Chapter Fourteen
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It had been years since I saw Mike, but I recognized him immediately. He had the same chocolate brown eyes as Robert, and a similar bone structure with a sharp jawline. However, his hair wasn’t brown, but black, like his mother’s.
Mike’s brows came together. “Are you on a date?” he demanded, his gaze falling on our joined hands.
Robert and I ripped our hands apart. I tucked mine into my lap.
What was Mike doing here? How was he here, out of all the places in the city?
“We’re not,” Robert replied calmly, but his face had gone pale. “Brooke finished a big case. We’re celebrating.”
I nodded, unable to form words. People from nearby tables were looking at us, and I could feel their stares like hot coals against my skin.
“Celebrating?” Mike said, crossing his arms over his chest. Like us, he was dressed nicely, wearing a blue suit jacket over a white shirt. “Over steak and wine in a nice restaurant? How do you two even know each other?”
I looked at Robert. I wasn’t sure what Mike did or didn’t know, and I didn’t want to say anything that Robert wasn’t okay with.
“I’m living with Brooke at the moment,” Robert replied. His tone was nonchalant, but I could tell it was forced.
“What?” Mike replied.
“My landlord evicted me. I knew Brooke was a lawyer, so I asked her for legal help. Unfortunately, there was nothing she could do, but she kindly offered me to live in one of her spare bedrooms.”
I’d never paid it too much thought before, but now I realized that Mike knew nothing about Robert’s situation. They were father and son. Did they not keep in touch?
Mike’s eyes widened. “You’re living with my ex-girlfriend? Do you know how weird that is?”
Robert lowered his head, withdrawing, going eerily quiet. I’d never seen him like that before, and anger flickered within me. I turned to Mike.
“We dated in college, which was years ago,” I reminded him. “We’re all adults here.”
“You know he’s twenty years older than you, right?”
“He was in a terrible predicament, and I was more than happy to help.”
Mike rolled his eyes. “That’s the story of his life. He falls into trouble and relies on other people to get him out of his own mess.”
“Mike—” Robert began, his tone tired, almost pleading.
“No,” Mike snapped, pointing a finger at his father. “You got evicted? I bet that was your own damn fault. Then you go knocking on my ex-girlfriend’s door, begging for charity. Do you even care how you’re making me look? You’re embarrassing me.” Mike turned his attention to me. “He’s taking advantage of you, Brooke. I thought you were smarter than that.”
I straightened in my chair, outraged. I opened my mouth, ready to rip Mike to shreds, when Robert interrupted me.
“Don’t,” he said, shaking his head at me. “We should probably go.”
My brows came together. “Why aren’t you defending yourself?” I asked him. “Are you really going to let him talk to you like that?”
“Oh, I could say a whole lot worse,” Mike said, his voice venomous. “This man’s the worst dad in the world. An absolute deadbeat.”
“Shut up, Mike,” I snapped.
“You might think you’re doing a good deed, Brooke, but I promise you, this man will cause you a lot more trouble than he’s worth. He destroys everything around him.” He shot his dad one final glare before stalking off.
Robert and I sat in silence. I was so angry, I was almost shaking. Slowly, I became aware of whispers from nearby tables, and my skin went hot. I was so embarrassed, but also furious. I wanted to chase Mike and demand that he say sorry for upsetting Robert. Seeing Robert’s expression now—his frown, his hollow eyes—made my chest ache.
“We should go,” he said, his voice toneless. He put some cash on the table before getting to his feet.
I followed him out of the restaurant, my stomach churning.
We were having such a nice evening. Now everything was ruined.
As we headed back home, I kept waiting for Robert to defend himself or make a joke out of the whole thing, but he remained dead silent. I reached out to squeeze his hand, but he pulled it away before I could touch it.
Once we arrived at home, the front door firmly shut behind us, I broke the silence.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded. “We should go to bed.”
I followed him into my bedroom, but I wasn’t about to let him go to sleep without talking about this. We got changed into our pajamas and brushed our teeth. I took my time going through my nighttime routine and applying my skincare. I figured giving Robert time to process the evening would be a good thing.
Finally, we climbed into bed together, but I kept my bedside table lamp on so I could see his face.
“I’m sorry about tonight,” I said, taking his hand and squeezing it. “But I still had a really lovely dinner with you.”
“I’m sorry our celebration was cut short.”
He didn’t pull his hand away, which was a good sign.
