29. Sutton
Sutton
Iwoke up snuggled into Asher’s chest, his arms holding me in place, almost like he was afraid I was going to run. I’d never felt as safe as I did when I was wrapped up in Asher. His arms felt like home and I shoved my face into his chest and breathed him in.
“Morning, sweetheart.” His voice was even rougher in the morning. I could get used to hearing him like that.
“How’d you sleep?” I asked as I dragged a finger down his chest. Before I got an answer he moved quickly, rolling me onto my back. He hovered over me, resting on his elbow.
“Best I’ve had in years.” He pressed down on me.
I felt his hardness against my core and I let out a moan as his lips pressed into mine.
He teased me a few times with his tongue before I opened wide, letting him in to deepen the kiss.
His hands slipped under my T-shirt and I gasped as he started to palm my boob.
They were heavy this morning; I was going to need to pump soon.
But that thought left my head as his hand started to move down my stomach.
Before we could get anywhere good, my phone rang on the bedside table where I’d left it last night.
“I’m—” Before I could apologize, he was moving off me.
“Could be Iris.” He grabbed it off the nightstand and answered it. “Asher.”
I could’ve been mad at him for answering my phone except I was touched that he didn’t make me feel bad for the interruption, that he thought of Sophie first.
I sat up in bed and pulled down the T-shirt I’d grabbed last night.
“You’re calling early.” He frowned. I knew it wasn’t Iris so I crossed my legs and watched him.
“Mm-hhm.” He listened to the voice on the other end.
A grunt—this was the one he gave when he was annoyed.
“Can you meet at my place in an hour and a half? We need to go pick up Sophie.” He paused.
“I’ll text it to you.” He hung up the phone without a goodbye, his normal signoff. I kept meaning to ask him about that.
“Who was it?”
“Maya,” he answered as he turned back to me and handed me my phone. It had been two weeks since Ben had called. “She wants to meet.”
When I clasped my hands together in my lap, Asher covered them with his. “I can’t—” He leaned in and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and breathed in his soothing scent.
“Don’t go there.” He pulled back and put his hand under my chin. I opened my eyes to look at him. “I won’t let anything happen to her.” The conviction in his voice was so strong.
When he lifted his eyebrows, I nodded, and he gave me a tender kiss. With that we both pulled ourselves out of bed. We brushed our teeth next to each other and then got dressed. I fixed my hair with a new brush and elastics that Asher had admitted he bought for me before walking out.
When I went downstairs, he was waiting there, texting on his phone with a coffee thermos in one hand and another on the island beside him. He passed me the coffee without even looking up. I assumed it was the group text since I could feel my phone going off in my pocket.
“Do you want to stay here? I can grab Soph and just come back.”
He lifted his head and gave me a glare. “My car is all set up.”
I blinked after him as he turned toward his garage. “What?” I asked as I followed him.
He went toward a large SUV that I hadn’t seen before. It was black with tinted windows and looked like it cost more than my yearly rent. His truck was parked in the spot next to it.
“Sophie’s car seat is in my car. Do you want to follow me?” I asked as I watched him go to the back passenger door and pull it open.
“I had a professional choose one and install it. It has the best safety rating there is and they assured me it’s in right, but can you check?”
I blinked a few times and then looked over at him. Should I be surprised? I mean this was the same man who had set up a perfect nursery for Sophie upstairs. But still I was struggling to wrap my head around everything he was doing. “You bought Sophie a car seat?”
“Of course.” He looked over at me with a frown.
“But you didn’t even know that I was going to come around until last night.” I looked over at him as he smiled softly at me.
“You were already mine, sweetheart, and so was Sophie. I was just waiting for you to figure it out. Even as a friend you were mine and I never intended to let you out of my life.”
I walked up to him and hugged him tightly around the middle. He returned the hug and rested his chin on my head.
“You are incredibly sweet, Grizzly,” I muttered, looking at the car seat that was for sure nicer than mine.
“Don’t tell anyone.” He pulled back before I wanted him to. “Can you check it so we can get going?”
I laughed but he looked so serious I did as he said and checked that it was installed right.
