Hold on Tight (Sea Breeze #8)

DEWAYNE

Preston pulled up outside a house surrounded by cars, with loud music pumping out of the speakers. There were empty beer cans in the yard and even more red Solo cups. A bunch of guys were doing shots off some chick’s stomach on the front porch.

“You sure you want to do this? We partied too when we were in school. Ain’t like Dustin is doing anything we didn’t do,” Preston said, looking around at the high school party with illegal drinking going on. Whoever lived here must have been left home alone by really stupid parents.

“This shit ain’t Dustin. He has college scouts looking at him. He has a life we can’t imagine waiting on him. He shouldn’t be here, and he sure as hell shouldn’t have Sienna here with him. This isn’t safe.”

Preston chuckled. “Shit always comes back to Sienna,” he said, but I ignored him as we walked up the sidewalk.

A couple of the guys on the basketball team recognized me and called out to me. They were all smashed. I ignored them. They were making a mistake. This wasn’t going to get them anywhere but f*cking prison.

I wouldn’t let that happen to my brother.

“Where’s Dustin?” I asked one of them.

“He’s got Kimmy up in a bedroom, more than likely,” someone called out.

Kimmy? Kimmy the blond cheerleader Kimmy? Oh, f*ck no, he wasn’t that stupid. She’d slept with Preston our senior year. She’d slept with a lot of my graduating class.

I headed inside and straight up the stairs. Preston was behind me. “He’s a kid. We sure as hell weren’t relationship material when we were his age. We f*cked anything that was hot and had a p-ssy. You can’t blame him for not being satisfied—”

I turned and got in Preston’s face, shutting him up. “Don’t. Sienna is different. We never had a Sienna. So don’t f*cking compare that shit. He’s f*cking up his life.”

Preston threw his hands in the air and backed up. “Fine. Go knock some sense into him. Not me. Him. I like my face all nice and pretty.”

Preston was hard to get mad at. I turned back around and headed for the first door, opening it and finding some random girl’s tits, and her mouth wrapped around a guy’s dick.

Next room. I swung open the door just as my brother’s name was being screamed by a girl who was not Sienna. F*cking idiot!

“You little dipshit! What the f*ck are you doing?” I roared. The girl squealed, and all Dustin did was look back at me and grin. He was drunk. His eyes were bloodshot, and he had a goofy look on his face.

“I’m f*cking,” he replied, and pumped his hips into the girl, who was scrambling to cover herself. “She’s been wanting my dick for two years. I started giving it to her ’cause she likes it hard and dirty.”

More information than I needed to know.

“Dude, you so need to shut up before he beats the hell out of you,” Preston said from behind me. “Little brother or not, you’re drunk and screwing someone who isn’t Sienna when you know how he is about Sienna.”

“Did you break up with Sienna?” I asked him, trying to figure out why he would be in here with this slut when he had the world in his hands.

Dustin frowned. “Break up with Sienna? Hell no. She’s my girl. Love her. Wouldn’t break up with her for this,” he said, nodding to the girl underneath him, who cursed at him and slapped his chest.

“You can’t love Sienna and do this shit to her,” I told him, still trying to figure out what the hell had happened to my brother.

“Yeah, I can. Sienna’s my baby. Love her. You just gotta be easy with her. She can’t take it hard. Kimmy lets me f*ck her in the janitor’s closet at school, and she even sucks my dick in the locker room before a game.”

Shit. Dustin had lost his mind. “Get dressed. We’re leaving. Now.”

Dustin stood up. His dick was still hard, and I saw then that he didn’t have a condom on. Motherf*cker!

“Oh shit, he ain’t wrapping that thing up,” Preston said, pointing out the obvious.

“You selfish a*shole! You’re cheating on Sienna and you’re not protecting her? What the hell is wrong with you?”

Dustin looked down at his dick and groaned. “Shit. I forgot. I was drinking and she was stroking me outside, and then I was up here and inside her. Forgot about the condom.”

“You gotta tell Sienna. She needs to go get checked. Get dressed. I’m taking you home.”

Dustin’s eyes went wide. “I ain’t telling Sienna this shit! She’ll break up with me. She won’t forgive me, and I need her. She’s my girl. Always been my girl. Besides, she’s got the best damn titties of any girls I’ve had.”

