Her Lucky Love

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  “I love you, Brayden.” She needed to say it now before he went dark and she let him fade away. She needed to make sure he knew as much as she needed to remember it.

  He smiled, happiness edging out the darkness that came with his demands. “I love you, too, Ally-mine. Now I’m going to strip you down, inch by inch, then taste you.”

  She shivered at his words and spread her arms, ready. He prowled toward her. There was no other word for it. He moved smoothly, graceful as a cat as he came to her and tugged on her shirt. She raised her arms as he slid it over her head. The room was heated so she knew the goose bumps that rose on her flesh weren’t from the cold, but from his nearness.

  He traced her arms, even as his breath caught when his gaze reached her breasts, full but not as high as they’d been before three kids. She knew he could see the slight stretch marks on her stomach and hips, but she didn’t care. Not with the way he looked at her now.

  Brayden’s fingertips slid across her raised marks and smiled. “You’re beautiful.”

  “You’re full of it.”

  He shook his head then knelt before her, his lips coming in contact with her stomach, stretch marks and all. “What do women call these?” he murmured. “Oh yeah, badges of honor. You got these from bringing three of the best kids a man could ask for into this world. They’re a part of you, so they make you beautiful.”

  Touched, she ran a hand through his hair.

  He looked up and narrowed his eyes. “What did I say about touching?” he said as he nipped at her then roughly stripped her out of her jeans. She reached behind her to grip the armchair so she wouldn’t fall. She knew better than to touch him now.

  And, oh, God, she loved it.

  Without words, he kissed down her belly, her legs, tracing his tongue along the seam of her panties, licking just beneath the edge.

  She rubbed her legs together, needing him to touch her clit and make her come. She’d never had a man do that for her. Only her own hand had ever brought her to that point. But she had a feeling Brayden would know exactly what to do.

  He pulled her legs apart then, still knelling before her as she stood in her bra and panties. He pressed his face against her core and nibbled at her through the cloth, and her body shuddered.

  Damn, this man was so hot.

  And he was hers.

  She could scarcely believe it.

  Before she could think more, he gripped her panties and tugged hard, the elastic ripping.

  “Brayden.”

  “Shh,” he said as he threw the tattered remains of her underwear across the room and bared her pussy to his face. He slid his fingers through the curls, and she blushed.

  She should have shaved for him, but for some reason, she didn’t care right now, needing him to touch her more.

  “You’re beautiful.”

  Allison shook her head. “Not really, I’ve gone through three births, Brayden. I’m…I’m different.”

  “You’re mine,” he growled. He spread her lower lips, leaning in and nipping here and there. She leaned back until her bottom touched the chair. “Sit, Ally. Let me taste you.”

  She blushed again but did as she was told. When she sat, he scooted closer and spread her legs, leaving her bare to him. He blew cold air against her heat, sending shivers down her spine.

  “Brayden, please.”

  “Oh, I will, Ally-mine. I will.” He traced his finger along her swollenness then circled her clit but didn’t press.

  Damn.

  His finger continued its path until he entered her and curled his finger, finding that one place she didn’t think existed.

  “Brayden…”

  He smiled then leaned down, letting his tongue continue the exploration his finger had just finished as he let another finger join the first. He licked and sucked on her clit, her body heating and rolling, and she was sure her pussy was wetter than it had ever been. He pumped into her, adding a third, a fourth finger, then he bit down, and she came. Hard.

  She bucked against his face as he kept moving, bringing more out of her. Allison laid her head against the back of the chair, flushed, and still needy for him. She’d never come that hard before, not even with her own hand.

  “Can I touch you now?”

  Whose deep, sultry voice was that? Surely not hers.

  “Let me play with those breasts of yours, taste each nipple until they’re red and ready to be plucked, then you can touch me.”

  Jesus, this man would be the death of her. But, oh, God, what a way to go.

  Brayden stood up and unclasped the back of her bra, her breasts falling, heavy, ready.

