Uncovered Desires_A Single Mom Alpha Male Protector Romance

by Kelli Walker

  But for the moment, I settled for one last kiss on the cheek before I turned his light off and closed his bedroom door.

  I heard Tristan tinkering around in the kitchen, but it wasn’t until I came around the corner that I smiled. He had cleaned everything off the table and sat an opened bottle of beer out for me to have. He placed the rest of the leftover pizza in the fridge and rose up, his smile relaxing me as I walked into the room.

  “Care for a drink?” he asked.

  He tipped his beer up to his lips, but I wasn’t in the mood for one. Not after what had happened. Not after what he had been through. If anything, the events of the day showed me how precious my time with others was. And how quickly it could be ripped away from me if certain events didn’t turn out just right. I walked over to Tristan and plucked the beer from his hand, setting it on the counter before my hand slid up his torso.

  Then I fisted his shirt and brought his lips down onto mine.

  Clothes fell to the floor as we stumbled into my room. Lips fell everywhere and into every crevice as I kicked my door closed. The two of us fell to the bed, holding one another close as my body pressed against his. I felt his heart beating against my chest. Felt his hands dancing along the frame of my curves. Felt his cock jumping against my skin with every kiss he pressed into my body.

  He coated me in his love before he slid himself into me.

  With every stroke, he left me breathless. With every touch, he ignited a fire within me I couldn’t put out. Tristan controlled every movement. Sold me on every action. He pressed me into the wall and pinned my hands above my head. He sat me on top of my dresser and snapped his hips against mine. He pulled on my hair and exposed my neck as his pelvis pounded against my ass before pressing my head into the pillow and hearing me cry out his muffled name.

  I lost count at the times he made my body quiver with delight.

  In the chair. Over the edge of the bed. Even in the shower when we decided to clean up. I couldn’t keep my hands off Tristan, and he was all too eager to sink to his knees for me. I swallowed his cock down and tasted him pumping down my throat. I watched rivers of water pour from his chiseled form as I soaped up his body. And the second he climbed out of the shower, he bent me over the bathroom sink and took me one last time.

  Just to make sure his name was the only thing I remembered.

  We collapsed into bed, covered in a mixture of water and sweat. I pulled the covers over us and cuddled into him, pressing deeply into his side. He opened his arm for me and my wet hair fell against his skin. His fingers stroked my back, tracing every divot of my spine and counting my erratic breaths.

  “If you’re not careful, there will be a round eight.”

  “Eight? I thought we were at eleven?”

  “Eleven?” I asked breathlessly. “No wonder my body aches.”

  “I could give you a massage.”

  “And that would get us to round nine.”

  “Or twelve.”

  I smiled into his side before pressing a kiss to his skin. Silence fell upon us and I felt his body move. Shifting to get out of the bed and put on his clothes. My arm slid around him and tightened. Relegating him to the bed beside me and nowhere else. His frame tightened and his muscles contracted, and I chanced a glance up at him to read his features.

  But they were unreadable in the darkness.

  “Stay with me tonight,” I said.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “It’s been a long day. I don’t want things to happen you might regret in the morning.”

  “I’m pretty sure we blew past that once your tongue dipped into places I’ve never had a tongue before.”

  “And your sounds have never been more beautiful,” he said.

  I couldn't see his eyes, but I could hear that cheeky little grin of his permeate through his voice.

  “Stay with me,” I said.

  “What time do the boys usually get up?”

  “Why does that matter?”

  “I don’t want it to be confusing for them if they see me walking out of your room.”

  “It won’t be confusing if we’re honest with them,” I said.

  “You mean to tell me if DeShawn and Dom catch me walking out of your room, you’ll give them all our sordid details? I don’t have much of a relationship with my mother, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t include anything like that.”

  “Not what I was talking about, jerk,” I said playfully. “I meant if I’m honest with them about why you stayed.”

  “Isn’t that what I just addressed?”

