doesn’t let go. Instead, he yanks on the material, tugging me toward the side of the bed. When I’m within his reach, he leans over and lifts me, plopping me down onto his lap so my legs are straddling either side of him. I laugh as I look into his gorgeous, flirty, emerald eyes.

  “Mmmm…” He reaches around and grabs my towel-clad butt, pulling me closer to him. “I like this.” He fingers the knot holding my towel together. With one pull, he could expose me completely. Sitting this close to him, I want to nuzzle my face into his neck, but I also really want to talk to him, so I decide to go with the latter.

  “Can we talk?”

  He looks up, meeting my gaze, and nods. “Yeah.”

  “In the car, you seemed really upset…”

  Threading his fingers through my damp hair, he grips the back of my head and our mouths meet for a brief moment. In return, my arms snake around his neck and my fingers weave through his messy hair. The kiss lasts long enough for me to taste his cool, sweet breath, but ends far too quickly, leaving me wanting more. “I know it’s going to take time,” he begins, “but I can’t help feeling like every time we take one step forward, you take two back.”

  When I attempt to pull my hands away, Lachlan’s fingers wrap around my forearms, holding me in place. “No.” He shakes his head, so I keep my arms around his neck. “I need you to stay with me, Quinn. I need you right next to me every step of the way.”

  I swallow thickly. “I hate this,” I admit. “I hate the way I feel around you… and about you.”

  When his brows furrow in confusion, I explain. “You’re twelve years younger than me, Lach. You’re a single, good-looking guy with a good career. You could have your pick of any woman you want.” I’m fully aware I’m back to being negative, but he needs to understand where I’m coming from. How different our lives are. “I just…I don’t understand why you’re sticking around. Why you would even want to go to my daughter’s kiddie birthday party when you can be out living your adult life. Going drinking and dancing at the club.” I inhale and exhale slowly, waiting for Lachlan to respond.

  For a few seconds, he rakes his gaze o
ver my face, as if he’s trying to memorize my features. I begin to worry that maybe I’ve pushed him too far with my honesty and negativity. I worry what he’s going to say in response to my question—my accusation.

  But then he brings my face to his and whispers, “Because I’m falling in love with you,” and my entire world feels like it’s spinning. He’s falling in love with me…

  “What can I even give you?” I blurt out. “I have nothing to give.”

  “All I want and need is you.”

  Seventeen

  Lachlan

  The second I tell her what I’m feeling, I regret saying the words. Not because I don’t mean them. I do. I am one hundred percent falling in love with Quinn Crawford and her little girl. No, I regret them because I told myself I would take things slow, so she feels safe and secure. I swore I wouldn’t throw caution to the wind. And confessing my love for her isn’t exactly driving cautiously—foot tapping lightly on the brake while keeping at a slow and steady speed. It’s more like pressing the gas pedal all the way to the floor and gunning it, ignoring the rising RPMs, and saying fuck it, with the windows down as I fly around the bends without once slowing down. It’s risky as hell, and can easily send her running scared.

  So I’m shocked as shit when Quinn responds to everything I’ve just laid out for her by attacking me. Her mouth crashes against mine, and her tongue delves between my lips. Her hands tug on the strands of my hair, and her hot cunt grinds against the bulge that’s quickly thickening in my pants.

  My hands, of their own accord, pull her towel apart and yank it from her luscious body, leaving her completely naked and vulnerable. When she doesn’t try to cover herself up like she usually does, I smile on the inside. One step forward…

  “I need you,” she murmurs against my lips, her words sending warmth through my veins and setting my body on fire. Flipping her onto her back, my hands land on either side of her head, my arms caging her in. I kiss all over her body, worshipping every perfect inch of her: her face, her neck, her delicious tits, her delicate collarbone. Frantically, she undoes my pants, and I push them down, along with my boxers. Our mouths fuse together as I bury myself to the hilt in her slick, hot cunt. It’s never felt like this before. This perfect, this real, this fucking raw. This woman is it for me. I can feel it in every fiber of my being. She and her daughter are all I need in this life to be happy.

  A small whimper escapes Quinn’s lips, and I swallow it down as I deepen our kiss, massaging and sucking on her tongue, tasting and devouring her.

  Mine. She’s all fucking mine.

  “Lachlan,” she whispers, letting me know she’s close. My piercing is making sure of it. Her hips rise to meet mine, thrust for thrust, and I lose myself in this woman. My woman.

  Breaking our kiss, I find the crook of her neck, trailing kisses downward and over her collarbone, licking and suckling on her skin. I don’t want this to end. I want to stay buried deep inside her for the rest of my life.

  Too soon, though, her fingernails dig into my back, and her walls clench around my dick. Her legs, which are wrapped around my waist, shake as she comes completely undone, taking me with her.

  When we’ve both somewhat come down from our high, I reluctantly pull out of her. “Take another shower with me,” I whisper, not wanting to let her go yet. She nods in agreement.

  Once the water is hot enough, we both step into the massive shower that comfortably fits us both. There are two shower heads, so we’re both standing under the water. I watch Quinn for a moment consider how to hide her body. Her hands come up, and she’s not sure where to put them, but when I smile her way, she relaxes, and I feel like we’ve just taken another step forward together. While we wash each other’s bodies, we talk and kiss and laugh.

  So simple. So fucking perfect.