  “They’re not as high as they used to be…” She bit her lip, ashamed she wasn’t the perky twenty-year-old he could have had.

  He shook his head. “Get it through that head of yours, Ally-mine. I love you, every inch of you. These breasts are perfect.” He lifted one in each hand and brought them to his mouth one by one. His tongue circled her nipple, and she felt herself get wet all over again as her pussy throbbed right along with her breasts. “These breasts taste like perfection, Ally-mine. They’re you, so they’re everything I need. Okay, baby?”

  She looked into his gaze and nodded. He wasn’t saying pretty words so he could have her. No, he said what he meant, and she loved him all the more for it.

  “Okay, but can I touch you now?”

  He laughed then rolled her nipple in his fingers, harder than she was used to, but she liked it. The slight pain sent tingles down her body, and she arched into him. Brayden was different but hers, and she wanted what he did…at least for the moment.

  She gasped as he bit down on her nipple.

  “Stop thinking, Ally-mine. Just feel.”

  She smiled down at him, liking his pet name for her and how he saw through her.

  He sucked on her breasts again as his hand slid down her belly and found her clit. He tweaked and played with her, knowing exactly how to press into her until she came, biting his shoulder so she didn’t scream his name and wake the children.

  Brayden chuckled and kissed her. “Bite as hard as you want, Ally-mine.”

  “I need you, Brayden.” She gasped, surprising herself that she could even want to come again.

  “Let me get a condom.”

  She nodded then staggered to the bed, her legs weak from the orgasms she didn’t know could be so intense.

  Ally heard the crinkle of foil then looked over as he wrapped his cock.

  “Dear God,” she whispered.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Brayden, Ally-mine. My name is Brayden.”

  “Oh, shut up,” she shot back as she blushed. She hadn’t meant to say the first part aloud, but dear God, the man was freaking huge. He was long, but not too long. But, where he really shined was in width. She wasn’t sure he was going to fit. She blushed at the thought of him trying. Oh, it’d be worth it.

  He smiled a truly male smile and climbed up so he lay between her legs. “Glad you like it.”

  “You’ve been hiding that in your pants all this time? It’s a wonder you haven’t walked with a limp.”

  He shook his head and teased her entrance, the wide head probing, throbbing. “I do what I can. Now keep those eyes open, Ally-mine. I want to see you when I take you.”

  “Hard, Brayden. I’m not some weak-kneed virgin. I want to feel all of you.”

  His eyes darkened, and he entered her in one thrust. He froze when she called out, pleasure and pain wrapping around her in a macabre beauty as he filled her more than she thought possible. They were connected in every way that mattered, more than anything.

  “Ally?”

  “Move,” she gasped. “You’re mine, Brayden.”

  “You’re mine, Ally.” He pulled back then flexed his hips, reaching a demanding rhythm, hitting her G-spot with each thrust, sparks starting behind her eyelids. She opened her eyes, knowing she needed to see him as he came. For a moment she wanted him to take off the condom so she could feel
all of him and have him fill her with his cum, but she refrained, knowing there would be time in the future for that.

  He pounded into her, and her nails raked down his back as she fought back a scream. Sweat dripped down his face and chest as he rotated his hips and hit her in a new, heated spot. The cords on the side of his neck flexed, and he cursed.

  “Come, Ally-mine, come. I can’t hold back much longer.”

  She nodded, unable to speak as she let herself go over that peak, and watched the pleasure in his eyes, and he followed her.

  “Brayden,” she finally whispered as he leaned on her, their bodies still connected, his cock still throbbing. She inhaled his scent and frowned.

  Smoke?

  Why did he smell of smoke?

  She looked around and froze.

  “Oh, fuck,” Brayden said as he pulled out of her. She winced. “We knocked over a fucking candle.” He took a blanket and put out the small flame and fell back laughing, tears running down his cheeks.

  She joined him then and forced her body to move so she straddled him. Brayden traced a finger down her face and smiled.

  “We set the sheets on fire,” he finally said.

