31. Pike
“Are you sure you want to do this, Pike?” Aspen asks me again, her hand on my knee as I steer my Jeep toward the seedy motel. “We could just as easily have a process server do it.”
“No,” I say firmly. “They blindsided me twice. It’s my turn to return the favor.”
She smiles at me from the passenger seat, and I return her grin. I’m not nervous, not with Aspen at my side. It feels good to stand up for myself and know I’m the one ending this once and for all.
“Pike…”
I glance at her, putting the car in park.
“Are you okay?”
The smile on my face feels painted on. I can’t seem to shake it off, my elation unlike anything I’ve ever known before.
“I have never been better,” I answer honestly. Her hand squeezes my leg.
“Just because you’re biologically Lily’s father, doesn’t mean that Caden and Flint are any less connected to her.”
I shake my head without hesitation. “I already know,” I reply. “We’re all her fathers and always have been. You don’t have to tell me that, Aspen.”
Aspen’s smile widens, and she kisses my cheek, handing me the manila envelope. “Let’s go get these monkeys off our back once and for all.”
Hand-in-hand, we climb the exterior steps to the second floor and find the room where Raya and Matthew have been staying.
I pound on the door assertively, and Raya answers, a leer forming on her pixie-like face.
“Why, Pike Hartley and the nanny!” she sneers. “Where’s Mr. Hoity-Toity? He didn’t want to get embarrassed again?”
Without a word, I thrust the envelope in her face and spin to walk away.
“What’s this?” she calls out, but I don’t respond. “That’s not very polite, Pikey.”
“That’s because it’s a restraining order, Raya,” Aspen replies for me. “We’re not supposed to be talking to you. The sheriff will be serving the official order to you soon, so I’d leave town if I were you.”
“A restraining order?!” the anger oozes out of her mouth. “Who the fuck do you think—” She stops, possibly to read the rest of the paperwork, but I don’t look as I head back with my lover to the Jeep, our steps even and matched. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? No! No, that’s not right! My cousin Ryker is Lily’s father! You’re not her father!”
“Not according to the DNA testing,” Aspen fires back, urging me down the steps.
“NO! NO! We’ve spent thousands out here! You owe us money for being out here! COME BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!”
We enter the car, and I back out of the spot, grinning at Aspen again.
“She took that well,” I joke.
“Better than expected, actually. I wonder where her boyfriend went.”
“Maybe he got sick of the promise of a payday and went home,” I muse. “Wherever he went, I hope it’s far away from Cypress Gardens.”
“And from us,” Aspen purrs, curling up against my arm.
* * *
The house is dark when we return, and I glance at Aspen. “Where is everyone?” I ask, pulling into the garage.
Both Caden’s and Flint’s cars are there, and when we emerge from the Jeep, I hear music piping out from the backyard speakers.
“I smell barbecue!” Aspen chirps excitedly, hurrying around toward the pool. As she predicted, Caden is at the grill, his shirt off as usual, flipping steaks with one hand, a beer in the other. Flint sits in the hot tub, his eyes closed as if he’s taking a nap. I don’t recall the last time I’ve seen either of them look so relaxed.
“Ahem?” I say as Aspen wraps her arms around Caden’s naked shoulders.
“Oh! You’re back!” Flint is out of the water and on the wooden deck, shaking himself off like a wet dog. “How did it go?”
“Raya is pretty mad. She apparently spent a lot of money expecting to get her hands on Lily’s,” Aspen explains. “And where is my girl?”
“She’s having a sleepover at Addisyn’s house,” Caden informs us.
“Wow. Already?” Aspen asks, dropping her hands off Caden as he turns to embrace her waist. “I was at least eight or nine. I was afraid to sleep away from home.”
“Our Lily is fearless,” Caden reminds her, kissing her lips softly. “Just like someone else I know.”
“Hmm… who would that be now?” Aspen asks thoughtfully, returning his kiss.
Their bodies mesh together, and I inadvertently step closer, drawn to her magnetism.
“I can’t remember her name right now,” Caden mumbles, taking her ear in between his teeth. “But she’s gorgeous and patient… and so unbelievably smart.”