“Mike’s an asshole,” I said, then winced. “Sorry. I know he’s your son.”
He shook his head. “No, I…I don’t want you to think badly of him. Yeah, he lost his temper, but…he’s right to be angry at me.” He sighed, not meeting my eyes. “I wasn’t a good dad. I failed him, and I failed his mother.”
My heart sank. I was hoping he’d deny everything. “How did you fail them?”
“There’s a reason Emily divorced me. I didn’t make enough time for them. I barely saw Mike grow up. I was so occupied with my business, telling myself that once I was successful enough, I could spend more time with my family and provide for them.” He let out a humorless laugh. “All those thousands of hours I put in were pointless, though. The company isn’t even mine anymore.”
“Maybe you made some mistakes in the past,” I said. “Everyone does. It doesn’t mean you’re a terrible person.”
“My own son hates me.”
“So what? My own family can barely stand me. You saw that firsthand.” I cupped his jaw, forcing him to look me in the eyes. “Robert, since I’ve met you, you’ve been nothing but sweet and kind and caring. The day I fought with my parents could’ve been one of the worst days of my life, but you made it okay.”
Now that I thought about it, the more I understood why Robert didn’t defend himself when Mike attacked him. How many times had my family insulted me, and I just took it?
It was hard to stand up to your family. It was hard to fight back. Sometimes, you just felt resigned.
Robert sighed. He sounded so…tired.
“You’re amazing, Brooke,” he said. “Your family just doesn’t see that. Mike sees me for what I am.” He smiled sadly. “I’m two decades older than you, and I was practically homeless when we met. You have this incredible apartment. You’re a successful lawyer, and I’m working a basic construction job. You’re young, with a bright future. I’ve already been divorced once. My life is a wreck.” He sighed. “Mike must think I’m so pathetic, leeching off a woman twenty years younger than me.”
“Robert,” I said, my tone firm and authoritative. “You’re not leeching off me. Listen to me. I really like spending time with you, and if it’s okay, I want to return to the conversation we were having before Mike interrupted us.”
I watched Robert cast his mind back before giving me an embarrassed look. “I was going to ask if you wanted to be with me. But—”
“Yes,” I said.
His eyes widened, and he glanced away. “I don’t deserve you, Brooke. Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? There are so many reasons why this isn’t a good idea. I was living in a fantasy world until Mike appeared and showed me reality.”
“Robert, you think I’m smart, right?”
His eyes met mine. “Very,” he said.
“I’m smart enough to make my own decisions. I want to be in a relationship with you. Seeing you at the restaurant…when you’re hurt, I’m hurt.” I hesitated. “I’m sorry I argued with Mike. Normally, I would hold my tongue, but…you stood up for me in front of my family. I wanted to stand up for you.”
“Don’t be sorry,” he murmured. “I’m thankful you were on my side.”
I smiled. “I just want to see you happy.”
His expression softened. “Everything is better with you,” he said. “I haven’t been this happy in so long.”
“Let’s ignore what happened tonight,” I said. “Just be with me.”
He kissed me. His lips were warm and soft, and there was no tongue, but it was still passionate. Like he needed me to sense how much this meant to him. I clung to his arms, letting myself sink into him. The nastiness from that evening melted away. We were in our own little oasis, where everything would be alright.
The following morning, we woke up spooning, with Robert’s morning wood pushing up against my ass. Half asleep, I pushed back on it. I did that for a minute or two, until I heard his breathing change. “Brooke,” he said, voice raspy and oh so sexy.
“Yes?” I replied innocently.
He groaned, then wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close. I grinded my ass against him, feeling him grow even harder.
“What are you trying to do?” he asked. “We’ve got to get ready for work.”
“I want to suck you off,” I whispered. I wanted to make him feel good. Especially after last night.
But I wasn’t offering just to cheer him up. I genuinely wanted to give him head.
In the past, some boyfriends had asked for it, so I did it to make them happy. It always kind of felt like an obligation. But this morning, I really wanted to. I wanted to look up at him and see his face go tight with pleasure. I wanted to hear him make noises. I wanted him to push his hand through my hair and call me angel.
“Please?” I said, turning around so I was looking him in the eye.
“You don’t need to say please. You never have to say please.” He gazed his thumb across my lips. “I have to admit that I’ve been fantasizing about seeing these gorgeous pink lips wrapped around me.”
I smiled, cheeks going warm.
