Wild With You

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Wild With You Page 17

by Layla Hagen


  "No! Hell no, he couldn't. We wouldn't let that happen."

  We.

  "I mean, he's never even paid child support, so I can hold that over his head."

  "I'm coming with you to meet him. We'll go together and see what he has to say."

  "That isn't a good idea. You don't know each other."

  "So what? When someone bothers my girlfriend, I want to be by her side. Unless you don't think I belong there." Graham's eyes were steely with determination, his jaw clenched. God, the last thing I wanted was to hurt him.

  "Of course you belong there."

  He looked at me like I was his to protect. Like he wouldn't take no for an answer. He came right up to me, wrapping me in those strong arms. Feeling him pressed up to me melted away some of that anxiety.

  "We'll go together," I said.

  He tightened his arms around me and brought his mouth down on me. His tongue teased my lips, and I parted them instantly, welcoming his heat. The contact electrified me to the tips of my fingers and toes. I braced my palms on his broad shoulders, then smoothed them down his chest, tracing the dents between his muscles. Would I ever be able to be around him and not touch him shamelessly? All evidence suggested the answer was hell no.

  "I have something for you," he murmured when we came up for air. He let me go, went to the foyer, and returned with a calendar. I held out my grabby hands when I realized it was the team's calendar.

  "Gimme, gimme. I didn't know it was out. Which month is yours?"

  "March."

  I flipped to March, and my knees went weak. He looked absolutely mouth-watering. With his shirt off, held in one hand over his shoulder in a casual way. His chin was dipped slightly, his gaze cast in the distance.

  I groaned. "Now the whole country will know how hot you are."

  "No worries, baby. You're the only one who can touch me."

  "I should get started on that, right? Why salivate at the photo when I have the model in front of me?"

  "As I said, I like how your mind works."

  I took one last look at the calendar before tucking it away on a bookshelf. I smiled when I felt Graham's hands on my hips, turning me around to face him.

  He took my face in his hands, whispering, “I love you, baby.”

  ***

  Graham

  I felt her tense, and my gut clenched. I hadn't premeditated saying it, but now that I did, I didn't want to take the words back. But my gut clenched tighter when Lori looked at me with uncertainty. Had this been too fast? Damn it, that was how I felt, and I saw no reason to hold back. I took it as a good sign that she wasn't pushing me away, but I didn't like the stiffness in her posture. "You're amazing, and I feel so close to you that I don't want to be without you."

  "That's so sweet." She swallowed, and I could swear I felt her becoming tinier by the second, like she was folding in on herself. I kissed her hard, hoping she felt the same way about me. I wanted her love—I needed it. There were no two ways about it.

  "Can you say it again?" she whispered when I moved my lips to her cheek.

  It dawned on me that she wasn't used to hearing the words—at least not from anyone she wasn't related to.

  "I love you, Lori Connor." I peppered her neck with kisses. "You deserve to be loved." I moved to her cheek, and repeated, "You deserve to be loved." I took a deep breath and went on. "If you don't feel the same, I don't want to rush you. I'm okay with whatever you can give me right now. But I at least want to know if you imagine you could love me one day."

  I wasn't sure what I'd do if she said no. Part of me wanted to take anything she had to give me, but if she didn't see this going where I did....

  "I do love you. I just... I hadn't expected this."

  She ensnared me in the circle of her arms, crushing her lips to mine. Something seemed to expand in my chest as relief and joy overwhelmed me. I felt Lori smile against my lips while I was kissing her, like she couldn't contain herself. Life couldn't get better than this. She loved me. I wanted our lives to be so entwined that she'd never be able to shake me off. I thought I couldn't get involved emotionally anymore, but I'd been wrong.

  "Hey, want to see my bedroom?" she whispered. We were still standing in the living room, wrapped in each other.

  "You want to take advantage of me, Ms. Connor?"

  "Why, no. Of course not. I'm a lady. I was rather hoping you'd take advantage of me, Mr. Frazier."

  We broke out in laughter. Lori tried to shush us.

  "We'll wake up Milo."

