by Anna Joung
She nodded and I went over to the refrigerator. I poured two vodkas and sodas. I had never been one for drinking, only on select occasions, especially after Norah died. I didn’t want to be find a solution at the bottom of a bottle, so I tried my best to avoid it. With Riley here, I felt like it was almost something to be celebrated.
After the drinks were ready, she followed me out onto the deck. We sat on the log bench, sipping as we stared out at the setting sun. The last dwindling rays of gold were fading behind the outline of the trees. Riley leant her head on my shoulder for a while before pulling away and placing her drink down.
“Let me check you one last time. I just want to make sure the bruises aren’t a sign of any severe internal bleeding.”
I was about to protest, grunt my usual line about me not being a cotton ball when I caught the look in her eye. She needed to know I was safe. She was scared about me not being okay. Biting my tongue, I pulled off my t-shirt so she could get a closer look. Her fingers traced the outlines of the various cuts and scars. I could feel her hot breath against my skin as she examined the bruises before looking up at me with an affirming smile.
“It looks fine.”
I put my shirt back on and helped her back onto the bench, her hand lingering in mine for a moment. Silence fell between us, I was unsure of what to say. It had been so long since I had allowed myself to feel this way.
Hell, I didn’t think I was capable of feeling this way again.
Riley then burst forward, “I have a daughter.”
My head quickly turned, my mouth dropping open in surprise. Confusion flooded my mind and I felt like I was falling into a pit, the same pit that had taken me years to climb out of after Norah’s death. I could feel her eyes on me, trying to assess the impact of her words, but I continued to sit silently, letting my rough exterior begin to coat over me once more.
I was an idiot for letting myself feel again. I knew it would end in pain.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Were you trying to hide her from me? After I told you everything about my past and you couldn’t tell me something major in your present?”
Despite my hidden anger, my voice was monotonous. I saw the slight flinch at my words and I knew she was formulating her explanation as we sat there.
“I didn’t mean to hide her from you, I just didn’t know how to add it into the conversation when we first met and then after you told me your story, I felt like a monster.”
“Why?” my eyes locked onto hers.
She fiddled with her hands, nervously mashing them together before replying, “You’ve lost two kids and here I am with my daughter.”
My brain fogged for a moment as I thought about the two beautiful children that had left me behind. I wondered what it would be like to hold them, to have them with me. The second child would have been seven by that point, abundant and full of hopes for the future. The pain clawed at me but I pushed it away. I knew it was time to let go.
“You shouldn’t feel that way. I will always regret that I never got to meet my children and I will always miss them but you shouldn’t hide that from me. Not now and not ever. It’s a wonderful thing to have a child in your life,” I gripped hold of her hand. “Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Isabella and she’s 6. I got pregnant when I was 17, not planned. My family were extremely religious, so abortion was never an option. Plus I could never depart with this child inside of me, she was loved as soon as I knew she was there. As for the father, I asked him to stay but he refused and moved on with his life. He’s never seen his daughter. My parents kicked me out, I was a dishonor to the family, and my sister took me in. She’s helped me with Isabella and allowed me to become the nurse I am today. She’s looking after her right now.”
I listened as she told her story, the pain obvious in her eyes. Despite my own hurt at her not telling me of her daughter, I knew it was nothing compared to the troubles she had gone through to raise her daughter by herself. A few tears started to spill from her eyes and, using my thumb, I quickly wiped them away, my hand remaining on her face as we stared into each other’s eyes.
“You’re one of the strongest women I know. I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that.”
“I’m not sorry,” she sniffled. “If I hadn’t gone through all of that then I wouldn’t have the beautiful daughter I have today or the strengthened connection with my sister. And if I didn’t have that then I never would have met you.”
At that moment I knew what I had to say.
“Riley, I love you.”
Her face lit up at my words, “I love you too, Cullen.”
Our mouths met, slowly at first before I could feel the need in them. I felt myself growing hard as I pulled her on top of me, her legs straddling me. She started to grind against me and I groaned at the sensation. It had been so long since I had felt the touch of a woman. My primal instincts took over as I stood up, grasping her firmly under the legs before pinning her against the wall, her legs wrapped around me. My mouth descended on her neck and I bit down. She cried out as I squeezed her ass, pulling her legs further apart as I rubbed my cock into her mound. Her nails dug into my skin before I lowered her back onto the bench, her legs spread as I knelt before her. My hand travelled up the length of her thigh and I was surprised to find she wasn’t wearing any panties.
“Oops,” she blushed before biting her lip.
