20. Bronson

brONSON

If she kept lookingat me that way I was going to be in deep shit.

When Lake undressed me with those big brown eyes of hers, my pants tightened and my cock pressed against my zipper uncomfortably. I needed to think of something to tone it down a few notches before I popped the button on my jeans.

Baby kittens, helping old ladies cross the street, the soft slap of the lake"s water against the dock.

It was working until Kace laughed and opened his mouth, his words bringing my mind right back to the body part I was working to forget about.

"Bronson is trying hard to control his pecker from growing like a weed."

"How in the world did you snag sweet Teal with that mouth?" Rowan scoffed, addressing Kace.

A grinning Kace slapped Rowan on the back. "Not all of us can be Casanova. Teal likes me just the way I am."

I'd heard about Rowan's nickname that some of the guys had given him a long time ago and it had stuck with everyone. He hated it, but he let them rib him in good fun. The man was head over heels in love with his wife, always had been. They got their second chance and I was hoping to get mine.

"Hey, Teal," Rowan called out toward the group of ladies. "What do you see in this dipshit?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, his eyes widened and he spun in the direct opposite direction of the women. Sure enough like a magnet for money, Embry had come up behind him. There she stood with one hand on her hip and another outstretched, palm up.

"Well shit," Rowan muttered, once again not thinking.

"That's two, Casanova," she said, smirking.

The tiny devil must have been waiting in the wings knowing one of us was bound to slip up and had overheard the conversation. All the guys started laughing as Rowan dug out his wallet and shoved some money in Embry's hand.

Then he pointed at her. "Don't call me that or I will withhold any more money from you."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed like he was the funniest thing in the world. "Can't," she sassed. "There are rules." Then she walked away.

Rowan shook his head. "That's your daughter," he said, looking at Braxton. "Who taught her to be such a sassy pants?"

Braxton gave a proud smile at the mention of his daughter and then he rolled his eyes just as his daughter had. "That would probably be my sister."

I definitely could see that. Alley was a force for sure and while all the ladies were sassy, she was queen bee when it came to that trait.

Another proud smile washed over one of the guys' faces, but this time it was Landon. Another second chance romance that had worked out. He and Alley were as much in love now as they were back when they were younger.

"That's my girl," he said.

Lance, the newcomer rested his hand on his friend"s shoulder. "She's good for you. Keeps you on your toes and keeps you sharp for your job."

All of a sudden an answer from Teal came from across the yard. "He's my everything."

The ladies swooned and Kace beamed a bright smile at his wife.

"Boy are you whipped," I joked.

He turned to me, brow raised. "And you're not?"

I looked over at Lake who was back to laughing and talking with the ladies. Then I turned back to the group.

"That's what I thought," Kace said.

Damned if he wasn't right.

The conversation steered to some stuff coming up for No Surrender that they may need my help with. We also talked about our frustrations on not finding anything on the man who'd been in Lake's house and how there had been no more contact. Then it steered to my childhood home. They'd wanted to know what I was going to do with it. Would I rent it out again? Sell it? Move back in?

I couldn't answer that quite yet.

But since I hadn't rented it out recently, I'd been looking through some of my old things, along with both my father's and mother's stuff too.

Slowly I was letting the memories in instead of letting them die along with the father I adored and the mother I wished I'd had more time with.

The party went on. We ate, drank, played games, and laughed a hell of a lot. Every kid was having a blast as usual, Stormi included. She had grown leaps and bounds since the first day I met her during the Fourth of July get-together. It was amazing to see her thrive and be okay with who she was. If she struggled with her asthma she wasn't ashamed and the other kids were rockstars, changing things up to slow their activities down if she needed it.

My gaze drifted from the kids to Lake. I hadn't gotten to spend as much time with her as I would like and we didn't carry on like a couple in front of everyone, something I wanted to change badly. Stolen kisses, touches, and sweet words were what we'd had so far but I wanted more.

It was as if the universe heard me and granted me exactly what I wanted because just as the thoughts of wanting more with Lake crossed my mind, Stormi barreled toward me flapping her arms wildly.

"Guess what, guess what?" she yelled.

I played along, guessing outrageous things, making her giggle.

"No, silly. A bunch of the girls are having a sleepover at Gemma's house and I'm invited." Her excitement was infectious.

"That sounds pretty awesome. I bet you guys have a lot of fun."

