Chapter 48
After their epic evening together, time picked up speed like a boulder falling down a steep hill.
Within twenty-four hours, Becca was hastily inducted as a member into the Ladies of Justice. This honor came with a text thread, a monthly calendar, and committee assignments.
At the same time, she took the bull by the horns and admitted to Kori that her relationship with Jamie was very serious. Her daughter flat out asked if they were sleeping together, and since she”d always tried to be honest—because honesty was healthier than lies—she answered truthfully.
To her surprise and relief, Kori was thrilled.
Go figure.
A day later, the Justice information grapevine suddenly activated. It happened to Jamie, too. Something big was brewing.
They were together, doing the dishes after a family dinner whipped up by her adorably dorky boyfriend. He showed off his grilling expertise for Kori with the panache of a celebrity chef. The resulting burgers, with every trimming imaginable, were the subject of a series of food selfies that he promptly sent to his family.
One of the selfies featured her and Kori.
”I may have fucked up with the kid,” Jamie told her while handing off a dish for her to dry.
So far, their evening as a newly formed family unit had been going swimmingly well. She had a tough time imagining what went wrong.
”What did you do?”
He looked out the window above the kitchen sink. Kori was inspecting his garden with Cat cradled in her arms. From Becca”s perspective, her daughter and Jamie”s cat were already close pals.
”Okay, so don”t freak out.”
”Jamie, come on,” she chuckled. ”I”m a mom. It takes a lot to scare me.”
She was amused when he nervously cleared his throat. Becoming an instant dad had rocked his world, and the truth in that statement only made him ten times more adorable.
”When you were out of the room, she mentioned an archery class that she and Phoebe Marshall took. At the Community Center.”
”Uh-huh. Archery,”she said with as much mockery as she could. ”What”s next? Irish step dance? Paragliding?”
”Yeah, well, about that. I think the next thing will be fencing.”
”Excuse me, what now? Fencing? You mean with a sword?”
”Technically, it”s called a foil, but yes. That fencing.”
”Why would she want to do that?”
”Because I maybe sorta told her that I helped pay for college with a fencing scholarship.”
Becca”s mouth opened. ”You what?”
”I know, right?”He grimaced with a chuckle. ”It was an after-school activity—something I got sucked into. But it was fun and different, and I won some trophies. Next thing I knew, I was on the college fencing team.”
”Wow.”
”She asked a bunch of questions. That”s one smart kid you got there. She intends to talk to Meghan about holding a class at the center.”
”Jamie,”she drawled. ”If she goes to Meghan, there”s a distinct possibility that you”ll get roped into teaching the class.”
”What?”he asked in a panicked voice. ”Why would you say that?”
”Because I don”t think anyone else in Bendover can claim a fencing scholarship. Think about it.”
He blanched and muttered, ”Oh fuck.”
”Welcome to parenthood.”
He wiped his sudsy hands and pulled her in close.
”You”ll help me, right? Make sure I don”t do anything stupid. Kori”s been let down enough by her sperm donor. It”s important I”m on top of this dad thing right from the start.”
”I have faith in you.”
His cinnamon eyes turned smoky. ”Hearing that shouldn”t be a turn-on, but it is. Your high regard means everything to me.”
”And being with you means everything to me. Pleasing you is on my mind all the time.”
”I”m happy to hear that because I”ve been thinking what would please me very much is tying you to the posts of my bed and forcing you to come over and over.”
She quivered, imagining what that might look like.
”You”re a bad man,”she laughed. ”And I”m okay with it.”
The leering grin he gave her made her panties wet.
”I have a scene in mind for my eager little sub. Want to hear about it?”
”Oh my, yes!”she exclaimed.
”How about after we drop the kid at the Villa and head to our special spot? We should have a solid three or four hours of playtime before Alex and Meghan return from their date night and Kori is finished babysitting.”
Laughter erupted from her throat. ”I guess it”s never too late to indulge in play.”
”Pity those who don”t.”
They each snickered, ”Right on,”and gave the other a high five.
”So, this scene you have in mind. Care to share?”
She waited breathlessly to hear what was percolating in his imagination.
”Nothing elaborate. A simple bartered copulation. I have something you want, and you, well, you have something my cock wants.”
