Decker (Torey Hope: The Later Years #1) (11 page)

Having never brought a girl home to meet his family, Decker grabbed Katie’s hand nervously as they walked up the steps. “Why am I more nervous than you?”

“Your family knows me, I’m pretty sure they like me, we’ve been dating for a bit, there’s nothing to be nervous about. You’re just worried because this is new to you; I bet you never brought a girl home, huh?” She looked at him a bit sadly.

“No, my parents met Angela one time at dinner when they came to see me at school, but that is the extent of my experience with introducing a girl to my parents.” He looked sheepish.

“No worries, Deck, we’ve got this. Lucky for you, I’m no shrinking violet, I can hold my own, and I have a history with most of these people. Just be my sexy, supportive man and promise to take me home for a steamy night later.” She laughed as he closed his eyes and groaned.

“Seriously, Bug? Giving me a hard-on before my Grandma opens the door? Not. Cool.” He smacked her ass just as Cindy Morgan opened the door.

“Decker Morgan, you know better than to knock on the door at this house. Katie is going to think we are uppity folks and that’s the furthest thing from the truth.” Cindy pulled Katie into a warm embrace and then grabbed Decker as well. “Come in, come in! It’s almost time to eat!”

Decker did a quick re-introduction between his family and Katie. She smiled and hugged everyone as they all got reacquainted. Being a people person and good at cataloging information, she gathered several details in her brain to store for later use.

Abby Morgan was madly in love with her long-time boyfriend and Katie suspected a proposal was imminent. Beckett Jordan was just two weeks away from saying
I do
to his beautiful, sweet fiancé, Kenja. Megan Jordan was very pregnant and happily planning her wedding to the baby’s daddy. Katie was pleased that no one seemed offended that the baby had come before the nuptials; the family’s acceptance of this situation led her to believe they’d be fairly accepting of Sawyer’s sexuality when he finally told them all. Zach’s younger sister, Aly, was in the beginning stages of a crush on one of her classmates at the local community college. Asher Martin, the boys’ pseudo cousin, was a gangly hormonal teen with a bad attitude, but Kate suspected he’d one day be a complete knock-out.

After all of the hugs and reacquainting was taken care of, Kate turned to see Sawyer breeze through the door with a smile a mile wide and a twinkle in his eyes. Walking towards him to stop him near the entrance and away from the others, she gathered him in a hug. “You smell like men’s cologne and not the type you usually wear. You look like you’re glowing. Tell me, Sawyer, does this have anything to do with a certain hottie at The Center+?” She kissed his cheek as he just grinned like the Cheshire cat and tweaked her nose. “Maybe, maybe not. Good to see you here, Katie-girl. It’s like old times.”

Kendrick and Zach came up to them, prompting Decker to join in their little group. Laughing, Kendrick spoke first. “Hmmm, Decker, I didn’t expect to see you guys here. I thought you’d be having your own
taco
night in your bedroom.” Decker reddened and Kendrick howled with laughter. “Taco and pie, mmm, mmm, mmm.” He winked at Katie who could only laugh at Kendrick’s crass comments.

“Damn it, Kendrick, do you have to be so crude?” Decker had to defend her, but she could tell he was having a good time with the ribbing his cousin was giving them.

“And, our dear Sawyer, why do you look like you just came from your own version of a hot dog bar? Did you fill your bun and squirt on all the toppings?” Kendrick was on a roll, but it was all in fun; the five of them roared with laughter and Sawyer just winked and blushed a little.

“Alright you guys, come join the rest of us, and Kendrick, knock it off with the sexual innuendos in front of this sweet girl, or all of us parents are going to start talking about our
intimate moments
.” Audrey cackled at the blanched looks on her son and nephews’ faces. Jeremiah came up behind her as she laughed; wrapping his arms around her, he smiled and winked at Kendrick, “What’s this about intimate moments, angel?” With a kiss to her temple, he spoke to the group in front of him, “Did you all want some pointers? I could explain some of our favorite positions.”

