Chapter 60
LEX
The Whitmore’s
About to punch August and Cal in the mouth.
From an architectural standpoint—and since I’m now officially a college graduate with an Architecture degree—I have to give credit where credit is due.
The Whitmore’s backyard is a structural masterpiece.
The hardscaping is flawless. Featuring clean lines of imported stone tiles that frame their infinity pool as it weaves through the garden.
The water spills down into a sub-level catch that feeds a massive, tiered limestone fountain.
Whoever designed that circulation system deserves a raise because keeping pressure consistent across three elevations is not an easy task. Trust me, I had to retake Professor Walker’s water circulation exam my Sophomore year. Along with damn near every other student who took that class.
I will say though, Savannah’s manicured gardens that their pool weaves through… total overkill. I mean they’re pretty and shit like that, don’t get me wrong. Just not my style.
Right now, a gigantic banner stretches across The Whitmore’s timber-framed pool house, reading CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!
In bold burgundy and black lettering of course because I’m the only schmuck around here not graduating from Wexley.
However, Savannah did sneak in some blue and gold into the centerpieces.
A nice little nod to Northvale.
“Hello?” His voice is muffled on the other end of the phone as it competes with the screaming roar of his car’s engine when he picks up speed.
“Knox!” I grip the phone against my ear with my shoulder, using my free hand to aggressively flip another burger on the grill. “Where the fuck are you?”
“Sorry, it’s my fault,” Haley’s voice chimes in, clearly seated right next to him. “I forgot one of the presents and we had to circle back to Rosethorne.”
“Just hurry the hell up,” I mutter, cutting my eyes across the lawn. “August and Cal are already three shots deep and getting on my last goddamn nerve.”
Through the rising smoke of the grill, I watch August throw back another shot at the outdoor bar. He slams down the glass while the fucker Callum completely encourages him. To make matters even worse, Zeke and Marisol just stepped up and it looks like they’re pouring another round.
“Make that four,” I add.
“And Cade?” Knox asks.
I glance past Briggs’s carbon copies who’re fiercely tossing a football back and forth and spot Cade.
“Stuck in Bennett Whitmore’s purgatory,” I say, wincing.
He’s been trapped in the same exact lawn chair for the last twenty-five minutes, cornered by his Grandpa Bennett. I should probably be a good boyfriend and go pull him out of that fire. But if I step anywhere near that conversation, the old man will reel me in too.
I’d rather swallow hot coals.
When we had the old geezer’s birthday party last spring, I got sucked into a damn near hour-long lecture on the wonderful world of Wall Street. No fucking thanks. Sorry, Cade. I love you, but you’re on your own here, babe.
“Ooh,” Haley squeals. “I love Grandpa B. He’s such a sweet soul.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, laughing as I take a sip of my beer. “When you get here, you can take Cade’s spot.” The sizzles rise from the grill as I flip another burger. “Just get your asses here.”
“Be there soon!” Haley says before the line goes dead.
I toss my phone onto the side shelf of the built-in grill, the metal clanking against the stainless steel.
A few burgers later, the back doors of the Whitmore mansion swing open.
Mom steps onto the patio in her signature ice-blue silk blouse. Every strand of that white-blonde hair of hers perfectly pulled back in place. Dad follows wearing pressed slacks and a black button-down, one hand resting on the small of her back as they make their way down the stairs.
Savannah greets them at the bottom of the stairs and wraps Mom up in a quick hug. She pulls her out of Dad’s grip and ushers her off to the side for what I’m sure is the newest Manhattan gossip.
I love that the two of them finally are getting along. Dad and Roman burying the last bit of their bad blood between them has really helped smooth everything over. Not that Mom and Roman are exactly best buds or anything like that, but they are trying.
Funny how life works. A Bratva queen and a mafia king with years of history, some good but most of it bad. Then throw in the Whitmores of Wall Street and none of this shit should make any sense together. But somehow, we’ve become a big, twisted, and chaotic family through it all anyway.
Bella steps out onto the patio. And fuck me running.
She’s wearing tiny black shorts and a tight burgundy crop top that hits right above her belly button.