She started to nod her head vigorously but then sombered quickly. Glancing at her mom and then back to me, her face full of worry. "Will you protect my mom?"

Stormi still didn't have details of someone breaking into her home or the calls that Lake had received, but she knew when we'd stayed at the condos and with all the cameras up at her place that safety measures had been put into play for a reason.

"Of course I will, Muffin."

She giggled, which was my intent when the new nickname had sprung from my lips. Stormi had been so curious why I called Lake Cupcake and thought it was cute, so it seemed fitting she had her own.

"Why did you call me that?" she asked.

I ruffled the hair on the top of her head and she squirmed, ducking away, laughing. "Well, your mom is Cupcake, so I think you should be Muffin. You're both sweet and so are the treats."

She wrapped her arms around my legs and squeezed as tight as her little limbs could. Then she pulled back and looked up at me and knocked me on my ass with what she said.

"I love you, Bronson. I'll miss you, but I'll be back tomorrow."

After blowing my mind and touching my heart she ran off toward her mom. When I looked up, Lake was watching me with a shit load of expression crossing her face. She'd obviously caught on to the last part of the exchange because her warm, chocolate-brown eyes swam with tears.

Stormi reached her and she brushed at her eyes, giving her daughter a bright smile. She gave her mom the same speech as she had me about her sleepover adventure. They hashed that out and then I heard the little muffin say, "Don't worry, Bronson will be with you all night so you won't be alone." After saying her peace, she took off to play.

Lake's gaze snapped to mine as the ladies teased her mercilessly. And not too quietly I might add. Yup, the women were relentless when it came to that kind of stuff and enjoyed every moment of it.

"We want all the deets later," Alley told her. "Hope you shaved your legs and are wearing sexy undies."

The star of my every fantasy's eyes had got so big, I couldn't help but chuckle. I didn't care what she had on or if she forgot to shave. All I cared about was that we were going to have alone time.

And I damn well hoped it would go beyond kissing.

I gave her a sexy smirk and her eyes filled with desire.

That's right baby, it's just you and me, no itty-bitty chaperone tonight.

Fuck, I was ready to bale out and head home that instant.

Lake was extremely quiet.

She'd barely said anything on the way home except to ask a few times if I thought Stormi would be okay. I'd reassured her that she would have a blast and was in good hands at any of our friends" homes.

When we parked in front of the house, I noticed her wringing her hands together in her lap. I didn't want her to think I expected anything from her that she wasn't ready for or willing to give.

We'd come a long way and I wouldn't jeopardize that. With every kiss we'd shared, I felt forgiveness seep from her body. Maybe Lake was beginning to believe that the two of us were meant to be forever.

"Lake, sweetheart, we can watch movies all night and eat popcorn if that's what you want to do."

A nervous laugh bubbled up from her throat and echoed throughout the car.

We'd been circling around each other for over a month. I knew she was very aware that without Stormi at home things could go farther than the sneaky touches and kisses we'd exchanged. But she needed to understand something.

"You're in control."

Obviously Lake had sex before, she wasn't a virgin and had said enough about the night Stormi was conceived. But we still hadn't talked about her experiences beyond that. It was one thing I hadn't been able to bring myself to have her divulge knowing it would be hard to hear even if that was ridiculous when we were adults and I was the one that walked away.

"I haven't had sex since getting pregnant with Stormi," she blurted, her gaze glued to her side window so she wasn't facing me at all.

Wait, what?

She continued, "I've only been with one person, and only one time."

Well, shit. Now my nerves kicked into high gear. She may not have been a virgin, but she may as well have been. The thought of being with her, something I wanted so damn bad, now seemed like a very fragile situation. Not that it wasn't already with our history and what she meant to me, but even more so now knowing if she ever went there with me that it was a very big deal for her.

Just as it would be for me.

Because it was Lake.

I turned off the car and got out, rounding to her side. After opening the door, I held out my hand and we walked in silence to the house. My mind was spinning in circles. When we stepped inside and I locked the door, I turned so that Lake was facing me.

With one hand still in hers, I swept the other down the side of her face. "There is no rush. I'm not going anywhere." I gave her a smile. "Except to grab the popcorn while you go change into something comfortable."

I started to walk away, our palms still clasped and before I got too far, I was yanked back against Lake. Chest to chest, her breathing picked up and her eyes seemed to look right into my soul.

