by Nikki Ashton
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“Yeah, darlin’, really.”
I was also starting to get hot, so I kicked the covers off myself, pushing them down to the bottom of the bed.
“You’ll get cold,” Katie said, looking down at the pile of covers.
“I can think of a way we can keep warm.”
Katie started to giggle and slapped at my arm. “That was so cheesy. Really Dex, I thought you were much cooler than that.”
“What do you want me to say then?” I asked, wrapping an arm around her waist and dragging her to me.
“I like it when you talk dirty,” she whispered. Her gaze went to mine and then down to my lips.
“You do, eh? Okay, I’m gonna fuck you so long and hard we’re both gonna get hot and sweaty.”
“Is that so?”
“Yep, it sure is,” I groaned into her ear. “Now get on your back, and open your damn legs because I’m gonna go down on you first.”
Katie gulped and sucked on her bottom lip and she looked so damn seductive and sexy my dick went hard as a steel rod.
“Dex,” she said hesitantly.
“Yeah.”
“Do you think I can practice my blow jobs as well?”
My face broke into a smile as I pulled her closer, kissing her hard and long.
Yep, best decision I ever made grabbing a pizza that night.
Katie and I were eating a late breakfast. Having fallen back to sleep after our dawn sex session, I’d woken up ravenous and decided to treat her to my scrambled eggs.
“Okay?” I asked, watching Katie put a forkful of egg and toast into her mouth.
She nodded while she chewed.
“Amazing,” she finally said, swallowing her food. “What’s in them?”
“Ah, now that would be a secret.” I grinned, taking a sip of my coffee.
They had a little mustard mixed with a spoonful of mayonnaise in, a little trick Cherry’s mom had taught me.
“A family recipe?”
“Something like that,” I replied, pushing away my empty plate. “The mom of an old friend taught me.”
I wasn’t going to tell Katie that old friend was Cherry. We’d spent our first night and breakfast together, so I wasn’t going to spoil it by discussing old girlfriends.
“Well they’re bloody lovely.” Katie swallowed her last mouthful and then sat back in her chair, rubbing her stomach. “God, I’m absolutely stuffed. I don’t think I’ll be able to move for at least an hour.”
I reached for Katie’s plate and stacking it with my own took them over to the sink, rinsed them off and then put them into the dishwasher. Grabbing a towel to dry my hands, I turned around to see Katie watching me.
“What?” I asked.
She sighed and shook her head. “I just…” She stopped talking and chewed on her bottom lip.
“Go on, tell me.” I threw the towel on the side and leaned back against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest.
Katie’s face colored up as she took a deep breath. “I just feel so lucky to have met you,” she rushed out. “I never thought I’d meet anyone at my age, least of all someone like you. You’re patient and kind and charming, not to mention bloody good to look at.”
“That’s all good to know, darlin’, so don’t ever feel you can’t tell me how you feel.”
She started to pick at a button on her over-sized shirt, averting here gaze from mine.
“Hey, Katie Cat,” I said, walking toward her. “What’s wrong?”
I stooped down in front of her and taking her chin in my hand, lifted her head, wanting to see those pretty pale blue eyes of hers.
“Katie, darlin’, talk to me.”
“I’m so happy,” she replied, swallowing. “I just don’t want this to end, but I have no clue as to whether I’m doing it right. It’s been so bloody long since I did this, things have changed so much. I mean Mandy says there’s even bloody trends on sexual positions these days. How the hell am I supposed to know if I’m doing the right things, saying the right things, wearing the bloody right things?”
“I just want you to be you,” I replied. “I don’t want our relationship to feel like it’s difficult for you.”
“It isn’t,” she protested. “I love it, and am enjoying it more than you’ll ever know, but what if I cock this up? You know I have no capacity to keep my mouth shut, and I really want to tell you how I feel, but am scared you might not want to hear it. I’m not young and I don’t have a tight little gym body and I hate the idea that one day you might meet someone better, and that in itself makes me feel stupid, because we’re so new.”
Her adorable little chin wobbled and I knew that this was as much about Sophie as it was about me.
“Hey,” I soothed, running a hand over her hair. “I told you, I know what I want, and that happens to be you. As for the future, no one can predict that, but I have no plans to go anywhere. You don’t think I’m scared too?”
“Why would you be scared?” she asked, frowning at me.
“Because I really like you and I don’t want to mess it up either. I’m scared your kids will hate me and that’ll be a deal breaker for you. And I’m more than a little concerned that Carl seems to be regretting letting you go, and when I see him looking at you, I’m fucking scared I might just punch him on the fucking nose.”
She laughed at that and cupped my face with her cool palm.
“You have nothing to worry about over Carl.”
I shrugged. “I know what I see, Katie, and that man has a lot of regret in his eyes. I know I can be a better partner for you than he ever was, but you guys have history and three kids and it doesn’t matter how great the orgasms are that I give to you darlin’, I can’t compete with that.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Katie replied with a grin. “Those orgasms are pretty awesome.”
I laughed and leaned in for a quick kiss.
