Chapter 21
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
Sawyer
“Hey.” I smile as I open my apartment door to King. “Come on in.” I open the door wider, gesturing for him to go ahead.
I close the door behind him, and he immediately pulls me into him, kissing me like it’s been weeks since I’ve seen him when it’s really been less than twenty-four hours since seeing him at work. I sink into the kiss, letting myself drown in it.
By the time he pulls away, I feel like putty in his arms.
“Well, that was one hell of a hello.” I smirk up at him.
“I missed you.” He shrugs. “And there might be something I have to tell you, and I wanted to put you in a good mood first.”
“Okay…” I raise a brow at him. “What is it?”
“So, you know how we thought we were doing a really good job at keeping us a secret?” he asks.
“Shit,” I say, knowing where this is going. “Who knows?” I ask.
“Everyone,” he says hesitantly.
“What do you mean, everyone?” My eyes widen.
“I mean, everyone.” He sighs. “Including the girls.”
“Okay.” I take a deep breath, walking over to the couch and sitting down.
He follows behind me, taking a seat next to me but staying quiet to give me a second to process. Aria’s words about not running ring fresh in my ears.
I can’t run from this, I don’t want to run from this.
I’m not my mother, and I’m not destined to become her. I want to be a part of their family, even if it’s terrifying.
The least I can do is try.
I turn back to King with a new sense of determination. “I love Ellie and Willow,” I tell him, and also partly to myself. “And I want this. You. Them. All of it.”
A wide smile, unlike any I think I’ve ever seen from him before, spreads across his lips, and he reaches out, cradling my face in his hand. I lean into him, savoring the feeling of his touch.
“So, about the girls knowing,” I say. “Are they okay?” I ask nervously.
“Yeah.” He nods. “They’re more than okay, they’re happy. They really love you, Sawyer.”
I feel tears poking at the corners of my eyes. I love them too.
“Oh, and they also claim that you love them more than you do me.” He laughs lightly.
“Well, duh.” I laugh. “Hate to break it to you, old man, but they’re way cooler than you,” I joke.
“Who are you calling old?” He squeezes my hip playfully, and I giggle into him. “But really, Sawyer, you’re ready for this? For everyone to know?” he asks.
“I mean, they already do know,” I say, stating the obvious.
“But for them to know that we know they know. Fuck, we sound like we’re Monica and Chandler.” He shakes his head. “What I mean is, are you ready for it to be all out in the open? For us to stop hiding.”
I stay silent for a second, really thinking about it. Is anyone ever fully ready for anything? Probably not, but I think this is the readiest I’ve ever felt. I’m sure about this. I’m sure about him.
“I’m not gonna lie and say that it doesn’t scare me,” I say. “I just want to be good enough for them, and sometimes I don’t always feel like I am.”
“You’re more than good enough, Sawyer,” he assures me. “You’ve been a role model to my girls already without even realizing it. The way you understand Ellie and what she needs, and how you stood up for Willow at the principal’s office. You’ve been everything they’ve needed.”
I bite my lip to hold back the emotion that clogs my throat. I want to be everything they need, but how do I explain that sometimes I just don’t feel like I am. But I want to be.
“I’m trying my best to be,” I finally say.
“You don’t have to try. You already are,” he says softly.
My chest warms at his words, and hearing it from him makes me believe it a tiny bit more.
“Okay, then let’s stop hiding.” I nod. “Let’s do this. For real.” I smile.
“Thank fucking god,” he says right before he seals his lips to mine.
This kiss is tender and sweet, but passionate. I feel more vulnerable than I ever have in my life, but also so overwhelmingly safe. It feels freeing.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him on top of me without breaking the kiss. His free hand finds my hip, gripping it tightly to wrap my leg around him, forcing my skirt to ride up.
He grinds his jean-covered cock against my center, and I press myself into him.
“I need you,” I whisper against his lips.
“What do you need, sweetheart?” He kisses his way down my neck, pressing my tank top strap down my shoulder.
“I need you to fuck me, Damien.” I gasp as he gently bites down into the soft skin of my neck.
