Better (The Change Series Book 2)

by Melanie Jayne

  I laughed at the thought of Forde whining-ever.

  Tye winked at me while flashing a huge smile.

  I returned my gaze to Forde and tilted my head, signaling that I wanted him to talk.

  “Since we might’ve made a baby last night.” He gave me that cocky grin, and I swear his eyes sparkled

  “Forde,” I screeched and felt my face go hot. I broke our hand hold and smacked his arm so hard that my hand stung. I couldn’t believe he was saying this in front of Tye. I mean I’d just been introduced!

  “Lay,” he caught my hand, giving a little squeeze. “I want to make sure you and my kids will be taken care of financially if something should happen. Tye can take care of that for us.”

  I could tell he thought that explained everything. I again looked at Tye. What must he think?

  He was watching us and grinning. “Maybe you should let me explain things to her. Why don’t you leave us alone for a few minutes,” Tye said as he typed.

  “Then lunch?” Forde asked.

  “After I shower, yeah, I could eat.” Tye flashed another grin.

  Forde pulled on my hand, which made me fall into him. He caught my chin and kissed me. I tried to shorten it and pull away, but he held strong.

  I guessed the kiss was going to end when Forde decided it would. I knew my cheeks were pink when I finally worked up the courage to look at Tye. Forde didn’t close Tye’s office door, but I heard the click of the door to the hall. “I have no idea what you all are talking about,” I blurted.

  “I can tell.” Tye kept on typing.

  I waited. A million questions were running through my mind. First, I loved it that Forde wanted to show me he cared. But, I wished he would have given me a little warning. Although if he’d discussed it with me, I would have argued, so I guess this way, it worked out for the best. I frowned at how easily he handled me. Damn Forde.

  “I’ll print out a copy for you. We’ll sign the original before we go eat. I know you have some paralegal training, so you can read through everything, but I’ll give you the basics. If Forde is in long-term medical care, you will have immediate access to five million dollars, and every month after, the amount of five thousand will be deposited in an account in your name only. A trust will be established for each child produced with Forde within three days of their birth. At that time, five hundred thousand dollars will be deposited.”

  “Wait,” I held up my hand. “I can’t… all that money?” I fell—yes, collapsed—against the back of the sofa. I was speechless.

  Tye watched me, and then shook his head, “You had no idea did you?”

  “No.”

  “I don’t mean about this,” he gestured at his laptop, “I mean that that he has so much money.”

  “God no.” I let out a breath in a whoosh. “I knew that he was rich, but he’s really richy rich isn’t he?”

  “Yeah, the guy knows how to make the green.” Tye continued typing away.

  I tried to grasp what he had just told me. I was shocked.

  “Well, he wants you protected and comfortable. We need to open an account for you. He wants to deposit the money as soon as possible.”

  I interrupted him. “Don’t tell me anymore.” I tried to follow all of this. “My brain’s going to explode.”

  “No, it’s not,” he told me calmly. “Stop thinking about the numbers and look at the meaning behind it.”

  I tried to calm down as he recommended. “He told me he was good with money, like investments and stuff, but I had no idea.”

  Tye kept smiling as he continued working on his laptop.

  “This wasn’t my idea. Any of it. But it means a lot that he cares.” I wanted Tye to know that. I needed him to believe me.

  He nodded. “Oh, sweetheart, I got that the moment I met you. You aren’t a gold digger—no way, no how.”

  That made me feel a little better.

  “Forde’s like my brother. My dad was his C.O. in the Army, so I’ve known him a long time. Plus, I know him really well.” He paused to let that sink in. “He’s never acted like this. I never met his first wife, but I know that whole deal was a mistake.” Tye shook his head. “He wants to build a life with you.”

  It took everything I had not to ask about the first wife. But it wasn’t Tye’s story to tell. Instead, I tried to calm down. “Don’t you think it’s all rather fast?” I wiped my palms on my thighs. I felt like a broken record. Why was I the only one who thought this was all so crazy, us moving at warp speed?

