by Karen Renee
“I need her pediatrician’s number.”
I rolled my eyes, but rattled the number off the top of my head.
“You know their number by heart?”
During the conversation, I watched Brute wander to the pantry and open the door. He scanned the shelves for a moment, then his eyes lit up, but I didn’t know why.
“Yes, Caleb. It has four zeros in it, and I’ve had to call it enough to talk to the nurse or set up her appointments that I know their number. Call for the nurse, not the doctor.”
“I don’t need to be told who to call, Kenzie.”
“Is she awake? It’s nearly eleven, but if she wants me to sing, I will.”
Brute set a jar of marshmallow fluff on the counter. He began pulling open drawers – looking for a knife was my guess. He gave up and strolled to a steak knife holder on the counter.
“She’s up, but I need to call the doctor. I’ll let you know if I take her to the hospital.”
My eyes widened. “Don’t take her to the hospital for a stomachache, Caleb.”
“We’ll see. Next time you go out, be sure to check your messages as soon as you get home.”
He hung up, and I set my phone down, shaking my head and taking deep breaths.
The microwave beeped; Brute took something out and put it on the counter in front of me. He put a chocolate chip cookie on top of it. “Here. Instant stress relief. Chocolate chip cookie sandwich with marshmallow fluff.”
I took a bite and groaned. “How’d you know about this?”
“Stepsisters. Was your girl asleep?”
I shook my head, taking another small bite and offering the rest to him.
He arched a brow, but only bit off half of the remaining cookie. To my surprise, he ate quickly. “Couldn’t help but hear him, babe. Does he always talk to you like that?”
My eyes closed for a moment. “Only when things are extreme.”
His lips pressed together.
“I’m sorry you had to hear that,” I said.
“Problem is I’m not the only one who heard it. He’s teaching his daughter how men should treat her later in life. That’s the problem.”
I agreed, but said, “He’s never handled things well when Aubrey gets sick.”
“Maybe so, but it pisses me off. Heard how he spoke to you, and I fought yanking that phone away from you. It’s not right how he acted.”
My heart swelled at his concern for Aubrey and me. The remaining cookie had become a melty, sticky mess between my fingers. I popped the last bite in my mouth. My eyes went to my fingertip and then met his eyes. “Your stress relief is kinda sticky and—”
He guided my finger into his mouth and closed his lips. Feeling his tongue stroke my finger shot fire straight to my breasts and my eyes widened. His eyes twinkled.
He let my finger go. “Best stuff in life is always sticky. Cookies, ice cream, and sex.”
I tipped my head back and laughed. “You’re crazy, but it’s refreshing.”
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Don’t think anyone’s ever called me ‘refreshing,’ babe.”
“Well, I’m glad I’m the first.”
A heavy silence grew between us. Finally, I asked, “I’m sorry he called. Would you rather leave?”
His brows shot up. “Are you shitting me? Fuck, no. Got half a mind to strip that dress off you and slather some fluff on your tits. Show you what sticky really feels like.”
Chapter Eight
Sweet Enough
Brute
The shock on her face pleased him. He liked sucking on her finger a little too much. His pants were getting tight again as he thought about sucking on other parts of her.
Her phone rang and her eyes narrowed at it.
“Hi, Caleb. What’d—”
She didn’t have the man on speaker, but it didn’t change the fact he could hear him. “The nurse thinks she’s fine since there’s no fever. Your daughter would like to talk to you.”
Your daughter. That said so much more about this asshole. For the second time that night, he wanted to put his fist through the phone straight to the bastard’s head.
“Hey, honey,” Kenzie said, and the immediate shift in her tone to loving mother gave him a start. He hadn’t heard his mother’s voice in years, but that tone must have been universal.
Unlike when she spoke to the ex, he couldn’t hear a word Aubrey said.
“All right, sweetie, but you’re going to sleep after this. Right?”
