Clinched

by Nikki Ash

  “Got it.”

  “Good. Now let’s eat! I made pancakes.”

  The last couple weeks with Charlie and Lexi have been nothing short of amazing. Mason had decided to spend some time in Las Vegas to train with the guys over at Cooper’s gym—a UFC gym owned by Bella’s dad, Cooper, but now run by Bella and Marco—after his UFC business wrapped up. This isn’t the first time he’s done this. He loves the change of pace and environment. He wasn’t sure exactly when, but he said he would be back before we leave for Breckenridge for Thanksgiving. We’ll be meeting my family over there along with both Bella and Marco’s families.

  Every night Charlie has slept over. On the nights she works, she takes a cab here. On the nights she’s off, she hangs out here more than at her place. Sometimes she sleeps in my bed—those nights are filled with me inside of her and then her falling asleep in my arms. Other nights Lexi claims her for herself—those nights are filled with Disney movies and cushion forts. I’ve been neglecting the gym big time but luckily Brent has it all under control. One of the important parts of running a successful business is being able to delegate, right?

  It’s Monday and Charlie’s off work tonight. She texted me earlier she’ll be over after her therapy session. She also said the website is done and she’s dying to show it to me. I have a surprise for her as well. I just hope she’ll be as excited about it as I am. The door opens and when I look to see who it is, it’s not Charlie.

  “Honey, I’m home!” Mason yells out, throwing his duffle bag onto the ground.

  “Shh! Lexi’s napping.” Mason plops down onto the couch just as the door opens again, this time it’s Charlie.

  “Hey baby!” She closes the door behind her and throws her arms around my neck for a hug. I glance at Mason over her shoulder to see he’s grinning. His brow is quirked up and all I can do is smile. I’ve texted with him several times about me and Charlie getting more serious but I don’t think he fully grasped it until now. He nods his head in understanding and I know I have my best friend’s support.

  “I can’t wait to show you the website! I finished it this morning—” Charlie stops talking and glances around. “Where’s Lexi?”

  “Napping,” Mason says, and Charlie jumps.

  “Oh! I didn’t realize you were here,” Charlie says turning around to face Mason, her hands flying up to her chest. Wrapping my arms around her waist from behind, I rest my chin on her shoulder, breathing in her scent. She’s wearing that pink perfume that’s currently sitting on my bathroom counter. Coco something or some shit. All I know is it smells sweet and sexy, and almost as good as the scent between my woman’s legs. Fuck! Now I’m hard.

  Charlie feels my cock poke her back and she lets out a soft moan before turning to face me—pink tinting her cheeks. “What are you doing?” she whispers, and Mason cackles.

  “Sorry.” I laugh. “I can’t help it. I want you all the time.” I give her a kiss on her lips, and I’m about to pull her into my room for some afternoon sex—not giving a shit that Mason is home—when Lexi comes walking out.

  “Uncle Mason!” Lexi squeals, running over to Mason to give him a hug. “I missed you so, so much! Did you see my grandma and grandpa?”

  “I did! They said to give you this…” Mason grabs Lexi and throws her on to the couch, tickling her.

  “Uncle…Mason!” Lexi shouts, out of breath. “I’m going to pee my pants!” Of course he stops immediately, laughing as he gets up.

  “I need to head to the gym to get a workout in. I’ll catch you guys later.” He smirks at Charlie. “And I’m assuming that means I’ll see you later as well.”

  “Charlie’s living here!” Lexi gushes.

  “Lex,” I say, “You know she isn’t living here. She’s just spends the night sometimes.”

  “But she’s here like every day! She should live here!”

  Mason laughs as he grabs his keys from the table. “See ya!”

  “Daddy, can I watch TV?” Lexi asks.

  “Sure.” She runs over to the couch, plops her little butt down, and starts switching through the channels on the remote.

  Grabbing her laptop, Charlie sets it down on the dining room table. “Come check out your website!” I sit down in a chair and pull her onto my lap, craving her body. It’s insane how drawn I am to her. If she’s in the same room as me, I need to be touching her in some way. I can’t get enough of her and I don’t think I ever will. No, I know I never will. “If there’s anything you don’t like, we can change it. Don’t say you like it to be nice.” She turns her body slightly to face me. “Okay?”

