Chapter Thirteen
Thayer
“Where is Daddy?” Hayes questions as I place an order at a small coffee shop near the pitch.
We just left the stadium. It was a thrilling match, not just because of the come from behind victory, but because of Rhys’s reaction to my pregnancy news. I’d expected him to be over the moon but I hadn’t expected him to abandon the game and come bounding into the stands towards us.
In retrospect, I really should have known.
Rhys is the best father there is. The moment Hayes was born, he morphed into the kind of super dad I would have liked to have growing up. He takes her with him everywhere — to daycare in the mornings, to the supermarkets during the weekends, to baby swim class in the evenings, to his practices when he can.
He’s counting down the days until she’s old enough to be enrolled in soccer classes so he can coach them.
They rarely spend time apart so it comes as no surprise to me that Hayes isn’t happy to leave the stadium without him.
“Daddy has to do a post-match debrief with the team and then he has press obligations so he won’t be home for a few more hours.”
“I’ll see him for dinner?”
I grab my coffee from the pickup area. “No, Hay, but he’ll come give you a kiss in your room when he’s home.”
Predictably, her face screws up and she starts howling her heartbreak. I bounce her on my hip to soothe her, with little success. She wants her dad and anything less than his reappearance won’t do.
“Thayer?”
I turn towards the voice that calls my name with a hint of disbelief in his tone, and come to an abrupt halt, my mind short circuiting for a second.
My reaction is so sudden that it startles Hayes into stopping her crying. She blinks with tears gathered on her lashes and looks from me to the man who spoke my name.
“Carter?”
Running into my ex-boyfriend in the middle of a busy London coffee shop when the last time I saw him was six and a half years ago in Switzerland and we met, dated, and I knew him in Chicago , is shocking to say the least. My brain can’t reconcile the fact that he’s here, in front of me.
“Hi, fancy running into you here,” he says, adding, “It’s good to see you.”
He looks the same, except he’s settled into his features with age. He smiles at me and I’m relieved to find it seems genuine. We didn’t exactly leave things on the best terms.
“Hi. What are you doing here?”
My question comes out somewhere between dubious and accusatory, but he pays no mind to my tone.
“Work,” he replies. “I’m a video game developer. There’s the largest gaming competition in the world happening in London this weekend so I’m here with my company.”
“Oh, that’s great.”
I’m still reeling from the shock of seeing him and not sure what else to say.
His gaze slides down. “Is this your daughter?”
That pulls me out of my momentary fog. I look at Hayes who’s still firmly on my hip, clutching a stuffed animal to her chest.
“Yes, this is Hayes. Hayes, this is Carter, he’s a… he’s a friend of Mommy’s.”
“Hello, Hayes,” he says, giving her a small wave.
My daughter sticks her tongue out at him and turns away, burying her face in my shoulder instead.
Her father would be proud.
Carter straightens, an easy grin playing on his lips as he looks back at me. “I heard you married him. Well, she looks just like him.”
He doesn’t say Rhys’s name.
He doesn’t need to.
When I broke up with him, he accused me of leaving him for Rhys. He’d met him briefly when he visited me in Switzerland and had picked up on the connection between us.
I broke up with Carter because the relationship was over, not because of Rhys, but… men and their egos.
Time really does dull all wounds because I’m pleased to hear that Carter’s voice doesn’t hold any of the heat it did back then.
“Does he make you happy?” he asks.
The answer to that is an obvious one.
***
Later, once Hayes is in bed, I’m on the phone with Bellamy and debriefing her on seeing Carter again after all this time.
“Did he look the same?”
“Yeah, just… older.”
“Don’t we all,” she says with a groan. I watch her reposition herself with difficulty on her couch. “I want this baby out.”
“Only a couple more months and he’ll be here,” I say reassuringly.
“I may not get up from this couch until he does.”
I laugh, settling in at the counter of our kitchen island.
At her last appointment, Bellamy’s doctor congratulated her on the fact that she was expecting a son, one who was apparently in the ninety-ninth percentile for weight and size.
Rogue told me the incinerating look she turned his way was powerful enough to reach back three generations into his family tree.
“Anyway, that’s not important. If I remember correctly, the last time you saw him in person, it didn’t exactly go that well. What was it like seeing Carter? Did he behave?”
“What was it like seeing who ?”
Because I’ve never been lucky a day in my life, Rhys decides now is the most judicious time to come home. His voice is cold and clipped as he strolls into the kitchen.
Bellamy’s eyes widen at his sinister tone.
“ Oops . Fuck. Sorry, Thayer, I’ll leave you to deal with that. Glad it’s not me, bye .”
