Chapter 18

Eighteen

Nick

W hen I asked Abby if we could meet up the next week, I didn’t tell her I’d work more hours over the weekend to ensure I’d have time to spend with her. My dick was stirring at the thought of taking her over her desk again. The next time, maybe I’d press her chest on it and take her from behind. The image was so hot, my cock was hard just thinking about it.

Thankfully, Brody hadn’t argued with me when we got home, and I said it was time for shower and bed. He was happy to have gotten some playtime with Hunter.

I was pleased Brody and Hunter’s friendship was developing. It was a good thing, but what would happen if my thing with Abby went bad?

I didn’t want to even think about that. Instead, I replayed our afternoon together, her office, her bed, and then again, I’d wanted her by the door on the way out. She was sexy and alluring. I couldn’t resist her.

She didn’t seem to want to resist me either.

Brody and I passed the weekend by playing baseball and unpacking the rest of my stuff. Brody’s room was a pale green. I’d checked with the owner, and they were okay with painting it a neutral color. Brody deserved something he liked.

Brody wanted me to paint his room black. I didn’t think the owners would consider that a neutral option, but I wanted him to feel at home. We went to the store to pick out paint samples. I suggested a darker gray, which Brody thankfully agreed to. We brought home the paint, taped the trim, and started on the walls.

I’d encouraged him to bring all his things with him from his dad’s place. I wanted him to feel at home.

We listened to music and joked around while we painted. It was a good bonding experience and took my mind off Abby.

We ordered pizza that night from Giovanni’s, and it reminded me of the night we’d gone with Abby, Hunter, Brooke, Ben, and Cammie.

I had the weirdest urge to invite Abby and Hunter over to help paint, which was ridiculous. Why would they want to help paint? As we worked, the feeling that we were missing something, or someone, increased.

Last night, I’d felt whole in Abby’s home with Hunter. Like we were right where we were supposed to be.

It was Saturday, and she was probably working a wedding. Then I wondered if I should have offered to take Hunter for her. Hunter was close to Cammie, but I suspected he preferred hanging out with Brody. Offering to babysit was beyond our friendship.

On Sunday, Brody and I lazed around in the morning. I made pancakes, eggs, and bacon, which Brody ate like he hadn’t had a meal in weeks. It made me wonder how he survived when his father wasn’t home. I wondered if I should ask the court for full custody of Brody. Right now, I was just his temporary guardian. The more I learned about Brody’s life with Austin, the more I thought it would be best if he stayed with me, regardless of the trial’s outcome.

But I wasn’t sure the court would grant it. Everything I read indicated the biological father had more rights than me, and without a conviction, he’d get Brody back.

Then I felt guilty for hoping my brother went to jail. By the time practice rolled around, I was all mixed up inside. I felt guilty and ashamed for wanting Brody when he was Austin’s. On some level, I’d always been jealous of my brother.

He got my parents’ attention when it was all I’d ever wanted. He’d gotten it for the wrong reasons, but it didn’t matter when you were a kid. I was looked over because Austin was so difficult.

I thought excelling in school and baseball would turn the tables, but it hadn’t. Not really.

Practice started, and a few of the kids were absent because they were on travel soccer teams. I’d gotten the messages earlier that week, saying they couldn’t make it, which I had mixed feelings about. The kids could play other sports, but in the spring, they needed to focus on baseball. Travel soccer was probably the most demanding sport, being truly year-round with tournaments on the weekend.

So I was already on edge when I realized Hunter wasn’t there. He was usually early to get his bullpen in before practice started. I stepped aside to text Abby to ask where they were. Not hearing back right away, I tried to focus on practice and not wonder if everything was okay.

Had they been in an accident? She mentioned they didn’t have events on Sundays. It was her day to spend with Hunter, so where were they?

An hour into practice, Abby’s SUV pulled into the lot. We were the only ones practicing at that time of day. Most coaches worked around the professional football game schedule.

I tried to focus on the grounders I was hitting to the infield and not on Hunter.

When he put his things in the dugout, I barked, “Warm up with Coach Norm in the outfield.”

I didn’t ask why he was late. It wasn’t his fault.

My jaw tightened as I finished the exercise and told the kids to get some water. Abby was leaning on the fence, so I made my way over.

A muscle ticced in my jaw. I couldn’t show any familiarity with her when the other parents were nearby watching our interaction.

“Everything okay?” I managed to ask while my heart beat out of control in my chest. She was clearly fine. Her SUV intact, so it wasn’t an accident.

Her face was apologetic. “I’m so sorry. The bride wanted me to shoot her brunch this morning. I couldn’t say no.”

Why hadn’t she called to let me know? “If you need help, all you need to do is call.”

