19. Kristin
19
KRISTIN
“ I ’m gonna throw up,” I said as I walked hand-in-hand with Will to my front door. It didn’t matter how much I vacuumed and dusted earlier. It didn’t matter that I’d sprung for new hand towels to hang in the bathroom and on the front of the oven. It didn’t matter how much I Windexed and Febrezed; I could only make shit look so good.
“Breathe, Kris,” Will’s quiet voice rumbled from behind me as my foot hit the first step.
I froze on the steps as they bowed under our weight. “Will, my house… it’s not that nice. The neighborhood sucks, and I’m really trying to look for a new place. It’s just that…”
Will wrapped his arms around me, and I crashed into his chest. “This isn’t about the house, is it? Which, for the record, looks hella cozy.”
I swallowed. “I’ve always worried about what would happen when I did this for the first time. It’s bringing up some really fucked up memories. I feel like I should be over it by now, but I’m not.”
“Just because you’re resilient doesn’t mean you’re not hurting.” Will pressed a kiss into my hair, and I fell head first off a cliff for the man. He squeezed my hand. “Are you ready for this?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
He chuckled. “Do it anyway.”
Will kept his hand on the small of my back as I walked up the last two steps and opened the door. Kylie and Hunter were seated on the couch. Zoey stood on her tiptoes, watching us through the window. Logan was nowhere in sight.
“Hey, guys,” I said as calmly as I could.
If I was freaking out, then they would freak out, and this whole meet-and-greet would go up in flames before Will ever set foot in the house.
I tightened my grip on the bouquet Will gave me as if it could keep me from completely losing it. “Where, um… Where’s Lo?”
“Present,” Logan muttered as he moped down the hall to the living room.
The house looked mostly clean and, for that, I gave thanks. Will’s chest bumped against my back and knew that it was now or never.
“Um… Guys, this is my friend, Will.” I couldn’t have sounded more terrified if I had tried. I opened my mouth to fumble my way through another pathetic introduction, but my feet started moving across the dull gray carpet.
Will’s hand was in mine, and he ducked inside, leading me further into the house.
“Nice to meet y’all. I’m Will.”
Kylie looked surprised. “You got Kris flowers?” Her voice was as quiet as a church mouse.
Apparently, that was the perfect opening for Will. “Got you some too, Kylie,” He grinned, reaching into the bag and producing a slightly smaller version of the bouquet he had given me.
My heart exploded into a thousand pieces as I watched my sister beam from ear to ear. “I’m gonna go get a vase,” she said with a giddy smile.
Satisfied that Will wasn’t a threat and hopeful at the prospect of presents, Zoey bolted from the window and planted her feet in front of Will. “Hi! I’m Zoey!”
He knelt so he could look her in the eye and offered a handshake. “Hi, Zoey. I’m Kristin’s…” He cut his eyes at me and, with a hint of playful annoyance, said, “Kristin’s friend .”
Kylie and Hunter hid their laughs. Logan was unamused.
Zoey looked up at me. “Is your friend fast?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”
“How fast is he?” she said as if she was dumbing down the concept of speed for me.
Will pursed his lips and bit back a laugh.
I tried to keep my expression trained, but it was hard. “Well,” I said, laughing under my breath. “I don’t know. I’ve never challenged him to a race.”
“If he’s really your friend, how come you don’t know how fast he is?” Zoey pressed. “I know how fast all of my friends are. We race each other every day at recess!”
Will stood up. For a split second, I worried that he was going to smack his head on the ceiling. My concern was unfounded, but not by much.
He crossed his arms over his chest and cocked his head to the side, cutting his eyes between Zoey and me. “Well. Looks like we’re going to have to go outside and settle this like a couple of five-year-olds.”
Zoey put her hands on her hips. “I’m six .”
And that’s how we found ourselves outside, running sprints under the streetlights. Will and Zoey faced off first. He let her win, of course, taking long but slow strides, making a show of it.
Then, Zoey pitted Will and me against each other. “You gonna go easy on me, Solomon?” I asked as I slipped my sandals off and wiggled my toes in the grass.
Will grinned. “If that’s your version of trash-talking, you really suck at it, Sunshine.”
That made Logan crack a smile. It was small, but he let it slip long enough for me to notice.
I grinned. “I was just giving you a chance to say something snarky because I’m gonna kick your butt.”
“Please,” he snorted. “I’m gonna crush you.”
“Fat chance,” I retorted. “You might die of old age before you get to the finish line.”
That had the kids howling. Even Logan couldn’t hold it in any longer.
