by Rye Hart
Hadley ran her hand through Grayson's hair, not saying a word. She just stared at me, her body stiff, her eyes narrowed, and her jaw clenched. Clearly, she was less than pleased to see me darkening her doorstep.
“Honey, why don't you go and play, and let mommy catch up with Gabe for a bit?”
Grayson groaned. “But I wanna see him too.”
“Don't worry,” I said. “I'm planning on being around for a little while. Maybe we could go to the zoo tomorrow? I've heard the San Diego Zoo is one of the best in the world.”
Grayson's eyes got wider than dinner plates, and Hadley started to say something – likely to scold me for making such a promise – but Grayson was already jumping for joy.
“Yess!” he said.
He went back into the house with a big, goofy smile on his face, and Hadley shut the door most of the way behind her, stepping out onto the porch with me. Her expression completely changed the moment Grayson was gone. The pleasant smile was gone, like it had never been, and she was pointing a finger in my face.
“Don't you dare promise my son something like that without checking with me first,” she hissed.
“I'm sorry, I just assumed it would be okay,” I said. “He's family after all, and you wanted us to spend more time with him. I didn't think it would be a problem.”
She sighed. “It's not, usually,” she said, her tone slightly softer. “But you can't just waltz in here and make promises like that. You can't just assume you can take him somewhere without checking to see if it's okay with me first.”
“Why? Afraid I might not keep them?”
“Maybe,” she said. She put her hands on her hips and glared at me.
“Right, because I was the one who broke my promise to you,” I said. “Oh wait, no. That's not how it went at all, actually. I was ready to come back from Harvard and marry you, Hadley, but you were already engaged to Chris when I got back to town.”
“You know why, Gabe,” she said, her voice suddenly dropping.
“I do, and we've talked about this. It was a lie,” I explained patiently. “I didn't cheat on you, and I never would have dated Jessica had you not broken up with me.”
“You actually did date her then?”
“Only after you went and got together with Chris, yes,” I said. “She was my rebound.”
Hadley shook her head. “Unbelievable. Of course she was.”
“What? You want me to apologize for dating someone else after you dumped me? Well, it's not going to happen, Hadley.”
I failed to mention that we also rushed into an engagement as soon as Chris and Hadley got engaged. I didn't think that would help my argument much.
“I didn't even know about her lies to you, Hadley,” I said, a little more gently. “Not until you mentioned it the other day.”
Her blue eyes became more crystalline and shiny as tears welled up in them. She bit her lip and refused to look at me, crossing her arms defensively over her chest.
“Hadley,” I said, stepping closer to her and lifting her chin up, forcing her to look into my eyes, “I've always loved you. I'd have given anything to be the one to marry you, but I didn't know about what Jessica told you. I just wanted you to be happy, and you seemed happy with Chris.”
“I was happy with Chris,” she said, sniffling. “Very happy. I loved him so much, Gabe.”
“I know you did,” I said, thought it sent an all too familiar sliver of pain through my heart.
“But I never stopped loving you either, and for that, I feel guilty,” she said softly. “Chris deserved better than that. You deserve better than this – that what I have to offer you now. I'm so confused, I can't take it anymore, Gabe.”
She broke down, the tears streaming down her cheeks freely. She buried her face into my shoulder and I held her close, letting her sob. I had no words that would bring her comfort, At least, none that I could think of in the moment, so I just held her. I held her close and whispered soothing words into her ear.
“I'm a horrible person,” she whispered.
“No, you're not,” I said.
“Even you think people should only be in love with one person at a time,” she said.
“No, I was talking about me. What I want, Hadley,” I said. “I'm not judging what others do, as long as it's consensual and everyone is honest. Frankly, it's none of my business. I just don't want to share you.”
I lifted her chin again and stared into those big, beautiful eyes of hers. I hoped she could see the sincerity. The earnestness I felt. I hoped she knew I was telling the truth, and that I meant it. I hoped she knew I was not judging her.
“You were good to my best friend in this whole world, Hadley. He loved you and you loved him,” I said. “Whatever else you felt, you didn't let it get in the way of your relationship. You respected Chris and honored your vows every single day.”
Her lower lip trembled as the tears continued to roll freely. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but I figured it probably wouldn't be the best time for it. We were talking about her deceased and she already felt bad about having feelings for others. I didn't want to exacerbate the situation.
Instead, I leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently. I pressed my lips to her soft skin and held her for a long time. Her body relaxed into me, and she breathed deeply. She smelled so good, like coconut and fresh, salty beach air.
A few moments later, she stepped back and wiped at her eyes, a small smile on her face.
“Thanks, Gabe,” she said, taking my hand in hers and giving it a quick squeeze. “I'm sorry I went off on you like that. I don't know what's up with my emotions these days.”
“It's okay. I should have called first,” I said.
Letting go of my hand, she opened the front door, motioning for me to come inside. As soon as we stepped into the foyer, Grayson was rushing down the hall toward me again, giggling like a maniac. I bent down and scooped him up into my arms, hugging him close.
“Are you sleeping over?” he asked.
I looked at Hadley who shrugged. “It's up to you. We have a guest room, if you'd like.”
