Hot Damn(34)

I’m not sure why the question irritates me so much. “What’s the point?”

“It’s not long term.” But she sounds less certain by the word. “It’s not like I’m staying here for good. And we’re… I’m not really your girlfriend.”

I’m surprised at how straight-up annoyed that comment makes me. “C’mon, Madison. Don’t you think it’s time we stopped with the ‘it’s just pretend’ bullshit?”

“But we—”

I’m not done. “Maybe we started out just faking it, but not anymore. We’re a real couple these days.”

Her eyes are wide now, and she almost looks frightened. “Are we? Are we really?”

I shrug, trying to keep from freaking her out. Too late, most likely. “Feels like it to me.”

“I don’t…” She trails off.

“Doesn’t it feel like it to you?” I’m sure it does. If it didn’t, why is she in the process of moving in with me? “We’re together all the time, we’re great in bed—hell, I’ve even changed your kid’s diapers. And if you want to move in here…” I stop, making a show of considering. “If I have to… I’ll even let you hang those nutty posters of yours in the living room.”

She’s still staring at me. She blinks a couple of times, her eyes bright. I get the feeling she’s about to cry. We can’t have that. I move closer to her and take her arms in my hands, looking down into her face. “If that doesn’t convince you I want to be with you, I don’t know what will.”

For another long moment, she’s frozen. Then, abruptly, she pushes up onto her toes and kisses me.

It’s soft and sweet, and she’s so warm in my arms. I kiss her back, just tasting her, then pull her against my chest and kiss the top of her head.

I never want to let her go.





Chapter 11





Maddy




There aren’t very many things nicer than leaning back in a recliner with a cat purring on your lap and your toddler napping in another room. Unless that recliner happens to be at your boyfriend’s house, where you’ve been living for the past couple of days, with no real end in sight. If I have my way about it, I think I’d stay forever.

Thor is warm and relaxed, purring in his sleep as I stroke between his ears. He seems to have developed a real affection for me, although no matter how hard Jesse tries to make friends, the cat still spurns him. Jesse takes it personally even though I’ve explained to him that cats are cats and many of them are just assholes.

It’s been a great few days. Jesse’s getting better—we’ve even gone on a few short walks around the neighborhood together, watching Christopher delight in the changing weather. He and Jesse are also getting along great. Even my mom and dad have said Jesse seems okay, and that as long as I’m committed to keeping him around for Christopher’s role-modeling purposes, they’ll help me with the tuition. Everything has come together so well.

I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Things just don’t work like this for me. Something has to hit the fan sooner or later. Jesse will finally realize my single-mother status is too much for him to deal with, or he’ll realize he doesn’t want to spend his life with a woman with horrible stretch marks, or Mom and Dad will decide they really don’t think a fireman is a good father figure, or…

Frustrated, I shift in the chair. Thor makes a disgruntled sound and curls up a little tighter. I need to stop obsessing. Things are good—there’s no reason to think they won’t stay good.

Jesse chooses that moment to walk into the room. He’s not really limping anymore, and when he sees me, he gives me that smile that makes me melt. “Hey,” he says.

“Hey. How did things go?”

He ignores my question, noticing Thor in my lap. “Damn cat. Nothing but a traitor.” He heads into the kitchen.

I get up and follow him, and Thor leaps down and heads for a scratching post. “I asked how things went.”

He’s filling a coffee mug from the pot I left on the burner from this morning. “Fine. I’m clear to go back to work.”

He says it like it’s no big deal, but I know it’s a huge relief to him. To me, too. He’s been insufferable puttering around at home. There were days I was relieved to go to work so I wouldn’t have to listen to him whining. But it was nice to be able to leave Christopher with him off and on instead of having to impose on Mel all the time. They got to stay home and whine like two-year-olds together.

“That’s great!”

He takes a drink of coffee and grins at me. “You’ll miss me. Admit it.”

“A little bit.”