“Cheers,” I reply with heavy sarcasm before hanging up.
I turn towards my husband. He’s standing on the other side of the island, a large bouquet of blood red roses dangling from his hand and an expression like thunder darkening his features. He drills holes into the side of my face with his glare.
My skin sizzles with excitement. There’s a toxic little part of me that loves seeing my man get jealous. Only because he has no reason — and never will have any reason — to doubt me.
“Hi, baby.”
“Tell me the Carter she mentioned is someone new you just met and not who I think it is, love,” he replies, cutting straight to the point.
I swallow thickly. My lips part to answer him but no words come out so I close it.
Next thing I know, the flowers land on the counter with an angry thwack . Rhys storms towards me, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.
I jump down from my chair just as he reaches me. His hand comes up to grab my throat and he drags me against him with a snarl.
“You met up with your ex?” he asks, his voice dangerously calm. The twitching muscle in his jaw tells me he’s anything but.
“No.” I place a soothing hand on his chest. “I ran into him by chance after your match. He’s in London for work, he’s a game developer now.”
“I don’t give a fuck,” he seethes through clenched teeth. “So you said hello and went on your way?”
This is the part he’s really not going to like.
“We both had coffees in hand so we sat down for a few minutes and talked.” His eyes burn with jealousy. His hand tightens around my throat so I clarify, “As friends only.”
Rhys laughs humorlessly. Cold fury pours off him in waves. I haven’t seen him this angry in years.
“Do you want me to go to jail, love?” he says, his thumb rubbing warning circles over my pulse point.
“No.”
“Then what are you doing?” he demands, giving my neck a warning squeeze. My lips part but he doesn’t let me answer. “Did you think I’d be anything other than absolutely fucking livid that you sat down for a cozy little catch up with your ex-boyfriend? The ex I had to watch you be with when you were already mine?”
I cup his wrist with one hand and reach for his face with the other, stroking his cheek fondly as I stare into his eyes.
“You’re right, it sounds terrible,” I admit. “But do you want to know what we talked about?”
“No,” he snaps, releasing me and taking a step back. “I don’t.”
I fist the fabric of his shirt and yank it firmly to keep him from walking away. Grabbing his face with both hands, I force him to look back at me.
“ You .” His eyes lift up to mine, narrowing suspiciously on me. “We talked about you. About our family. I showed him pictures of us together. Of Hayes as a newborn.” I place a hand on my stomach. “I told him about our second little one.”
Rhys sucks in an angry breath. His hand covers mine protectively and he steps forward, crowding me against the counter. “Did you let him touch your belly?” he demands territorially.
“Of course not,” I say, genuinely offended. “I would never.”
He grunts, his chest settling. “Good.”
“He asked me if you make me happy.”
Rhys’s jaw snaps shut. “I’m going to kill him.”
“ No .”
“Was he hoping you’d say no so he could step in and take you away from me. Is that it?” Rhys fists my hair and forces my head back to look up at him. “I won’t stand by and watch like I did last time, Silver. I won’t give you a choice. You already made yours seven years ago, and choosing me was a lifetime vow. If he comes anywhere near you again, I’ll deal with him like I did Devlin, except this time I’ll handle the problem permanently .”
The jealous rage that flies off my husband is something to behold. He’s incandescent with it, his grip on me brutal and possessive.
I keep stroking his cheek to calm him down.
“Baby, he told me he’s seeing someone and he’s happy. He’s going to propose to her. I promise you this was genuinely like old friends catching up, nothing more.”
He squeezes my sides, pressing me up against his chest. “So what was your answer?”
“The truth, obviously,” I answer. “That I’m one of the lucky ones because I got to marry the love of my life. That you’ve given me everything I’ve ever wanted and made every dream of mine come true. That I’ve never been happier in my whole life.”
Rhys makes a noise of quiet satisfaction and drops his face into the crook of my neck, pressing a hot kiss against my throat. “Good girl.”
I laugh. “I thought you’d think so.”
“Did he kiss you on the cheek when he left? Or touch you in any way?”
“Nope. He actually said he’s seen us in the tabloids enough to know you don’t play about me and to keep his distance.”
“Smart man.” He kisses a path up to my ear. “To an extent, because he let you slip through his fingers.” He brushes his lips against mine, heating my blood. “And for that, I thank him.”
I wrap my arms around his neck.
“Am I out of the doghouse?” I ask, looking up at him from beneath my lashes.