I took a step toward him, needing to slam my fist into his face, when Preston jumped in front of me and pushed Dustin back. “He’s sixteen and he’s drunk. Really damn drunk. Calm down. You can make sure Sienna gets tested. Just don’t beat the hell out of him while he’s like this. He can’t fight back.”

“No. Can’t tell Sienna. Love her. She’s my girl. Love her. You can’t make her leave me. She’s my one and only. You know. You love her too. We both love her. The Falco boys love Sienna Roy. And her pretty titties. F*cking perfect titties.”

“Can y’all leave so I can get dressed?” Kimmy asked in an angry screech. “I’m sick of hearing about his love for Sienna and her damn titties. It’s me who’s pregnant with his baby. Not her. Me. Me who he f*cks whenever he needs to get off. Not her. He treats her like a porcelain doll. She’s not gonna be his baby momma. I am.”

Present day . . .

SIENNA

Dewayne had actually shown up instead of texting me to take Micah to his parents’ on Saturday morning. Then he’d driven me to work, with Micah sitting between us in the truck, excited about going to get breakfast with Dewayne after they dropped me off.

It was easy enough. Micah being there made it easy. I didn’t make eye contact with Dewayne if I didn’t have to, and I focused on Micah. That was why I was even in this truck with Dewayne: Micah. He did it all for Micah, and I understood that. He’d made sure I understood why he was doing this.

However, when Dewayne came walking into the shop at lunchtime to pick me up, he didn’t have Micah with him.

“Where’s Micah?” I asked as I picked up my purse.

“My parents have him. We have to go get your car,” he replied.

Oh. Well, that was good. I thought. I just hoped I had enough money. I still owed for the towing, too. I wasn’t sure who I owed it to and how much. I would find out once Dewayne and I got in his truck.

“Hey, Dewayne,” Gretchen said, and wiggled her long pink fingernails at him, then winked.

He didn’t do anything more than nod at her, and then he motioned for the door. “Ready?” he asked.

I waved at Hillary and Gretchen, although at the moment I wasn’t in the mood to do anything but scowl at Gretchen. I wished she’d never told me about her and Dewayne. I followed him outside. He opened my door for me, and I climbed inside and buckled up.

Dewayne got in on his side and we were on the road without a word from either of us. I hoped this wasn’t going to be a long, awkward ride.

“Reckon you’re not gonna be happy with me, but you’re gonna have to get over it and understand that I’m doing what’s best for Micah.”

I tensed up. This didn’t sound good.

“I had your car towed to the junkyard where it belonged. It’s now scrap metal. Seeing as how I did that, I owe you another car. I’ll gladly replace your old one, and although you’re ready to punch me in the face right at this moment, you’re not going to because I’m driving and because you and I both know Micah needs a safe vehicle. He also needs his momma in a safe vehicle. What you were driving was as unsafe as it gets. And it was polluting the earth.”

I just stared at him. He’d had my car turned into scarp metal. My only means of transportation. My paid-for car was now gone. “I can’t believe you did that,” I said, still in shock.

“I want you and Micah safe.”

We were safe. Well, maybe the car breaking down at night hadn’t been safe, but otherwise that car had worked just fine. “I can’t just let you buy me a car,” I said, my voice raising a notch from the panic. “I can’t . . . That isn’t something someone else buys you. It’s my job to supply a car for me and my son. Not yours.”

Dewayne pulled into the Chevrolet car dealership. He was really doing this. I wasn’t going to let him. I couldn’t.

“I’m buying my nephew a safe vehicle. You can’t stop me. I can buy his mother something to safely carry him around in. Someone needs to take care of you, both of you. I’m the uncle. It’s my job.”

I fisted up my hands and hit my thighs in frustration. “No, it isn’t!”

“Yeah, Little Red, it is. Now, I did some research on good family SUVs, and the Tahoe ranked really well. It’s safe, and they have one here that’s two years old and in great condition. I want you to come see what you think. If you like it, then it’s yours. If you don’t, then we will go to car lots all damn day until you find something you love.”

“You can’t afford this,” I argued.

He cocked his head to the side. “Yeah, babe, I can. Now get your ass out of my truck and go look at that Tahoe. They’re bringing it around now.”

Okay. Fine. I would look at it. But he was not buying it for me. For Micah. This was ridiculous.