Showing off every single inch of her killer waist. Her dark hair falls down her her back in these thick, beautiful waves, bouncing with every step she takes in those black high-heeled boots that make her ass look fucking radiant.
A sudden and heavy throb against my jeans makes itself known.
“Cool it, Little Lex,” I mumble, adjusting myself before taking another sip of beer. “Not the time.”
She spots Dad before even looking my way. A rare smile breaks across his face when he sees her heading toward him. He steps right in, catches her around the waist, and lifts her clean off her feet.
Watching them makes this weird lump form in my throat. She finally looks at my dad the way she’s looked at Clay for years. And after everything she’s been through, Dad treats her like the daughter he never had.
He sets her down and they start chatting. I can’t hear what they’re saying over the roar of the fire beneath these burgers. Bella throws her head back and laughs. It’s a real, genuine sound that rings across the yard.
She presses her hand affectionately against his forearm, using her other hand to tuck a stray onyx wave behind her ear. The movement pulls her crop up even more and reveals more of her perfectly toned body.
I’m officially losing my goddamn mind.
Bella stands on her tiptoes, plants a sweet kiss on my dad’s cheek, and points toward the outdoor kitchen before walking off to join Mom and Savannah.
Dad watches her go for a moment with this proud look smeared all over his face. He turns his head and locks his eyes on me. Bastard just smirks, clearly reading the feral and impatient expression plastered across my face as he makes his way over to the grill.
He stops right beside me, leaning his hips against the stone counter. “You’re gonna burn those, son,” he says, his voice low.
“They’ll eat,” I grunt, not taking my eyes off the path our girl just walked.
Dad chuckles deep in his chest. He reaches out and claps his heavy tattooed hand onto my shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “I know that look.”
“What look?”
Dad doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he just reaches over and plucks the spatula out of my hand. “I’ll take it from here. Go get your girl.”
The smirk on his face is infuriating, but I’m too wired to give a damn. I wipe my hands on a dry towel and throw it onto the counter. Then make a beeline to the couch where Bella, Mom, and Savannah are huddled.
“…and then she had the nerve to suggest we host the benefit in October,” Savannah is saying, rolling her eyes while sipping her chilled rosé.
“The audacity,” Mom murmurs, though there’s a subtle amused glint in her eyes.
“Excuse me, ladies,” I interrupt, stepping right into their circle.
Bella glances upward, her eyes lighting up the second they land on me. I don’t even give her a chance to open that pretty little mouth of hers. I reach down, wrap my fingers around her wrist, and tug.
“Burgers are almost done, Dad took over,” I say in a rush, looking over at Savannah. Then I take a quick peek at my mom. “Hey, Mom. Nice blouse, glad you could make it. Savannah, looking lovely as always. Bella, baby. You’re coming with me.”
“Lex!” Bella gasps, laughing as I hurl her ass straight up off the outdoor couch.
“Darling, let the poor girl breathe,” Mom chuckles, shaking her head while lifting her martini glass to her ruby red lips.
Savannah just raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. She knows where this is going.
“Baby, I need you to come with me for a moment,” I growl, ignoring them both.
I keep my grip securely on her wrist and drag her past the glass French doors and into the quiet, air-conditioning of the main house. Her boot heels click-clack against the hardwood as I lead her down the hall, bypassing the main staircase, and head up the back steps.
“Lex, what are you doing?” she whispers, breathless and giggling as she tries to keep up. “We’re missing your party!”
“Don’t care,” I mutter, my blood roaring in my ears.
I reach the landing, grab the brass handle of the door at the end of the hall and push it open. I pull her inside, using my foot to kick the heavy wooden door shut behind us.
I press my back against the closed door, taking a second to look around.
The room is deadly silent, smelling faintly of old cedar and ink.
It’s Cade’s bedroom. The walls are a muted olive green.
All the furniture is a dark, rustic brown.
Old leather sketchbooks and framed landscape prints are still occupying the shelves.
Bella looks around. “Why are we in Cade’s old room?”