We head back into the living room, and he settles on the couch. I sit next to him, enjoying being with him. He reaches over and starts to rub the back of my neck, so I turn so my back is facing him. He obligingly starts massaging my neck and shoulders, which are tensing up. I can’t help but wonder if this is the beginning of the end—if he’ll ask me to move out once he can take care of himself again.

“I’m glad you can go back to work because I know it’s important to you,” I tell him. I mean it—he loves his job, and what he does is important. “And yes, I’ll miss you. I mean, it’s been nice, but I knew it wouldn’t last forever.”

“Well, if you think I’m not going to want to come home after work and fuck you silly, you’re wrong on that count.”

I smile, if a little doubtfully.

He stops what he’s doing and leans forward so he can almost see my face. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

I shrug one shoulder. “Sure. I believe you.”

“No. I can tell you don’t. You still think this is fake.” Reaching around me, he slides his hands under my shirt and cups my breasts, squeezing, then flicking the nipples. His mouth rests against the base of my neck. He unclasps the front catch on my bra, and it falls away, leaving my breasts bare under my shirt. He presses his palms against my nipples then moves his hands in a rolling, massage-type gesture. It feels good—sexy and therapeutic at the same time, although I don’t think that’s what he’s actually after. “Get up,” he says after a few seconds.

“What?”

“Get up. Stand up.” He pushes to his feet, and I follow suit. When I’m standing next to the couch, he rewards me with a swat to the fanny, stinging even through my jeans. I jump a little, and he gives me that feral, I’m-about-to-jump-your-bones grin that has gotten so familiar.

He takes both shoulders in his hands and turns me around then steers me to the end of the couch. Once I’m situated, he presses on my back between my shoulder blades. Obediently I bend at the waist and set my hands on the arm of the couch. My body’s lighting up in anticipation; I know what he’s going to do to me.

“Christopher’s napping,” I tell him quietly.

“I’ll make it quick.” His tone makes it sound more like a challenge than an inconvenience.

He pulls at my jeans, pulling them down past my ass. If Christopher weren’t here, I know he’d spank me, but instead he pats me just hard enough for it to sting the tiniest bit. “Next time,” he says, menacing. I laugh. I never would have thought I would enjoy being spanked, but damn has he ever changed my mind on that count.

I hear his belt buckle rattle, then his cock presses hard into my butt cheek. He takes it in hand and swats me with it a couple of times, which would also make me laugh if my panties weren’t so wet.

“You like that?”

“Mmmm,” I tell him. It’s so hard to be quiet, but talking helps keep me from moaning and screeching, even though we still have to keep our voices down.

He strokes my pussy with his dick, his thumb playing at my asshole. I never thought I’d like that, either, but damn. That touch alone makes me squirm and wiggle, trying to fight my body’s need to just explode.

“Want you inside,” I murmur, reaching back to clutch at his thigh. My nails dig in.

“How bad?”

“God, Jesse, just fuck me. Please.”

“Well, since you asked nice…”

He spears hard into me, then fucks me fast and hard. With his thumb still teasing my asshole, he reaches around with the other hand to tickle my clit.

Oh God. I have to think it as loudly as possible to keep the words from screaming out of my mouth. He thrusts hard, at the same time keeping his finger rubbing in a gentle circle around my clit, and it’s only a few seconds before the combination sets me off like fireworks.

I clench my teeth, the orgasm rolling through me like waves hitting the shore during a massive storm. The climax roars in my ears so loudly it seems strange that nobody else could possibly be able to hear it.

He shoves hard into me just as I hit the peak, and he, too, lets go. I can feel him emptying inside me, hot and slick. It feels so good, the way he owns me. The way he never seems to get tired of this. Even while he’s been hurting, he’s seemed incapable of keeping his hands off me.

Not that I’ve minded. Not one little bit.

Finally he collapses onto my back and kisses my neck. Slowly I push myself up onto my elbows, eyes closed, reveling in the feeling of his mouth against my skin.