”Intriguing. Go on.”Her body started to soften when arousal entered the chat.
”You have a horse ranch that”s struggling. It comes down to how badly you want my stud to mount your mare. The deal offered is I”ll waive the exorbitant stud fee in exchange for your body. Use for use,”her devilish lover snickered with a cocky smirk.
”A business transaction? Sex for stud services?”
He chuckled. ”I like the way you put that, but essentially, yes. And not to state the obvious or anything, but the sex will be,”he paused for effect, ”aggressive, and not about your pleasure.”
Heat poured into her core. She got off on being used and did not give a shit if anyone thought this made her weak.
Grabbing a handful of her ass, he yanked her into perfect contact with his hard body.
”Your eyes give you away, little sub.”
A blush crept slowly up her neck and face, but she didn”t look away. He knew her passions, and that was all there was to it.
”Question,”she asked softly.
”Okay.”
”Is it considered topping if I suggest a playtime scene?”
”Not at all, but since you brought it up, I believe a protocol is necessary.”
Becca enjoyed a good protocol. She smiled.
”You”ll have to put your desires in writing—with supporting detail. Taken captive by the pirate is a title, not a scene. Elaboration is essential—maybe not in the letter of the thing, but certainly in the spirit. For instance, perhaps the pirate is a Wall Street wiz, not an actual seafarer.”
”I can do that.”
”And I want pen on paper—no digital crap.”
Visions of fancy writing paper danced in her head. ”Should I mail this written material?”
”Be smart. Send it certified mail—that way, it stays private. Or hand deliver it with the understanding that I decide when to read it.”
Playfully pushing against his broad chest, she quipped, ”Yeah, yeah. I know. You”re the decider.”
Growling, he responded in his sexy Dom voice, asking a question that seemingly came from nowhere.
”Do you like when I come? Does my orgasm give you pleasure?”
In the short time they”d been physical with each other, she”d had several opportunities to form an opinion—and not just traditionally, as in him coming inside her. There were also times when his orgasm happened in her throat or by her hand. And then there was the unbelievably erotic finishing on her body.
Honestly? She was a fan of all of those scenarios. Witnessing his explosive release and knowing she did that to him gave her goosebumps.
”No,”she drawled. I wouldn”t say I like it. I love it,”she purred. ”I quiver just thinking about it.”
She did not question why he asked. He asked a Dom question so she gave a proper sub answer without expecting anything further.
The alarm she set on her phone dinged to let them know they had thirty minutes to get Kori to the Villa so Alex and Meghan could have their date night.
”I”ll finish here, and you get the kid ready,”he said as his mouth descended, capturing her lips in a wet and wonderful kiss.
* * *
A montageof lusty images flashed in Jamie”s head as he drove from the Villa to Sedona. Rebecca sat quietly in the passenger seat, and Kori, in the truck”s extended cab backseat, went on and on about the awesomeness of babysitting the Marquez twins.
He wasn”t surprised his insatiable lover was silent. With Kori out of the house, she enthusiastically let him use her for his pleasure. By the time he”d come deep inside her hot wetness, she was toast.
Licking his lips, he pictured her bent over, gripping the side of the truck with her dress pulled up to expose her backside and her panties around her knees. The bad girl vs. girl next doorposehad enflamed his cock.
So did her mouth. Rebecca quickly acclimated to his round-the-clock readiness for a well-performed blow job. Her enjoyment of the sucking, gagging, and deep-throating was another indicator of their sexual compatibility.
Oh yeah, and she swallowed—usually with a sexy smile and lust-drunk eyes.
When their al fresco fuck-fest ended, he”d had to dress her and carry her from the truck bed onto the passenger seat.
Kori was talking about the girl twin, Stevie.
Jamie keyed in, decided he did not need to comment and continued driving.
When they reached Sedona proper, he did the drive-thru at a local ice creamery and continued to Rebecca”s little house.
His gaze swept the driveway, backyard gate, the neighbors, and the street. New, unexpected emotions rose inside him and completely changed his mental landscape. In actuality, Rebecca and her daughter were his responsibility now. Though it was early days, they were now a de facto family.
The shit bouncing around inside him was so much more than possessiveness and the territorial nature of the male. In a blinding flash, he regarded how the Justice men looked after their women and families in a different light.
