Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
LYLA
H is tongue invades my mouth, and I eagerly welcome him in. We tangle together as I press further into him. I know I scared him earlier, and I want to remind him that I’m here…that I’m his.
He’s hard against my stomach, and my hand seeks out his velvet skin as I circle around his thickness. A growl escapes his lips as I stroke down his length.
“I need you now, Lyla.” The desperation in his low voice sends shivers down my spine. I never thought I would trust someone with my body the way I do with him, but he’s made it easy to let go of my fears. Even when his touches are rough, I still feel the love behind them and know I’m safe. I’ve grown quite fond of the dominant side of him in bed, and I’m eager to learn and explore this new side of me that feels liberated every time he brings it out.
He lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around him tightly as he walks us into the standing shower. Warm spray hits my back as he turns on the water before pressing me against the cool tile. His fingers dig into my behind as he moves me against him. When I feel his teeth graze my neck, I arch back, giving him better access to do what he pleases. He sucks deep, and I gasp as heat floods my center.
Licking the spot he just marked, I feel him grin against my neck. “You are beautiful with me on your skin. I love you walking around and having a little reminder of what I’m about to make you feel.”
He releases his hold on me, and I slide down his body. Before I can touch him, my wrists are bound together tightly with his hand as he holds them above my head. His other hand grips behind my thigh as he lifts my leg.
I close my eyes as I feel him nudge my entrance. My center throbs steadily in perfect synchronicity with the heartbeat in my chest.
“Look at me, little hummingbird,” his voice thick with need. I open my eyes and stare into his greys that capture my whole being. If there was any doubt before about who I belong to, it vanishes the moment I see my emotions mirrored in his. I could no more ask him to stay out of any risk for me than I could step aside for him. For better or worse, he is mine, and I am his.
He fills me in one hard thrust, and my body eagerly wraps around him, happy to have him where he belongs.
“Fuck,” he groans, pressing his forehead to mine. “This is it for me, Lyla. You're it for me,” he breathes against me.
He’s buried so deep inside me that every part of me feels him down to the tiniest cell. He’s left an imprint on my soul that will never belong to another.
“It’s you I choose, Jake, to share my heart and body with. It will always be you.”
His mouth crushes to mine as he fills me again. The tile against my back is cool and slippery as he holds me there with his body molded to mine. Water droplets slide down our bodies, blending together before being washed away.
He releases my hands, and I immediately touch him everywhere I can. I pull his neck to me and suck deep, mimicking him. His growl against my ear encourages me to go deeper as I graze him with my teeth. Looks like we will both be walking around with a reminder on our skin tomorrow.
“I want that sweet pussy drenching me. Claim what’s yours,” he demands, rocking into me harder. My breasts rub against his chest, and the friction against my nipples sends my body into overdrive.
I’m teetering on the edge of losing myself when he lifts my leg higher and slams into me. He hits the right spot with such force that the strength of my orgasm takes me by surprise, and I can’t hold back my scream as his name is ripped from my lips.
“Fuck!” He roars as he pours inside me. The sensations take over as I ride the wave outside my body. My body greedily squeezes every last drop from him as if it’s dying of thirst.
“Jesus,” I pant, my chest heaving against his. The tremors in my body slowly start to fade away as I lay my head on his chest. “I can’t believe I screamed like that,” I say in a hushed tone.
“I can. It was my goal all along, and you didn’t disappoint. My name never sounded so good,” he grins and kisses my temple. “And now that I know you have a spot there, I plan on using that to my advantage any chance I can get.”
“Great. We are going to have to soundproof your bedroom when your family is here.”
“That can be arranged,” he laughs when I pinch his side. His hand rubs over my wet hair as his laughter dies, and he becomes quiet. I know he’s thinking about earlier.
“I really am sorry that I scared you today. I promise I’ll be more careful.” I weave my hands in his hair and hear him sigh. “I’m not used to having someone worry about me,” I say quietly.
“I’m not used to having someone to worry about,” he chuckles softly. “I guess we both need to get used to it.” His intense eyes stay trained on mine. “I’m not going anywhere, Lyla. I know people have let you down in the past, but I will never be one of them.”
I nod my head and blink through my blurred vision as my eyes fill with tears. “I love you,” I whisper, laying my palm against his cheek. He covers my hand with his and kisses the underside of my wrist.
“I love you, too.” He kisses me softly on the lips before slowly sliding out of me.
Turning me, he begins to wash my hair, and that simple act of kindness has me wiping my tears away again. I remember my mother washing my hair as a child and feeling loved and cherished like I do in this moment.
His hands are gentle as he works the shampoo into a lather before rinsing and conditioning. He washes every inch of me like I’m his most cherished possession, and I feel it in the very depths of me.