Then, Kenzie sang a song he hadn’t heard before, but it spoke of giving the stars to her and everything a parent would give their child. He didn’t have to see her with her daughter to know she was a kick-ass mom.
An urge to leave hit him, not because she was a mother, but because she should have more children. A woman like her needed to populate the planet. And he wouldn’t be the man to make that happen with her.
“Goodnight, sweet girl. I love you,” her voice pulled him from his thoughts.
He could go for a beer right now, but if he planned to leave, he had to stay away from alcohol. He felt her eyes on him, and her expression shifted back to regret.
“Yeah. Know what you said before, but that look on your face tells me I’m right. You want to take the rest of the cookies with you?”
He glanced down at the marshmallow fluff. She was giving him an out, which made him admire her all the more.
Deep down he knew this was no reason to leave.
As he picked up the tub of marshmallow, he caught her eyes. “You got a spoon or something for this? ’Cause things are far from over, Kenzie.”
Her cheeks pinked so faintly he nearly missed it. She pulled open a drawer, handed him a spoon, and turned to the pantry. Turning back with a jar of peanut butter in hand, she gave him a challenging look.
“I’m a bigger fan of a Fluffernutter. And my hunch is that will taste even better on you.”
He chuckled. “Those are big words, baby. But that’s not happening tonight. Maybe next time.”
“Why not this time? Are you scared?” she asked.
“Don’t taunt me, or you don’t get to choose where we do this. Couch or your bedroom?”
Her lips twisted for a moment. “Bedroom. It’ll be easier to wash sheets than clean sticky stuff from the couch cushions.”
He followed her to her bedroom. When she turned on the light he was pleased to see a king-sized bed, and more pleased realizing it was a four-poster. He shook his head. That was getting ahead of himself.
He took the peanut butter from her and put it on a nightstand along with the marshmallow fluff. When he turned back to her, she was watching him closely.
He grinned. “Take off the dress, baby.”
“What about you?”
He folded his arms on his chest. “I’m going to stand here and watch you take off your dress. Though, this tie does have to go.”
While he removed his silk tie, she stood there staring. She was being obstinate, but he didn’t know why.
“There a problem, Kenz?”
Her head tilted. “You should at least take off your shirt.”
He undid a few buttons. “I’m calling the shots, here, baby. You make me take the dress off you, I don’t think you’ll like it. Especially since I’ve wanted to rip the damn thing off you since you came to the door wrapped in a robe.”
Her hands went behind her neck, and he heard the hiss of her zipper. The dress fell to the floor and she stood there in black lace bra and matching bikini panties. His mouth watered and he knew the fluff and peanut butter weren’t necessary. He could eat her up as is. It had been a long damn time since he’d felt such a primal urge to put a woman on a bed and fuck her, but hell if she didn’t awaken it.
He toed out of his shoes, undid his belt and dropped his pants.
“What are you doing? I thought you were calling the shots?”
“Yeah, but I hadn’t counted on you looking so goddamn fine in black lace. Fuck me.”
&n
bsp; She giggled. “Thought that was the plan? To get laid?”
He shrugged out of his dress shirt and narrowed his eyes at her. “You said you don’t put out on first dates.”
She stepped toward him. “Sex is a great stress reliever. Besides, you reminded me this is a third date.”
His hands shot to her ass, cupping her cheeks and pulling her to him. “Damn right.”
She went up on her toes, and the lace of her bra scraping his chest made his dick stand up. Before he could lower his lips to hers, she kissed him, open-mouthed and aggressive. He groaned and guided her to the bed. But he tightened his grip on her ass, picked her up, her legs wrapped around his hips, and he laid her on the bed as gently as he could.
Her lips fell to his cheek. “What about putting sticky stuff on my breasts?”
He leaned up, yanked down a cup of her bra and admired her rosy nipple. He traced around the stiff bud with his tongue. “Change of plans. You’re sweet enough on your own, baby.”
Her hands slid down his back, fingernails engaged, the scrape forcing a chill through his spine. “Fuck,” he hissed. Then her hands came around to his front and she grabbed his cock through his boxer briefs.
