Chapter 40 #2
“And I love you, Dayton O’Rourke.” I kiss his forehead lovingly, because even men deserve tenderness.
“I promise, for as long as I draw breath, the piece of my heart that’s uniquely yours will forever belong to you and only you.
No one else could ever replicate what the two of us share.
” There’s a reason I’ve fallen for each of them, and they’re not interchangeable to me.
Dayton dips his head, his tongue tracing the seam of my lips before delving inside.
He kisses me slowly, taking great pleasure in coaxing my body into a heightened state of arousal.
Just as I move to deepen it, the shower shuts off, and a second later the baby monitor crackles to life with the sound of Hudson waking.
“You take care of little man, and I’ll check in with Briggs.
Make sure he’s doing okay,” Dayton tells me, pecking my lips one last time before standing.
The front of his boxers is tented, proving he’s just as affected by me as I am by him.
I nod in agreement, taking the hand he offers to help me out of bed.
His smile is indulgent as he watches me waddle away, those light blue eyes turning molten when they trace the bare expanse of my thighs beneath another of Briggs’ T-shirts.
“One of these days, it’s going to be my clothes, Butterfly.
My clothes I slowly strip you out of, and my clothes covering your body after I’ve finished fucking you senseless. ” My lips part, at a loss for words.
The bathroom door is wrenched open, steam billowing out as Briggs’ half-naked body comes into view.
A towel hangs low on his hips, the tattooed striations marring his flesh barely taking away from the pornographic picture he presents.
His shaggy hair has droplets of water dripping off the ends, and I have to plant my feet to keep from moving closer, wanting to trace their path with the tip of my tongue.
“Damn, D. Didn’t know you had it in you,” Briggs comments cockily. “But just so you know, Angel, if you climb into bed with me wearing another man’s shirt, you’ll be sleeping naked.” He winks, ripping his towel off as he walks away, giving me an excellent view of his perfectly taut ass.
I shake my head and turn to leave, eager to get my morning snuggles with Hudson.
It’s become a bit of a tradition for the two of us.
Entering his room, I smile at the sight that greets me.
My sweet boy is pushing his toy excavator across the floor, destroying the building blocks he’s staged along a makeshift road.
We’re seeing small improvements every day now, his personality coming through more and more.
I only wish that Seth were here to witness it, too.
Grabbing a book from his shelf, I take a seat in the rocker we brought from his old room, grinning when Hudson abandons his toys to climb onto my lap.
Once he’s wiggled around and situated himself comfortably, I begin reading the story, inhaling the baby shampoo still scenting his curls after last night’s bath.
We spend our morning reading a few more stories and then building a castle with his blocks.
A laugh bubbles out of me when Hudson stomps around the room and crashes through it, pretending to be the dragon we just read about.
Before long, Dayton pops his head in, smiling widely at the two of us lost in our make-believe world.
He swoops Hudson into his arms, tugging his pajama shirt up so he can blow a raspberry on his tummy.
His squeal of laughter is music to my ears.
I wish I could bottle that sound and replay it every time I’m having a bad day.
“Breakfast is ready,” Dayton states, tossing Hudson over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
I follow behind them, shaking my head at their antics. Entering the kitchen, I find Raiden and Briggs shuffling around one another, plating pancakes and filling glasses with orange juice. Wanting to be useful, I open the cabinet dedicated to Hudson’s sippy cups and stand on my tiptoes to reach one.
“I got it, mama,” Raiden whispers, his front pressing against my back as he slides his hand over my side to stroke my stomach.
I barely register the cup he hands me, too focused on the way his accent curled around that singular word so sensually.
“Happy Thanksgiving.” Raiden presses a kiss to my cheek before stepping back, allowing me to breathe normally now that he’s not invading my space and turning me on.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” I reply robotically, my hand unsteady as I go about diluting Hudson’s apple juice with a bit of water. I can thank Briggs for filling in the gaps of my limited knowledge when it comes to caring for a toddler. I’d be completely lost if I didn’t have him guiding me.
Noting the time, we quickly eat our breakfast and begin getting ready.
I’ve never celebrated Thanksgiving before.
