“I would be a mother right now. I’d have a baby, and—”
“And you’d be a total MILF.” Okay, so I went for a joke to ease her pain. I thought it might actually work. It’d worked for her before.
But she started sobbing again. “Oren.” Burying her face in her hands, she let her inner pain loose. “This isn’t funny.”
I crumbled. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Shit, see—” I grasped her arms and pressed my forehead to hers. “We all do and say things we regret. For me, it’s a lot of things. But big or small, you gotta figure out a way to forgive yourself and move on from that shit. Since we can’t go back and change it, we gotta just learn from it. And whether you regret this or not—”
“I do.”
I nodded. “Okay. Then you have to...I don’t know, fuck. But I can’t handle watching you fall apart like this. I mean, look at you. This is not you. You don’t cry like this, you don’t cower into corners. It totally fucked you up. And I just...I wish I could take it all from you, that I could...fuck! I don’t know.”
Blue eyes still glittering with tears, she gazed up at me and managed a tremulous smile. “Do you want to know what went through my mind when I saw you yell at that doctor?”
I winced. “That I was a stupid motherfucker?”
She shook her head. “No. I thought...where was this amazing man when I needed him to do that for me? Where was he when I was scared and alone, quivering in front of Sander’s intimidatingly powerful parents, or when I walked into that clinic feeling sick to my stomach with unease. Why did he have to show up in my momma’s trailer the very next morning? Why couldn’t he have arrived in my life just one day sooner?”
Devastation swamped me. My throat felt dry, but when I tried to clear it, I had to blink repeatedly to keep my eyes from growing wet. “I wish I could’ve been there, too,” I said in a rusty voice. “I would’ve taken one look at your face and known that wasn’t what you really wanted to do. I would’ve told all those assholes pressuring you into it to go fuck themselves.”
Caroline took my hand and then rested her cheek on my shoulder. “I know you would have. But what bothered me the most was listening to you do that for Zoey and thinking, why hadn’t I just done that for myself? Why didn’t I stand up to everyone and say no?”
“Because you were scared, and intimidated, and alone, just like you said,” I reminded her. I started to rock her back and forth, relieved when she settled deeper into me, relaxing against my chest. “Plus you were young, vulnerable, destitute, and heartbroken from the prick who’d just left you. You didn’t feel as if you had a lot of other options left.”
She sniffed but didn’t answer, just listened to me as I stroked her hair. With a kiss to her forehead, I said, “When I saw you in that doorway of the doctor’s office, looking at me the way you did, I thought that was it. You were done with me because I...because of what I said. But I swear to God, I wasn’t even thinking about what happened to you when I blurted it out. I just...Blondie was getting upset, and she clearly didn’t want—”
“I know,” Caroline said simply. She set her hand on my arm, comforting me, and I shuddered with relief. “I knew it the second I heard it. I just...I needed...”
“To get away?” I guessed. “To go to your place?”
She glanced around her bedroom and gave a small smile. “Yeah. I guess I did.”
I drew in a breath, relieved her tears had stopped. Her face was still red and splotchy and eyes totally bloodshot, but she no longer looked like she was on the precipice of a total breakdown. Cuddling deeper into her, I rested my cheek against hers and asked, “How can I help you through this? What can I do to ease your pain, because I swear to God, I’ll do anything.”
Absolutely anything.
She set her hand on my heart and looked up at me, her eyes filled with so much emotion, I swear, some of it overflowed, spilling into me. “Just love me,” she whispered.
“I do,” I promised. Pressing my forehead to hers, I shifted her around until I had her lying on her back diagonally across her bed. “I love you so damn much it scares the fuck out of me.” Hovering above her, I set my lips against hers and gave her a kiss that would’ve sent a weaker person into a diabetic coma; it was that damn sweet.
But then our mouths opened and our tongues brushed softly. I groaned and buried my fingers in her hair as I settled my weight down on top of hers.
