21. Decker
She’s perched on the edge of my bed, her eyes round and wide as she stares up at me. I turn her chin so I can expose her neck.
“I can see your pulse in your throat. You nervous, baby?”
“No.” She almost chokes on the word, and it makes me smile.
I squat down on the floor in front of her, reaching down to remove her socks one at a time.
“You were naughty tonight, Juniper, flirting with those boys.” I click my tongue.
“They were flirting with me; I didn’t flirt back.”
“Stand up.” She obeys and I get to my knees, running my hands up her bare legs and beneath the hem of her shorts so I can grab two handfuls of her ass. “You led them on though, didn’t you? Not telling them you had a man sitting right there.”
Her eyes narrow and she flashes that coy grin. “Maybe,” she shrugs, playing into my game. “It was just innocent fun.”
I turn her around, bending her forward until her hands are resting on the bed. I lean forward, biting a mouthful of her ass.
“Shit,” she hisses, “that hurt.”
“Good.” I lean back, admiring the perfect outline of my teeth in her flesh. “And when it starts to fade, I’m going to do it again, so that whenever you go out and wear these little shorts that show your ass, every man will know you’ve been marked.” I stand up and turn her around to face me. “I told you, you’re mine, and I have no interest in sharing—not even the innuendo that there’s a chance with someone else.”
She looks up at me, her eyes glassy with desire. “You know there’s never been anyone but you.” She reaches for a button on my shirt, slowly undoing that one and then another before leaning in to plant a kiss. “You’re the only man I’ve ever loved.”
I wish I could say the same to her—that no one else has ever had any part of my heart. “I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you,” we press our foreheads together, “and while I wish I could say no other woman has taken up space in my heart but you, I know that no one,” I squeeze my eyes shut, the thought of losing her almost too much, “will love you the way I will.”
Her arms are sliding around my neck, her lips coming to mine as our bodies melt together. “There’s something I never told you,” she whispers against my mouth. I’m frozen for a second, unsure if I can handle any more secrets. “There never was a boyfriend.”
“Never a boyfriend?”
“After you kissed me that night and went back to Texas, I thought that was it. I had no idea you were seriously thinking about moving back, and when I ran into Ranger, I just blurted out that I had a boyfriend. I thought . . .”
He places his thumbs under my chin and tilts it upward so I’m looking at him. “You thought what?”
“That if you found out, it might make you jealous.” Her eyes dart back and forth as she tries to read my expression. “It was stupid and I didn’t think it through, but yeah, I wanted you to be jealous.”
I drag my thumbs slowly down her throat until I reach the base of it, wrapping my fingers gently around her delicate neck. “Just when I think you’re a good girl, you go and prove me wrong.” His fingers tighten with the slightest amount of pressure against my neck.
“I’m sorry,” I eek the words out.
“I’m not,” he says with a devilish grin, “because now I get to take it out on you. I didn’t like hearing you had a boyfriend—knowing some other man was touching you, tasting you. You did make me jealous, and now you’re going to apologize to me with your body.”
I break contact with her, stepping back a few feet and grabbing a chair. I drag it closer, sitting down. “I want you to strip for me like the first night.”
She reaches for the first button on her vest, popping them open one at a time until it hangs open. Instead of removing the vest right away, she reaches inside, touching her breasts, cupping them, and rolling her nipples between her fingers.
“Show me how you like to be touched.” My hand slides down to my belt to undo it, my cock begging to break free from its denim prison.
She pulls the vest down her arms, dropping it to the floor before reaching for her shorts. Her eyes remain focused on me, my hand now fisting my cock that’s at full mast, sliding up and down my length.
She pulls her shorts and panties down her thighs slowly before turning to face the bed and gliding down onto her hands and knees. She looks back at me, her hair wild and untamed.
“Oh, fuck me, that’s a pretty view.”
She already knows what I want. She slides forward, one arm down on the bed so her ass is on full display. She spreads her knees apart slightly, reaching down with her fingers to tease herself. Her movements grow rapid, her fingers drawing circles on her clit as she moans. I can smell her arousal and my mouth waters to taste her again.