He groans, his palm trailing down my back to grab a handful of my ass. “You were never in it, love,” he says, pressing me against his hard cock and squeezing my cheek. “He was going to be dog food , but you were going to stay mine regardless.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anyone else’s.”
“Good answer,” he purrs. He takes a step back, releasing me. His gaze rakes slowly down my body before coming back up to meet mine. “Now get naked.”
The corner of my lips lifts even as I reach for the strap of my nightie and slowly pull it off my shoulder.
“Straight to business, huh?”
The satin dress falls to the floor in a pool of fabric and Rhys’s gaze turns downright ravenous.
“Daddy’s hungry,” he says, the husky timber of his voice sending a shiver coursing through my entire body.
His newfound obsession with being called Daddy in the bedroom does something to me. If you’d asked me when we first started dating if that was something I’d be into, I would have said no. But these days, that’s all it takes to get me going.
“And you need to be reminded of who you belong to.”
I reach behind me and undo my bra, letting it join my nightie on the ground. My panties come off next and then I’m standing completely naked in front of Rhys.
His blue eyes are completely black and liquid pools of lust. He takes a step back, grabs a chair from our kitchen table and sits, settling comfortably on it with his legs spread.
“Come here, love,” he orders, undoing the button of his jeans and slowly dragging the zipper down.
He reaches into his briefs and palms his cock, closing his fist around his thick length and stroking it as he watches me approach with animalistic eyes.
I come to stand between his legs. He reaches for my pussy, runs his fingers through my wet slit, and immediately plunges two in to the hilt. A gasp leaves my lips and my knees buckle. I grab onto his shoulders to keep from falling.
He’s so tall that even with him sitting and me standing between his legs, I barely have to look up to meet his gaze. There’s something so unbelievably dirty about the fact that he’s fully clothed while I’m standing before him completely naked.
“Whose pussy is this?”
“Yours.”
His other hand goes to my stomach.
“Whose baby is this?”
“Yours.”
The sounds of his fingers thrusting into my pussy echo lewdly around us, wet and crude and so erotic they make me clench my thighs around his hand.
“Who’s going to fuck you?”
“You,” I pant.
He presses his thumb against my clit and rubs it with fevered intention.
“Oh, fuck.”
“And who am I?” he demands.
His fingers curl inside me, finding and tickling that sensitive spot. The desire that had been building and coiling inside me reaches a boiling point.
“My husband,” I say and then I tumble over the edge and come with a loud scream.
Rhys clamps his hand over my mouth as I shatter around his fingers and slump forward against his chest.
“Shh, love. Don’t wake up our daughter.”
“Speaking of which,” I pant, trying to gather myself. “She wants you to give her a kiss goodnight.”
“I will,” he mutters against my hair, pulling his fingers from me. “As soon as I’m done kissing her mother. Now sit on my cock.”
“Rhys,” I moan helplessly, my legs still shaking from the orgasm he pulled out of me.
“Do it yourself, love. Show me how much you want it.”
Still breathing heavily, I reach between us and grab his cock, positioning it so it’s flat between my legs. And then I tilt my hips, up then down, and start rubbing my wet pussy against it, teasing him.
His head falls backwards on a strangled groan, his throat opening to me, and I dive in to take it. My lips close around his skin and I suck it into my mouth.
He grabs my ass, his greedy hands palming a cheek each. He uses his hold to guide me up and down his length with progressively faster strokes.
I place a hand on his chest to stop him. His eyes open, dazed and completely overrun by lust, and he stares into my soul.
Without a word, I grab his cock and place it at my entrance. Once it’s in position against me, I press gently, lowering myself slowly down his entire length. Fire blazes in his eyes as he watches me, his gaze never leaving mine until our pelvises are flush against each other.
I close my arms around his neck and start to ride him. My hips move up and down in steady, deep strokes as I move off until only the tip remains and back down until he’s fully seated inside me.
He sits up and wraps his large arms around me, one of them staying over my ass while the other closes around my back and holds me to him.
“Feel my cock,” he grunts, his voice unrecognizable. “The only cock that’s ever been inside you. And there’s a reason for it.” His hand dips between my cheeks and finds my back hole. I draw in a breath when his finger swirls around the ring of muscles and then he pushes it into my ass. “Because you belong to me. You always have.” He moans, the sound low in his throat. “You always will.”
I mewl at the double penetration and bury my face in his neck, keeping my rhythm the same. His finger starts moving in and out of me in tandem with my hips and I pant loudly.
He turns his face into mine, breathing his next words heatedly against my ear. A shiver rattles through me, shaking my entire body.
“It’s about time I took this ass, don’t you think?”