* * *

An hour later I drove my new Chevy Tahoe off the lot and was completely in love. It had everything. Even a sunroof. The radio worked and it had seat warmers. Micah was going to be giddy with excitement over the television that flipped down from the ceiling.

When I had finally given in and admitted to loving the Tahoe, Dewayne had grinned like a little boy on Christmas morning. He had been happy about it. How he was happy about dropping this kind of money on someone made no sense. I was stressing out over the price, but Dewayne assured me that he had the money and could pay cash. That he wanted to do this.

The title would be sent to me with my name on it in a few weeks. I owned this Tahoe. I could drive it for at least the next ten years. The relief made me want to weep. I owned a house and a safe, dependable car now. It made me feel humbled. I had never expected this. Ever.

I glanced in my rearview mirror and watched as Dewayne turned left at the red light, headed to wherever he lived. I had never seen his place. I doubted I ever would unless Micah went there to visit him.

The idea made me sad. I wanted to know what Dewayne’s house looked like. I wanted to see his world. His life. But I wasn’t ever going to get that privilege. He had made sure I understood that.

I pulled into my driveway, and the front door flew open as Micah came running out with a huge grin on his face. Tabby stood in my doorway, beaming. Dewayne must have called her.

I opened the door, and Micah jumped up in my arms. “Dewayne bought us this? For real? It’s awesome!”

I nodded and blinked away the tears in my eyes. It was awesome.

“It even has a television,” I told him, letting him crawl inside to inspect it.

Tabby walked up, wiping her tears and grinning. “He’s a good man. He just doesn’t realize it. He doubts himself, but my boy is as good as they come. Always has had a heart of gold. Just need him to wake up and see that.”

“This is too much. I can’t believe he bought this. I’m in awe, and I feel guilty for letting him,” I admitted.

She laughed. “Girl, you didn’t have a choice. Once Dewayne decides he wants to do something, then you’re sunk. He’s gonna do it. And he wanted you and Micah to have a safe vehicle. Besides, if he saw how much fun Micah was having checking it out, he might go buy him another one.”

She was right. Dewayne was a good man. Much better than he let himself believe. Was it possible that he needed someone to show him that he was special? Was that it? No woman had ever tried to make him see how wonderful he was inside. Could I?

DEWAYNE

I had finished loading my dishwasher and was headed to the shower when a knock on the door stopped me. I turned and went to open it. Sienna stood there holding a cake box and wore a nervous smile. I was not expecting to see her at my door.

“Hey. Uh, Micah and I made you something. He loved the Tahoe. I had to force him to get out of it. He wanted to stay in it and watch a movie tonight.”

That made me smile. We would have to take a road trip in it soon so he could watch his movie. “I’m glad he approves,” I said, then stepped back to let her inside.

She looked around, and I could see the surprise on her face that it was clean. I didn’t do well with messy shit. I liked my stuff put away. It was one reason I didn’t do roommates. I’d tried that once and almost threw Preston’s crap out the window and into the parking lot one day, I’d gotten so sick of it.

“Your mom told Micah you like chocolate. So we made you a chocolate cake. The icing was Micah’s job, so it’s creative,” she said.

I took the box from her hands and nodded toward the kitchen. “Come on,” I told her.

I needed to set the cake down and decide how I liked having her in my space. I had imagined her here before, but then, those fantasies normally took place with her naked in my bed or shower. Once she’d even been bent over my couch.

“You’re really clean. I don’t think I expected that,” she said, looking around.

I shrugged. “Don’t like things messy. Never have. Well, some things I like to get messy with.” I shouldn’t have gone there. Not with her here in my place alone. I wanted things, and thinking about doing messy things with her was too damn tempting.

“Oh,” she said, blushing, and looked away from me. The pink in her cheeks always was one of my favorite things to see. That and her smile. Her eyes always twinkled in a way that could make everything else okay.

“When you look at me like that, it makes me forget that you just want to f*ck me one time and nothing more.” Her words came out of nowhere, and hearing her say “f*ck” didn’t help me.

“It’s hard not to look at you,” I admitted. “Always has been.”

Sienna let out a nervous laugh. “Well, it’s always been hard not to look at you, too. So I guess we both have a problem. If we slept together, I’d want more of it. Once would never be enough. One kiss wasn’t enough. I don’t think I could ever get my fill.”

What the hell . . . ?