“Sure, I'd love to,” I said.
“And we go to the zoo tomorrow?”
I waited for Hadley to respond. I wasn't about to get into trouble again. I'd learned my lesson.
She nodded. “Yes, you and Gabe can go to the zoo tomorrow. But, Mommy has to work.”
“Sound good, little man?” I asked, ruffling his hair.
He nodded, grinning from ear-to-ear. How I could have cared for that little boy so much, so soon, I wasn't sure, but his smile warmed my heart. Just like Hadley's had all those years ago, and often, still did.
***
“He's finally asleep,” she laughed, coming down the stairs in gray yoga pants and a pink tank top. “I don't know about you, but I'm pretty wiped out myself.”
I'd been walking around her living room, staring at the photos on the walls. The photos of her and Chris and Grayson, once a happy family. It broke my heart that Chris was gone, and that his son would never witness what a great man he'd been. Chris was genuinely the best man I'd ever known.
“I'm pretty tired,” I admitted.
What I didn't admit is that I was also incredibly turned on. Watching her come down the stairs in her skintight yoga pants and the tank that showed off her ample cleavage had made the blood to flow south to my cock.
Hadley walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine, making me think she wasn't heading straight to bed.
“Would you like something to drink?” she asked.
“Yes, please,” I said. “Whatever you're having.”
She came back with two wine glasses in hand. “The guest room is made up and ready,” she said. “I just need to get you some towels for the bathroom. If you need any more pillows or – ”
“I'm sure it's perfect,” I said, taking a sip from the glass. “Don't worry about a thing, Hadley. Thank you for letting me stay here tonight, given what's been going on
and all.”
“Of course,” she said and gave me a weak smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. “I'm sorry things have been weird. I really didn't intend for that to happen.”
“Me either,” I said.
I watched her closely for a minute, hoping she'd elaborate on her comment, but when she didn't, I finally asked her the question that had been on my mind for days.
“Why did you leave so quickly? Without letting any of us know before you blew town?”
She shrugged and turned away from me, walking over to the patio door and stared out at the moon. She sipped her wine but didn't say anything. I walked over and stood close by, staring at her instead of the scene outside.
She sighed. “I just felt horrible, to be honest,” she said. “What kind of woman sleeps with three men in one night? And being drunk isn't an excuse. I was tipsy, sure, but I was still fully aware of everything I was doing. I just – somehow, I convinced myself it would be okay. That we are all adults and could have some kind of arrangement like that without consequences. But, then I woke up and had my son – and my mom – asking questions, it hit me how wrong it really was. I guess I kind of freaked out.”
Her hair fell in front of her face, blocking her from my view. I reached out and gently pushed the hair back behind her ear, drawing her attention to me.
“It wasn't wrong,” I said.
It was hard for me to say those words, to tell her it was okay that she slept with my brothers. But, I also didn't want her beating herself up over it. It was something we'd all agreed to and she shouldn't bear the brunt of the blame for it.
“We are all adults too, Hadley,” I said softly. “We are just as responsible for what happened as you are.”
She pursed her lips and averted her gaze.
“I'd like to believe that, Gabe, but you weren't okay with it. I know you weren't, and I feel like shit over it,” she said.
I clenched my teeth. She was right, I hadn't been okay with it that night. But, then, I hadn't really put up much of a fight over it either. I'd simply been desperate to be with her again, that I'd just gone along with it.
“We're not a couple, Hadley. You're not my girlfriend,” I said, though it was hard to choke the words out. “I still love you, but we're not together and I know that I can't dictate what you do with other guys.”
She looked up at me, truly looked at me. Her blue eyes were so pure and clear. Stroking her cheek, I pulled her face toward me, aiming to kiss her nose or forehead, but I changed my mind at the last second and pressed my lips to hers. She gasped, but she didn't pull away. She kissed me back, making my heart swell.
“Gabe, are you sure you want to – ”
“Yes, I'm sure,” I said. “There's still so much I want to do with you. Things I couldn't do last time, since we weren't alone.”
Dotting kisses along her jawline, then her neck, I inhaled the scent of her tropical perfume. She tasted was good enough to eat and I found myself with quite the appetite. I nibbled her neck, then her ear lobe, whispering the words in her ear.
“Don't you want to fuck me too, Hadley?”
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Gabe, but only if you – ”
“I want to give you what you want, Hadley,” I said, running my hand through her hair. “I'm going to give you a baby.”
Her body shuddered against me. “You mean that?”
“Yes, Hadley,” I said. “I do.”
She took my face in her hands and stared deep into my eyes, as if trying to read my mind, as if searching for the slightest bit of hesitance of deception. Finally, she nodded her head and smiled before kissing me long and hard. Her hands moved around my shoulders as our tongues moved in and out of each other's mouths. I explored every inch of her curvy body with my hands, lifting her shirt up, and raked my nails up her spine.
“Upstairs,” she said. “Now.”
That's all she had to say, and I was on my way. The two of us booked it up the stairs as fast as we dared, and I followed her down to the end of the hall, making sure to be quiet as we passed Grayson's bedroom.
