“You know I wouldn’t believe you could do something like that.” She pushes my hair away from my face. “You are an amazing woman, Lilly, and I know you are a good person. You’re good for my son, my grandson, and my family. I hate that I have missed so much time with you and my granddaughter, but now that you’re here, I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay right where you are. You and Cash both deserve to have something good, and it’s not very often that God offers you a second chance at love. I know Cash has told you some of the stuff that went on with Jules, but I'm sure that my son has kept most of that bottled up. I doubt any of us really know everything he went through. He doesn’t like people to feel sorry for him. But as God as my witness, I hope that woman burns in hell for what she did, not only to you and Ashlyn, but for the pain that she has caused—and continues to cause—my son and grandson. I know I shouldn’t wish something like that even on my worst enemy, but she deserves it,” she says, looking over at the kids. “You both have a lot to be thankful for.”
“Thank you,” I mumble over the giant lump that has invaded my throat.
“You don’t need to thank me. That’s what family does. We may all fight and argue and get on each other’s nerves, but if one of us stumbles even slightly, there is always someone there to lend them a hand.” Her eyes search my face before turning serious. “Be strong for my boys; they need a woman who will not only show them what the power of a strong woman’s love is capable of doing for the soul, but they need a woman who will fight to keep them.”
“I love them, both,” I tell her, looking down at Jax, who is helping Ashlyn with the glue bottle. “If I could adopt Jax as my own son, I would do it in a heartbeat. He is so much like Cash that it’s scary. He has a big heart for such a little guy.”
“That’s all I need to know,” Susan says, and my eyes go back to hers, seeing tears fill them. I reach out and pull her in for hug. When we pull away, we’re both a mess with mascara running down our cheeks. The kids both look at us like we’re crazy, and then Jax makes me crack up when he tells us that his Uncle Nico said that girls are weird, and that’s why he doesn’t want one.
“Nico isn’t going to know what hit him when he finally finds his girl,” Susan says, and I agree completely.
*~*~*
“I have a question, and don’t be afraid to say no,” I say later that night when we’re in bed. “I won’t be mad; I promise,” I say, and feel my stomach roll at the thought of him not wanting us.
“What is it?”
“Um…do you, um…doyouthinkthatAshlynandIcouldmoveinwithyou?” I ask quickly, trying to get it out. I won’t be able to sleep until I know my daughter and I won’t be homeless. I love Cash, and have wanted him to ask us to move in with him for a while now, but I don’t want to pressure him about it. And Cash is Cash. I figure if he wants us here, he would find a way to make that happen. I feel his body start shaking, and I know he’s laughing. I just have no idea what could be funny about this.
“Are you laughing?”
“Baby, I have wanted you to move in since I walked you and Ashlyn to your car outside of the Jumping Bean,” he says laughing. Then his eyes search my face and grow serious. “I hated knowing I would have to wait to see you again. And it’s only gotten worse over the last few months. So yes, I want you to move in. I just didn’t want to push you too fast,” he says softly, and I can hear the vulnerability in his words.
“Do you think it’s too fast?” I ask, rubbing my face against the skin of his side.
“It’s not too fast.” He squeezes me.
“The kids?”
“Will be fine. Ashlyn loves being here. Jax loves having you both here. Don’t worry about this right now.” He pulls me so I’m almost fully on top of him. “The kids are their happiest when we are all under one roof. Right now, I want you to sleep. Tomorrow, we will sit down with the kids and talk to them and just make sure that they are good with us all moving in together, okay?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah,” I sigh, laying my head down against his chest and snuggling closer.
“I’m really sorry about all of this, Lil.” My eyes fly open, and I lift my head to look at him. His eyes are full of pain, and I know that he thinks this is all his fault, but it’s not. His ex is crazy and needs serious help.
“This isn’t your fault.”
“It is.”
“It’s not,” I say, sliding one of my legs over both of his and rolling so I’m sitting on top of him. My hands go to his chest; feeling the hardness of his muscles under my palms makes me rock against him. “This isn’t your fault,” I repeat as I rock against him again. I moan when I feel him harden beneath me. His hands slide from my thighs up my waist, under the edge of his shirt. I want to forget about today. All I want is to feel him inside me, and feel the delicious sensations I experience when he takes it over.
“What are you doing?” he asks as his hands move over my skin, leaving a path of fire in their wake.
“If you have to ask, then I’m doing it wrong,” I say, grinding down onto him. One of his hands squeezes my ass, the other goes to the back of my neck, pulling my face down to his.
“You’re doing it right,” he says as his mouth takes mine in a deep kiss, my fingers digging into his chest. I pull my mouth away from his, kissing my way down his chest to the edge of his boxers. I pull them down and lick up his length with one long stroke of my tongue. I want him in my mouth, but I really want him inside me, so I roll to my back, lift my hips off the bed and my legs into the air, pulling my panties off and tossing them away. I start to roll back when my ankles are grabbed and crossed above me, then pushed down towards my head.
“What are you doing?” I breathe as I feel his mouth suck the skin at the back of my thighs.
“If you have to ask, I’m doing it wrong,” he says, and I can hear the smile in his voice. Then he licks me.
“Oh.” I try to move, but in this position, I’m immobile. He licks me again, and this time I can feel his tongue slide lightly over my clit. Before he licks me again, I try to push up to get more contact, but he presses my legs closer to my body.
“So pink.” He blows against my wet pussy. I then feel one finger circling right outside my entrance. “How long do you think I can keep you on edge before you flip out?”
“Not long.” I shake my head frantically as I feel him lick me lightly again.
“Humm.” I feel the vibration against me before he licks again, this time with a little more pressure. He keeps teasing with one fingertip inside me.
“Cash,” I moan, trying to free my legs.
“No,” he growls, holding me down. Then his mouth opens over me. I feel like I'm going to come out of my skin if he doesn’t do something…more. I don’t know what comes over me, but his mouth and fingers giving me some yet not enough makes me crazy. Finally, I can’t take anymore, and somehow, I flip him over onto his back and impale myself on him.
“God,” I moan loudly, and Cash sits up, his hand coming up to cover my mouth.
“Jesus.” I can hear the strain in his voice. His hand leaves my mouth, and then his mouth is on mine, my hips rolling as I grind down hard. “Fuck, just like that, baby. Fuck me hard,” he groans against my mouth, his words making me take him harder. I’m breathing so heavily that I feel like I’m running a race. I feel warm heat begin to fill my lower belly, and then Cash’s hands are at my breasts, lifting both, his fingers pinching one nipple as he drags the other to his mouth. His teeth closing around my nipple and then adding suction makes me cry out, and my movements still as I feel my orgasm consuming me. Like a volcanic explosion, red-hot heat flows through my veins before settling and slowing to a lazy flow. I have had orgasms before, but with him, they feel like they are taking me over, so consuming that time stops. My head falls forward then his hands are on my ass, pulling me up before dropping me down his length. I can still feel myself convulsing around him as he grows even larger, and my nails dig into his shoulders.
&n
bsp; “Lilly.” He says my name in a deep growl that I swear I can feel in my soul. His movements stop dead, his arms wrapping tightly around me. My face buries in his shoulder. Both our breathing is erratic. “Are you okay, baby?”
“Ummhum.” I breathe against his skin, my eyelids feeling heavy. He lays down with his erection still inside me, his body wrapped around me.
“Sleep,” he whispers into the top of my head. I can hear the steady beat of his heart and feel the rise and fall of his breathing, and like a lullaby, the sound and feel of it puts me to sleep.