Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71880 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 288(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
I cupped the back of his head and pressed a kiss to his hair, and I closed my eyes.
Dumbass.
Maybe he’d needed affection sooner, but after everything he’d been through, I hadn’t known. I hadn’t wanted to crowd him or invade his personal space.
“They’re all really dead?” Nicky croaked.
I cursed internally. “All of them.” I looked up, helpless, hoping for guidance.
Dr. Holm nodded encouragingly. “I’ve explained to Nicky that what he experienced today was his body releasing fears he’d unknowingly held on to. He was worried someone would come and take him away again.”
My chest tightened, and I cupped Nicky’s face and made him look up at me.
“I promise they can’t,” I murmured. “You hear me? You’re safe, sweetheart.”
He bit down on his lip to keep it from trembling, and he nodded jerkily.
I hugged him to me again and released a long breath.
Goddammit, maybe Joel was right. Maybe I hadn’t fucked up too badly.
“Can you gimme a beep, Julian?” I called.
“Beep!” he hollered from the living room.
I smiled to myself and turned a bottle of beer upside down into the bowl with the meat. Then I finished dumping shredded cheese on the potato skins.
At the sound of a car door closing, I looked out the kitchen window. Finally. Joel was back with Blake. Now she was ours for the next few days.
She laughed at something Joel said before she darted for the side of the house—not even coming through to say hello. She just wanted the pool. Goofball. I’d get my hug later.
Joel didn’t let me down. He came in with four cases of beer.
“Beep, beeeeeep!” Julian came running upon seeing Joel, who was quick to swoop the boy up. “Beep!”
“Beep, beep to you too, little beepster.” He chuckled and growled playfully against Julian’s cheek. “You still watching movies?”
Julian nodded and wanted down again. God forbid he missed something of his twelfth time seeing his favorite Minions.
I wiped my hands on the dish towel and waited for Joel to come over. I’d prepared the fridge, moving some items into the spare fridge in the garage, so we had all the beer in one place.
“How’s my dear sister?” I smirked wryly.
He huffed and shook his head. “Don’t remind me. It’s gotten embarrassing. She knows we know, we know she knows, she knows we know that she—blah.” He waved it off and leaned in to nuzzle my jaw. “I don’t wanna talk about her. If she wants to continue this ridiculous farce, let her.”
I couldn’t agree more. I wrapped my arms around him and stole a smooch.
“How’s Nicky?” he murmured.
“Much better.” If we listened carefully, we could hear him in his room, playing video games, presumably with Crew and Jack.
I didn’t know if the headset we’d given Nicky was good or bad. He definitely loved it for his “multiplayer” games or whatever he called them, but it meant we saw less of him at times. He could lose hours in there.
“And Mattie…? Is he around?” Joel trailed lower and kissed my neck.
I shivered and gave his ass a squeeze. “Out on the patio with Madison.”
He hummed, and then we met in a deep kiss. I took control and pushed him against the nearest counter, before I spun him around and pressed my cock against his ass.
“Fuck,” he exhaled.
I grazed my teeth along his neck. “We should probably take a shower and get ready for the barbecue…”
“Yeah—I’ll go talk to Madison.”
Excellent.
“Fucking hell, Joel—don’t make me come.” I bit back a groan. “I wanna fuck you.”
He hummed around my cock and sucked me harder.
I had no words. He looked so goddamn sexy and beautiful on his knees for me, mouth full of cock, hot water rushing down on us—and now. Fuck. Now I had to stop him. I grabbed his jaw and withdrew from his mouth as a whole-body shudder of pleasure rocked through me, and I hauled him to his feet.
“This is gonna be quick, baby.” I kissed him hard and reached blindly for the oil next to his shaving cream.
“Default mode of parenthood,” he chuckled huskily.
Parenthood.
As I slicked up my cock, he turned to the wall and threw me a look over his shoulder.
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I’m honest,” he shot back. “You gonna act like they don’t have you completely fucking wrapped?”
Goddamn him.
I dragged my cock between his ass cheeks, then pushed into his tight ass, which shut him up for a few glorious seconds. Aside from a gritty sound between clenched teeth. Fucker. Did he even know what he was saying? I mean, I wasn’t blind. He’d connected with the boys so seamlessly too over the last few weeks—and he was invested and caring and… Fuck.
I dropped my forehead to his shoulder and gripped his hips.
He breathed shallowly. “We can be that family, Elliot.”
I closed my eyes, liquid heat seeping through me, and I slid my hands up his torso.