Page 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

ROWAN

I reposition Lucy in my arms as I look through the sea of people funneling down into the baggage claim area, my eyes searching for one person in particular. It’s only been three days since I last saw Hadley, but I swear, it feels like years have passed.

“She should be coming any minute now, Luce.”

Hadley texted me twenty minutes ago to let me know that she had landed safely. She told me where she was supposed to pick up her bag, but she didn’t know I already knew. I got to the airport almost an hour ago now and I’ve been waiting at baggage claim ever since.

Lucy makes a cooing sound, her body shifting in my arms as she reaches her little hands down to play with my fingers. A string of drool hangs from her bottom lip, landing directly on my thumb as she attempts to fold in half to put the digit in her mouth.

She’ll be four months old next week and it blows my mind how much growth she has made in such a short amount of time. As someone who never thought I would ever have kids, this entire experience has opened my eyes to so many things and so many possibilities.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a new father has been incredible and wild.

Moving Lucy back into a more stable position, I hold one arm across her chest, keeping her back against the front of my body as my other arm supports her bottom and under her knees. She’s a little discontent, which isn’t a new thing the past few days. It appears that I don’t have the same touch that Hadley has.

“I think I might see her,” I murmur to Lucy, craning my neck as I thought I saw the top of her head. I shuffle a few steps to the side, my eyes finding the same auburn-colored hair that’s pulled up in a bun. “That looks like her hair.”

Lucy makes another cooing sound and I start to move up and down, bopping her along as I watch Hadley step around the couple in front of her. She looks flustered, her legs moving quickly as she does a little skip-like step to get ahead of them.

Her face is flushed, her eyes bright, as she looks past another crowd of people, her gaze finding me through the moving bodies.

“There she is, Luce.” I let out a breath of relief, kissing the top of Lucy’s head. “Fuck, I missed her.” Lucy makes a sound and I wince. “I mean, minus the F-word.”

Thankfully, she doesn’t understand much yet, but I know I’m going to have to watch what I say in front of her. It won’t be long before she starts repeating the same words and I’ve seen how much fun Lincoln and Nova have had with Posey repeating the wrong things in public.

Hadley adjusts the strap of her backpack on her shoulder as she walks up to us. She’s a little breathless, her eyes shimmering pools of gold and brown and green as she stops in front of me. “Hi.”

I stare at her for a beat, my lips crinkling as I feel contentment washing over me. “Hi.”

My eyes are transfixed on her as she leans forward slightly, dropping her bag onto the ground as she peers at Lucy. “Well, hello there, sweet girl.”

Lucy stares at her for a second before she does a full-body wiggle in my arms with a string of happy coos escaping her. She lifts her hands, not quite reaching for Hadley, but the motion shows exactly what she wants.

She wants Hadley.

Get in line, Luce.

Without any hesitation, I move Lucy away from my body, holding her out to Hadley, and Hadley meets me without any delay. She slides her hands along Lucy’s rib cage, just below her armpits, and pulls her close to her chest. I watch in wonderment as she buries her face in the crook of Lucy’s neck and Lucy attempts to hold on to her.

They don’t share a single strand of DNA. There’s no biological attachment between the two of them, yet their connection is so much deeper than that.

Leaning down, I grab her backpack, lifting it over my shoulder before I walk over to retrieve her checked bag. As I turn back around, I find them waiting for me. Hadley holds my baby girl in her arms, her eyes meeting mine as she lifts her face away from her neck. There’s nothing but pure joy and adoration written across her features.

Pushing her suitcase, I pause when I reach her. Her eyes rest on me.

“Are you ready to go?”

A smile drifts across my lips. “Let’s go home.”

After we get home, Hadley doesn’t protest when I insist on making dinner for her. She ended up showering afterward, to wash off her day of traveling, and returned downstairs in a pair of silk pajamas. She asked to do Lucy’s night routine and I didn’t once think to object.

Even though I wanted to do it with them, something inside me told me to let her have that moment. It won’t be long before she won’t be around for bedtimes with Lucy. I want her to have as much time with her as she wants.

I’m lounging on the couch when she comes back into the living room, thirty minutes after she disappeared upstairs. Hadley walks into the room, making her way over to where I am. I’m on my back, my hands tucked behind my head, and I watch her, my neck turning to look at her as she settles onto the cushion beside my head.

“Did she give you trouble?” I ask, tilting my head to look at her. “That took you longer than I thought it would. ”

She shakes her head, her expression unreadable. “She fell asleep while I was rocking her, but I wasn’t ready to put her down yet.” She pauses, her throat bobbing as she swallows. “I know I have obligations I have to fulfill, but it makes me sad to think about not being here and seeing her.”

I stare at her for a moment, watching the emotion sweeping over her expression before I extend my arms, reaching for her. I know I can never ask her to stay. I can never ask her to give up the things she has planned in her life to play house with Lucy and me.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t take advantage of every moment I have with her.