  Tye’s smile was sincere. “We’re talking about Forde. His gut tells him something, and he acts. And Layla, his gut, it’s always right. Trust me on that.”

  “I’m going to work for him.” I don’t know why I shared that.

  “And if he turns out to suck as a boss, you’ll come work for me.” It was Tye’s turn to give me his version of the shit-eating grin.

  I could see why they got along.

  “With everything that’s going on in your life, it’s a good move. You’ll be safe at Limited, and he won’t be going crazy being away from you.” Tye started typing again. “If you want to have another attorney look this over, but I’m going to ask you to sign it today, and I’ll put in some language that you have thirty days to negotiate changes. Sound fair?”

  “More than fair. I don’t have an attorney.” God, another thing to add to my list.

  “We can be highly improper, and I can tell you it’s a good deal. If you think you’ll need more money, just ask, and he’ll give it to you.” Tye glanced at me.

  “Oh, dear God no.” I felt a little out of control. “I mean, thank you, but I don’t want more.” I rocked back and forth a few times. “The amounts are mind-blowing. I’m still in shock that he would…”

  “Yeah, the guy is totally in protector mode.” I heard the printer start somewhere behind the massive desk. Tye shut the lid to this laptop and made his way to the printer.

  I tried not to hyperventilate as he handed me a heavy gold pen.

  “Listen, I’m happy for you, but I’m really happy for Forde. He deserves someone good in his life. Someone who’ll be there for him.” Tye pointed to where I should sign.

  I did with a shaky hand.

  I felt like I was dreaming. This was all so surreal. Forde had just changed my life. I knew he cared, really cared, but now it was in black and white. I was hungry, but I wished we could go home so I could tell and show him what this meant to me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Something had definitely shifted within Layla after our meeting with Tye. I knew it wasn’t the money. She really didn’t seem to care about that. In fact, I think it embarrassed her that I had so much. Throughout lunch, it seemed as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She laughed with us and touched me. She’d never pushed my hand away, but now she made the move to hold my hand, to lean into me.

  She’d insisted on stopping at the grocery on the way back to the condo. Surprisingly, I enjoyed it. It was fun to watch her shop while we discussed our likes and dislikes. The woman wanted to get into the kitchen and create. I was too selfish to say no.

  Osi and Rick had stopped in before they hit the streets to go over a few things. She made sandwiches and baked cookies for the boys. Then she fell asleep on the sofa in the man cave while I watched a college football game. I liked this. Hell, I loved it. I wanted to get used to this.

  I woke later in bed when I heard the vibration of an incoming text. I checked my phone. The update was nothing that needed to be dealt with tonight. Before I tried to go back to sleep, I dropped a kiss onto her shoulder. Then another.

  She shifted, her ass rubbing against my rapidly hardening cock.

  This time, my lips made a trail from her shoulder to her back.

  “Hmm.” She tilted her neck for maximum exposure.

  I smoothed her hair away from her neck and kissed her there. “Babe, you awake?” I whispered, my mouth close to her ear. />
  “Maybe,” she slurred sleepily. “Depends.”

  I chuckled while moving my hand over her waist, travelling lower on her body.

  She shifted so that her legs opened. She knew my goal.

  I ran my hand over her mound.

  She rolled onto her back and opened her legs a little wider, giving my fingers greater access. “Want you.” She still sounded sleepy.

  “I’ll go slow,” I promised as I traced my finger along her inner lips.

  She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and wiggled a little to push her shoulder under my chest. “Slow would be good.” She lifted her head and kissed me. “Then fast and hard.”

  “We’ll see.” I dipped my finger into her channel. Fuck, she was ready and wet.

  She lifted her hips and opened her legs even wider.

  I moved over her, kissing her deeply. I wished I’d turned on a light. I wanted to see her clearly when we were like this. “Layla put me in.”

