Chemistry: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by J. P. Nicholas

  “You’re so beautiful,” I breathe out. “I know I say that a lot, but I mean it every time. Chloe, you steal my breath away. And I’m so lucky to call you mine.”

  I can tell my words hit home with her by the way her playful grin falters. An embarrassed blush flushes her cheeks, even though she’s got nothing to be embarrassed about. That’s just how she is. One of these days, I’m going to teach her how to take a compliment for what it is. A compliment. She’ll learn that everything I tell her is genuine, true, and from the heart.

  Brushing past the compliment, she hops onto the edge of her bed, her tits bouncing beautifully for my viewing pleasure. She unhooks her bra, discharging her breasts from their solitary confinement, and tosses the extracted garment at me. My eyes follow its trajectory. It lands at my feet, grazing my left foot. I return my gaze to her, letting out a sharp exhale as her nipples call out to me, just waiting for my hands and mouth to be on them.

  “Fuck, I want you. I want my hands and mouth all over that gorgeous body. I want to make you feel too damn good. I want to tease you, please you. To spoil the hell outta you because that’s what you rightfully deserve. May I?” I ask, my eyes silently pleading to her to let me move. To let me touch her. To play her body like an instrument that only I know how to play perfectly.

  She holds up a finger, the universal gesture for give me a minute. I start counting in my head, knowing that as soon as I hit sixty, I’m going to lose all control.

  Chloe makes a show, wiggling her ass on the bed as she slips her panties off—little pieces of pie with the words cutie pie distributed throughout the baby blue fabric. Her underwear is so quirky, so her, that I find it sexier than any laced garment all over Victoria’s Secret billboards and catalogs. It’s official; I find everything about this woman positively captivating.

  Placing it on her finger, she flings her underwear at me like a slingshot. It lands on my shoulder. She’s getting better at aiming. But her sixty seconds are up.

  “Now, it’s my turn,” I counter suggestively, wiggling my brows on my forehead. “Lay back on the bed for me?”

  She nods, reclining herself against the mattress as I stalk my way over toward her. I hover over her, positioning myself so the head of my dick is rubbing against her clit as I give her breasts my undivided attention. Starting with the left, I flick my tongue over the taut nipple.

  “Oh, that’s nice,” she purrs.

  I shift my hips slightly, grinding against her as I roll her right nipple around my thumb and forefinger. My moves are purposeful and calculated, causing her whole body to jerk from the contact. Her hands fist the sheets as her legs flail beneath me.

  “Yes, that. More of that,” she urges, panting under my touch. The sound only adds to my bravado. I continue to run the head of my cock against her clit, horrendously teasing her. But it backfires because my need to be inside of her only grows stronger.

  “I want to be inside you,” I grumble against her breast.

  “And I want to ride you,” she replies.

  I release her breast with a pop. Our gazes lock, and I smirk. “That can be arranged.”

  “Dammit! I don’t have a condom.” I rake my hand angrily through my hair. I hate knowing that this has to end. She places her hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze.

  “I’ve been on the pill a few weeks now. And I trust you.” Her words bring an easy smile to my face and not because we don’t have to use a condom. Hearing her say that she trusts me causes my heart to feel all warm and cozy in my chest.

  “I trust you too,” I reply, not that I needed to. I’m pretty sure she knows that I trust her completely. “You sure? I don’t know how long I’ll last bare.”

  “Positive. I want to feel you. All of you. With no barriers between us,” she confesses, staring deep into my eyes.

  My heart thumps harder as it swoons within my chest.

  Rolling over, I pull her on top of me, fighting back a groan as she slides down on me. She waits a few seconds to let her body adjust to the intrusion, then she sinks down with ease, taking me deeper. My hands find her hips, guiding her. A low rumble comes from deep within my chest as she lifts up until she’s almost empty and slams back down. Her pussy is slick and eager as it coats me.

  We’re all groans, moans, and pants as we both lose ourselves in ecstasy. But as much as I’m enjoying it, I need to take back control. I want to feel her coming undone beneath me, not above me. Strategically, I flip us over, not breaking our connection as I gently lay her down on the bed. My body hovers over hers as I rest my weight on my forearms.