“Come here,” I murmur, finding her wrists as I pull her over to me. She doesn’t object nor hesitate as she settles down on the couch beside me, her body flush against my side. I wrap my arms around her, holding her close as I take a second to breathe in the scent of her. “You can see her whenever you want. Just because you’re moving on and living your life, it doesn’t mean you can never see her again.”

“I know,” she mumbles against my chest, her arm tightening around my torso. She shifts against my side, her leg hiking up just enough that I can feel the heat radiating from her center. “I just hate thinking about it and the closer we get to me having to leave, the more it keeps invading my thoughts.”

I can’t ignore the way the blood rushes straight to my cock. She’s been driving me insane for the past couple months and having her this close has me feeling like I’m going to combust. Loosening my arms around her, I begin to trail my fingers along her back, feeling the soft silk beneath my touch. She inhales sharply, her chest pressing against me as she instinctively presses against me.

“You need something to distract you,” I suggest, my voice hoarse as I feel the warmth of her body seeping into me. My fingers travel over the skin on her bare arms, the goosebumps erupting across her flesh. In the back of my mind, a million reasons why I shouldn’t be doing this knock against my skull.

She’s my brother’s ex. She’s leaving soon. She deserves someone who can give her more than I ever could.

“Is that what you think?” she murmurs, her arm releasing my torso as she places her hand along my collarbone. She begins to move her fingers, trailing them across my chest and down my abdomen. Her touch burns through the thin cotton material of my shirt and I resist the urge to flip her onto her back. “What do you think would be a good distraction?”

My cock down your throat.

“Whatever you want, Hadley,” I groan as her fingers brush along the skin above the waistband of my sweatpants. “All you have to do is tell me and it’s yours.”

She lifts her head, her eyes finding me, almost as if she’s trying to decide what she wants to do. She surprises me, lifting her leg as she pushes off the couch. I immediately notice her absence, missing her warmth, but then she throws her leg over my body, her shorts riding farther up her thighs as she straddles my lap.

Both of her hands land on my chest, her eyes searching my expression as her hair cascades around the sides of her face. Fuck, she’s so hot like this. My hands find her hips and I pull her down onto me until she’s sitting directly on top of my erection.

“Come here,” I growl, one hand snaking up around the nape of her neck, my body lifting as I pull her face down to me. “I changed my mind,” I breathe, my lips brushing against hers. “I don’t want you to ask. I want you to take whatever the fuck you want from me.”

She stares at me for two heartbeats. Her lips part as if she’s going to say something, but it’s almost as if at the last second, she changes her mind. Her mouth crashes into mine with an intensity that knocks the air from my lungs, sending a jolt of electricity directly to my core.

Her lips are soft yet unforgiving as she kisses me with a fervent need, wanting to take everything I have to give. And fuck me, she can have it all. My mouth melts into hers, taking just as much as I give, my tongue pushing past her lips, past her teeth, to tangle with her own.

She steals the air from my lungs, draining every molecule of oxygen. I drink her in, tasting the wine from earlier in the evening on her tongue. Her hands slide into my hair, her body moving against me as she pushes down, grinding against my rock-hard cock. With one hand gripping the back of her neck, I hold her in place, the urgency behind our kiss tightening my grip on her hip.

Hadley abruptly breaks apart, a ragged breath escaping her as she stares down at me. Her hands leave my hair and she pulls me up, just enough for her to start to lift my shirt up my abdomen. I take over, grabbing the material, stripping it away from my body before tossing it onto the floor beside the couch.

“You too,” I moan as she shifts her hips, the friction sending a shock wave to my balls. I reach for the top button of her silk pajama top. The first one slides through with ease and the second one proves to be more challenging. Hadley’s hands begin to trace the curves and the planes of my chest and abdomen as I fight against the buttons of her top.

“Do you want me to get it?” she breathes, rolling her hips once more.

Shaking my head at her, I struggle with the third button before doing it a different way. “Fuck this,” I growl, grabbing the material in both hands before giving it a vicious tear. The buttons pop, flying in every direction as I rip her shirt open. She inhales sharply, her eyes widening as I push her shirt over her shoulders, sliding it down her arms. “I’ll get you a new shirt.”

My eyes travel across the planes of her body, memorizing every fucking inch. Lifting my hands, I slide them beneath her breasts, cupping them in my palms as I roll her nipples between the tips of my fingers. “Goddamn, you’re so fucking sexy, Hadley.”

Her head tilts back, a moan escaping her again as her back arches, her tits almost spilling from my hands. She straightens her head, her eyes flashing to meet mine once more before she lowers her face back to me. Our lips collide and her tongue plunges into my mouth, feeling like silk. She kisses me with haste and urgency before abruptly breaking apart once more.

