12. Bax
CHAPTER 12
Bax
“M y nose is numb,” Olivia whispers, leaning her slight weight into my side, and I smile, looking down at her.
“You’re drunk, baby.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders and tuck her against my side, where she fits perfectly.
“I’m not drunk. I’m cold.” She’s not cold, and she might not be drunk, but she’s definitely tipsy. All the girls got together and made hot apple cider, which they mixed with Jack Daniels Spiced Whiskey, to carry with them before we ushered the kids out of the house to take them trick-or-treating.
“I think we’re going to turn around and start heading back to the house,” Clay says, and I look over at him, then drop my gaze to my sister. She’s holding her very large stomach that is covered with a bright-blue hoodie painted on the front to look like her bump is a fishbowl with a goldfish inside.
“You okay?” I ask when Willow meets my gaze.
“Yeah, my feet are just swollen, and I need to get off them for a bit.”
“I think we should all head back,” Sage says, and Harlen nods his agreement as Harmony and Kim walk back toward our group with the kids, who just went up to another house for candy.
“Are we going back home?” Harmony asks, looking at her husband. He’s pulling the wagon holding their youngest, Lillian, who gave up on walking about thirty minutes after we got outside. Though, every now and then, one of the other kids will join her, or she’ll get out to walk with the bigger kids.
“We can start in that direction, and the kids can hit the houses on the opposite side of the street on the way back.”
“Sounds good.” She leans up, kissing him when she gets to his side.
“We’ll meet you guys at the house,” Clay says, not giving Willow a choice when I know she’d choose to suffer and walk with the kids.
“Do you want us to go with you?” I ask him.
“Nah, we’re good.” He wraps his arm around Willow as we cut across the street, and while we stop on the sidewalk in front of another house, they continue on.
Thirty minutes later, with each of the kids carrying bags that are stuffed full of more candy than they will probably be able to eat in a year, we arrive back at my house. The porch light is off, signaling there is no more candy to be had.
The moment we get inside, the kids all drop to their knees on the floor in the living room and start dumping out their bags to see what they got and to trade with each other for their favorites. After making sure the kids are good, the guys and I all congregate in the kitchen while the girls, including Olivia, settle outside with Willow, who has her feet up on the coffee table and a plate of food resting on her belly.
“So what’s going on with the house, you guys are building on Hickson? Is it already under contract?” Clay asks, and Talon and I focus on him.
“It’s not under contract. We’re waiting until it’s finished to put it on the market. Our goal is to have it complete around April or May, depending on how intense this winter is. And we’ll debut it in the summer when school is out and the market is hot,” Talon says, then asks, “Are you thinking about moving out of Nashville?”
“I’m thinking about it. Willow likes where we are now and loves being close to my brothers, but with the baby coming, I’m not sure how long our space will work for us.”
“You’ll have to bring her over and do a walkthrough. It’s sitting on almost two acres, so there is plenty of space for a pool. And the location is great, which I’m sure you noticed, since it’s close to everything, including that new shopping plaza they’re building down the road,” I tell him, then glance at my dad. “How far is it from you guys? Ten minutes, maybe fifteen?”
“I think I clocked it at twelve,” he confirms, and I look at Clay.
“She’d be happy being closer to Mom, especially with a new baby.”
“If we did like it, would there be time to make changes?”
“We’ve got everything picked out, but if you did decide you wanted it, some things can still be changed,” I reply.
“I’ll talk to her about it and see if she wants to take a look.”
“Just let me know.” I glance out the back door to check on Olivia and find her settled in close to my mom on the couch, with her feet also up on the coffee table and a smile on her face. I’m not surprised in the least that she fits in with my family like she’s always belonged. She knew them for years when she was younger, so she’s just fallen right back into place.
“When are you going to talk to Liam about that?” my dad asks, nodding toward the back door, and everyone focuses on me.
“When there’s something to tell him.”
“Don’t wait too long.” He holds my stare, letting me see his concern, and I nod.
I should have guessed he’d pick up on things between Olivia and me, even if there is nothing going on at this point. And I know that if he talks to my mom about it, she’ll be as concerned as he is and will want to make sure I know what I’m doing. Liam isn’t just important to me; he’s part of my family, even if we aren't blood, and my parents both love him like he’s one of their kids.
That niggle of doubt that has been plaguing me since I first saw her and realized who she is doesn’t creep back up on me. But that doesn’t mean I’m not worried about the repercussions or how long the dust might take to settle.
“It will all work out,” Sage says quietly, then continues when my eyes lock on his. “Don’t be an idiot like I was and let other shit get in the way of you finding happiness. You’ll just end up regretting the time you lost.”
“He’s right,” Dad agrees, then adds, “Even if it takes some time, Liam will get over it eventually.”
“I hope you’re right,” I mutter, then look toward the back door when it opens and watch Willow step inside with the rest of the girls right behind her.
“You ready to head home?” Clay asks her gently.
“Yeah.” She gives him a tired smile as she walks to him and falls into his arms.
“We should take off too since the kids have school in the morning, and it’s going to take a while to get them settled after giving them free rein with the amount of candy they ate tonight,” Harlen says as Harmony curls into his side.
“You’re on duty tonight, sir,” she says, patting his stomach.
“That’s fine.” He kisses the top of her head before moving her toward the living room, where I hear him, Sage, and Talon tell the kids it’s time to clean up and head home, with lots of disappointed groans in response.