“Oh, my,” she said in a low but surprised voice.
He sucked on her breast in earnest. His hands slid under her back to release her bra. His lips came away long enough to pull it down her arms, and he said, “You got that right, baby. Haven’t felt like I could come in my underwear since I was a teenager, so all my plans have gone out the fuckin’ window.”
She chuckled. “Okay.”
He gave her other tit some attention, while one hand squeezed and rolled the one he’d just sucked. His opposite hand went into her panties and he found her center.
Slick, warm, ready.
At his touch, she arched her back and he groaned. He loved how responsive she was, and his dick especially loved it.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
He hovered above her. “I was, baby. But, I’ll give you what you want, and damn sure give you what you need.”
This kiss started gentle, but spun out of control quick. He was so wrapped up in the kiss, it took him a while to realize she was riding his fingers – and that wouldn’t do. As he slid his hand out of her panties, she whimpered.
“No fair, things were just getting good.”
He grinned. “For you, maybe. I’m on the verge of blue balls if I don’t get some relief soon.” He put his fingers in his mouth, her salty taste even sweeter than he’d imagined. “Damn. You better have some stamina, darlin’ or else I’m gonna teach you how to have stamina. Round one will be quick, but the rest is gonna take a while.”
Kenzie
THE ONLY TIME I NEEDED ‘stamina’ had been on my honeymoon with Caleb, over eight years ago. The fact that already Brute knew we were going to have multiple rounds excited me.
“Shit,” he hissed.
He knifed off me and the bed, presenting me with a glorious view of his firm ass clad in gray boxer-briefs and his muscular back. I did a double take to examine his tattoo. The entirety of his back held a color version of the Riot MC patch.
“Wow,” I whispered.
He straightened while looking over his shoulder at me. “What are you ‘wowing’ about, Kenz?”
“That is some tattoo. How long did you have to sit for it?”
He chuckled. “Two full fuckin’ days. And I was hungover for the first one. Yet, one of my best memories. Me and Har got ours done at the same time, though his is smaller, but placed right over his heart.”
“Really? He’s the buddy who got engaged?”
A wrapped condom sailed through the air toward me.
“Yep,” he replied, putting two other condoms on the nightstand.
His thumbs went into his underwear and he dropped trou. My earlier comment of “Oh my” was off the mark. Way off the mark. He had decent length, but more, he had serious girth. More than what I’d felt with my hand in that brief moment.
He leaned over the bed, grabbed my panties on either side of my hips and yanked them off. On his knees, he walked toward me. “You’re gonna stare at my cock like that, I think he might like a kiss. But not much suction, baby. Gonna be hell just getting the condom on without blowing, but if you’re feelin’ shy again, we’ll wait.”
Deviousness invaded my mind. I sat forward, gave his cock a firm stroke, reveling in hearing Brute hiss, and then I swirled my tongue around the head of his beautiful dick.
His hips drew back, and I gently broke my hold. “Okay, baby. Roll the condom on me. Gentle.”
I did as he asked, pressing my lips together to keep myself in check. Everything about him did it for me. As excited as it made me, it scared the hell out of me, too.
He backed away from me when I was finished. “Lay back,” he whispered. Somehow, I knew he was barely keeping himself in check, too.
On my back, he grabbed my knees, pushed my legs back, holding me wide open, and he smiled at me. “Time for my second cookie, baby.”
Oh God! I forgot he had said that. How could I forget he’d said that?
He kissed the inside of my leg, leaned back, and examined my feet. “You took your shoes off... shouldn’t have done that, Kenzie.”
With a slight head shake, he lowered himself on the bed. His stubble scraped my thigh as he placed feather-light kisses downward. His tongue swirled around my aching clit, then it dipped lower and he hummed with satisfaction. “You taste great, baby.”