  She gave a deep sexy laugh. “So needy.” She worked her hand between us and lined me up with her opening.

  I moved my hips forward slowly until I filled her. God, I loved how tight she was around me. Slowly, I moved back and paused with just the head of my cock inside her. The muscles in my arms tensed.

  “Lucien,” she begged as she moved her hands to my ass.

  I moved again, keeping a slow tempo. God, it was killing me.

  Her hands were halfway up my back, and she held me, her cheek against mine. “Lucien, I want…I need,” she panted.

  “Tell me,” God, please, I needed to hear the words. I didn’t want to scare her with my hunger, my desire for all of her.

  “Harder, please.” Her voice cracked as she dug her nails into my back.

  Thank fuck, I lifted her knees higher and increased my speed and my weight on her.

  “Yessss,” she hissed as I hit something good. She raked my skin.

  I was lost in the sounds of our fucking. The feeling of her heat, her body holding me tight. When I ran my fingernail lightly over her clit, Lay bit my shoulder.

  “More, Lucien,” she urged.

  I pushed her knees higher as I went up on my knees. I couldn’t keep her like this very long. I knew it had to be putting a lot of pressure on her shoulder and ribs that were still tender. I pumped with short strokes. God, my balls were burning, and I was close.

  I felt her clamp down around my cock, those muscles holding me as my woman let out a cry.

  I joined her.

  I was on top of her. She’d dropped her legs but they were still wrapped around me and I needed to move. She couldn’t be comfortable under my bulk. I started to push myself up, but she tightened her body around me.

  “No,” she said breathlessly. “Stay.”

  “Am I your dog now?” I teased, but I stayed put.

  “Hmmm, isn’t there a position that has something to do with a dog?” She ran a hand through my hair.

  “Yeah, doggie style.” My mind went there. Well, it went a little farther, because she had a succulent ass.

  “We need to do that.” She ran her hands over my shoulders.

  I shifted my hand under her side and took her with me as I rolled onto my back. “Now?” I smiled at her.

  She pushed her hair off of her face. “Well, maybe not right now, but soon.”

  “My woman’s feeling adventurous.” I let her hear the laughter in my voice.

  She shifted and tried to sit up. “I don’t know about that.”

  I felt my cock leave her warmth, but I stopped her from moving away from me. “Lay, if you want to try new things, it’s all right.” I ran my hand over her soft skin.

  She settled against my body. “There’s a lot I don’t know,” she said against my chest.

  “That’s not such a bad thing.” I didn’t have a problem that she didn’t have a great deal of sexual experience. That was something I could remedy. In fact, I looked forward to enlightening her.

  She ran her finger along my jaw line, lightly stroking the sensitive skin. “I guess I could do some research.”

  “What do you have in mind?” I was curious about what she was thinking.

  She continued stroking my jaw. She had to be biting her damn lip, but I couldn’t see her clearly from this angle. “Like watch some porn, I guess,” she whispered.

  Fuckin’ kill me now. “We could do that together.” I ran my hand along her ribs, stroking the side of her full breast. “You see something you want to try, you could tell me.”

  She raised her head and looked at me. “That’s not weird?”

  I knew she was trying to see my expression in the dark. “Fuck no, it’s hot.” I kissed her hard to prove my point.

  I felt her body relax a little. I continued kissing her and made a note to scan through some sites for the next night.

  Things heated up, and I think she enjoyed being on top. However, my woman really got off on reverse cowgirl. I loved how open she was in bed with just a little encouragement and guidance. I hoped that transferred to the shower, the kitchen, and the office.

  “Jesus, I’m going to go into a diabetic coma. It’s just not right to call them apple pancakes when they’re ninety percent sugar.” We were sitting at the breakfast bar. Layla had insisted on making breakfast.

  She waived her fork at me. “I thought after all of the stuff we did last night and this morning that we might need some extra energy.”