He pulls away, practically ripping his shirt over his head, and I waste no time pulling my tank top off and throwing it to the side, leaving me bare on top. Slipping his hands into the waistband of my skirt, he pulls it along with my tights and thong down my legs.
He flips me around so that I’m sitting with my back against the back of the couch and drops to his knees on the floor in front of me.
He spreads my legs, placing my bent knees over his broad shoulders, and wastes no time burying his face between my thighs. I gasp at the first lick of his tongue against my throbbing clit.
“So, fucking sweet.” He groans before licking a path through my folds. “And all mine.”
He sucks my clit between his lips as he slides two fingers roughly inside of me, and I clench around him, instantly feeling the tension in my core build. Curling his fingers inside of me at a quick pace, he continues to assault my clit with his tongue, and it’s barely minutes before I’m crying out his name as I explode on his tongue.
He takes everything I have to give, licking me clean before climbing back on top of me and slamming his lips to mine. I can taste myself on his tongue, and knowing that my taste is lingering on his taste buds makes me moan into the kiss, desperate for more.
He pops the button on his jeans and unzips them, pulling them down and kicking them aside along with his briefs.
I reach down, taking his hard cock into my hand and lining him up with my center. Then I reach around, digging my nails into his ass and pulling him into me. I gasp into his kiss as he fills me completely. It’s a feeling I don’t think I’ll ever get used to.
A little bit of pain and a fuck ton of pleasure.
He doesn’t give me any time to adjust, instead immediately picking up his pace and fucking me just like I asked him to. His pelvis rubs against my clit with every stroke, and I cry out as he hits deep inside of me over and over.
The sex is raw and needy—just two people who are completely and utterly consumed by each other.
He then flips us so that he’s sitting on the couch and I’m on top of him, stilling his movement as his eyes lock on mine.
“Ride me, sweetheart,” he says, his voice deep and gravelly as he leans back lazily into the couch.
I can’t help the smirk that comes over my face.
“Yes, sir.” I grip my hands onto his shoulders, starting to move. I start slowly, grinding my hips back and forth over him, my clit rubbing against him as I do. I throw my head back as I let the pressure build again with the slow movement.
When it does, I quicken my pace and start to really ride him. I continue the same motion at a faster speed so I’m almost bouncing on him.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful, Sawyer.” He grips my hip tight enough that it’ll probably bruise, but I couldn’t care less. His other hand reaches up and behind me, gripping my hair in his hand and gently tugging so that my head falls back.
I moan at the feeling.
“That’s a good girl,” he praises. “I can feel you practically strangling my cock, sweetheart. Let me watch you come for me.”
His words are my undoing as I yell out his name, clenching tightly around him as my orgasm hits.
“Fuck,” he yells, following right behind me, releasing inside of me.
I collapse against him, letting him hold me into him as both of us come down. I can feel him dripping out of me onto him, but neither of us bother moving. After both of us catch our breath, he looks up and brushes my messy hair out of my face, a soft smile that I like to think is reserved just for me on his face.
He gently lifts me off of him, walking to my bathroom to get a towel to clean me off and the mess we just made.
After we’re both cleaned up and dressed again—well, he’s dressed, I’m in my underwear and an oversized hoodie—we lie back on the couch, and he pulls me partially into his lap. I cuddle into him, instantly relaxing as I sink into his large frame, inhaling his woodsy scent.
Lying here with him like this feels completely and utterly perfect. It’s a feeling I never want to end.
It’s been a week of me and King being out in the open, and surprisingly, pretty much nothing has changed. I’m not sure why I thought everyone would have some sort of crazy reaction to the two of us being together, but it seems like nobody really even cares.
Asher, of course, has been teasing King relentlessly, and Sky has been begging me for details, but other than that, everyone is minding their own business.
Both King and I go about our work, with the occasional quickie in the break room when no one else is around, and sometimes we go home together. But other than that, nothing has changed.
It’s even weirdly normal with Ellie and Willow, like they’ve just accepted me into their family, no questions asked. Ellie hasn’t said anything about me and her dad at all, acting like nothing’s changed. Willow, on the other hand, has said a lot. But all good things.
