by S. Jones
“No. No. No.” She frantically shook her head. “Chloe, this is not what you think it is.”
Call me crazy, but she actually sounded sincere.
Jack blinked, then blinked again. His forehead creased with worry.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a word out, the door flung open and in walked a man I had never seen before holding a baby against his chest.
It took me about five seconds to realize that I was a complete idiot because I have seen that man before—at least a picture of him. My head turned to the petite woman who I should have recognized from the framed photo on Jack’s end table.
Logic started to work its way through my brain as the handsome father stood in the doorway smiling at me. “Hi, you must be Chloe. I’m Chase. It’s nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand, but mine are little full at the moment.” He winked as his wife ran over to help him carry everything in the house.
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
My gaze darted to Emily as I mustered up a weak apology. “I’m so sorry.” I was so embarrassed, I didn’t know what to say.
“Please, don’t apologize.” Her eyes quickly moved to Jack and then to me. “I’m just so happy to finally meet you.”
“Do I even want to know?” Chase asked, balancing his son in one arm and a bag of groceries in the other.
“Jack and I were having a moment when Chloe walked in. She had never met me before, so it’s understandable that she would misinterpret the situation. I would have reacted the same way.”
“I see.” Chase’s lips kicked up into a grin. “Did they tell you about the night when we first met? Emily tried to pass Jack off as her boyfriend.”
“Chase Newman!” Emily scolded, placing her hands on her hips. “I did not. You assumed he was.”
He laughed and then walked over to his wife, handing her the rest of the grocery bags. “Yes, and you took your sweet time correcting me on my assumption, didn’t you?”
Jack cleared his throat, directing his gaze on me. “You done being pissed at me? Because you’ve been standing here for five minutes, and I haven’t seen you in almost two weeks. I’d really like my kiss now.”
I let Jack pull me into his arms without a fight. He curled his fingers along the back of my neck and leaned into me. “I fucking missed you,” he said, bringing his mouth down to mine.
“Dude, my kid is in the room,” Chase said.
Jack released me while still keeping a firm grip along my hip. “Like you’re one to talk. You’re the one who knocked up your wife well before the ink was even dry on your marriage certificate.”
Chase tucked Emily against his side. “Damn straight,” he said, with his dimples popping out as the grin stretched across his face. The man was insanely beautiful, but the way he looked at his wife made him even more attractive.
Jack folded my body deeper into his chest. He leaned in and kissed my forehead. “Why don’t you take your coat off while I get you something to drink?” He started to untie my belt that was holding my jacket together and panic shot through me.
I totally forgot I was standing in his kitchen talking to his friends, completely naked under a flimsy raincoat.
My hand stilled over the top of Jacks, halting them in place. “I can’t stay.”
“What do you mean you can’t stay? You just got here.”
I swallowed nervously as my brain searched for words that I could say to get me out of this mess. “I need to pick up Tanner. He called…when I was on my way over…I have to go.”
Jack looked confused. “Okay, but you don’t have to rush right over. Let’s go outside and have a quick drink first.” His hand started to fumble with my belt, trying to remove it.
I pushed his hand away, took a step back and placed my shaking palm over my chest. He stared at me as if I just had a stroke. “I can’t stay. I’m sorry. I really need to grab him. I’ll be back soon.”
“Chloe, he’ll be fine for another fifteen minutes.”
I took another step back, tightening the hold on my belt. God, this was awful. I could see Chase and Emily sharing a glance out of the corner of my eye. Jack narrowed his on mine as they silently pleaded with him.
“Why are you acting so weird?” His gaze did a slow trek up my body. “And why the hell are you wearing a coat in seventy-five-degree weather?”
He attempted to tug on my belt again, trying to free me from my jacket. I shoved him back a little harder than I intended. “Jack, stop it.”
He stumbled slightly. “Are you okay?” he asked, resting his palm against my skin trying to feel my body temperature. “Do you have a fever or something?”
“I’m fine” I shrugged him off. Then I walked over to Chase and Emily. Chase twisted his lips to the side. There was no doubt that a man as gorgeous as he was, has had his fair share of women showing up in nothing more than a paper-thin coat.
Damn it. Could this day get any worse?
My eyes felt like they were stuck to the floor as I spoke. “I’m sorry to have to run out. I promise I won’t be long.” I placed my hand softly on Mason’s back as I made my way across the room. “He’s a beautiful baby.”
Emily smiled with pride while looking down at her son. “Thank you.”
I turned my head to Jack as I reach the door. “Will you walk me out?” I asked quietly through my teeth.
He grabbed my hand. “I’ll do better than that. I’ll go with you.” He spun around to face his friends. “We should be back in an hour. Make yourself at home.” He gestured around with his free hand. “And you two kids behave,” he warned. “Don’t go getting crazy, but just in case you do, the guest room is down the hall on the left.”
Chase chuckled while Emily rolled her eyes at him. I tugged on his hand so hard I was afraid I would break a bone. I just wanted to get the hell out of there.
Once we were outside, Jack started to laugh uncontrollably. I looked at him as if he’d gone completely mad. He surprised me when he grabbed my hips and pushed me up against the hood of the car. “You don’t have anything under that fucking jacket, do you?”