  We did our best to keep our voices down as we hurried to her bedroom.

  "Wow!" she exclaimed once I'd closed the door. I'd arranged scented candles throughout the room. Fishing the lighter out of my pocket, I lit up each one, then turned off the lights.

  "Any other surprises planned?" Lori asked in a husky voice.

  "Lie down and you'll see."

  She tilted her head. "Want me naked?"

  "Very naked. And on your belly."

  I watched her take off her dress and underwear then remove the cover on the bed. She cocked a brow at the large beach towel I'd laid out.

  "Lie down on the towel on your belly," I instructed.

  When she was flat on the bed, I took out the massage oil from the nightstand, poured some in my palms, and then worked her upper back, pressing on her shoulder blades. Then I moved onto the middle her back, rubbing along her spine.

  "Mmm... you're so good at this. Why do you have to be so good?"

  "To drive you crazy."

  "When did you think all this up?"

  I lowered my hands to her ass, kneading each cheek with great care.

  "Last week, when you were running around on adrenaline. Thought you could use some relaxing once it was over."

  "Are you even real?" she whispered.

  I slipped a finger between her folds until I reached her clit, to prove how real it all was. She gasped.

  "How was the event?"

  "You want me to talk now?" she protested.

  "Why? Is something distracting you?"

  I pushed her ass in the air and strummed my fingers on her clit. When she bit into her pillow, I undid the buttons of my jeans. Watching pleasure consume her was the best foreplay. She came so hard that her entire body spasmed.

  I held her until she calmed down, then flipped her on her back. I was so hot for her that I could barely see straight, so I kicked off my clothes and underwear. Lying on top of her, I explored her mouth. I was controlling the kiss, and in the slow dance of our tongues, I showed her how I was going to love her tonight. She fidgeted, rubbing her soft skin against me.

  I turned my attention to her breasts, flicking my tongue over one nipple, then the other. The skin on her breasts turned to goose bumps. Her arms were covered too. I slid my hands to cup her ass and found some there as well.

  "Do you have goose bumps on your pussy too, babe?"

  "Why don't you check?" she rasped out.

  The answer was a resounding yes.

  "Graham," she whispered when I descended to explore her body. I brought a hand to her pussy, and my eyes crossed when I felt how wet she was. I feathered my thumb in circles over her clit, feeling her press her feet deep in the mattress. She pressed her forearm over her mouth, but I still heard her groan.

  "Oh, God. Graham." Her muffled voice set me on edge. I was dying to be inside her, but I wanted a taste first, so I settled my head between her legs, focusing on her clit with my tongue and my thumb.

  Lick. Stroke. Lick. Stroke.

  I licked her until her legs trembled, and then I couldn't wait anymore. But when I reached to the nightstand for protection, Lori shifted into a sitting position.

  "Not yet."

  She gripped my erection, and my hips buckled. Lori took her hand away, clamping her lips around the tip then lowering her mouth on me.

  "Lori, fuuuck. Stop or I won't last."

  She showed no signs of stopping, but I pulled back when my balls tightened almost painfull
y. I slid protection on and then positioned myself between her legs, teasing her by rubbing the crown against her inner thigh. Pleasure pulsed through me, and I wasn't even inside her.

  "Graham, please."

  I moved the tip down to her entrance, sliding it in an inch before pulling back and dragging it up to her clit. Lori brought both hands to her breasts, touching her nipples. I leaned over and licked where she'd touched. At the same time, I buried myself inside her to the hilt.

  She gasped. "Graham, I need—"

  "I know what you need."

  She was tight and warm around me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to go slow. We both needed it hard and fast. She pressed her heels just under my ass cheeks as we both moved ferociously. We kissed each other's groans until the very end. In that moment, I wasn't sure I even knew my own name, let alone if we'd been loud or not.

  We held onto each other until our ragged breaths turned to laughter. Lori pressed her forehead against my shoulder, speaking into my chest.

  "That was intense," she murmured between fits of laughter.

  "You could say that."