"I don't want popcorn," she whispered.

Our mouths just mere inches apart, her warm breath wafted against my lips.

"I want you."

My body tightened with anticipation of the two of us coming together like we never had before. But Lake had just told me she'd only been with one person and that was years ago. There was also the fact that I still hadn't even gotten to take her out.

Having her right then would have been doing everything backward and Lake deserved more.

"I want to take you on a date," I rushed to say.

Lake's eyes widened and she looked confused. "A date?"

I grin. "Yeah, you know when a man takes a woman to get to know her and woo her before they fall into bed together."

"Oh," was all she said, still looking puzzled.

"You have been on a date before, right?"

When Lake looked down at the ground, I knew instantly what her answer would be without her having to say a word. My stomach ached for the woman who meant everything to me and deserved so much more than she'd been given.

Especially from me.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

Her head snapped up and her eyes held a pinch of uncertainty but also sparkled with exhilaration.

"Yes, on one condition."

Now I was confused. "What's that, Babe?"

Her beautiful eyes danced with arousal and passion flared in their depths. "You give me a raincheck on the date and take me to bed now."

Oh hell. "How am I supposed to say no to that and do the noble thing with you looking at me like that?"

Tilting her head slightly, she gave me a saucy look. "You're not."

"We will be going on that date," I said just before my mouth crashed against hers.

She opened for me right away. It was a frantic mix of lips, tongue, and nipping at each other like starving animals. Before I was ready, she pulled away, staring at me with a lust-induced gaze.

Our arms had tangled around each other in the midst of passion. Lake unfolded herself and grabbed my hand once again. And then she was leading me down the hall. When she dragged me into her bedroom, my heart began to beat erratically.

But that was nothing compared to how fast it pounded when she dropped my hand, moved back from me, and began a slow, seductive striptease right there in front of me. I didn't think she even knew how fucking sexy she was, but I did, and my dick flared to life at the sight of her standing there, naked.

"Fuck, you're beautiful," I breathed.

Her smile was wicked when she replied, "And you're wearing entirely too many clothes."

"You sure?" I asked. "Because once I have you, I'm never letting you go. You will be mine, Lake. You were always meant to be mine."

She sucked in a sharp breath and nodded.

"You are going to have to use your words, babe."

"I'm sure." Lake stepped closer but didn't touch me. That was a good thing because if she had, I may have shot my load right there in my pants and embarrassed the hell out of myself. "Now can you join me and take off your clothes?"

Grabbing my wallet out of my back pocket, I pulled out the condom I'd put there a few weeks before, waiting for this moment. Call me hopeful. I tossed it onto the bed and threw my wallet to the ground.

I yanked my shirt over my head and proceeded to shed the rest of my clothes until I was standing in front of her, both of us as naked as the day we were born. I moved forward, she moved back, like a hunter and its prey. We did that little dance until the back of her knees hit the edge of the mattress and she tumbled onto her back, me following her down.

I scooted her to the center of the bed and hovered over her, my eyes pinned on hers. "I know we're crossing a line, but I need you to know that no matter what happens you will always be my best friend."

"Really? What about Lyric or the other guys?"

"Nope, that title has always and will always be yours, Cupcake. The guys will get over it because you being my best friend will never change. Even when I was gone, that place in my heart was reserved for you and I told everyone so."

Lake sucked in a deep breath. "You told people about me?"

I felt the frown on my face crease my forehead, causing wrinkles as displeasure swept through me. My action caused her to believe when I walked away that I forgot about her altogether, which was the farthest from any truth.

"Of course I did. You were never far from my mind, sweetheart. I told you before and I will tell you until you believe me. I was an idiot."

"I'm not disagreeing there," she said teasingly.

I was about to make a snappy comeback but then she giggled and her body shook against mine, the vibration going straight to my dick. I couldn't wait any longer.

"Are you ready for me to make you mine?"

Lake arched her back, her core pressing against mine and a deep groan rumbled from my chest.

"Yes," said softly. "Make me yours."

"Fair warning, I have to be inside you now but I promise that I will worship every inch of your gorgeous body in the next round." I could barely talk, my breathing heavy just from having our naked flesh meshed together. "Wrap your arms around my neck, sweetheart. And hang on tight. Things are about to get explosive."

Her kisses did me in so I knew the second I entered her, everything I had ever known would seem like nothing compared to making love to Lake.

She was my everything.