I return the favor, taking my time to admire all of him. Tracing his tattoos, I memorize every single detail about his story that he permanently etched on his skin. He’s the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, and I will never tire of looking at him.
We rinse off and wrap ourselves in towels before returning to the bedroom. I jump when I hear Eve laugh.
“There you guys are. Ryder and I have been looking everywhere for you two.” She eyes our towels and grins. “I knocked, but I guess you didn’t hear me in the shower?” Her blue eyes twinkle with amusement as she grins at me.
“I suppose this is payback for walking in on you and Ryder,” Jake chuckles.
“Not even close to payback. We were naked in bed with my ass showing. At least you have a towel on.”
“Well, if you don’t turn around, you are going to see my naked ass. I need to put some pants on. ”
She winks at me before turning around, and Jake whips his towel off, giving me a grin. I can’t help but look down. My eyes have a mind of their own lately.
“Eyes up here, Lyla. I really don’t want a huge boner in front of my sister-in-law, and you looking at me like that is already putting thoughts into my head.”
I hear Eve laugh, and my face turns red as I pull my eyes away and land on his face. A smirk plays on his lips as he pulls his pants up and fastens them. I try not to think about the fact that he didn’t bother with any underwear.
“You can turn around now unless you just came to say hi and are leaving because if that’s the case, I’m hauling Lyla to that mattress right there and reclaiming my boner that you cockblocked,” he says, pointing to the bed against the wall.
“Jake!” I give him a shocked look, causing him to laugh.
“I’ve been around these brothers since I was sixteen. Trust me, I’ve heard it all.” She eyes Jake and laughs. “You forgot, didn’t you?”
“Forgot what?” His brow furrows in confusion.
“You agreed to babysit tonight, so Ryder and I could go out with some of his clients.”
I notice, then, what Eve is wearing. She looks beautiful in her blue dress and heels. Her long, auburn hair is down her back, and you can tell she’s definitely ready for a night out.
“Oh shit,” he chuckles. “That’s tonight?”
“Yes, that’s tonight,” she puts her hands on her hips. “Don’t you dare back out now. I got ready and have pumped the life out of my breasts today to give you enough bottles for tonight. I need this night out… we need this night out.”
“We would love to babysit tonight,” I grin at Eve. “You didn’t have any other plans tonight, did you?” I glance over at Jake, and he’s studying me closely with a small smile on his lips .
“All my plans involved spending time with you, but I think I can share you with my niece and nephew for one evening.”
“Thank God!” Eve looks up to the ceiling and puts her hands in a prayer position. “I love my kids with my whole heart, but this momma really needs some adult conversations and a glass of wine.”
“We’ve got you,” I laugh. “You look beautiful, by the way. You and Ryder take your time and don’t worry about a thing.”
“Thank you. I knew you would be a good bestie.” She hugs me and looks at Jake. “I’ll show you where everything is, and I’ve written down their schedules to make it easy for you.”
“I’ll be right there,” he says.
She nods before waving goodbye to me and walking back to the main house.
“Probably not the night you imagined,” he chuckles, closing the distance between us. “I can’t believe I completely forgot about it. My mind has been elsewhere lately,” he smiles and traces the top of the towel.
“It will be fun. I’m actually really excited about it.” I stand on tiptoes and briefly kiss his lips. “I’ll get dressed and be right there to help.” I move to walk away, and he pulls me back to him.
“That kiss is not going to cut it. We are about to have our hands full for the next four hours. I want more of your taste on me to hold me over.
His hand grabs the back of my neck as his lips find mine. He dives in as his mouth devours me. My tongue dances with his, and I feel him hard again as his hand keeps me firmly in place against his body.
By the time he pulls away, I’m panting and in a complete daze. His eyes smile as he backs away.
“Now, that kiss might hold me over until later,” he grins and walks out the door .
I sink to the bed and fall back. Jesus, that man can kiss. I place my hand over my heart and feel it racing. Touching my swollen lips, there’s no stopping the grin that spreads across my face. I still can’t believe this is happening .
One part of me feels it’s too good to be true and will be ripped away from me. The other part of me feels like a giddy teenager in love who wants to happy dance around the room.
I push all my worries away and let the giddy teenager take over. I’m in too good of a mood to let anything spoil it. I walk over to the closet, and when I get a glimpse of myself in the full-length mirror, I do a double take and step closer to get a better look.
I’ve never taken the time to look at myself…I mean, really, look at myself. If I’m being completely honest, I avoid looking too closely at myself in the mirror. In the beginning, all I would see was pain and sadness staring back at me, and after I met Tim, I saw shame.