“Show me how wet you are.”
Her hand dips lower, sliding between her folds before spreading her lips apart. A guttural groan erupts from my chest as she slides two fingers deep inside herself.
“Fuck, I could listen to that sound all day.” I stand up, walking closer until I kneel down behind her. “Don’t you dare stop. I want you to make yourself come so I can taste it.”
Her moans grow louder, faster, as her fingers slide in and out, stretching her tight hole. I can’t handle it any longer and neither can she—her thighs shake, her arm buckling. I lean forward, lapping at her opening.
When she finishes, she’s a crumpled ball on my bed, my beard now soaked in her release. I take the opportunity to remove my clothes, walking over to the nightstand to retrieve the toy I bought to use on her. I crawl up her body, leaving a trail of kisses along the way until I reach her mouth.
“More,” she pants, “I need you inside me.” She’s crawling into my lap, trying to line herself up against me.
“Easy,” I grab her hips and still her movements, “someone’s eager.”
“You’ve kept me waiting all day.” Her lips are back on mine, her hands in my hair. It’s all I can do to keep myself from pulling her down on my cock.
“I have a surprise for you, ” I say as I bring the silver butt plug to her lips, “but you need to open your mouth.” I press it gently against her mouth and she opens, wrapping her lips around it once it’s fully inside. “That’s right, nice and wet.”
“Is that?—”
“For your ass? Yes.” I turn her body around so she’s straddling me in reverse cowgirl. “Put your hands on my thighs and lean forward.” She does as she’s told, presenting me with her pink pussy and tight little asshole. “Now, I want you to relax.” I slide it against her pussy first, sliding it gently in and out of her a tiny bit at a time until it’s slick with her juices. Then I press it against her asshole.
“Oh!” She resists the intrusion, leaning further forward on her hands.
“Do I need to warm you up?” I don’t give her time to respond. I replace the toy with my tongue, swirling it around her rosette until she’s pressing herself back against me. I ease a finger inside her ass and one in her pussy, her fingernails digging into my thighs as I pleasure her.
Finally, when she’s at her limit, begging for more, I slide the plug inside her—the discomfort now clearly turned into pleasure the way her hips writhe.
“Now, let’s get you settled back on my cock so I can fuck you six ways from Sunday.” The angle is almost too much for me to handle. “Oh, goddamn, baby,” I grip her hips, my fingers certain to leave bruises on her tomorrow. “This view, oh fuck.”
I watch her pussy stretch, milking my cock while her asshole stretches to accommodate the toy.
“I’m so full,” she groans. “Oh yessss.” She hisses, followed by a string of unintelligible nonsense as her pussy tightens. She pushes back against me hard and fast, my name on her lips when she finally comes.
I grip her hips tighter, pulling her back until I’m balls deep inside her, my own release barely hanging on.
“Baby, I need you to hold still.” I reach down and grab the plug. “I’m gonna finish in your ass.” As soon as the plug is out, I press my cock into her an inch.
“Oh God, oh God, you’re too big.”
“Relax,” I grit my teeth, my arms shaking, sweat peppering my forehead as I slide in further. “Let me in, baby. I’m so close.”
Her fingers find her clit, her body clenching tightly until finally, she relaxes enough for me to slide in further. She keeps her hand on her clit, her body acclimating to the new sensation.
“I—oh, oh, that feels good.”
I look down between us, her thighs spread wide over mine, my cock stretching her open, and I lose it. I shout, my orgasm so intense, my eyes roll back in my head. I pull out just as I’m shooting the last of my load, a perfect stream of cum dripping from her ass down to her thighs.
We both let out moans of satisfaction when we’ve come down—our bodies a wet, sticky mess. She’s spread across my chest, her back to me. I wrap my arms around her, nuzzling her neck.
“I’ve never done that before.” She giggles.
“Anal?” She nods, her hands covering her face. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I thought you might.”