Sienna was just laying it out there. Why? I’d told her that I couldn’t be what she wanted. I had tried to hold her at arm’s length, so why would she walk into my apartment and tell me she could never get enough of me? That was brave. Unbelievably so. It was time I admitted the truth too.

“If I get a taste of what it feels like to be inside you, I won’t be able to stop. Ever. I’ve been addicted to you since I was seventeen years old. I fought it because you were my brother’s. Then I fought it because I wasn’t worthy of you. It’s my fault he wrapped his car around that tree that night. I’d threatened him, and he was drunk and ran off.”

I couldn’t tell her the rest. That I had been mad that he had gotten Kimmy pregnant and had been cheating on Sienna for over a year. I never wanted her to know that. Ever.

“Dustin made his own mistakes,” she replied. “He chose to drink and party, and he chose to drive his car when he shouldn’t have. I begged him not to drink, but he always laughed me off, saying he was only having fun and wasn’t hurting anyone. I let myself believe him. But in the end Dustin made the reckless decision that took his life. He missed out on knowing our son. He missed out on his future as a star. He missed out on so much. But it was no one’s fault but his. I blamed myself for so long, but I know now that he made that decision. Not me. And not you.”

No one had ever told me that. I knew it was true, but no one had ever said those words to me. Still, I knew what I’d said to Dustin to send him racing back to Sienna in a panic. He was worried I was going to tell her what he was doing. He wanted to stop me. I’d never imagined he would get behind the wheel.

“I loved him. I miss him every damn day,” I said, gripping the edge of the countertop. I never talked about Dustin like this. It hurt too much.

“I loved him too. He was my best friend. He gave me the greatest gift on earth before he left me. I have Micah.”

I wanted her memories of Dustin to remain intact. I owed my brother that much. Because I wasn’t staying away from her anymore. She was right—Dustin had made his own decisions, and he hadn’t cherished what he had. I would. I’d been cherishing her from afar for so damn long.

“Stay. Eat some cake with me,” I said, not wanting her to leave. “Where’s Micah?”

“Your parents’,” she replied.

“Can you stay the night?”

Her eyes went wide, and she took a deep breath. Then she nodded. “Yes.”

I shoved away from the counter. “Sienna.”

“Yes,” she replied a little breathlessly as I closed the space between us.

“Can we eat the cake later? Much later? Like for breakfast?”

She nodded again just before my mouth captured hers.

SIENNA

He was everywhere all at once. My head was spinning, and if he hadn’t backed me up against the wall, I would have crumpled to the ground. It was overwhelming and thrilling.

Dewayne sucked on my bottom lip before trailing kisses across my jaw, then settled in to torture the spot behind my ear. “Wanted to do this for so long,” he whispered against my skin. “This one spot. All over. F*ck, Sienna, I don’t know if I can go slow. I want to so much, but right now I just wanna be inside you.”

I wanted Dewayne any way I could have him. Knowing that he wanted more with me than one night and that he wanted this made me willing to grant his every wish. “We have all night,” I told him.

Then I was off the ground, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked me through a door off to the side of the kitchen and straight to a king-size bed in the middle of the room. “Naked and on my bed. F*cking want that. Now,” he said, jerking his shirt off and tossing it away. He reached for my shirt, and I raised my hands willingly and let him pull it off me. His eyes looked like they had caught fire when he took in the sight of me in my bra.

“Take it off. I want to watch,” he said, not looking away from my chest.

I unhooked the back clasp and let my bra fall forward. Then I pulled it off my arms and moved it aside. I didn’t care where it ended up. I just cared about the look of hunger on Dewayne’s face, and knowing it was me he was looking at like that.

It sounded like he muttered something like “magic tits,” but I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right. His hands were on the waistband of my shorts and tugging them down, so all thoughts of his muttering left me. I had only been completely naked with one man, and he had been a boy. He had also never taken his time with me like this. Or looked at me like he was in awe.

Dewayne knelt down in front of me and pushed my knees apart. I sucked in a breath as he kissed my knee and looked up at me through hooded eyes. “I love these red curls. So f*cking hot.”

Oh my.

“Lay back, Sienna. And keep these legs open for me,” he said as he stood up and unzipped his jeans. I wanted to watch him shove those jeans down, but I did as he asked, trying hard to see him. I had fantasized about all of him for a long time too.