She seems genuinely excited about King and me. She says that I make him less grumpy. She just tells me how happy she is about it and the fact that I’ll get to hang out at the house with her even more. Which in turn, makes me even happier about it.
When King and I decided to go all in, it also meant that I would become all in with his girls, not that I already wasn’t. But I have to admit, being able to bond with them on this new level is more amazing than anything I’ve done in my entire life.
And today, I get to celebrate another milestone with them—Ellie’s birthday.
King told me that between everyone coming to celebrate with her today, she’ll be getting dozens of presents, so I didn’t have to worry about getting her anything too big. But I couldn’t help myself.
My mom never got me any birthday presents, let alone remembered it was my birthday most years, so being able to give Ellie something that I know she’ll love is important to me.
“She’s gonna freak,” Aria says, helping me get the large boxes, wrapped as decently as I could get them, out of the car.
“I hope so.” I smile, slamming the trunk of her car closed.
Music plays loudly from the backyard as we make our way to the front door of King’s house. I don’t bother knocking, opening the door, and letting us in. It seems like all the teenagers are in the back, and the adults are spread around the living room and throughout the house.
Trix and Gabe, plus a girl I’ve never seen before who seems like she’s with him, are off in a corner talking. Willow is sitting on the couch with Sky, seemingly talking her ear off. Kade and Asher are standing behind the couch with another man, who I think is Gabby’s husband.
As I close the door behind me and Aria, King immediately turns to me from where he’s standing with an older couple, who I assume are his parents. A small smile spreads over his face, and he says something to the woman before walking over to us.
“Hey.” He leans down, pressing a quick kiss to my lips.
“Hi.” I can’t help the cheesy smile that covers my face.
“Let me help,” he says, grabbing the boxes out of mine and Aria’s hands. “I told you that you didn’t have to get her anything big.” He eyes the boxes suspiciously.
“Eh, I’ve never been too good at listening.” I shrug.
“I’d argue that you can be a great listener when you want to be.” He smirks.
“Wow, I definitely feel like I shouldn’t be here for this,” Aria says.
“Sorry.” His eyes widen for a second like he forgot she was standing right next to us.
“Please, she’s fine.” I laugh, rolling my eyes.
“You must be Sawyer.” The older woman’s voice grabs my attention as she walks up to stand next to King, the older man following behind her. She reaches forward, pulling me into a warm hug.
I hug her back, my eyes meeting King’s as I do. “And you must be Marilyn and Jack,” I say to the two of them. “It’s great to finally meet you both.” I smile.
His mom is on the taller side, only about an inch shorter than me, with dark brown hair cut to her shoulders and the same dark brown eyes as King.
His dad, Jack, is about the same height as King, with lighter brown eyes. Other than the eyes, which King clearly gets from his mom, he’s basically a carbon copy of his dad.
Even his quiet demeanor is similar to King’s.
He’s a good-looking man for his age, so it’s nice to know the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
“Oh, I’m just so happy I finally get to meet you.” Marilyn smiles wide, squeezing my arm. “This one’s quiet.” She nudges King. “But Willow’s told me so much about you.”
“Oh gosh, all good things I hope,” I joke.
“Only the best,” she assures me.
“Dad, you wanna help me put these presents down?” King nods to the multiple boxes he’s balancing in his arms.
“Yeah, sure.” His dad nods. “It’s nice to meet you, Sawyer.” He smiles at me politely.
“You can see where King’s chatty gene comes from,” Marilyn jokes as the two of them walk away, and I laugh.
“And who is this?” She looks at Aria.
“This is my best friend, Aria,” I say, introducing her.
“Nice to meet you.” Aria smiles, reaching out her hand, but Marilyn pulls her into a hug instead.
Aria laughs lightly, hugging her back.
“Lovely to meet you too, darling,” Marilyn says as she pulls away. “You know, you look incredibly familiar.” She squints her eyes at Aria. “Would I know you from somewhere?”
“Oh, well, I do some modeling.” Aria shrugs.
“Oh, my goodness. Of course.” Marilyn puts her hand to her forehead like it’s obvious. “You modeled for Laila’s, didn’t you?” she asks excitedly.
