Chapter 9
Liam
After Niko and Silas left last night, I drank one too many glasses of bourbon while sitting in the dark great room. It not only fit the mood, but keeping the lights off kept me from hyperfocusing on all the reminders of her: her favorite throw blanket, my slippers she’d started claiming as her own, the couch that we’d made love on. I still remember the last time like it was fucking yesterday. She drove me into a frenzy that night, the night before I left for Sonoma.
“Where have you been all my life?” I whisper over her head, her body curled against mine as we cuddle on the couch. The way we are together is the stuff of dreams. I’m almost positive she’s been asleep for the past 20 minutes, so when I drop a kiss on the top of her head, I do so gently. But after I do, she shifts and starts running her hand up and down my chest. Then she’s moving lower, her fingers slipping below my waistband and into my sweats. Fuck me.
It doesn’t matter when, or where, I’m ready for her, always. She grips my hard cock running her hand up and down over it as I press my palm into her back, nudging her closer to me before reaching down and grabbing her asscheek. She lets out a little moan and her body grinds towards mine seeking friction and I know exactly how I want her.
“Bambi, get undressed.” I nudge her to get up, and she does exactly as she’s told, just like the good girl she is. “I want you to suck my cock.” Her cheeks stain pink and she moves to kneel down in front of me, but I stop her. “I want you to suck my cock while I eat my girl’s sweet pussy.” Wordlessly, she moves over me, positioning her face over my dick and her pussy over my face. I grab both of her ass cheeks in my hands and massage them together, revealing how wet she already is. She’s glistening. My dick starts to get desperately hard in response.
“Take it out, baby.” Britain moves my sweats down over my hips and my cock springs free. She looks back at me for a moment, waiting for permission. “Do you want it, Bambi?” I ask her, and she nods. “Then have it.” She immediately drops her head and slides me past her damp lips. A groan slips out of me over the feel of her warm mouth coupled with the sight of her dripping wet pussy. I love the mess she makes when giving me head. Yanking her hips back and down so I can place my mouth on her clit, I suck her in.
This time she moans, and when she does, the vibration makes me want to blow my load in her mouth right this second, but I hold off. I never want her blow jobs to end, so I try my best to focus my attention on her pleasure in hopes it’ll somehow stave off my own. I release her clit and bring my tongue down and swirl it inside her, and fuck, she tastes like heaven. When I say I could have her for every meal, I fucking mean it.
Returning my tongue to her clit, I move my fingers that are clenched on her ass closer to her asshole, and slip my thumb in. She clenches down on me hard and releases another deep, vibrating moan.
I stop my assault on her clit long enough to get out, “Come all over my face, baby,” then I’m back on it, circling, and pressing her down on my face as she loses it. She releases my cock from her mouth as her back bows and she calls out my name — my favorite fucking sound.
That’s right, ride my face, baby, until every last bit of pulsing pleasure subsides. I smack her ass gently when she eases away.
“Waiting for you.” She says it so quietly, I’m not sure I heard her right.
“What was that, baby?”
“You asked where I’d been all your life. I’ve been waiting. For you.” Christ. My fucking heart could burst. She has no idea how long I’ve been waiting for her. No fucking idea. I’ll tell her someday. Without another thought, I grab her by the waist quickly and move her, still on all fours, so that I’m kneeling right behind her. I pull my sweats down a bit more and slam right into her, frantically…and bare. And fucking hell, she feels so incredible I actually get the fucking chills.
My hands are gripping her hips tightly and when she pushes back against me, I know she wants this, too.
“Make sure to pull out, please,” she says while clenching down on me.
“I will, I promise.” It’ll be painful not to come in her, but of course I won’t. I thrust harder and deeper than I ever have before, obsessed with every second her bare skin touches mine. A thrill goes down my spine when she moves her hands to hold onto the back of the couch for better purchase. Good, because I plan to fuck her hard.
“Do you like the way I feel, Bambi?” I need to fucking hear it.
