Page 18

Chapter 17

Cupcakes and Cream

Boone

I’m not sure what time it is when I wake up in bed with my little one snuggled up to me and see Sydney’s not in bed. I don’t remember if she crashed with us or left when she got Lily settled in.

I owe her so much for what she’s done for Lily, for us, and I will get to that. But I also have something I need to discuss with my bride-to-be, and it has to be before tomorrow.

I get up, use the bathroom, and then head down to see if she’s okay after all she went through today—she was taken and had a gun to her head.

The thought makes me begin to panic, and I head to her little powder room, the place she and Lily sit to have their morning coffee—Lily’s hot cocoa.

I head to the door that leads down to the kitchen, open it, and head down to her shop.

When I walk into the Sugar Rush kitchen, she’s got music playing softly. It’s Lady Antebellum’s “I Run to You.”

She’s wearing a cream and pale pink flannel nightgown that hits above the knees, almost touching her long-ass cream socks, and her little feet are tucked inside her pink UGG slippers. Above all that is one of her Sugar Rush aprons.

“How do I walk in here in the middle of the night and not freak you out?”

She points to the monitor. “I saw you get up.”

I move behind her and place my hands on either side of her. “You’re making cupcakes at …” I force a laugh as I press my lips to her cheek. “I don’t know what time it is, but I do know it’s late.”

“I was gonna make a cake for tomorrow but started thinking about all the people and what they are going to want and?—”

“I’ve watched you for years love people up and at first thought your love language is acts of service. Then I wondered if it was quality time because you carve out time for your girls and everyone you care about. You bought makeup for Lindsey, you hang onto Lily to comfort her?—”

“And myself,” she states.

“Fucking love that you find that in her. You like taking care of people because it heals something in you that didn’t get taken care of, I feel that. Wanna heal all that shit, mine and yours together. I want to be the person I do life with. I want that so fucking bad for me and Lily, and for you.”

“Beau, your arm. You?—”

She stops when I lift her up and set her on the counter and hold her chin between my fingers needing her full attention, because if I fuck this up I’m never going to forgive myself. She’s it, for me.

“Here me out okay?”

She nods.

“Relationship me is soft like butter.” I dip my finger into the buttercream frosting, loving the way her eyes get misty and heavy as she watches me suck it off my finger. “Single me acts like a thug. Which me do you want for Lily?” I spread her legs apart and stand between them.

“This feels a lot like coercion,” she whispers as I start to unbutton her nightshirt and press my lips against her neck.

“You smell delicious.” I kiss down to her shoulder as I push the shirt off, exposing her breasts to me, her nipples … fuck, they are dark pink and perky, mesmerizing me as they point at me like arrows. “I can’t wait to taste more of you.”

And taste, I do.

I kiss a trail down her neck, between her tits, and she moans softly.

When my lips reach her breasts, she arches into me, her hands tangled in my hair. I lean in and take one of her nipples into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it before gently sucking on it. She moans softly, arching her back and pressing herself into me, urging me on. I give the other nipple the same attention, eliciting another moan from her.

I keep tasting and teasing her nipples with my tongue, kneading her sexy tits, relishing in the way she responds to every movement, one side then the other. Then, still starving, I go back for seconds.

Hooking my thumbs in her hot little white lace panties, I lick down her soft sexy stomach, inhaling her scent, a sweet musk … pink.

Stepping back to pull her panties off, I look up. “Please do not let me blow it in my pants. Please don’t let me?—”

When I hear the sound of a whipped cream can, my eyes fly open as I drop the panties.

“Fuck yeah,” I groan as I drop to my knees, watching Sydney Sparks squirt cream on her nipple, and yep, I nearly come in my pajama pants.

I reach between my legs and fist my cock, squeezing a little too hard, but it does the job. Then I snatch the can away, squirting cream from her knee to her inner thigh, and lick it all the way up before I bury my face between her sexy thighs.

Fucked, I am entirely fucked, because she tastes just like she smells—sweet and pink.

She gasps and moans as I use my hands to part her folds and delve deeper into her wetness. Her hips buck against me as she nears orgasm, and I increase my pace, wanting nothing more than to make her come undone. Her whimpers grow louder, and her grip on my hair tighter, right before her thighs begin to shake. And when she finally orgasms, it’s my name on her lips.

Lapping up her wetness, like a kitten to milk, I reach in my pocket and pull out the black velvet box, take the four-carat, pink pillow-cut diamond ring with white diamonds wrapped around the band, and hold it up.