I blinked at him. “You knew?”
He raked his eyes over my body, taking in my heels then zeroing in on my chest. He pushed his hand underneath my jacket, meeting my bare nipple that was now trying to poke its way through the material. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”
“Happy birthday.” I smiled sheepishly, running my hands through his hair.
He threw his head back and groaned. “Please tell me we have time before we pick up Tanner. I don’t think I can wait to unwrap my present.”
My hand rested against his chest. I loved feeling his heart beat beneath my fingertips. “I’m not sure we have enough time do what you’re thinking.”
He slid his hands over my bare breast and started to glide his fingers back and over my nipples. “Is that how you’re going to play it?” His eyes were blazing with heat. “Showing up like this. Bare underneath this jacket, teasing me.”
Every cell in my body awakened from his words alone. I wanted him so damn bad I was having a hard time standing. “I’m not teasing you.”
He raised his brow with a smile. “Oh, I think you enjoy teasing me.” He pinched my nipple so hard it felt like a punishment. He leaned in close, so close that his lips were practically touching mine. “And don’t think I didn’t notice you checking out my friend back there in my house.”
I pulled back, staring into his deep blue eyes. I wanted to laugh because I knew he was teasing, but there was also a small part that wasn’t. My fingers grazed along his cheek. “Just because I find another man attractive doesn’t mean I want him. You are all the man I could ever need.”
His mouth came down onto mine. His kiss was frantic, filled with so much desire and intensity that I couldn’t think straight. The warm summer breeze caressed my skin as my jacket fell open. His mouth moved down to my neck kissing its way on to my shoulder. “It’s crazy how much I love you. You know
that?” he whispered.
I shivered under his touch. “Can we please get the hell out of here now?”
He grabbed my hand and quickly got us both buckled into the car. We probably broke every speed limit and ran every stop sign imaginable on my way to my house.
The second my front door slammed shut, I was pushed up against the wall. My jacket was gone, and his hands were on me so fast I barely had time to catch my breath. His lips traveled across my skin, lavishing me while he sucked, lapped and took the fire that was burning its way through veins. He pulled back and lifted his shirt over his head. Every peak and valley was firm and hard and all mine.
His pants hit the floor, and I wanted to cry out in relief. I was ready to combust. I folded my legs along his waist and dug my heels into his ass. His hips rocked into me.
“Are you ready for me?”
My fingers gripped his hair. “I’m always ready for you,” I whispered as he drove into me with a force that shook my walls and had my heart rattling in my chest.
Each thrust became faster; each push went deeper until there was nothing left but the sound of skin slapping skin.
I loved feeling him slide in and out me. I loved how his face would tighten with each stroke. How his grip would go stronger, bruising my skin as I moved against him. I loved the sound of his breathing as he pounded into me sending me to a place that I never wanted to come back from.
I came so fast I didn’t have time to appreciate every rough, deliberate touch of his fingers that rolled around my nipple or the feeling of his teeth sinking into my shoulder or the way he exploded into my heat, calling out my name. I felt weightless like I was floating and didn’t want to come back down to earth.
I raked my hands down his back, wishing we could just stay in the moment forever.
He brushed my hair back and stared into my eyes.
I never expected to fall in love again, yet here I was with a man who challenged every doubt I ever had and taught me how to love again. Sometimes it felt like a part of me was always searching for him, and now that I found him, I was never letting go.
Chapter 21
Jack
An hour and a half passed and Chloe and I returned with Tanner in tow. There were no questions about our absence when we got back.
We spent the afternoon drinking, talking, and playing can jam on the beach.
Chase lit the grill and then set his beer down on the ledge of the railing. “Tanner is a cute kid.”
My heart squeezed with pride. “He’s awesome.”
He held his hand out over the flame to check the temperature. “I gotta admit, it’s pretty fucking weird seeing you this worked up over a girl,” he said, closing the cover and giving it a few more minutes to heat up.
Twisting the cap off my bottle, I looked over his shoulder at Chloe and Emily laughing in the kitchen while dicing up vegetables at my kitchen counter. “When did you realize Emily was different from all the others?”
Chase sucked in a breath as if he remembered that exact moment. “The second I laid eyes her.”
“So, it was love at first sight, huh?”
His mouth lifted into a grin. “Not sure I would call it that, but I knew right from the second I met her that I was drawn to her in a way that freaked me the fuck out.” His face warmed as he continued. “Then as time went on, I realized that she was so much more than I was expecting. I knew there was no way I could ever shake her. I knew very early on that she was the one for me.”
I took in a gulp of air, allowing that familiar feeling to sink in. Chase studied my face before smiling. “But as you know, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for us in the beginning. I made a lot of stupid decisions that almost cost me the woman I love.” He ran his hands down his face and then reached for his beer. “Thank fuck, we were able to work it out. I would hate to think of where I would be if things turned out differently. I can’t imagine a life without the two of them.”
I took a sip of my beer. “Is that your way of telling me not to fuck it up?” I asked, trying to make light of the situation.
