Decker (Torey Hope: The Later Years #1) (14 page)

“Time’s up, Bug.” He took his shirt off and stepped between her legs. “This is your reward for being such a good manager, so I’m in control here.” His thumb found her center with no warning and she threw her head back with a moan. “This one will be hard and fast; at home, I want hard and slow.” He pushed her back with one hand as his other hand worked at his waistband. Lowering the material, he smirked at her as she propped herself up on her elbows to watch. “Like what you see?” When she could only lick her lips and nod, he knew this was going to be the true definition of a “quickie.”

Before he could make a move, she sat up and pushed at his chest. “Hold on, if we’re breaking all sorts of office rules by christening your desk, I think we better do it right. Office sex is always with the girl bent over the desk, right?” Katie raised her eyebrows and smiled seductively.

“I’ve never had sex with a girl in any office or on any desk, but I think movies usually portray it that way, yeah.” Decker had to take a moment to breathe deep and clear his head at the image before him. His beautiful, perfect, intelligent girl was bending over his desk; if he thought about it much longer, he was going to be done before he even got started.

Several quick, sweaty, intense moments later, Decker found himself pressed against her back trying to catch his breath. “That was…, damn, what are you doing to me? I went from refusing to date co-workers to taking my assistant manager on my office desk.”

He laughed when she spoke from beneath him, “Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Now, get off me you big oaf!”

Once they were dressed in some semblance of propriety, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her deeply. “Seriously, Kate, thank you for being so very good at what you do here at work. And thank you for just being you and for loving me. I never knew I needed to make changes, until you came into my life and showed me what was missing in my life. All of that control I thought I needed so badly? Turns out I don’t need it as much as I thought, as long as you’re by my side.” He gathered up their things and held out his hand to her. “Come on, we’re skipping the gym tonight. Let’s go get a drink with the guys and then go home. I’ve got reservations for you in my bed.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and pulled her close as she giggled at his antics.

Decker’s cousins, Aly and Zoey, had offered to come over and help Katie get ready for the wedding. She didn’t really need help getting ready, but she figured it would be fun to have some girl time. She was sort of stuck when it came to the girls in Decker’s family; Abby and Megan were older than her and weren’t around much, Aly and Zoey were about five years younger than her. Katie liked the younger girls, and they seemed to like her. Having idle chit-chat about random girl stuff was a nice break for her as they primped and prepped for Beckett’s big day.

“I can’t believe I don’t have a date for this wedding, and I can’t believe you’re just going to hang out with my brother, Zoey!” Aly complained from the shower as she shaved her legs. The girls were practically the same age, but Aly acted much more like an 18 year-old than Zoey did. Katie got an old-soul vibe from Zoey, which made Aly and Zoey being best friends sort of ironic.

“You could have asked any number of boys to come to the wedding, but you complained about each and every one of them, Aly. So, now you’re stuck dancing with cousins and uncles. As for me, Zach is my best friend aside from you; I want to spend my evening with him; I’ll have him ask you to dance a couple times.” Zoey looked at Katie, shrugged her shoulders, and rolled her eyes at the squealing emanating from beyond the shower curtain.

“So, you and Decker, huh?” Zoey smiled at Katie’s blush. “You’re good for him. I’ve known him my whole life; being best friends with Zach means I’ve spent a lot of time with Decker. I really never thought he’d find someone who would break him out of his black and white existence.”

“Thanks, Zoey. He’s good for me too.” Katie chewed the inside of her cheek, contemplating what she wanted to say. “So how did you end up being best friends with Zach when he’s so much older than you?” Katie immediately noticed the blush on Zoey’s cheeks and the dreamy look she got on her face when she spoke.

“Everyone says he’s loved me since I was born. Aly was born just a little bit before me and he loved his sister, but when I was born they say he could always be found glued to my side. We grew up together, like all of the cousins, and we’ve just always clicked; we get each other. I’m lucky to have such a great group of cousins.”

Katie didn’t miss the sad emphasis the girl put on the word cousin. Deciding now wasn’t the time to delve deeper, she let it go. “Yeah, all of you are really lucky to have such great family.”

After the three girls were showered, shaved, and slathered, they worked on their hair and makeup. Katie had to admit that, even though she could do the prep all by herself, it was a lot of fun to have friends to do it with. With about 15 minutes to spare, they pulled on their dresses and shoes.

“Damn, we look fine!” Aly spun around and laughed in front of the mirror.