  When we get out and dry off, I give her my shirt to wear. When it drops over her head, the front is taut against her heavy tits, and her nipples poke through the thin material. The bottom goes to just below her underwear, and when she walks around the bed to get in, I can see the bottom of her ass cheeks peeking out. She looks fucking incredible. And all mine.

  “We should probably have the obligatory safe sex conversation,” she says, lying on her side. I’m so distracted by her in my clothes, her thick thighs bare and begging to be felt up, it takes me a second to put together what she’s just said. But once I do, I bark out a loud laugh at the formality in her words. She sounds like my mom… And that makes me laugh even harder because she is a mom.

  “I know you’re older than me…” I give her a wink so she knows I’m joking. “But my parents already gave me the sex talk when I was a wee lad.”

  She smirks, but doesn’t laugh. And of course she rolls her eyes. “And did they explain to you what happens when two people have sex and don’t use protection?”

  “Yeah…they make a baby…or catch crabs.” I grimace at that last part. My parents really did have the talk with me, and my dad really did mention catching crabs. I was scared for months I would have sex and some girl would be covered in red-clawed sea critters waiting to pinch my balls off.

  “Oh, good,” she continues, “so you do know the risks. Well, just so you know, I haven’t had sex in over five years, unless you count my vibrator or dildo, neither of which can spread venereal diseases, so I’m clean.” My brows rise at her mention of a dildo. I didn’t see that in her drawer…

  She keeps going, so I don’t have time to conjure up the image of her lying, spread eagle on her bed, fucking herself with a dildo. I stow the thought away for later, though. “And since it took me nearly four years to get pregnant, we’re most-likely okay, but in the future, we should probably use protection. I’m old, but I haven’t hit menopause yet.”

  I’m almost positive there was a joke and maybe even some sarcasm mixed in with what she just said, but since I’m not exactly sure which parts are which, and I think overall she’s being serious right now, I don’t crack a joke. What I do, however, is imagine how sexy she would look with her belly swollen with my child. How beautiful she would look rocking our baby to sleep. Jesus effing Christ, we’ve only been doing this thing for a few weeks. I shouldn’t be okay with her falling pregnant, let alone fantasizing about it.

  And holy hell, would my mom kill me if I knocked up a woman out of wedlock. But I can’t help it. I don’t care if it’s been a few days, weeks, or months. I know what I want, and it’s to spend my life with this woman. I want us to be a family. Maybe I should suggest we get married. Then we wouldn’t have to use protection, and if she ends up pregnant, it would be all good.

  When I look at her, looking at me, I notice her brows are furrowed, and her lips pursed together into a thin line. Is she scared of getting pregnant by me? I know she’s in her late thirties, but a lot of couples have kids later on in years. Oh, shit! Maybe she’s worried I’m not clean.

  “I’m clean,” I assure her. “I haven’t been with anyone in months, and I was checked.” I don’t comment on being okay with her getting pregnant or that I just thought about making her my wife. She might run for the hills.

  “I can make an appointment with my doctor to get on birth control.”

  “All right,” I say, trying not to sound too disappointed. “Until then, I’ll make a better effort to use condoms.” I edge closer to her and hitch her top thigh above mine. “Even though I really, really enjoyed the feel of my dick inside you raw.”

  “Lachlan!” She slaps my chest playfully, her face and neck heating up.

  “What? It’s the truth.” My hand moves between her legs, and I rub my fingers up and down her pussy over her underwear. “I could feel everything. How slick and warm you were.” Fuck, I can’t get enough of this woman. I slip my fingers inside and flick her already swollen clit. She lifts her leg slightly to give me better access, and when I push two fingers inside, I find her soaking fucking wet.

  “I know you liked it too,” I tell her. “The way you could feel my piercing rubbing an
d coaxing that orgasm right out of you.” I add a third finger, pushing them in and out of her tight cunt, and Quinn’s breathing becomes labored. “It won’t feel like that with a condom, you know.”

  Grabbing her by her hips, I pull myself up into half-sitting, half-lying position, bringing her with me, so she’s straddling my thighs. I yank my dick out of my boxers and pump it a few times while Quinn watches with hooded eyes. “You know you want me inside of you with nothing between us.” I continue to stroke my dick, but this time, I push the material of her panties to the side and rub my head up and down her center, massaging her clit with my piercing.

  Quinn moans softly, grinding herself against my shaft and hand. And before I can taunt her anymore, she’s rising and guiding herself over my dick, filling herself completely with me. Her hands go to my shoulders, and I watch in wonderment as she rides me, circling her hips and rocking back and forth, finding the spot she needs to get off. With one hand still on her hip, my other lifts her shirt over her head, exposing her body. As she fucks me, her tits bounce up and down in rhythm, taunting and teasing me to touch them. I capture one with my mouth, biting down on the hardened peak.

  “Oh, fuck,” Quinn groans, pushing herself up then sinking all the way back down. Her moans get louder the closer she gets to finding her climax. Leaning my head back against the headboard, I watch her continue to ride my cock, completely okay with being naked on top of me, exuding the kind of self-confidence that only a few short weeks ago was nowhere to be found. She’s not worried about her weight or her looks, whether or not she’s perfect. She’s not concerned with our age difference or anything else. It’s just the two of us, lost in the moment. Three steps forward…