Stepping forward, I cup her jaw in my hand and slam my mouth down on hers. I kiss her hard, pouring all the tension, the relief, and the hunger of the last God knows how long into it. My tongue slides past her lips as my other hand grips her waist to pull her flush into my chest.
She groans against my mouth while her hands grip my shoulders. But after a few kisses, she gently pulls back. Her lips are wet and swollen as she looks up at me. A slow, wicked grin spreads across her face as her eyes drop to the undeniable ridge straining against the denim of my jeans.
“Oh,” she whispers. “I see what this is about.”
Bella sinks gracefully to her knees before I even have a damn breath to admire the look in those steel-gray eyes of hers.
My breath stutters, my hands immediately mapping the curve of her bare shoulders as she reaches for my belt. She pops the button, slides the zipper down with a slow zzzzt, and reaches inside my boxers.
Her warm fingers wrap around my cock and pull me free. She slowly begins to stroke and tease me. Her thumb slides over the crown and coaxes out a bead of precum, sending my hips twitching toward her. I let out a low moan as my eyes roll into my head.
Fuck. She’s barely even touching me and I’m already losing it.
Her grin spreads across her face as she looks up at me, watching the way my chest flutters. She stops her movement and rests her palm against the base of my dick.
Literally leaving me hanging.
“Now…” she murmurs, her voice dripping with a mock innocence. She tilts her head, eyeing my dick and looking back up to my face. “What exactly should I do with this?”
My jaw tightens so hard it hurts. “Bella,” I warn. “Now is not the time to play with me.”
She lets out a soft, delighted giggle as she tightens her fingers around me just enough to make me hiss. “I don’t know, baby. You did interrupt a very invigorating conversation about that charity dinner back there. Maybe I should just leave you like this as punishment.”
“If you don’t put that pretty mouth on me in the next three seconds,” I growl, my hand dropping back to cup the back of her head. “I’m going to pick you up and shove you on it myself.”
She laughs against my thigh. The warmth of her breath sending a violent shiver through my entire body. “Okay, okay,” she whispers.
Bella leans in. When she darts her tongue out to circle the head of my dick, I forget how to breathe for a second.
Or two.
Or three.
“Bella,” I choke out.
The wet, hot slide of her mouth as she wraps her cherry-red lips around me and slides all the way down sucks the breath right out of my lungs. I dig my fingers into her skin as my balls tighten.
She’s staring at me through her eyelashes.
Keeping that goddamn unbroken stare of hers while she pumps her hand at my base and sucks me down.
The sound of her throat swallowing me, the slick friction of her mouth—it’s driving me fucking insane.
My hips twitch against her faster, sending my head banging back into the wall.
“Baby,” I grunt, my voice completely wrecked. I stare back down at her and lock our eyes once more. “Look at you. Good…” Another moan breaks free when her throat clenches around the tip. “Fucking girl.”
She hums, nodding. The vibrations of her throat damn near causes my knees to buckle. I reach down, fisting my fingers deep into her thick waves. I pull her head back just enough to see her wet, swollen lips, before I thrust forward, forcing her mouth wide open.
Bella lets out a muffled whimper. Her hands claw at my thighs as I drive myself down. Slamming the entire length of my throbbing dick right into the back of her throat.
She takes every damn inch. Her throat clamps around my shaft, squeezing me so tight my vision blurs. My balls tighten even harder into an aching knot as the pressure builds.
Until I’m right on the brink of exploding.
“That’s it,” I growl while I fuck her throat. “Take it all, malyshka.” I hold her head in place, my hips snapping forward as I thrust in deep. I hit the back of her throat over and over until she’s gagging around me.
Right as I’m about to lose it, her hand leaves my thigh. She reaches up between my legs and wraps her warm fingers around my balls, giving them that heavy squeeze she does when she wants to ruin me.
“Ahh!” I moan, the sudden spike of pleasure shooting straight up my spine.
My entire body locks up.
She squeezes my balls tighter and that’s the final fucking straw. I’m done. I can’t hold it back any longer. I drive myself as deep as I can go, pulsing thick and hot right down her throat.
“Fuck, baby,” I mutter as she swallows the last drop of my cum.