I gasped when he suddenly latched onto my center and sucked. Hard. While he sucked, his tongue worked magic over the bundle of nerves at my center. My legs moved to get free of his hands, but he held firm. He made a noise which I felt right there, and my hips bucked. Everything was building fast. Too fast. He let go of one leg so his fingers could delve inside me. In no time, he found the exact spot and stroked while maintaining his suction on me. My eyes closed as an epic orgasm washed over me. My pussy clenched and spasmed around his fingers. I heard myself moan and it was completely out of my control because I was mindless with pleasure. As I started to come down from that high, I opened my eyes.
Brute’s brown eyes were heated and intense on me. “Fuck, Kenzie. You are smokin’ when you come.”
I glanced down to see him stroking his cock. Then he lined it up with me. “Think you’re ready for me, even if that look on your face says otherwise.”
He edged forward and I felt a delicious stretch. With slow and controlled effort, he entered me further.
“Damn, baby, you are tight.”
My eyes met his. “You’re definitely a wide load, Brute.”
His control snapped when he leaned forward, bursting with laughter. He entered me fully and I gasped, again, and even louder than before. “First time for everything. Don’t think I’ve ever fucked a woman while laughing my ass off.”
I kissed his jaw. “Then you better get to fucking while you’re still laughing.”
He gazed down at me, a glint in his eye. “Bossy, funny, and shy.”
“Brute,” I whispered, and squeezed his cock with my muscles.
His expression changed to seriousness. “Yeah.”
He withdrew. Just as I adjusted to his absence, he slammed back into me and thus began a fast, but fierce fucking. It wasn’t making love, and I didn’t want that. It was rough and thorough. I learned his tongue wasn’t the only part of him adept at delivering an orgasm, because his fingers worked my clit just as expertly. But he was right. It went entirely too fast.
Lucky for me, he delivered on the stamina during rounds two, three, and four.
HE HAD TO BE TIRED. I knew I was tired, but I couldn’t bring myself to turn out the light. Something told me this had the potential to become something special, maybe even phenomenal.
At least for me.
I didn’t want to jinx it, and I didn’t want the night to end. I was curled up next to Brute, drawing mindless patterns in his sparse chest hair. Replaying the date in my min
d, I recalled him saying his dad was the only person who made better fried green tomatoes.
“Your dad live around here?”
His arm tightened a touch. “Yeah. Why do you ask?”
I looked up at him. “You said he’s the only person who makes better fried green tomatoes than Cora’s. I was just curious because the ones we had tonight were spectacular.”
His chest jerked with a chuckle. “Yeah. Dad’s are better because he seasons them different. He’s never even told me what he does. I’ll be lucky he doesn’t take that recipe to his grave with him.”
“Wow,” I muttered. “What’s he do?”
“He owns a gym.”
I perked up and lifted my head. “Like a boxing gym or something?”
He shook his head. “No. Hard to make a living with a boxing gym. It’s a small, local gym, but he was a breath away from quitting because of all the big gyms moving into the area. Then crossfit became all the rage, and that really helped him. He had the space, and the knowledge to start some classes. Brought in conditioning ropes he had at the house, and this big-ass tire he’s worked out with since I was eleven.”
“Really? That’s awesome. Do you work out with the tire?”
He snorted. “He’d kick my ass if I didn’t.”
“So, his gym’s doing well now?”
He pressed his lips together. “Not sure. He’s not doing bad, but fitness trends come and go. I’m not sure he’s prepared for the next wave or whatever the new fad will be. It’s hard.”
I settled my head on his chest. “Yeah. Life is always hard.”
His fingers came to my chin and he lifted my face toward his. “No, Kenzie. Business is hard. Life isn’t.”
My mouth ran away from me. “Said by someone without children. Someone who lives life on their own terms. Believe me, kids make things harder.”
He shook his head. “No, baby. I may not have any, but kids make life better.”
I considered him and his words for a long moment. I itched to find out why he didn’t have any kids, but it was way too soon for that. Finally, I said, “You’re right. Motherhood is hard.”