  “No. You addressed what we did. Not why we did it.”

  I rose up his body, feeling his back fall to my headboard as I sat eye-level with him.

  “I care about you, Tristan. A lot. And if the boys see you coming out of the room in the morning, that’s what I’ll tell them. That you spent the night because I care about you and wanted you here with me. With us.”

  His face came closer to mine until I could finally see his eyes. And I saw happiness swimming around in his beautiful stare. I smiled before he pressed his lips to mine, his hand snaking around my waist and pulling me into his lap. I straddled him and felt him rise to the occasion again, our tongues colliding as my skin began to heat. His arm tightened around me as his free hand came up to cup my cheek, and I felt his thumb lovingly stroke my skin.

  “Please tell me you’ll stay,” I said with a whisper.

  He pulled back from my lips and opened his eyes, gracing me with a stare that brought so much beauty into my world. So much incredible, intoxicating beauty after such a hefty, volatile string of moments in my life.

  “I guess it’s probably a good thing I feel the same way then, huh?” Tristan asked.

  My eyes widened as his hands fell to my hips. He rolled my body until my pussy caught the tip of his cock, then he inched his way in as I groaned. My hands gripped his shoulders and my walls molded to him. I whimpered at the feel of him as his fingers massaged my excess. My toes curled and my legs jumped, and every part of my body screamed out for mercy. For sleep. For nourishment.

  But I wanted to feast on him again.

  “Wouldn’t want those boys of yours to think I didn’t care about their mother,” Tristan said with a groan.

  Then he lowered me to the bed and slid my leg over his shoulder, opening my body to him and taking me one last time. Once more into the dark abyss he created as he rocked against me, pulling me to heights that both pained and elated me. I held him close. Kissed him endlessly. Moaned his name into the crook of his neck until the two of us fell over the edge together and bathed in one another’s juices.

  My trembling lips captured his as my leg slid from his shoulder and he laid there, sheathed within me, as his voice filled my ear.

  “I love you, Isabelle.”

  Tears flooded my vision as I threw my arms around his neck.

  “I love you too, Tristan,” I said breathlessly. “I love you so much.”

  Tristan - One Month Later

  “I got a grilled chicken salad for the beautiful best friend, two plates of chicken dumplings with cornbread for my grandsons, and a fried chicken plate with sweet corn and fries for the main man.”

  “Thanks Bella,” I said with a grin.

  “More sweet tea, y’all?” Bella asked.

  “Yes, please!” the boys exclaimed.

  “Could we get some more lemons for the table, too?” Isabelle asked.

  “Ugh, so needy,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “I guess I could slice up some more for you, but only if you promise to tip well.”

  We all chuckled at Bella as she refilled our drinks. Her rainbow hair had grown out a bit, showcasing her naturally blonde roots. I thought back to the first time she ever served me in this place. The first time I’d ever passed through Georgetown.

  The first time I’d ever seen Isabelle.

  “So! Before I get goin’ on those lemon slices, how’s ever
yone doing?” Bella asked.

  “Tonight, we’re celebrating,” Isabelle said.

  “Oh, really! What’s the occasion?” she asked.

  “Darnell’s going back to prison for a very long time,” I said.

  “Uh huh. And how does my godson feel about that?” Bella asked.

  “It makes me feel better, honestly,” DeShawn said.

  “We went to Officer Deacon’s funeral,” Dom said.

  “Wait, y’all went to the man’s funeral? And I’m just now hearing about it?” Bella asked.

  “We didn’t really advertise it,” Isabelle said. “But I figured it would help give me some closure for what happened at the house.”

  “You doing okay now?” Bella asked.

  “With the help of Tristan, I am.”

  I smiled at her as her foot rested against mine underneath the table. The past month had been full of ups and downs. Darnell was convicted on multiple accounts, lining everything from harassment to kidnapping to breaking the boundaries of his parole. DeShawn had been struggling with nightmares, so for a time I was staying regularly at Isabelle’s house. I understood nightmares. We all did, in our own way. But Isabelle hadn’t been getting much sleep with both the boys suffering from them, and it caused her to have an accident in her shop.

