Son of a Beard

by Lani Lynn Vale

  Still holding me, he moved us to the wall, pinning me to it with his big body, as he roughly ripped his sweatpants down and pulled out his big, fat cock, slamming it inside of me.

  If I wasn’t already soaking for him, he would’ve hurt me.

  But I was ready and had been since I’d walked in the door, despite his terrible words.

  One second I was yearning for him, and the next I was so full of him that I could barely breathe.

  He didn’t wait for me to catch my breath, either. One second he was seated fully inside of me, filling me to the brim, and the next he was fucking me.

  Angrily. Aggressively.

  My head slammed back against the wall, and I gasped as he fucked into me almost brutally. Hard, deep, unrelenting thrusts that bottomed out inside of me with each stroke letting me know that I would be tender tomorrow.

  I didn’t care.

  Not one single bit.

  Because that twinge of pain amped this up to the most pleasure I’d ever felt in my life.

  His pubic bone was rasping over my clit with each thrust, and his hands on my hips, holding me in place, gripping just tightly enough to cause a little bit of discomfort, had me on the verge of coming unglued.

  And just when I was seconds from coming, he pulled out of me so abruptly that I cried out.

  “No!” I exclaimed.

  But he wasn’t done.

  He carried me to his bed where he tossed me down unceremoniously.

  I hit the bed, then gasped as he took me by my hips, flipped me to my knees, pulled me up high, and filled me again so fast that I tried to get away from the overwhelming sensations I was feeling.

  He wouldn’t let me, though.

  He held my hips still, and continued to fill me over and over again. Roughly. Urgently.

  Then his thumb brushed over my back entrance. Once, twice, three times before pressing inside.

  I came before I even realized I was close again.

  An explosion of light, the sound of my heart beating rapidly in my ears, coupled with all of the other things I was feeling collided and detonated inside me, taking me out in the most incredible, otherworldly orgasm of my life.

  My knees went out from under me, and Truth followed me down, hips bucking as his big body shuddered.

  I felt the rasp of his beard and the heaving of his chest against my back as I slowly came back to reality.

  I was wondering if I was actually dead. If I wasn’t, I knew for sure that I wouldn’t be able to move for a few long seconds, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to anyway.

  Truth’s body still blanketed mine, and it was heavy.

  Really heavy.

  But I liked it and I wanted to stay like this forever.

  Or at least I had until Truth opened his mouth and ruined it all.

  “It’s time for you to go,” he said, rolling over onto his back, not even bothering to warn me that he was pulling out of me so I could catch the lovely deposit he’d made in my vagina.

  The man was a goddamned beast. It would be no surprise to learn that his swimmers were just as virile as he was.

  “No.”

  “Yes,” he said. “You’re a good lay, Verity. You’re a nice woman. But you need to leave. There’s nothing here for us. Nothing that I even want. I only kept Destiny because she was a convenient fuck, but ultimately she left me the fuck alone and let me do what I wanted to do…you, well you’re not like that. You’ll bug the fuck out of me until I go crazy, and I just don’t want that in a relationship. Because eventually, I’d just come to resent you for it. Besides, I’m not sure you’re what I want in my life. Sorry.”

  I knew he was going to say words that were going to hurt me, but what I didn’t expect was that he was going to say damn near the same ones that Kenneth had said to me. Something that I’d never told him about, so he didn’t know how much they’d hurt me.

  Maybe I was a nagger. Maybe I had a way of annoying men that turned them off.

  Was it so bad that I cared about them? That I wanted what was best for them?

  No. At least I didn’t think so.

  But maybe he was right. Maybe what we had wouldn’t be the best thing for him. Or for me.

  Shit. That’s when I got pissed and used anger to cover up my pain.

  “Funny thing, Ernest,” I sneered. “You’re much more like your cousin, Kenneth, than you know. Seems he had the same damn opinion of me.” I said as I got out of bed.

  I picked up the dress, which was slightly ruined but it would be okay enough to get me home, and slipped it on over my head.

  Truth didn’t even watch me.

  His eyes were closed as he seemingly fell asleep, satisfied and sated.

  At least that made one of us, I thought morosely.

  Chapter 13

  You're rubber, I’m glue. Eat shit and fuck you.

  -Verity’s very adult thoughts

  Verity

  I quit working at the pub.

  I just didn’t show up.

  I hoped that all the work I’d put in didn’t totally implode, but I suppose that wasn’t my problem anymore.

  At least it hadn’t been until I opened the folder in a moment of weakness.

  I’d had the folder since the night that I’d spent with Truth in Vegas.

  I didn’t know why I kept it. It was only some of the hotel information that I’d hastily grabbed as we’d left that day.

  But it’d held sentimental value…or at least it had until now.

  The first piece of paper I pulled out was a hotel receipt for room service.

  The second was a receipt for flowers.

  My brows furrowed.

  “Flowers?” I mumbled, flipping to the next page.

  And that’s when my breath caught.

  Because what I thought was just some hotel flyer, wasn’t.