“So much, Liam. Too much.” She turns her head to look back towards me and I can see where she’s biting down hard on her lip.
“Come for me again. I want to feel you.” I need to feel her.
“Yes, sir,” she says.
I release my grip on one of her hips and drop it down to her clit. Less than a minute later she’s pushing her ass back and screaming my name. It feels like the longest orgasm because I’m desperately trying to hold back and not come. But as soon as I think she’s through with it, I push out of her as quickly as I can and slide my dick roughly between her perky cheeks. I come in an explosion of bliss as my hot spurts paint her back and ass. And I can honestly say, I’ve never loved the look of her more, covered in me, looking like mine.
The irony that she was already pregnant by then isn’t lost on me.
The whole house reeks of her and it’s driving me insane. I don’t know what the fuck I was thinking when I thought I could let her go. I need her like I need my next breath.
At 3:30 A.M. I finally moved into the guest room. Between the smell of her perfume and her empty side of the bed, I couldn’t take it anymore. Trying to sleep in there without her was torturous. Her absence was louder than a jackhammer on my skull, forcing me up and out of our bedroom in a last ditch attempt at sleep. It worked for two hours, but now it’s 5:30 A.M. and I’m already in the shower, my body and mind motivated by a singular task: Finding Britain.
Step one is to get back in Sandy’s good graces. Make that Sandy’s and the girls’ good graces, but I’ve botched it all. Whenever I imagined meeting the girls, I thought maybe they’d be tentative at first, but I’d eventually figure out a way to win them over. I just thought it’d be as simple as getting them tickets to see Taylor Swift. Now I’d probably have to book a fucking private concert just to get them to talk to me. I make a mental note to check the feasibility of that.
Thanks to my hand, I move at a sloth’s pace while showering and dressing when all I want to do is hit the road as soon as possible. So I don’t even bother to make coffee or grab anything for breakfast. They’ll have that where I’m going.
“You again.” Still pissed. The sassiness is only part Britain. The rest is completely original, all Elodie. I’ve decided to take a different approach than yesterday. Yesterday I was desperate and rude. Today I have to be charming, patient, and kind. It’s going to be fucking hell.
I plaster on a smile as I approach the counter. “Good morning, Elodie. You’re up bright and early.”
Without missing a beat and completely straight-faced she says, “Well, when you work at a coffee shop…” You idiot. It’s unspoken, but the intention is clear. I let her biting tone roll right off my back because that little piece of information has hope swelling in my chest.
If Elodie works at the coffee shop, Britain is absolutely nearby. How many days will I have to come in here before a chance encounter? It doesn’t matter, though, because I’ll be here. I’m not above stalking right now. She’s carrying our child, and I’ll do anything and everything to get them back.
“So did you come here for small talk or are you getting coffee?” Miss Sassy Pants asks rudely.
“Both?” I try in a playful tone, but she doesn’t budge. “Alright then, I’ll take a black coffee and a newspaper, please.”
Caroline and Sandy come out from the back carrying boxes of pastries. They both slow down when they see me at the counter. Caroline scrutinizes me, giving me the once over, before her sight lands on my hand.
“What happened to your hand?” Caroline’s asking me a question?
“I, uh, got locked out of my house and had to break a window to get in.” I hold up the hand stupidly.
“Uh huh,” Sandy says before moving past Caroline to unload the boxes. “Don’t you have those keycode locks?”
“It wasn’t working.” Lie.
Sandy also gives me a once-over before getting down to business, “What are you doing here, William?” I look at both girls to find them staring straight back at me, waiting.
“I’m here for her, okay? You can ask me to leave, and I might, but I’ll just be here tomorrow, and everyday after. Even when the girls go back to school, Sandy, I’ll be showing up at your house, relentlessly, until you give me something. Anything. Even if I don’t get to see her, hopefully you’ll at least tell me how she is, how the baby’s doing. And I don’t want to do this, but I’m not planning to be an absentee parent. So if I have to, I’ll petition for my share of custody.” God, fighting with Britain over custody will be the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. Every instinct in my body wants to give her what she wants, but if that’s full custody, I don’t think I can do it.