“I had no idea it could be like this,” she whispered, only breaking her mouth away from mine long enough to look at me with a measure of awe. “I had no idea I could share so much with one person and feel so...full. Like, I don’t know...without you in my life, I’m not sure I’d know how to be me anymore. You’ve become a part of who I am.”
I smiled, understanding her completely. “Yeah, well, you make me want to grow up and straighten my shit out so I can take care of you and be a man good enough to deserve you.”
“I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you,” she countered.
I rubbed my nose against hers and smiled. “Do too.”
She grinned back. “Have we gotten serious and emotional enough for one conversation? Because I’m really wet right now and—”
“I’m on it,” I told her as I slid my hands down to her body and right inside the back of her jeans until I was cupping two cheek-fulls of ass, one in each hand.
Grinding my hips between her legs so she could feel how hard I was, I groaned when she wound her thighs around me and tugged me even closer to her pussy.
“Damn, I could never get enough of you. Not in a thousand years.”
I ripped at her shirt, kissing her and panting when she turned just as savage, tearing a bit in the neckline of my T-shirt when she yanked it over my head.
“I want to look into your eyes and face you while you take me,” she commanded.
I had no issue with that, so I nodded and kicked off my jeans as she rushed to remove hers. She took me into her hand, making me shudder with desire as I watched her slim little fingers wrap around my cock. When I pulsed into her palm, she drew in a breath and looked up at me.
“I want to feel this inside me...right now.”
Without breaking eye contact, I laid her back onto the bed and came over her. Then I thrust hard.
She arched her neck and started to cry out, but I slapped my hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened and then darted around her room before she seemed to realize where she was. Then she ripped my fingers from her face, whispering, “Oh my God, Oren. We’re in my bedroom.”
I just grinned and impaled her again. “No shit, Sherlock.”
She gnashed her teeth and panted, beginning to lose herself to the pleasure. “But...what if...did you even lock the door?”
“Can’t remember,” I admitted. I’d been preoccupied with other issues. My balls twinged when my nut sack tightened around them, but even the dulled pain of getting racked recently didn’t stop me. I was too preoccupied with matters that were way more important.
Caroline grasped my arms, her nails digging into my flesh. “But what if—” Her eyes flared wide. “Oh my God. I think I hear Noel’s voice in the kitchen.”
I just shook my head and continued to pump in and out of her. “I don’t care. I have to pleasure my woman.” Then I leaned down to whisper into her ear. “And show her how much I love her.”
She sucked in a breath and clutched my face. “I love you too. So much. So...oooohhh...oh God...much.”
I kissed her to smother her moans of pleasure. Her pussy contracted around my cock, and that was it. I couldn’t hold back any longer. We came together, clutching each other tight as our orgasm rolled through us.
Once I was spent, I collapsed onto the bed, face-first beside her. “Damn, but we’re fucking awesome at that.”
She giggled and reached out to play with my hair that had gotten damp. “Yeah, we are, aren’t we?”
I shifted to my side so I could smile into her beautiful blue eyes. “Have I thanked you lately for s
neaking into my room that first night and totally tricking me?”
She shrugged. “Your gratitude’s kind of a given.”
Chuckling softly, I ran my index finger lightly over the top swell of her perfect breast. “How the hell did you talk Kelly into switching places with you, anyway?”
Her cheeks instantly turned bright red. “Uh, yeah...about that.”
“Oh, Jesus.” I groaned, already knowing I wasn’t going to like her answer. “What did you do?”
“I...might’ve...insinuated you had...an...STD, maybe.”
I closed my eyes, flopped onto my back and couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Seriously? Fuck. Thanks a lot. No wonder why I haven’t had many women hitting on me at work lately.”
Caroline sat up and bit her lip. “Are you mad?”
With another laugh, I shrugged and rolled toward her. “Not since it ended up in my favor, no. But remind me to never piss you off.”
“Never piss me off, Oren,” she said with a straight face before breaking into a grin.