“Okay, we are going to take off so you and Decker can have your own little greeting time when he comes to pick you up. Zach is driving us from his and Aly’s house. Thanks for letting us spend time with you, Katie; it was fun.” As the younger girls headed out the door, Zoey spun around, “Oh! I don’t know if you know this or not, but Decker does NOT dance. Like, at all. So don’t be hurt if you ask and he refuses.”

Katie smiled, “Yeah, he has already turned me down once and informed me that he doesn’t dance and never will. It’s okay, everyone has their faults, I love him anyway.” She waved at the girls as they left.

Turning around, she almost ran into her grandma.

“Oh! Grandma, you scared me! I didn’t know you were there!” Katie hugged the older woman and laughed.

“So, what’s this I hear about you loving that boy?” Grandma squinted her eyes in Katie’s direction.

“That boy’s name is Decker, you know that Grandma. And, yes, I do love him, very much. He’s a very good man; good to me, good to his family, and good in business. I couldn’t do much better when it comes to finding someone who fits me perfectly and loves me for me.” Katie looked pointedly at her grandmother, waiting for the woman to speak.

“What happens when he leaves? Your father was
good
too, but he chose his work over his family. Where will that leave you when
this boy
leaves?” Grandma seemed to be challenging Katie.

“Mother, don’t do this. Katie’s father left
me
, not her. It was a mutual agreement that he should leave; he wanted things in life that I didn’t have interest in. We were not well matched. Katie and Decker are much better suited; they want the same things. Now, stop meddling; go get ready for the wedding.” Katie’s mother gently maneuvered the older woman toward the bedroom.

Before she left the room, her grandmother turned around, “Katie, I want you to be happy. But I know how boys are, they just want one thing and then they go looking for it elsewhere. Well, not my Stanley, he was as good as they come. But I didn’t give him what he wanted until we were good and married; that’s the problem these days, young girls giving it away. ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?’” Grandma muttered as she left the room.

Katie and her mother just looked at each other and laughed. “When did she become such a cynic!? I never knew she took it so hard when Daddy and you split up.” Katie still felt the sting of disappointment over her parents’ divorce, but she knew what her mother stated was the truth; they just weren’t well suited. She had a good relationship with her mother, she had a good relationship with her father; they just didn’t have a good relationship with each other.

“Her age is really beginning to show lately. She seems to have gotten it in her head that Grandpa Stanley was the only
good guy
and all other guys are scum. She’s convinced that Decker just wants in your pants and then he’ll leave.” Her mother winked at her.

“Mom! I can’t believe you just said that!” Katie blushed and thought about the last time she’d let Decker get in her pants.

“Katie, you’re a grown woman, if you want to be in a relationship with Decker, you have every right to make that decision. You two really do seem to be good for each other; you balance each other out very well.” Leaning in to kiss her daughter’s cheek, her mom got up to leave, “I’m assuming you’ll be sleeping elsewhere this weekend?” She nodded knowingly when her daughter smiled and bobbed her head up and down slightly.

The doorbell rang and Katie practically ran to open the door. Decker was one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever laid eyes on, but Decker dressed for his cousin’s wedding was enough to bring her to her knees.

“Katherine Turner, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen on a normal day; today, though, you truly take my breath away.” He cupped his hand behind her head and pressed his forehead to hers as if to take a moment to catch his breath. When he pulled back slightly, his eyes glistened with tears.

“Decker? What’s wrong?” Katie ran a hand along his cheek.

Nuzzling his cheek into her hand, he shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong, Bug. Everything is right. Just right. Seeing you like this just really drove home to me how lucky I am to call you mine. Before you, it’s like I was living in a black and white world, then I met you and you brought color into my life.” Resting his head on hers again, he breathed her in deeply, “I love you so very much.”

“Yeah, yeah, love-schlove. Do lines like that usually get you into the girls’ panties sooner?” Grandma’s voice echoed from behind Katie and Decker’s eyes met hers; both of them trying desperately to control their laughter, they turned to face the diminutive naysayer.

“Good afternoon, Grandma; you look lovely today.” Decker leaned in to kiss the old lady’s cheek.

Blushing and doing her best not to cave under Decker’s charm, Grandma tsk-tsked. “Shame on you, declaring love to my granddaughter and then flirting with me. See, Katie, this
boy
isn’t good for you. Once he gets what he wants, he’ll move on to the next pair of panties he can find.” She turned to Decker and pointed two fingers at her eyes and then at him, “I’m watching you,
boy.”

Rolling her eyes, Katie leaned in to hug her grandma. “I love him and he loves me, Grandma. He’s a very good man. Stop giving him such a rough time.”

