Chapter 38 Make Me Pay
MAKE ME PAY
“That was nice of your mother to take Maverick for the night,” Chance said two days later. “Did you ask her to do that?”
“No,” she said. “I really hadn’t.”
Not once had she mentioned to her mother that she’d like some alone time with Chance. So that they could have fun again and feel like a dating couple.
Jocelyn was fine with the way things had been. Even if she missed their more intimate encounters, she felt what they had was growing, but in another direction. Not a bad one. Just more complex.
It’s not like Chance and she weren’t having sex. It was just subdued sex, as she felt they both worried they’d wake up Maverick.
“Do you think he’ll be fine?” he asked.
“I’m positive. She’s staying at my place. He’ll feel comfortable there. He needs some familiarity and it will work out.”
“I appreciate it for both of us,” he said. “Though I think it’s going to feel odd to be in my place now without him. If he’s here, so am I at night. Or we are both at your place.”
“I think you need a night away. We both do. Not that I don’t enjoy my time with him. I always thought I’d have a child by now.”
“I heard,” he said.
Her lips pursed. “I’m sure one of my brothers mentioned it.”
“Jayce. I thought little of it. You’re too good with Mav not to want kids.”
“Thank you. Just because I always thought I’d have a child by now doesn’t mean I’d be good with one. You don’t know until it’s that time.”
“You’re better than me.”
“You’re doing a great job. Do you want to spend our night talking about Maverick?”
“Is it horrible of me if I say no?”
“Nope. It’s healthy. My mother will call if there is a problem. There won’t be.”
At least she hoped not.
“Where do you want to go tonight for dinner?”
“Nowhere,” she said. “Let’s stop and pick something up and eat naked in bed. I might even let you eat off of me.”
He burst out laughing and turned his head from where he was paying attention to the road. He’d picked her up. It’d been touch and go if Maverick would be upset with them leaving, but he gave them both a hug and kiss and went back to playing with her mother.
“I can get on board with that. What do you want to eat?”
“You,” she said.
“The feeling is mutual, but we’ll need something else.”
Her head was swiveling around. “Subs. We can toss them in the fridge until I’ve had enough of you.”
“That defeats you eating it off of me.”
“Sorry, that was a joke. If you’ve got some chocolate sauce, I might be into that.”
“Then I’d have to clean the sheets,” he said.
“Oh my God. Chance, did you just pick laundry over dirty sex with your girlfriend? You are totally a dad now.”
His horrified face had her bending over in the truck with laughter.
“You’ll pay for that.”
“Yes, please. Make me pay.”
He pulled into the first sandwich place they came to, they ran in and placed their orders, then were back in his truck and on the road five minutes later.
Her hand moved to his thigh in the truck. “Just need to get you ready.”
“I’m ready,” he said. “Move it a little more and you’ll see.”
“Will you be upset if I unbuckle and drop my head into your lap?”
“Short of sounding like a dad and being insulted again, hold that thought. I don’t need to crash or get pulled over. Got to keep my record clean right now.”
“Got it,” she said. “Boring. Being responsible and all.”
They got back to his place, his foot on the gas a bit more than it should have been, but his dick was actually controlling the show this time.
He tossed their food in the fridge wherever it landed, picked her up by the arms and sat her down on the table.
Her hands were in his shirt and pulling it up over his head, her mouth going for his nipple.
“Ouch,” he said. “Did you just bite me?”
“Hurry up,” she said. “You can return the favor.”
He yanked her shirt up and off, then tackled her bra while her hands went for the button on his jeans.
“I need to get a condom,” he said.
“I’m on birth control,” she said. “Your choice though.”
She’d gotten a shot in the arm over a month ago. As much as she wanted a child, she didn’t want it without being married. She was too old-fashioned for that.
She might joke about a sperm donor but hoped it would never come to that.
She lifted and shoved her jeans down to her ankles after she unfastened them, then kicked one leg out. He undid his, his dick springing free.
He yanked her close, her ass still on the table, her legs around his hips as he slammed into her.
This was what she was missing. What she needed again.
To show they still had it.
That it was just as strong as it’d been.
His hands went to her hips and pushed her tight while she ground against him.
“This feels so good,” she said. “Better than good.”
“If I move too much I’m done,” he whispered in her ear. “You need to get there. Grind, pump, touch yourself, I don’t care, but fucking get there.”