  “In more ways than one,” she added.

  They kissed and held each other as they lay in the smoke-filled room for a bit more. She knew they’d have to get up soon and deal with the mess and then the feelings that were just as messy within her. But, for now, she’d be content to lie in his arms and know that there might be a future. As scared as she was to admit it, she wanted that future more than anything.

  If only things were that easy.

  Chapter 9

  Brayden watched as Lacy ran through Jackson’s room, Cameron hot on her tail. It’d been almost a week since everything had happened, and the kids had bounced back stronger than ever. It could have been from the fact that they had the Coopers around them now, but Brayden wasn’t sure.

  They’d all come to Jackson’s for the weekly Cooper dinner, and Justin was in the kitchen cooking with Abby and Rina. Tyler and Jackson were outside dealing with something Jacks wanted Matt to build later while Matt himself was most likely locked in a closet somewhere with Jordan. They appeared to be trying to start a family considering how often he found them tangled in an embrace meant for behind closed doors.

  Though they were all still learning to live together, and danger still lurked, the arrangement seemed to be working. The kids went to school with a set of Cooper eyes on them at all times. It wasn’t the best solution, but it seemed to be working for now. Since all three kids could see through the magic of a gnome, they knew to run to the nearest Cooper if they thought something was wrong. They were never to be alone if they could help it, and by living with Brayden, they at least had some security.

  Allison’s dumbass landlord had changed the locks since she’d brought “trouble” to the place. They could have fought it, and Tyler was ready to, but Allison had given in—much to Brayden’s delight. She’d mumbled something about finding another place when necessary, but he didn’t care. She was living with him, and that was all that mattered.

  She still worked at the diner and he at his shop, so he couldn’t be around her twenty-four hours a day, but he took what he could.

  He loved the woman with every inch of his soul, and he wasn’t going to let her go without a fight.

  Lacy ran past again, this time running into a table and almost falling. Brayden reached out to steady her, and she laughed it off before running in the opposite direction.

  “Don’t run in the house,” Allison admonished as she came to his side. He wrapped an arm around her waist easily, and she leaned into him.

  He held back a relived sigh that she’d come to him almost unconsciously. They’d only really been together for a week, though she’d slept in his bed every night. He wouldn’t have it any other way. Their public displays had gone a bit slower than he’d like. A few touches here, a casual kiss there. But, once he locked the bedroom door, he had her in every way possible—on every piece of furniture he owned. He’d have to find a few new pieces to add to the room so he could see what she tasted like from every angle.

  As if she could hear what he was thinking—which could be a possibility considered his cock ached like a son of a bitch—she pulled back, giving him space. He wanted to curse, but he knew it was because of the kids in the room. She still wasn’t comfortable with his love; it was as if she didn’t completely trust it. Though he couldn’t fault her for it, it still pissed him off to no end.

  Lacy and Cameron seemed to take their relationship in stride, Lacy especially, as she considered living with him and having him near every day her due. Cameron just enjoyed the fact that he had someone new to play with that would always be there.

  Aiden, on the other hand, could pose a problem.

  Brayden looked over Allison’s shoulder to her oldest son, who didn’t quite glare, but eyed them thoughtfully. It was past time he and the boy had a talk. Aiden’s feelings, whatever they may be, weren’t his fault. But, Brayden needed to step up and talk to the oldest man in the house, to make sure Aiden knew he wasn’t going anywhere.

  Why did the thought of talking to a twelve-year-old scare him more than anything?

  Oh, yeah, the kid held his future in his hands. The kid was his future. He just needed to make sure Aiden knew that.

  He felt more than saw Allison following his gaze then tensing.

  “Brayden,” she said as she sighed away from him.

  “I’ll take care of it. Aiden and I need to talk anyway.”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”

  He leaned down and stole a kiss. She blushed but glared. “Don’t stress. This is a man-to-man talk. I’ve already talked to Cam and Lacy, but this one needs to be done now before we move on. I won’t hurt him.”