My heart pounds erratically in my chest and I want to strip away every barrier. I want to feel her completely. My hands find her hips and I lift her off me, springing to my own feet. She doesn’t say a word as I step to her, slipping my hands beneath the waistband of her shorts and panties before dragging them down her thighs.

I lower myself to my knees, moving her clothing down her thighs and down to her feet so she steps out of them. My gaze slices to hers before slowly trailing down her body. “Fuck,” I murmur, my hands finding her hips once more. I lower a hand to her thigh, my eyes dropping down to her cunt in front of me, as I spread her legs.

“Throw your leg over my shoulder, baby,” I order, my fingertips digging into her flesh as my lips graze her pussy. “I want to make you come.”

She drops her left hand to my shoulder, holding on to me as she lifts her leg and does exactly as I say, giving me full access to her glistening cunt. My mouth inches closer, a moan slipping from me as I inhale her scent, dragging my tongue along her center.

Hadley’s body quivers and she arches her back. Fuck, she’s so responsive and I love it. Lifting my hand, I smack her pussy, my hand connecting with her skin with a sting.

“Oh, fuck,” she moans, her hips involuntarily moving, her nails digging into my flesh. I moan against her cunt, my tongue working over her, finding her clit as I begin to play with it. Hadley doesn’t protest and her other hand lands on the back of my head, her fingers diving through the locks of my hair as I fuck her with my mouth.

I love the way she is right now. She wants to come and I’m the man for the job. If she wants pleasure, I’ll give her pleasure. I’ll give her whatever the fuck she wants from me, no hesitation, no questions asked.

I’d spend the rest of my life on my knees for her, giving her anything she’d ask for.

My tongue moves against her, alternating between a slow and faster rhythm. I taste her, licking, sucking, fucking, and teasing until she’s a mess of moans. Her body writhes above me, the muscles in her leg beginning to tighten as her grip on my hair and shoulder grows firmer.

“I’m so close, Rowan,” she breathes, her cunt pressing against my tongue. “Don’t stop.”

I do exactly as she orders and I don’t stop even as she starts to come. My name falls from her lips in a breathless, moan-filled chant. My tongue laps at her pussy, drinking her in, tasting her pleasure on my lips as I make sure she’s fully satiated.

She tugs on my hair, pulling my face away from between her legs. I look up at her as she removes her thigh from my shoulder. “Get up, Rowan.” She stares down at me, her eyes filled with a deep-seated need as a devious grin slides across her lips. “I want you to fuck me.”

Obeying her command, I rise to my feet, my hands reaching for the waistband of my pants as she watches me. Lust dances in her irises and there’s a fire burning inside as I slide my pants down my thighs, pushing them down to my feet. My cock is so fucking hard, the thought of being inside her males me feel like I’m going to come on the first thrust.

“What’s this?” she murmurs, her gaze dropping down to my thigh as she inches closer. Her fingers trail over the ink-marred skin. “I didn’t know you had a tattoo.” Her eyes scan the script above both of my knees. Her fingers graze the words written in Latin. “What’s it mean?”

Omnia possibilità sunt.

“All things are possible.”

“And what’s this for?” she asks, her fingers dancing over the date above my other knee.

2018.

“It’s the year I was drafted.”

Hadley looks up at me with mischief in her eyes. “I didn’t think you’d be someone with tattoos.”

My head dips to the side. “What did you think I’d be then?”

She lifts her hands back to my chest, her fingers dancing across my skin, setting my nerve endings on fire. My cock throbs and fuck, I’m ready to bury myself inside her. But I’m also curious to hear what she has to say.

“I don’t know. I’m still figuring you out,” she admits, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth.

“How about I just show you instead?” I murmur, my hands traveling back down to her hips. “Maybe that can help you figure things out. ”

“I like the sound of that,” she says as she reaches for me. I inhale sharply, electricity slithering down my spine as she wraps her delicate hand around the base of my cock, the tips of her fingers don’t touch. She slowly begins to pump her hand, moving back and forth along my length.

“I need to get a condom.”

Hadley’s eyes flash to me. “Have you been tested?”

“Yes.” I got tested a few weeks before Hadley came barreling into my life.

“I have an implant in my arm. I want to feel you without anything between us.”

“Fuck, okay.” I let out a breath, the thought of fucking her raw sending a warm feeling to the pit of my stomach. “You need to get it wet,” I tell her, my voice gruff as she continues to stroke my length. “Spit on it.”

Her eyes are glazed over and hooded as she draws her lips together, her cheeks moving. She stares up at me, drawing spit into her mouth before she lowers herself, spitting her saliva on my cock. I watch her for a moment, completely transfixed as she slides her hand through it, coating my entire dick.