With Olivia at my side, we step into the living room, where the kids are packing up their candy and gathering all the empty wrappers to throw away, which there are dozens of.
“I don’t feel bery good,” Lillian—Harmony and Harlen’s youngest—whispers, walking up to me, and I lift her off her feet.
“How much candy did you eat?” Olivia asks, and Lillian gives her a wonky smile.
“Lots.”
“Lots?” Oli repeats, laughing and smoothing her hand over my niece’s hair, and she nods. “By the morning, you’ll feel better, okay?”
“Well, I feel great,” Nash announces with a mouthful of some kind of chewy candy, making everyone laugh.
After passing Lillian off to her dad, who helps her into her coat, I watch Olivia hug my mom and everyone else before I open the door for them and say goodbye. When I finally close the door behind my parents, who are the last to leave, I meet Oli’s gaze across the now quiet room.
“See? That wasn’t so bad.”
“You’re right. It wasn’t. You still have the best family.” She walks with me into the kitchen, then hops up on the counter, opening the tray of cupcakes she brought over that is empty except for one. After taking out the last cupcake, she licks some of the frosting from the top. Holding myself still, I watch her pull down the edge of the wrapper and take a bite before her eyes lift to mine.
“Sorry.” She licks her lips. “Did you want some of this?”
“Just a taste.” I walk to where she's sitting and get close, watching her pupils dilate when I use my hips to push her knees apart and grab her wrist. Lifting her hand, I take a bite of the cupcake between us and lick away the frosting from my upper lip while her gaze drops to my mouth to watch.
“Good?” The question is breathy and goes right to my dick.
“I’m not sure.” I let her wrist go and take the cupcake from her.
Taking another bite, I feel her thighs flex around my hips, then slide my thumb through the thick frosting as I swallow and meet her gaze.
“Bax,” she breathes as I swipe my thumb across her bottom lip, then lean in to lick away the sweet, creamy frosting. She whimpers in response, and I drop the cupcake to the counter so I can have both my hands free.
With one hand behind her, I tug her forward and wrap the other around her hip.
I don’t take my time. My mouth devours hers.
Her lips open under mine, and I drink her in, memorize her taste, and kiss her like I’ve wanted to for days. Pressing in deeper when her legs circle my hips, I groan in response when I feel her nails bite into my skin. I’ve never experienced anything more beautiful in my fucking life than her heat pressed up against me, and I want more but know it’ll never be enough.
When my hand at her back moves forward and finds its way under the edge of her shirt, and I feel her soft, smooth skin, then the lace of her bra under my palm, I pull it back and ball my hand into a fist. I drop it to the counter next to her hip and drag her bottom lip between my teeth before I let it go, kissing away the sting before dragging my mouth from hers.
“We need to slow down.” We still need to talk, and we both need to be on the same page about what happens next.
“No, please.” She slides her fingers into my hair and tugs as she lifts her hips into mine.
Fuck.
Moving my hand from her thigh to her jaw, I give in and deepen the kiss as I let my free hand roam, and she whimpers down my throat. I’m done for. I don’t know how I talked myself into believing even for a second that I could fight the pull when it comes to her.
When her hands move between us, and I feel her fingers at the button of my jeans, I find more willpower than I ever knew I had and use it to rip my mouth from hers once again as I grab both her hands in one of mine.
“Bax.” She pants, wiggling her fingers.
Fuck. Lifting my forehead from hers, I let my gaze roam over her face. Her eyes are lust drunk, lips swollen, and cheeks pink. I don’t know how she looks after she’s had an orgasm, but I’m looking forward to seeing her after she comes if this is what she looks like when all I’ve done is kiss her.
I’m so hard I ache, and I know nothing but being inside her is going to offer me any type of relief.
I shake my head, trying to clear the thought of fucking her from my mind, and let her hands go.
“We need to talk.” The second the statement sounds through the air, her body loses every ounce of softness, and the lust in her gaze turns to fear, causing my gut to clench.
“We can’t tell Liam.” She puts pressure on my chest so she can sit up, and I move back—but only slightly.
“I’m not going to hide this from him.”
“We don’t even know what this is.” She motions between us. “This could just be a chemistry thing, and once we get each other out of our systems, we’d both move on. I don’t want to ruin my brother’s relationship with you if this is just a hookup and nothing more.”
“This is not a hookup.”
“You don’t know that,” she argues.
She’s wrong. I do know. But there is no way for me to explain things to her without sounding insane.
“I know you’ve dated a lot ,” she says, and the emphasis on “a lot” makes my jaw so tight my teeth ache. “I think we need to see what’s happening here before we say anything to anyone.”
“So you want me to lie?”
She shakes her head. “It’s not a lie unless he asks you about it, and he won't.”
“Because I’ll have to pretend that nothing is going on.” I take a step back and drop my arms to my sides.
“It’s just while we figure this out,” she assures.
“Okay.” My hands flex at my sides. It’s hard to keep them to myself after they’ve been given free rein to touch her. “But I have one condition.” I close the distance between us again and settle myself back between her legs while I wrap my hand around her throat, using my thumb to tip her chin up.
“What’s that?” she asks breathlessly, digging her nails into my side.
“I don’t fuck you before then either.”
Her lips part in surprise, and I cover her mouth with mine, cutting off any reply she might have made.
I don’t need Liam’s permission to be with her, and his opinion isn’t going to change anything, but I’m not going to fuck her like some dirty little secret. I’m also not going to sleep with her if she’s not sure about us.