Dutton
Chapter
Twenty-Two
The first person I see when I open the door to the bowling alley is Mr. Vans. It’s as if there is a beacon above my head—he looks up, along with all of the other people, employees and bowlers.
I freeze for the smallest moment before following Brooke inside.
Our afternoon was quiet and perfect.
I don’t know how much she wants me to ask about yesterday, but I get the feeling that she doesn’t want to talk about something we can’t control. We did what we could, and for now, that’s all we can do.
Now, it’s time to relax with our friends and be there for her when she needs me.
Our group takes up a good portion of the far lanes.
“More of you, huh,” Mr. Vans grumbles when Brooke and I walk up to the counter to pay and collect our shoes.
“Busy night tonight, Mr. Vans, isn’t it?”
His glare shifts to a calmness I’ve never had the privilege of seeing.
“Are you doing okay?” he asks Brooke, not replying to her question.
She nods.
“You promise?”
“Yes, I’m staying with Dutton for a while until things calm down. I’m safe.”
Mr. Vans’s focus returns to me, but this time there isn’t as much anger in his eyes.
He sighs heavily.
“Tonight's games for the two of you on me. You deserve to have some carefree fun,” he says to Brooke. “And you, Dutton, get one chance to redeem yourself for what you did to this place all those years ago.”
“Yes, sir,” I say and smile at Brooke. It’s hard not to—her smile could turn even the worst of situations into nothing but joy.
“And that look she’s giving you is the only reason you’re getting this chance to begin with. Now tell me what shoe sizes you need.”
Brooke and I rattle off our sizes and then join the group. We are the last ones here.
“All I’m saying is that this was poorly planned.” Linc crosses his arms as he stands in front of Luca.
“I thought I counted an even number.”
“Seventeen is not even.”
“What’s going on?” I ask, taking a seat at one of the four lanes we have claimed. Brooke sits next to me, and we begin to change our shoes.
“Everyone has a partner except for me.” Linc huffs.
“I said I’d be your partner,” Grace chimes in. “Like a hundred times.”
Linc and Luca both look past her to Preston, and then they both shake their heads.
“Nope. You have a partner,” Linc says as a matter of fact.
“I’ll gladly give him up,” Grace pleads.
“No can do. What needs to happen is that we need one more to join us.”
“I’ll be on your team,” Layla says, and I grin at my niece.
“You’re on my team,” Gavin says quickly.
Layla rolls her eyes at her dad, but then fist bumps me and quickly takes a seat by Brooke.
Brooke nudges her with her arm the way she’s done to me a dozen or more times.
“Hi, Layla, how are you?”
“Good. I …” My niece's words trail off and then she shakes her head. “My dad told me what happened and—”
“And I also told you not to bring it up." Gavin groans and runs a hand over his face. “Sorry, Brooke.”
“It’s fine. Did you want to ask me something about it?” she asks my niece.
That’s how Brooke is. She can clearly see that something about it is weighing on my niece, and even though this man came to harass her and broke into her house, she wants to make sure my niece talks through whatever is on her mind.
“I just … you seem fine today, and I would think that what happened was scary. How are you so calm?”
“Layla,” Gavin scolds, but Brooke holds a hand up and grins.
Everyone is looking at us.
I’m sure they all want to know the answer to that question.
I’d be lying if I said I didn't want to know, too.
“Well, for starters, your dad stayed with me and kept me safe until Dutton could be there for me. After that, Dutton has been there for me at every moment I need him, and these people,” Brooke says, her eyes starting to gloss over, “every single one of them changed their day around to be right here right now for me. I’m loved, and I have a support system that will protect me.
” She looks at me. “I’ve never felt safer. ”
Grace rushes over and hugs her as some of the other women wipe at their tears or hug their husbands. After a moment, Gavin pulls our sister off my girl.
Chatter picks back up as they organize who is going to which lanes.
“You sure are something else, Brooke Sloan,” I lean in to whisper in her ear. “And I think I’m starting to become a little obsessed with you.”
She grins, blushing as she slowly turns to look at me.
“Good,” she whispers too.
Fuck, I’d do anything to kiss her right now, but eyes are on us and I just want this night to be relaxing for her. I don’t want her to have to answer questions about us that we don’t have the answers to ourselves.
“One player from each team gets to bowl once in a round. It doesn't matter who goes first or second as long as you switch off,” Luca says loudly enough for all of us to hear. “Since we have nine teams.”
“Eight and a half.” Linc glares at him, and all the girls hold back a laugh.
“Since we have nine teams,” Luca repeats, “we will track who wins over the next nine weeks and then have a championship.”
“You announce it as if this is about to become a thing,” Gavin says.