I reach for her, pulling her back upright as my hands fall to her hips and I begin to spin her around. “Turn around for me and grab the back of the couch.”

Hadley listens, bending forward until she’s folded at the waist, her hands gripping the back of the couch. I grab my cock, pumping it two times before positioning the tip along her center. She sucks in a breath as I start to push into her, her tight cunt stretching around the girth of my dick. She’s so goddamn tight, I feel like I could come on the spot.

She glances at me over her shoulder, taking every inch of my length as she lets out a ragged breath.

“Goddamn, look at you,” I murmur, my hands sliding along her spine before I push my fingers into her hair. Grabbing a handful, I pull her head back, her neck craning as I grip her hip with my other hand. “I’ve been waiting so long to fuck you.”

“So, what are you waiting for?” She groans, pushing her ass back against me as she takes me even deeper. “Fuck me, Rowan.”

Without another word, I pull back, so just the tip is inside of her before I slam into her. Hadley lets out a cry, pleasure mixing with pain as a moan rumbles in my throat. She pushes back against me as I start to move in and out, falling into a steady rhythm as I fuck her slowly at first.

I want to come, but I want to savor this. I want to savor her.

It isn’t long before something in my mind switches. The warmth is turning into a searing heat in the pit of my stomach, my balls constricting closer to my body as my cock feels like it’s going to explode. My fingers grip her hip, my hand tighter around her hair as I start to pound into her, fucking her with no mercy.

She takes every thrust and every inch without so much as a whimper in protest. She moans, her body moving beneath my touch as I fuck her relentlessly. Hadley cries out my name as I slam into her, filling her to the fucking brim with my cock .

That’s all it takes to send me falling over the edge. I thrust into her again, my chest constricting as my orgasm hits me in full force. I spill myself into her, pumping my cock in and out until every last drop of cum fills her tight cunt.

Hadley collapses forward, her forehead resting against the couch as I release my grip on her hair and hip. Taking a step back, I slowly pull my cock from her, the tingling feeling completely overwhelming as the cool air around us hits my warm, soaked flesh.

I stare at her for a moment, her ass still in the air, her chest rising and falling with every ragged breath, as my cum starts to drip from her pussy. “Fuck, I love you like this.” I groan, dragging my finger through my cum, pushing it back into her. “I love seeing my cum dripping out of you.”

She slowly pushes away from the couch, her legs unsteady as she turns around to look at me. Soft laughter spills from her perfect lips and she looks at me through glazed eyes. “My legs feel like Jell-O.” She smiles, her cheeks flushed. “I don’t know if I can walk.”

Without hesitation, I close the small amount of distance between us, my knees bending as I slide my hands behind her thighs and lift her into the air.

A gasp escapes her and she stares down at me, her arms sliding around the back of my neck. “What are you doing?”

“You’re a fall risk right now,” I tell her with a smirk, feeling the warmth of her cum and mine against my stomach. “I’m taking you upstairs to my room.” I pause, raising an eyebrow at her. “Unless, you’d rather me take you to yours instead?”

She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth again, shaking her head. “I like the sound of yours better.”

“Good.”

Because that’s exactly where I want her tonight.

I carry her up to my bedroom, but instead of stopping at the bed, I walk her directly into my en suite bathroom, only stopping when we reach the massive tub in the corner. She tilts her head to the side as I set her down on the edge, inhaling sharply as the cool porcelain meets her skin.

“What are you doing?” she questions me as I turn on the water, increasing the heat as it begins to fill the tub.

“Taking care of you.”

Hadley watches me carefully as I grab a washcloth and some soap, waiting for the tub to fill more. When it reaches halfway, I help her to her feet, my hands holding hers as she eases down into the water. I watch her eyelids flutter shut as her body slips beneath the hot surface.

As she settles against the back of it, her eyes open, immediately finding mine. “Come here,” she murmurs, her hands reaching for me.

I don’t protest and she moves forward, making room for me behind her as I settle into the hot water, sinking in. Resting back against the tub, she moves between my legs. My arms snake around the front of her torso, pulling her against me as she relaxes.

She settles with her back against my chest, her head falling back against my shoulder. I press my lips against her temple, holding her close as I revel in the way she feels and the warmth surrounding us.

Time passes and the water grows warm before I wash her body and my own. I settle with her in my arms again, not wanting to let her go as I hold her against me. I bury my face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her, memorizing the way she feels. We stay like that, wrapped up in one another, until the water turns cold.

Letting the water drain, we get out of the tub and I dry her and myself before sweeping her into my arms again. She doesn’t argue as I take her straight to my bed, tucking both of us under the covers. I pull her body close to me, our legs tangled together as I wrap my arms around her.

She’s slowly infiltrating my heart and I’m not certain I stand a chance against this kind of warfare.

I need her out of my head and out of my bed, but not tonight...

Not until it’s time for her to go.