“You lovebirds ready?” Kylie called from the next streetlamp down. She put her arms up and then dropped them. “Go!”
Will and I took off. I was a few paces ahead of him when he came up behind me, scooped me up, and ran with me in his arms across the finish line. As soon as we passed the streetlamp and stepped into a shadow, his lips were on mine.
“How’d I do?” he asked.
I smiled against his lips. “Perfect.”
The way he held me pressed our chests together. His heartbeat was in perfect time with mine.
I shooed the kids inside before the mosquitoes ate us up. Everyone seemed a little more relaxed—me included.
It was getting late, and the kids had school in the morning, but I knew Will was dead set on quality time with them. I didn’t think I could get any more grateful. But here I was, counting the blessings that were washing in like a flash flood.
“Kris mentioned you’re into gaming,” Will said as he reached in the bag he brought and pulled out a plastic case. He handed it to Logan. “You got this one?”
Logan shook his head but didn’t reach for the game. I caught the corner of his eye and nudged my head for him to say something.
“Uh… No.” Logan took it, turning the box over and reading the back, “I’ve been lookin’ at it, though.”
Will leaned back on the couch and draped his arm around my shoulders. “Let me know what you think after a few runs. If you get tired of playing vanilla, I’ll come over and show you how to mod it.”
Logan raised his eyebrows, still skeptical of Will. “Really? You’d do that?’
“Of course.” Will turned his attention to Hunter. “What’d you think of The Inheritance Cycle ?”
Hunter lit up like a lightbulb. “You’ve read it?”
Will grinned. “Dude, I freakin’ loved it. Have you tackled Tolkien yet?”
Before Hunter could answer, Kylie emerged from the bathroom where she had supervised Zoey brushing her teeth. Zoey had put on her princess nightgown and was tiptoeing into the room, probably hoping to squeeze a few more minutes out of me before I sent her to bed.
“Not yet,” Hunter said sheepishly. “I don’t know if I’m ready for it.”
Will pulled out a book and handed it to him. “I had an extra copy of The Fellowship of the Ring at home. Kristin told me about the kind of books you were into, and I figured you might like that one. When you finish it, let me know, and I’ll bring the next one.”
Hunter grinned. “Thanks, Kristin’s friend .”
Zoey planted her feet in front of Will’s spot on the couch. “What about me?” Her puppy eyes were notorious. She was dragging her stuffed rabbit by the ears and looked so adorable even I was wounded by the look. “Did you bring anything for me?”
Will scooted away from me and patted the empty space between us. Zoey scrambled up to take her rightful place. “I heard you did something really nice for Luna,” Will said as he pulled a stuffed duck out of the bag and handed it to Zoey. “And I thought maybe you’d like a new duck since you gave your Quackers to Luna to help her sleep.”
Her eyes turned to saucers, and she gasped, nearly sucking all the oxygen out of the room. She didn’t even say anything, just threw her little arms around Will and squeezed with all her might. Without skipping a beat, he wrapped his big arms around her and hugged her as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“How’d Will know all that stuff about us?” Hunter asked when I poked my head into the boys’ room to make sure they were settled in for the night.
After vehement protests, I sent the kids off to get ready for bed. They wanted to stay up and hang out with Will more, but morning would come at the same time. None of them were particularly pleasant if they got anything less than seven hours of sleep.
They said their goodbyes and made Will promise to come back soon. Will and I sat and talked for a few minutes while the older three rotated through brushing their teeth. When all was quiet, I left him in the living room and went to say goodnight.
I picked up a stray pair of pants and tossed them in the boys’ hamper. “I talk about y’all all the time, silly.” I laughed.
“Can he come back tomorrow?” Hunter’s nose was already in the copy of The Fellowship of the Ring that Will had given him. By my guess, he was twenty pages in.
Something warm bloomed inside of me. Never once had anything ever fallen into place like this.
Everyone always says that when you’re with the right person, you just know . I always assumed that was bullshit, but they were right. I knew Will was my person .
He was patient and kind. Trustworthy. Honest. He could make me laugh, and the man was seriously hot. Men like Isaac, Luca, and Steve—while incredibly hot—kind of scared me. They were just so intense. I needed someone calm and steady. That was Will.
“Will works a lot, but I’ll talk to him and see if we can get together again sometime.” I didn’t want to rush things. Hunter and Zoey were firmly on Team Will, but Logan was skittish. Kylie seemed to really like him, so hopefully, she could work a little magic when it came to convincing Logan that Will was a great guy.
I said goodnight to the boys, turned out their light, and popped my head across the hall to the girls’ room.