  After we cleaned up, we slipped under the covers, and I could tell Lori was going to fall asleep in a matter of minutes. I, on the other hand, felt wide-awake. She blinked slowly, clearly making an effort not to drift away.

  Kissing the tip of her nose, I said, "Go to sleep, Lori."

  "Aren't you tired?"

  "No."

  I shifted her so that she could use my chest as a pillow. She sighed contentedly, shifting even more, half straddling me.

  "I've always had troubles falling asleep," she murmured. "But not when I'm with you."

  "Then go to sleep. I'll hold you."

  She was out in seconds, and her shallow breath was tickling my chest. This, right here, was all I needed to be a happy man.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Lori

  The meeting with Jeff took place one week later in a cafe in Silver Lake. I'd been giving myself mental pep talks all day, but I was still nervous as hell by the time Graham and I arrived. I'd been biting my nails and wringing my hands during the drive. Part of me was grateful Graham was with me; the other part wished he wouldn't see me in this state.

  "Baby, we're doing this together, okay?"

  I nodded, too nervous to reply. Graham kissed my hand before we climbed out of the car.

  When we entered the coffee shop, I located Jeff at a table in the corner. Seeing him was a shock. He looked as if seventeen years had passed, not seven. His hairline had receded somewhat, and he'd grown a second chin. When he rose to his feet, I also noticed a beer belly.

  "Lori, it's been too long."

  Not long enough was what I wanted to say, but I just shook his hand. Jeff jerked his head back when Graham introduced himself.

  "The LA Lords's Graham Frazier?"

  "Yes."

  "Man, I'm a big fan of the Lords."

  "Glad to hear it." Graham's voice was curt and in no way invited further conversation.

  "Lori, I'd like to speak with you alone."

  I lifted a brow. "Tough luck."

  We all sat down, and after an awkward silence, Jeff said, "You two are an item, I gather?"

  Graham draped an arm around my shoulders.

  "Yes, we are," I confirmed.

  "Okay, um... what would you two like to order?" Jeff asked. "My treat."

  "How about cutting to the chase?" Graham suggested, mirroring my thoughts.

  "Cut me some slack, man. I'm trying to work up the courage." Jeff shrugged. My stomach twisted. Work up the courage to what? My thoughts flew to Milo. Jace and Will had taken him out for dinner.

  "Why did you want to meet, Jeff?" I asked.

  He set an elbow on the table, scratching his double chin. "So, as you know, I'm working in Denver."

  "Okay...?"

  "I ran into some trouble recently. A patient sued me for giving him the wrong treatment. My lawyer initially said we had a strong case, but now it seems like there is a real possibility I might lose my license for malpractice. The hospital already fired me."

  Graham and I exchanged a glance, and I could tell he was asking himself the same thing. What did this have to do with me and Milo?

  "If the hospital fired you, I'm guessing they think the patient is right," I said.

  "All I did was prescribe some drugs that had just hit the market. The pharmaceutical company gave me a fat bonus, and their statistics were comparable to older drugs. I couldn't know it wouldn't work."

  "Or you could have prescribed one of the time-tested drugs. But God forbid you actually do something that is not in your best interest, right? That goes right against the Hippocratic Oath." I couldn't help the venom in my voice.

  "Well, it's a done deal now. My lawyer says it's important I appear as a responsible person. She looked up my records, said it doesn't bode well for me that I wasn't taking care of my kid."

  I stiffened. "Get to the point."

  Under the table, Graham squeezed my hand.

  "I know I haven't been good about paying child support, but it would help if you'd declare that I did."

  I stared at him. He couldn't be serious. This was why he wanted to meet?

  "You son of a bitch." That was Graham. I needed a few seconds to calm down before talking.

  "You have the nerve to show up here and ask me to lie for you? After you ditched me when I was pregnant and ignored your son all his life?"

  "Come on, Lori. That was a long time ago. And seeing the company you keep, it's not like you're still pining after me or need the money. Landon's rich as fuck anyway. Not like you ever needed my money. What's the harm in helping me out?"

