by Piper Rayne
Our eyes lock, and all that desire and heat swimming in his sweet brown eyes drowns me. I match his speed as he expertly grabs my hips and draws me up his length before slamming me back down.
“Fuck, Rome,” I pant, anchoring myself to him so he can keep doing what he’s doing. “Never stop.”
“Never,” he says, sweat coating his forehead now and dripping down between us.
I’m so close. So close.
“I can’t,” I say because my orgasm is dangling like a ripe fruit from a tree but just out of reach.
“You can.” One of his hands controls the rhythm while his other circles my clit.
A second later, all my nerve endings commence into a ball of energy and explode outward. My sex clenches at him as if I don’t ever want him to leave my body. I try to stay upright for him, but he has other plans anyway.
He picks me up, careful to get my legs out from under the arms of his office chair, and puts me on the edge of his desk, pounding into me fast and hard.
“So wet,” he says to himself then grabs one of my breasts and props one of my legs straight up on his chest while he continues to dominate me.
His gaze falls to me, never withdrawing until I watch his own orgasm overtake him and he pulls out, ripping his condom off and letting his cum spray all over my chest.
And I’m ready for round two already.
Twenty-Two
Rome
“Sorry,” I say, but looking at her with my seed all over her stomach is doing something to me. I like it. It’s like she’s mine. Although she’s not. Well, she kind of is. What did we agree to right before we had sex again?
She giggles, reaches over and grabs a few Kleenex from the box and hands them to me.
“You made the mess, you have to clean it up.”
I take the Kleenex from her and wipe her down. Her body is perfection. I can’t even believe she had a kid. That’s when I see a faint line along her lower abdomen.
I run my fingers along her C-section scar. Having eight siblings, you tend to know about the birth stuff no matter how many times you cover your ears and shake your head.
“You never told me how Calista’s birth was.” I help her up, throwing away the tissues and grabbing more for myself.
“That’s not exactly a let’s get to know each other question.” She stands and collects our clothes into a pile, putting my pants on the desk.
“I guess not but tell me. I want to know.”
She shakes her head. “Nothing like a post-sex ‘how did the baby come out of you’ convo. So sexy.”
I tuck my dick back into my boxers and put on my pants, realizing that my shirt is still in the kitchen. My stomach rumbles as a reminder of what I was up to before I was distracted by sex.
“Hungry?” I ask.
She glances up from buttoning her own shirt. “I should get home to relieve Brooklyn and Wyatt.”
“Then I’ll take the pasta with us and we can heat it up over there.” I pat her ass as I walk by her into the kitchen, but I’m not even out of the office when she calls my name.
“Rome?”
I turn and from her downturned eyes, I already know what she’s thinking. Yeah, an actual conversation without the sexual energy swirling around us like a tornado would’ve been better before we had sex.
“Yeah?”
She raises her eyebrows and I cut a path to her, running my thumb along her cheek. She’s so gorgeous. “We’re going to give this a try.”
She nods. “Just jumping into the cold water, huh?”
I laugh, pulling her against my body. “You’re worried?”
Her arms rest on my shoulders and she stares up at me. “Just do me one favor. No matter what happens with us, don’t ever leave Calista.”
Her seriousness throws me back a few steps. “I would never.”
“I couldn’t ever forgive myself if I was the reason she didn’t have her dad in her life, okay?” I nod.
“Hey.” I lean down moving my head around until I have her eyes locked with mine. “She’s my daughter. I’m in her life until I’m six feet under. I promise. Even if you break my heart.” I wink and kiss her nose.
“Me, break your heart? You’re the one who doesn’t remember our first time.” The lilt in her voice says she’s joking, but I hate that I don’t have a full memory of that night.
“I was a fool.” I slide my hand into hers and pull her out of the office.
“We should clean up.”
“Tomorrow,” I say, picking up my shirt and throwing it on, hanging my chef’s coat on the hook by my office door. “Tonight, we’re going home to our daughter.”