As they walked out of the house, Katie groaned and Decker threw his head back in laughter when the old woman spoke loud enough for them to hear, “Yeah, well, anyone whose ass looks that good in a pair of trousers is trouble. Trust me.”

Once they reached the car, Decker pulled Kate into his arms. “I think your grandmother just accosted my ass with her eyes.” She swatted at him, but he just laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m not really into cougars. Plus, I’ve got the most awesome girl in the world on my arm, no need to look elsewhere.”

Decker held her door open for her. As he walked around to his side, his phone buzzed. Pulling it out, he stopped in his tracks to read the text.

Have fun at the wedding. I sure hope The Center+ is safe while you’re off playing.

Shoving the phone back in his pants, Decker decided he’d ignore the text threat and just enjoy his evening.

“What’s wrong?” Katie, always intuitive and perceptive to everything, knew something had upset him when he looked at his phone. The set of his jaw told her that he was pissed.

“Just the stupid unknown number taunting me. This is our night. Well, actually, it’s Beckett’s night, but he’ll be so busy with his wife and friends that he won’t have much time for us, so we’ll make it our own little party. No worries. Right?” Katie smiled knowingly as he tried to pretend he wasn’t bothered, but she knew he was furious that his business was being threatened again.

“Why don’t we swing by The Center+ and take a look around, tell the patrol officer about the threat, ask them to keep an extra close eye out?” Her suggestion was for his benefit as well as her own; she knew she wouldn’t be able to relax and have a good time if she thought something was going on at the place she’d come to love as much as Decker did.

“That’s a really good idea, Bug. See, not only do I keep you around for the mind-blowing sex, but you’re pretty handy in situations like this.” He laughed at her mock outrage, and they drove off to check things out before heading over to Beckett’s special day.

**********

“Don’t look now, but your Grandmother is watching us.” Decker nodded his head over Kate’s shoulder and waved at the older woman. “I hope we won’t be sitting in front of her during the wedding, she may bore a hole in my head with those steely eyes.”

Katie smiled and held his hand as they walked to their seats for the ceremony. “Hush, she’s harmless. She’ll get to know you and find out how great you are and then she’ll move on to being cynical about something else.”

The wedding was short, sweet, and extremely emotional. Katie’s eyes welled with tears when Audrey did a reading about bringing her son’s wife into their family as her own daughter. Those tears spilled over when both Beckett and his bride, Kenja, shed tears and choked up on their vows. When Decker grasped her hand and handed her a tissue, she almost lost it. She didn’t know if she was ready for marriage just yet, but the ceremony convinced her that she wanted it one day, and she knew exactly who she wanted her happily-ever-after to be with.

As they left the ceremony and headed to the reception, Decker cocked his head and turned to Kate. “Not that I mind her being here, but how did your grandma get invited to the wedding? Who does she know in my family?” Katie loved how they could have deep, emotional conversation just as easily as they could have random, meaningless chats as well.

“Oh, she’s friends with Jack and Judy Jordan. They play bingo together at the senior citizen center at least once a week.” Climbing in his car, Katie continued. “Did you know the senior citizen center is going to have to cut a lot of their programming? They are losing some funding. Grandma says that the bingo and other game nights will be the first to go.”

She looked out the window, sad to think of her grandma losing one of the weekly activities she looked forward to the most. It wasn’t so much about the bingo, it was about the socializing with friends and getting out of the house.

“Decker! What if we started running a few programs just for the senior citizens in town? I mean, I know we already have classes and courses that cater to the older generation, but what if we ran a bingo night and a card game night? Grandma and her friends love Uchre; I know it would be a hit.” She gave him an expectant look, waiting for his answer with a sneaking suspicion that he already loved her idea.

“I think it’s a great idea, Bug. I know my grandparents would be happy to go to game nights at The Center+; the senior citizen center is on the outskirts of town, it’s not always convenient for the older folks to get to. Let’s put it on the agenda for our next staff meeting, and we’ll see what we need to do in order to get it rolling.” He pulled her hand to his lips. “Now, I don’t mean to change the subject if you still want to talk about work…” He spoke with a question, and Katie shook her head to indicate she was done talking about work.

“Good. Not to sound as crass as Kendrick, but I can’t wait to get that dress off of you later. You are absolutely stunning. If I
was
as crass as Kendrick, I’d be looking for the nearest restroom and locking you inside with me.” Katie’s body shivered in delight as Decker’s words whispered over her as he helped her out of the car. “Mmm, I saw that shiver. Do you want me to lock you in a restroom and have my way with you?” He smiled the coy glance she gave him. “There you go again, my little trouble maker. I told you that song was perfect for you.”