“I’d like to meet this woman,” Aspen sighs, allowing Caden’s hands to work at her jeans. Flint and I lock her into a triangle, and she catches sight of us through her peripheral vision, smiling encouragingly. Her head cocks back as Caden’s lips land on her throat, his hands pulling off her t-shirt.
I immediately catch a whiff of her vanilla scent, the familiar aroma instantly making me harder than I already was.
Flint closes the short distance between them, his hands finding the flat skin of her slender stomach, and I waste no time pressing myself up behind her back as her shirt accidentally lands in the pool. Her mouth meets Caden’s again, a soft sigh falling from her lips as Flint’s fingers roam freely over the flimsy material of her underwear. From behind, one hand caresses her breast, pulling her bra free, the other sliding under her panties to explore the velvety core of her pussy.
Slowly, we move her back onto one of the lounge chairs, and I reluctantly relinquish my hold on her as she’s spread on all fours. I slap her perfect ass cheek softly once, and she exhales again as I slip around the front for her to taste me.
Caden maneuvers himself beneath her, her breast dangling in his face for him to lick and taste.
“Give me your cock, Pike,” Aspen orders me, and I realize I’m the last one to disrobe in this little party of ours.
“Oh, I’ll give it to you,” I promise, undoing my jeans, boxers twisting inside them.
Smoke from the barbecue floods the air, but no one seems to notice, our desire to fill all of Aspen overtaking us. This is our celebration, the sense of peace and freedom we’ve aspired to for weeks finally arriving. Barbecue be damned.
Caden is already inside her, pumping upward, causing her moans to flood the yard and probably the neighbor’s, too. Flint spreads her ass wider, his tongue lolling out as he teases her last hole, and my cock slides easily down her sopping throat.
My eyes close for a moment, relishing the sensations of her skillful tongue licking and lapping at me. Another moan vibrates my cock, and my eyes pop open again. Her lips lock tighter around my cock, and now it’s me who’s moaning and groaning, trying to hold off on the inevitable release.
“Oh, fuck,” I grunt, grabbing a fistful of her long, dark locks and driving myself deep inside her. Flint plunges into her, slapping her ass as he does, and more vibrations flood my cock. Caden’s movements go crazy, and I’m on the brink. “I’m going to come, baby,” I warn her. “Oh, Aspen…”
Her hand massages my sac, urging my release, and I let myself go in fiery streaks as she soaks me up. Caden grunts, bucking up like a wild animal as Aspen falls back to ride, Flint clinging to her breasts, his fingers flicking against her taut nipples.
I wish I could paint them like this, so wild and uninhibited, so free and full of desire.
One by one, they let themselves go until Aspen almost falls off the lounger. Both Caden and Flint catch her with a smile.
“We’ve got you,” they reassure her, and she titters.
“Jelly legs,” she says, but her smile fades as she points at the barbecue. “Caden, the steaks!”
“Shit!” he cries, hurrying naked across the deck to salvage what he can of our dinner, but the effort is futile. The steaks char on the grill, ruined. “Well…” he sighs, tossing the meat aside. “It’s a pity Lily’s not here because it looks like it’s going to be a pizza night after all.”
Aspen chuckles as she locates her discarded clothes, the rest of us dressing, too, when Zoe slides open the back door. “Sorry to interrupt,” she says sheepishly. “But it’s Lisa on the phone.”
“I’ll take it,” Flint says worriedly, accepting the cordless house phone. “Hello?” He listens, and his face relaxes as he glances at Aspen with a grin. “I understand, Lisa. I’ll be right over. Thanks for calling.”
He hangs up, and we stare at him expectantly. “Apparently, Lily has changed her mind about spending the night at Addisyn’s,” he announces. “So it looks like she’ll be home for pizza.”
“Perfect!” Caden says happily. “I’ll order right now!”
Aspen settles in beside me on the lounge chair as Flint heads out to pick up Lily and Caden deals with the pizza. She drops her hand on my still-bare chest and closes her eyes.
The rest of the early autumn sun disappears over the horizon, and crickets chirp under the tone of the music. A deep calm overtakes the entire yard, including my soul.
And I suddenly realize I’ve never been so happy in my entire life.