He leaned his back up against the railing and folded his arms across his chest. “I see the way you look at her. It’s the same way I look at my wife. Just be careful.”
“Why would I need to be careful?”
“Because when you love that hard, you’ve got to be ready to hold on. Relationships take work, and the more invested you become in a person, the more you have to lose.”
The thought of losing her sent a sinking feeling right down to my bones. I couldn’t imagine a life without her and Tanner. The life I lived before was work, booze, and girls. Wash, rinse, and repeat.
I couldn’t imagine going back to that life. I didn’t want to. I needed to find a way to make this permanent with both of them.
After dinner, us boys went down to the beach to toss a football around while Emily took care of Mason, and Chloe finished up with the kitchen.
“So, I hear you’re trying out for a pitching position tomorrow,” Chase said to Tanner right before he threw the football with a little more force than necessary in my direction.
“Yep.” Tanner laughed as the football smacked me loudly in the chest.
Asshole.
My eyes shot to Chase. He was such a fucking showboat. I threw the ball carefully in Tanner’s direction, making sure it was an easy catch for him.
“You know…” Chase wiped his hand across his eyebrow. “I played baseball in college. If you want, I would be happy to practice with you.”
Tanner glanced over at me. We had plans to practice together tomorrow morning before tryouts. He’s been pumped up all week, calling me sometimes up to six times a day to talk about baseball.
He was growing more attached to me every day, and if I was honest, the feeling was mutual.
“Thanks, but Jack and I already have plans.”
Chase smirked. “Jack, huh?” He lifted an eyebrow in my direction. “I don’t recall you playing baseball, Jack. As a matter of fact, I remember you telling me that the only sports you played in school were lacrosse and hockey.”
I used my middle finger to itch my cheek, discretely giving Chase the finger.
Tanner threw the football to Chase, laughing. “I saw that, Jack.”
Chase caught the football, turning it around in his hands. “Is there a reason why we’re tossing a football around instead of throwing baseballs?”
“I want him to relax tonight. He can practice and worry about baseball tomorrow.”
Chase looked at me as if he were seeing me in a new light. Probably sensing how protective I was over Chloe’s kid.
“Dessert’s ready!” Chloe called over the railing off the back deck. Her long hair was flapping in the wind, and just the sight of her blinding smile caused my heart to kick up a notch.
Tanner ran through the sand, pulling on my hand. “Come on. After the cake, Mom said you can open your gifts.”
Once everyone was done singing “Happy Birthday,” we dug into the vanilla cake Chloe and Tanner made for me. I couldn’t remember the last time I had a homemade cake for my birthday. My mother always had a fancy store-bought or custom-made cake for special occasions like this, but I don’t ever remember her making one from scratch. There was something about knowing that they took the time and effort to make this for me that made my chest tighten.
Chloe was the perfect mother—the kind every child would be lucky to have.
“Are you ready to open presents now, Jack?” Tanner asked, carrying the bags and gift boxes into the living room and placing them in front of me.
“I sure am.” I ruffled his hair then sat back in my chair as he placed a small square box in my lap. “This is from me.”
He was so excited he was practically bouncing on his feet.
I laughed. “Let me guess, you want me to open yours first.”
He nodded his head with a smile, showing off his missing tooth. “Okay then.” I started to unwrap the box and saw Chloe twisting her
hands around in her lap. Once I made it through the tissue paper, I could see why she was so nervous.
I held the coffee mug up in the air and studied the picture of the two of us. On the bottom, in big bold letters, it read “Best Buds.” I felt my throat close up. This gift was beyond words.
Tanner inched closer to me. “I thought you could keep it on your desk at work. My friend bought one for his dad for Father’s Day last year, and he loved it. Do you like it, Jack?”
I swallowed the nerves in my throat. The word father buzzed through my brain. Is that what he thought of me? I scrambled to make sense of what this gift meant to me. I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea, so I forced my wobbly lips into a smile.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I could feel everyone’s gaze on me, but no one spoke a word. I clutched the coffee mug in between my fingers and studied it some more.
For such an inexpensive gift, this meant everything to me. My family wasn’t strapped for cash, and I’ve received many overpriced, extravagant gifts over my lifetime. Nothing—and I mean nothing—compared to this.
I reached my hand behind his neck and drew him into me. “I love it, Bud, thank you.” I tried to keep my voice steady because I was close to losing my shit and crying like a damn baby.
“Really?” He beamed up at me with so much vulnerability I wanted to squeeze him tight and never let go.
“Best gift I’ve ever gotten.”
“I knew you would like it.”
We all laughed, but I still caught the tears leaking from Chloe’s eyes as Emily pulled her into her side for comfort. Seeing my two favorite girls bond after receiving such an incredible gift was too much to take in.
“You guys mind if I open the rest of the gifts in a couple minutes?” I asked, standing up from the table. “I have to hit the john.”
I made my way down the hall and closed the door to the bathroom. I rested my head up against it and closed my eyes.
I wanted to make promises to both of them and build a future for the three of us, but I was scared because I didn’t even know if that was possible. I’ve spent my whole life preparing to take over my father’s company. I wanted to be fair and let this play out, but how much more time did I have to figure things out?