She sits up. “What, you have a sixth sense for stuff like that?”
“No, but that first night we were together, you just about lost your fucking mind when I ran my tongue up your ass.”
“You’re a bad influence, Mr. Slade.” She points her finger at me and I reach out and grab it, tugging it forward so she falls across me. I bring it to my lips, biting her gently.
“Oh, trust me, there are a hundred more ways I plan to defile you tonight.”
“Tonight?” She falls into a fit of laughter when I grab her sides.
“Fine, maybe not all hundred tonight.” I grab each of her hands, pinning them to the pillow above her head. “After all, we have the rest of our lives together.”
“Come on in, Decker,”Mary hurries me inside the back door, “I just put a fresh pot of coffee on, so you’re just in time.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Riley.” I step inside and look around. “Mr. Riley around, by any chance?”
“Oh, what’s with all this ‘Mr. and Mrs. Riley’ nonsense? You make us feel old.” She pulls out a chair for me and hands over a fresh cup of coffee. “Sit, sit. Ron will be home any minute. He went to the garage to help Juney with some month-end stuff.”
“She’s really knocking it out of the park there, isn’t she?”
“Just like I knew she would.” Her smile is proud. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Juney, even when she was this big,” she holds her hand out, “if you told her she couldn’t do something, she was not only going to do it, but she was going to prove everyone wrong.”
“If that ain’t the truth.” I laugh.
“It feels like just yesterday, her dad had her sitting on one of the tall stools in the workshop. Her little legs were too short to even reach the highest bar. She’d wave at all of the trucks that came in and out.” Her eyes tear up and she looks out the window briefly. “Listen to me getting all sappy.”
“I get it. My mom has a good cry about once a week these days, talking about all of us growing up. I think with each grandchild, she gets more sentimental.”
“Speaking of grandkids, when are you going to give her one?”
I laugh, taking an extra-long sip of my coffee. “I can’t say for sure, but hopefully sooner rather than later.” When I pull my eyes back to meet hers, they’re brimming with tears again.
After our talk the other night, when I told Juney I was done with games and secrets, I made up my mind that I needed to come talk to her parents. This isn’t some casual relationship where I just want to see where it goes; this is forever.
“You know, Decker, ever since you were a young boy, you have always been incredibly respectful and kind—all of you Slade boys are—but I spent the most time with you and Ranger. Your mother and I are very close, you know, so we would often give each other breaks when we needed it. But my favorite times with you boys were when your parents would both come over and you’d run off and play with Juney while we sat around talking. I knew that even though she was much younger than you boys, you always took care of her. She thinks the world of you two, and the fact that her father and I couldn’t give her a sibling, but you boys stepped in, was just . . .” She waves her tears away, but it’s no use. I hand her a napkin and she dabs at her eyes just as Ron walks in the back door.
“Hey, De—oh, Mary, are you okay?” He rushes over to her side, genuine concern in his eyes fading when he sees she’s smiling.
“Oh, I was just reminiscing with Decker here about when he and Ranger were little and they would include Juniper in their adventures. Your parents did a great job with you boys.”
“Thanks, Mary. I know that would mean a lot for them to hear.” I glance down at my now-cold coffee. “Listen, I know that me dropping by is unexpected, and I don’t want to take over your entire evening. I know you need to eat, but I—I want to talk to both of you.”
Ron looks over at Mary, then pulls out a chair and takes a seat. I’m suddenly realizing just how nervous I am. Six feet two inches of muscle, and I wouldn’t think twice about taming a wild horse, but this . . . this has my heart thudding in my ears and my stomach in my ass.
“Go ahead, Decker.”
“I want to preface this by saying that I love you both and I know how much you respect and love my parents and my entire family.” Ron’s brow furrows and he glances over at Mary.
Shit. Fuck. I’m dead.
“Son, I think we already know why you’re here. Your father and I, as you know, are close—have been over the years. And I know he’s told you as much about our conversations regarding you and Juniper.”
“Yes, sir, he has.”
