So. Long.: Bad Boy Next Door (23 page)

“Who do you think you are?” Matt slings blood from his
fingers, staining the grass and concrete with scarlet droplets.

“I’m the man who loves this woman
and
that little
girl in there.”

I gasp as the world falls from beneath my feet. I steady
myself with a hand on the front porch rail.

Adam says, “You don’t want them? Fine. They don’t need you.
So carry your ass on down the fucking road.”

It’s one thing for Adam to say he loves me when he’s
stinkin’ ass drunk—easy to brush off as nothing. It’s something completely different
to hear him say it sober and in defense of me and my sweet girl.

Matt swipes at the dust and debris sticking to him. “Fine. I
will. You want ‘em? Be my guest.”

Adam grabs Matt’s collar and shoves him toward his car.
“Fuck you, douchebag. Get out of here before I shove my foot so far up your ass,
you’ll taste boot leather for a month.”

Matt clambers to his car, throwing himself into his seat and
slamming the door.

The built up pressure in my chest eases as I holler, “Fuck
you
and
the whore you rode out on.”

Matt’s arm shoots out the window as he flips us the bird. Tires
screech as he takes off down the street.

Adam turns toward me. “The only good thing about that fucker
is that little girl in there.”

“I did get the best part of him in her, didn’t I?” I head into
the house.

Adam follows with his hand on my lower back, warm and
comforting.

Inside, he catches my fingers and pulls me to him.

My heart stutters.

He traps me against the door. His arms cage me as his body
presses close. “I meant what I said out there.”

My tummy flutters, but not with nausea this time. I search
his eyes for the truth of his words. His gaze doesn’t waver—not in the least.

“That he’s a dickhead?” I let a small smile slip across my
face.

He lays a hand on my belly, his voice barely a whisper. “I
love you and Clarissa. And I’ll love this baby too, if you’ll give me a chance.
We aren’t going in different directions. I’m going wherever you are. That’s the
only
place I want to be. I’m so sorry it took so long for me to tell you
that.”

For a writer, I never seem to know what words to use when
it’s important to say something—
anything
.

I worry my lower lip, trying to think how to answer him.

He cups my jaw. “
I don’t have the tools to write the
perfect romance, but I’d like to try. Help me find the right words—
I still
mean that.”

My throat all but closes over with the emotions bottling up
in my chest. His hazel eyes stare into mine.

“Leave the romance writing to me.” I brush his mouth with my
lips. “I only needed those three words. I love you too.”

ADAM

Ryan sits like a little king on his sun lounger by the pool,
his cast covered with drawings and good wishes from friends and family. He’s
got Tucker fetching and carrying drinks, snacks, and pretty much anything he
can think of, taking full advantage of the situation. Little shit.

Jen, Kelsey, and Gina gather around a tiny table under the
umbrella, chatting about whatever it is women talk about when there aren’t any
men there to hear them. Most likely, the topic is either Kelsey’s last book’s
rocket trip to the top of the best sellers list, or maybe wedding plans. Those
seem to be the subjects of choice lately. They’re almost one in the same,
really. The book, as it turns out, is basically
our
story wrapped in
fiction. She missed her deadline, but she did finish it, not long after I
pulled my head out of my ass and told her I love her.

I toss Maddie into the air, and she squeals in delight just
before she splashes down.

Clarissa holds out her arms, excited for her turn to fly.
She throws her scrawny arms around my neck and hugs me, giving me a smacking
kiss on my cheek, wrapping my heart around her little finger a bit tighter.

I give her a quick squeeze and launch her over the shallow
water. Somehow, in mid-air, her strap-on floaties go one direction while she
flies the other. I dive across the pool, grabbing her suit before she has time
to suck up any water.

When we surface, Kelsey’s at the side of the pool. “Is she
okay?”

Clarissa wipes her face, a big, watery smile showing off her
dimples. “I swim like a rock!”

My thudding heart stutters almost to a stop.

Kelsey’s jaw drops. The rest of the group goes stock still.

I hike Clarissa a bit higher. “What did you say, Pip?”

Her smile widens. “I swim like a
rock
.”

My gaze meets Kelsey’s, and tears gather in her eyes as she
clamps her hands over her mouth.

“You
do
kinda swim like a rock.” I can’t contain my
laugh.

I swing the Pipsqueak up onto my shoulders as I wade across
the pool toward her momma.

Gina claps and stands. “I always knew she’d talk when she
was ready.”

Kelsey holds out her arms, and I pass Clarissa to her.

She hugs her tight. “My big girl. You’ve been holding out on
me, haven’t you?”

Clarissa wriggles out of Kelsey’s hold and jumps into the water
at the steps leading into the shallow end.

Kelsey sits at the edge of the pool, her feet dangling into the
water. “I just—all this time. An entire sentence. Did you hear her? A full
sentence
.”

I stand between Kelsey’s legs, holding her trembling form
close, rubbing her back. “She’s smart like her momma. She’ll get it figured out
before long.”

* * *

“Come to bed,” I say to Kelsey.

She’s been standing in the hall for ten minutes, waiting for
Clarissa to call out for her again.

The child’s words must’ve been accumulating all this time,
because since she started talking, she didn’t stop until she finally gave up
the fight and fell asleep.

I lean against the bedroom doorframe. “She’s going to be
fine.”

“But, what if she wakes up and wants to tell me something?”

