by Lara Norman
Chapter Eleven
Shea climbed up on the bar with Nora, laughing the entire time. Somehow, they’d managed to convince her to dance along to Wild Thing despite her feeble protests.
If she were to be completely honest, she was enjoying every moment of it. They’d had a profitable night with new customers coming in to check out Carter’s. Shea had butterflies in her stomach at the beginning of the night, but it hadn’t lasted. She’d turned a corner of some nature, and though she hadn’t expected to feel so strong already, she really did. She attributed it to the self-defense classes mostly, but also to Milo. How could she be expected to feel low about herself when he was constantly telling her how great she was or how smart she was?
With all the extra business, Shea was making more in tips. She’d been behind the bar a few times, and Milo had made a new rule that all of them would switch off serving every night. Shea was fond of Nora, and they had a good time when they worked together. Nora had learned to catch a little better because Shea practiced with her relentlessly. While the boys moved on to the fancier stuff, Shea was throwing bottles with Nora until she had the hang of it. She was still fairly uncoordinated, but she could catch now which helped with her confidence. Shea felt that improving someone else’s confidence was an awful lot like paying it forward, and she liked that. She liked it a lot.
So, there they were, dancing on the bar. It was admittedly something Shea never thought she would do in her entire life, but she also never expected to work in a bar in the first place. There were cheers and men staring too hard at her chest, but she figured it all went with the gig. When the song finished and they got down, the patrons moved off, heading back to their games of pool. Nobody tried to grope them or get too close and personal, so Shea considered it a win. She had a strong suspicion Lillie had taught the customers well over the years about appropriate behavior.
When the night was through and she and Milo went back home, she was still riding high on the buzz from the crowd. She wanted to grind all over his fine ass and never stop. She was fairly certain he wouldn’t complain.
“Milo, come here and put your hands on me.”
He chuckled and walked over to her. “What’s on your mind, wild thing?”
“I want to dance.” She swung her hips and dipped low, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.
“Didn’t you do enough of that at the bar tonight?”
“Not with you, I didn’t.”
Milo grabbed her hips and she moved them from side to side. “Then, bring it on.”
Of course, the minute she pressed up against him, she didn’t want to dance at all. She wanted to touch him all over, so she pulled his clothes off and tasted his naked skin. She traced around his nipples with the tip of her tongue, circling behind him to lick across his ink.
“Would you like it if I got a tattoo?” she asked in a husky voice.
He answered her with a groan. “I would love to see your perfect skin reddened by a tattoo needle.”
“Oh, really?” She nipped his shoulder. “I didn’t know you had a fetish for marking, Milo.”
“Not a fetish, exactly.” He grabbed her and dragged her in front of him. “Just a need to try everything with you.”
He covered her mouth with his own, angling and pushing his tongue deep to hear her panting moan. He didn’t know what it was about her, but he wanted to unleash everything he’d ever thought about doing to a woman. He wanted to mark her skin and watch it glow red. He settled for biting her neck and making her squirm, then he stripped her down and stumbled into the bedroom with her. He pushed her face first onto the mattress and rubbed his hand over her bare bottom.
“Would it bother you if I spanked you, Shea?” He ran his fingers over her and dipped them low, feeling how wet she was.
She gasped at his touch. “No, I wouldn’t mind.”
“Are you sure?” he whispered into her ear.
She moaned and writhed. “God, please do it.”
He hesitated. Despite her permission, he was not at all sure he should strike her.
“Milo, I promise I want you to do it.”
He brought his palm down on one cheek, watching it go pink. She moaned. He did it to the other cheek and their colors matched.
He alternated sides for three slaps each, watching her hips undulate over the bed until she finally threw a dark look over her shoulder.
“Milo, come here and fuck me already.”
He covered her body with his, pulling her hips up so he could slam home. She pushed up on her hands, and he thrust into her again and again, finding her to be everything he needed and wanted. He fucked her hard, listening to her sounds of pleasure as he moved within her body, marveling that she was so pliant and needy.
“Milo, you’re so big at this angle.”
He groaned at her dirty talk. “You like to take it all, don’t you?”
“God, yes.”
He felt the tightening in his balls and knew he wouldn’t last another minute. He wanted her to come, wanted her to feel what he was feeling. He thought he could hold off if he stopped for a minute, but he wasn’t sure. At the last second, he pulled out and ended up spurting thick ropes of cum all over her pretty red ass.
“Milo,” she panted. “How the fuck are you so hot?”
“Sorry I didn’t last,” he managed around a deep breath.
“Don’t be sorry.”
“I actually thought I was going to be able to hold off until you could come.”
She chuckled. “Well, bring me a towel, and we can try that again.”
He did as she asked, wiping her clean and pulling her up to stand with him. “Let me make it up to you.”