She gasps and covers her mouth. “Beau, I?—”

“Marry me. Be my person, Syd.”

“Your face is still between my legs.”

“Whatever it takes for the W. You with me?” I flick her clit with my tongue.

She whimpers. “Yeah, Boone, I’m with you.”

I stand and slide the ring on her finger.

“It’s so beautiful.” She does a little squeal, and I start to lift her up, but she leans back.

“You have a bullet hole in your damn arm.”

“You can’t tell me I can’t carry my bride-to-be up to bed.”

“Pfft.” She shakes her head. “Have you even met your future wife?” She slides off the counter and onto her stocking feet. Then she hooks her thumbs in my pajama bottoms. “She’s controlling at times.”

“If this is controlling …” I groan when she shoves her hand down my pants and grabs my hard cock, rubbing her thumb over the weeping tip and licking her lips at the same time.

I don’t know why, but I’m surprised and turned the fuck on by the confidence in her touch. Then she breaks our kiss and sinks to her knees in front of me, her fingers still wrapped around my cock, looking up at me with a hungry glint in her eyes before running her tongue along the length of my shaft, gathering the pre-cum at my tip.

I groan at the sensation and grab onto the countertop with my good arm behind me for support. I swear my knees are getting weak, and I feel myself getting harder than I think I’ve ever been as Sydney Sparks, Cupcake, my pin-up girl, fantasy for years, the one-woman star of my spank bank dreams, is on her knees in front of me, licking my cock.

Her tongue swirls around the head before trailing down to the base, teasing and taunting me. She knows exactly what she’s doing, and I can’t help but wonder how many men have been lucky enough to experience this from her.

But then all thoughts disappear as she takes me into her mouth, sucking gently before picking up speed. Her hand moves in tandem with her mouth, stroking what she can’t fit into her mouth.

I should be ashamed of how quickly I blow, but I’m not at all.

Lying in bed, I’m big spooning Syd, and she’s medium spooning Lily.

“Gonna need a bigger bed when Bossy heals up a bit and can do the stairs; you good with her being here?”

“Of course I am.”

“We gotta get Lily a bed for the spare room before we get you a health code violation,” I joke.

She turns and looks back at me, a smile on her makeup-free, porcelain, pretty face. “She’s been through a lot.”

“You’ve been through a lot, too. Fuck, Syd, we could have lost you today.”

“The entire time, I was terrified she would unbuckle and get out and …” She smashes her eyes shut. “Thank God she couldn’t get out. Thank God no one took her.”

I press my lips to her cheek. “I have no idea how she figured out how to call me.”

“How did you know where she was?”

“AirTag in her seat,” I admit. “And I shared my location with you; I’d like the same courtesy. And if you think that’s possessive or?—”

“How long have we been friends?” she asks, and I smile. Then she gasps. “Have you checked in on Lindsey to see how?—”

“I have. She’s still doing it solo. Her brother, Mitchell, is coming in on a redeye. He wants to be here when she wakes up and said he’d like to give me some more intel.”

“Intel?”

“Fucking commandos got me thinking I’m a badass, too.” I chuckle.

“Boone, you saved my life today, took a bullet for me. You are a badass.”

“I’ll take every bullet for you.”

Her brows shoot up. “How many more do you think I got coming?”

“Not one,” I nip her earlobe then whisper, “Sugar Tits.”

“I’m gonna start a tally of how many pokes you get to the ribs when you’re all better.”

I laugh against the back of her head and decide now’s just as good a time as any.

“Was gonna save this for tomorrow, but since I’m a certified badass now, I’ll stop being a little bitch who’s afraid to say what he feels and wants, knowing it’s to the right person, and it’s cool if you’re not ready yet, but I know without a doubt?—”

“Beau—”

“I love you, Sydney. Love with no strings, and for no other reason than that’s what my heart, my fucking soul, have been telling me since I laid eyes on you.”

“Don’t you dare stop because I couldn’t?—”

“Never.” I kiss her.

Against my lips, she says, “I love you, too.”

“Touchdown!” I whisper-yell.

I woke up this morning to an empty bed and found my girls and Molly downstairs, finishing up a three-layer traditional wedding cake.

“You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?” I ask, pressing a kiss to Syd’s forehead.

“GiGi Molly maked a pretty cake, Daddy.”

“My bad.” I wink at Syd, who smiles up at me, all fresh-faced and happy.

“One chocolate with salty caramel for you, pink velvet for me, and chocolate peanut butter.” Lily claps her hands.

