Chapter 15

FIFTEEN

Maverick

“You can have my room,” I tell Stella as we walk into the house. I have a sleeping Ada in my arms. She slept all the way home. She really wore herself out chasing after the other kids today.

“No. No, that’s okay,” she blurts. “I can just take the couch, or Merrick said I could sleep in his bed.”

That’s not happening. “You can sleep in my bed.”

“Really. I don’t want to put you out.”

“Stel, you’re not sleeping in my brother’s bed.” No way. I can’t say why, but the thought of her in Merrick’s bed pisses me off.

“Why? He offered, and that’s why he stayed there, right?”

“No.”

She gives me a perplexed look. “Well, I’m not forcing you out of your own bed when there’s another in the house that’s not being used that I can sleep in.” She places her hands on her hips and stares up at me. All I want to do is kiss the scowl off her lips. Closing my eyes, I take a slow, deep breath and exhale. I have to stop thinking about kissing her.

“The Pack ’N Play is in my room. You should be with Ada.” It’s a stretch, and we both know it. She knows damn good and well that I’m happy to help with Bug if she wakes up tonight. However, I’m not above playing dirty. I don’t want her sleeping in my brother’s bed. She’ll be in mine. That’s how this is going to go.

“Fine.” She huffs. “It’s a big bed. We’ll both sleep there.” Her eyes widen at her own words.

I stand still, waiting for her to take them back, but she doesn’t. Instead, she turns on her heel and makes her way to my room. “Your momma, she’s something else,” I whisper to the sleeping baby girl in my arms. I walk back to the front door, making sure that it’s locked before turning off the lamp I switched on when we walked in. Slowly, I make my way down the hall to my bedroom door. I push it open to find Stella already in bed under the covers.

My cock stirs.

Fuck me. She’s my friend, dammit. I need to forget about how tight her pussy gripped my fingers and how sweet her lips taste pressed against mine.

I. Need. To. Forget.

“Did you find something to sleep in?” I ask her.

“Yeah. I stole a T-shirt from the basket of folded laundry.”

Walking to the side of the bed she’s lying on, the side where the Pack ’N Play is, I sit on the edge of the bed. “Thought you might want to say goodnight,” I tell her.

She sits up and leans in to kiss Ada’s cheek. “Night, sweet girl,” she whispers. Her eyes meet mine, and it takes all I have not to lean in and kiss her. “Thank you, Maverick.”

“I got you, Stel.” I glance down at Ada. “Both of you.” Standing, I lay Ada down, making sure her ladybug is within reach. “I’m going to go change.” I grab some basketball shorts. I usually sleep in just my boxer briefs, but I can’t do that sleeping in the same bed with her. Hell, I’m tempted to just sleep in Merrick’s room, anyway. I’ll wait until she’s asleep and slip out of the room.

My friend is sexy and alluring. I know she’s off limits, but my body still responds to her. I’m a man, and she’s dream girl material. Of course I’m going to respond to her. If she were anyone else, I’d have already turned on the charm.

When I step back into the room, I toss my dirty clothes into the hamper and slide under the covers. Before I can think better of it, I lean over and kiss her shoulder. “Night, Stel.”

“Night, Mav.”

Moving back to my side, I stare up at the dark ceiling. This is a king-sized bed, but it might as well be a twin. I’ll never be able to fall asleep knowing she’s lying next to me. I’ve never let a woman in my bed. Stella is the first. That’s because she’s different. We’re friends. She’s not just some girl. She’s so much more.

I don’t know how much time passes. I’m certain Stella is asleep. I need to get up and go to Merrick’s room, but for some reason, I can’t seem to make myself leave. The bed moves, and the next thing I know, Stella is snuggled up to me. Her head is resting on my chest, and her palm on my abs.

Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through her hair. “Stel?” I whisper. She doesn’t reply, which means she’s asleep. I should have left when I had the chance. I could still, but I won’t. Show me a man who has a beautiful woman snuggled up to him and wants to get away from her. Not me. Not when the woman is Stella, my sweet, sexy angel.