  An accident that could’ve almost killed her.

  “How’s that wrist of yours doing?” Bella asked.

  “It’s almost healed. I’m honestly lucky. Had I nail-gunned myself another centimeter over, I wouldn’t have even made it back into the house,” Isabelle said.

  “Yeah, well. There’s a reason some of us are traditionalists around here and enjoy the slower things in life,” Bella said.

  “The stitches are almost healed. We got back to the doctor tomorrow to take a look at things, then it’s mild physical therapy for four weeks to make sure everything’s okay with her muscle and tendon mobility,” I said.

  “Sounds like my best friend’s had a good caretaker,” Bella said as she winked at me.

  “Oh! That reminds me. Isabelle, that dining room table you made for me.”

  “Don’t tell me you broke it already,” she said with a grin.

  “Well, I did chip it. I was wondering if you could take a look at it sometime and see what we could possibly do about it,” I said.

  “Oh, that’s nothing. A little chip is easy to conceal. I can make a mold and refit a piece of wood to it, canvas it over, sandpaper it down, stain it up, and it’ll look like nothing happened,” Isabelle said.

  “You know you wouldn’t have to do all that if you just moved in,” Dom said.

  Isabelle’s eyes widened while DeShawn threw his head back in laughter.

  “Uh… probably not a topic of discussion for now,” I said.

  “Oh, this is getting good. Hopefully all my customers can hang on a few more minutes,” Bella said.

  “He’s technically right,” DeShawn said through his laughter. “Those that was a very interesting way to bring about that topic, Dom.”

  “What? He’s been sleeping at the house for the past two weeks. I like having him there,” Dom said.

  “Boys, anyone moving in with us is a very serious step,” Isabelle said. “And it’s not one to be taken lightly.”

  “Who said I was taking anything lightly?” Dom asked.

  “He has no idea what he just did,” DeShawn said with a grin. “But if the two of you did move in, Tee here wouldn’t have to commission that couch he’s been eyeing.”

  “What couch?” Isabelle asked.

  “Is nothing sacred when I talk with these kids?” I asked.

  “We’re hardly kids. I turn eighteen in two months and Dee turns eighteen at the end of the year. We’re almost off to college,” Dom said.

  “Don’t remind me,” Isabelle said with a groan.

  “Someone’s gonna have to be here to look out for Ma anyway,” DeShawn said. “And she likes having you around.”

  “Hello! I’m right here,” Isabelle said.

  “Dee’s right,” Dom said. “You’re over at our house all the time anyway, so why not?”

  “What in the world has gotten into you boys?” Isabelle asked.

  Bella’s laughter echoed across the restaurant as she held her stomach and tried to catch her breath.

  “I mean, it’s not a half bad idea,” I said with a shrug.

  Bella’s laughter stopped and Isabelle’s eyes landed hard onto mine.

  “What are you--? I mean, we’re--. It’s moving in, Tristan. We can’t just--. What?”

  “The kids don’t make a half bad argument,” I said with a grin.

  “And again, we’re not kids,” Dom said.

  “Hate to break it to you, but you’ll always be kids to us,” I said.

  All eyes fell onto Isabelle as she worked her way around the group. First, she looked at me. Seemingly to try and get me to argue with her sons. Then, she looked at them, trying to get them to back down from their argument. Then, she looked at Bella. Who gave her absolutely no support other than a shrug and a stifled round of giggles.

  Then, her eyes settled back onto me.

  “Are we really going to do this?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. You haven’t asked me anything,” I said.

  She bit down onto the inside of her cheek before a grin crawled across her face.

  “Tristan Overcash, would you like to move in with me and my two meddling, nosey, loud-ass boys?” she asked.

  “Hey,” Dom said.

  “That’s messed up,” DeShawn said.