  “Okay,” I agree, then I give her a quick kiss. She turns back around and starts typing on the keyboard. Once she pulls up the site, she starts going over the details, telling me about the easy navigation and some other details I should be paying attention to instead of focusing on the feel of her silky-smooth skin under my fingertips. As I run my hands up and down her thighs I wonder if she used the matching pink lotion that’s sitting next to the perfume. If I were to splay her out on my bed and run my nose along the insides of her thighs, would it smell as sexy and sweet as her neck does? I bet it would smell even better—

  “Tristan?” Charlie glares back at me and I can’t help but wrap my arms tighter around her waist, my nose nestling into the bend of her neck. “Are you sniffing me?” I chuckle into her hair remembering not too long ago when I asked her the same question.

  “Sorry, babe. I can’t help it. I’ll focus, I promise.” Charlie shakes her head and then returns to showing me the site. Now that I’m paying attention, I’m in awe at the work she has done. “Damn! Charlie! This site looks good.”

  She turns her face, granting me a thousand mega-watt smile. “Thank you. I think so too. I love being creative.”

  “Speaking of being creative, I have a little surprise for you. And before you go shooting it down, remember the other night when we were talking about your dreams?”

  Charlie’s brows come together. “My idea about the painting studio with wine?”

  Just then my phone rings and I see it’s an unknown number. “Yeah, hold that thought.” I hit answer on the call. “Hello?”

  “Hey, Tristan. It’s Adam.” Unsure why my sister’s boyfriend would call me, I’m immediately on alert.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Umm…no…your sister needs you to come over here. Well, actually I do. She’s locked herself in the bathroom and I can’t get her out.” What the hell?

  “Okay, I’m on my way.”

  “Thank you…umm…you might want to find someone to watch Lexi. Your sister is kind of in a bad place.”

  “Do you need to call an ambulance?” I ask, starting to freaking out.

  “No, no, nothing like that. Just…get here soon, please.”

  “All right, I’ll be there shortly.” I hang up the phone and notice Charlie is nervously nibbling on her bottom lip. With her still sitting on my lap, she must’ve heard our conversation.

  “I’m going to call Mason to come watch Lexi.” I tap the side of her hip, indicating I need her to get up, and she stands. I pull up my contacts to call Mason thinking I can drop Lexi off to him at the gym on my way. My heart is pounding in my chest not knowing what’s going on with my little sister.

  The phone rings and rings and eventually goes to voicemail. Shit!

  I dial again, and it does it again. I dial the gym’s number. Holly, the front desk receptionist, answers. “Hey Holly, it’s Tristan. Is Mason there?”

  “Hey Tristan! He just ran out for a jog with Tommy.”

  Damn it! “Okay, can you have him call me as soon as he gets back?”

  “Sure thing.”

  I hang up the phone, unsure of what to do when Charlie says, “I can watch her.” I shoot a glance at her and she’s now biting down on her bottom lip. Hard.

  “That’s okay. I’m just going to bring her with me. I don’t know what’s going on, so I’m not sure if there should be an audience. Maybe y
ou could stay in the car with Lexi?”

  “Tristan,” Charlie replies, “I can watch her here.”

  “Are you sure?” I assess her face for any indication she isn’t really sure.

  “I’m sure.” Her voice comes out confident.

  “Okay, thank you.” I pull her in for a quick kiss. “I’ll call you once I know something.” I walk over to Lexi. “I need to go see Auntie Morgan. Charlie is going to watch you. Be good for her. Okay?”

  Lexi smiles and nods, and then goes back to watching the television.

  I jump in my truck and haul ass over to Morgan’s apartment. I park and jog to the door. Without knocking, I use my key and let myself in. Adam is sitting against the bathroom door.

  “She in there?” I ask. He looks up and nods.

  “What’s going on?”

