He didn’t need the control as he had before, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the passage of time or the woman watching him from the side of the gym.
He had her at his side, and damn it, he knew he could win this.
And when the bell rang, he focused on the other man in the ring in front of him and did what he did best there. The other guy wasn’t as in shape as Alex was, and they both knew it. He also relied heavily on using all of his energy up front to try and knock his opponent out, and that wasn’t how Alex played.
Alex dodged out of the way of the guy’s right hook and used that moment’s lapse and exposure of the man’s left side to get him right in the ribs. Alex moved again, this time quicker, and got the man in the chin.
His opponent staggered back but kept swinging. Alex dodged all but one of the punches, too slow to get out of reach of them all if he wanted to fight back. He winced when the hit got him in the chin, but blocked the next two strikes.
His energy ramped up, his body moving quickly and doing exactly what he needed it to. When he’d been drinking, that wasn’t the case. He’d always been one step behind, and he refused to be that man again.
With one last hook, he got his opponent in the chin, and the man went down. He wasn’t out completely, but he was down for the count. The referee held up Alex’s hand, and he shouted over his mouth guard as the board displayed his name as the winner.
Only one round, and he’d knocked the guy out.
Not a bad time at all.
He went to his corner and gulped down the water Harper tossed at him as the others celebrated. He slid through the ropes and made his way to Tabitha. She jumped in his arms, and he hugged her close even with his damn gloves on.
“You won! But oh my god, I don’t think I can watch you get hit again.”
He laughed and kissed her hard. “I think I’ll go out on top, baby. What do you say to that?”
She slid down his sweaty body as he set her on the ground. “I think we should watch Brody kick some ass and then we can go home, and I’ll play doctor before I’m a cowgirl.”
She’d said the words at a normal tone so the twins, as well as the rest of their crew, heard her, but he knew neither of them cared one bit. He honestly couldn’t wait to get to her house and have a taste of her.
She was better than a fight any day.
After Brody had kicked ass in even a shorter time than Alex had, they said their goodbyes and headed back to Tabitha’s place. His cock ached, and he wanted to fuck her right there in his car, but he held back.
Mostly because he didn’t need a cop to pull them over, but also because he knew he’d end up breaking something either in him or his damn vehicle if he tried that. He wasn’t seventeen anymore, and getting it on inside the small interior just wasn’t what it used to be.
As soon as they’d closed the door behind them, Tabitha attacked him, her hands roaming over his body and her lips on his in a mesh of lips and teeth. How the fuck had he gotten so lucky?
She pulled back and winked. “You kiss good and fuck better, so I guess that’s why I keep you around.” She laughed as she said it, and that’s when Alex realized he’d said that last part aloud. Hell, he hadn’t meant to do that, hadn’t meant to reveal too much.
“Glad to know I fuck better than I kiss,” he growled, tugging off her clothes as he kissed each piece of bare skin he revealed.
“And you kiss damn good,” she moaned.
He rocked his hard cock against her, and they both shivered. “I need to get inside you, but first, I want to eat you out. It’s been hours since I had my face between your legs.”
She licked her lips. “And it’s been hours since I had your cock in my mouth.”
Holy hell. He seriously was the luckiest man alive right then. “How about we do both at the same time.”
Her eyes darkened. “How have we not done that yet?”
He stripped off his clothes as well so they were both naked, their bodies clinging to one another in her living room as they kissed and touched and groped. “I don’t know, but we need to rectify that situation right now.”
He picked her up so her pussy lay over his cock as he carried her to the bedroom. She was so wet that she slid over him with each step, and he almost came right then.
“You are so fucking sexy,” he breathed as he set her down on the bed. “I could come just looking at you.”
She cupped her breasts and licked her lips. With her red hair splayed over the comforter around her, she looked like some seductive temptress he couldn’t quite get enough of. “I think I have come by just watching you get yourself off that time.”
He laughed roughly, fisting his cock. “You had your hands on your pussy when I did that, woman. You were rolling your clit under your fingers and making all those breathy moans you know I like; it’s no wonder we both came in minutes.”
He lowered his head and took a nipple into his mouth, sliding his tongue over her fingers. “I fucking love your tits. I love that they bounce when I fuck you and jiggle when you walk quickly in those high heels of yours. I want to punch any guy who stares at them, but then I can’t blame them because they are truly magnificent.”
She arched her back, pinching one nipple while he bit the other. “You’ve fucked them before, and when you did, I loved tasting the tip of your cock. I don’t mind having them this size when they hurt my back after a long day because I know you’ll massage them for me when I get home.”
He groaned and knelt on the bed, taking her hip in his hand. “Roll on your side. I could ride your face or have you do the same to me, but this way, if my hips move too fast, I won’t choke you with my cock.”
She rolled her eyes “You’ve been watching too much porn.”
He slapped her ass even as he laid down on his side and slid one of her legs over his neck. Her wet and pink pussy practically called to him. “You’re the one that showed me that site you like. You know the one where they spend the first twenty minutes with shots of him eating her out?”
“It was a hint,” she said on a laugh before taking his cock between her lips. Holy hell he loved the way she blew him. She was truly perfect for him.