“I thought I’d be done in time, but it ran over. I couldn’t just leave. Hunter was at home.”

I lowered my voice. It wasn’t that I wouldn’t offer the same to anyone else, but Abby was different. I cared about her. “I could have picked him up.”

Her face pinched. “I know you said that, but I wasn’t sure. I’m not used to people stepping in.”

I wanted to mention that Brooke and Ben stepped up for her, so she should be used to it, but I didn’t. “It’s fine. We can hang out after to go over what he missed unless you have plans.”

“We don’t. Sorry about being late, Coach,” she said.

Was that her way of reminding me of our roles? I nodded before heading back to the dugout.

We scrimmaged for the rest of practice, so I could go over situational running and fielding. It was the only way for kids to get a feel for what they’d do in a real game.

At the end, I told Hunter he’d need to stick around after. “Do your bullpen with Brody.”

Hunter hadn’t minded staying late. He was probably upset he’d missed practice at all.

Abby moved to the dugout after the other parents left. “I’m really sorry. I can’t say no to extra money, and then it went way longer than I expected.”

“You need to get to the point where you have boundaries with work. You can say no.”

She sighed. “I need the money.”

“I’m going to take a look at your books, and we’ll see. Sometimes, we go by old feelings and misconceptions about money, how much we have, how much we should have. When in reality, we have more than enough. We need to let go of our tight hold and relax.”

“Have you ever owned a business?” she asked.

“No, but I see a lot when I look at the numbers. They don’t lie.”

“Hmm,” she said noncommittally.

“I’ll take a look tomorrow.” As much as I wanted a repeat of Friday, she needed help in her business. There had to be a way to do both.

I helped Hunter with his pitches and batting while I had him. It was easier to go over the fundamentals with just one or two kids versus the whole team.

Afterward, I let Abby and Hunter go without inviting them to dinner. I sensed Abby needed some space. Plus, she’d mentioned how important Sundays were to her. She already had to work that morning. I didn’t want to take more of her time.

On Monday, I couldn’t concentrate on work. I was amped up. I knew there was no way I would be able to look at spreadsheets or numbers without getting her out of my system.

As soon as she opened the door, I walked her backward, kicking the door shut behind me. Then I was kissing her. She hopped into my arms, straddling my hips, as I carried her up the steps to her room.

I didn’t care about her business or the numbers. Not when I was holding her.

I lowered her feet to the wood floor at the end of her bed. We immediately removed our clothes. There was a frantic energy between us, but I couldn’t slow down. Not when it had been days since I was inside her. It was all I could think about over the weekend. Would it be as hot as last time? Would I ever get enough of her?

That time when I entered her, fireworks exploded inside my brain. The feel of her tight walls surrounding me, her whimpers of pleasure. Just being inside her was enough. I didn’t need the climax or the release. I just needed her.

At her request, I moved, setting a punishing rhythm. I wanted to make it good for her. I felt as randy as a teenager rushing home after school to fuck his girlfriend before going to practice. Only she made me feel like that.

She clutched my forearms and tossed her head back and forth as if she was close, too. I tapped her hip before I rolled us so that she was on top. I wanted to see her bounce on my dick. I loved admiring her body while she moved over me.

She immediately sighed when she sank down my length.

The sight of her bare tits and curves had my cock twitching inside her. I needed more.

I cupped her breasts, tweaking her nipples, encouraging her to move. I’d never get enough of her, but I knew I’d be satisfied with whatever she gave me.

She bit her lip as she glided down my cock.

“That feels good, sweetheart.”

“So good,” she agreed as she threw back her head.

I loved that we had that time. We weren’t sneaking around per se, but it felt illicit coming over in the middle of the day for sex. It fueled my desire for her.

She braced her hands on my shoulders as she lifted herself up and slid down. I guided her with my hands on her hips. I resisted thrusting from below. Barely. I wanted her to set the pace. I gritted my teeth against the familiar tingle at the base of my spine.

When her eyes glazed over, I pressed hard on her clit, and she immediately cried out, her walls spasming around my cock.

I finally gave in to my instinct to thrust from below. With one more, I settled deep, emptying myself into her.

She slumped over me as I ran my hand down her back. Our skin was slick with sweat, but I’d never felt anything better than her body pressed against mine.

“What are you doing to me?” she asked softly as she rested her full weight on mine.

“Ruining you for anyone else,” I teased, but I was serious about not wanting her with another guy.

“Mission accomplished,” she murmured against my shoulder.

I kissed the crown of her head, my fingers threading through her hair. I loved the weight of her on me, her hair tickling my chin, the press of her lips against my skin.