My fingers entered her, teasing her hub as I brought up the rhythm. I could feel her tighten around me, her juices soaking my hand as she cried out. My other hand travelled up the front of her body, underneath her dress, until I found one of her breasts. I swirled the hardened nipple in my hand, her moans ringing through the evening air. Her back began to arch and I knew she was close to orgasm. My mouth warped into a wicked smile as I pulled out, much to her pleading. Within a second, I had peeled her dress from her and flung it to the side, giving me time to take in the beauty of her naked body, every curve, angle, and dip had my mind running rampant.
“Stand up,” I ordered.
She obeyed.
“Strip me,” I instructed.
She got to work, first pulling off my shirt, her hand tracing patterns down my torso as she did so. Then she began at the buckle to my belt. She pulled it free, whipped it between her hands before tossing that down on the increasing pile of clothes. Next, she unzipped me and I kicked my jeans to the side, the only thing remaining, my boxers. Her eyes looked down hungrily, my cock pressing tightly at the material, ready to be released. She looked up at me as though asking for my permission and I nodded as she let my member free. It flung from its captivity and her hands greedily grabbed onto it, stroking up and down the length. The touch of her hands sent shivers running through my skin and before long I knew I had to make my move.
I moved behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist before directing her to the deck rail. Automatically, she bent over the wooden pole, allowing me to view the entire display. I ran a finger up the length of her slit, satisfied with the wet sheen that was left over. My throbbing cock rubbed against her opening before I pushed forward, slamming into her with my entire length as she screamed out into the woods. Her hands clutched onto the wooden beams she was bent over as I continued to relentlessly pound her. My own hands were gripped tightly onto her hips, my fingers digging into her tanned flesh as I stared up into the sky, my veins throbbing. The tempo began to increase and I could feel her pushing back into my, wanting more, the liquids from within her dripping down onto the decking below. Her body started to shudder and she stood on the tips of her toes as she screamed her orgasm into the night, her walls clenching tightly around me. Within a second I also released, spilling everything deep within her before collapsing onto her back, holding her shoulders as we both stood bent over the pole, panting.
“Holy shit,” she finally breathed. “That was amazing.”
I slowly pulled back, allowing her to stand up. “You’re telling me, you felt so good.”
Grab
bing the clothes from the floor, we headed inside to get cleaned up. She began to head for the guestroom but I grabbed her arm and pulled her into me, the scent of her sweat enticing me further.
“You’re coming with me.”
“Why?” she giggled.
“I’m not done with you. Not now, not ever.”
Epilogue
Cullen
“Have a good day at school, Bella,” I waved as she jumped out the Jeep.
She gave me a smile before bounding towards the school, the happy shouting of children awaiting her. I still couldn’t believe how much Isabella looked like her mom. Well, apart from the missing bottom teeth that made me laugh every time she smiled.
Beside me, Riley waved to her daughter before we continued our morning route to the clinic. After parking, I quickly jumped from the car and sprinted to the other side, opening it so she could climb out, my hand used as support. She leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek as a thank you.
“Got anything lined up today?” I asked.
“Just the usual appointments and check-ups. I’m helping Doctor Finnigan with stock take in the evening.”
“You want me to pick you up at the usual time?”
She nodded and I pulled her close to me, breathing in her scent as I did so. My lips brushed her forehead before I released her.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take a day off and just stay at home with me?” I pleaded.
“You need to stop worrying so much, everything is fine. Plus, Chester needs its fire chief, aren’t you going to be late for work if you stay here all day chatting?”
My hand drifted down to her stomach gently circling it, “Look after yourselves, okay?”
“You know I will, I love you.”
“I love you too,” I replied.
I stood there, watching her waddle away to the clinic, her expanding belly containing our little miracle going with her. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up and hold her tight but I knew that it would change nothing. Instead I had trust and love to keep me going and this time it felt different.
This time I’m going to have the family I always wanted.
Also By Anna Joung
Mountain Man Series:
Book 1: Cillian
Book 2: Cullen
Book 3: Brennan
Alpha Hooked Series:
Book 1: Mark My Spot
Book 2: Luke Strictly Business
Book 3: Keith Claiming The Prize
Mister Right Series:
Book 1: Armed With Love
Book 2: Zach The Captain
Book 3: James The Sergeant
About The Author
Anna Joung is a young hopeless romantic soul, who enjoys writing romance stories with happily ever after. She likes to read to forget and escape her everyday living. Her main goal is for readers to have the same escape and they can delve into the stories as she does.
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