Veritas didn’t recognize holidays, and my parents never cared to acknowledge them, much less explain what they meant.
It wasn’t until that fateful day on the playground, when the topic of Santa was broached, that I began to question what else I was unaware of.
I’m just grateful that Hudson and this baby will grow up experiencing everything I didn’t.
They’ll have all the whimsy of the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy, and never once will I complain about my back aching from wrapping their Christmas presents at the very last minute.
I’m eager to do it all, and maybe a part of me is excited to see the childhood I should’ve had through their eyes.
“Time to go!” Briggs hollers from the living room.
I’m contorting my body in every direction, trying to zip the last inch of my dress when I finally admit defeat with a growl, stomping my foot in frustration.
A chuckle sounds from behind me, and a quick glance in the mirror shows Raiden, perched against the doorframe, his dark eyes drinking me in.
I’m not sure what he finds appealing about my current state, but the way his gaze licks across my flesh leaves little to question about whether he does or doesn’t.
“Let me help you, minha luz,” Raiden purrs, the endearment rolling off his tongue deliciously.
I inhale sharply when he kisses the exposed part of my spine, my eyes closing as his breath fans across my skin.
I barely register my zipper closing. “My sister is joining us today, but she’s promised to be on her best behavior.
” He winks, instantly easing the worry that began to creep in.
Our first encounter wasn’t the greatest, but neither of us was expecting the other when I opened the door that day.
As far as I’m concerned, we’ve yet to meet officially.
“Does she know?” I question, biting my lip nervously. He doesn’t need me to explain, already knowing where my thoughts have taken me.
“Yes,” he answers unashamedly, moving around to face me. “You’re not a secret I intend to keep for very long, minha luz. I’m proud to be yours.” I melt at hearing his sweet words, but I know it’s not as simple as that.
“I don’t think Col wants this,” I whisper, my eyes welling with tears as I finally give voice to what’s been plaguing me since yesterday. Deep down, I know what his decision will be, and if I think about it for very long, my heart’s in danger of being shredded to ribbons.
“Let’s not count him out just yet,” Raiden insists, but the grim set of his mouth is telling.
“Let’s get going before Briggs sends out a search party.
” He smiles, trying to lighten the mood, then takes my hand and leads me towards the door where Briggs and Dayton are waiting patiently.
They’re both dressed in jeans and collared shirts.
Between them, holding each of their fingers, I find Hudson, dressed similarly and looking far too adult for his little body.
“Oh my goodness, look how handsome you are!” I gush, bending to pepper his cheek with kisses.
“Thank you,” Briggs jests, smoothing down the front of his shirt. “I clean up quite nice, don’t I?” I roll my eyes, kissing his cheek as well.
“So nice,” I exaggerate, rounding my eyes dramatically.
“Careful,” Briggs growls, playfully swatting my ass when I turn my attention to Dayton.
“You look very nice as well,” I add with a smile, enjoying the way his irritation begins to fester at being left out.
Narrowing his eyes, he points a single finger to his cheek and taps it.
When I turn to leave without doing his bidding, he twirls me back around and slams his lips against mine.
My gasp gives him the perfect opening for his tongue to delve inside.
A moan slips out of me against my will, but the clearing of Raiden’s throat shatters the moment.
Shame floods me when I realize how carried away we’d gotten, completely forgetting we aren’t alone.
Thankfully, Hudson is paying us no attention, too focused on the crackers Briggs has given him.
“Maybe we can table the PDA until we’ve had that talk, yeah?” Raiden suggests, forever the voice of reason.
“Speak for yourself,” Briggs mutters. “That was hot as fuck.” He pointedly grips his dick and rearranges it, his eyes simmering with desire.
“Fuht!” Hudson mimics, clapping his hands excitedly. I gasp, pointing an accusing finger at Briggs.
“You just taught him a curse word!” I screech.
“The hell I did!” Briggs fires back, pointing his own finger at Raiden and dropping yet another word he shouldn’t. “He taught him that days ago, Angel. So it’s his fault, not mine,” he insists. I stare at Raiden, waiting for an explanation, but his pinched look of confusion only frustrates me more.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Briggs,” Raiden states, his face the picture of innocence.