My gut clenches as Thea asks me about the call. I release one hand off the wheel and rub between my eyes. “Can we not discuss the call, babe?”
“You’re going back to the cold, distant guy,” she says, placing her delicate hands on my thigh. “Remember what we agreed?”
I do. Guilt about my behavior for the remainder of the party presses down on me. Neither one deserved the sullen behavior, but I just couldn’t plaster a smile when my family is pushing me so far. Just a couple days ago, Mother sent me a mock-up invitation for my engagement party. A holiday theme. Suggesting we marry by New Year’s Day. If I give her an unlimited access to my funds, she’ll be able to have the festivities ready by that day.
“How can I help you?” Her sweet voice isn’t doing the job tonight. Nothing is helping shove away the swirling thoughts. Not even my girl.
“I don’t know, babe,” I respond, patting her hand. “I swear I have everyone on top of me.” “My parents, my sister, Jacob. Deadlines, staff, spreadsheets, and whatnot. The only easy thing I have is you, so can we not rehash my problems tonight?”
She kisses my cheek, and we keep our hands interlaced. During the car ride we both remain silent.
When we're about to arrive at her home, I give her an in because part of what we discussed earlier today is that I don’t open easily. “My father’s business is in trouble,” I share, because one thing is true: I need our old relationship back. “They’re pressing for me to head back.” I laugh as we pull into the parking lot of her place, then open the small compartment in between the passenger and the driver’s seat, showing her the invitation. “Mother sent this. They can’t fathom that I won’t be doing what they say, that I won’t marry Victoria. Neither one can accept my girlfriend. Can you imagine what’ll happen when I say, ‘By the way, I have a boyfriend too’?”
“I’m sorry, Coop. I wish I could make you forget,” she whispers, about to open her door. “Make it better.”
And I know that she does, but what can you do when you have a family like the one I have? I place an arm on top of her chest. “Allow me.” I kiss her chin before taking the car keys out of the ignition and getting her. “Do you want me to come by tomorrow for a run?”
“Come upstairs, Coop.” She pulls me by the hand after opening the building door. “I’ll make you some tea. We can talk, and you can tell me whatever you feel comfortable with, or we can just hang out.”
I stop her mid-step, grab her by the waist, and take her mouth. I need her so fucking much, that tonight I can’t be gentle. The kiss is possessive, hard with an edge. Thea doesn’t protest. She lets me dominate her full lips, while my hands roam her curvy body. Jesus, I missed her soft and warm body. Our kisses haven’t gone too far and I’ve restrained myself, but tonight it’s impossible. I get harder and harder by the second. Fuck, I have to stop.
“Upstairs,” she mumbles, untangling her arms from my body.
We jog to the fourth floor, and slam the door shut the moment we walk into her apartment while I push her against the wall. I tilt her face back and drag my lips along her jaw, down to her neck, pushing the knitted sweater down with my hands along with her dress. I continue nipping her naked torso. Long live the hatred of bras.
“Not against the wall, Tristan,” she protests, pushing me back. “I don’t want to have sex. If you can’t love me, let me love you.”
Whatever got into her head has nothing to do with my dick trying to slide inside her and fill her with everything I have. Thrust hard and fast until she can’t take me anymore. She takes me with her into the bedroom. I stare at her slender, toned legs. Fuck, I want her so badly. At her bed, she pushes me down. Her eyes don’t leave me. She straddles me and pulls my shirt over my head. I place my hands on her hips, fidgeting with the elastic of her panties.
She palms my bare chest, her nails teasing my skin. “I,” she emphasizes, kissing my eyes, then my nose, “am,” she continues, with my cheeks, and then my ears, “in charge, big boy.”
“Why?” I ask, mesmerized by this version of Thea who’s trying to take charge of the situation.
“Because you need love, Coop. Not a quick release.” She kisses my collarbone. “Because you said you want me back. This is me giving myself to you, Coop. Maybe I’m not ready to give you some memories, but I can give you my present and my future.”