He pushes a second finger in next to the first and I freeze, the bite of pain stiffening my muscles. My breaths are raw and ragged, ripping from my throat and falling against his as he forces my ass to open around his fingers.
“I’ll take your silence as a yes,” he says and I can hear the darkly pleased smile in his voice. He gives a sharp slap on my ass. “Stand up and turn around.”
I do as he says, completely under his control like a marionette with its puppeteer. When my back is turned to him, he grabs my hips and pulls me snuggly between his legs. Then he places one hand on each of my cheeks and parts them, exposing my most delicate place to him.
He leans forward and spits on my asshole, making me almost come at the obscenity of the act. He rubs it in with his thumb, dipping into the tight passage to lubricate it.
“Sit this pretty little ass back on my cock, Silver,” he orders. “You’re in charge. You control this.”
With a shuddering breath, I place both palms on his thighs and push my ass back. I feel him place the head of his cock against my asshole and I pause, apprehension suddenly tensing my body.
One of his hands leaves my ass and he runs a soothing palm up my spine until he cups the back of my neck.
“Push down on me now, love. I promise this’ll feel good.”
His thumb rubs comforting circles on my pulse point from behind and I feel my heart rate start to level out.
With a final exhaled breath, I do as he says and push back against his cock. My mouth drops open the moment I feel his head start to breach my muscles. It’s thick and throbbing and insistent as it searches for entry.
Rhys’s hand comes back down to my ass and he parts my cheeks wide, exposing me to him. Even without turning around, I can feel his gaze laser focused on where his cock is pressing into me, the first inch of his head disappearing into my tight hole.
The stretch is unbelievable, the passage impossibly tight. If the groans and grunts coming from my husband are anything to go by, it feels the same for them.
Finally, the head pops through, providing some much-needed relief and bringing with it a new bite of deep pleasure.
“Good girl,” he praises, his voice sounding borderline manic. “That’s a very good girl.” His hands grip my hips and then he’s guiding me to push down on his length. I yelp as two more inches make their way inside me. “Come on, love. I want more. You can take all of me.”
The feeling of his cock parting my walls and burying itself deep inside my ass is indescribable. It’s dark and deviant and delicious all wrapped in one.
My hands on his thighs and his on my hips set the pace for his invasion until he’s completely and irrevocably buried nine inches inside me.
“There you go,” he praises. “Fuck, Silver, that feels so good.”
I fall back against his chest with a tortured moan and he holds me, his mouth finding my ear once more. “Your ass feels just as nice as your pussy. Just as hot, just as tight as this,” he growls, his fingers finding my entrance and driving in. I scream and buck off his chest, only managing to bury his cock deeper inside me. His arm wraps around the front of my shoulders and he pins me back against him. “All your holes belong to me now.”
And then he tilts his hips back and thrusts forward, spearing me with his cock.
I whimper loudly.
“Seven years I’ve thought about taking your ass. And now it’s mine.”
He drives into me over and over again until my body is limp against his and he’s doing whatever he wants to me. I’m so delirious, I can’t do anything but listen and feel my climax building.
“I’m going to fuck it every single chance I get,” he grunts. “You’re lucky I’m taking it easy on you tonight.” His thrusts are so brutal that my teeth clash together every time he bottoms inside me. “Because if you ever see your ex again, I’ll punish fuck your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit for another coffee catch up with him without feeling me nine inches deep in your asshole.”
“Rhys!” I scream when his fingers pull out of my pussy and slap my clit.
“You’re going to come, love. You’re going to come with my cock deep in your ass and my fingers torturing your clit and when you’re done, you’re going to be a good little wife and you’re going to apologize to me.”
“For w-what?”
He wraps a hand around my throat and squeezes, then spanks my clit continuously with the other.
He bites my lobe sharply, grazing my ear with his teeth when he rasps, “For making me jealous.”
My climax builds from zero and then hits me like a category five hurricane. I come so loudly that I fear I wake up the entire neighborhood.
Rhys curses and dips his head. His teeth dig into my flesh and he bites my shoulder as he comes. His hips jerk as he shoots his cum deep into my ass.
He holds me like I’m the most precious thing in the world as we both catch our breaths. He lifts my hips gently and pulls out of me. I whimper and he lays me back down on his lip. I turn so that I’m snuggled into him and wrap my arms around his neck.
“I’m sorry,” I say, kissing his throat.
I can feel his cum leaking out of me and onto his lap. We’re making a mess, but I don’t care.
Neither does he.
A possessive rumble rolls up his chest as his arms tighten around me.
“You’re forgiven.”
***