  My shoulders shook with my laughter before I reached out for her hand. Despite me staying with them for the past couple of weeks after Isabelle’s exhaustion-induced accident, we’d kept a lid on the affection when the boys were around. No kissing, no hand-holding, no cuddling of any sort. And certainly no intimacy while she was recuperating. But when she slipped her hand into mine and allowed me to bring it to my lips to kiss, I knew we’d crossed into different territory. We’d crossed into an area where the boys would know of our genuine affection for one another, and I wondered how we were going to approach it with them.

  “I’d love to move in with you and these loud-ass boys,” I said with a grin.

  “That’s crap,” Dom said.

  “If you can cuss, I can cuss,” DeShawn said.

  “Don’t you pull that crap here,” Bella said. “Now, I’m going to go tend to my cranky customers, then I’m getting this table a round of celebratory drinks on me. Complete with virgin daiquiris for the boys.”

  We continued eating our food and I held Isabelle’s hand the entire time. I caught the boys making weird eyes at one another, but I tried to ignore it as best as I could. We’d traversed yet another post in our relationship, and I was waiting for her to make the first move.

  Or maybe, she was waiting for me.

  “All right!” Bella exclaimed. “Virgin strawberry daiquiris for my godsons…”

  “Thanks, Auntie Bella,” DeShawn said.

  “I put extra whipped-cream on yours, Dom,” Bella said with a wink.

  “Thanks, Aunt Bella,” he said with a smile.

  “A mudslide with extra shots for the momma,” Bella said.

  “Oh, that looks spectacular,” Isabelle said.

  “And a very large pint of wonderful craft beer fresh from the brewery for the new man of the house,” Bella said. “It came in this morning and we just opened the keg.”

  “Beautiful. Thank you so much,” I said.

  “And can I just say, it’s about freakin’ time you shacked up with the man who’s been taking care of you for so long,” Bella said. “I mean, he deserves a little something for his efforts.”

  “She owes me nothing. I take care of those I love,” I said.

  The boys’ eyes widened and Bella’s jaw dropped, but my only focus was Isabelle. The warmth of her foot caressing my ankle. The genuine kindness and happiness in her stare. She put her drink down and stood up from her c
hair, then reached her body over the table and pressed her lips against mine. I stood to meet her, locking our lips together in a moment of pure tenderness.

  “You love our Mom?” Dom asked.

  I released Isabelle’s lips before my eyes danced between hers, then I watched her lightly nod her head.

  “I do,” I said. “Very much so.”

  “I love you too, Tristan,” Isabelle said.

  “Oh, hell yeah!” DeShawn exclaimed.

  Isabelle’s jaw dropped in shock as laughter spewed from my lips.

  “Does this mean I can call him ‘Pa’? Or are we sticking with ‘Tee’? Because ‘Pa’ fits him, but ‘Tee’’s like that cool uncle nickname, you know. What do you think?” DeShawn asked.

  “Oh, man. Your boys are all out all the time,” Bella said. “I’m going to need a shot to keep up with you guys.”

  “How long have you been in love with our mother?” Dom asked.

  I watched him cross his arms over his chest and my eyebrows hiked up to my forehead. Isabelle shrugged before she sat back down, then I turned my gaze to her son.

  “For about a month now,” I said.

  “Then I think it’s time I give you the rundown of how this is going to go,” Dom said.

  My eyes widened as Isabelle’s eyes grew wider with curious excitement.

  “Uh oh. He’s about to give you the rundown,” DeShawn said.

  “Rule number one.”

  “Oh, there’s rules. Okay, I’m listening,” I said.

  “Our Mom is precious. She’s strong, but she won’t always tell you when she needs you. Which is why you need to hug her all the time, even though she says she doesn’t need one,” Dom said.

  “What?” Isabelle asked.

  The curious nature of our conversation quickly turned into one of enlightenment and seriousness as DeShawn picked up the conversation.