But knowing Asher there was no need; a very skilled and qualified person would have put it in.
When I gave it the all clear he held my door open so I could climb in and we started the drive.
He handed me the aux cord without comment and didn’t even flinch as Noah Kahan’s newest album started playing.
The storm had cleared up and the roads were a lot better than when I’d driven last night.
“Is that a baby on board sign hanging in the back window?” I asked, turning around in my seat. I’d noticed it when I was checking the car seat but decided to wait until he’d calmed down about it being in right to ask.
“Yes.”
I liked watching him drive; he had one hand on the wheel and the other was holding my hand. He had total confidence and it was hot.
“I don’t even have one of those.” I looked over at him to see him frown.
“I’d thought that they must serve a purpose with so many people having them on their cars. So I did some research and called our contact with the police.”
“Contact?” I asked, knowing he was probably underselling it. He was quiet for a moment as we stopped at a red light, then he looked at me.
“Chief of Police,” he muttered.
“You called the Chief of Police to ask about baby on board stickers?” He smirked and then looked back out the window. “Wasn’t your research enough?”
“Wanted to be sure. I'd read that first responders use it to ensure they get to the baby first in case of an accident.”
“I didn’t know that.”
He rubbed his thumb on the back of my hand absently.
“Well, he said it's a myth but I got one for your car too just to be safe.” He said it like it was a given. “Just make sure you take it down when she isn’t in the car so they don’t waste time getting to you if she isn’t there.
” He brought my hand to his mouth and gave me a kiss as we lapsed into a comfortable silence.
Well, except for my belting out the song playing which only made him smile.
This man was intoxicating, and I wasn’t sure he was even aware how much.
I rested my head on the headrest with a little smile on my face. I wasn’t exactly looking forward to seeing Maya, mostly because I was nervous about what she was going to say, but it felt less daunting having Asher to lean on.
Plus, pretty sure I was still riding the high from last night’s orgasms. I would even say I was glowing.
I’d been with a man before who had struggled to get me to even climax.
But Asher gave me four last night. The man could read my body like he’d been studying it for years.
I’d never been so turned on or wet in my life.
I’d never really considered myself a horny person before. I had a vibrator but hadn’t been using it much over the last while, especially in a one-bedroom apartment. But maybe I’d just never had good sex to lust after before.
When we got to my apartment the elevator wasn’t working, which was normal, but Asher was not impressed and grumbled the whole way up the stairs. When I let us into my apartment it was only eight in the morning. Iris had Sophie on the floor and they were playing with some of her toys.
“You’re home much too early, dear.” She didn’t look at me, instead shaking one of Sophie’s toys in front of her face. “Did he have a small dick? It’s workable if you know how to use it.”
“Iris,” I hissed, a blush overtaking my cheeks while Asher choked.
“Ahhh!” Sophie caught sight of me then and threw down the toy she had in her hand. She started crawling quickly toward us, her little legs shuffling fast. I moved to her and scooped her up in my arms as she squealed.
“I missed you, sweet girl.” I peppered her with kisses on her neck and cheeks as she babbled.
“Oh, thank the Lord,” Iris said as she stood up. “I thought you were coming in alone.” She looked at Asher with a smirk. I shook my head and kissed Sophie again to hide my blush. When she returned the kiss on my cheek, although it was much more slobbery than mine, I let out a contented sigh.
When Sophie noticed Asher was standing behind me, she squealed loudly again and tried to fling herself over to him and my grip wasn’t tight enough.
Thankfully the man had fast reflexes and caught her, pulling her out of my arms. He kissed her like I had and drew her in a little closer as she babbled and patted his scruffy cheek.
“If my ovaries were still firing,” Iris muttered to me as she fanned herself, watching my girl talk to Ash. “This makes me want to go see Clint and get a little action of my own. Thankfully I can’t get pregnant.”
“Iris,” I scolded again. She was on a roll this morning.
“What?” She looked over at me in confusion. “The sexual tension is thick.” She leaned closer. “Thank God you finally got some.”
I widened my eyes at her and she just laughed. When I looked over at Asher, he’d clearly heard since he was trying to smother his own smile. The shock from her first comment must have worn off. “How was she?” I asked, deciding it was best to change the topic.