  "The harm is that I'd be lying. You are not a responsible person, and you have not paid one dollar of child support. I will not pretend otherwise."

  "Lori, don't be like that. You know I could make things difficult for you. I have never exerted my paternal rights, but if I decided to—"

  "You continue that line of conversation and you won't have teeth left in your mouth," Graham said. His voice was calm and composed, but it sounded lethal.

  I wanted to punch Jeff myself. Not only didn't he care one iota about Milo, but he wanted to use him as a bargaining chip. Christ, I couldn't believe he'd become even more of a scumbag over the years.

  Jeff swallowed. "This already ate up all of my savings. They find out I've been avoiding child support all these years, they'll be at my throat."

  "Which is what you deserve," I said.

  He lifted his chin, narrowing his eyes. "You have no idea what it took to put me through med school and residency. I worked hard for this career to let a bitch like you ruin it."

  I barely blinked and Graham was already out of his chair, grabbing Jeff by his collar. I sprang to my feet, along with several other patrons. Two waiters were hurrying toward us.

  "You're a fucking scumbag," Graham bellowed.

  "Christ! What did that bitch do to have you so whipped?"

  Next thing I knew, Graham's fist connected with Jeff's jaw.

  "Jesus Christ, are you insane?" Jeff covered his jaw with one hand.

  "Don't you dare talk about Lori like that in front of me."

  "Take it from someone who knows—she's not worth the trouble."

  That earned him a second punch. The waiters pulled them apart then, and I immediately hurried to inspect Graham's hand. His knuckles were red but not bloody. I looked up at Jeff.

  "This conversation is over. You have anything more to say on the topic, talk to my lawyer. If I were you, I wouldn't. I can take you to court for that accrued child support."

  He paled, but I wasn't nearly done. I wanted to let out everything I had on my chest.

  "You decided seven years ago that you didn't want to be part of our lives, fine. But don't think you have any rights to make any demands or to expect anything of me. You're just being a jackass, showing up here, demanding I lie for you. As I said, you have anything more to say on this top
ic, contact my lawyer. I don't want to deal with you again."

  Jeff's jaw went slack. He wasn't used to this side of me. In med school, I was young and naïve. Even when he called after being gone for a year, I still gave him the benefit of the doubt. I'd hoped he'd finally decided to man up and to face his responsibilities. One of my biggest flaws had always been believing everyone deserved a second chance, and a third.

  Before Jeff had a chance to say anything, Graham spoke. "We're done here. You contact Lori again, you'll have bigger problems on your hands than a malpractice lawsuit."

  I was shaking slightly. Graham must have sensed it, because he splayed his hand on my upper back. He tucked me closer to him on the way to the car. When we reached it, he opened the door for me.

  "I'm sorry this was so shitty. How is your hand?"

  "Not as bad as his jaw will be tomorrow. I'll put some ice on it. Don't you worry about me. You were magnificent. So strong and decisive." He caressed my cheek with the back of his uninjured hand, his thumb dwelling on my chin before moving to rest on one corner of my mouth. He kissed the other corner. I rose on my tiptoes, placing my arms around his neck, flattening my torso to his. I loved this closeness between us, even though I wished I could pull myself together already. I was still shaking.

  "What's on your mind, sweet girl? You can tell me anything."

  "Not feeling so strong now," I admitted. The words felt strange on my tongue. I wasn't used to sharing these things with anyone but my siblings. I hoped he wouldn't think I was a weakling.

  "Lucky I'm here to make it all better." He feathered his lips from the corner of my mouth to the center, kissing the upper lip, then the lower one.

  "And how do you plan to do that?"

  He gave me one of his knee-weakening, panty-melting, mind-blowing kisses.

  "Love your plan," I murmured when we came up for breath.

  "This was just a kiss. The plan is more elaborate."

  "Do tell."

  "I texted Jace and Will. They're going to drop Milo off at home in a few hours. He talked them into going to a movie."

  "Of course he did." I shook my head with fake dismay.

  "Hey! The little guy is persuasive. You're the only one able to resist him. Don't be so hard on the rest of us mortals."

 

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