“Oh, it is.” Luca winks at Gavin.
“Don’t wink at me.” My brother cringes, causing everyone to laugh.
“Why? Are you afraid it’s going to throw you off?” Luca taunts Gavin.
One thing people always forget about Gavin: he loves a challenge.
“You’re on,” my brother says. “But let’s up the stakes.”
“Yesss.” Linc’s eyes go wide as he nods continuously.
“Winner gets to pick out the losers’ Halloween costume,” Hudson says before my brother has a chance.
“Deal,” Linc and Luca say at the same time.
“Oh, dear.” Shay shakes her head.
Linc declares that he’s on his own team, and the guys allow it.
With the terms settled, we all start bowling.
Brooke and I don’t win tonight, but we don’t get last place either. Technically, that spot is reserved for Ruby and Declan’s kids, but since we aren’t counting them, the losing team for week one goes to Gavin and Layla.
I’d bet anything that he brings his daughter back this week to practice.
I’d love to stay and tease him about it, but there is a stunning blonde standing next to me who I can’t wait to take home.
We switch out our shoes and stop by the front counter to turn them in.
Mr. Vans nods at me.
I can come back.
I’ve now redeemed myself with four of the five targets.
The last one is Brooke's father.
I have no idea how to go about that one, but I have a feeling his opinion of me is going to be the most important.
If that man can approve of me dating his daughter, I’d say I’ve done more than just turned my reputation around. I’ll be setting a new standard for the town.
But Brooke and I aren't exactly dating.
In the parking lot, I open the truck door for her and quickly walk around the hood to my side. When I get in, she’s smiling at me.
“What?” I ask.
“That was really fun, and I’m actually looking forward to doing it again next week,” she admits.
“Will I still get to be your partner?”
“Oh,” she laughs, “you’re stuck with me from here on out, Big D. Don’t even try to find someone else.”
That is truly the worst nickname on earth, but when she says it with that smile on her face, I’d happily hear it every day for the rest of my life.
“I wouldn't dream of it,” I tell her and in less than ten minutes, I pull into the garage. Brooke meets me at the hood of the truck.
She doesn’t even give me time to question what she’s thinking before she presses to her tiptoes and kisses me.
I immediately cradle her face, my fingers thread into her hair, and I tilt her head to deepen the kiss.
I’ve been waiting all night—hell, all day for this moment.
Her tongue slips past my lips, and on a groan, I reach down and lift her, wrap her legs around my hips and walk her to the door. Never taking my mouth off her, I open the door to the house and walk us to my room.
I sit on my bed, Brooke straddling me and still kissing me with a hunger and need I feel all throughout my body.
“Take this off,” she says, tugging at my shirt.
I whip the fabric over my head and watch as her eyes drink me in.
Then she grabs the shirt and heads for the bathroom.
“I’ll be right back,” she says over her shoulder with a smirk.
As soon as the bathroom door is closed, I let out a breath.
Go slow.
Focus on her.
I flop back onto my bed; her scent surrounds me instantly.
My cock grows harder at just the thought of her being in my bed.
Of what this night is about to become.
The bathroom door opens.
Brooke walks out wearing only my T-shirt.
My heart pounds inside my chest.
She’s so beautiful.
Slowly, she stalks toward me, her gaze on mine and a smile on her lips.
When she reaches the bed, she grabs my hand and pulls me to stand. Then she unbuckles my jeans and tugs them down, taking my boxers with them.
I step out of them. Her eyes widen at the sight of me.
“Dutton,” she says. “Holy shit.”
I grin with pride.
Before she can say another word, I grab her face and kiss her lips, letting my tongue dance with hers as if the last few minutes were far too long to be apart.
Her hand moves to my cock, and just when I think she’s going to stroke it, she drops to her knees.
My heart races, my palms start to sweat, and I just can't stop staring at her. When she looks up at me, I swear, everything in my life changes in that one moment.
I want to give her everything she’s ever wanted in this life, and right now, that means taking what I’ve learned from the books I’ve read with her and putting them to work.
“Well, are you just going to look at it, or are you going to wrap those pretty pink lips around it?”
Her eyes widen, but her smile grows even bigger.
She takes my cock in her hand and gives it a gentle squeeze.
The pressure is just enough to jerk my entire body toward her.
Fuck. She’s going to kill me with her touch.
Slowly, her hand starts to pump from the tip to the base.
Up and down.
Up and down.
Her lips wrap around the tip and she takes me deeper into her mouth. I groan, trying to think of something besides coming, because I swear to God, one more second of this and I’ll be coating her face with—no, fuck, don’t think about that.
“Jesus, Books, that feels fucking amazing.”