She smiles and I wish I could put that in a bottle and seal it up on the off chance I fuck this up. Everyone knows I tend to screw shit up.
Harley leaves G’Ma D’s Cadillac at the restaurant and I drive her in my truck over to Savannah’s. I’m supposed to watch Calista in the morning anyway since she has a class.
When we walk into Savannah’s cute three-bedroom house, a dog barks. “You let her bring that mutt?” I ask, referring to Brooklyn’s dog, Gizmo.
Harley shoots me a ‘what is wrong with you’ look. “Of course.”
“What if he hurts Calista?”
“Calista loves dogs and Gizmo is just her size.” Without any more conversation, she slips off her shoes and I do the same. Savannah’s anal and if I don’t, she’ll probably find the one speck of dirt I leave behind, and have it tested at the lab to find out whose shoe it came from.
“Speaking of,” I say.
Gizmo runs down the hardwood floors like he’s a minute from losing his grip and sliding into the wall. Of course, Savannah probably waxes these every day so it might not be his fault.
“Hey, Gizmo.” Harley leans down and pets his head.
Brooklyn comes to the archway between the kitchen and family room at the end of the hallway. She’s got this weird look on her face and I try to dissect my older sister’s expression for meaning, and it hits me.
“You’re shitting me, right?” I say, pulling my phone out of my pocket and heading into the kitchen.
“What is it?” Harley asks, petting Gizmo’s head.
“It’s Buzz Wheel.” I click on the website and there you have it. “Someone took a picture through the window?”
“Technically it was your back door. You need to be more discreet.” Brooklyn grabs her coat and Wyatt rolls his eyes over her shoulder, helping her get it on.
“Don’t point fingers.”
“They got a picture of us?” Harley puts Gizmo down and comes to my side.
“I have to say, I’m proud of you two,” Brooklyn says and if Harley wasn’t next to me, I’d flip her off. But I don’t want Harley to misconstrue the meaning as to why I’m doing it.
I press the button and there’s the Buzz Wheel article with a picture of me caging Harley to the kitchen counter right before I went in to kiss her.
“At least they disappear, so Calista will never read this,” I say, but Harley swipes the phone from my hand. I stare down at my now empty hands.
“Get used to it, man,” Wyatt says, laughing to himself.
Harley starts reading aloud. How kind of her.
“All the single ladies out there? You should be molding yourself after Harley Sullivan because she got proposed to twice tonight. Sadly… well, as a TEAM ROME member, I don’t really think it’s sad that the guy who flew here from Seattle was denied when he fell on bended knee. The guests at Rome’s new restaurant, Terra and Mare were all ready to clink their glasses when Harley sent him packing. Then Rome himself emerged and fell down on bended knee in the same spot as the mystery Seattle man, but sadly (and this time I mean it), she didn’t say yes to him either. Well, at least to marriage. According to a fellow Lake Starlight resident who captured this photo of the couple seconds away from kissing, Harley cried out yes quite a lot tonight. The question remains, will Harley let Rome put a ring on it in the future?” She pauses, her face becom
ing paler the longer she looks at me.
“It’s nothing. No one really reads it,” I argue even though I know I’m lying.
“Nice try,” Harley says and hands me back my phone.
“Don’t worry, there’s more news in there. Supposedly Denver is moving in with Liam because his landlord raised the rent, so now someone in town is upset that Liam’s house is going to turn into a brothel or something.” Brooklyn laughs so hard she snorts.
I shake my head. Denver and Liam are moving in together? That should be interesting.
“Thanks for letting us bring Gizmo,” Wyatt changes the subject. Good man.
“No problem. I want Calista around as many dogs as possible because I want her to be comfortable with them. Who knows maybe someday I’ll get one?” She looks over to me and smiles. I want to look away. Is that a question like are we going to get a dog? Pull up the reins on those horses, we’re not there yet.