I opened my mouth to call her a smart-ass when someone knocked on her door. “Care?” Gam’s voice reverberated through the wood, which about made me shit myself. “It’s time for supper. You ready to eat?”
Both our eyes widened before we scrambled off the bed together and grappled for clothes that were scattered all over the room.
“Uh...I’ll be right out,” she called, her voice too panicked for my taste. “I just need to...change first.”
“Shit, shit, shit,” I hissed under my breath as I went commando and jammed my legs into my jeans.
“Okay,” Gam answered her. “We’ll give you five minutes.”
I was dressed in about twenty seconds while Caroline was cursing her twisted bra. I reached out to help, and she threw her hands up in defeat as I straightened it around her breasts and then slid the straps neatly into place.
“I’ll go out the window,” I said. “Don’t forget to lock it after me.”
She nodded as she watched me slide up the glass and take off the screen.
“You sure you got this?” I asked.
With a roll of her eyes, she took the screen from me. “I’ve done it before, remember?”
I nodded. “Right. Thanks. Lick you later, baby.”
Her face lit with adoration. “Okay.”
We kissed, hard and fast. When I pulled away, I added, “Love you,” to which she sent me the perfect smile.
“I love you too. Oh! Wait.”
I paused and glanced toward her bedroom door. “What?”
“What did you want to tell me earlier? At your place...right before Zoey passed out. Oh, crap! Zoey. Is she okay?”
I nodded, starting to worry that her bedroom door wasn’t locked at all. “Yeah, she’s doing good. A little freaked out, but she had Ham with her, and...” Shit, I couldn’t tell her what I’d been planning on telling her earlier. Not here, like this. Mentioning the call I’d gotten from Lake Tahoe and the thing I’d found in my luggage after returning from there would freak her out.
Unsettling her was the last thing I wanted to do right now, so I went for the third thing I’d been planning to discuss with her. “I’m going to ask your brother if I can date you.”
I knew I should’ve gone home to check on Blondie and Ham, but I still wanted to be around Caroline, plus now seemed like as good a time as any to talk to Noel and ask for his permission to take his sister on a real, live date. So instead of hunting my truck down, I snuck around from the side of the house to the front. After hopping onto the porch, I drew in a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Gam’s woman answered less than a minute later. She blinked as if confused when she saw me.
I smiled as charmingly as I could. “Can Noel come out and play?”
“Uh...” She shook her head. “Yes, sure. He’s here. Come on in. What’s going on? You look...” She glanced at my rumpled, half-torn clothes. “Out of sorts.”
Shit, I probably should’ve groomed a bit before knocking. Caroline had been a little wild this evening.
Oh, well. Too late for that.
I shrugged ruefully. “It’s been one of those nights.”
“Ten?” Gam’s curious voice came from behind his wife.
I peered around her to grin at him. “Hey, man. Ham and Blondie needed the place to themselves for a while, so I’m temporarily homeless. You take in strays here, right?” I stepped inside around his wife and sucked in a big breath, lifting my nose to the ceiling. “Damn, whatever that is cooking, it smells great. I’d love to stay for dinner, thanks.”
Gamble leaned a shoulder against the framed opening of the living room and lifted a non-impressed eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. But his wife laughed at my antics.
“It’s nothing fancy,” she said. “Just tacos. And you’re welcome to stay, Ten. No problem.”
Ignoring her husband, I flashed her another bright smile. “Why, thank you, Mrs. Gamble. I’ll set the table.”
My offer made her face brighten, but she waved out a hand. “You don’t have to do that, but thank you. And you can just call me Aspen, you know.”
As I followed her into the kitchen, I shuddered. “Yeah, sorry. I don’t typically call women by their first name. It’s some kind of strange tick I can’t control.” I sent her a helpless shrug.
“Really?” She sent me a knowing little smile. “I’ve never heard you call Caroline anything but Caroline.”
“Hmm,” I murmured as I opened a cabinet door and pulled down a pile of plates. “If you want, I can come up with a nickname for you.”
