by Claire Adams
“Did you wash your hands?” I asked my son.
He nodded.
“Are you ready to go?” Mom asked.
“You sure it’s all right that you take a day off?” I said.
She nodded. “Yes, I have so much time built up, I could not show up for two months and be fine,” she smiled. “Besides, my little grandson is finally getting to go home. How could I not take the day off?”
Something was slightly off in her smile. I wouldn’t have said it was sinister, but it was almost a grin, like she knew something I didn’t. I chalked it up to just being tired and didn’t press her on it.
“If you’re sure it’s okay.” I felt a little bad about her taking the day off, but she was a grown woman and a professional, and she knew when things might be too busy for her to leave. “All right. Let’s get going.”
* * *
Mom was very quiet on the way home. Too quiet. That should have been my first clue that something was coming. Well, my second clue after the weird little smile.
The next clue was the parking situation. Several cars were parked along the street, and I didn’t recognize any of them. Until I spotted a familiar Stroker touring bike. My stomach did flips, not because I was seeing a motorcycle, but because of who owned it.
I pulled into my driveway and spotted a huge banner hanging over my garage. WELCOME HOME, JACK!
Jack laughed and pointed at the sign. “Look, Mommy!”
“The only people who knew Jack was coming home today were you and Daniella,” I said, glancing over at Mom. “So who planned it?”
Mom smirked. “We both did. She needed the key to the house among other things, so I needed to be in on it. She came up with the idea, but I didn’t discourage her. The last thing you both need after being cooped up in that hospital is more solitude.”
I laughed quietly and pressed the button on my garage door opener. I pulled the car in, wondering what was about to happen. I assumed Daniella wasn’t so clueless that she’d throw some booze-fueled kegger for my son’s return from the hospital.
At least I hoped she wouldn’t.
Once parked, I helped Jack get out of his seat and headed to the door leading into my house. We all stepped inside. A few steps brought us in view of the living room where I spotted Daniella, Jessica, Briana, and Drew.
There was no booze in sight, and everyone looked sober. There wasn’t even any loud music playing. This was the sort of welcome home party for my son that I could handle.
I was slightly surprised to see the other models, though we’d all been on good terms during the shoot, and they’d sent me messages in the hospital expressing their concern. I hadn’t really expected them to stop by the hospital, but I was happy to see them here.
The truth was that since Jack’s dad had died, I’d been so busy worrying about work and saving, I hadn’t had much time for friends, so it was nice to find a friend in Daniella and maybe the other models.
“Welcome home, Jack!” they all cheered.
My son giggled and laughed. He rushed straight toward Drew and hopped into his lap. Drew laughed and gave him a hug.
I stopped myself from calling out to Jack, even though he looked a little winded. He’d recovered from his infection, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t still weak. I didn’t want to risk upsetting or worrying him. He was happy to be home, and there was no reason to get overly protective. All he’d done was rush to Drew. It wasn’t like he was running a marathon.
My heart skipped a beat as I watched them for a few moments. They looked so perfect together. I’d thought it when I saw them together at the hospital, too. There were no frowns or grumpy looks when it came to Jack. Drew did seem to like him, just like he’d told me when I was being a bitch and chewing him out.
Drew and I had our chemistry, but he also seemed naturally great with my son, which was surprising. From what Daniella had told me, her brother normally wasn’t that good around kids, and he’d never had any himself. He’d never even talked about wanting any.
That made sense for a man who’d been obsessed with living on the road. A kid tied you down, kept you in one place. I knew that all too well. Not that I minded. I liked having roots and was beginning to like having people I could depend on, something I didn’t have much experience with beyond my mother.
When I looked at him holding Jack and chatting with Mom, it almost seemed like Jack had grown up with Drew around. I didn’t know what that meant. It wasn’t exactly like I’d been dating, so I couldn’t be sure if Drew was just extra good with Jack, or if my son was just so starved for male affection he’d latched onto the first man who had gotten close to me in years.
Daniella hopped up off her seat on the couch and headed over to me. Mom walked over to chat with Jessica and Briana.
“Welcome home, Cat,” Daniella said, pulling me into a tight hug. Her warmth was comforting.
“It’s good for both of us to be back home,” I said and chuckled. “I didn’t expect all of this.”
She pulled away with a grin. “Oh, I know it might seem like a bit much, but Jack’s been rotting away in that hospital for two weeks, and for most part, so have you. We wanted to do something for Jack, and this just seemed perfect. Plus, we already ordered dinner, so you don’t even have to cook.”
“I’m a little surprised, but still, thank you.”
There was a knock at the door.
Daniella hugged me again. “That’ll be the pizza and spaghetti. I’ll get it.” She moved toward the door.
“Spaghetti?”
She stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Drew told me that Jack loved spaghetti.” She continued toward the door. Mom moved over to help her carry everything in.
I glanced between her and Drew, who was still talking to Jack. Everything seemed so strange. A wonderful strange, but still strange. It was like Drew and Daniella had adopted us somehow.
With the kind of sigh that only comes from overthinking, I headed into the kitchen while Daniella moved to the dining room table with the food. Paper plates and napkins already lay on top.