“Yeah, I did a little over a year ago,” Aria says, sounding surprised. “You remember me from that?” she asks.
“Of course.” Marilyn nods eagerly. “You were stunning in that shoot.” She pauses. “I actually used to model when I was younger, so the models always tend to stick out to me in ads.”
“That’s amazing,” Aria says. “I’d love to hear more about your modeling career if you’re open to it?”
“Absolutely.” Marilyn nods. “You don’t mind if I steal your friend for a little bit, do you?” she asks me.
“Of course not.” I laugh. “I’m gonna go see what food they have in the kitchen. Have fun.”
“We’ll talk more later, yes?” Marilyn asks.
“Definitely.” I nod, walking toward the kitchen.
I step inside to see Logan, Demi, Gabby, and Theo, who I also met at the barbecue, sitting and standing around the counter.
“Hey, Sawyer.” Demi smiles when she sees me.
“Hey,” I say to no one in particular, moving to sit on the stool next to Demi.
“I heard you bagged the boss man,” Theo says. “I’ve gotta say, I’m a little jealous of you.” He sighs.
“I don’t blame you.” I laugh. “I’d be jealous of me too,” I joke.
Demi snort laughs, while Gabby and Logan giggle to themselves.
“Ugh,” Theo whines. “So selfish of you not to share.”
“Even if I did, you’re playing for a different team, babe.” I reach over, squeezing his arm sympathetically.
“I think I could turn him.” He shrugs. “At least for one night.”
“If anyone could, I really do believe it would be you,” I tell him honestly.
“Oh, so sweet.” He fans himself dramatically. “I love her,” he tells the others before turning to me. “I love you.”
“Aw, I love you too.” I blow him a kiss. It’s then that I look down at the counter and notice a bottle of tequila sitting in the center of it, shot glasses in front of all of them.
“Wait, are you guys doing tequila shots at a kid’s birthday party?” I ask, amused.
“They are.” Demi nods. “I would be too, but I’m with child.” She smiles wide, placing her hand on her small bump.
“And now you’re joining us,” Theo says, sliding a shot glass in front of me and filling all of them with tequila.
“Consider it your initiation,” Gabby jokes.
“You don’t gotta ask me twice.” I smile, lifting my glass out to theirs.
The five of us clink them together before shooting the shots back. I let the alcohol burn my throat for a second before grabbing one of the cut lime wedges and sucking the juice out of it.
I hang out with them, just talking, drinking, and snacking for the next couple hours. Aria comes in not long after our first shot, complaining that we did shots without her, so of course we had to do another.
We eventually leave the kitchen, migrating to the family room, where everyone else is. We sit at the large dining table in the back part of the room while everyone else hangs out on the couch, eyes glued to the TV that plays a football game that I pay little attention to.
Eventually, once the game ends, the guys make their way over, joining us. King wraps his arms around me from behind and presses a small kiss to the top of my head.
“Tease!” Theo yells, and I throw my head back, laughing.
The day goes pretty perfect for us, and I think for Ellie too. I go with King every now and then to peek outside and check on all of them, and she looks really happy. Happier than she normally does, a wide smile on her face, surrounded by all her friends.
Around four o’clock, all her friends start filtering out, the party dying down, and by five, everyone is gone. Ellie then makes her way inside to do cake with all of us.
We all sing her “Happy Birthday,” and I try to contain my laughter at how uncomfortable she looks with everyone singing to her. Once we’re done, everyone spreads out around the house to eat their cake, King saying she can open presents in front of everyone in a little bit.
I’m walking back into the family room with King, a plate of cake in my hand, when there’s a knock on his door.
“Maybe one of her friends left something?” he questions as he reaches to open the door, a confused look on his face. He pulls it all the way open, and I watch as his face drops, the color draining from it for a second before it’s replaced with immediate anger.
I stare at the woman standing in the doorway, trying to figure out why she looks so familiar. She’s shorter than me by a good amount, probably close to five feet. She has pale skin, long sandy-brown hair, and light hazel eyes.
Light-hazel eyes.
That’s when it clicks, why she looks so familiar.
It’s because she looks exactly like Willow.