Now, I’m certain I’ll not be getting any sleep. I close my eyes and try to will myself to slip off into a slumber. My body relaxes into the mattress, and I think maybe I can fall asleep. That is until Stella’s hand starts to roam. My eyes pop open. My body is frozen still as her hand trails down to my cock.

“Stel,” I croak out her name.

She tosses her leg over mine. Her knee brushes against my cock. My cock that’s rock hard for my best friend. I’m probably going to hell for this, but fuck me, I only have so much willpower.

“Stella,” I repeat, this time a little louder. I don’t want to wake Ada, but her momma, on the other hand, needs to open her eyes. She needs to stop this before we can’t.

I tap her shoulder, and her body jolts. Her hand freezes. I’m sure she’s embarrassed. Not that she needs to be. If our situation were different, I’d be pinning her to the mattress. “I can’t help it,” I say in regard to my hard cock. “You’re beautiful, Stel.”

She lifts her head just slightly to look my way. There’s just enough light flowing through the blinds of the bedroom window to see she’s wide awake, staring at me, with her hand on my hard cock.

“We could pretend again,” she whispers.

“Pretend what, angel?” I know damn well what she’s talking about, but I need to hear the words flow from those soft, delicious lips of hers.

“We could pretend that tonight never happened. You know, like before.”

“What’s not going to happen, Stella?”

“I’m sober.”

I should make her say it. I should make her spell it out, but those two words tell me everything I need to know. We’re adults. We have needs. It’s been so damn long since I’ve been inside a woman, and Stella, well, it’s been since the night she conceived Ada.

“You have to promise me, Stel.”

“I promise. I know we’re just friends, but it’s been so long, and I—need this, Mav.”

“Nothing changes. You can’t run from me. You can’t avoid me.”

“Yes, all of that,” she says, bending to kiss my abs. Her touch sends a spark shooting throughout my body.

“This is your show, angel. You take as little or as much as you need from me. Tonight, I’m yours.”

“I—I don’t know how to do this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Gah.” She drops her head so that her forehead is pressing against my abs. She mumbles something that I don’t quite understand.

“You need to tell me, angel.”

“Don’t want to,” she grumbles.

“Then this stops here.”

She lifts her head and expels a heavy breath that brushes against my abs. My cock twitches. “One time. I’ve had sex one time.”

Hearing it again still baffles me. She’s a fucking smoke show. “One time?” I ask for clarification, worried, I heard her wrong.

“Yeah, and guess what? I’m that cliché that got pregnant. We used protection, but….” Her words trail off.

“Sit up for me.” She does as I ask. Kind of. Instead of sitting so that I can see her, she straddles my hips, resting her hands on my chest. So, I sit up, bringing us face-to-face. “I know we’re friends, and this isn’t going to change that. However, I need to make sure you know that if that were to happen. If our protection fails, and you end up pregnant, I’m going to be there. In fact, I’ll be so there that you’re going to get sick of me. You can be my friend who’s also the mother of my child. I want to be there for every step, every milestone. I promise you, Stella. I’m not him.”

I feel anger like a fire roaring with flames at the way her ex has treated her and Ada. How could a man turn his back on his kid? Sure, you’re young and not ready, but guess what? You enjoyed the sex, and you knew the chances, asshole. One day, I’ll meet him, and I’ll be able to tell him exactly what kind of coward he is. Hell, I’m sure he already knows it. He’s yet to show his face in Willow River, which is where his baby girl has been for months.

“I know that. I’m on the pill. I was then, too, and we used a condom, but it was just one of those freak things.”

“I’m not him.” I have to calm myself down. She’s not accusing me. Hell, I’m the one who brought it up, but damn that fuckstick for abandoning them. Did he not understand the two treasures he had? They were his, and he let them go.

“You don’t need to tell me that, Mav. You’ve been there for me since the day we met. I was no one to you, but you still helped me. You stuck around, and that means more to me than you will ever know. I just—I’ve been busy being a mom, trying to keep my head above water. You make me feel safe. Secure.”