Deep down, I knew how he treated me wasn’t right, that he had an ugly soul, but I stayed. I stayed out of fear of being alone. I stayed because it was easier to deal with the pain he inflicted than it was to keep working my fingers to the bone to make ends meet. I stayed because some sick part of me craved love from an older man because I was robbed of it with my dad.
It was easier to avoid the truth, so I avoided myself. The eyes don’t lie, and mine were always a constant reminder of everything I didn’t want to accept or face.
But now…
I peer into my light brown eyes for the first time in a long time. I wait for the hatred or disgust to appear like it always does, but it never comes. I see a light that’s never been there before.
Quickly dropping my towel, I see myself for who I really am, not what circumstances have made me .
I see myself through his eyes.
My hands slowly roam over my body and touch every curve, seeing the beauty that he does and not being ashamed anymore of words that were once said to me. I silently forgive myself for the choices that I’ve made and leave the regrets behind. It led me here…to him, and for that, I will be forever grateful.
I smile when my hands graze the sore spot between my legs and the small light bruise on my thigh from his grip. My fingers run over the red mark on my neck. Seeing what he left on my body makes me feel alive and powerful. I will never associate sex with anything other than love and passion. He’s given me a safe place to explore what my body is capable of and shown me what it truly means to be loved.
Excited to spend the evening with him, I quickly get dressed and run a comb through my damp hair. I apply a touch of mascara and lip gloss before walking outside, remembering to lock the door this time.
I enter the kitchen and stop in my tracks. He’s holding Mason to his chest, and his hand gently rubs the sleeping baby. I watch him kiss the top of his dark, soft hair, and my ovaries practically drop to the floor to run to him. I’ve never thought about having kids. I didn’t think it was in the cards for me, but the yearning I feel now to carry this man’s child one day takes me by surprise.
He looks up and smiles when he notices me. I put a hand on my stomach to calm the butterflies, and he quickly looks down at my belly before meeting my eyes again. His gaze darkens, and I don’t know how, but I know he’s thinking about the same thing…me round with his child.
“Do you want to hold him?” His voice is thick with emotion.
I nod my head, unable to speak through the lump in my throat. Walking over to him, he carefully transfers him to my arms. Little breaths hit my skin before I hear a tiny sigh as he settles in against the curve of my neck. I breathe in his soft, downy hair and baby smell before kissing the same spot Jake’s lips just touched.
“He’s perfect,” I whisper. I rub his back and feel his tiny fingers grasp my shirt. Feeling Jake’s gaze on me, I glance up and meet his intense stare.
“Yeah, he is,” he says quietly before finally breaking eye contact to scoop up his niece, who is tugging on his pant leg. “And so is Princess Ryland.” He tickles her belly, causing her to laugh. “Rybug, do you remember Miss Lyla from the wedding?”
She lays her head full of auburn curls against his chest as her big grey eyes take me in. If her hair were dark, she would be a spitting image of her uncle. All four brothers look very similar, and there is no mistaking the resemblance with Ryland.
“Hi, Ryland,” I smile.
“Bow,” she points at my shirt, and I laugh.
“That’s right. I had the bowtie on my shirt at the wedding. You do remember me.”
She gives me a big, toothy grin before looking up at Jake. “Cookie.”
Laughing, Jake shakes his head and looks at me. “I kind of started something with her. She has just as much of a sweet tooth as I do, so I’ve been sneaking her cookies. She’s very hard to say no to when she looks at me like that.”
“All kids have a sweet tooth,” I laugh. “But, yeah, I can see the problem. She’s the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be able to say no either,” I grin.
“Well, one of us will have to be the rule guy with our kids because if our little girl looks like you, I will be putty in her hands.”
His words surprise me, sending tiny thrills throughout my body, causing the butterflies to return. The corner of his mouth turns up, and his eyes hold promises that make me want to believe in them.
“Don’t look so surprised, little hummingbird. If I had my way, I would have already put a baby in you. I’ll be a good boy, though, and wait. It’s nice having your body all mine for just a little bit longer.”
He chuckles at my shocked face as he walks to the kitchen counter.
“I’ve got something better than cookies tonight, Rybug. I smelled brownies earlier, and I’ll share them with you. Lyla makes the best desserts you’ve ever tasted.” He turns and winks at me before getting out a pink bowl for her.
“Brownies before dinner?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.
“Are you going to tell on us?” He looks at me with a mischievous smile, tugging at his lips.
“Not if I get some, too,” I grin.
“That’s my girl,” he laughs and begins cutting up some slices for us.
If he only knew what those three little words do to me. I watch him talk with Ryland and give her a bite. Kissing Mason’s soft head again, I watch the two of them interact. He makes it so easy for me to picture us doing the same thing with our kids one day. I may not have been given the family memories I wanted growing up, but maybe the family I’m meant to have is just starting.