Chapter 35 #2
“Get my pussy on this dick, Sweetness,” I grind out, and she makes a face, as if thinking about the order. When she stalls a little too long, I take her from where she’s positioned in the footwell and slide her up to straddle my body.
“Ride me, Sweetness,” I say, shoving my face between her breasts.
“What’s the magic word?” she teases.
Marry me . That’s what comes to mind, but instead, I say, “Please.”
Shae gives me a slow, perfect smile before lifting and impaling herself on my hardness.
“Fuck,” we both grind out when she finds her rhythm, and I pull her toward me, latching onto her tight nipple.
“Touch me, Storm,” she whispers in broken words. One of my hands goes to her clit while the other makes a slow trek around her hip and over the globe of her ass. Picking up some of the cream we’re making, I press my middle finger to her rosebud. Not breaching her, just applying pressure.
Shae makes an incoherent sound, and after a few moments, her pace picks up as she chases release. When I feel her cunt flutter around my dick, I follow her over the edge, holding her down so she gets every drop of my release.
Our foreheads kiss as we catch our breaths, and Shae’s the one who breaks the moment.
“We’ve got to figure out a different way to do this. I’m getting too old for car sex,” she says. I quirk an eyebrow.
“Well, you could always move into my room,” I say, and Shae rolls her eyes. “Or I could move into yours. I’m flexible like that.”
Shae sighs and gives me a short look before sliding off my lap.
“I don’t want the kids to be confused,” she says, and I bite back my frustration, because this is her go-to statement.
I’m trying to be patient, but since we re-committed to each other three weeks ago, it’s been like this: stolen moments in closets and garages; entering rooms after the twins are asleep and leaving after an hour in case they wake up from a nightmare.
“I don’t want to confuse them either,” I say, putting my dick away. “With that said, when will you feel comfortable moving forward?”
Ah, there it is. That uncomfortable lip-biting, hand-wringing expression she gives me every time I bring this up.
“Sweetness,” I say, running my finger along her jawbone. “Rai’s been asking me when we’re going to get married. Apparently, he’s been talking to your mother, and she mentioned something about ‘living in sin’ to him.”
Shae’s jaw drops.
“I’ll talk to her, because what the hell!”
I wave the concern away.
“I’m not worried because you know how I feel about the situation,” I say with a shrug. Shae does know how I feel about everything. She knows I want to make her my wife, build a home with her and our children.
And as soon as I can convince her to get rid of that IUD, even more babies. Pregnancies and births I’ll be there for.
My chest warms at the thought.
Shae gawks at me for a second before looking down at her lap.
“Tempest is pretty upset about their birthday,” she says with a grimace. I feel like shit that the kids can’t go to Tokyo. Even though their trip is supposed to be months away, it ultimately felt better to say no now rather than later, in case things went really sideways.
I shake my head, focusing back on Shae.
“Maybe we could make some headway if you agreed to letting me have one-on-one time with Tempest,” I say, and Shae’s walls go right back up. I drop my head back against the rest.
“Shae, c’mon,” I say, my eyes closed and heaving a sigh. “I’m not gonna hurt her.”
“I know that, Storm. I don’t think you’ll hurt her. It’s just that I know my daughter, and?—”
I suck in a breath and look out the window, interrupting her.
Three weeks is no time, Storm.
I know this. I know that I’m likely being unfair, but I won’t pretend it doesn’t hurt every time Shae cuts me out of the picture—even if it’s just with thoughtless words.
“I-I’m sorry. Our daughter. I’m sorry, Storm,” she says, placing her hand on my chest and leaning in close. I relax my jaw and count to three before looking back at Shae. Her genuine remorse is plain on her face.
“Already forgiven and forgotten, Sweetness,” I say, placing a kiss on the end of her nose. Shae examines me for a long moment before closing her eyes and kissing me again.
Tenderly.
“You’re right,” she murmurs against my lips. “You should take her somewhere.”
I twist my lips to the side, thinking, and suddenly very nervous.
“Do you have any suggestions?” I say, failing to come up with an activity that would be appealing to a young girl and relatively secluded.
“Something to make her feel special? She loves princesses and Sofia the First . She’s also into all types of art, but not dead white guy art. Think more Banksy and less Caravaggio.”