Eyes flaring wide with horror, she shook her head. “No! Oh, no. I mean, really. No. If it’s anything like the one you gave Eva, I’d just as soon pass.”
“Hey, I will have you know Milk Tits loves her nickname.”
Aspen blurted out a laugh. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
“Wait. I have one.” I paused with a plate in hand to study her for a moment and draw out the suspense. Then I pointed and said, “Shakespeare.”
She instantly gasped. “Oh my God, I love it!’ A split second later, she seemed to realize she was acting too girly, so she blushed and covered her mouth. “I mean, thank you. I’ll take that one.”
With a wink, I went back to setting out the plates. “You got it.”
“Noel, Ten just gave me the nickname Shakespeare. Don’t you love it?”
I glanced around to find him leaning against the kitchen entrance now, his eyes narrowed as he watched me pull glasses from his cupboard.
“Since when did you two become such good friends?” he asked.
I opened my mouth to tell him that was none of his damn business but Shakespeare said, “Since I helped him with his resume a few weeks ago.”
I pressed both hands to my heart and grinned as annoyingly as I could. “We bonded. It was beautiful.”
Gamble contorted his face into an expression of supreme confusion. Then he glanced at his wife. “He didn’t hit on you, did he?”
She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Noel. Really?”
“Yeah, Noel,” I echoed. “Really? I was a perfectly respectable gentleman.” Then I winked at Shakespeare. “After we put our clothes back on.”
Gam’s face turned dark red. “You motherfucker!”
“Oh my God, Noel!” Shakespeare grabbed his arm and started laughing. “He was joking. It was a joke.” She sent me a wide-eyed, cut-it-out look. “I don’t think he thought that was so funny, Ten.”
I shrugged and snagged a chip from a bowl on the table. “Well, it sure amused the hell out of me, which is all that counts. Some people,” I arched my eyebrows at Gam, “just take things way too fucking seriously.”
“Where is everyone?” Aspen asked, desperate to change the conversation. “Colton! Brandt! Caroline! Supper.”
Colton came torpedoing into the room first with Brandt right on his heels. They both skidded to a stop when they saw me. Their eyes went wide as if they were sure I was going
to call them out for what they’d done earlier.
But I simply sent them a big grin. “Hey, guys. Long time, no see.”
Brandt cleared his throat, ducked his face and hurried to a chair. Colton followed with similar meekness. I waited until they were both seated before I took the chair between them and slid down. They grew even more restless, and I almost busted a gut laughing. But damn, I loved fucking with them.
As I was settling in, a breathless Caroline swept into the room, only to jerk to a halt when she met my gaze.
She wouldn’t stop gawking, so I sent her a cringe and pointed to myself. “I’m sorry, did I steal your chair?”
“What?” She blinked and glanced around at the places. “No,” she started, only to shake her head. “Well, actually yes, but you’re fine. It’s fine.” She sent her older brother a puzzled glance. “Uh...I guess we’re having a guest for supper.”
“He invited himself,” Gam intoned dryly.
Caroline shook herself again and finally took the last free chair available.
And so began our supper together as one big, happy family.
I was halfway through my second taco when Gamble frowned suspiciously at me and leaned across the table, squinting. I shrank away from him, hoping I wasn’t sporting a hickey or anything.
“Do you have a new black eye?” he finally asked.
I totally wasn’t expecting that question, so I said, “What?”
Brandt started choking on a tortilla chip. While I patted him on the back, Gamble turned his attention to his middle brother. “You okay?”
Brandt couldn’t look him in the eye while he nodded. “Mmm hmm. Fine. Great. Wonderful. Splendorific.”
Gamble glanced at his wife. “Why’s he acting so weird?”
While Shakespeare shrugged, honestly clueless, Caroline answered, “Probably because he’s a dork.”
I laughed. “I’ll second that.”
Caroline glanced at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. “All in favor?”
She and I both raised our hands. When no one else seemed to catch on that we were voting on Brandt’s dorkhood, I grabbed Colton’s arm and lifted it for him.