Robert sat up, so his back was resting against the headboard, his legs spread, and I positioned myself between them. I could see the faint outline of his erection through his pajama pants, and when I tugged it down, his cock swung out. It was hard and flushed red, with some shiny, clear precum gathering at the tip.
My mouth watered. God, I wanted to taste him. I wanted to please him.
I wrapped my hand around the base and Robert hissed. Carefully, I moved closer, so my mouth was only an inch away from his pulsing length, then licked the tip.
“Oh,” he said, so softly, I almost didn’t hear it.
I started licking the sides, getting it all wet
Slowly, I licked the cockhead, teasing him and watching the muscles in his thighs tense. Then I started to ease it into my mouth, taking it inch by inch, careful not to graze my teeth on him. It had been a while since I’d done this, but from Robert’s reactions, I could tell I was doing a good job. His eyelids had lowered slightly, and his breathing grew labored.
He was so big that I could only take about half of him into my mouth, so I used my hands to stroke the rest of him.
He put a hand in my hair. “You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth.”
Those filthy words in his deep voice made my pussy twitch. Encouraged, I started to bob my head up and down, coaxing low groans from him.
“Shit, baby,” he said. “That feels so good.”
I pulled off him to catch my breath. “Yeah?” I asked, still stroking him up and down.
He nodded. “Tap it on your tongue.”
I did, and saw his eyes darken. “God, that’s so fucking sexy.”
I felt sexy. I knew some women found giving blowjobs degrading, but pleasuring Robert made me feel powerful. I was in control of his pleasure, and the fact that he was enjoying it felt so rewarding.
I couldn’t help myself anymore. I slipped one of my hands between my thighs, and started to play with myself. He inhaled sharply.
I started sucking on him again while I rubbed circles around my clit, and he let his head fall back and rest against the headboard. “Watching you touch yourself is so fucking hot,” he said. “You like it, don’t you? You love sucking my cock.”
I hummed around his cock. It was my attempt at communicating, yes, I love it.
He started stroking my head, gently pushing his hand through my hair, making me feel cherished. “I’m so lucky to have you, Brooke. You’re so beautiful. So clever. And a world-class cocksucker too.”
His words made me rub my clit faster. I could feel myself approaching the edge. I pressed my tongue flat against the underside of his cockhead, where it was most sensitive, and he jerked, his hands curling into my hair.
It didn’t hurt. In fact, it exhilarated me to see him start to lose control.
“I’m— ” he began, teeth gritted. “I’m not going to last long.”
I started sucking harder, fully willing to swallow his cum. However, he had other ideas. “Get up here,” he ordered.
Not about to argue, I did as he said. I crawled up, so I was sitting on his lower stomach, his defined abs under my thighs. With one hand, he started stroking himself. The other hand played with my pussy.
We stared into each other’s eyes, and a second later, his jaw tightened. He came with a grunt, and I felt the hot splatter of his cum against my lower back. That, paired with his talented fingers on my clit, tipped me over the edge, and my toes curled as I had an earth-shattering orgasm.
A minute later, we caught our breath, and looked at each other. Robert’s skin was sweaty, and his cheeks flushed. I was probably sweaty and red too.
“Sorry, I made a mess,” he said.
I shook my head. “It was hot,” I said.
He chuckled. “Come on. We better shower, then get ready for work.”
I nodded and started to climb off him, but to my surprise, he picked me up, making me gasp. He carried me to the bathroom and we stood in the shower together, feeling happy and satisfied as hot water rained over us.
At work, I rubbed my eyes and forced myself to focus on the documents in front of me, even though my mind felt like it was being pulled in a hundred different directions. Anger at Mike. Joy at the fact that Robert and I were officially together. Excitement when I remembered the sex we’d had this morning. Sadness when I thought of the hurt on Robert’s face. Curiosity, because I still didn’t know what had happened in his family’s past.
Judging by how guarded Robert was about it, I doubted I would hear the details from him anytime soon. I would be lying if I said it didn’t bother me, but it was his personal business. He didn’t owe me any answers. He’d open up when he was ready.
My office phone suddenly rang, pulling me out of my thoughts. I picked up the receiver and placed it against my ear. “Brooke Chambers.”
“Hey, Brooke. I have a Mike Davies here to see you,” Ashley said. “He doesn’t have an appointment, but he insists it’s urgent.”
My blood ran cold. Mike was here? Why?