I now know that is one of Syd’s favorites.

“How are you feeling?” Molly asks, washing her hands.

“Good. Better than I did yesterday morning. Think my fever’s gone.”

“Probably the antibiotics they gave you helped with whatever bug we’ve all been sharing.”

“I’m not going to complain, that’s for sure.”

After last night, I’m sure there will be no complaining in this relationship. I’m still flying high from the taste of her and the feel of her tasting me. From now on, it’s gonna be like a twenty-four-hour all-I-can-eat-buffet, and I am fucking here for it.

“Let me get a look at your wound, and then you need to get going, young man, so the girls and I can get ready.”

Standing inside the stone building, I see an SUV pulling in and smile, knowing it’s the car I hired to drive the family for the week. Mom balked at it, of course, but my brothers love this shit. Hell, at their age, I did, too. Now it doesn’t mean shit really.

“That your kin?” Grimes asks.

I look at him. “My kin ?”

“Isn’t that what Southerners call your family?”

“The Southerners and Shakespeare.” I shake my head.

Logan is at my side. “How’s the arm?”

“There’s a hole in it,” I joke.

He chuckles. “The pain?”

“Physically, I’ve hurt worse on a Sunday night after a game.” I tap my head. “Here, though, knowing I’m missing the fucking playoffs hurts like a motherfucker.” I nod to the big white sleigh now entering from the road. “I’d take a hundred bullets and miss every last game to have my girls with us today.”

“Feel that shit hard,” he says. “Catch up with us later. That piece of shit ran his mouth, trying to get a deal by throwing his buddies who own the garage under the proverbial treadless tire.”

“They switched the tires out?” I ask, and he nods. “Before or after the wreck?”

“After. The theory is he was trying to cover up the fact that he ran her off the road when she decided not to meet him when he wanted to talk to her about Sydney.” He lifts his chin toward the vehicle. “Your kin?”

“Asshole.” I chuckle as he walks toward Lucas.

I hug Mom and my brothers then introduce them to Syd’s parents and family. The five of us and Hudson had breakfast this morning. He drove at the doctor’s and my bride-to-be’s orders. They had even offered to come help with setup, but I knew their flight was delayed a couple of times last night, and they didn’t get here until three in the morning, and it is only ten a.m.

“It’s beautiful here.” Mom smiles up at me. “Cold, but beautiful.”

“Here they come,” comes from the distance.

“I better get to where I’m supposed to be.” I kiss her cheek then head to the altar that my brothers, Grimes, Skinner, and Cody Warren constructed at the ass-crack of dawn.

With my brothers by blood and choice next to me, we stand and watch as the horse-drawn wagon carrying the girls comes trotting toward us.

I glance over at Mom and give her a wink, knowing how much she appreciates the work that goes into caring for the beautiful animals.

All of the girls wear dresses that are the same silver color but in different styles, much like all of us are in gray suits, mine being a touch darker. In fact, everyone here is in gray, which looks fucking sharp, if I dare say so myself.

When the girls are escorted out of the wagon and it pulls away from the stone curb, the sleigh then arrives, being pulled by two white horses carrying my bride and daughter, both wrapped in faux furs and smiling as they make their way toward me.

My brother Blane meets Sydney at the sleigh, and Lily dives into his arms. “You missed me, didn’t you?”

“Litte show stealer right there.” Hudson chuckles.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Cory stands beside the steps with his hand out to his daughter and helps her down from the sleigh. She is a vision in her cream wedding gown with her matching white cape over it as late snow begins to come down around us, adding to the sense of magic I already feel exchanging our vows in the same place her parents did.

I have to stop myself from going to her when the acoustic version of Lady Antebellum’s “I Run to You” plays in the distance.

I have to visualize my feet being stuck in place as I watch them walk toward me, a smile on her face so big, so beautiful that it makes my heart swell.

I don’t hear anything that is said until Pastor Josh looks at me and smiles, his eyes warm and full of joy. “Beau, repeat after me,”

I take a deep breath and repeat not just words but a promise that binds us together for eternity.

When Sydney says her vows, I get teary-eyed, but I really couldn’t give a shit less; it’s an emotional time. In the span of just a couple of weeks, we have been through so many trials and tribulations, yet here we stand. We not only survived but grew in love and, yes, faith. I would go through it all again to be right here, exchanging rings and sealing our vows with a kiss.

A hot as fuck kiss.

“I love you, wife.”

“I think I found a new kink.” She grins.

“Wife?”

“Oh yeah, definitely.”