As Kori gathered her stuff from the backseat, Jamie looked at Rebecca. She turned her head to meet his concerned gaze.
Mouthing, ”Are you okay?”he reached across the space between them, found her hand, and gently squeezed.
The left corner of her mouth twitched and lifted slightly. Her eyes twinkled with happiness. When she finally said something, the hidden meaning in her words made him grin.
”Whew! What a day. I”m completely wiped out—practically limp as a noodle.”
He heard the rear door open and looked into the backseat.
”You good, kid?”he asked.
”I gotta run the ice cream inside before it melts,”she yelled.
Slamming the rear door, she stood at the driver”s door until he opened it. Looking past him, she told her mom, ”I”ll turn the alarm off. Do you want me to put your sundae in the freezer?”
Jamie sensed when Rebecca shifted into parent mode. She was a terrific mom, and Kori was a fantastic kid.
”Are you kidding? I”m eating that sucker! Say goodnight to Jamie, and I”ll be along in a minute.”
Giggling, Kori said, ”Goodnight Jamie. Thank you for dinner.”
He smiled. ”Night, kid. By the way. How much did you make tonight?”
”Thirty-five dollars,”she squealed. ”Seventeen fifty goes to my college savings account, and the other seventeen fifty goes right into my piggy bank.”
”Sweet. Good for you, Kori.”
She beamed at him for half a second. Her yearning for a father figure, a real guy with a heart, came through loud and clear, so clearly he wondered if Rebecca felt it, too.
Waving, she turned toward the little front porch, saying, ”Imma skip out on the kissing and stuff. Bye!”
He kept an eye on her until she was safely inside the house.
When the porch light flicked off and on, Rebecca murmured, ”That”s the signal that she”s turned off the alarm, and everything looks good.”
He responded more gruffly than he intended, his words driven by raw emotion.
”I have a mother and a sister, so it”s second nature to be concerned about their safety, but until right now, I didn”t grasp what that truly meant. This is not okay with me, Rebecca. I do not want you or the kid living with one eye always anticipating a threat.”
His woman leaned toward him and grasped his forearm. ”It is what it is.”
”I fucking hate that expression,”he snarled. ”Doesn”t make it right. We need to talk about living together—the three of us. And Cat.”
Gesturing at the small, unsecured residence, he left her with no doubt about how he felt.
”Don”t argue with me about this.”
”Uh, I”m not.”
”I”m serious, Rebecca.”
She straightened and blinked—her hand still on his arm.
”Wait. Are you … what? Live together? Where?”
”Well, obviously my place cause this shit shack will not do. I have tons of room and if you want, I can add another wing to the layout—family bedrooms.”
Her eyebrows bumped together, and she squinted as if trying to see him better.
”What? Family bedrooms? Jamie, what page are you on?”
Yeah, he got why she was flabbergasted and befuddled. In the span of a few seconds, he had jumped from overreacting to a security issue to defending womankind to suggesting co-habitation before clumsily ending with a vague statement about plural bedrooms for their newly minted family.
The universe opened. A bright, golden glow poured down, like sunlight appearing from behind dark clouds, leaving him breathless and with his heart thumping hard.
A sense of profound certainty settled around his shoulders. A child was in their future. Maybe more than one.
He saw their future and, without hesitation, spoke from his heart.
”I”mat the chapter titled, love and family.”
Removing her hand from his arm, he placed her hand in her lap and then wrapped his hand around the back of her neck.
”I”m sorry this isn”t romantic or special—sometimes you just have to go where the path leads. I love you, and I believe you love me.”
She nodded and nibbled her lip.
”I know you”ll need to make some lists and pragmatize the fuck out of our every move, but can we agree this is a forever thing?”
”I should be scared, but I”m not,”she whispered.
”Good. And can we further agree that expanding our family is on the table?”
”You want a baby?”she sounded incredulous.
Softening his tone, he pulled her closer still until their foreheads touched.
”I”m surprised too, but yes, Rebecca. I want it all. You, instant fatherhood, babies, and more. You don”t have to agree right this second. Just please promise me you”ll think about it.”
In a whisper that he felt on his skin, she said, ”I want it all, too, Jamie.”
They sealed it with an emotional kiss that poured joy into his soul.