Elodie turns around without saying anything, filling up a coffee cup and grabbing a newspaper from the stand beside the counter. “That’ll be $4.75, mister.” Caroline and Sandy continue watching me as I pull out a twenty and hand it over.
“Keep the change.” Everyone continues to stay silent, so I move to a table (the one by the window in hopes I don’t miss a thing) just as a familiar face pops in.
“Hey, Murph!” I call out to the old guy who just stepped in. He turns in my direction, but his reply is only a low “Hmph” as he walks away. Let me guess, he’s pissed, too? How many cold shoulders am I going to have to brush up against? It doesn’t matter, though. There’s only one person’s favor I need or want. The rest of the world can eat shit.
Britain
Well, first night sleeping alone in a while and I survived it. It wasn’t plentiful or satisfying, but I did eventually fall asleep. And while I almost asked Jess to stay, I decided to woman up. It felt comforting waking up knowing Jess and Damian were here and that I wasn’t alone, though, even if Damian…is Damian.
Just like yesterday, I’m a little more hopeful this morning. I feel a little bit lighter and a bit more optimistic. I went past the 12-week mark and I didn’t text him, I slept alone last night and I’ve got my best friend here with me today. Oh, and her cute sidekick that I fully intend on cuddling with later, too.
I slip on some silk sleep shorts and a brami before heading downstairs where I find Damian and Jess, already up and about, still operating on Eastern time. Jess is feeding — well, attempting to feed — Eden, and Damian is out back, pacing while he talks on the phone.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Jess sing-songs to me in an overly cheery tone, making me laugh.
“Well, good morning to you, too!” I drop my voice to say hi to Eden, “And good morning to you too, sweetie.” She breaks out into a smile and smacks her little hands down on her food tray in enthusiasm. I drop a kiss on top of her head before I make my way over to the coffee maker.
“Did you guys sleep okay? Have everything you need?”
“Are you kidding? We slept great. Without Tommy’s snoring, I legit slept eight hours and so did Eden.” Glad my heartbreak could be good for something, even if it’s just to get Jess eight hours of sleep.
“That’s amazing, Jess.”
“How about you?”
“Eh, not great, but I did sleep. That counts for something, so I’ll take it.”
She gives me a half smile before moving on. “So when are we gonna go pick up the girls?”
“I just texted them asking when we should come, but still waiting to hear back. I think Sandy has them working at the cafe with her.” Jess’ eyes go a bit wide in surprise.
“Really? They want to do that on their summer break?”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know. Sandy asked me if it was okay first and I told her it was entirely up to them whether they did or not. I think they just like getting out of the house more than anything. We’ll see how it goes.” I think they could probably use the break from me, too.
As I go to sit down on the other side of Eden, the doorbell rings, startling me. What the hell? It’s 7:30 A.M. I look at Jess wondering if she ordered something. “Are you expecting someone?” I ask. She shakes her head no. Alright then. I head to the front door, checking the peep hole first. Of course.
“Hi,” I say as I open the door to Matthias standing before me with a huge bouquet of flowers and a very familiar bakery box I just know is full of cinnamon buns.
“Hi,” he responds, giving me that dimple-filled smile. Damnit. I can’t stay frustrated with him when he smiles at me like that.
I open the door further. “Come in. Come in.” He steps into the entry in a dark charcoal, three-piece suit and tie, and heavens, it’s the sexiest thing I’ve seen in a long time.
“I have a meeting at 9, but I wanted to come see you. Also, it’s Friday,” he says, holding up the box of pastries. “And I wanted to say sorry…about yesterday. Yeah, just about yesterday.” The sheepish, half smile he gives me makes him instantly forgivable.