“She’s an art theorist at seven?” I ask, not really surprised but…surprised.
Shae gives me a wry nod.
“Yep. I guess she got that side from you. I can’t draw a stick figure,” she says.
“I know,” I reply quickly, and Shae pats my shoulder teasingly. “Remember when you tried to sketch out the logo design for the BronzeLight Incubator project?”
She hums, squinting her eyes. “Oh, yeah! You know, you didn’t have to roast me that bad, Sandoval.”
I kiss her again, just because she’s there and just because I can.
“I wanted to hear you talk to me, even if you were mad about something,” I reply.
I take a deep breath, and Shae leans into me. When I don’t say anything else, she looks up at me and her expression shifts to concern.
“What is it?” she whispers, and the feeling of her soft hand on my cheek centers me.
“There are some complications around Lakeland.” Her face turns concerned. “He has a daughter.”
Shae pulls back.
“What?” She searches my face. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack,” I reply.
Shae’s brows come together.
“How old? Are you just finding out about this? What’s her name? Talk about coincidences.”
I give her a humorless, closed-lip grin.
“I’ve known about her forever, although I only met her once when she was a little kid,” I say. “Her name is Laura, and she just turned sixteen.”
Shae’s face still remains concerned, but it shifts to add something else: suspicion.
“What aren’t you telling me, Storm?”
Here we go.
“Her mom is MIA, has been for a while. With Lakeland gone, she doesn’t have anyone.”
Shae makes a face.
“No other family?” she asks. I shake my head.
“Sooooo…” she draws out, and I try to smile, but I cringe instead.
“So, she’s sick, alone, and young, and she needs help,” I say, latching on to the fact that the girl’s gone through Hell, even though it feels like a threat to my family to bring in another element, especially someone connected to Lakeland in any way.
What if it were Tempest?
My jaw tightens.
“I’m going to help her. She’s stuck in a state hospital right now and receiving subpar care.
She’s been asking for me, and I plan on moving her into the wing on the opposite side of the house.
She knows I’m her only family left, and I don’t think I could live with myself if I let her rot in there forever. ”
Shae stays still as she examines my face. After seeing whatever she needed to see, she gives me a small grin.
“Okay, Storm,” she replies.
“You’d be okay with it? She’d be here in a few days,” I say, a little surprised. Shae shrugs.
“This isn’t my house. You can move in whoever you want,” she says casually, but she doesn’t meet my eyes.
“First, this is your house.” I grab her chin, tilting her face toward me. “Second, I’m asking for your approval here, Shae.”
She arches an eyebrow.
“Are you sure you’re asking me if I’m okay with this? It didn’t sound like it,” she throws back, and I sort through the last few sentences I said.
“Well, I am asking. I want you to be comfortable in your home.”
She sits in that statement for a moment before leaning forward to give me a sweet kiss.
“It’s fine, Storm. I’m glad you’re helping her, but I wouldn’t expect you not to,” she says.
“Oh, I was not easily convinced. Axel really put on the pressure,” I confess.
“Still,” she says. “I know your heart. Even if you hesitated, you would have come around eventually.”
I smile, deciding not to tell her about my initial plans for my cousin.
“I love how you see the best parts of me, baby.” She kisses me again in response.
The car clicks off as the automatic timer on the engine shuts the vehicle down, saving me from the conversation.
“We should go in,” Shae says.
Here it goes again. She’ll exit first and tell me to give her a five-minute head start so it can appear we’re not coming from the same place.
I hate this so damn much.
Shae straightens her clothes, shimmying back into her underwear while I stare at her with my elbow propped on the windowsill.
“What?” she asks, running her fingers around the rim of her lips to fix her smudged makeup.
“Nothing,” I say. “You’re perfect.”
God, the smile she gives me is the embodiment of sunshine.
“One last kiss?” Before we’re back to being friendly acquaintances?
Wordlessly, Shae leans back over and gives me a long, deep kiss. When we’re done, pulling away from each other but yearning for more—at least, I am—Shae pauses after stepping outside the car.
“I’ll…see you inside,” she says, spinning on her heel and flouncing out the door as if her delicious ass didn’t just wreck my soul.
In more than one way.
“We’re going to figure this out,” I say to the empty car cabin. I just need to figure out how to propel us forward. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck in this same place forever.