“Y’all good?” I asked.
Zoey was snuggled up with her bunny in one arm and her new duck in the other. Kylie was preoccupied with admiring the flowers Will had brought for her. She had put them in a quart mason jar and set them on the little table beside her bed.
“They’re pretty, aren’t they?” I said as I sat down at the foot of her bed.
Kylie beamed. “I’ve never gotten flowers before… I mean, I know he’s your boyfriend, but it was still pretty cool.”
I laughed. “It was really sweet of him.”
“It made me feel grown-up. And I saw him open the door for you. Do guys, like, really do that?”
I squeezed her ankle through the layers of blankets. “The good ones do.”
Kylie’s voice was quiet. “I really like him, Kris. Do you think he likes us?”
“I know he does.” I patted her leg. “Get some sleep, okay?”
I closed the girls’ door behind me and quietly padded into the living room. Will was still sitting on the couch. His ankle was kicked up on top of his knee, and his arm was stretched out across the back. He looked relaxed.
“You made quite the impression,” I said as I sat back down and nestled into his side. “And it didn’t go unnoticed that two out of the four gifts require a return trip.”
He smirked and leaned against one of the armrests as he pulled me into his lap. “I will do whatever it takes to score more time with you and them.” Will brushed my hair aside and trailed kisses down my neck. “And when the flowers wilt, I’ll bring new ones—for you and Kylie—so I definitely see multiple return trips happening.”
I hummed happily as I turned in his lap to straddle his hips. I wrapped my arms around his waist and mumbled, “You play dirty.”
“I’m not just dating you. I’m courting them too.”
I laughed. Because what else could I do? Whatever walls I had up, Will was dead set on knocking them down, one by one. I was defenseless. For once, I didn’t give a crap.
Will slid his hands up my thighs and under my shorts. “Kris, I’m gonna tell you something, and it’s not me trying to get you naked.”
“He says as he grabs my ass.” I mumbled against his lips.
Will grinned and dug his fingers into my flesh. “Do you want me to stop?”
I shook my head.
Despite that, he moved his hands up to my waist, anchoring me to his lap. “Kris, listen to me. You’re doing a kick-ass job being a parent here.”
I opened my mouth to disagree. I wasn’t their parent. I was just their sister.
Will shook his head. “Whatever you’re about to say—save it. You’re doing more than any sister should. Your kids are safe. Cared for. Provided for. Loved. And despite everything y’all have been through, they’re thriving. You may not see it down in the trenches, but from where I’m standing, there isn’t someone better for them than you. ”
My heart.
He cupped my cheeks, kissing my forehead as I wiped the spontaneous tears away. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.”
Will drew me in for a long, slow kiss. Languid strokes of his tongue sent shivers down my spine. His wide hands dug into my waist before skating up my ribs and over my breasts. I stifled a groan, conscious of just how close we were to the kids’ rooms.
He grunted as I rocked my core against the erection straining at his fly. “Does it make me a jackass if I told you I loved meeting the kids, but I’ve been waiting to kiss you like this all night?”
Will slid his hand under my shirt and pushed my bra cup down. The moment his thumb rolled across my nipple, my body lit up like a firecracker. I felt needy from the tips of my fingers to the bottoms of my feet. Every touch had me edging closer and closer to the point of no return.
“I think you should give me the tour,” he growled under his breath. “Let me lay you out on your bed and worship every inch of you.”
Instant cold shower.
I dropped my forehead, resting it on the crook of his neck. “You’re sitting on it.”
Will’s brows knitted together, and his jaw set in a hard line. “Sweetheart, please tell me you’re joking.”
My spine stiffened. I was not about to sit here and be judged in my own home. I knew it wasn’t much, but I had worked damn hard for everything I had.
“Kris—”
“I think we’re done with this conversation,” I said, pushing away from him. “It’s getting late, and I need to get some sleep.”
I didn’t even make it off the couch before his arms shackled around my waist and pulled me against his body.
I loved and hated that he could move me on a whim. On the one hand, it was hot as fuck. On the other hand, his audacity pissed me the hell off.
I’d let him have his way. Even though my pride was wounded, I wanted him to hold me. I wanted a man who would pull me closer during a fight, even when I tried to push him away.
“Kristin, listen to me,” Will said sternly as he manhandled me onto my back and shoved a thrift store throw pillow under my head. He stretched out on top of me, bracing his weight with one knee digging into the couch, and one foot on the floor. “I’m not judging you. You know I grew up in a worse place than this. I will never judge you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to be concerned about you. And you deserve a fucking bed.”