Woman on top. This is different from the usual, but I think I like it. Thea slides up on my lap, aligning her crotch with my bulge. I touch her skin, sliding my hands along her ribs and back. Thea arches her back, her chest comes closer to mine, and our mouths are only a few inches apart. She bends slightly, pressing her plump lips against mine. A soft moan escapes her as our tongues begin to dance, a gentle slow dance where we connect, becoming inseparable, entangled. Each movement consumes me with passion. My hands join the pace. Her hips are swaying on top of me, and my dick is building pressure with the friction.
I want to strip her, slide inside her, fuck her, but I don’t. As she’s leading with her heart, I decide that mine should follow. Let her love me, as I love her. She’s pushing her limits. She’s giving herself. I shut down the outside world to receive and reciprocate the precious gift I’m being offered. To give what I’ve never given before, love instead of a quick fuck.
My hands run over her breasts, her nipples harden as I tease them, and her crotch moves faster against my dick. Sweet Jesus, she has to stop with this decadent torture before I explode. Though this is her game.
“Fucking gorgeous,” I say, fitting one of her tits into my mouth. I cup her other breast as I flick the one inside my mouth with my tongue. Suck it and nibble on it until I hear a guttural moan. Heat runs through my body, and my cock hardens with the sweet sounds she makes with my touch. Wanting more, I repeat the same ministration on the other side. Though this time my hands move over her stomach, going down. My palm feels it quivering as her breathing hitches. My fingers dip below her sex. Fuck, she’s wet and ready.
“Pants off,” she says urgently.
She gets off my lap, shedding out of her silky pair of lacy panties. For several breaths I hold her bright stare—it emanates passion, sweetness, love . . . lust. There’s nothing more precious than her and that lust-heavy gaze she’s giving me. I scoop her from the floor and place her in the middle of the bed. Our gazes meet as my tongue travels over her soft belly and down to the only barrier I have to claim her as mine. With both hands I push them lower; my mouth follows until I find her tasty pussy.
“Coop,” she moans as I lick her slit. Perhaps it’s a plea, or something else, but I like it. I like her calling my name as I touch her, as I kiss her.
Placing my hands on her thighs to open her legs wider, I bury my face in between them. I flick my tongue along her clit, then take it in my mouth and suck it. Her hips grind against my face—she sets the rhythm, my tongue follows, and I slide a finger inside her entrance to increase her pleasure. In and out, we continue until she cries my name out loud. Her legs quiver and the whispery moans make me harder, if it’s possible.
Making my way up, I kiss the inside of her thighs, her belly button, her puckered nipples, and finally her lips. We go full circle, meeting where we started.
Thea rolls me over onto my back. She stretches her body to reach into her nightstand and straightens, handing me a foiled square. In record time I tear the wrapper and roll it on.
“Sit,” she orders with a sweet voice.
As I do, she lifts herself and then covers my cock with her hot, wet pussy.
“Fuck,” I mutter as her tight, sweet pussy grips my dick. Immediately, I try to pump inside her, but she shakes her head. “What, why?”
“My show, Coop,” she says, lifting her hips and then sliding back on. “This has to be slow, gentle, like the tango. Our legs tangled, the same way our hearts should be.”
“Hug my waist with your legs, baby.”
She does, so I palm her back and plummet toward the bed, rolling her onto her back. My heart skips a few beat
s as her long, colorful strands of hair spread over the pillow. “Lovingly and slowly you say?” She nods. I lean back in and take her luscious lips. This time I take charge of the motion but it is the same pace she set from the beginning. “We’ll try slow, but take into account that I haven’t had sex in quite some time. I won’t last too long, baby.”
My cock is throbbing inside her, and I know it will only take a few thrusts and I’ll come undone. It’s been so fucking long since I’ve been inside a woman, and tonight I’m making love to my woman. The probabilities of lasting are against me, but for her I’m going to fight the urge and make it right. Going with slow motions, I resume our kissing, but the demanding little vixen is the one who changes the pace. The pace doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the moment—our moment—being connected in the most profound way that any human being can be connected when in love. Her eyes are filled with love, her soul is bare to me, and the light she has is calling my name, telling me to follow it. Assuring me I’ll find eternal happiness.