God, she fucking slayed me.
“I thought we’d agreed no more over thinking.”
“I’m not, I swear.” Katie shook her head vigorously. “I’m not going to run away or end things because of my fears. Honestly, I’m not, but it just struck me how I felt and I wanted to tell you, but something stopped me and that made me feel a little sad.”
“Darlin’, please be yourself with me. I like you for who you are. I like that you have no filter on that sexy mouth of yours. I like that your kid blew chunks all over me. I like that every day is a new fucking adventure wondering what mess you’re gonna get into. I like everything about you and us. We’re doing this together darlin’ and as long as we’re honest, I think we’re gonna be pretty awesome.”
“I know, and I do too,” Katie said. “It’s my insecurities and I’m trying really hard to let go of them.”
“Good, now tell me again, what it is you like about me.” I leaned forward. “But before you do that, gimme those lips Katie Cat.”
As Katie leaned in to kiss me, my cell rang in my back pocket. I groaned, knowing I should answer it as I was expecting a call from my accountant.
“Hold that kiss, one minute,” I said, holding up a finger and grabbing my cell with my other hand.
It was international again. Cursing and shaking my head, I dropped the call.
“Didn’t you want to speak to them?” Katie asked through pursed lips.
I burst out laughing. “When I said hold that kiss I didn’t mean literally.”
Katie shrugged. “I wanted to be ready for you.”
“Good thinking.”
I kissed her and proved her wrong when she said she wouldn’t be able to move for an hour. She moved pretty good, riding me hard on her kitchen floor, while I gave her another of those amazing orgasms she was so damn fond of.
Katie
I was feeling edgy and had no idea why. Dex and I were taking all the kids out to dinner, along with my mother, and the prospect was making my stomach churn.
It’d been a week since our relationsh
ip had progressed and Dex had decided we needed to all go out together so he could get to know the kids better.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know them, because he’d met them all, albeit Annie only fleetingly, but he wanted them all together, so that in his words ‘I can show them I’m serious about you Katie Cat.’ This made me a little nervous, because add my mother into the mix and anything could happen.
“You ready to go, darlin’?” he asked
“Hmm and you’re sure you don’t mind taking the boys while Annie and I go and pick up my mum?”
“Nope.” Dex leaned in and gave me a quick kiss. “Boys are in the car, so I’ll get going and see you at the restaurant.”
I nodded and followed him out.
“Okay, so when Harry said I looked pretty, Penny Watson gave me the dirtiest look,” Annie said, regaling us all with tales of her new boyfriend.
“Are you sure he said pretty and not shitty?” Isaac quipped, grinning over the rim of his glass.
Annie glared at him and then turned to me. “Why does he still live with us?” she asked.
“Because he’s my baby and I love him. You still live with me because I promised your dad I wouldn’t throw you out, not until you could fend for yourself. Seeing as you still can’t make your bed properly, or manage to get dirty clothes into the washing basket, you have to stay a little longer.”
Dex grinned, Isaac and Charlie laughed, and my mum pulled Annie into a hug, kissing her temple.
“Take no notice of the horrible woman,” Mum soothed. “She doesn’t mean it Princess.”
“And that is exactly why she is a princess,” I replied.
So far so good, as far as the big family dinner was concerned. Mum had preened and flirted with Dex and he had flirted back. Even Annie seemed enamored with him, telling him all about her plans to do business at University.
“Mum’s always being mean to me, Nana,” Annie announced. “She much prefers the boys – her little princes.”
“I don’t,” I cried. “I find you all equally annoying.”
Charlie grinned. “Except for me, hey Mum.”
He looked up through his fringe with big, expressive, brown pools and it melted my heart. He was the most loveable kid, who was always trying to do the right thing by both me and his dad. My sweet natured boy.
“Yeah, Mummy’s favorite,” Annie grunted.
I looked at Isaac, who was sitting quietly, watching us all and our conversation on the night that he was arrested came back to haunt me.
“I love you all,” I stated, ruffling Charlie’s hair. “I couldn’t imagine, for one minute, what my life would be like without any of you. You’re my life; all three of you.”
Dex reached for my hand and squeezed it, understanding where my emotion was coming from.
“They’re still your favorites,” Annie stated, pretty forcefully.
“Oh Annie, they’re not and you know it. I don’t have a favorite.”
“Yes you do, and it’s not me.” Her voice rose, causing me to rear back. “You always take their side,” she continued.
I looked at her and saw consternation on her face. She actually believed what she was saying.
“You can’t really think that,” I protested.
“Yes, actually I do. You always take their side over everything. They never have to clean the lounge or do chores just to get a lift. They always get whatever they want for takeaway tea. They get to speak back to you. They-.”
“Hey, Annie.” Dex’s deep voice broke in. “How about you cut your mom a break.”
He said it without any edge to his tone, but I knew that he was being serious – and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. He was right, she needed to be told to stop talking back at me, but that was my job. This was the first time we’d been out with the kids, his first proper meeting with Annie, and I really didn’t like him speaking to her in that way.