  “We messed up.” He swallows thickly. “We used protection every single time but once.” Oh shit…

  “She’s pregnant,” I state, and he nods his head. “Morgan, open up.” I knock on the bathroom door. I can hear her sniffling, and a few seconds later, the door swings open, and my sister is in my arms. My barely twenty-year-old little sister.

  “It’s okay,” I murmur, rubbing her back. “It’s going to be okay.”

  Charlie

  Tristan walks out the door and it takes everything in me not to freak the hell out! The first thing I do is double check all the doors to make sure they’re locked. There’s a chain on the front door, so I slide it in place. It’s high, so if something happens Lexi won’t be able to get out…but then what if something happens and she needs to get out?

  “Hey Lexi, do you know what to do if there’s an emergency?”

  Lexi’s eyes move from the television to me. “Like stop, drop, and roll?” Her adorable little button nose scrunches up.

  “Umm…yeah, like that but also like if something happens to me.” This gets me Lexi’s undivided attention. She sits up, crossing her legs Indian style, the show she was watching no longer on her mind.

  “What’s going to happen to you?” She frowns and I hate that I’m probably scaring her, but I’m not taking a chance. I’ve already lost one little girl, I’m not going to let history repeat itself.

  “Well, hopefully nothing,” I say calmly, sitting down next to Lexi on the couch. “But if something did happen, like if I passed out or hit my head.” When I say this my brain struggles to conjure up a memory. I push against my temples trying to let it come forth but too quickly it’s gone.

  “Are you okay, Charlie?” Lexi asks.

  “Yes, sweet girl. Sorry. What I mean is if something were to happen, do you know how to call 911?”

  “Oh yeah! Daddy showed me a long time ago. He showed me that if I forget his code I can press the red button and it will call the police and fireman and ambulance.” It never ceases to amaze me how wonderful of a father Tristan is.

  “Yep! Just like that. I have a cell phone as well.” I take it out to show her. “If there’s an emergency you just press this circle here and the word emergency will come up.”

  “That’s like my Daddy’s phone!” Lexi says excitedly.

  “Good. So I was thinking maybe we can do some coloring while your dad is gone?”

  Lexi perks up. “Come see my turkey! Daddy forgot to make me take it down but I’ll show you because when he remembers, I’ll have to.” She scowls, and grabbing my hand pulls me into her room. On the same wall as before, where she drew the tree, there’s a massive turkey with colored feathers. It reminds me I should ask Tristan about painting the wall with chalkboard paint.

  “It’s beautiful!” Lexi beams then goes to her bins to grab her coloring stuff. We spend the rest of the time Tristan is gone coloring, and it feels really good to be able to experience this with Lexi without the fear of getting caught.

  Twenty

  Charlie

  “Is a blindfold really necessary?” I ask as Tristan guides me blindly out of the truck. I have no clue where we are or what we’re doing but Tristan insisted I need to keep an open mind and not say no right away.

  “Yes, it is.” We come to a stop and I hear keys jingling and then cold air whooshing. We start walking again and the change in temperature tells me we’re now inside somewhere. I feel Tristan’s body come up behind mine, his arms enveloping me, and his gruff voice hitting my ear. “Remember, I need you to be open minded.” I nod in agreement and he unties the blindfold.

  As I glance around the empty open space, I’m puzzled. The walls are bare and the floor is dark hardwood. There is a counter near the front but other than that, there’s nothing—it’s completely bare. Then I notice a blanket laid out on the floor in the corner, two champagne flutes, and a bottle of some type of alcohol.

  Taking me by my hand, Tristan pulls me toward the center of the room. “Imagine this. Dark wood tables lined up with painting easels. Matching comfortable seats for the women—or kids—to sit on.” He points to the wall to the left. “You can have all the different canvases displayed. One for every theme.” He points to the other wall. “Over here is where you can have your bar for the food and drinks for the parties.” He points to the door on the back wall. “And through there are two areas. One for the kids’ room you talked about, and the other is a huge storage area to store all the paints and materials. There’s even a bathroom. All we would need is an extra sink for the customers to wash their hands.”

  My mind is racing as he describes every detail of the dream I told him about while we were lying in bed. Not only did he listen, but he remembered.

