by Skye, M.
“Spank all you want,” she hissed.
“I never back away from a challenge, Angel Face, you know that.” He reached out, and smacked her again, causing a loud exclamation to escape her lips, and he snickered at his success. What he wasn’t counting on, was her throwing her hips back and taking him all in. He held her tight as she took over and flipped them around, planting his back against the wall. She then maneuvered herself against him, silencing his rambling, leaving him speechless. Moving her body to the rhythm of the sound playing around them, she rendered him powerless.
She could tell Alex was stunned by her wild movements. Truth be told, she surprised herself, but he had pushed her into a corner, and she came out fighting dirty; really dirty. While he held on for dear life, she continued taking them higher and closer to their powerful release. He was mumbling her name softly against her neck, and she threw her head back to accept a kiss from him that made her insides quiver.
When the song they were listening to ended and another came on that was a faster tempo, she noticed Alex begin to sweat. She let out a sinful laugh, and then she sped up to a speed, she never knew she could. Trying to speak, his words came out only as a stutter and she placed her hands firmly on the desk in front of them, pushing herself to the extreme. Alex tried to insert his own erratic strokes, but she had something to prove. She threw herself into him so hard, that he had no choice but to stand and receive her. She continued her laughter, but after a while, she had to let down her guard and let her soft moans float around the room. He was getting close, and she was already on the brink, and when she threw herself into him one last time, she melted around him, screaming out her pleasure.
Alex let off his own climax with her hips held firmly in his hand, shaking as he filled her. Panting, breathless, and sated, he withdrew from her, and laid down on the plush carpet below. She followed him, intertwining their legs and placing her head on his chest. “That was amazing,” he uttered quietly.
“Yeah, it was,” she smiled, tracing figures on his chest.
“But, baby,” he sat up. “Why does everything between us have to be a competition?”
Meg smiled and blinked rapidly before answering. “There is no competition sweetheart. You throw down a challenge, and I win. Simple as that.”
“You’re one cocky little thing.”
“No, I just handle cock; very well.”
“Oh, hush up and take your nap. Do you have any blankets in the closet?”
“Yeah, pillows too. You never know when you might have to sleep at the office,” she smirked.
“It better be alone.”
“Nope, I have this sexy man who comes by on my lunch break and breaks me off, or at least I think that’s what he calls it.” Alex laughed at his own paranoia and opened the closet door. He found the blankets and pillows and pulled them out, knocking over a folder that spilled on the floor. Tossing her the blanket and pillows, he got down to gather the documents back into the folder. Without trying to, he ran across several articles about Maria’s death with a picture of Amanda Leon. He studied them a while before walking over to her with them in hand.
“How many times have you looked at these?”
Realizing what he was holding up, her eyes bucked. “Every day,” she was almost in tears.
“This is why you can’t sleep. You’re filling your head with all this on top of what we have going on at home. I’m surprised you’re not in a strait jacket. You have to get rid of these. Let me take them, please.” Meg nodded her head, and he wrapped his arms around her. She gave in to the sincerity in his voice and nuzzled next to him. Taking the blanket, he spread it across them, propping the pillow under her head. “You see, baby, you may win the challenge, but I always win the prize. I love you, girl.”
“I love you too.”
“Now, get some sleep, I’ll wake you in an hour.”
Alex laid on the floor with Meg in his arms, staring at the ceiling. He wondered what his life would be like if they hadn’t gotten back together. Miserable he thought and kissed her on the forehead. For every fight they ever had, it was the moments like what they had just shared that he lived for. She was always the one, he never questioned that, but he was unsure about if he could really keep his promises to give her the world. If he couldn’t even handle something as small as a five-year-old tantrum, how could he begin to tackle the real problem? Despite their troubles with Allison, he knew, their biggest problem was and always would be, Amanda Leon.
***
Melia sighed as she turned into the driveway of Meg and Alex’s house. Despite the fight they had days earlier, things were back to normal after some serious ass kissing, on Melia’s part. She was now dropping Cienna’s clothes off for her sleepover with Allison, with plans to return tomorrow for the party Meg and Alex were hosting. She had called ahead, and was informed that Meg would pick the girls up from school, and all she needed to do was drop off the clothes. Meg asked if she wanted to stay for a while because Matt was out of the house, but she refused. She was still shaken by their encounter the day before, and didn’t know what to make of it. If he accidentally came home before she left, it would be too awkward to imagine.
Pulling up to the house, she was greeted by Meg and all the children, and faded out of her dreary mood. The children always had a way of brightening the darkest of days. Cienna was the first to run to her with open arms once she was out of the car. “Mommy, I missed you all day. Come, let me show you what I did at school today.” She tugged on her hand and pulled at her eagerly. Once they were inside, she pulled out a colorful picture with several figures.
“Wow, Cici, who are all these people?”
Cienna pointed to each picture excitedly. “This is you, me, and daddy. Over there is Uncle Alex, Aunt Meg, Alli, and Jordan. Here is Uncle Aiden, Aunt Emily, Uncle Gio, and Uncle Marco.”
“Who are these people on the other side?”