“Stop! Just stop!” Kendrick pleaded as he jammed his fingers in his ears. “Fine, no more talk of tacos or pie unless it’s about the actual food, I promise.” Stalking off he muttered, “Just having a good time and then the old folk have to kill the buzz with sex talk. I need to be disinfected with bleach.” He pretended to shudder and everyone laughed.

Katie had grown up with loving parents; even after her dad left she saw him regularly, albeit away from her mother. Her mom was fun and sweet and loving; her grandma, crazy and outspoken, loved her dearly. Having a loving family wasn’t a new experience for her. But, as she sat around the huge table with this large group, she couldn’t help but smile and feel blessed to know these people.

Forcing herself to keep her taco building to a minimum, knowing she wouldn’t be able to eat as many as she wanted to build, Katie made two soft tacos and one crunchy. Choosing fillings of chicken, steak, and shrimp for each taco, she loaded on the lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and sour cream. Skipping the onions, she glanced at Decker; he smiled and winked at her and bypassed the onions as well.

Three tacos, a margarita, and hours of laughs later, Decker held her hand as they sat on the couch. Kate watched in amazement at the love still so very evident between the parents of her four best guy friends. The secret looks, the sweet kisses, the purposeful touches; so many years later, they were so very much in love. It may have been hard for the guys to watch it, but as an onlooker, it was truly a sight to behold. Even the oldest generation still had a passion about them.

As she watched the couples, she took in a couple of other things. Kendrick seemed to have a sad air about him; he’d never admit it, she was sure, but he wanted the love, comfort, and security he was surrounded by; he wanted that in his personal life, but he’d lost the chance a long time ago and Katie wasn’t sure if he’d ever open himself up to it again.

The strangest observation she made throughout the evening was between Zach and Zoey. Growing up as cousins, the whole town knew that Zach and Zoey were joined at the hip. Zach’s sister, Aly was Zoey’s best girlfriend, but Zach and Zoey were about as close as two people could get. Katie caught several heated looks pass between them, followed quickly by flushed looks of guilt and tension. She smiled inwardly; Zach and Zoey were interesting, very interesting.

The group spent a fun-filled evening just chatting and laughing. Katie was pretty sure that some of the parents spent extra time doing
something
in other areas of the house throughout the night. Libby’s face was flushed when she and Nate returned to the group within a minute of each other. Audrey was glowing and just laughed when Jeremiah smacked her ass after they returned from
checking something out upstairs
. Nicky Morgan was about the sweetest, most attentive husband she’d ever seen; he had a look of total adoration on his face for Carly. No matter what she said or did, Nicky’s face spoke of his love for her. Kyle and Josie Martin were possibly the most in-sync couple she’d ever witnessed; it was obvious they knew what the other was thinking, the looks on their faces gave away the love and slightly naughty thoughts that passed between them all night. What would it be like, twenty some years later, to have a love so strong and still so right? Katie had never been in love; was she in love with Decker? She thought she was, even if she felt it was too soon to feel that way. All she knew was she had very little trouble picturing their relationship twenty years in the future. That fact thrilled her and scared her at the same time.

**********

Since they had spent the entire evening with his brother and cousins, Decker didn’t feel bad about sweeping Kate to his room. He snuck into the kitchen and grabbed the cherry pie, smiling as he thought about what her reaction would be.

“You can have the bathroom first, Bug.” Decker swept his arm out dramatically, making her laugh at his gesture.

“Why, thank you, kind sir.” She grabbed her bag and headed to the bathroom. A quick shower later, she dressed in her softest flannel pants, a tank, and her hair pulled up in a messy bun. She wasn’t worried about impressing Decker; she knew he found her attractive physically, but it was more than just that. In the past, she’d never felt 100% comfortable with the men she went on dates with; was the skirt too short and suggesting too much, did her V-neck shirt reveal too much, did her hair make her seem severe if it was pulled back tightly or like a slacker if it was in a messy bun? With Decker, there were none of those thoughts; he liked her for her, not for her clothes or hair or body.

