Page 45 of Missing Pieces (Brantley Walker: Off the Books #12)

“They are, but…” JJ shrugged. “I really like Naomi.” Her face took on a dreamy expression. “But I’m not so sure about Noah.”

“What are you leaning toward?”

“Nothing.”

“Naomi and Nothing,” Brantley mused. “Not sure it works.”

JJ laughed, setting her cup on the table. “Shut it.”

“Help us out here, Reese,” Brantley told him. “Pull up some names.”

“That start with the letter N,” JJ instructed.

Reese pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times. “How about … Neil?”

“Nope,” JJ said instantly.

“Norton?”

JJ shook her head.

“Northrop?”

Her head tilted. “Be serious.”

Reese laughed. “What about Nolan?”

“I’ve considered it, but I’m not sold.”

“Nicolas?”

“Too common.”

“Newton? Neville?”

JJ stuck out her tongue.

“Ned?”

“No.”

Reese continued to look at the screen. A moment later, he looked up and said, “Nathan.”

JJ opened her mouth but closed it before a sound came out.

“Naomi and Nathan,” Brantley said, getting a feel for the sound. “I think that works.”

“It kinda does,” JJ agreed, but he could tell she wasn’t ready to pen them on the birth certificates.

“You’ve got a little time.” He patted her knee. “You and Baz can toss them around.”

She reached for her milkshake. “We will, I’m sure.”

The door opened behind him, so Brantley got to his feet.

“Hey, Wes,” he greeted Baz’s father, shaking his hand when he walked in. “How’s it goin’?”

“I’ve got two beautiful grandbabies. How do you think it’s goin’?”

Brantley smiled. He’d gotten a text from Iris earlier saying pretty much the same thing. Granted, JJ wasn’t her biological daughter, but he knew she thought of her as family. Which meant she got to be the surrogate grandmother.

“I think I’m gonna head home,” Wes said as he walked over to JJ. He leaned down and hugged her. “You need anything at all, just holler.”

“I will,” she said, her cheeks pink. “Thank you.”

Brantley stood back until Wes slipped out of the room.

“Have they said when you get to go home?”

“Tomorrow,” JJ answered. “I could probably go today, but I’m milking it to be close to the babies.”

“Don’t blame you there.”

“But we aren’t going home exactly,” JJ noted. “We’ve booked a room at the hotel behind the hospital. Nothing fancy, but it allows me to be here until the babies are released.”

He looked at Baz. “Well, that’s good, right?”

“It is. It allows me to work a few more days, too. Once they come home, I’ll want to be there.”

“Of course you will,” Reese told him. “Just remember, you can always work remotely. Not that you should,” he tacked on quickly. “But it’s an option.”

“I know.”

“We should probably get going, too,” Brantley said, wanting to give them some time alone. He doubted they got much with the nurses coming in and out.

“Wait,” JJ said as Reese got to his feet. “We wanted to ask you somethin’.”

Baz moved closer to JJ, taking her hand when she reached for it.

Brantley waited patiently as they traded glances and smiles.

“You ask them,” JJ told Baz.

Baz looked up, met Brantley’s gaze. “We wanted to know if you’d be the babies’ godfather.” Baz looked at Reese. “Both of you.”

Brantley grinned. “I’m in for sure.”

“Of course we will,” Reese said, moving to stand beside Brantley. “We’d be honored.”

“Yeah. What he said.”

“Perfect.” JJ clapped softly. “Now you can go.”

“Wow. You’re in a rush to get us outta here, huh?”

“It’s the first time all day that I’ve had the chance to have this man all to myself. I’d like to take advantage of that.”

“Eww.” Brantley grimaced dramatically.

“Shut up.” JJ laughed.

“Talk to him about the names,” Brantley ordered, pointing between them as he made his way to the door. “They’ll need them to get outta here.”

With that, he jerked his chin toward the door, smiling at Reese.

And for that brief moment, he forgot about all the other shit they were dealing with and simply enjoyed a few moments with his husband.

It wasn’t until they neared the elevator that Brantley grabbed Reese’s hand and tugged him down the narrow corridor.

“What are you doing?” Reese rasped.

“Taking advantage of the situation.”

“There is no situation,” Reese hissed, attempting to pull free from his grasp.

Brantley tried the knob on the first door they came to and found it locked. He tried the next and grinned when it turned.

Slowly opening the door, he peeked inside to find what appeared to be a cleaning supply storage area. It was neatly organized and exactly the sort of spot he was looking for.

He manhandled Reese into the room and closed the door.

“Brantley, we can’t—”

“You should stand here,” Brantley told him, pushing Reese against the door.

“Why?”

“In case someone needs in here.”

“Brantley,” Reese drawled. “We can’t d—”

“We can and we are,” he insisted.

He effectively silenced his husband by crushing his mouth to his. There was a moment of surprise, but then Reese was kissing him back, hard and hungry. Within seconds, Brantley unbuttoned his jeans and lowered the zipper, eager and desperate to get his cock into Reese’s mouth.

Gripping Reese’s jaw, he pulled back, met his stare. He let the emotions of the day free, driving his need for a distraction. He channeled the frustration and disappointment into a hot, desperate hunger. The only thing that would sate him was this man.

“I want to fuck this beautiful mouth,” he growled softly, swiping Reese’s bottom lip with his thumb. “I need to fuck this beautiful mouth.”

Reese’s golden eyes glazed over.

“Now, Reese. Get on your knees and suck me.”

He watched as his husband slid down the door, their gazes locked the entire time. Brantley backed up only enough to give Reese room to position himself. Then, fisting Reese’s hair tightly, he guided his cock past those plump lips and into the heated cavern of his mouth.

“Oh, fuck, yes,” he hissed when Reese sucked him in deep. “Suck me, baby. Make me crazy.”

Reese took over from there, fisting the base of Brantley’s dick, stroking in tandem with the heated pulls on the sensitive head. Inundated with pleasure, Brantley let it consume him, wiping away the stress, eliminating the worry. He got lost in the man he loved.

“Damn, I love that mouth,” he mumbled under his breath as he stared down at Reese. “It feels so fucking good. Ah, yeah. Suck me deep, Reese.”

He pumped his hips, pushing in deeper. Reese seemed to know what he needed because his hand fell away, allowing Brantley to push into his throat.

“Can you take more of me?” he groaned, overwhelmed.

Reese’s answer was in the glittering gold of his eyes and the surrender he saw there.

Holding Reese’s head with both hands, Brantley shifted so that he could fuck Reese’s face.

He took what the man offered, letting the intense pleasure overtake every nerve ending until he was precariously hovering at the brink.

He remained there for several seconds, grunting as he drove his cock into Reese’s mouth again and again.

“Oh, fuck, baby. I’m gonna come.” He growled softly, trying to be quiet but too far gone to give a shit who might hear them. “Swallow!”

Reese’s throat closed around him, triggering a mind-blowing orgasm. It was all Brantley could do to remain on his feet as his cock pulsed and spurted.

He stumbled back, catching himself before he crashed into a metal shelf.

Reese was on his feet, grabbing his shirt and jerking him forward.

The man’s mouth sealed over his, and he tasted himself on Reese’s tongue.

It spurred more desire, but he refrained.

He knew without asking that Reese would balk at the idea of fucking him in that closet, although Brantley would’ve gladly bent over just to feel his husband inside him.

“Let’s get home,” Reese said when some of the intensity waned.

“Only if you promise to fuck me as soon as we get there.”

Reese smirked. “You’ll be lucky if we even make it inside.”