I looked at Annie, who was staring at Dex with her mouth open, and if I knew my daughter as well as I thought I did, she was preparing to tell Dex that he had no right speaking to her that way, and I agreed with her. It riled me to think that Dex thought it was okay to chastise my daughter. That was my job, if necessary, and certainly not his and I could feel the anger bubbling inside of me.
I leaned closer to Dex and whispered in his ear.
“You got a minute outside?”
He nodded, pushed out of his chair, and followed me out into the car park.
“Before you say anything,” he started, with his hands on his hips. “I get that I have no right, I’m not their dad, but I hate disrespect and she was disrespecting you. Don’t matter whether she’s your daughter or a stranger on the street, I’d say the same.”
I sighed and blinked slowly. “I appreciate you have your viewpoint, but I really don’t want you telling my kids how to behave. I’m quite capable of doing that, thank you. If she needs to be told to stop acting like a princess, I neither want nor need you to do it for me.”
“Well then, we have a problem,” he said. “Because I’m gonna kinda find it difficult to keep my counsel if I hear you being disrespected. I can keep quiet with all the other stuff – that’s down to you and Carl – but manners and respect mean a lot to me, and I’m not sure I can keep my mouth shut. It was how I was brought up darlin’ and there’s nothing changing that.”
“So what you’re saying is, you don’t think I can educate my own kids on manners, or maybe you don’t think they have good manners to start with?”
“I never said that.” He shook his head. “I like your kids, they’re great kids. I just think Annie needs to realize she ain’t as badly done by as she thinks.”
And that raised my hackles even higher. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said. No hidden meaning darlin’.”
“Well it sounds like you’re calling her spoiled.”
“Nope.”
“Doesn’t sound like it to me.”
“Well not sure what else I can say to make you understand,” Dex sighed. “I like you, I like your kids, I hate disrespect, and that’s the only time I’d ever grouch at your kids. If that’s a problem for you, well I’m not sure how we progress with that.”
I stared at him, my mouth gaping and my breathing competing with the rapid thud of my heart.
He was ending things, because I didn’t agree with him disciplining my kids – for whatever reason.
I swallowed and nodded.
“Okay. I understand. I’ll give your apologies, no need for you to come back in.”
Dex took a step back and furrowed his brow.
“Katie-.”
“No, Dex, it’s fine. This is something we’re always going to disagree on. I hope it doesn’t affect Isaac in any way, but it’s obvious we’ve got differing opinions that are going to clash big time if we carry this on.”
“Oh come on,” Dex cried. “I would never jeopardize his future, but don’t you think you’re over reacting?”
“No Dex, I’m not. I’ve loved my time with you, but I can’t and won’t change my mind on this.”
As I looked at Dex’s handsome face, every moment we’d spent together flashed in front of my eyes. It had been a short time we’d been together, but it’d been pretty much perfect. I felt my throat prickle and tears start to brim, knowing that those moments of perfection were ended. With my heart drumming and my hands shaking, I took a deep breath and walked away from what I knew would have been the best relationship of my life.
Dex
I was in a real fucking mood and nothing was shaking me from it. It had been two days since Katie had kicked me to the curb, and after lord knew how many ignored calls, I was getting the idea she wasn’t bending, or gonna cool down. She was being as stubborn as shit over one damn comment. All that being said, I wouldn’t be backing down either. I wouldn’t allow anyone to disrespect her – I didn’t care who it was.
As I popped a mint into my mouth and banged at my keyboard th
ere was a knock on my office door.
“What?” I growled.
The door slowly opened and Isaac peered around it.
“Can I come in?” he asked.
I nodded and beckoned him in with two fingers. “What’s up?”
Isaac closed the door quietly and hesitated before taking the few steps to my desk.
“I just wanted to check that I’m still okay to work today.”
I frowned. “Yeah, why wouldn’t you be?”
“Because my mum is being an idiot.”
“Hey,” I growled. “You don’t disrespect your mom like that.”
Isaac grinned. “You see, that’s why she’s an idi-.” He stopped and cleared his throat. “She’s not thinking straight. You really care about her and were sticking up for her, and that’s exactly what she needs. Dad kind of forgot to care about her after a while and she’s always taking care of us three, so it’s time she had someone take care of her for a change.”
Isaac exhaled as I ran a hand over my face, wondering how a perfect week had turned to shit so easily.
“She won’t take my calls, Isaac,” I explained. “I think she’s pretty much done.”
Isaac shrugged. “Maybe you don’t care about her that much, because if you did you’d go and see her and not leave until she’s realized she’d made a mistake.”
I chuckled. For just nineteen years of age, this kid was pretty smart.
“She home today?” I asked. “Or working?”
“Home and just so you know, she’s as miserable as you are. In fact, and don’t tell her I told you this, I’m pretty sure I heard her crying last night.”
My heart clenched and I felt like I might choke as I thought of my Katie Cat crying.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“She’ll be back from taking Charlie to school at about half past nine,” Isaac informed me as he backed up toward the door. “And don’t take no for an answer.”
Katie