Warmth fills my chest, and I want to beat against it like a caveman so that I can make her feel that way. My hands cup her cheeks. “This is your night, Stella. You know you’re safe with me. Take what you need, with the confidence that I want you to do it, and if that same freak occurrence happens, I’ll be there.”

Nothing could keep me away from my kid.

“Kiss me.”

“My pleasure, angel.” I angle her head slightly as I press my lips to hers. She opens for me, giving me her trust. I slide my tongue past those sweet lips and explore her mouth. My hands move to her ass, where I grip her, rocking her against my cock.

“No. Mav, no.” I stop immediately. “I want you inside me.”

“I’m just getting you ready for me.”

“I’m ready for you. Believe me, I’m ready.” She moves off my lap and stands next to the bed. I watch with the glow of the moonlight as she tugs my shirt over her head and slides her panties down her creamy thighs. “Ada. We’ll have to be quiet.”

“Do you want to move?” I don’t want to. If this is my only chance to be inside this woman, I want it to be in my bed. A place where no other has been before her. Stella deserves that privilege.

“No. I can be quiet.”

An image of her screaming out my name flashes through my head, but that’s not where we are. That’s not this moment. Not with her daughter sleeping in the same room. It feels a little creepy, but I know it’s what parents do. Hell, my brothers have talked about this—being quiet while their kids are sleeping. It’s not like Ada is old enough to know what’s going on. She will be soon, but right now, tonight, she’s not. This is Stella’s decision since she’s her mom, and she says it’s fine, so yeah, this is happening.

“You’re wearing too many clothes, Kincaid.” She gives me a shy smile.

I raise my hips. “I think I need your help.” It’s bullshit, and we both know it, but she doesn’t call me out on it. Instead, she climbs onto the bed, kneeling next to me. She grabs the waistband of my shorts on either side of my hips and tugs. She tosses them to the floor and then goes back, repeating the process for my boxer briefs.

“Oh,” she says when she lays eyes on my bare cock for the first time.

“Still think you’re ready?” I ask her. I know what I’m working with, and it’s been so long for her. I don’t want to hurt her. “Nightstand, top drawer.” She again climbs off the bed and opens the drawer, pulling out the unopened box of condoms. “Check the date,” I tell her. They’ve been in there for a while. I’m sure we’re okay, but better safe than sorry.

“I can’t see.” She laughs. “How long ago did you buy these?”

“A while ago. We should be fine, but I’m not risking you, Stel. Use my cell phone for a light.”

She uses my cell phone and nods. Dropping the phone back to the nightstand, she pulls out a small foil packet and climbs back on the bed. She hands it to me, but I shake my head. “You can do the honors.”

“I’ve… never done that.”

“That’s fine. Just try. We have an entire box.” Something about being the man she gets to experience this with does something to me. I can’t explain what this feeling is. My chest is tight and warm, and I almost feel… possessive of her. She’s not mine, but for tonight, she is, and I want her to have this. To take what she needs from a man she knows will stand by her side should something happen.

With shaking hands, she tears open the wrapper and gets to work sheathing my cock. She tosses her leg over mine so that she’s straddling my hips. My cock is nestled against her pussy.

“You sure you’re ready for me?”

“Stop asking.”

I chuckle, holding my hands up in the air. I’m lying back on the pillow while she stares down at me. “This is your show, Stel.”

“Then I think it’s time we start it.” Lifting up on her knees, she palms me and guides me inside her heat.

I grit my teeth at the feel of her tight, wet, warm pussy strangling my cock. This—being inside her—is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It’s different from every other time. So much so that no other time exists for me except for this one.

“You feel so good,” I say, rubbing my hands over her bare thighs.

Her eyes are closed, and her head is tilted back. I watch her in the moonlight; her blonde hair shines. The silky strands almost glow in the dim lighting. “Tell me what you need, Stella.”

“I’m so full.” Lifting her head, she peers down at me. “I don’t know what I need.”

“Rock against me.” I place my hands on her hips and help her move back and forth. She moans. It’s a deep sound that makes me want to lose control. She gains a rocking rhythm, so I move my hands back to her thighs. She lifts and then slowly sinks back down, repeating the process before rocking her hips and then lifting. It’s delicious torture.