We thrust against each other, wrapped in a package of love, wanton pleasure that’s about to explode. The tingling sensation in my groin begins to grow as I teeter close to the edge. Just as I’m about to come, jerking inside Thea, her pussy throbs around me making me come harder as I thrust deeper and deeper inside her.
“I love you, Butterfly.” I kiss her shoulder once my hitched breathing is under control, then move my lips lower and kiss a small butterfly tattoo. “Thank you for teaching me so much in such a little time.”
“Teaching?” She caresses my face with her long fingers.
“How to love, baby. This is all you.” I dispose of the condom and hold her against my body. Enjoying her for a few more minutes, forgetting the reality that’ll hit me tomorrow.
“I love you, Coop, never forget that.”
Matt’s legs bounce in wild motion, his hands drumming against his thighs. The speed and strength of his limbs make me stay away from him. I want to squeeze his knee to calm him. Perhaps give him a hug, but I opt to sit by his side while we wait for the doctor to update us on his grandma’s condition.
“Matthew James, stop,” AJ commands, making me jolt. The entire family is edgy. I wish I could do something for them, but like them, I wait. “You're driving everyone crazy.”
“Really, dude, air drumming is so last century.” Jacob walks toward us and takes a seat right next to his brother. “You're scaring your girl with all that nonsense. You’re scaring me, so can you keep it down? What happened to silence is golden?”
“That caged animal imitation is perfect, Mattie.” AJ rises from her seat and stands in front of us. “But keep it up and I'll throw you out of the window.”
I place an arm around Matt, kissing his arm. “Anything I can do to take away your stress?” He’s usually the laid-back one of the triplets—never stresses—or at least he covers it pretty well. Not today. “Ask and you shall receive,” I whisper.
Matt’s neck angles my way and a mischievous glint flashes in those playful blue eyes.
He opens his mouth when Chris says, “I hate hospitals. You three make them intolerable.”
I move my attention to where he and his husband sit. His bright eyes crinkle, amused as he watches his three children, then he diverts his attention to his husband. Gabe’s elbows rest on his legs, his head hangs on his hands. The man mirrors his son’s anguish. Chris traces circles on his back, easing the tension on his stiff spine. Without giving it a thought, I copy it and do the same with Matt.
“We complained when they were babies,” Chris comments using a light voice, I guess trying to distract his husband. “But they’re worse now. Mattie, walk out the nerves. You too, Jacob. That's why Matt’s all wired up; you’re too chatty. AJ, don't yell at your brothers, and head out with them to make sure they don't kill each other.”
The three frown as they watch their father. Chris gives them a stern glare and waits for them. Neither one moves, so he points at the door and raises his voice. “Now.”
“Dude, we’re not five,” Jacob complains as Matt pushes him lightly with his fist and they both laugh.
“I’m your father, and that’s how you’re behaving,” Chris retorts. “Gabe and Grandpa James need peace while they wait for the doctor to give us the good news that your grandma is out of surgery, and on her way to recovery.”
“Let's go,” I say, grabbing Matt by the arm. “We can find you something better to do.”
“Like the janitor’s closet,” he suggests close in my ear, making me shiver. “There are a few things that may relax me.”
“Twink, let’s go and find our own closet,” Jacob announces too loudly.
“You two are disgusting,” AJ complains, but she rushes through the doorway with Mason in hand. “Come on, Ten, you’re the expert. Let’s find something roomier than a closet.” The couple disappear too quickly through the stream of people walking down the street.
I have second thoughts about being outside the private waiting room. The noise, the crowd, and the lack of sleep hits me like an industrial hammer. Forget the closet, I have to search for a coffee shop, or go back to the cafeteria for some dark caffeinated liquid to bring me back to life.
“So, why is it that broody man didn’t join us?” Jacob doesn’t catch up with his sister, nor does he try to escape with his wife either.
“Work. He’s dealing with stuff.” Matt grips my hand too tightly. He’s pissed that Tristan chose his family over him. At ten, Tristan sent a text saying he couldn’t make it. There were other pressing matters. Matt didn’t say a word, but it did add to the tension in his back. His grandma’s health is more important than a board meeting. “Not everyone is like us that can take a day off and make it up on a Sunday morning.”