  “…and this place is available. I found a contractor who assured me he could have this place ready for you to open in January.”

  “Whoa…stop,” I say, moving toward him. Taking his hands in mine, I lift up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. “You, believing in my dream means the world to me, but it was just that…a dream.”

  “And now it can come true,” he says nonchalantly.

  “No, it can’t.” I shake my head. “My credit…it’s not good. And…” I swallow thickly. “I can’t have my name on anything. I work under the table at Plush.”

  Tristan eyes me warily. “Charlie, I asked you this before. Are you in trouble?”

  “No, I’m not in trouble. I just…I just need to keep a low profile.” I advert my eyes, feeling like shit for all the half-truths I’m spewing out.

  Tristan lets out a frustrated sigh and I’m shocked when, instead of him asking me to explain, he asks, “Do you want this?”

  My eyes dart back to his, and I nod, tears welling up in my lids. “Yeah, but some dreams aren’t meant to come true. They’re simply there to keep us wishing and hoping and believing.” I glance around the room. I can picture it all. The tables, the easels, the color of the walls, the women coming in to drink and paint. The children’s birthday parties.

  Tristan’s arms are around me, his hands gripping my butt as he pulls me into him. “I can make yours come true. Please let me. No strings. I own this building outright. We’re standing in a storefront right next to my gym. The studio can be in my name and we’ll have an attorney write up a contract for a five, ten, or twenty-year rental agreement. Whatever you want. It will stay between you and me.”

  Oh, this man. I don’t deserve him in the slightest. I never fully understood what I was missing when I was with Justin until Tristan came into my life. “Okay,” I breathe out, and lpulling his head down to mine, my mouth covers his as I try to convey every emotion I’m feeling right now thanks to him.

  Soon our kiss turns hungry, greedy, our tongues colliding with one another. Tristan picks me up and my legs wrap around his waist, my ankles locking behind his back as he walks us to the lone counter in the corner. He places me down on the cool surface and backs up slightly. His eyes roam down my body, his tongue darting out to wet his lips.

  Not able to wait any longer, I pull my shirt over my head and unclasp my bra. My breasts are heavy with want, my nipples rock hard with need. Tristan follows my
lead and removes his shirt while kicking off his shoes. He pushes down his pants, and like always, the sight of this delicious man in front of me has my head spinning. But tonight, it’s more than the want—or even the need—to be sexual with him. What he’s done for me, his blind belief in me…he will never understand what it means to me. He gives and gives without question, without expecting anything in return, and I wish there was something I could give him. Something to put us on equal footing. Because this man deserves everything.

  In a few minutes, Tristan will be buried inside of me physically, but what he doesn’t realize is that he’s already inside of me—every second of every day. He has buried himself deep inside my chest, in my heart. He’s flowing through my veins and there’s no getting him out.

  Suddenly needing to show him how much he means to me, I jump off the counter and drop to my knees. I pull his briefs down and his cock springs free. All of the sex we’ve had these last few weeks, and I haven’t yet had the pleasure of tasting this man. He always insists on making it about me. But tonight I want to make it about him.

  My eyes lock with Tristan’s as my fingers lift his cock, the flat of my tongue running up the underside of his shaft. It’s smooth and thick and all mine. When my tongue gets to the mushroom head, my lips wrap around it, giving it a wet, open-mouthed kiss. Tristan’s eyes close as he lets out a deep groan. The wetness between my legs pools and my muscles tighten needing relief. His eyelids pull apart, lust and need shining through. My eyes never leaving his, my mouth opens and I take in his entire length until his shaft hits the back of my throat.

  “Jesus, woman,” he groans, his hands coming down to my hair, his fingers entwining in the strands. I pull back slightly and then take him in completely, the head of his cock hitting my throat once again. As I pull back for the second time, I go slowly, my saliva wetting his entire shaft. When I release his dick from my mouth, a milky white bead of precum surfaces, and I dart my tongue out to lick it clean. “You taste good. Will you…fuck my mouth?” Tristan has made me tell him what I want several times while in bed, and each time it gets easier, making me feel like I’m in charge of my pleasure even when he’s the one giving it to me.