“Ah, yes, good point. They’ll tease you mercilessly.” She leans closer. “To answer your question, I didn’t realize it was going to get sexual. He just kissed me one day, and after that, I couldn’t think about anything else. He was seared into my head. My breath would come in short spurts just thinking about it. The kiss made me feel…”
“Alive?” I say.
That’s how Winston made me feel.
Like I could breathe easy for the first time in a long damn time, even though he was stealing the breath from my lungs.
It was a weird sensation, but I want to feel it again so badly.
Kissing him again is all I can think about.
Maybe I’m not confusing my feelings at all…
“No.” Wren breaks into my thoughts. “Horny. Like super horny. Like I could jump his bones at any point in time horny.”
“That sounds…”
“Insane, right?” She nods. “He has a way of doing that too, making me feel crazy—but in a good way. Not one of those look at me wrong and I’ll bury you then help them look for you kinds of crazy, but the okay kind.”
“Okay.” I push off the counter. “You scare me a bit, but I get it.”
Winston makes me crazy too.
Sometimes I think it’s in the bad way, but perhaps that’s because I’m still figuring him out.
Maybe if I let him in a little, he’ll let me in, and it won’t be so scary anymore.
“So…I gotta ask,” Wren starts as I untie my apron and set it on the counter. “Do you, uh, like someone I should know about?”
I gulp.
Wren is my best friend and I know for a fact she’d have no issues with the idea of me being into her brother. She’s chill like that.
But I am by no means ready to tell her about it.
Not because I’m trying to hide anything from her, but because even I don’t understand what’s going on with us right now or how I’m really feeling toward him.
“N-No. It’s not that,” I lie. “I, um, was just curious, is all.” I wave my hand. “Hormones.”
“Right.” She eyes me curiously. “Because if you do like someone, that’s okay. I can put in a good word with them, if you’d like.” She waggles her brows. “He might be new in town, so I don’t know if he’s looking, but based on how he was looking at you at Slice, I bet he’s interested too.”
My brows squish together.
Looking at me at Slice? Who was at Slice? Winston was there, but he was all kinds of pissy that day, so surely she doesn’t mean him.
She has to mean…
“Porter?” I say. “Is that who you’re thinking of?”
She grins. “He’s so cute, isn’t he?”
“No!” I rush out. “Well, I mean, yes. I have eyes and he’s definitely hot, but it’s not Porter. I don’t like him.”
“Oh.” Her lips pull down. “I thought the single-parent thing was a total turn-on for you, given your situation and all.”
Right. My situation.
The one I didn’t even think about until just now because my baby is so ingrained in my soul I forget he’s not everyone’s cup of tea.
I can’t like Winston.
Not only because he doesn’t like me, but because he also doesn’t like kids.
He’s been very explicit about that in the past.
Riker and me? We’re a package deal. While Winston’s letting us stay with him for a while, it’s not permanent by any means. What he’s doing to help us is hugely different than actually raising a kid.
“Well, it’s not him—not that I like anyone,” I stress.
“Right,” she says warily. “You were just curious.”
“Right.” I slide away from the counter. “I’m going to go check on the boys, see if they need any help.”
“I’ll come with ya.”
We load our arms with beers because we know they’ll want some too and make our way back out onto the patio where Winston, Foster, Sully, and—to my surprise—Porter are all lounging on chairs.
Riker’s sleeping in Foster’s arms, and they look so cute together.
“That’s a good look for you,” I say to him.
He grins down at my sleeping baby then sends a wink to his fiancée. “I thought so too.”
I glance between Foster and Wren, wondering if there’s something there they aren’t telling me.
I take a seat in one of the empty chairs, and it just so happens to be between Winston and Porter.
Awesome.
I hand Winston a beer. “Can you let me know when the meat is about ten minutes from being done? I’ll start the mac and cheese then.”
His brows lift and a slow grin starts over his lips.
“Don’t you dare say a word,” I hiss.
He chuckles, accepting the beer, but doesn’t say anything.
“So, Drew,” Porter says from my other side, and I turn toward him. “Wren tells me you’re enjoying being a single mom. Is that true?”
I laugh at his candid question. “It’s an…interesting experience. A little harder to navigate than I thought it’d be, but I’m making it work.”
“Which part is your favorite? The shitty diapers, the constant drool, the crying, or the lack of sleep?”
“It’s definitely the shitty diapers. I can live with those. The crying gives me a headache, the drool is disgusting and constant, and the lack of sleep makes me a raging bitch. Well, more of a raging bitch.”
Porter laughs. “I do not miss those baby days one bit. I never want to go through that again.”
“Really? You’d take the terrible twos over the baby days? I hear those are the worst.”
“Oh, definitely. I have a really good no voice and Kyrie wasn’t about to try to push my buttons.” He leans into me. “My advice? Practice that voice now.”
I chuckle. “Noted.”
“So, uh, what’s with the postnatal baby shower?”