“I’m gonna have to taste you first. I want inside you, baby, but I gotta kiss this,” he said as his hand cupped me between the legs. I was exposed, and I should have felt vulnerable. But it was Dewayne. It felt right. It was exciting.

Dewayne lowered himself to his knees and picked up my right foot, then kissed it before putting my leg over his shoulder. Then he did the same with the left. The warmth of his breath was so close I shivered.

“Smell like the f*cking candy store,” he said just before his tongue slid against me. The sensation was amazing. I cried out and reached for something. I ended up with handfuls of the blanket underneath me.

With each stroke of his tongue my body bucked, and tremors of pleasure coursed through me.

“Dewayne,” I whimpered as the intensity got to be too much. I was so close to something I’d only had with myself, alone in my room.

“You close?” he asked, lifting his head. His tongue came out to lick his lips, and nothing in my life had ever been as sexy as that man.

“Yes,” I replied, breathless.

He bent his head, then pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot that always needed the most attention, and I moaned, unable to keep quiet. This was all more than I had ever expected.

Then he stood up, and the solid, muscled body covered in colorful tattoos was there on display. I was so close to an orgasm that just seeing him like this almost sent me over the edge. Every hard line of his body was beautiful. I wanted to touch him everywhere. Then my eyes dropped and went wide with sudden panic. I wasn’t an expert on penis size since I had only been with a sixteen-year-old boy, but that was big. Maybe too big. Sex had always been uncomfortable with Dustin, and sometimes hurt. He said it was because he was too big and I was too tight, but that . . . Oh no.

“Much as I like you looking, I’m not feeling very patient right now,” he said before lowering himself over me. “God, you’re perfect,” he said, then kissed the tip of one of my breasts.

He wasn’t going to think I was perfect when he didn’t fit inside me. Or when I was screaming in pain and begging him to stop. This was what I had wanted for so long, and now I was positive it wasn’t going to happen. I tensed and closed my eyes, praying that I didn’t embarrass myself and do something like cry. If I could just suffer through the pain . . . I would do anything for Dewayne. I just hoped I could do it quietly.

“Sienna?” Dewayne’s voice was concerned. Of course it was. I was acting like an idiot and he hadn’t even tried to get inside me yet.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. I was so sorry. I wanted this. I wanted him. But the pain. It had been bad at first with Dustin, and I knew once a guy got going he couldn’t stop just because you were crying in pain. He had to finish.

“What’s wrong, baby?” he said as he brushed my hair out of my face with his thumb, then ran it over my bottom lip. He was so sweet. Who would have thought Dewayne Falco could be this sweet?

“It always hurt . . . before. Always. And you’re bigger . . .” God, I hated this. Reminding him I’d slept with his younger brother was a mood killer.

He frowned. “It should have only hurt a little bit the first time.”

I had to explain this. As humiliating as it was, I had to tell him. “I’m, uh . . . It always hurt. I never enjoyed it.” There. I admitted it.

Dewayne closed his eyes and let out a hissing sound through his teeth. When he opened them, he locked his gaze with mine. “This won’t hurt. I swear to you, Sienna, it’ll feel good, baby. I’ll make sure you see stars.”

I almost believed him. With that fierce look in his eyes, it was easy to believe. But the fact remained that he was much bigger than Dustin had been. “But I haven’t had sex in a long time. I was tight then.” I had also had a kid, but that was five years ago, so any stretching that did was more than likely all gone now.

Dewayne lowered his head until his lips brushed my ear. “You’re tight now. But you’re also so f*cking wet and ready,” he said in a whisper, just as his finger stroked the tender heat between my legs.

I gasped and Dewayne chuckled. “That’s it, baby. Let me take care of you. I’m not ever gonna hurt you again. In any way. I swear it.”

Even if it did hurt, I would take it. This was Dewayne. I wanted Dewayne. Deep down I had always wanted Dewayne.

He leaned up, and I watched him reach for a small square foil wrapper, which he tore open with his teeth. Then rolled the condom down. If I wasn’t so scared of sex, I could appreciate it more.

Then he was over me again, and his lips found mine. The gentle glide of his tongue as he took what he wanted eased my fear just before I felt his tip nudge my entrance. “Easy, baby. I’m gonna be gentle. But you need to relax,” he said in a husky, strained voice as he tucked his head into the curve of my neck.