  It was a cream piece of cardstock paper with gold embellishments on the side, shining and bright to bring attention to the words between the border.

  And the words, yeah, those were shockers.

  CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE

  This certificate certifies that

  Ernest Alan Reacher and Verity Ruthann Cassidy

  Were united in marriage on this day

  The third day of July two thousand sixteen.

  The ceremony was officiated and witnessed

  by Johnathan Roy Presley and Jezebell Reanald Corriander.

  My stomach churned.

  What had we done?

  I did the only thing I could do.

  I went to my GG, marriage certificate in hand, and cried onto her shoulder.

  ***

  “I’m scared,” I whispered to my grandmother.

  My GG looked over at me, her face softened.

  “If I could have anything in this world back right now, it would be your grandfather,” she murmured softly.

  My heart constricted.

  “I know,” I whispered. “I wish for him to be back all the time.”

  Her smile was soft and reassuring, but I could also see the sadness in her eyes.

  “I think about him every night as I get ready for bed. I think about him when I close my eyes.” She took a shaky breath. “But in my dreams, he’s right back where he belongs. At my side.” Her mouth pinched. “I knew that Kenneth wasn’t for you, but you were happy, so who was I to say that he wasn’t for you?”

  I didn’t reply.

  “Does he take your breath away?”

  I knew we were no longer talking about Kenneth, but about Truth.

  “Yes,” I said simply.

  “What about when you’re sleeping?” she asked. “Can you sleep without him?”

  I thought about the night before, how I’d laid in bed for hours and hours just willing myself to finally go to sleep, only to let my mind wander to where it ultimately wanted to go. Him.

  And then I’d be lost all over again.

 
“No,” I finally admitted.

  “The true test is,” she stood up and walked to a picture of my grandfather and her that was hanging on the wall next to the kitchen sink. It was an older one, one that was taken two days before they got married forty-seven years ago. “Can you imagine your life without him? Does it hurt to think about him not being there anymore?” her voice cracked. “Can you see yourself going on a trip without him? Can you think about buying a car without his input? What about choosing paint color? When you think about what color you’re painting the living room, can you imagine doing it without first getting his input? Because,” she smiled, “if you can’t, then you’re already gone. If you think about him more than you think about anything else, you’ve already made the decision. Now stop putzing around and go get your man.”

  I stood up.

  “But…his background.”

  My GG stared at me.

  “I would’ve stood by your grandfather if he’d done those things …and I wouldn’t have questioned him. He would have been mine, and that was the only question I ever needed answered.” She hesitated. “What you’ve told me about your man, is that he really does care for you. He’s made some bad decisions, yes, but he hasn’t done anything so sinful that he won’t be redeemed at the end of his life. If tomorrow he was gone, dead never to come back again, what would you do?”

  And that was that.

  Everything she said was the truth, and I needed to stop thinking so hard with my head and let my heart lead a bit.

  “You’re right,” I admitted fully.

  She smiled.

  “I already knew I was right. It just took you knowing that you were.”

  With that I walked out my GG’s door and went to find my man.

  She was right.

  I didn’t care about what he’d done in his past.

  I didn’t care if he wanted to become a contract killer and hunt down men for the rest of his life.

  If that time came, I’d be there when he got home.

  With my arms wide open.

  Now I just had to convince him that he wanted the same.

  Chapter 14

  Leg shaving season is here, and I’m not mentally prepared.

  -Things that come out of Verity’s mouth

  Truth

  I shut off my motorcycle and looked at my house.

  It didn’t look different, but I knew she was there.

  I’d said some awful things to her the other day, so for her to be back meant that maybe I hadn’t fucked things up as badly as I’d thought.

  But likely, I had, and she was just here to make me feel even worse.

  I swear if she was crying, I was going to apologize on my goddamned knees for years if that was what it took.

  The last six days had been pure hell.

  I’d said those nasty words to her, and I hadn’t been able to get a hold of her since. I’d called. Texted. Sent out goddamned search parties. The men that I’d put on her couldn’t find her. They reported that she never went home that night after I’d kicked her out of my bed, and I’d been a nervous wreck until she was found shopping at the goddamned mall yesterday afternoon.

  Happy as could be buying goddamned lingerie of all things.

  When Aaron had spotted her there while he was there with his wife, he’d immediately called me, told me where she was and said that he’d keep an eye on her until one of our prospects could get there and tail her to wherever the hell she’d been hiding.

  Then he’d had fuckin’ lunch with her while Aaron’s wife, Imogen, and Verity had a grand ol’ time talking about babies, marriages and what they wanted out of life.

  To make matters worse, I’d stayed away, knowing I couldn’t go and potentially expose her.

  If Beckett didn’t already know about Verity, which hopefully was the case, then I wanted to keep it that way.

  Especially since I’d gone and fallen in love with her.

  I’d just dismounted my bike when I heard someone pull up behind me.

  And immediately sighed when I saw Destiny pop out of the car, followed immediately by Kenneth, who looked less than excited to be in my driveway.

  I heard my front door open, and I turned to look at Verity.