  She shook her head and grabbed his hand. “I never thought you would.”

  Relief filled him at the thought she trusted him at least that little bit. He walked toward Aiden. The boy raised his chin, but it didn’t deter him.

  “Hey, Aid, let’s talk.”

  Aiden flinched then grumbled, “I don’t know what we have to talk about.”

  Fuck.

  Brayden knew he should have talked to Aiden before this but had put it off because he was a coward.

  “Come on, we need to,” Brayden said, his voice carefully light.

  Aiden looked over at Allison, who gave a nod. “Fine.”

  “Okay then. Let’s go out to the backyard.”

  Aiden didn’t say anything as they walked past Tyler and Jackson, who were walking in with raised brows. Brayden shook his head, knowing he’d have to talk to his brothers sooner or later.

  Preferably later.

  He grabbed a couple of jackets on the peg near the back door, knowing that one would be too big for Aiden, but any jacket would do right now. They pulled them on, Brayden struggling not to help Aiden with his. He remembered what it felt like to be a twelve-year-old boy on the verge of being a man—at least in a kid’s eyes. And with what they had to talk about, Brayden wasn’t sure Aiden would want any form of his help anyway.

  “What did you want to talk about?” Aiden grumbled, his chin raised.

  Brayden let out a breath. This wasn’t going to be easy, but it had to be done. He loved this kid like his own, and Aiden had to realize that.

  “I think you know, Aid.”

  Aiden kicked a stone, his gaze on something Brayden couldn’t see.

  “I don’t know what I think.”

  “Then let’s talk about it.” Brayden moved to stand by Aiden, careful to leave space and not touch him.

  They stood there for a few moments before Brayden spoke, “I’m sorry everything’s changing so fast for you.”

  Aiden shrugged, then stood there in silence.

  “Aiden?”

  “Were you friends with us—I mean me, Cam, and Lacy—just to get with my mom?” Aiden asked.

  Shocked, Brayden turned to t
he little boy who’d stolen his heart. “What? How could you say that?”

  Aiden shrugged. “Because you never used to talk to Mom the way you do. You never used to kiss her. And I know you sleep in the same bed and everything. You just want her for sex.”

  “What do you know about that?” Brayden asked, suddenly feeling like a fish out of water. What did he know about kids? Everything he’d thought he’d known was superficial. He was in some dangerous territory here.

  Jesus, what did twelve-year-olds know about sex these days? Maybe he should have had Allison come out with him.

  “I know enough,” he growled, his arms above his chest. “I know you and Mom sleep in the same bed. You’ll probably make new babies and leave us alone. Then you’ll take Mom away and hit her like Dad did. I’m not going to let you do that, you know. You don’t get to have Mom. She’s ours. I couldn’t stop Dad when he hit her before, but I’ll stop you.”

  Tears ran down Aiden’s cheeks, but Brayden made sure he didn’t point them out. He also stopped himself from doing what he really wanted to do—hug Aiden tight and take away the nightmares.

  “Aiden, I’m not going to hit your mom or any of you.” No longer able to resist, Brayden leaned down so they were eye level. “I don’t know everything your dad did, but I’m not like him. You’ve known me all your life, and you know what I could or couldn’t do.”

  “Yeah, you say that now. But if my dad can do all that, what says you can’t too?”

  “Because I love you guys. I’m not going to hurt you. Hitting is wrong. No matter how angry you and your mom could make me—which wouldn’t be that angry since you guys pretty much rock—I’d never lay a hand on you. I don’t talk with my fists.”

  Aiden sniffed and wiped his cheeks. “Whatever.”

  “No, not whatever. I love you guys. I want us to be a family. I wasn’t your friend before so I could get in with your mom. I was your friend… no, I am your friend because I like you, Cam, and Lacy. You guys stole my heart as much as your mom did. And when your mom lets it happen, I’m going marry her. When I do that, I’ll marry the three of you as well. I want us all together in my big house for more than just protection. I want us together because we mean something together.”