  I take my time shoving in and out of her, not wanting this moment ever to end. It feels fantastic to have this connection with her—to be this intimate with her. It feels as if our hearts are beating as one. As if we’re sharing the same breath, breathing the same air—our bodies moving in tandem with one another’s. We’re moving to a rhythm that only the two of us know the choreography to. Each of us knows exactly what to do to make the other one lose control. She fists my hair, anchoring herself to me, her mouth dangerously close to my ear as she whispers my name like a chant, urging me on. I drive deeper. Rock into her harder, making sure to roll my hips at the perfect angle to grind against her aching clit.

  With her hands still grasping my hair, she pulls my mouth to hers, claiming it as she drags her tongue against my bottom lip. Her mouth parts, allowing me to sweep inside and savor her. So, I do just that, moaning as I taste her on my tongue.

  She tugs on my hair, arching her back as she rides on the edge of pleasure. I can feel her mouth turn into the loveliest O as she pants into mine. Her muscles clench around me so tightly as I fill her, her pussy contracting tighter and tighter around my cock, alerting me that she’s about to reach her climax. To show my gratitude, I reach down and rub her clit with swift, circular motions until she breaks the kiss, tosses her head back, and lets go. Like a bomb, she detonates. The aftershocks from her explosion make it much harder for me to hang onto my restraint.

  Nothing has ever felt this good. This extreme. This necessary.

  With one more thrust of my hips, my climax obliterates me, sparks surging through my entire body as I come inside the woman I love. Love? Did I really just use that word? The realization hits me faster than my orgasm just did. That’s exactly what this is.

  I flash her a lopsided grin as utter happiness surges through me. I love Chloe Hayden. I try out the sentence in my mind a few more times, expecting it to feel strange or foreign…but it doesn’t. It feels oh-so-right. Like it’s the perfect description for everything I feel with her.

  As I gaze down at the woman I adore, I tuck a few errant strands of hair behind her ear. My gaze dips to her lips, and I lean in. This time when I kiss her, it’s different. It’s not frantic, not fueled by my strong desire for her. To taste her. To drive her wild with my tongue. It’s not fueled by anything at all, really, except that I just want to kiss her. That’s just it. I want to kiss her because I love kissing her. Plain and simple. No ulterior motives. Kissing Chloe just makes me infinitely happy.

  I pull back to study her a moment. To see if I can see something different in her. Something that tells me that she loves me too. But it’s hard to tell. But one thing’s for certain. As I stare deeper into her sex-dazed olive eyes, I know. I love her. There’s no other way to describe it—this feeling beating relentlessly inside my chest. The way I miss her terribly when I’m not around her. I just can’t seem to get enough of her. Or her touch. Her laugh. The way she bites her bottom lip when she’s deep in thought. Or wrinkles her nose and pokes out her tongue when she’s focused. Or the way she makes me feel like I’m the luckiest man in the world, the way I believe that I am. If that isn’t love, then I don’t know what is.

  I want to tell her that I love her because I do. I fucking love her. There’s no doubt in my mind. Everything is crystal clear. I know it’s early, and I shouldn’t feel this strongly for her—that these things are supposed to take time. But I don’t
need time because this just feels so good. So right. This woman is so goddamn perfect for me; it hurts. The three life-changing words are resting on the tip of my tongue. I want to shout them from the rooftops. To declare to the entire universe that I’m in love with Chloe Hayden.

  But despite how strongly I feel, I know she’s not ready for them. Not yet. So, I do what anyone who’s ever fallen in love first does. I hold back, swallow them down my throat, and simply say, you take my breath away instead.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Lucas

  It’s been three weeks since I realized that I love Chloe. And every day, I bite my tongue not to tell her how I feel. Instead, I’ve been taking the small victories when I can. Like when she told me that she trusts me. Or the other day when she invited me to meet her family at dinner tonight. I was over the moon ecstatic. Still am. But I’m also nervous.