“And where do you suppose I put it? Hmm?”
He frowned before drilling his hard-on into the apex of my thighs. “You keep getting snarky with me, and I’ll have to teach you a lesson.”
“Your mouth is writing some pretty big checks,” I choked out as my back arched. “You sure you can pay up?” I needed to get back on birth control A.S.A.P.
His grin was downright menacing. “Trust me, sweetheart. I’m good for it.”
Without another word, he popped the button on my shorts, dragged the zipper down, and slid his long fingers under my panties.
My lips parted, and I gasped.
He didn’t jackhammer into me like the boys I’d been with during my college days. Instead, he took his time, teasing me with shallow strokes through my wetness, sliding the tip of his finger through my slit. I whimpered and bucked my hips into his hand, desperate for him to go faster.
Will grinned. “Nah, Sunshine. You don’t get to set the pace here. I do.”
He continued teasing me at a painfully slow speed. There was going to be a wet spot on the couch. I knew it. My panties were drenched, and he didn’t show any signs of moving on anytime soon.
His thumb stroked my opening, while his index finger stroked side to side on top of my— holy hell, he knew where the clit was. And he knew what to do with it. I had truly found a unicorn among mortal men.
“You like that?” he murmured in my ear.
I could barely form words. Every nerve in my body was electrified. I nodded listlessly as my inner walls clenched around empty space.
“Has anyone ever touched you like this before?”
I mean, they had tried.
His chest pressed flat against my breasts, and he kissed his way up my neck, lingering just under my ear where my pulse thrummed.
“I can’t wait to be inside you,” he murmured in a gravel-filled timbre. Promises of dirty sex dripped from every word. “Are you thinking about how good it would feel for my cock to be in your pussy?” He nipped at my earlobe. “You’re gonna be so fucking tight. You’ll feel me for days afterward.”
Will pushed two fingers deep inside my pussy, all while never leaving my clit unattended. Between the pressure from his body on top of mine, his lips against my skin, and his wickedly skilled fingers working every pleasure spot in perfect time—I was a goner.
“I can’t wait to make you finish while I’m inside you. It’s gonna feel so fucking good when you tighten around my dick and squeeze the hell out of it while I make you come.”
“Don’t stop,” I begged breathlessly. I was teetering on the edge, ready to shatter.
“Please?” he chuckled. Will was fucking amused at how much I needed him, the jerk .
“Please make me come—” It was barely audible, but I knew he heard my plea.
Without leaving my clit, he thrust two fingers inside me, curling them and touching some magical spot that made my vision go black.
“Good girl. Come for me.”
The good girl made me explode. He muffled the sound of my orgasm with a punishing kiss. Fireworks lit up every inch of my skin, and I arched into him as he worked his fingers through my pussy.
The kiss softened, and he slowed his strokes as I came off my high. “How was that?” he asked as he cupped my pussy in his palm, claiming it as his property.
I couldn’t form words. The man had rendered me completely and utterly stupid. “That was… And you—and that?—”
He grinned and peppered my collarbone with kisses. “I’ll take that as a raving review.”
I swallowed and sucked in a breath. Yeah, oxygen was a good idea. Oxygen was necessary. “Holy shit. Where’d you learn how to do that?”
He laughed, but quieted when he remembered that the kids were a thin wall away. “I’ve had some practice.”
“Remind me to send all your exes a thank you card.” My head flopped against the pillow, and I closed my eyes. “That was… I’ve never…”
“Never orgasmed?” He pushed off the couch and helped me sit up before walking to the sink and washing his hands.
I groaned and covered my face. “Never had someone else make me orgasm. I feel all tingly.”
He washed his hands at the sink, then dried them on the towel hanging off the oven handle. Adjusting himself, he came back to the couch and sat down. I instinctively curled into his side. It was getting late, but I didn’t want him to leave. Still, I knew he couldn’t stay. I barely fit on the couch by myself. There was no way his six-foot-four frame could.
On top of that, I didn’t want him to be here when the kids woke up. I needed to have a conversation with them while Will wasn’t here. More hearts than mine were on the line.
I wanted to compartmentalize everything and keep Will in a nice little box, away from my home life. It would be easier that way. My heart wouldn’t get broken if I didn't let him into all my life, but that was a cowardly thing to do.
“There’s more where that came from,” he said as he pulled me in for a chaste kiss. “If I had it my way, I’d be sleeping on the couch with you lying on top of me. The only reason I’m going home is because I know you need this to go slow, and you should probably check in with them.”
I closed my eyes and rested my head on his chest. How had I gotten so damn lucky?