She was my new addiction. It wasn’t numbers or work. It was her.

I wanted to tell her what I was feeling, but that was out of bounds of our relationship. It was sex. A good time. Not emotions and sticky feelings.

I was just happy she let me hold her. But eventually, I got up to go to the bathroom. That was when I realized we hadn’t used a condom. I’d been so desperate for her that I hadn’t thought about it at all.

When I returned from the bathroom, she was snoring softly. My heart clenched at the sound. She was relaxed and content enough around me to sleep.

She almost never let her guard down, and I was pleased she had around me. I climbed back into bed, careful not to wake her, and closed my eyes. I fell asleep almost instantly.

“We overslept,” I heard a little while later.

I sat up in bed, blinking my eyes against the light while Abby moved around the room, pulling on items haphazardly.

She threw my pants on the bed. “You need to go. The bus will be here soon.”

That got me moving. Glancing at the clock, I had only ten minutes to get home in time for Brody’s bus. “I’m sorry. I should have set an alarm.”

Her lips were set into a straight line. “It’s fine.”

But I knew it wasn’t. She was beating herself up because she wasn’t thinking about Hunter that afternoon. She was lost in me and taking a few hours off.

She brushed her hair while I finished getting dressed. I took the last few precious seconds I had to draw her into my body. “You can let go occasionally. You’ll be okay.”

I met her gaze in the mirror. She didn’t look convinced.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I need to look at your books.”

I wasn’t sure if it was pure lust or if she was distracting me from the financial piece. But I was determined to help her.

She finally nodded and gave me a soft push in the direction of the door. “Now go.”

I smiled, feeling happier than I had in a long time. I’d had amazing sex and slept with her in my arms. I felt great. I needed to talk to her about the condom situation, but there hadn’t been time.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d blown off the afternoon to enjoy myself. I occasionally took on bookkeeping jobs for extra money and to keep busy. I almost never did anything recreational other than play in the adult baseball league in my last town.

Walking to the car, I had an extra spring in my step. I couldn’t bring myself to care that I pulled into my driveway just as the bus stopped at the intersection by our house.

I waited for Brody by my truck, my hands shoved into my pockets and a smile on my face.

Brody approached, his eyes widening as he took me in. “What’s with you?”

“I’m happy.” I couldn’t bring myself to think about what would happen if Abby broke things off. Right now, things were good. And if she was pregnant? I loved the idea of that too. I loved having Brody, and I’d love a baby too. I was so high nothing could bring me down.

“Where were you?” he asked as we moved toward the front door together.

“I took on a bookkeeping job. Helping a friend.”

Brody’s eyes glazed over like I knew they would. He didn’t like hearing about work.

“What do you want for dinner?”

“You actually going to cook?” he asked as we headed inside.

“I think I will.” I pulled out meat, potatoes, and some veggies to grill outside. I’d bought groceries with the intent to cook more, but it was just easier to order out or make sandwiches. But I needed to do better. Brody was a growing boy who needed the proper nutrition to get through the day at school and to be active.

He was counting on me.

I told him to wash up and called him back to the kitchen so he could help me prepare the food. Preparing Brody for adulthood was my job. I needed to show him more than the importance of hygiene and completing his homework. He needed to learn how to cook. I didn’t like the idea of him living with his father again, but it was always a looming possibility.

“I don’t know why I have to learn to cook.”

“You were on your own with your dad, weren’t you?”

“Sometimes he’d bring home takeout. Or there was something to make.”

Brody had confided in me that he was able to order groceries through an app on Austin’s phone.

“This way, you’ll have more options, and you’ll be able to cook for yourself when you’re an adult living on your own.”

“You don’t think,” he swallowed hard before he continued, “I’ll live with Dad again, do you?”

I paused my cutting of the veggies. “I don’t know. I can’t make any promises.”

“Is there some way you can get the court to make me yours?”

My heart clenched hard before picking up the pace. “I can ask around. Talk to a lawyer if that’s what you want.”

Brody nodded solemnly. “I’d like that.”

It was scary to take the next step, but I was tired of being at the whim of Austin’s actions. If the court declared me Brody’s guardian, it would make things at school and with his doctor easier. It would also insulate us from whatever was happening with his court case. Brody could have more stability.

The more I thought about it while we chopped veggies and carried the food out to the grill, I knew it was the right thing to do. Austin lost his chance to father Brody when he made the decision to burglarize the local businesses. Whatever he was into, whether it was drugs or gang activity, wasn’t something Brody should be around. Surely, a judge would rule in my favor. That was the best thing for Brody.

I was proud I was doing something for myself and putting Brody first. I wasn’t going to wait around for something bad to happen. I was taking control of my life.