“It’s kind of a long story.” I feel my cheeks heat, because the idea of it does sound silly, but I didn’t have the time to have one before the baby came. I was too busy working myself to the bone to get ready for this new journey in my life.
“You realize you’re supposed to have those before the baby is here, right? That’s when you get all the good loot.”
Winston chimes in. “That’s exactly what I told her, but she doesn’t listen for shit. She’s stubborn.”
“She can hear you,” I say to him.
“He doesn’t give a shit.”
I turn back to Porter. “Sorry about him. He’s the worst.”
“He is not the worst,” Winston insists.
“Lies.”
“Bull.”
“Cannot confirm.”
Winston stares at Foster, Wren, and Sully, who all just turned on him in a heartbeat.
“What the fuck? You’re all awful friends.” He sits forward in his chair, reaching next to him and pinching Riker’s cheek. “Except you. You’re my best friend.”
Foster pulls Riker away. “What the fuck am I? Chopped liver?”
“A traitor,” Winston tells him. “With a little dick.”
“Not true,” Wren insists. “I can attest to this.”
“Unfortunately,” Sully says, “I can too.” He looks to Foster, who’s just grinning. “I can’t believe you slept naked on the couch.”
“I get night sweats,” Foster argues. “Not my fault.”
“Don’t you dare blame your night sweats.” Porter points at him. “You used to get naked all the time. You didn’t even have to be drunk. You have zero humility.”
“Wait a second.” I sit forward. “Has everyone here seen Foster’s dick besides me?”
They all nod, throwing out various affirmative responses.
“Well shit. I feel a little ripped off right now. Like, you all have this mutual bonding experience and I’m left in the dust.”
“I mean, I can show you if you really want me to.” Foster goes to stand, and I rush out of my chair, grabbing Riker.
“Give me my baby before you get naked.”
His hands drop to the button on his jeans.
“Wait! Don’t actually get naked!” I groan. “Oh my god. I can’t believe I’m friends with you people.”
“What do you mean ‘you people’? We’re fantastic,” Wren says.
“You’re something.”
“I am fantastic,” Porter insists. “You don’t know me well enough to say otherwise yet.”
“Fine. You get a pass. The rest of you suck.”
None of them disagree.
“Here.” Wren takes Riker out of my arms. “You sit. Let’s open gifts before the food is ready. Also because I’m eager for you to see what I got you.”
“That scares me.”
“You’re going to love it.”
Wren settles down with Riker while Foster starts handing me gift bag after gift bag. There’s a lot more here than there are people, which tells me they all went above and beyond to make this something special.
Which, I have to admit, I really appreciate, because my supplies are running low.
When I found out I was pregnant, I started buying things slowly every week. By the time he was here, I was stocked up for a while and didn’t need the baby shower I didn’t have time for.
I don’t need it now, but Wren has been insisting for months that we do it, and since I’ve missed my friends lately, I agreed.
By the time I open the last bag, the deck is full of everything I could ever want, and not just the things he’ll need during this stage of his life but items we’ll use for years to come.
My heart feels so full I could burst.
I feel tears start to sting my eyes.
“Shit. I…I need to start the macaroni.”
I race back into the house before they can see me cry.
I bypass the kitchen, knowing Wren will probably follow me inside. I just need a minute totally alone, so I close the door on the laundry room and let the tears finally fall.
There’s a brute knock on the door and I jump from the sudden pounding against my back.
Before I can say anything, Winston shoulders his way inside.
He’s so big and the room is so small. We’re standing chest to chest when he closes the door.
“How’d you know I was in here?”
“Because I know you. You’d want somewhere quiet to cry, being all embarrassed and shit to show emotion in front of everyone. You headed this way, so I took a chance on you coming in here.”
I wipe at my eyes. “Whatever.”
“Why are you crying, Drew?”
“Because everyone is being so nice to me.”
“I’m not.”
I sniffle, laughing at his honesty. “True, but you could be.”
“I could, but I like to think of our sparring matches as foreplay.”
“Winston!”
“What?” he says innocently. “They basically are and you know it.”
“They are not.”
“Are too.”
“Are not! There is nothing between us that’s considered foreplay.”
I try to push around him, but he doesn’t budge.
“Let me out of here. I need to make your stupid mac and cheese.”
“No.”
“Yes. Move, Winston.”
“No.”
His hand comes up, covering my jaw, forcing me to look up into his eyes.
I’m stuck.
Not literally, but I couldn’t move if I wanted to.
Not with the way he’s looking at me.
One hand holding me steady, he trails his other down my arm, his fingertips dancing over my skin. His fingers circle my wrist and he places my hand on his body.
His chest.
His abs.
His hard cock.
“If our sparring matches aren’t foreplay, explain this.”
I gulp, loving the feel of him under my palm.
“Th-That’s just you.”
“It’s not.” He presses closer to me. “I know it’s not.”
“Is too.”
“I could kiss you right now and you’d crumple into my arms. Don’t tell me that’s not true.”
“It’s not,” I repeat. “That’s not true at all.”