“You don’t need to—”
He cut her off with a kiss, threading his hands in her hair and taking her lip in between his teeth. He guided her back down on the bed, taking his time palming her breasts and tweaking her nipples. She squirmed, crying out as he touched her more and more. He’d covered nearly every inch of her body before he ever touched her pussy, finding it soaking wet. He spread her juices around and kissed her once more while stroking her clit. She exploded with a heavy shudder and squeezed her thighs around his hand.
“Baby, let me back in,” he said in her ear.
Shea relaxed, letting her legs fall open. He went back to his mission, caressing and stroking her everywhere until she came again with a loud scream.
She rolled into his side, desperately trying to catch her breath, then kissed his throat and sighed. “I’d say you accomplished your goal.”
He chuckled.
Feeling loose and satisfied, she took a quick shower and went to the kitchen to make Milo something to eat. She’d found there were perks to working the evening shift, such as sleeping late and lolling around in bed. She loved the adrenaline spike after a long night of working the crowd, loved the fantastic sex that stemmed from all the pent-up energy. She loved living with Milo and sharing his life with him.
She contemplated telling him her feelings as she put together a sandwich from the leftover meatloaf. There was never a time when she would be a perfect human being, so waiting for that would only make them both miserable. She’d improved every aspect of her life because she wanted to, but also because he encouraged her to get out there and fight against her fear. She still felt afraid, she’d just better learned how to cope with it and not allow it to hinder her life. She didn’t curl up in a ball when she was scared; she went for a jog. She’d gotten Milo to join her occasionally, and he liked it too.
“Are you spoiling me?” he asked from her side.
She jumped. “I never heard you coming.”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.” He kissed the side of her head. “You’re so sweet to make me a snack.”
“I know how you get after work, and I distracted you from eating when we got home.”
“Darlin’, you can always distract me like that.” He accepted the plate Shea offered him and watched her get a bag of pretzels. “Th
at’s all you’re having?”
“It’s all I’m hungry for right now.”
“You eat like a bird. Or a teenager who’s just found junk food.”
She laughed and sat on the couch with him. “I enjoy just doing whatever I want in the moment. What makes me happy right then without having to second guess my choices or ask permission.”
“That’s pretty deep, Shea.”
She shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
He ate and she crunched on pretzels. She was enjoying being with him and not having to fill the silence with idle chatter. Milo was good for that. There weren’t any uncomfortable silences because he never made her feel weird for being herself. She’d noticed he would spend long stretches without saying a thing, so she was surprised when he spoke.
“Um, it seems like you’re planning on staying,” Milo ventured.
Shea tried not to choke on her pretzel. “Why, is that a problem?”
“Well, no, I just always pictured this as a temporary stop for you on the way to something better.”
She frowned into the bag and licked salt from her fingers. “I didn’t realize you were expecting me to leave.”
“I sort of figured you would, yeah. You know, once you got back on your feet.”
There was an unidentifiable feeling in her chest. “I decided to take the bartending classes because there aren’t exactly any stockbroker jobs here in Abbott. I like working at Carter’s, and the last time I checked, you depend on me as an employee. I wanted and needed a job, but that doesn’t mean I plan on skipping town once I have a few bucks in my pocket.”
“Okay, I just thought I’d ask, that’s all.” He set his empty plate on the coffee table and she turned on him.
“Did you think this entire time I was using you? Am I such a burden around here that you need me gone? Am I a drain on you or some shit, because I thought we were splitting this pretty nicely. Maybe all the sex is clouding your judgment, and you think there are other women out there waiting to suck you off if only I’d move along.”
“Jesus Christ, Shea!” He threw his hands up in exasperation and stood to pace away from her. “No to all of that!” He whirled back, and she saw what he’d been doing a damn good job of hiding from her.
“What the fuck, Milo?” she whispered. His emotions were written all over his face, and she’d been clueless to their existence.
“I’ve been waiting for you to leave me in the dust! I’ve been thinking every day, is this the day she’s going to realize what a drag Abbott is and take off? Is today the day she’s going to find out how amazing she actually is and go back to Minnesota?”
“No, Milo—”
“I’ve been holding my breath thinking you were going to break my heart and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
She got up and went to him, her hands over her mouth. She shook her head and raised up on her toes to kiss him. “I couldn’t do that to you because I’m in love with you, Milo.”
Chapter Twelve
The only thing Milo could think about was the way Shea had looked telling him she loved him. He couldn’t deny that he’d been waiting for her to leave him, for the moment she would realize she was better off alone. To think he’d wasted time on trying to protect his heart was almost laughable. He hadn’t expected her to return his feelings, but they had been spending a lot of time together over the past few months. He felt lucky again; he knew he’d come a long way in his life, and he wouldn’t take it for granted.
With that in mind, he planned to ask her to stay with him permanently. He knew he didn’t have a fancy house or even a very big one, but she didn’t seem to mind. He wondered what she’d come from, what kind of wealth she was used to once upon a time. Shea never said anything about money unless she was offering to pay her share of the bills, and he was okay with that. She wasn’t a snob; she didn’t make him feel bad about his lifestyle.