“Yeah, he’s doing this weird thing when we leave the apartment where he takes a stuffed animal and when we return he’s only chewed the eyeballs out.”
“Oh,” Harley rears back.
“And he puts them right next to the stuffed animal. It’s creepy as hell,” Wyatt says.
“Separation anxiety,” Brooklyn says. “I talked to Colton about it and he said it’s harmless since it doesn’t happen every time, but he’s probably mad when we leave.”
“Hold up. After you leave, he gets a stuffed animal, bites the eyes out and puts them on the family room floor right next to the mauled carcass?” Harley asks.
“Yeah.” Brooklyn nods.
“Why do the two of you have stuffed animals?” I ask the real question I want an answer to.
“Wyatt’s a pro at the carnival games. I went home with a whole bunch from Founder’s Day.”
I shake my head at these two.
“That’s sweet, he won stuffed animals for you.” Harley says it with a touch of adoration.
Whatever. I could win her stuffed animals.
“Anyway, we better go and leave you two to do whatever you’re going to do.” Brooklyn waggles her finger between us.
I roll my eyes for the millionth time.
“Thanks again.” Harley’s about to see them out, but Calista whines in the monitor. Before we know it, she’s saying her goodbyes and headed upstairs.
“So? Are you two a couple now?” Brooklyn asks the question I know she’s dying to get an answer to.
I place my hands on her shoulders and straighten her to the door. “Goodnight.”
“Come on. I’m your sister.” She digs her feet in. I’m using all my energy to push her out the door. If we were ten and twelve again, I would push harder, wishing she’d fall forward and land flat on her face, but we’re adults now. Mostly. “Don’t mess this up.”
“Bye,” I say.
Wyatt stands on the other side of the door with Gizmo in his arms watching the scene unfold. Thanks for the help here, buddy.
“If something happens and they leave Lake Starlight, you do know we’re kicking you out of the family, right? Harley and Calista will replace you.”
I push her again. “Sure. Whatever. Go home.”
She falters forward out of the door, laughing. “Bye!” She wiggles her fingers and I shut the door in her face.
“Not a very nice goodbye to two people who just watched your daughter.” Harley comes down the stairs with a very red-faced and sweaty Calista.
“What’s going on? I had plans to eat pasta off your stomach.”
Harley hands Calista over to me and she comes easily, wrapping her arms around my neck and nuzzling her head into my shoulder. Her pacifier is going a mile a minute in and out of her mouth.
“Do you ever worry about this pacifier and oral fixation?” I ask, following Harley into the kitchen.
“No. I’m going to cut it off at two.” She pulls out the container, placing the pasta on two plates and microwaving it. Not the way I would’ve done it, but I’m not arguing since I get to hold Calista.
“Shouldn’t I get a say?”
“Did you read up on it? Because I have a gut feeling that you think that oral fixation means she’s going to want to give away blow jobs to anyone and everyone when she’s eighteen.” She raises her eyebrows.
Well, yeah, isn’t that what oral fixation is?
She shakes her head and ignores the topic any further.
I sit down rocking our daughter in her cute yellow duckie onesie, her sweaty brown hair matted to her forehead and watch Harley move around the kitchen as we talk about the future of our daughter.
Maybe we can do this family thing.
Twenty-Three
Harley
On my way to class, I dial up Miranda because Shane was right, we’ve drifted apart in the short time I’ve been here. I had so much to do and get used to, but Miranda has always been a good friend to me—case in point she arranged for all my stuff to be put into storage after I gave my landlord my notice and shipped me all my clothes. I don’t want to lose her even if I’ve moved thousands of miles away. I hit the speaker button on my phone and place it in the console.
“Well, well, well,” she says, and although she’s trying to sound tough, there’s a lightness to her tone that’s always present with Miranda.
“Hey.” My own tone conveys how embarrassed I am about not calling more often.