  Meeting the parents was never something I ever got to do with my exes. They usually made up some excuse whenever I brought it up. Hell, one of them even lied and said she grew up in foster care. But this isn’t about the past; it’s about the future. And my future with Chloe is looking brighter every single day.

  I pick Chloe and Kyle up in my truck around five-thirty. In between giving me directions to her parents’ house, Chloe gives me the play by play as to what to look out for tonight.

  “First things first, don’t let my mom corner you. She will ask you a million questions about topics that we most likely haven’t even discussed ourselves yet. Dad is usually harmless, especially if he’s sitting in his recliner. My older brother, Dylan, won’t be there. He has a work thing. But the twins, Matthew and Chase, will be there. They’re a handful, but I think you can handle them.”

  I glance in the rearview mirror and lock eyes with Kyle. “Any words of wisdom, Bud?”

  He scrunches his nose as he ponders my question, very similar to how his mom does. He points at me. “Yes. Don’t break the meatballs.”

  Both he and Chloe laugh hysterically, but I’m afraid I’m clueless over here in the dark.

  I quirk my brow and turn to Chloe. “I take it that’s a Hayden inside joke?”

  Chloe rests her hand on my shoulder. “Just, if my mother asks you to tend to the meatballs, just respectfully decline. Kyle learned that the hard way.”

  “Got it,” I say, my eyes drifting back to the road in front of us.

  The second we arrive and exit the truck, Kyle bolts like a madman to the door. Chloe slips her hand into mine, interlocks our fingers, and gives me a reassuring squeeze as she whispers, “It’ll all be fine.”

  I release a shaky breath as we take our first step toward the house. “Here goes nothing.”

  My eyes wind up the driveway to see someone I assume is Mr. Hayden open the door to let an eager, impatient Kyle inside. As I wave to him, I crook my mouth to the side and whisper to Chloe. “Is Kyle always this eager for Sunday dinner?”

  “Only when one of my brothers is here. And in this case, it's double the trouble,” she answers softly.

  As we get closer, I’m almost one-hundred percent certain that he’s her father. I might’ve even seen him around town once or twice. Not letting go of Chloe’s hand, I outstretch my other hand to greet him.

  “Hello, Sir. I’m Lucas Ashford, Chloe’s—”

  “Boyfriend,” Chloe supplies. Hearing the word fall from her lips so effortlessly makes my heart soar into the stratosphere.

  “I know who you are. My wife hasn’t stopped yapping about how I have to be on my best behavior today for a week,” he explains, shaking my hand. “Still, it’s nice to put a face to the guy that’s been making my little girl so happy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you too,” I vocalize, bringing my hand back to my side.

  Two green-eyed, brown-haired young men round the corner, Kyle on one of their shoulders. Chloe leans into my side and whispers, “Matthew is the one with Kyle. Chase is the other one.”

  “Good to know,” I whisper back, grateful for the heads up. These two are nearly impossible to tell apart. I’m not quite sure if there’s a difference at all if I’m being honest.

  “Matthew, Chase, this is my boyfriend, Lucas,” Chloe introduces me. We all shake hands in greeting before Chase taps Chloe on the shoulder.

  “Chloe, can I talk to you for a minute?” Chase says, eyeing me. “You can bring Lucas too. It would be nice to get another guy’s opinion on this.”

  He turns his head to his twin brother. “Cuz Matthew is fucking useless.”

  “Hey!” Matt calls out, offended.

  Chase points at the door that I presume is to the kitchen. “Go distract Mom.”

  “Fine,” Matt gripes, placing Kyle back on the ground before sliding through the door.

  Chase turns to Kyle and ruffles his hair. “Sorry, Nephew. This is a grown-up conversation. So why don’t you go distract Grandma with Matthew? I trust you more to accomplish that mission than him anyway.”

  Kyle salutes him, a prideful smile on his face. “I won’t let you down, Uncle C.”

  Chase smiles back.

  “That’s what I like to hear.”

  Chloe’s expression switches from nervousness to concern. “What’s wrong?”