“You keep fucking me like that, Stel, and I’m gonna come,” I warn her.

“Isn’t that the point?”

I sit up and wrap my arms around her, capturing her lips with mine. She slows her movements but doesn’t stop. When I pull away, I’m out of breath. “I don’t come before you do.”

“I don’t know if I can,” she admits shyly.

“Oh, angel, you can. I promise you that.” I trail kisses from her jaw down her neck, working my way to her tits. When I capture a hard nipple between my teeth, she squirms, her nails digging into my shoulders.

“Don’t stop—that.”

I smile as I continue to nip and suck before moving to the other side. Her chest is rising at a rapid pace with each breath she pulls into her lungs. Releasing her tit, I move my lips to hers. She tastes so damn sweet. I could easily become addicted if I allowed myself to do so. My cock throbs. I’m close.

With one hand cupping the back of her neck, controlling the kiss, I slide the other between us. My thumb gently grazes her clit.

“M—Maverick,” she pants, pulling out of the kiss. She rests her forehead against mine.

“What’s up, angel?” I know exactly what’s up. She’s about to detonate, and I’m here for it. Her pussy is going crazy. I know she’s close.

“I—Th—That. Yes, that.” Her hot breath fans against my face, and I want to inhale every inch of her and what she’s willing to give me.

“You ready to come for me, Stel? Can you be quiet?”

“I—I don’t know if I can,” she admits.

“You need my hand?”

She nods, and I place my hand over her mouth. “Rock, baby. Whatever feels good to you, do it. Chase the fire.”

She bucks her hips. It’s an uncoordinated mess, but it’s doing it for her, because her pussy feels like a vise around my cock.

“There you go,” I praise. “Good girl.” I press my thumb a little harder, and she stills. Her scream is muffled by my hand. She pulls my hand from her mouth as she tries to catch her breath.

“You.”

“I’ll get mine. That was for you.”

“Now, Mav. I need it. I need to feel you. I—I need you to come.”

“Put your hand over your mouth,” I tell her.

“What? Why?”

“Just trust me.” She does as I say and covers her mouth with one hand while bracing the other on my shoulder. Gripping her hips, I flip us over to where I’m hovering over her. I brace my hands on either side of her head. “Ready?”

She nods, her hands still covering her mouth. I don’t hold back. I thrust in and out of her like my life depends on it. Over and over, my hips fall into hers as the friction builds between us with each thrust.

I’m close.

So. Fucking. Close.

“Touch yourself,” I tell her.

“What?”

“Rub on your clit, Stel. You’re going to come again. This time, we’re going to do it together.”

“Mav—”

“Come on, angel,” I coax. She does as I ask, and her back arches off the bed at the first touch. “Good fucking girl,” I grit. I keep fucking her, and I feel it the minute she detonates for the second time. I let go, losing myself inside her.

Once we’ve both caught our breath, I pull out, careful of the condom. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.” I drop a kiss to her lips, because I need to, before climbing off the bed and rushing toward the bathroom. I take care of the condom and clean up before wetting a warm washcloth to help her do the same.

Back in the room, I climb back into bed. “Spread your legs, angel.”

“What? What are you doing?”

“Taking care of you.” She does as I ask, and I clean her up before tossing the cloth to the hamper. Reaching for the covers, I pull them around us.

“I should go to Merrick’s room,” she whispers. “I shouldn’t sleep here.”

“Stay anyway.” I hold her in my arms. “We’re just sleeping, Stel.”

“Naked.”

“What? Can friends not sleep naked?” I tease. She swats at my hand. “It’s fine, Stella. We’ll get dressed when Ada wakes up, and I’ll make you girls breakfast before you go home.” I expect her to argue, but to my surprise, she drops it. Good. I’m not ready to let her go just yet. Tonight was out of this world and unexpected. It’s a onetime thing. We can’t keep letting this happen, so I’m soaking up every ounce of her I can get. That includes holding her naked in my arms while we catch a few hours of sleep.