Slowly he eased inside me. With each inch that filled me there was no pain, only pleasure. Maybe I wasn’t as tight anymore. I hoped so.

“You okay?” he asked me, holding himself up over me. I smiled in relief and nodded.

Our gazes locked as he eased in more and I lifted my hips to take him. The stretching felt good and the fullness was incredible. But more than that . . . this was right. I knew it now. What had been wrong all those years ago—it hadn’t been Dustin who had claimed my heart. I just loved him like you would a friend. He was what I knew.

Dewayne, however, made me feel things no one ever had before. I had been too young to realize it then, but now it was all very clear. This was the Falco boy I was always meant to be with.

“Sienna, you gotta stop lifting that sweet ass, baby. This is the f*cking tightest p-ssy in the world, and all I want to do is move hard and fast. But I’m taking it slow. Help me take it slow.”

He wanted to move but he wasn’t. He was being gentle for me. I didn’t know men could go slowly. With that realization, Dewayne took another little piece of my heart. I wanted to protect myself from getting hurt, but I trusted him. I trusted him more than I’d ever trusted anyone. Besides, I wasn’t sure he hadn’t taken my heart years ago and not given it back. There wasn’t much left for me to protect anymore.

“It feels good. It doesn’t hurt at all. I want you,” I assured him.

With that bit of encouragement, he sank into me completely and let out a groan of pleasure. “God, woman, you’re squeezing the hell out of me.”

Feeling braver, I wrapped my legs around him and arched into him.

With his body that was meant to be appreciated for the sculpted perfection that it was, Dewayne held himself over me as he began rocking in and out of me. I wrapped my hands around his bulging biceps and held on. Each time he sank into me fully, he touched something that sent sparks of such intense shocks through my body that I wanted to beg him to go faster. I wanted that feeling.

There was moaning and begging that I was positive was coming from me. After the fourth time he brushed that special spot deep inside me, I became so delirious with need that I no longer knew what I was saying. I just never wanted it to stop.

The explosion of sensation that went off in my body shocked me. All I could do was hold on to Dewayne as I cried out his name. Trusting him not to let me go, I fell into the uncharted bliss without fear.

Somewhere far away I heard Dewayne shout, and his body tensed over mine. I wrapped myself tighter around him as he eased down on top of me. The ability to move had been taken from me already. A lazy, smooth heaven enveloped me, and I wanted to share it with Dewayne in my arms.

“Magic f*cking p-ssy,” he whispered as his forehead dropped to my collarbone. His breathing was hard as he gasped and shuddered. “F*ck,” he said, then pressed a kiss to my shoulder.

A giggle built inside me, and I didn’t even try to hold back. I was happy. So very happy.

Dewayne lifted his head and grinned at me. “Why you laughing, Little Red?”

I pressed my lips together to control the giggles. “You called my, uh . . . you know . . . magic.”

A smirk touched his mouth, and I wanted nothing more than to kiss those full red lips. “It is magic. Which means you’re stuck with me. Never thought I’d find magic p-ssy. Never wanted it, but damn, I do now. I intend to keep you.”

I wanted to be kept, but I had only really wanted that with Dewayne.

I touched his lips with my fingers, and he pulled one of my fingers into his mouth and sucked. The fire inside me began to stir again as I watched his mouth on my skin. He let it pop free. “I need to make sure you’re okay. Check you out personally and see if everything feels good and I didn’t hurt you. Then I can make you messy again.”

He hadn’t hurt me, but I liked the idea of him checking to make sure, and I wanted to get messy again. “Do I have to get cleaned up first?” I wanted messy again now.

Dewayne chuckled. “Needy, magic p-ssy. F*ck me, I got lucky. But yeah, I have to take care of what’s mine first. Then I’ll clean you up real good. But don’t worry. I intend to make you scream my name at least once, maybe twice, in the shower.”

My eyes widened and I squirmed underneath him. I’d never taken a shower with anyone. The idea of it excited me. “Okay. Let’s go get clean.”

DEWAYNE

I leaned against the bedroom door frame, holding a plate of chocolate cake while watching Sienna curled up asleep in the middle of my bed. She looked so small there all alone. I didn’t intend to leave her there long, but I knew she needed more sleep. I’d woken her up three times last night, unable to keep my hands off her.