His hand tightens on my jaw and he pulls my face closer…pulls my lips closer.
He knows what he’s doing.
I know what he’s doing…what he wants to do.
“This is your last warning, Drew…”
I don’t say anything.
I let it happen.
Slice Twelve
Winston
I was right. She crumpled.
I had to wrap my arm around Drew’s waist to keep her from falling as I claimed her mouth with my own.
I pull my lips from hers, running kisses across her jawline.
“See? I told you so.”
I trail down her neck, biting at her sensitive skin and licking away the sting.
“I’ve thought about kissing you every single night since it first happened. You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted to pull you into me and not let you go until the sun came up.”
She moans.
“You’ve thought about it too, haven’t you?”
“Y-Yes. But, Winston?”
“What?”
“Shut the fuck up and keep kissing me.”
I laugh against her, moving back to her lips. “Yes, ma’am.”
She groans at my words, and the noise has my hips jutting forward, seeking any contact I can get from her.
I grab her ass cheeks, lifting her onto the dryer and pushing between her thighs and pulling her to the edge so I can feel her pussy on my cock.
I reach behind her for the controls.
“What are you doing?”
“Turning this on.” I flip the switch.
“What?” She latches on to me when it kicks to life. “Why?”
“Because I’m about to make you come, and I’d rather they not hear us.”
She gasps as I slide my hands into her hair and pull her toward me, crashing my lips to hers again.
They’re soft.
I hate them and love them all at once.
She moves against me, needing all the same things I do, and I want to give them to her.
“Can I touch you?”
“Are you serious, Winston? If you don’t touch me, I’m about to start touching myself.”
“I’m confused. Is that a threat?” I drag my lips to her ear. “I’ve heard you touch yourself before, Drew, and I’d love to watch it.”
Her breaths stutter. “You h-heard that?”
I nod. “I was on the other side of the door, doing the exact same thing.”
“Were you really?”
“Yes.”
“Shit,” she mutters. “I think I just came.”
“You didn’t, but I can make it happen.”
I slide my hands under her shirt, and she moans again.
“See? Aren’t you glad I turned the dryer on?”
“I’ll be glad when you actually make good on your promises.”
Inching my hands up her body, I cup her breasts.
“If this is your idea of how to make me come, you’re going the wrong way.”
I cough out a laugh, pulling down the cups of her bra and rubbing my thumbs over her pebbled nipples. Her whole body tightens, and she presses her chest out, seeking more contact.
“You’re so bossy when you’re horny.”
“Just when I’m horny?”
“Fair enough.”
I take her mouth again, kissing her until she’s writhing against me.
I kiss down her chin, her neck, over her collarbones until I’m at her breasts and close my mouth over her nipple, sucking it in.
She arches her back, clutching my shoulders tightly when I bite lightly.
“Fucking hell.”
I grin and continue my assault on her tits until she’s basically dry-humping me.
<
br /> When I pull away, I can’t tell if she’s going to beg me to stay or murder me.
I grab her chin, pressing a fast kiss to her lips. “Undo your jeans.”
She follows my instructions without breaking eye contact.
I don’t break it either.
Not when I trace my fingers down her body.
Not when I slip my hand into her panties.
Not when my fingers slide between her wet, hot folds, finding her clit and rubbing gentle circles.
“Don’t even think about it,” I bark as she tries to close her eyes when the pressure becomes too much for her. “I want to watch you come apart.”
“Then you better add another finger,” she says, spreading her legs wider.
I dip two fingers into her pussy, resting my thumb against her clit. I don’t even move my wrist and I can feel her begin to tighten at the invasion.
“Shit, shit, shit,” she mumbles as she pants. “That feels so…fuck.”
I chuckle and she swats, only to gasp at the angle I hit when she moves.
“Do that again,” I tell her.
“What?”
“Ride my hand, Drew. Show me how you want to be touched.”
Her movements are slow at first, unsure, but it doesn’t take her long to find her rhythm.
Rubbing her clit as she gets herself off on my fingers, I cover her moans with my mouth, kissing them away so only I can hear them.
She wrenches her mouth from mine.
“I need to come.”
“Whatever you need.”
“Harder. Fuck me harder.”
I do.
And before I know it, she’s gasping softly, her body tightening around my fingers.
Her breaths come in short spurts as I ease my ministrations, letting her come down from the high she so desperately needed.
I pull my hand from her jeans and lean back, grinning.
“I—”
The laundry room door flies open, whacking me in the back, and I fall into Drew, using my body to shield her from the intruder.
“What the fuck?” I growl.
“Oh, shit. My bad.” Foster’s eyes move back and forth between me and Drew. “Oh. Well, hi, Drew.”
She hides her face in my chest.
“What are you doing in here?”
“I, uh, heard the dryer. It wasn’t on before and since I couldn’t find you in the rest of the house…” He shrugs. “I took my chances.”
“Get the fuck out, Foster!”
I Knead You Tonight Page 12