“Perfection, as always. She slept the night away and woke up happy. You can leave her with me overnight whenever you need to.” She gently bumped her hip into mine.
“Thanks, Iris, but she’ll spend nights at my house.” Asher looked down at Sophie. “We should get going,” he said, not looking the least bit guilty at making that proclamation about where Sophie and I would be sleeping. He and I would be having a conversation but now was not the time.
“What’s got you kids up so early?” Iris questioned as she went to grab her purse. Asher moved to get Sophie’s diaper bag.
“The lawyer wanted a meeting,” I answered as Asher passed me Sophie so I could load her up in the car seat he had carried up. I didn’t want to think about how well he and I moved together in everyday life. Like we had known each other so long we could communicate without words.
“Now?” Iris asked as Asher grabbed the car seat effortlessly.
“Yeah. We’re heading to Asher’s place to meet her.”
“I’m coming,” Iris declared as she grabbed her jacket off a chair.
“You don’t have to,” I started, looking over at her.
“Don’t be pulling that. You two are my family and I want to hear what she has to say,” she said firmly. I felt my eyes start to water as she walked toward the front door. “Let’s go, kids,” she called. Asher didn’t look bothered—instead his face was relaxed. Which it wasn’t often.
We all piled into the car, Iris insisting on sitting in the back. Sophie’s eyes were heavy as the drive started, which I could see in the mirror that Asher had put back there. My phone buzzed a few more times in my pocket when we were close to his place.
“What’s going on this morning?” I asked, going to pull it out as we turned into the driveway.
“I have a feeling we’ll have a full house.”
I sat there a little shocked as I saw not only Will standing on the front steps, but Oli, Jaxson, Noah, Knight, and Quinn were all there too. Thor was even sitting happily at Quinn’s feet.
I didn’t even know what to say.
“You couldn’t leave us a key?” Noah called as we stepped out of the car. Asher was already working on getting Soph out of her car seat.
“He could have given us a door code,” Jaxson added with a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Don’t do it,” Knight said. “He’ll let himself in and never leave.” When Quinn elbowed him in the stomach, he pretended to rub the spot but he really just looked down at her and smiled.
“I like them.” Iris came to stand next to me.
“I call dibs on Sophie first!” Quinn declared as she moved up to Asher.
“I haven’t had her that long,” Asher grumbled, which got a laugh out of a few of the men, but from Asher’s tight jaw, I knew he wasn’t kidding.
“Too bad. You get her way more than me.” Quinn held out her arms. Sophie looked at Asher and started to giggle as he leaned over and rubbed his nose against hers.
“I’m telling you…” I looked over at Iris who was fanning herself.
“If you don’t lock that man down then I might have to take a chance.
” I smiled as I watched him move Sophie a little closer to Quinn, but she didn’t look thrilled about it.
Honestly, I think that’s what he wanted—for her to be upset about leaving him. He wouldn’t have had to try too hard.
My girl was obsessed.
“Sutton?” Knight asked as he came up beside me while Quinn and Asher argued over Sophie. He must have noticed that I hadn’t said a word and was looking a little shocked.
“What are you all doing here?” I asked quietly, trying to wrap my head around this.
“You’re family, Sutton, both of you.” He looked down at me. “There’s nowhere else we would be.” Before I could think, I threw myself at him, hugging him. He hesitated for a moment, clearly taken by surprise.
“I’m stressed and prepared for the worst, Knight. And having you all here just means a lot. I’ve never had a support system,” I murmured.
He let out a sigh and returned my hug. “You’ll believe we’ll always show up for our own eventually.” He patted my back and I pulled away, looking up at him with a grateful smile.
“Q finally stole Sophie,” Asher grumbled, coming up next to me, his hand on my lower back. I looked up. He and Knight were in some sort of eye lock, where Knight nodded and Asher nodded back.
“Let’s get inside, sweetheart. Maya will be here any minute and I want to make a round of coffee.” Asher kissed the top of my head. Oli had stolen the keys from Asher and had let himself into the house.
We all followed, including Thor.