He pushed that thought quickly out of his head and took her hint. When he licked and sucked at her cunt, she rolled her hips into his face, so he used his hands and his mouth on her, loving the way she moved, the way she tasted, the way she made little humming sounds on his cock when he licked her just right. He sucked on his finger before reaching around her hip and spreading her cheeks to play with her ass. They hadn’t gone any farther than this, and he wasn’t sure they would, but she liked it when he fucked her ass with his finger as he ate her cunt. He happened to like it just as much if not more.
He sucked on her lower lips before flicking her clit over and over again with his tongue. It was hard to think about more than that with her hand on his balls, his cock down her throat, and one of her fingers probing his prostate.
His eyes crossed when she rubbed him just right, and he pulled back, afraid he was going to come.
“I wasn’t done yet,” she panted as she rolled on her back.
He quickly kissed her before reaching for a condom and sliding it over his length. He squeezed the base of his cock hard so he could last a few minutes longer.
“I’m not that young, and I want you to ride me like you promised before I come again.”
She smiled and pushed at his shoulders. He fell back, and before he knew it, she had her hips over him and was sliding down his cock, her teeth biting into her lip.
“You came three times this morning,” she teased, rolling her hips.
He clenched his teeth, his hands digging into her hips as she rode him. “No, you did. I only came once. I don’t have the recovery time I did when I was a kid.” The drinking had done that to him, but he was lasting longer and longer the more he was with her, and they both knew it.
She frowned and lowered herself so her hands were on his shoulders an
d her hair cascaded around them. “I knew that,” she whispered. “I just tend to mix things up when I’m coming out of my mind.”
He steadied her hips above him before slowly sliding in and out of her. When her eyes were the ones to cross this time, he smiled.
“Let’s make you come again, then, shall we?”
She panted, her nails digging into his skin. “I thought I was going to ride you.”
He increased his pace, thrusting in and out of her with abandoned. “Next.” Hard thrust. “Time.” Harder thrust.
She narrowed her eyes at him and did something with her inner muscles that made him groan. And since he was so fucking close to coming, she took over, riding him like she wanted to.
He honestly couldn’t complain, and held on to her, massaging her breasts as she rode him like the cowgirl she wanted to be.
And when they both came, they were panting and sweaty and out of energy, and he hadn’t felt better in his whole life. He held her close, his cock still deep inside, as she caught her breath above him. They didn’t say a word, and he was glad for that because he wasn’t sure what he would say.
He hadn’t meant to get this close to anyone again, but Tabitha left him feeling exposed and raw, open to what she could give him and things he wasn’t sure he was willing to take. She hadn’t been in his plans, and he knew he hadn’t been in hers either. He just prayed that whatever came next, he didn’t break her in the process. Because Tabitha was worth so much more than that.
So much more.
Chapter Thirteen
Alex slid his arm over Tabitha’s shoulder as they walked up the drive to his parents’ house. For some reason, though he’d done the family gatherings numerous times before this, he was nervous as hell. Of course, this was the first time he was bringing Tabitha with him, and the first time since his family found out about the fighting. Though he’d decided to most likely stop doing bouts, he was pretty sure his parents and siblings were still going to be worried about him.
They always worried.
However, Alex had to take it in stride because at least he had family at his back when it came to his recovery. He knew a lot of guys from the center who didn’t.
“Why am I nervous?” Tabitha asked, echoing his thoughts. “I mean, I’ve gone to these almost monthly for years now. And yet, I want to bite my nails and hide under that bush. I mean, it took me four tries to find something to wear, and I’m pretty sure this is the outfit I wore two months ago to this thing.”
He stopped them both right before they reached the front door and turned toward her, keeping her in his arms. “I’m nervous, too.”
She narrowed her eyes as she put her hands on his chest. “You being nervous is only letting me know that I should be nervous.”
He kissed the tip of her nose, and she sighed. “We’ll be nervous together. But you know my family loves you, right? I mean, my parents are probably going to be bouncing around with glee at the fact that you’re even here. So just go with that.”
“But now I’m dating their precious baby boy.”
He snorted. “I haven’t been their baby boy in a long time.” He lowered his head to take her lips and froze when his mother cleared her throat.
“You’ll always be my baby boy, Alex. Sorry to say, but I even call Austin that when I feel like it. It’s a mother’s prerogative. Now get inside and stop making out with Tabby on the porch. It’s cold outside. And Tabby, honey, I love that outfit. You look stunning in it.”
He smiled at the woman in his arms, who smiled wide right back, and he relaxed just a little. I can do this, he thought. Just one step at a time.
They were apparently the last to arrive, but he didn’t mind that. It wasn’t their turn to help with the meal, and he hadn’t wanted to be in the way. Plus, it had taken Tabitha a while to get ready. Not that he minded since she’d spent the morning wearing nothing but a lacy bra and panties as she went from outfit to outfit. He’d ended up lying on the bed with his hands laced behind his head as he watched her.
Best view of the morning, that was for sure.