She was rubbing against him, the fullness inside of her mixed in with her tender flesh against his skin.
She hoped his table held her weight and movements because she wasn’t stopping until she did as he’d told her.
His fist wrapped around her hair, his mouth slanting against hers. The forcefulness of it was just another erotic sensation.
Her legs squeezed his hips, she bit his tongue, telling him she was close.
When her muscles tensed, her nails dug into the back of his neck, her body opened more for him.
He knew she was coming. She didn’t have to say a word.
He was slamming into her, moving the table and following with it to not lose their bond.
Their kiss ended, his forehead on her shoulder as if he was in pain as he grunted out his release.
She was inhaling and exhaling with him. A fine sheen of sweat covered her back.
“My abs hurt,” she said.
He picked her up and walked to the bathroom with her legs still around his waist.
“Make a mess in here,” he said, pulling out.
“The old responsible dad is back,” she said.
He walked out and shut the door to her laughter.
“I think I’m going to buy a house,” he said, biting into his sub. They were in his bed, but not naked.
Jocelyn had one of his T-shirts on and he was in his underwear, but they had the covers on them.
“Really?” she asked. “Because of Maverick?”
“Yeah. This place is too small. He needs room to run.”
He’d seen that at Thanksgiving with his son running in the backyard after his nap, kicking a ball around that Jim had found in the garage.
Or playing hide and seek with Jocelyn and Elise before dinner.
“I think he’d enjoy that. He did like running around the yard. I know he enjoys playing outside at daycare. It’s still warm enough to be out there with just a jacket.”
“They told me he liked it,” he said.
“Do you know where you’re going to look?”
“Not yet,” he said. “I need to get financing in order. That could take months.”
“Are you afraid that is going to be an issue?” she asked. “With the pub and everything?”
“I worry. It’s only been a year and though the pub is turning a profit and I’m getting an income there, along with my fireman’s salary, I shouldn’t have a problem.”
“Which means nothing,” she said.
“I don’t have a lot to put down,” he said. “Or what I’ve got, I’m not sure I want to drain with the whole twenty percent most banks want without personal mortgage insurance.”
Legal fees coming up. He was scheduled to get in and see Baylee next week. Not that he was looking forward to that, but if he could see her and get her to sign the custody papers, a lot of his stress and worries would go away. Maybe a house was more a dream than a reality right now.
“I understand,” she said. “I’ve thought about a house at some point. It’s just more work than I want.”
“It will be a lot of work,” he said. “Just added to what I’ve got, but I’m trying to do what is right. I don’t want him to grow up in a small apartment like I did.”
She finished chewing her sandwich and turned to look at him. “Stop trying to compare everything between the two of you. You turned out great. You have a healthy appreciation for hard work that some who were given more might not.”
“You appreciate hard work,” he said. “And we know you had a lot.”
“Look at Jayce. He’s used to the finer things in life. He doesn’t get his hands dirty and hires everyone to do things for him if he has to.”
Jocelyn’s brother seemed a little on the fancy side to him.
“That’s his life. He seems to enjoy it.”
“No. I don’t think he does. I think he spends so much time around professional athletes that he’s trying to live like them and he isn’t happy.”
He didn’t know one way or another other than Jayce had some marketing position with the Charlotte Hornets.
“You’d know more than anyone. Do you feel those things with him, being his twin?”
“Nah. We never did. I just know how he is and the way he’s acting. He’s stressed and was taking it out on you.”
He smirked. “I can handle myself.”
She turned and put her hand on his belly. “You can. You handle yourself well. The last few guys in my life were intimidated by my brothers. You’re not.”
Not that he’d let her see.
He could hold his own, but he’d never measure up. Never be on their level.
He just had to decide if he was content with where he was.
“Not everyone can have your life.”
“Don’t piss me off,” she said. “I’m too happy with you right now, but it can change. If you think you’re not worthy of me or my family again, I’m going to dump the rest of my sandwich on your junk. It’d be a shame too because it’s good and I’m starving.”
He shoved her face into his chest. “As long as you clean it up, I don’t care.”
The last thing he wanted was to be told he was a boring dad again.
Her giggle warmed his heart. Made it beat faster.
She lifted and smiled at him. Her eyes were soft. The depth of some emotion deep inside that he wasn’t sure he was reading right.
Fear kept him from asking. It might be what kept her from saying anything too.