  Chase shoves his hands in his pockets and darts his gaze to the floor beneath him. A telltale sign for any man that’s uncomfortable. Chloe seems to be losing her patience with him, though. She keeps tapping her foot on the ground, anxiously waiting for any explanation for this impromptu sibling meeting.

  I do the opposite and simply say, “Take your time, man.”

  I watch as the tension leaves his shoulders. When he glances back up, I see the gratitude lurking behind his eyes. With a heavy sigh, he finally breaks his silence.

  “I guess I’ll just come right out and say it. I’m a father.”

  Chloe’s mouth falls open, but she catches herself and shuts it before Chase can notice. “What? Since when? How? With whom?”

  Nervously, Chase reaches behind himself and scratches his head. “I think you know the how part pretty well. It was some woman back in Vegas. She left my daughter on Matt’s and my doorstep with a note that said give her a better life than I can.”

  “Shit,” Chloe exhales. “Where is she—your daughter?”

  “I left her back at the house with Dylan.” Chase releases a nervous laugh. “I haven’t even told Mom or Dad yet. I’m scared, to be honest.”

  “You shouldn’t be,” I declare, causing both sets of curious Hayden eyes to find mine.

  “Why not?” Chase raises a questioning brow. I can feel Chloe tense up beside me. It’s cute that she’s nervous for me. But she doesn’t need to be.

  “I know I’m an outsider, so take my perspective with a grain of salt. But based on what I know about this family, they love unconditionally. Your circumstance, albeit a little different, is similar to your sister’s. Based on conversations we’ve had, she always claimed your parents were very accepting from the beginning. Why would they give you a harder time than they gave her?”

  Chase narrows his eyes, thinking over what I just said. “You make a good point.”

  “He’s right,” Chloe chimes in. “The only thing you’re going to get a hard time about is leaving your daughter in Vegas. Mom’s gonna kill you for that.”

  “Yeah, I know. But I didn’t want to take her traveling. She’s so brand new. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “You’ll figure it out. Every parent does. And know I’m just a phone call or text away if you have any questions.”

  “Thanks, Chlo. I needed to hear that,” Chase remarks. I can see the relief strike his face. He appears more at ease, less stressed out.

  I clap him on the back. “Congrats, man. Do you have a picture?”

  “Oh, yeah!” Chase slips his phone out of his pocket and shows us an adorable picture of his daughter.

  “Oh, my niece is so cute. What’s her name?”

  “Amelia,” Chase enthuses. From the way he said her name alo
ne, I can already tell that that little girl of his has him wrapped around her little finger.

  “She’s beautiful,” I vocalize as Chloe rests her head on my shoulder.

  “Dinner is ready!” Kyle shouts from some other room in the house. Chloe’s hand finds mine again as she ushers me to the dining room.

  When we take our seats, I’ve never felt more at home. The Haydens have a way of making you feel like family, even when you’re not. Although, if I had it my way, I would belong here soon enough.

  Chloe spends the majority of dinner with her hand on my thigh, grazing my hard-on every once in a while, just to torture me. And it’s fucking working. She’s going to make it really hard for me to get up from the table when dinner is over without a raging boner in my dress slacks.

  I decide to fight fire with fire. Bringing my voice down a few octaves, I whisper so lowly that I know it can’t be heard by anyone else around…just her. “I would love to find your integral and get under those curves of yours.”

  Her breath hitches for a moment, then I smile, watching her bite her lip. She’s trying to stifle a laugh as her brothers are discussing the proper technique for installing hardwood floors.

  “You’ve got to pound them really hard, or else they won’t be flushed together,” Chase states so matter-of-factly.

  “Yeah. But make sure the tongue is snugly and securely engaged in the groove by exerting a constant pressure,” Matthew pitches in.

  Chloe’s cheeks are turning that shade of red that I love as she loses her fight. A boisterous laugh echoes throughout the space. All eyes turn to her, including mine.

  I hold my breath because she’s so perfect for me. Far better than I ever could’ve imagined. That’s how it happened. That’s when I let my guard down and tell her how I truly feel. The words just slip so effortlessly from my lips on a low, intimate whisper as I kiss the side of her hair. “I love you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven