by B. J. Harvey
When we reach the outdoor table, she opens the umbrella and sits down, lifting her knees up and cradling her coffee cup in her hand. She doesn’t say a word as I follow her example and take a seat.
“So . . .” I ask expectantly, hoping to speed the lecture along.
“So, we have to wait about fifteen minutes until we can get to the so.”
“What does that mean?”
“Zoe’s on her way home.”
“Dani!”
“Just be thankful I didn’t get Zander. He didn’t answer my text, but he will later. That’s okay though; Kate and Mac are coming over too.”
Holy crap, it’s an ambush. Matt instigated the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack from my sister and he probably doesn’t even fucking realize it.
Now I do kinda hate him.
As promised, fifteen minutes later, Zoe walks out toward us with Kate and Mac in tow. Kate has Rose on her hip and Mac has Mason, her youngest, with her too.
“The downside to impromptu mid-week afternoon get-togethers is that there’s never any wine.” Mac sighs.
“You have children to look after,” Kate points out.
“That’s why Daddy is always just a phone call away,” Mac retorts with a grin, but all of us know she’s full of shit.
It’s once they’ve taken a seat that Zoe jumps right on in.
“Mia. No. Just . . . eww . . . You can’t . . . I mean . . . shit!” Zoe’s outburst is not at all surprising, but it does piss me off.
“Zo, Matt and I aren’t related, you know.”
“I know, but he’s the brother of my husband.”
“Fuck, that sounds confusing when you say it like that,” Mac says.
Zoe opens her mouth to continue but snaps it shut, obviously not expecting Mac to make such an observation in the middle of what is a weird conversation.
“He’s different with me,” I say.
“He goes through women like underwear.”
“At least that means he changes them regularly,” Dani adds and my eyes bug out at her.
“What? Just saying it’s a good thing.” God save me. “I can’t explain it, he’s just . . . there’s a side to him that you guys don’t see.” How funny is it that I’ve gone from being mad at the man to defending his honor?
“Mia, he’s the town bike. He’s had more rides than the Ferris wheel at Navy Pier,” Zoe says. I turn and gape at her.
“Zo, he’s more than just a dick,” I snap.
“Now that sounds familiar,” Kate muses. “Haven’t we heard that before?”
“I’m sure most of your men have had their fair share of women,” Dani says.
Zoe gives me a wry grin. “I seem to remember my husband saying the same thing once, too.”
Unable to control it, a very unladylike snort escapes my mouth. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Well, he was also a popular show pony in his day,” Zoe says, now wearing an out-and-out huge smile.
“Must be a Taylor thing,” Mac says with a laugh.
“And look at him now, pussy-whipped like the rest of them.”
“Oh no, Mia,” Zoe begins. “I can assure you, Noah still wears the pants and knows exactly what to do with his dick.” Kate and Mac nod in agreement. “The trick is to let them think they’re in charge when really, we know that the secret pussy power can be strong and all powerful when wielded correctly.”
I shake my head. “How did we go from being lectured about Matt to talking about the power of the meat wallet?”
“Mia!” Zoe gasps.
“What? You guys aren’t exactly helping me here.”
“What do you need help with?” Kate asks, her voice now serious.
“Have you seen Matt? He’s hot, he’s cocky, arrogant as hell, and says he’s wanted me for a while.”
“I still don’t see a problem.”
I swallow and make a decision to voice my biggest fear. I look over at my sisters. “How can I believe that he really does want something with me?”
Of all the women around the table, it’s my youngest sister that pipes up. “Have you slept with him?”
“Dani . . .” Zoe warns.
“What?” she replies. “It’s important to the conversation. Mia, have you slept with him?”
“Yes.”
“More than once?” Mac asks, entering the fray once more.
“In the same night?” I ask with a grin.
“Damn, I miss those days . . .” Kate mumbles.
“Too much information about my brother there,” Dani says. “So . . .” she says, redirecting the attention of the group back to me.
“Yes, more than once.”
“And how long has this been going on?”
“Um . . . two weeks?”
“Does this mean you lied about Cade?” Zoe asks loudly, catching everyone’s attention.
“You slept with Cade?” Kate gasps.
“No!” I take a deep breath, silently praying for someone to deliver me. “And I kind of had to lie about Cade. You kind of . . . um . . . interrupted Matt and I—”
“Oh gross!” Danika shrieks.
“Meems, you have nothing to worry about,” Zoe says and she gives me a huge grin. “Seriously, that is so out of character for Matt, there is no way you’re just another notch on his bedpost.”
“Why are you sleeping with him if you’re not sure?” Kate asks, raising an eyebrow.
“I . . . I don’t know. I just don’t believe that a leopard changes his spots at the drop of a hat.”
“Aren’t you doing the exact same thing though? You don’t take chances with men, Meems,” Zoe says.
“Maybe the leopard’s spots don’t need to change. You said he’s different with you. Focus on that. Don’t worry about the past or even what might happen in a week, two weeks, a month. Live in the now, go with the flow, and see what happens,” Kate suggests.
“But—”
“No buts, Meems. You can’t just date men for the rest of your life. You have to put yourself out there and take a chance, and from what you’ve said, Matt wants to take that chance with you,” Zoe continues.
“One last thing,” Kate says with a wince. “Zan is gonna flip.”
Then all the women burst out laughing. Except me though, because if there’s one thing I know, it’s that my big brother is going to seriously lose his motherfucking mind.
I’m still pissed by the time I get back to the building site after leaving Noah’s house. I don’t know what more I have to do to get her to let her guard down. Hell, I don’t even really know why she has a guard up to start with.
I shouldn’t have to keep defending myself for things I’ve done in the past. I’ve never cheated on anyone, I’ve never misled anyone, and I have never done anything to Mia that I regret.
Yes, I waited to make my move on her, and by god was it one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, but it was necessary. There is no way Mia would’ve given me the time of day had I pursued her straight after Noah and Zoe’s wedding. That was a drunken fumble that she walked away from. Granted, I thought I only wanted her for sex at first, but then it became more.
Since then, I’ve given her eighteen more orgasms—that I’ve remembered to count anyway—and every single time I make her come, I’m craving the next time, and the next. She’s like a drug I can’t get enough of and never want to quit.
But until she sees that and admits that this thing between us is as real as it gets, I’m gonna be pushing shit up hill to get her to the place I want her—firmly entrenched in my life.
I can’t settle down without the person I want to settle down with. When everything else in my life seems to be going right, I can’t seem to get Mia on the same page as me.
Jase reads my face as soon as I see him, and shakes his head before I can start complaining. It’s then I see Dad standing outside our temporary site office with two men, each with a clipboard. Fuck! Building inspectors.
I kick myself for forgetting t
hey were booked to visit the site today. All I was focused on was seeing Mia.
Walking over to my father and the inspectors, I plaster a smile on my face and try to cover my ass with all of them, knowing that I’ll get reamed by Dad once the inspectors leave.
I wasn’t wrong. As soon as they leave, Dad walks into the site office and I follow behind, my body tense and my anger that’s been simmering all afternoon ready to blow.
“Part of being in charge, Matt, is being here to meet with the inspectors,” Dad says.
“I know. I’m sorry. I fucked up. I went out for lunch and got back late. There’s no excuse, but I can promise you it won’t happen again.”
“It’s not like you, Matt.”
“I know, and I forgot they were coming straight after lunch, otherwise I never would’ve left the site.”
“Okay. Well at least we got signed off. But what’s going to happen when I retire and there’s no one here to pick up the slack?”
“There won’t be any slack, Dad,” I spit out, my frustration rising. One slip-up and suddenly I’m back to being irresponsible.
“I need to believe that’s true. You know I can’t leave you in charge unless I know everything will be taken care of.”
“It will be, Dad. My name is Taylor, too. Taylor & Son Construction is mine as much as it is yours,” I reply defiantly. I pace the office before turning my head to look at him. “What more do I have to do?”
“Absolutely nothing, son. You’ve just done it. Let’s put this down to a potential fuck-up that we thankfully avoided.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
He claps me around the shoulders and grins at me. “Finish this build and I’ll step back. But can I at least ask that you leave it as Taylor & Son?” he says with a wide smile.
“Nothing is gonna change, Dad. It’s just that you’ll have more days to spend working on your golf course tan.”
“Don’t send me off to the pearly gates just yet.”
“Well, at least I can now say something good has come out of today,” I say.
“Everything okay?” Dad asks.
I shake my head and sigh. “I don’t know if it’s okay right now, but it’s gonna be.”
Dad watches me intently before resting his ass on the edge of the desk. “A woman?”
“Isn’t it always.”
“It’s not your normal kind of problem, Matthew, so no,” Dad replies.
“This time it is.”
“Anyone I know?” he asks.
“It’s Mia Roberts.”
Dad’s eyes widen but he says nothing, his lips curling up on one side as he lifts his hand to his jaw and strokes his chin. “Is it serious?”
“I want it to be. Mia, not so much. Or . . . it’s more that I don’t know what she wants,” I answer truthfully.
He straightens and walks over to me, putting one hand on my shoulder and squeezing. “If you’re sure, Son, then make her sure, too. If she’s worth your time, then make sure she knows that you’re worth hers.”
After hearing Dad’s words of wisdom and checking on my crew, I jump in my truck and swing by my place. After having a quick shower, I rush out the door and drive toward Mia’s apartment. When I’m halfway there, Noah’s name flashes up on my phone, earning a snort from me as I’ve been expecting this call all afternoon.
I click the answer button on my steering wheel.
“Yo,” I answer distractedly, my attention on the road.
“You know you’re a dead man walking, right?”
“Dani doesn’t muck around, does she?” I mutter.
“It was my wife that rung and told me because Dani called a meeting of the female minds at my place this afternoon in the wake of your revelation.”
“Shit.”
“You’re telling me. What’s worse is that Zoe is all for it.”
“What the fuck? Why is that worse?”
“Apparently Mia’s not completely on Team Matt because of little Matt’s penchant for loose and available pussy.”
“You’re shitting me? Still?”
“What do you mean still? How fucking long has this been going on for?”
I try to count back in my head. “Maybe a month?”
“You’re not sure?” he growls. “Matt, Mia’s not a chick you screw around with. She’s my fucking sister-in-law.”
“You don’t think I know that? You think I’d make a move without being sure about it?” Now my anger ramps up again. “I’m sick of everyone assuming I only think with my dick.”
He chuckles. “Welcome to the club.”
“What?” I ask, shocked as shit at the change in tack the conversation has taken.
“It’s not fun, is it? People thinking you’re all about your dick.”
“It’s fucking nuts is what it is. Mia knows more than anyone that I’m not.”
“By the sound of it, she isn’t completely on board the reformed player train,” he says.
I growl in frustration. “Women! I don’t think I’ll ever understand them.”
“That’s the first step—acknowledging that you’ll never ever know what goes through a woman’s head.”
“Did Zoe say how Mia was after the girl chat?”
“Zo dropped her home about an hour ago. In my wife’s words, she was ‘contemplative and has a lot to think about.’”
“She’s going to have a lot fucking more to think on in about ten minutes.”
“What?” he asks quickly.
“I’m on my way to her place.”
“Matt, I’ve gotta ask, because if I ever want to get my hands on my wife again, I need to let her know that you’re not playing her sister.”
If this was coming from anyone else, I’d be laughing my ass off, but because it comes from my brother, I’m pissed. “Noah, when have you known me to stay the night with a woman, more than once, take her out and cook her dinner at my house?”
“She’s been to your place?”
“Did you not just hear me?” I grind out.
“Calm your tits, man, I had to ask.”
“And just once, it would be nice for someone who knows me to give me the benefit of the fucking doubt.”
“Are you on the rag?”
“Fuck off, Noah,” I spit out, and his laughing fills the cab of my truck.
“I’ve just got to Mia’s, so I’m ending this asinine phone call now before you say something else that’ll piss me off—even more—but tell your wife, and everybody else that yes, Mia and I are seeing each other, yes, I’m serious about her and no, I’m not going to fuck her over.” If anything, she’ll be the one to do that to me.
“Okay,” he replies, his voice full of understanding.
“Right. I’m gonna hang up now and see what damage the pussy posse has done.” I end the call hearing nothing but Noah’s laughter, and I’m more determined than ever to make sure Mia and I are on the same page, once and for all.
“I hate that I love your cock . . .” she spits out, as she grinds down and takes me deeper.
Suffice to say, as soon as Mia had opened her door and seen me on her doorstep I’d pounced, grabbing her ass and hoisting her up into my arms before carrying her into her bedroom and dropping her onto the bed.
“You love that you want my cock.” I pull all the way out to the tip, and the moment she whimpers into my mouth I thrust hard and fast back into her.
“Fuck . . . you . . .” Her insult bounces right off me, considering her voice is breathy as hell—and so fucking sexy I feel it in my dick. “Matt . . .” she moans when I move my hand between us and rub my thumb right on her money spot.
I look down between us to watch my cock ramming into her pussy. It’s the hottest live porn show I’ve ever seen. I lift my eyes back to Mia’s face, and I can’t help myself. “See? You fucking love my cock deep inside you.”
Her breath catches, and it’s then that I know I’ve won this battle, even if I’m yet to win the war.
Not to b
e outdone, the little minx clenches her pussy tight around me and taunts on a breathy moan, “I’ve . . . had . . . better.”
“Bullshit,” I growl, and it’s as if a red flag has been waved in front of a raging bull—or in my case, a horny, beast-on-a-mission bull. She clenches again and her hands tug at my scalp, causing a sting that only serves to turn me on more.
“Do that again,” I grunt, as I brace my elbows against the bed and drive into her.
“What?” She looks up at me, her eyes glazed over and her eyelids half-mast.
“Whatever the fuck you just did that made your pussy a vice. Do. It. Again.”
“What? This?” she asks, and her inner walls squeeze the hell out of my cock, testing my ability to not blow my load then and there.
I groan loudly and go deep inside of her, pounding the shit out of her in the best, most fuck-tastic way. “Jesus Christ. You’re so damn hot. I could fuck you all night and still not wanna stop.”
“Nooooo . . .” she moans, shaking.
“Fuck yes.” I thrust faster, my cock pistoning in and out. Anchoring my knees on the bed, I move my face close to hers, lowering my lips to her mouth and kissing her soft and slow, in complete contrast to the fast and hard rhythm of my cock, before burying my face into her neck.
She gasps in my ear, her chest heaving as her muscles clench tight around me and she screams out her climax, bucking against me and testing my control. Unable to hold back, I drive into her one last time and plant myself deep, feeling my cock pulsate inside of her. I grab her chin between my thumb and forefinger and kiss the life out of her. My tongue plunges into her mouth the moment her lips part and her body—already sated—melts into me.
Her hands roam over my back, her nails gently raking my skin. When her fingers tangle in my hair and she nuzzles into my neck, my cock still deep inside her, it’s like another milestone has been passed in our relationship—the angry make-up sex one. After today’s freak-out at Noah’s place with Danika, it’s time I let it all hang out for Mia and face whatever consequences come from it.