“What if
I
want to tell you something?”

Kelsey’s eyes meet mine. “You want to say something to me?”

I hold out my hand. “I have a lot of things I’d like to say.
Come to bed, and I’ll tell you some of them.”

Her gaze flits to Clarissa’s door, but her fingers thread
together with mine.

We close the door, and the dark envelops us.

I skim my hands up her thighs, pushing her night shirt up.
Her stomach is still flat, but somewhere in there is the life we created
together. It almost doesn’t seem real, yet I constantly find myself thinking of
that little blip of white on the monitor we saw for the first time yesterday.
Boy or girl, it won’t matter.

I slip my palms across her hips and down over her ass.
“Don’t you ever wear panties?”

“Only when I have to.”

My mouth finds the place where her pulse thrums. I kiss her
neck, sucking and nipping the skin as I massage her ass and pull her tight
against my erection.

She hikes a leg to wrap it around me. I turn so I can back
her to the bed. Our tongues tangle and my cock hardens all the more. I swear,
I’ll never have enough of this woman.

Her fingers dance up my chest and weave into the hair at my
nape. When we hit the edge of the bed, I ease her down.

But she pushes at my pecs and twists in my arms. “Stop.
Wait.”

I flip on the lamp, squinting in the light. “What?”

Spike lifts his head from where he lies sprawled across the
bed, tossing a look at us as if to say,
“Trying to sleep here, peoples.”

Chloe perches on his ribs, one eye cracked as if daring us
to disturb her catnap.

Kelsey grins. “At least she’s not still afraid he wants to
have her as a snack.”

“Yeah, well—I did have that talk with him. Made sure he
knows
I’m
the only one eating pussy around here.” I shoo the critters
from our space, ushering them out the door.

Kelsey leans back on the bed, opening her legs and giving me
a great view of her sugar glider. “Yes, please. Come ravish my glistening fruit
petals. Take me captive in a rage of lust with your man-sword.”

She never ceases to make me smile.

“I
am
the pirate king—” I waggle my eyebrows, getting
into the game. “I shall make you dance on my wooden plank, and then I’ll dive
into the unfathomable depths of your lagoon of passion.”

She reaches for me, giggling. “Come here and fuck me, you
beast.”

I grab her ankles and yank her to the foot of the bed,
kneeling between her thighs. “I’m going to lick and suck that pussy until you
come so fucking hard your cream runs down my chin and puddles on the floor.”

She whips her shirt off over her head. “And then I’ll roll
over so you can fuck me from behind until your cock explodes.”

“
Explodes
? Ouch.”

Her eyes go wide, and she slaps her hand over her mouth.

“Well, maybe not explode. Maybe more like”—Kelsey throws her
hands into the air—“Oh hell, I don’t know. I suck at dirty talk. Just make me
scream.”

I dip my head, running my tongue up her slit. Her juice is
as sweet as ever. I kiss each of her thighs and tickle her clit.

She flops back onto the bed. “Yes. Like that.”

I run my fingertip along her folds and sink my finger deep
inside her. “Like this?”

She moans her approval.

I push her legs over my shoulders and suckle her pussy until
her cream flows hot for me. I lap it up.

Her breath comes heavy, and her hips roll with each swipe of
my tongue against her entrance. My hard-on tents my loose-fitting shorts, so I
pull it out and stroke it as I continue loving her pussy with my mouth.

There was a time I thought I’d never find satisfaction
again, but with Kelsey, there is no greater satisfaction than living within her
loving arms.

I use one thumb to wet her tight little backside hole,
rubbing it softly as I bat my tongue against Kelsey’s nub.

She goes wild under my mouth, but I suck her bud and don’t
let go.

The silky bead of pre-cum smoothes over the head of my dick
under my palm.

This need I have for her is as strong as ever and won’t ever
end.

I pull away from Kelsey long enough to flip her onto her
belly and push her up on the bed. “All right, Beautiful Girl. It’s time.”

She looks over her shoulder, her eyes half-lidded. “Time?”

I yank my shorts off and climb up behind her on my knees, my
cock hard and long, ready to plunge deep within her. “Pull your feet together.”

“Together?”

“Yeah. Spread those knees, pull your feet together, make a
diamond with your legs. Then put your chest on the bed so your ass is up. I’m
going to pound that pussy and give you a little
twist
.”

She grins and licks her lips as she moves into position.
“Twist? Yeah?”

Her ass is in the air, her sweetest spots wide open to me. I
run my fingers up from her clit, dipping into her entrance to gather some
cream, then to her asshole, where I slip my wet finger along its tight edges.
It pulses in response, and my cock answers with a twitch.

I grab my hard-on and guide it to her dripping slit, rubbing
the head in a circle before slowly pushing inside her. Kelsey gives a little
mew as I bump her back wall and shove in another inch deeper.

Her slick heat around my dick is amazing, and when I pull
out to the tip and ram it in again, my erection hardens to granite. “Fuck yes.”

I set up a rhythm, and Kelsey braces her hands on the
headboard. With each stroke, I pump harder and faster. Her smooth ass cushions
the blows of my hips against her. Her pussy clenches tight around my cock.

I’m in heaven. Kelsey is my healing angel.

I leverage myself against the head of the bed, one hand
gripping the edge of the mattress as Adam fucks me from behind, exactly like I
want it. He slides his hand up my spine and down to my ass.