“Then you know we aren’t stupid. We have eyes.” I nod. “Good, glad we got that out of the way. Go on.”
I tap my fingers against the coffee mug. I know that what I’m about to say is going to probably make or break Juney and me. “Ron, Mary, with all due respect, I know my reputation is shit. And as your daughter wisely put it, I made my bed and I have to lie in the consequences, but I’m not that man anymore. I’m in love with your daughter.” I look between them, and Ron’s face is not showing a shred of emotion, though Mary’s lip quivers. “She’s everything to me. I ran from it, all the way to Texas, actually, but she’s the one. She’s my everything.”
They look at each other and Mary nods at Ron, who looks back at me. “And what if we don’t approve of this, Decker? She’s our world too.”
I swallow down the nerves, my confidence growing. I clear my throat, square my shoulders, and look up at both of them. “Well, again, Ron and Mary, with all due respect, I’d tell you both that it doesn’t matter. I will never stop loving her. I will never stop dedicating my life to her. I will never lose her again. I know you want the best for your daughter, and all I can ask is that if you don’t support us, then at least give me a chance to prove to you how much she means to me.”
A huge grin spreads across Ron’s face as he leaps out of his chair. “Get over here, Deck!” He doesn’t wait for me—he grabs my shoulders, pulling me into the tightest bear hug I’ve ever had.
“Wait, what?” I look at both of them, laughing in confusion.
“We’ve known, Deck, we’ve just been waiting for you to see it. That’s what your dad didn’t tell you about our conversations. I told him to relax—that you needed time to be young and wild, but that someday . . .” now his chin quivers, “someday you’d realize that what you’d been trying to find was already right in front of you. Life just needed to catch up.”
This time they both hug me and it feels like a weight’s been lifted from my shoulders. “Damn, you both really had me nervous over here.”
“I tried so hard to keep it together,” Mary says through her tears. “I just knew what you were here to say when I opened that back door, and I . . .” She’s completely lost her ability to talk, tears coming down her face as she runs out of the room.
“She just needs a minute.” We both sit back down at the table. “Does Juney know you’re here?”
“No, but we talked the other night, and I told her I wanted to speak to you.”
“Well, I hope you didn’t expect to come over here and ask for her hand in marriage, because that young woman is no man’s property.” He says it with such conviction, it makes me laugh.
“Trust me, I know. She said the same thing when I told her about talking to you, and I told her the same thing, which is just that I wanted you to know that I’m serious. I know I was a fuck-up when it comes to women and how I viewed commitment, but those days are behind me. I recognize that it takes some serious trust from both of you, as well as her, and I’m not going to screw it up.”
“Bah,” he waves away my concern, “we’ve all got a past, Deck. Hell, your dad’s would probably put yours to shame.”
“Really?” I laugh. “Do tell.”
Ron spends the next hour telling me stories I’ve never heard before about my dad and uncles.
“Now the real player in your family was your Uncle Hudson. That boy was wild,” he whistles, “and look at him and Devon now, happily married for over 20 years.”
The back door handle turns and it opens slowly, Juniper’s round eyes peering cautiously around it. “What’s going on?” she asks suspiciously when she sees me sitting at the kitchen table.
“Just visiting with your parents.” I say it so casually that she has no idea if I’ve told them anything about us yet. She looks to her dad then me.
“Yes, we were just talking, Juniper, and unfortunately,” he glances at me and I can’t believe he’s about to do what I think he’s going to do, “your mother and I just can’t support this relationship.” I stare down at my mug, shaking my head. “I’m just kidding, sweetie! We are so happy for you.”
“What the hell, Dad?” She chokes back the sob she was about to let loose, then I hear Mary from the other room.
“Ronald Allen Riley, that is not funny!”
“Oh, sweetie, come here.” Juney’s dad wraps her in a hug, laughing as she tells him how not funny and not cool his joke was.
“Deck, why don’t you and I throw some steaks on the grill and crack a cold one? We’ll have our first official family dinner together.”