My need to keep her safe and protected had just found an all-new level of possessiveness. Sienna wasn’t just Micah’s mother, she was my woman. Mine. I didn’t want her sleeping without me. I didn’t want her waking up without me. I didn’t f*cking want her bathing without me.

There was a good f*cking chance I was completely obsessed with her. I didn’t get obsessed with anything. Ever. But Sienna was different. She’d always been different. She’d found something inside me and brought it to life when we were kids. After years of fighting it and forgetting her, I had given in and let myself feel. And I f*cking felt a lot. More than I thought possible.

The look my daddy gave my momma when she walked into a room now made complete sense to me. When Preston kept Amanda latched at his side like he couldn’t breathe without her and Cage growled at any man he thought looked at Eva too long, I got that. So f*cking completely got that.

Hell, I was pretty damn sure I was going to become so much worse than any of them. Even Krit and his inability to sing onstage without having Blythe near him—that made sense to me.

“You gonna eat all that by yourself?” Sienna asked, and I looked up from her long, silky legs to see her eyes halfway open as she looked at me.

“I’m gonna feed the sexy woman in my bed,” I told her. I shoved off from my stance against the door frame and walked over to the bed to sit down beside her.

She moved to sit up and the sheet fell, letting the most amazing set of tits in the world free. F*ck yeah. Those were mine.

“They aren’t hungry. I am,” Sienna teased as she pulled the sheet back up to cover herself.

I jerked my gaze off her chest and rested it on her face. The sleepy, well-taken-care-of smile on her lips and her hooded eyes made it hard to think about feeding her. I wanted to be in her. Again.

“Open up,” I told her, and took a forkful of cake and slipped it into her pretty pink mouth.

“I was thinking while you slept that it would be fun to rub this icing on several parts of your body and lick it off. Think we might have to try that later.”

Sienna ducked her head, but I saw the smile on her face. She scooted closer to me until her front pressed against my arm. When she looked back up at me, there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Only if I can put some on you and lick it off.”

“Anytime you want to lick me, baby, you say the word and it’s yours. I don’t care where we are. If there’s a chance I can have that mouth on me, then I’ll want it. I’ll always want it.”

She dropped her gaze to my lap, and my already semi-erect cock went full-blown. I reached over and cupped her face with my hand and tilted it so that her eyes were on mine. “This thing with you and me. It’s real. No one else. You got me. Just us. Not letting you go, Sienna. I’ve waited too damn long, and now that I finally have you, I sure as hell ain’t leaving you.”

She didn’t respond at first, but I could see the questions in her eyes. She’d come over here to bring me a cake and tell me how she felt about me. Then I’d taken it from that to an exclusive relationship overnight. Literally.

“You said you don’t do this,” she said, almost in a whisper.

“I don’t. Never have. Never wanted to. But then, I’d never had you. I always thought I’d never find this. I wasn’t looking for it. But now that I’ve got it, I won’t let it go. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep you happy.”

Her big eyes filled with tears and she blinked, wetting those long eyelashes of hers. “Then we’re an us,” she said with a sweet smile that made my heart do funny shit.

“I’m warning you now that I’m not gonna be easy to deal with. I want you by my side. In my bed. I don’t want you away from me. I don’t want to do that space shit. I’m gonna be in your space every f*cking chance I get.”

Sienna laughed and reached over to dip her finger in the icing. “Hmm . . . Dewayne Falco doesn’t want to be apart from me. He wants to be in my space. I guess there could be worse things in life than that,” she said in a serious tone. “If you’re in my space, then I’ll get more chances to do things like this.” She held up her finger and grinned. “Pull down those sweats,” she ordered.

I did as instructed and gripped the sheets beside me as Sienna coated the head of my dick with the icing on her finger. My breathing was getting faster as she took her time. My patience was just about to snap when she lowered her head and her tongue darted out and licked the tip in a teasing stroke.

“Mmmm,” she moaned.

I wanted to let her have her fun, but I was so close to begging it wasn’t funny. After three more licks her mouth opened and slid down over me. The roar of triumph that tore out of me only encouraged her more. She sucked and began sliding her mouth up and down my length.

I moved her hair back so I could watch her mouth take me deep. “So f*cking gorgeous,” I said as she looked up at me.

I knew in that moment that if this woman asked me to walk on water, I’d find a f*cking way.