Jacob stares at his brother, then switches his scrutinizing gaze toward me. “I smell BS,” he sneers. “You know the ass forbids me to talk about his relationship with you in public. Not sure what the three of you are doing, but . . .” he pats Matt’s back, “I’m here if you need me, bro.”
I flash a plea to Pria. Matt can’t have this conversation right now. She nods.
“Car,” Pria proposes, taking his hand. “We brought your truck; how about the back of the cabin?”
Jacob grins, his face brightens, and he gives her that Decker smirk that only means trouble. “Oh, Twinkle, I knew you’d convert sooner or later, kinky girl.” He salutes us. “Please, don’t call if you need me.”
The truck, in plain daylight? “Are they for real?” I ask Matt as I see them fighting the crowd to get to the parking lot.
“No. Pria is too prudish for that.” Matt snakes his arm around my waist and kisses my neck. “That’s a way to ditch each other without saying much. I think that being in the same room waiting for some news was a bad idea. We all worry about her—Grandma. She’s the closest thing we have to a maternal figure. The reason why she favors us is because she really tried to be a mother. Never messed with my fathers’ parenting, but she added a lot.”
Matt’s lips stretch, his dimple shows, and he sighs. “She and Grandpa James took us to Disney World. All those trips you usually take with your parents were with my grandparents.”
This family is a fairy tale I want to belong to. I never met my grandparents. My father was in foster care, and my mother . . . she never speaks about her family. “Your grandparents are amazing. Grandma Janine is very special.”
I’ve come to care for them, but his grandma, I adore her. When I visit AJ and Gracie, sometimes Janine is there and she talks to me about Albany. Insists that we have to go there for Christmas so we can ice skate on the pond. Lucky for me, since this year she can’t travel because of the surgery, Mason, Matt, and Jacob are trying to find a way to recreate the pond in one of the empty lots that Matt owns.
“They are, and they like you a lot. Now tell me, Butterfly, what should we do for the next couple of hours?”
“Find a closet?” I release a big laugh as we encounter a coffee shop
. The beauty of living in Seattle is that we have caffeine-induced drinks in almost every corner. “Or walk around. I’m all yours, after I have them inject some coffee directly to my veins.”
Since last Friday, I haven’t gotten much sleep, maybe a couple hours here and there. Matt wakes pretty easily and each time he has to teach me a new loving technique. That’s how he calls sex these days. I’m not complaining, because the man knows his techniques and each time he makes me want more and more. But my body is starting to feel the effects of those lost hours of sleep.
Matt opens the door for me, whispering in my ear as I walk by him, “Are you tired, Butterfly?” I roll my eyes and walk to the cashier who by some miracle is alone. “You had the night all to yourself.”
A barely legal boy with midnight hair and green eyes smiles as he greets us, saving me from having to give him an explanation of why I’m tired and how I had no sleep at all. “Welcome to Paradise Coffee. What can I get you?”
“Double shot grande Americano for my lady,” Matt orders for me, giving me that I-know-everything-about-you grin. “An extra grande hot chocolate with extra whip for me.”
Matt pays, gives yet another bizarre name for the order, and leaves a generous tip inside the jar. Placing an arm around me, we walk toward the pick-up counter.
“Now are you going to tell me why you didn’t sleep?”
This should be easy to answer. Then why is it that my ears are buzzing with pressure and my face has heated so quickly? There’s a verbal agreement. We all know what our relationship entails. Do we really know? Maybe we should sit down and write a manual. At least a presentation with bullet points, so when we have moments like this, I don’t have to explain myself.
Matt’s mouth kisses my temple and it traces a line all the way down to my ear. “So you finally solved your intimacy issues with your boyfriend?” I squeeze my eyes, scrunch my nose, and nod. “Hallelujah. That poor boy needed some sex. Maybe he’ll be less moody when I give him a piece of my mind for leaving us hanging today.”
Uncut (Unexpected Book 4) Page 25