“I heard Shane came back with his tail between his legs.”
How she hears gossip in a city as big as Seattle, I’ll never understand. But then again, I could see her taking him out for shots to heal his broken heart. She’s that kind of girl.
“Why did he come up here to begin with?”
“Yeah, sorry about that. He came to Wet Sprocket, and I was a little tipsy. Your name came up and I kind of told him about what was happening and before I could sober up he was already up there proposing to you.”
“It’s fine. Hopefully he has some closure now.”
“Still, that’s not girl code and I might’ve been a little pissed that you’ve been ignoring me. You know how I get mean when I drink.” The apology in her tone is sincere and I wish she was in front of me so I could hug it out with her.
“Don’t worry about it. How’s it going otherwise?”
“Eh… okay, I guess. I’m not sure I’m meant for massage therapy. I mean in my mind, I think I figured I’d be massaging a bunch of Bradley Coopers all day.”
I laugh because that is so Miranda.
“And?”
“And this lady came in the other day. She had to be like two hundred and fifty. No shame whatsoever which is awesome, own it lady, but when I asked her to flip to her back, her boobs were pretty much hanging down either side of the table.”
“Are you thinking we’ll be immune to gravity as we get older?” I chuckle.
“It just depressed me. All I wanted to do was hold mine up and cry, rock them back and forth and say no, no, no.”
I laugh, sipping my iced coffee.
“You sound like you’re on your way somewhere.”
“I’m finally taking that last class so I can hopefully graduate.” I cross my fingers in the air although she can’t see me.
“Oh, that’s great. So, this Lake Starlight is really working out for you. I’m happy, except I do miss my little ladybug.”
I smile remembering Calista laying between Rome and I last night, the two of us watching her sleep. Him picking her up and placing her back in her crib and coming back to the room, unclothing and sliding into bed with me like he’d done it every night before.
“Yeah, he’s a great dad to her but she misses you, too. Come up and visit. He has a twin.” She giggles and I wonder if she’s alone in bed because that’s her uncomfortable don’t talk about that now tone. “Miranda?”
She giggles again and though the highway noise drowns out some of the noise on her end, I’m fairly sure she just moaned.
“Miranda!” I scold.
“I couldn’t not answer.
It’s been forever with you and you’re always so busy.”
“Bye,” I say, but before I can press end on the steering wheel, she responds.
“Call me later. I’ll check flights. I just might surprise you one day.”
“I hope so.”
I drive the rest of the way to Anchorage in Rome’s truck since he won’t let me drive the Cadillac up here anymore in case something happens. It was so nice of Dori to lend it to me, but I don’t miss the extra scrutiny of the Chief when I was driving it.
Later that night, I’m sitting in my pajamas watching Bravo because really what other station is there to watch when you just want to unwind, and my phone dings.
Rome: Send me a naked pic.
Me: Wrong number creep.
I laugh dropping the phone into my lap and resume eating my popcorn.
Rome: Shit, that was supposed to go to my girlfriend. What do you look like?
For a second a red hot poker jabs into my wound that has yet to heal and was caused by him, but he’s probably just joking. Just to be sure, I scour online as fast as I can and send him a pic of someone else.
It takes all of a second for him to respond.
Rome: Nice tits, but my girlfriend’s are better.
I laugh so hard popcorn falls out of my mouth.
Rome: Open the door, baby.
My stomach flips a million times over the fact that he’s here. Then I look down at myself. My hair has applesauce sticking to some of the strands and my shirt looks like it’s tie-dyed with food stains from Calista’s dinner.
I walk over to the front door and look through the peephole. “You said we weren’t going to see each other tonight.”
“Well, I got horny.”
I open the door, cross my arms and stare at him. He ignores my pissed off expression, steps in, places his hands on either side of my face and kisses the breath right out of me. He kicks the door shut then back steps us until my back is pressed into the banister. I’m always backed up against something when he’s around.