When they entered the living room, it was to see a bit of the normal chaos. Somehow, Leif and Cliff were wrangling the younger kids who could walk into some kind of game where the almost-two-year-old Colin would ride his almost-thirteen-year-old brother’s back like a horse. Then, nine-year-old Cliff would spin seven-year-old Sasha around the room before the older ones switched and repeated the actions with the younger ones.
Like always, every time he saw his nieces and nephews, he got that little clutch in his belly, but he shook it off. His kids would have been around Cliff or Sasha’s age, the youngest Colin’s. If things had worked out differently, maybe he’d have been the one with a kid on his back while he pretended to neigh like a horse.
Yet it shamed him that he’d never once done that. He’d seen the rest of his siblings play around with the kids, and yet didn’t really remember holding them beyond when Sasha and Cliff had been babies. Of course, he hadn’t known everything he knew now at that time, and Leif hadn’t been around until a couple of years ago.
But he wasn’t sure he had ever held Colin, or the new set of babies that had come into their lives a few months ago when all three of his sisters gave birth within the span of a few weeks.
“What’s wrong?” Tabitha whispered.
He leaned down so only she could hear. “I’ve been a shitty uncle,” he said, his voice slightly raw.
She looked up at him, understanding in her eyes. She was the only one who would have the capacity to understand, and he was pretty sure she would be the only one forever. He didn’t know if he had the strength to tell his family all that had happened. Some things weren’t meant to be shared beyond those closest to him. How Tabitha had become that person over his siblings, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t afford to look too closely at that right then.
“You can be a better one now,” she said softly. She pointed over at the other corner where the other three babies were lying down on their play mats, watchful adult eyes on them. “Go hold your niece or nephew, Alexander.”
He let out a breath. “Only if you come with me.”
Her eyes brightened. “You’re asking me to hold an adorable baby? I think I can manage that.” She took her hand in his and led him to where the three youngest were playing. They passed by the other adults in the room as they did, and he nodded his hellos, but Tabitha was on a mission, and they weren’t about to stop.
He wasn’t sure he had the strength to start again if they did anyway.
Luc looked up from the floor next to the setup of learning mats and grinned. “Come to hang out with the droolers?”
Meghan nudged her husband from her place on the floor next to him. “They only drool a little. And they roll over and can even do other tricks, too.” She leaned down and tickled her daughter next to her. “Yes, you do, my Emma darling. You’re so smart.”
“They’re not puppies, baby,” Luc drawled.
“But they’re adorable,” Alex said roughly. “I’ll give all of you that, you guys sure know how to make them cute.”
Meghan smiled brightly at him before a hesitant look filled her eyes. He hated that he was the cause of that, but how could he blame her? He’d never once held her daughter. It had been too painful, and in the end, his actions had hurt everyone.
“Thanks, Alex.”
He let out a breath and tugged on Tabitha’s hand as they sat next to the learning mat area. “Do you think…” He cleared his throat. “Do you think I can hold her?”
“Of course,” Luc said since it appeared Meghan couldn’t quite find the words. Instead, it looked liked his sister was holding back tears.
Alex was aware that the rest of the crowd in the room watched them, but he ignored it. He only had eyes for the baby Luc set in his arms. Since Emma was five months or so, she wasn’t the tiny baby she’d been when he first met her, but she was still so fragile.
Alex swallowed hard as the surprisin
gly heavy weight of his niece latched on to him, her brown eyes wide and curious. Her tiny hands roamed over his face as he put a steadying hand on her back. She had springy black curls on her head that he figured would grow out just like Luc’s sisters’ and be gorgeous. Her skin wasn’t quite as dark as Luc’s but was a smooth brown, soft under his fingertips. She was seriously adorable.
“Hey, Emma,” he said softly, his voice hoarse.
She blinked up at him, a small smile on her face.
He laughed and looked over at Meghan and Luc. “You’re going to have trouble on your hands in the future, I’d say.”
Sasha ran to Alex’s side and kissed her baby sister on the top of the head. “That’s what Daddy says about me.”
The adults in the room cracked up, and Alex shifted Emma in his arms so he could hug Sasha close, as well. Meghan was openly crying at this, and Tabitha had Maya’s son, Noah, in her arms, making funny faces at the boy as Noah laughed.
This was family, he thought. And he’d almost lost it all because he’d been scared, hurt, and hiding from everyone. He wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to tell the others about what had happened with Jess and why he’d fallen as hard as he had, but he could try to come back to them, try to be this new version of Alex who wasn’t quite sure who he was but was at least there.
He held Emma for a bit longer before holding Noah and Micah in turn. Then he rolled around with Colin and Sasha as Leif and Cliff laughed. His heart ached, his chest too tight as he played, but he did it anyway. Maybe the next time he did this, the next time he took a deep breath and watched his nieces and nephews grow, it wouldn’t hurt this much.
Throughout it all, Tabitha was by his side, laughing with him, yet keeping a careful eye on him. Hell, the whole family kept a watchful eye on him, but he knew Tabitha had the only true reason to.
He wasn’t sure how she’d given him the strength to do this, to play around and learn to be an uncle again, but he’d take it. He just didn’t know what he’d do with the other feelings that came from being with her.
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