“Grandpa Ben, Grandma Melissa, Papi, and Granny Maria.”
Melia smiled and rubbed her cheek. “It’s beautiful, but who is the other person that’s alone in the corner?”
“It’s Mrs. Pierre, mommy. She is our friend.”
Allison looked and shook her head, trying to shut Cienna up, and Melia looked at the both of them suspiciously. “Who is Mrs. Pierre?”
Cienna looked to Allison and then back at Melia. “Our new teacher. She plays with us.”
Melia looked puzzled. She had been to the school several times in the past few months, and she hadn’t heard of anyone on staff named Mrs. Pierre. She was just about ready to alert Meg, when she looked up and saw Matt walking into the house. Studying him, she froze, forgetting her train of thought. He offered her a slight smile and then turned his attention to the adoring children waiting to shower him with hugs.
Melia watched him with the children and admired how attentive he was. He was giving them all his attention, and it was endearing. While she watched him, she also had the time to rethink the whole situation. She was standing staring into space while Meg made her way over, startling her. “Are you surprised, Melia? You always knew he was an exceptional father.”
“Yeah,” she admitted. “I just don’t want this to change once he gets tired of us again.”
“He never got tired of you. Come here, I want to tell you something.”
“Yeah.”
“Come with me,” Meg motioned, walking towards the study. Melia followed her quietly while Matt continued to play with the children. He never looked away from them until they were all the way out of the room.
“What’s so big that we had to come in here?” Melia questioned.
“You’re my sister, and I love you, which is why I want you to talk to your husband. I know we have been through this, and I know how you feel about things, but...”
“You’re right,” she interrupted. “We should talk, but I wouldn’t know where to start.”
Meg smiled and brushed her hand across Melia’s cheek. “Go tell your husband that you m
iss him, and you don’t want a divorce. Ask him to come home.”
“We aren’t at that point yet. I just want to make some sense of everything. There are still some problems we can’t just bury.”
“Melia, you’re being a pain.”
“Meg, I love you, but I’m not you. I can’t just sweep everything under the rug. I need time. I have to think things through.”
“I don’t sweep things, I just don’t dwell on the negatives. I’ve learned to live life to the fullest, and I just want that for you.”
Melia reached for her and Meg fell into her arms. “Thank you, Meg, I love you. You’re always here for me, but I need to come to this in my own time.”
“I love you too, and you know I’m here when you want to talk. I just want your life to be happy.”
“It will be again. I just have to figure some things out.”
“Just don’t take too much time, okay?”
“Okay,” Melia smiled.
Meg and Melia made their way out of the study to find Matt and the kids missing from the living room. Melia looked around curiously and Marisol informed her that he had taken the children to play in Allison’s bedroom. Nodding her head graciously, she gathered her purse to leave. Meg saw her to the door and said goodbye, but before she could leave, Matt appeared out of nowhere and tapped her on the shoulder. Turning slowly, her breath caught, witnessing the love in his eyes. “Thanks for bringing her things, Mel. Have a good night off.” Just as he turned away, she called out to him. “Yeah?”
“You have a good night too, Matt.”
“I will,” he kissed her cheek and just like that, he was gone. She watched him disappear up the stairs, and Melia just watched, wishing she could be in his arms that night instead of her big lonely bed.
Chapter Seven
“Melissa, I can’t thank you enough for inviting me,” Vanzetti blushed as they stood outside the door of Meg and Alex’s place. They hadn’t had the lunch date he proposed, but she called him up and invited him to Allison’s party. She was trying her hardest to make sure he knew she wasn’t blowing him off.
Things had just gotten really complicated now that Emilio had discovered that Maria was alive. He had spent the night with them and they all had dinner, drinks, and she honestly meant to reach out, but, the festivities wore on into the wee hours of the morning. She had completely forgotten to call and schedule their date. Although she wanted to spend time with him, she thought it best to keep Vanzetti away from her house until they had a better handle on things.
When she finally called him up, she heard the excitement in his voice, and her own version of excitement bubbled through. This was going to be the first date she had been on in so long and she had butterflies. She felt like a schoolgirl all over again when the thought of spending time with him emerged. He truly was the perfect catch.
“You don’t have to thank me, handsome. I’m just glad you could make it at such short notice.”
“I would use any excuse to spend time with you.”
He leaned in to kiss her and Marisol answered the door, catching them in an intimate embrace and smiled. “Hello, Mrs. Hanover, Mr. Vanzetti.”
“Rogelio, call me Rogelio,” he smiled.
“I love that name. How is it that you have a name that is part Italian and part Hispanic?”
“My father is Italian, and my mother Hispanic. They just gave me one of each origin.”
“Wow,” Marisol laughed. “Double the temper.”
“And double the passion.”
Marisol nudged Melissa subtly and they shared looks, and Melissa felt her heart flutter. She had been celibate so long, she forgot what it felt like to have your insides melt for something more. She was looking at him until the doorbell rang and broke her thoughts. Marisol brushed past her and swung the door open, and saw the mountain of gifts that arrived for Allison and stepped aside to let the deliverymen through.
“What is all this and who sent them?” Melissa questioned.