“First choice to Jack,” she announced.
Jack cheered and rushed to the table. Again, I had to fight down my worry over him straining himself.
“I want spaghetti and pizza,” he said, looking at me.
“Eat all you want, sweetie,” I called from the kitchen. “This is your party.”
“Yay!” he said. Mom dished his food up.
I watched everyone grabbing their food. Movement out of the corner of my eye caused me to turn, and then I spotted Drew, standing in the kitchen doorway.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel so safe or relaxed in my house anymore.
As if sensing my tension, he kept his distance.
“Sorry about Daniella going overboard,” Drew said. “She does love any excuse for a party,” he chuckled and shrugged.
“It’s nice,” I said.
My gaze drifted back to the dining room table. I winced as I remembered it was the same table we’d screwed on top of like horny monkeys. My cheeks heated, remembering everything we had done.
I couldn’t believe myself. My son was in the hospital for two weeks and had just gotten out, and there I was thinking about sex with Drew again.
Turning back toward him, I spoke sincerely. “I, uh, thank you again for the donation. I don’t know what I would do if I was staring down an enormous medical bill right now after all that.”
He shrugged. “If you can’t help people with your money, then what good is it?”
“Good attitude.” I swallowed as my gaze lingered on the way his muscles strained against his T-shirt, thinking how I could easily get lost in those dark eyes of his.
“How do you feel?” Drew said.
“Me? I’m fine.”
“It’s been a lot of stress, dealing with all that.”
I shrugged. “The important thing is that Jack’s okay.”
“Yeah, guess so.”
We stared at each other, ne
ither saying anything else. The air was thick with desire. I was lucky that he was not right next to me. Otherwise, his scent and body heat might have been too much to handle.
I sucked in a breath. My nipples hardened as the memory of him screwing me on the table flooded my mind.
This is why people shouldn’t have sex on their tables.
Chapter Twenty-three
Drew
My cock strained against my pants. I could see the hunger in her eyes, and it fed my own. I didn’t dare look at the dining room table. The memory of us was now fresh again in my mind.
Everything came back to me, the sound of her pants, the feel of her walls tightening around me. The taste of her mouth. Addictive. Totally addictive. Like the best drug a man could have.
Resisting the urge to drag her off to a bedroom and bend her over, I just stood there, spellbound We were close, too damn close to the spot where I’d finally experienced what it was like to be inside her, and I wanted more than anything to feel that again, and I almost didn’t give a damn that anyone else was there.
I sucked in a deep breath. I had to control myself. Jack was fresh out of the hospital, and even though we’d agreed to give a dating a try, that didn’t mean she was ready to fall right back into bed, or on top of a table, with me. Talk about getting ahead of myself.
Still, I wanted to see that wonderful fit body of hers, to see those gray eyes widen and her lips part as I slipped my cock into her tight pussy. I wanted to hear her cry my name as I made her come over and over again.
I grunted. What the hell was I doing? My sister, Cat’s mother, Helen, and Jack were in the other room, not to mention the other models. How sick and twisted was I to be fantasizing about screwing a woman when her mother and son were right in the other room?
We were there to help Jack and Cat feel better, not to satisfy my hungry cock.
Cat glanced toward the dining room table and sighed.
I winced. I’d thought I’d seen hunger in her eyes, but maybe I’d seen nothing more than irritation. She’d been worried about her son for two weeks, and probably was looking forward to relaxing at home, not a bunch of other people invading her space, let alone me lusting over her.
“Damn. We’re intruding,” I said. “Of course we are.” I shook my head. “I knew I shouldn’t have let Daniella talk me into this.” Cat opened her mouth, but I continued on before she could say anything. “There are some things I wanted to talk to you about, but they can wait. I’ll go tell Daniella and the others that we need to leave. They’ll understand.”
Cat shook her head. “No, no. I think this is good for Jack, seeing all these people who are happy for him.” She laughed quietly. “And it’s like Daniella said. At least I don’t have to cook.”
“You can eat without us here,” I said. “It’s not like I’m going to take the food with me on my bike.”
“No, please stay.” She gestured toward the dining room. “We should go get some. It seems like everyone else has plates already.”
My stomach grumbled, and I patted it. The idea of a little food sounded damn good right about then. “Yeah, I haven’t had anything since breakfast.”
We both headed into the dining room. I wasn’t sure about her, but the thought of eating did at least get my mind off the thought of her wrapping those sweet, slender legs around me while I pushed into her.
Everyone else was already seated. Unfortunately, the only seats left were right next to each other. We exchanged glances before sitting down, and I wondered if she was thinking the same thing I was thinking.
Dangerous. That’s what it was to be sitting so close to her, but I did my best to keep my lust for her off my face, and I figured at least with a table covering me no one would notice how hard I was.
I glanced at the available food. Spaghetti, plus lots of pizza—pepperoni, supreme, and cheese. I almost laughed. We’d ordered enough to feed about thirty people. At least Cat wouldn’t have to cook for her next few meals. Or the next ten.
I snickered, wondering long it’d take for her to get sick of pizza.