  She was wearing short jean shorts that likely barely covered her ass—mostly I could tell this by the fact that they were barely covering her pussy—and one of my sleeveless t-shirts that I used to work out in. It was one of those ones where the arm holes extended from the shoulder all the way to the ribs…when I was wearing it. On Verity, the hole extended from her shoulder all the way to her waist.

  I could see a black lace bra underneath, tantalizing me with small glimpses of what it was covering.

  Her brown hair was all the way down her back in soft waves, and part of it was clipped back with what likely was bobby pins on top of her head, ensuring that none of her bangs were in her face.

  She was holding a spatula in one hand, and a bottle of beer—one of my bottles of beer—in her other hand.

  She took a sip, let her eyes linger on me, before moving to Kenneth and Destiny at the end of the driveway.

  “What’s going on, honey?” she asked, stepping out onto the front porch.

  That’s when I saw her toes.

  Her toenails were painted a glittery pink that was so bright that I could see them from where I was parked.

  “What are you doing here?” Destiny snapped.

  “I live here. What are you doing here?” Verity returned.

  I chose not to call Verity on her lie. Instead, I dropped the helmet to the bike frame, then headed for the porch stairs.

  The moment I came within reach, which happened to be at the bottom of the steps, Verity launched herself at me.

  I caught her easily, pulling her securely into my body and closing my eyes as her scent and the feel of her body washed over me.

  I didn’t notice the way I rocked back on my heels when she threw herself at me.

  The other two people standing there watching me did, though.

  And they made it a point to comment on the fact.

  “Even a big man like your ex can’t handle her…”

  I stiffened and turned, dropping my hold on Verity’s ass as I did, and felt her go preternaturally still as she tried to figure out what I was about to do.

  “Uhh,” Verity started to say.

  I held my hand up to stop whatever it was she was about to say.

  “You come onto my land, insult my woman, and expect to make it off of this property alive?” I asked him incredulously.

  Kenneth’s mouth kicked up into a smirk.

  “Just saying what I saw,” he shrugged. “Not my fault it’s true.”

  I took a threatening step forward, but stopped when I saw a third person get out of the car.

  “Boys and girls,” Eugene grumbled. “This is not the time, nor the place. You came here to say something, Destiny, so say it.”

  Destiny’s mouth tightened.

  “I’m pregnant.”

  Verity, who’d been leaning against my side, stiffened.

  My hand clenched onto her hand and held on when she would’ve marched her ass back inside.

  “Please,” I said. “Enlighten me on how, exactly, something like that would’ve happened.”

  Destiny’s mouth tightened.

  “You really want me to give you the talk of the birds and bees?” she sneered. “Because I can if your big, muscled brain can’t figure it out.”

  I laughed.

  “If I use a condom, and you use your own form of birth control, how would that happen?” I repeated. “And say some sort of accident did happen, how far along are you?”

  She gritted her teeth. “Five months.”

  I blinked.

  “We broke up more than five months ago, and it’d been over two months before that that we had sex. So correct me if I’m wrong, but the timing is not good…right?”
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  My voice was so sarcastic that it was apparent to not just her, but even the dumbass at her side.

  Destiny’s eyes narrowed.

  “I never said it was yours,” she hissed.

  I sighed and rubbed my hands down my face.

  “Then what, exactly, is the problem?” I grumbled tiredly. “Why am I even involved in this?”

  “Do you mind if I talk to him by myself for a few?”

  Eugene’s authoritative voice had me blinking in surprise. He almost sounded like a normal male—one not afraid of his own shadow.

  “Sure,” Kenneth grumbled, tossing Eugene an evil look.

  When the two of them went to head to my front door, I stopped them.

  “I don’t think so,” I snapped. “We’ll go inside, and y’all can stay out here.”

  Kenneth growled low under his breath, and I had to resist the urge to laugh at the stupid fucker.

  “Come on inside, man,” I said, pocketing my keys since I wouldn’t be needing them.

  The minute I got close enough to the door, my eyes caught Verity’s, and she gave me a guilty look before scampering away, leaving the door open.

  I would’ve laughed had this situation not been seriously fucked.

  Didn’t she know I was trying to protect her?

  Eugene followed me up the stairs of the porch, and I gestured him to precede me inside.

  “What’s up, Eugene?” I asked as I closed the door on the couple that was standing in the driveway looking like two complete dolts.

  They were looking around, not talking to each other, and trying to act like they weren’t as mad as I could so obviously tell that they were.

  “I need a drink,” Eugene muttered. “Once I swallow the bile back down, I’ll enlighten you.”

  I sighed, thinking he was exaggerating a little bit, but nonetheless got him a glass of ice water and handed it to him.

  He devoured it, sucking it down so fast that I immediately got him another.

  “Thanks,” he said, taking the second glass.

  Verity, who was standing next to the sink peeling potatoes, sneaked a look at me, and immediately returned to what she was doing.

  “I’m glad to see y’all are back together.”

  I gave him a pointed look. “Get on with it, Eugene.”