As soon as we were in her room with the door shut, I drank in her beauty as I stripped her clothes off, slowly and deliberately, not rushing, but savoring every moment of it. Staring at her, naked and perfect before me, I couldn't control my most basic instincts any longer. I gave into the primal side of my body that was crying out for release.
“You're mine,” I muttered, pushing her to the bed.
Climbing on top of her, and staring down at her large, innocent eyes, I found myself praying that I'd not only get her pregnant, but that we could be a family.
“All mine,” I said.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
HADLEY
No man had ever looked at me the way Gabe had in that moment. His eyes were filled with fire and lust, but more than that – there was a need that went much deeper than just sex. God, I loved him. I never stopped loving him, I'd only put my feelings on hold for a while.
Now, though as I fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, those old feelings came back hard and fast.
I pulled off his shirt as he removed his pants, and my hand grasped his cock as soon as it was free from the confines of his boxers. He grabbed my hand, yanking it away and pressed me down against the bed. He took my other hand and held it with the first, pinning me down on the bed with his naked body.
“Tonight is all about you, Hadley,” he growled. “Lay back and let me please you.”
I squirmed underneath his weight, rubbing my body against his. I wanted to touch him so badly, it hurt not to be able to. Gabe didn't move though, nor did he let me go. He stared deep into my eyes and waited until I settled down, a wry grin on his chiseled, perfect face.
I've never been too good about letting a guy do all the work. I've always been eager to please my men, to satisfy their every desire. Gabe was also a giver though. He always had been. But now, he was more dominant than I'd ever remembered.
He lowered himself down, running a tongue over my collarbone as his cock pressed between my legs.
“If you're a good girl, I'll let your hands go,” he said.
His voice was low and gravely, nothing like I'd heard from him before. It churned things deep inside me, causing even more warmth to erupt between my thighs.
“Can you be a good girl for me, Hadley?”
“Yes,” I whimpered. “I just need to touch you.”
Gabe let go of my hands, and I instantly reached for him. He moved too fast for me though, deftly pushing my hands away as he kissed his way down my body. His tongue circled each of my nipples as his hazel eyes looked up at me. I ran my hands through that dark hair of his as he moved even lower, his tongue barely touching my flesh as kept going lower and lower.
“Oh yes,” I groaned, my body arching upward as he got closer to my mound.
My nails raked along the back of his head, then I gently pushed, nudging him in the direction I wanted him to go in. He moved lower, focusing not on the warm, wet center of me, but on my inner thighs instead.
Nibbling on my flesh, he stared up at me, a teasing glint in his eyes. He knew what he was doing, and he knew how to drive me absolutely crazy in the process. God, he'd grown so much in the bedroom. He'd gone from the typical boy who enjoyed sex for himself to the man before me – the man who clearly enjoyed pleasing his partner even more.
He spread my lips as he kissed all along my inner thighs, his fingers barely touching me. He flicked his tongue out and it grazed my clit, sending shivers along my every nerve ending. Then, he did it again, and again. My entire body arched upward, aching for more.
“Please,” I groaned. “Please, Gabe.”
He dove between the folds of my pussy, his tongue lapping at my most sensitive parts, and the feeling was amazing. My eyes rolled back in my head as he sucked on my clit. His hands moved upward, kneading my breasts and teasing my nipples. My own hands found his and our fingers became intertwined. I gripped his hands tightly, groaning in pl
easure, as he buried his tongue deep inside my pussy.
Before long, a warmth flooded my body. My eyes popped open, and I stared down at him, whimpering.
“Oh God, Gabe...”
I bit my lip as a wave of pleasure rushed through me, sending spasm after spasm throughout my body. I cried out his name, over and over again, as he made me come hard.
After my orgasm subsided, he looked up at me with a delighted smile on his face. That smile went all the way to his eyes. His face was wet with my juices, and he licked those delicious lips of his as if savoring the taste of me upon them.
He moved up the length of my body, hovering above me once again. This time, it really hit me how much stronger and bigger than me he was. He'd really filled out and had such a broad chest and arms corded with muscle. He could hold himself above me easily, his body barely touching mine.
Gabe kissed me then, his lips still tasting like me, and his tongue moved through my mouth like it had in my pussy only moments before. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, aching to feel him inside of me. His cock rubbed against my wetness, but he held himself back and didn't thrust into me. Not right away.
Apparently, the teasing wasn't over. His hardness pressed against my opening, and I craved the feeling of fullness that would come when he was sheathed inside of me. I needed to be filled by him, and I needed it now. I thrust my hips upward, my body begging for what I wanted from the moment we'd started to make out.
Gabe pulled back from the kiss, a seductive little smile on his face. “You want me, Hadley,” he said.
It wasn't a question. It was a statement of fact, and he obviously loved knowing that I did. His eyes sparkled when he said it, as if knowing what he did to me, how insane with lust he drove me, made him the happiest man on Earth.
Even though I knew it wasn't a question, I answered him anyway. “Yes, Gabe. I want you so badly.”
“Good,” he said.
His voice was so deep and low, a rumbling sound that shook me to my core. The timbre of his voice reverberated through my body, stoking the fires that burned inside of me, making me burn for him even hotter and brighter.