“You okay in there?” Decker knocked on the door lightly; breaking out of her musings, Kate chuckled and opened the door.

“Sorry, I was lost in thought. The bathroom is all yours.” She kissed him. Not because she needed to prove anything to him, just because she wanted to feel his lips on hers.

Decker showered and pulled on a pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt hoping he wouldn’t be wearing it long. As he walked into his room, he realized he’d left the pie in plain sight.

“Did you bake this? For me?” She asked incredulously, eyes wide and a slightly unbelieving smile on her face.

He blushed, but pulled her close to him. “Yeah, it’s supposed to be funny and romantic.” He could tell she wasn’t making the connection.

“It’s a
cherry
pie…,” he let the words hang for a bit and couldn’t help but feel relieved when realization dawned on her; it would have lost some of its cute romantic notions if he’d had to explain it to her.

“Oh my God, Decker, are you trading cherries with me? That’s the sweetest, cutest, goofiest thing anyone has ever done for me.” She laughed, open-mouthed, against his lips as he pulled her in closer for a kiss.

“Yeah, after your cherry stem trick and your shenanigans with the song, I thought I’d get in on the game play too.” Kissing her nose, he walked to his dresser. “I brought plates and forks, you want a piece?”

Blushing, she bit her lip nervously. “Um, I want a piece, but can we eat it later? I’d rather have a piece of something else right now.”

Within seconds of the words escaping her lips, he was flush against her front. Their faces were mere centimeters apart; breath mingling, hearts pounding, lips longing to taste. Leaning in just a fraction, Decker’s lips brushed hers. “If at any point this gets to be too much, just tell me to stop. You got that? You have the reigns here.”

At her silent nod, he brought his lips against hers more forcefully. She sighed and parted her lips slightly, allowing him entry. She would never tire of the unique taste of this man; their tongues caressed gently, and he nipped at her lip with his teeth bringing a groan from her.

Kate let her hands roam under his shirt, up his torso and then down his back, trying to take him all in. His skin was smooth and hot, muscles rippled under her hands and his breath caught when she moved her hands cautiously to his chest to rub across his nipples.

Her hands grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled; knowing she wanted it off, he reached behind his neck and pulled the cloth over his head.

Kate felt her pulse increase as her eyes took in the beautiful perfection in front of her. Sure that she was going to hyperventilate, she let her head fall to the side as his arms wrapped around her and his mouth trailed kisses along her jaw until he reached her neck. A shiver of desire traveled through her; just as his lips met the sensitive skin on her neck, his hard length nudged against her and she felt her senses on overload.

His strong hands roamed under her shirt and around to her back; with purpose he slid down to her waist and snuck his fingers under the band of her pants. A growl emanated from deep in his chest as his hands moved lower to cup her ass; realizing she’d skipped panties under those silky soft pants sent so much blood to his cock he was surprised he didn’t pass out.

“I love the way your ass feels in my hands.” Pushing her pants the rest of the way down, he maneuvered her to the bed and pushed her down so he could remove the material. Stepping back, he took in the vision before him; bare from the waist down, breathing quickly, dark hooded eyes watching his every move. “I don’t know what I did to deserve you, Bug. So fucking gorgeous.” He spoke as he let his hands travel from her naked thighs up to her hips. Pulling her with force to the edge of the bed, he lowered himself to his knees and moved her legs over his shoulders. “Open for me; just relax.” His mouth found her center and he chuckled against her as she rocketed her hips off the mattress. “Easy, Bug.” He placed his forearm across her hips and let his tongue travel, tease, and taste. Her breathy moans spurred him on; tracing a finger along her folds, he allowed himself to enter slowly. As her moans became louder and he had a harder time pinning her hips down, he added another finger and found a rhythm with his hand and tongue.

His moans vibrated against her and reached her very soul; letting herself go, she moaned his name and clutched her body around his finger and tongue.

Moving her farther up onto the bed so he could join her, he pulled her close to him. “Decker, that was incredible; I don’t know if I’ll be good for anything after that.”