She moans, and the vibration of her mouth on my cock makes me pull out of her perfect lips and yank her up.
I spin her quickly and then walk her toward the wall, pressing her against it.
My hands reach for the hem of her shirt and begin to bunch it up until her beautiful round ass is visible.
“Are you not wearing any panties?” I ask firmly. You’ve got to be kidding me. She’s wearing my goddamn shirt and she’s bare for me.
Fuuuuuck.
“I was hoping …” Her words trail off as one of my hands cups her butt, running over the globe to the underside, then swooping fingers over the back of her thigh until they stop between her legs.
I swipe one solo digit against her pussy, and her knees buckle.
“Shit, Dutton,” she says. “Do that again.”
So I do.
“Are you this wet for me, Books?”
“Yes,” she breathes.
“Is it because you’re turned on, or because I’ve turned you on?”
“You, definitely you. Now, please, stop teasing me.”
“Teasing you? I wasn’t teasing you, baby.”
She nods. “You touched me and now you’re not. That's teasing.”
“No, teasing would be pressing my thumb against your clit,” I say and do just that. “And then sliding two fingers inside you.” Again, I do as I say. “And then curling just so, until you melt in my arms, then pulling my hand away and stepping back to admire your body.”
“Damnit.” She groans and turns to face me.
She whips the shirt off so that she’s standing in front of me naked.
My cock jerks, pointing straight at her.
Her eyes are glued to it, a gleam in them. A smile twitches on her lips.
“You can’t look at me like that, Books. Not without doing something about it.”
“I tried,” she whines. “But you stopped me.”
“Yeah, because I want to come inside of your pussy, not your mouth.”
She steps forward.
“Then do it. Press me over the side of your bed and slide inside of me.”
I grin.
The dirty talk. That’s what she loves from the books.
I grab her by the wrist, yanking her toward me.
“Be a good girl and bend over.”
She obeys with pure joy on her face.
“Spread your legs wider,” I tell her from behind.
She does it.
“Now lean forward even more so that your forearms are on the bed and your ass is in the air.”
Again, she complies.
She’s fucking perfect.
I smooth my hand over her butt. When I touch her between her legs and I find her just as wet as before, I drop to my knees and without warning, my tongue is pushing against her folds to taste every inch of her.
“Oh, shit.”
She pushes back against me. I grab her hips, holding her still as I devour her. Fast flicks then long, slow strokes. I rotate between that and sucking on her clit.
I can't get enough of her.
Her pants grow more frantic, her fingers gripping my sheets, holding on.
I reach for myself and start pumping my hand.
I can’t wait any longer.
I stand quickly.
“Fuck, Dutton, please let me come. You’ve tormented me twice now and stopped right before it was going to happen.”
I position myself at her entrance.
“I’m going to let you come, but when you do, it will be with my cock buried deep inside you.”
“Yes, yes.”
“I don't want to use a condom,” I tell her. “But if you tell me to, I will.”
“No. I’m clean and I'm on birth control. Fuck me, please.”
The pleading in her tone sends me pushing into her.
“Oh my god,” she purrs. “You … shit …”
“Relax, Books. It’ll fit.”
She takes a big breath, and I use that as my signal to push all the way in.
“Jesus. Fuck,” I say once I’m to the hilt. “You’re so fucking tight.”
“You feel amazing,” she says and then pushes against me.
Her signal to move.
I slide out and then back in, slowly.
Over and over.
I lean back to watch as my cock disappears, and I swear I grow harder at the sight.
“You should see this, Books. The way you take me. It’s beautiful.”
I reach for her hand and guide it between her legs.
“Feel how wet I am when I slide out. It’s perfect.”
I remove my hand, but she keeps hers there, adding an extra bit of friction to my cock as it slides between her fingers and then inside of her.
The feeling grows more and more intense with every thrust.
“I’m close,” she says. “Harder.”
This time, it’s me who does as she says.
I pound into her, harder and harder.
“Yes!” she screams. “Dutton!”
And at the sound of my name and her walls squeezing around me, I come so hard that my vision goes black.
“Books,” I moan as I release everything inside of me into her.
When the bliss has ended, I pull out, watching as she winces, laying on her stomach on the bed.
I reach for her, cradling her in my arms.
“I’ll be right back,” I tell her and head for the bathroom.
I clean myself and then run a washcloth under hot water before returning to the bedroom.
Brooke looks about ten seconds away from falling asleep.
She spots me and reaches for the towel, but I pull it back.
I kneel on the bed and open her legs, placing the towel between them.
Her eyes stay on mine the entire time.
“I hope you’re not getting sleepy on me, Books. I’m just getting started with you.”