Marisol signed for the packages, looked at the name shook her head vehemently. “We have to get these out of here now! Help me hide them.”
“What’s wrong Marisol?”
“They are from Mr. Hanover. He had his lawyer send these over.”
“What is Ben thinking?” Melissa motioned for Rogelio to help them. Before they could successfully clear the room, Allison and Meg came around the corner hand in hand. Allison’s eyes lit up when she saw all the boxes wrapped in bright paper, and Melissa and Marisol’s faces went blank. There was no way they were going to be able to tear her away from her surprises now. Their only hope was that Alex never discovered the source of the gifts.
“Granny, thank you!” Allison screamed, touching the boxes. “Can I open them?”
Melissa shrugged and Rogelio nudged her to take credit for the generous offering. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. I’m sure your mom and dad want to get your party started before you open the gifts.” Melissa bent down to hug her with a confused look on her face that Meg picked up on and developed a puzzled look of her own. When she walked around to see the name on the boxes, she stilled instantly until walked up to whisper in her ear.
“I’m sorry, we tried to hide them, but she came in so suddenly.”
“Rip the name off those boxes now! Alex can’t see who they’re from, he would blow up.”
“Help me,” Marisol motioned and began to take the tags from all the boxes. She and Meg rushed around the boxes in a frenzy trying to remove any shred of evidence that could link them to Ben. They finished just in time for Alex to come bursting in the door with children trailing behind him.
“Baby, what’s this?” Meg asked nervously.
“I decided to go ahead and bring a few kids from school. A party just isn’t a party without guests.” Meg smiled at him and brushed her hand over his cheek. “I know, baby, I’m just a big pushover. I’m no better at being a bad cop than you are.”
“You’re so sweet,” she leaned in, kissing him lightly. “Bring them all out back, everything is set up. Everyone is here.”
“I’m on it.” He looked around and saw all the boxes. “Who robbed the toy store and dropped it on our doorstep?”
Meg ran her hand down his chest and smiled. “Your mother and Rogelio were nice enough to bring these by.”
Alex smiled at the both of them and pulled Melissa into a light embrace. “Well, I thank you, Meg, thanks you, and I’m sure Alli, thanks you, isn’t that right, Alli bear?”
“Thank you, Granny and Mr. Rogelio,” Allison beamed and sprinted off with her group of friends.
“Where is Jordan?” Melissa looked around.
“Out back with Emilio. Let’s get going.”
Walking out to the backyard, they saw all the bounce houses and festivities set up and Melissa grinned. Meg had the yard set up like a personal Neverland, and the kids were all over the place. When Melissa looked over and saw everyone in attendance, she smiled. It had been a while since they were all in the same place, and it made her feel good to see their whole family; well almost. Maria still wasn’t able to attend, and Matt also seemed to be missing in action.
***
“Meg, where is Matt hiding?” This caught Melia’s attention. She had been scanning the yard looking for Matt, but was too embarrassed to ask about his whereabouts. She felt silly looking for the husband that she forced to leave because now all she wanted was to be near him. He had been so sweet with Cienna and very respective of her wishes and keeping to himself just as she had asked, and now she feared he might have really taken her seriously on the divorce front.
The desperation and need she had in the past to control what happened between them was fading, and now she was growing tired of being in her bed alone. She needed the feel of his strong arms around her, his hot kisses on her lips, the tenderness of his touch, and the magnitude of his desire when they made love. The last time he had taken her fully had been three weeks prior, and the interlude on the table hadn’t nearly hi
t the spot. She didn’t know what it was about him now, but she couldn’t shake him from her thoughts.
Melia sat, twirling her wedding band around thinking to herself quietly. She had taken it off and was now wearing it on a chain. She clutched it tightly and pulled it to her lips, kissing it when Meg approached her. “Matt is upstairs just in case you were wondering.”
“Yeah, thank you. I was trying to figure out...” Melia cut herself off when she noticed that Meg was setting her up. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize she had walked right into an ambush. “Very funny, but yes, I was wondering where he was. Everyone else is here and I just thought it would be nice to all be out here with the kids enjoying the lovely weather.”
“Well, he is in his room if you want to check on him.”
“I don’t think I will. I’ll just wait until he comes down,” she sighed.
“Suit yourself,” Meg huffed and turned to greet Gio and Marco, who were approaching. Melia was still watching the interaction, noting that Gio was looking rather refreshed today. The past few times she had seen him, he looked tired and troubled, but today he was glowing. Both he and Marco seemed to be in good spirits, and it made Meg smile. When he flung his arms around her, she melted into his warm embrace.
“Oh, I missed you. It’s good to see you up and well big brother and Marco, you look fabulous.”
“I missed you too, and thank you for the time off. I really appreciated all you’ve done for me these past few weeks.”
“Yeah Meg, we really needed the extra time,” Marco supplied.
“It was no problem. You’re always here for me, so helping you was a no brainier, but tell me, is everything okay now?”
“Everything is excellent. I have to talk to you all, but for now, let’s just enjoy our girl’s birthday. I can’t believe my Alli bear is six years old now. It seems like we just got her yesterday.”