He could picture being with her for the long haul. He didn’t know if she felt the same, but as they curled up in bed together on Sunday morning, he knew he wanted to try. He was content to be there with her doing absolutely nothing but soaking in her presence. He ran his fingers up and down her arm as he thought about all of these things.
“Milo, if you’re not careful, your head is about to explode.”
“What?”
“I can tell you’ve got things on your mind.”
“Oh.” He shifted so he could look at her face. “I’m thinking about us.”
“What about us?” She propped herself up and looked down at him, her hair spilling over her shoulders and onto his chest.
His cock stood at attention. “Um.” He cleared his throat. “About what we’re going to do now.”
“Right now?” she asked, running her hand down his belly.
His muscles clenched in reaction. “No, in the future.”
“In the future,” she repeated, stopping her movements. “I like where we are right now.”
He circled her wrist with his fingers and rubbed his thumb over her pulse. “I know you do.”
She chuckled. “For once, I wasn’t talking about sex. I like where we are in our relationship. The fact that we’ve said I love you and we’re going to be together.”
“So you wouldn’t change anything?”
She dropped her head to kiss him. “No, I wouldn’t. We should keep on like this for a long time, don’t you think?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking, June.”
“Good, then you can stop spinning the wheels in your head.”
Milo pushed her hair away from her face. “As long as I know you’re not going anywhere, I’ll give the wheels a rest.”
“I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”
“Then come here and make this a very good morning.”
Shea was out with Lillie, Hannah, Stella, and Nora. Milo was at Fletcher’s house with Cooper, Ryder, Luke, and Owen, along with the children. They had grouped together to watch them while the women were out. Between them, they had four toddlers and a baby, and it took every single one of the men to keep them wrangled.
“Why do I always feel useless as a father as soon as my wife wants to go out?” Owen asked while trying to keep Harper from pulling all the books off the shelf.
“I don’t know, man, it’s not that hard,” Luke said.
“You have one. Don’t start with me,” Owen replied, finally picking Harper up. She screamed.
Copper laughed. “This is why I’m not ever settling down.”
Ryder snorted. “Yeah, that’s why.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means,” Fletcher said, grabbing Lucy before she could tumble into the fireplace. “It means that you like to sleep with random women and don’t want to give that up.”
“I used to like to sleep with random women,” Luke mused.
“Weren’t you and Stella high school sweethearts?” Cooper asked.
“So?”
Milo laughed. “You’re all full of shit. The minute the right one comes along, none of that other stuff matters.”
“Says the person currently getting some on a regular basis,” Ryder pointed out.
Owen set Harper on the couch and headed out of the room as the baby started to cry. “I’ll get her.”
“I’d hope so, since she’s yours,” Cooper muttered.
Fletcher smacked him on the back of the head. “Be respectful.”
“Lillie has been rubbing off on you,” Cooper complained, rubbing his head.
Owen came back in the room with a sleepy baby girl. “Ramona is ready to party, anyone else?”
“Your definition of a party is vastly different than mine,” Cooper said, then flinched when he thought Fletch might get him again.
“Who wants to order the pizza?” Luke asked.
Kyle climbed up on the coffee table. “Me!” he shouted.
Luke picked him up and flipped him upside down. “I’ve told you to stop climbing, little man.”
> Kyle just giggled.
“Okay, I’ll go do it,” Milo volunteered.
He disappeared into the kitchen and pulled up the phone number for their local place. It took him a few minutes to sort out everything they wanted, and when he finished, he stood there staring out the window. He wanted what Lillie and Fletch had, what Hannah and Owen had, what Luke and Stella had. He didn’t think he would be looking to have kids in the next year or anything, but eventually.
Shea was older than him, so maybe she would feel that ticking clock. He wasn’t sure without asking, and he was damn sure going to ask. Speculating only got him in trouble.
“What’s up?”
Milo spun to see Fletch in the doorway, Jack in his arms. “Oh, just thinking about how you have everything. I want it all with Shea, and I want to ask her if she does too.”
“It’s not easy, you know, juggling a job and kids. Paying the mortgage and keeping your wife happy.” Jack chucked his toy on the floor and Fletcher set him down.
“But it’s got to be worth it.”
Fletcher grinned widely. “Oh, it’s worth it, all right.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Milo smirked.
“Are you going to follow in my footsteps and name your kid after your favorite liquor?”
Milo let out a guffaw. “No, but maybe we’ll have a girl and name her June.”
“I mean, yeah, we couldn’t have called Lucy Crush, but June is not a bad idea. Of course, you may get a boy. Would you name him Johnnie?”
“I have no idea. I think it would be up to Shea. I don’t even know if she wants kids any time soon.”
“You definitely need to know how she feels about that before you start planning for it and naming them.” The doorbell rang, and Fletcher headed out of the kitchen.
“Yes, absolutely,” Milo said to himself.
But he couldn’t help dreaming a little.