Small talk filled the air as I worked on inhaling a few pieces of pepperoni pizza. My stomach was grateful, and it’d give me a chance to get my head fully screwed back on before I said something stupid in front of everyone. Or, for that matter, actually did something crazy.
Somehow a good fifteen minutes passed without me saying anything. Cat barely spoke herself. It probably helped that Cat and I both seemed to want to avoid looking at each other.
That set me to thinking. I just couldn’t figure her out. Was she ashamed of what we did after all? Did she not want to be with me?
It made sense that she wouldn’t boot me out in a rage after she’d already apologized once, and I’d paid for her medical bills. But that also didn’t mean she was interested in a relationship, despite what we’d talked about before.
Considering all the crap she’d been dealing with the last couple of weeks, it wasn’t like she’d had a clear head to make decisions, and she could have wanted to avoid another fight.
“We have to get going,” Jessica said. “Thanks for the food.” She offered Jack a warm smile. “And welcome home, Jack. It was really nice to meet you.”
“Thanks,” Jack said. “You’re pretty.”
Jessica laughed. “You’re a smart kid with good standards.”
Briana and the smiling redhead both rose, waving. I wasn’t surprised that models would eat only a single piece of pizza and then head out early from a kid’s party. It was nice for them to show up, though. It gave me another reason to consider them for any future ad campaigns.
They headed out, leaving just the two families there. The increased intimacy immediately struck me, and I tried not to read too much into it. It wasn’t like we’d planned it that way.
“Didn’t you have something you wanted to talk to Cat about?” Daniella said, nodding toward Cat.
Cat and Helen both looked my way.
Cat’s lips pursed. “You mentioned something in the kitchen,” she said. “It seemed kind of important.”
I waved a hand. “It’s not that big a deal. It can wait. For now, don’t worry about anything other than relaxing.”
A sharp pain hit my shin, and I grimaced. Daniella leveled a glare at me, and I realized she’d kicked me under the table. She was the operations director at a major company, and she was acting like a bratty younger sister.
I returned her glare but managed not to curse at her, but only because Jack was there. Otherwise, she would have gotten more than a mouthful.
“No, it’s okay,” Cat said. “Unless it’s something Jack can’t hear.” She glanced his way. He was still nibbling away on spaghetti.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just, Daniella and I have been talking about your situation.” I sighed. “And—”
I don’t know why I was having so much trouble getting the words out. Maybe it was because I was afraid she’d say no right away, and it’d be hard to know if it was about the job or me.
Daniella narrowed her eyes, and I wondered if she was thinking about kicking me again.
“What?” Cat said.
“You have a business administration degree,” I finally spit out.
“Yes, I do.”
“So, we always need qualified people in our operations department,” I said. “Daniella could use some help.”
Helen arched an eyebrow and watched me intently, not saying anything.
Cat blinked several times. “Wait, are you offering me a job? Like an office job?”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. It’s not like we can have a full-time model on staff, no matter how much I might like it,” I chuckled. Daniella rolled her eyes and groaned.
“Why?” Cat said.
“Well, I know you were looking for a more stable job,” I said. “Something with benefits. We provide very generous benefits, including medical.”
She looked down, and her cheeks colored. My stom
ach knotted. I hoped she didn’t think I was calling her out on the bill.
“My mom can get me a job at the hospital,” she said quietly.
Helen nodded.
“Yeah, I imagine,” I said. I looked at Cat’s mother. “To be blunt, you probably can’t get her a job that pays as much as we can offer her. I’ve checked the ranges for that type of work.”
A faint look of surprise crossed over Helen’s face.
“More pay?” Cat said.
“Yeah, about twenty-five percent more. To start.”
Cat’s eyes widened.
Helen gasped. “You’re not joking?”
I shook my head. “Things have been going well this year. Operations and distribution channels are expanding. We can pay a premium for good employees.” I looked back over at Cat. “This isn’t about special privileges or anything. You have the qualifications, so we’re offering you a job. If you can’t hack it, then you know—” I shrugged.
“Drew,” Daniella hissed.
I shrugged. My sister might be pissed, but it was important to make Cat understand this wasn’t a hand-out but a legitimate job offer.
Helen laughed. “I like how honest you are.”
“Are you going to work for Drew, Mommy?” Jack asked, bouncing in his seat.
“I—it’s very generous,” Cat said, heaving a huge sigh.
I nodded slowly. It was a generous offer, but I also understood her problem with motorcycles. It might be a bridge too far.
“I’ll have to think it over,” she finally finished.
“Of course,” I said.
“I want to play a game,” Jack said, interrupting. “A board game. We have a lot of grown-ups here.”
I grinned at him. “Bring it on, Jack.”
Cat sneaked a glance at me, and I nodded. For now, we’d not worry about the job. Instead, we’d just let her little boy celebrate getting out of the hospital.
* * *
Two hours later, I finally convinced Daniella it was time to leave. In truth, I would have loved to stay longer, but I could see the tiredness in Cat’s eyes, and even Jack’s. As much fun as he was having, it didn’t change the fact that he was a little boy who’d been very sick and spent two weeks in the hospital.