“I’m sorry, too. I dumped a lot on you, and really you’re great, Mats. Thank you for the flowers and the cinnamon buns.” I try my best to give him my warmest smile. The smile must be sufficient because he moves in towards me, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“You look so beautiful this morning, Brit,” he whispers in my ear, making me blush. I turn to face him and just like we always do, we find each other. He moves in, dropping his mouth to mine and I really wish I hadn’t turned him away yesterday. Why did I do that again? I could have woken up to him in bed this morning. He breaks away from me briefly to set down the box and bouquet, then pulls me into a warm embrace, our mouths reconnecting in a passionate kiss.
The suit, the flowers, the pastries — all of it has me practically panting with need. The spark I’ve been trying to find with Matthias is reigniting, slowly but surely, and we move against each other, making out like a couple of teenagers in my foyer.
“Ahem,” Jess clears her throat and I immediately drop my hands from Matthias’ face. Turning to see Damian, Jess, and Eden staring at us from the great room, I drop my head on Matthias’ chest for a brief moment before looking back up at him. He just smiles down at me, though, like it’s no big deal.
I grab Mats’ hand and pull him into the great room. “Jess, I’d like you to meet Matthias. Matthias, this is Jess and her daughter Eden, and then you’ve met Damian before, right?” Matthias immediately extends his hand to Jess, giving her a firm shake. “Nice to meet you Jess. I’ve heard so much about you.” He then turns to take Damian’s hand. “Nice to see you again, Damian.” For a moment it seems awkward. I can’t figure out what Damian’s expression is, but after a beat, it passes and the air clears.
“Matthias brought us some pastries.” Turning to him, I ask, “Do you have time to stay for a coffee?” I find myself hoping he’ll say yes.
“I can’t, babe. The meeting…but what do you have going on tonight?” Oh. I wasn’t expecting to feel so disappointed, but I understand.
“Um, no idea yet.” I turn to look at Jess and Damian who are just standing there staring at us, so I move Matthias towards the front door and out of earshot.
“Sorry, they’re being weirdos,” I whisper to him.
“It’s okay. They’re just looking out for you. I like it. Well, I like when Jess does it…” I laugh and the smile he gives me in return has me getting wet. He’s looking at me like he used to, like he could eat me, and I feel my whole body start to heat. “Come outside with me for a minute?” he asks. I give a single nod and we both slip out the front door.
As soon as it’s closed behind us, he pushes my back against it and kisses me with an intensity I haven’t felt before. It’s desperation and yearning, and I feel it, too. I fucking feel it, too. The thought alone makes me excited. He moves a hand up into my hair while he sucks on my neck and I close my eyes, relishing the feel of him. I want to feel like this, with him.
“No hickies, babe,” I say when he starts to suck harder.
“What about where no one can see them?” Jesus. I nod yes, and he pulls my cami up over my belly, holding it just below my breast. Placing his mouth on my rib cage, he begins to suck while groping my breast. I thread my fingers in his hair and for a moment I think about pushing him down to his knees and letting him eat me out on the front porch, but I refrain. After he finishes marking me on the side of my breast, he rejoins my mouth with fervor.
He pushes his long, hard length against me, and I want him. Why do I want him so bad right now?
“Brit…” He releases my mouth and pants out.
“I know, I want it, too.” I manage to whisper.
“I don’t want the first time to be against your front door, though,” he laughs. “Well, the first time in…” 17 years, he leaves it unsaid.
“Same,” I laugh, too, and he drops his forehead to mine.
“Tonight?”
“The girls and everyone will be here tonight…” I feel his shoulders deflate slightly. “You’re still welcome to come over, I just don’t think the opportunity for anything else will be there.” He immediately perks back up.
“Then tomorrow night? It’s the Greek Festival. Will you come with me?” The Greek Festival. Our first, first date.
“Are you asking me out on a date, Mats?” I give him a sly smile.
“I am, Brit. Please say yes.”
“Okay then, yes. I’d love to.” And when I say it, this time I know I mean it. The thought sends my heart soaring with hope. Hope that I’m finally closing the door on Liam, and opening up to Matthias.