SIENNA

Dewayne had agreed to stay over at his parents’ while I talked to Micah this morning. He had wanted to be there with me, but for five years it had been just me and Micah. No one else got my attention. Just him. I didn’t doubt he’d love having Dewayne in our lives more than he already was, but I also wanted to make sure he felt secure in where he stood.

Micah had talked about his night the whole walk over from the Falcos’ to our house. Apparently, Dave had watched not one but two of the Star Wars movies with Micah. And they’d eaten popcorn and cookies. Mama T had said she might get a swimming pool in the backyard when Micah told her he liked to swim. She and Dave were going to look into it. Those two were going to spoil my kid, and I loved it.

The five-year-old didn’t notice the goofy smile on my face. But I knew it was there. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night and this morning. Dewayne had been everything I’d dreamed about and more. I was ready to give him everything.

“Uncle Dewayne said he would see me in a little bit. Is he coming to play with me today?” Micah asked hopefully. That was a good thing. Micah wanted his uncle around. Dewayne wouldn’t be someone Micah might worry would take me away from him. He fit perfectly into our lives.

“Yes. If he said he’s coming over, then he will be here. You can trust Uncle Dewayne to do what he says he’ll do. He loves you.”

Micah beamed. He liked feeling loved. He’d always had my love, but this extra love was something he soaked up.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about Uncle Dewayne before he comes over here,” I told him as we walked into the house.

“About what?”

I led him over to the sofa and pulled him into my lap. “You’re my number one. You know that, right?”

Micah nodded.

“And you love your Uncle Dewayne as much as he loves you.”

Micah nodded again.

“Well, I love your Uncle Dewayne too.” I did? I loved him. I did. Oh wow. I did.

Micah smiled. “Because he’s family.”

Uh-oh. I’d forgotten about that conversation. I had to explain this. “Well, actually, Uncle Dewayne is your dad’s family. Not exactly mine. But he’s yours, so I called him mine too.”

Micah scrunched up his nose. “So we don’t have the same family?”

This is what I get for lying to the kid. I wasn’t ever doing that again. Lesson learned.

“No, we do. . . . It’s just that you’re actually related to Uncle Dewayne. I’m not. He is the brother of your daddy, but he’s not related to me. I wasn’t married to your daddy. We never got a chance to do that. Remember? I explained that to you.”

Micah nodded, but his nose was still scrunched up. “Okay, so can Uncle Dewayne take you on dates, then?”

Sighing in relief, I nodded. “Yes. He can. And he wants to, but we want it to be okay with you.”

Micah grinned and made a whooping sound.

“I take that as a yes.”

He nodded vigorously. “Can he sleep over in my room?”

Oh my.

“Well, he will be here more often. He wants to spend more time with us. But if he sleeps over, your bed isn’t big enough for him. He’s a big guy.”

Micah’s expression got really serious. “We need to get him a big bed so he can sleep over.”

Okay, this was getting way off track. Right now we needed to focus on the topic of Dewayne being around more often. Not having sleepovers.

Micah jumped down, walked over to the door, and looked out. “When is he coming over?”

“As soon as I text him and tell him you’re ready for him.”

Micah turned and ran toward his room. “Text him. I’m getting my football.”

That was way too easy.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and quickly sent Dewayne a text that Micah and his football were waiting on him.

I hadn’t even set my phone down when the front door of the Falcos’ opened up and Dewayne stepped out. He must have been waiting anxiously for that text. He was so big and tough, but the little boy inside him that he never let others see owned me.

“Looks like he’s on his way over,” I called to Micah.

Micah came running around the corner with his football tucked under his arm. “We’re gonna play some ball,” he told me before letting the screen door slam behind him.

I walked over to the door and watched as Micah ran straight for Dewayne and held up the football. The smile on Dewayne’s face as he looked at my son made right everything that had been wrong.

His eyes lifted from Micah and found me, and then he winked before looking back at Micah.

I stood there and watched them toss the ball back and forth. Dewayne showed Micah how to improve his throw, and I watched as Micah worked hard to get it right. I finally let myself accept something I’d been fighting since I was fourteen years old. I had always loved Dewayne. It had always been him. Dustin had been my best friend and I’d been his. But my heart . . . Dewayne had stolen that in front of a locker on my first day of high school.

Six years ago . . .

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