  “Feeling a little worn out, are you?” I teased and shoved another bite of the pancake in my mouth. I was going to have to add more minutes to my workout if this was how she cooked every day.

  She blushed prettily and smiled as she ducked her head.

  It hit me right in the chest that she could sit there blushing after demanding I fuck her harder. What was the saying? A lady in the street and a freak in the bed… I liked it, all of it.

  “So, uh, Tye mentioned about you being married before, and you’ve never said anything more about it since the night of the fire.” She took a sip of her juice and looked at me over the rim of the glass.

  Fuuuck. “Yeah, that was a long time ago.” I leaned back in the chair. “I was young and dumb. I let my cock do the thinking.”

  She put her glass down carefully. “So, it didn’t last long?”

  I knew she was trying to ask carefully, and I hated that she thought she needed to. “I was twenty-four and on leave. She was twenty and looking for an adventure. She wanted out from under her family, and I was a means to that end.”

  Her gaze softened. “Oh.” She moved her hand to my thigh.

  “Tessa’s family owned a ranch in Texas, and she was supposed to marry the guy from the family with land that bordered their property. She felt trapped, so she married me instead.” I shrugged.

  “So, what happened? I mean, if you want to tell me.” She sounded hesitant, like she was worried I wouldn’t tell her.

  “I’ve got no problem telling you. I should have told you earlier, but I hate the story.” I put my fork down and covered her hand. “I hate it that I was so stupid.”

  “Because she hurt you?”

  “No, because I was a dumb shit, and I really don’t want you to think that about me.” I gave her a one-shoulder shrug.

  “You were young.” She turned her hand so that our palms were touching and linked our fingers. “And horny.” She dropped her head and bit her lip.

  Jesus, she was cute when she turned shy. “Tessa was hot, and I was getting ready to ship out. I liked the idea that someone would be waiting for me to come home.” I took a drink of my lukewarm coffee.

  “I’ll get you fresh.” She started to pull away.

  “No, it’s okay.” I didn’t want her moving away. “So, while I was in Germany, she moved back to Texas and hooked up with the guy next door. The one she said that she didn’t want anything to do with.”

  “Oh no,” she said, sounding a little outraged. “That’s just w
rong.”

  “I got called into my C.O.’s office, Tye’s dad, and there was a guy in a suit waiting to see me. Tessa was pregnant with the guy’s kid and needed a quick divorce. Her daddy was more than willing to pay me to make that happen.” I smiled ruefully. “That’s where I got the seed money for my investments.”

  “The baby wasn’t yours?” Her voice shook.

  “The lawyer said it wasn’t—I asked.” I ran my hand through my hair. “Even if it had been, I wouldn’t have been able to fight the Roberts family.”

  “What a bitch!” Layla growled. “I can’t believe she would use you like that and then cheat. You were serving your country.” Her eyes were flashing.

  I wanted to laugh at her outrage. “There was plenty of blame to go around, Lay. I was impetuous. I got blinded by all of the sex. She needed an escape. We both made mistakes.” Now, I wanted some coffee.

  “But still, I hate that it happened to you.”

  “I look at it as something I learned from.” I leaned over, kissed her cheek, then stood and headed to the coffee maker. “The shit I’ve been through, it’s how I know this is a good thing.” I grabbed the pot and brought it back to fill her cup. “I know you’re a really good thing.” I kissed the top of her head, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. “The best damn thing in my life.”

  She pulled me in closer and held on to me.

  Chapter Fifteen

  I loved working at Limited. Sure, I dropped calls the first couple of days, but everybody was cool about it. Rick and Osi thought it was hilarious when I would almost have a stroke panicking about how to get the caller back on the line. They were thrilled that I missed the chance to book in office appointments for them. I got the feeling Osi and Rick preferred the type of cases where they were out of the office as opposed to sitting at a desk anyway. They were men of action not the type who liked to be tied to a desk.