Homerun Daddy, page 7
part #1 of Timberwood Cove Series
“Ice cream,” he said without missing a beat. “We only get ice cream on special occasions.” He bit his lip. “I mean, if that’s okay…”
I felt a pang in my heart, realizing how much Bryce was sacrificing to provide for Liam, and how hard it really must be on them, but there was something I could do about that.
“I think this amazing practice is special occasion enough. We’ll load up on ice cream,” I said with a wink.
He beamed at me, then helped me finish loading up equipment, stopping every few minutes to say goodbye to his teammates. When we got to the grocery store, I gave him free rein, telling him to pick out anything he wanted.
The mix of shock and delight he rewarded me with was enough to melt my heart. I made sure to get plenty of healthy food, but Liam deserved to enjoy some treats. By the time we finished up at the store, the cart was full and the sun was starting to set.
“We better get moving,” I told Liam as we loaded up my car. “Your uncle will wonder what’s taking so long.”
Liam talked my ear off the entire ride back to his house, enthusing about practice and speculating about the team we’d be up against for our first game. I just laughed and let him talk, but as we pulled up in front of his house, my mind was firmly on Bryce.
Nervous energy skittered through me as I wondered what things would be like tonight, especially with that kiss still lingering between us.
Gathering up as many grocery bags as I could, I followed Liam into the house—and nearly dropped everything I was holding.
It hit me like a freight train. The scent filling the air. It was undeniable. My omega was in heat.
“Jaxon,” Bryce croaked, shock all over his face. He was standing in the middle of the living room in nothing but a pair of sweatpants.
I dug my fingers into the grocery bags hard enough to tear into the paper. And it took everything I had in me not to toss them to the ground and rush over and take him in my arms.
He swallowed hard, and I could hear him even from across the room. Every one of my senses seemed to be jacked up to full throttle. The rhythmic pumping of his heart, speeding up as he locked eyes with me. The unnatural warmth of the room, so hot that Bryce was sweating. The scent of him emanating stronger with every thud of his pulse.
Fuck.
“We got groceries, Uncle Bryce,” Liam exclaimed, darting through the room and into the kitchen beyond.
The knowledge that he was there was pretty much the only thing keeping me under control. I tried to keep my features calm, but inside I felt like I was losing my mind. My wolf reared up, urging me to claim my mate right fucking now.
“I didn’t think you’d be stopping by,” Bryce said, his voice thick. His eyes were nearly black, dark with desire.
Christ.
I stared at him. His shoulders were broad, his arms toned. His torso was long and lean, chiseled, but not overly so, tapering down to narrow hips. My gaze dropped further, taking in the bulge in his pants.
Holy fucking hell.
My cock sprang to attention, hard and ready to go in a second flat. Need pulsed through me. Hot lust that demanded I take action. Clearing my throat, I dragged my gaze back to his. He also looked like he was barely restraining himself. His eyes were fevered, his skin flushed. God, I’d had no idea being near an omega in heat—not just any omega, but my mate—was so overpowering.
“I was running behind earlier,” I managed to say, explaining why I hadn’t been the one to pick up Liam before practice. But god, if I had been, I was pretty sure I never would have made it out of this house. “I thought I’d make dinner for you guys.”
I took a step forward. Just one, but the air around us thickened even with that slight narrowing of space. We stared at each other, so much unspoken desire radiating between us, but the moment was broken when Liam raced back through the room.
“I’ll grab the rest!”
I blew out a breath and forced myself to move toward the kitchen. Doing so, however, required me to step around Bryce. My arm brushed against his as I did, and I felt as if I’d been burned. His skin was blazing. He jerked his head to look at me, a gasp on his lips. The fact that he was obviously feeling this too sent my own need climbing higher.
Dinner. Right.
I kept moving into the kitchen, setting the bags on the counter before I started unloading them. Liam rushed back in and began helping, already diving in to tell Bryce about practice.
Somehow, I managed to focus on the task at hand—putting away the groceries—but I kept darting glances at Bryce. Every time, I found him staring right back at me. When I finished putting things away with Liam’s help, I turned to Bryce.
“Steak sound good?”
He nodded, pushing forward with his cane, the muscle in his jaw ticking. He closed the distance between us, and I swear I got impossibly harder. His scent hit me again—oh god, I could smell his slick—as he came up next to me and lifted his hand.
He reached behind my head and opened a cabinet, and I had to grip the edge of the counter to keep my hands to myself. Fuck I wanted to touch him, and his chest was just inches from me. He grabbed a pan and handed it to me but didn’t let go as I took it. My fingers brushed against his, and I saw his body stiffen, every muscle frozen. He watched me, questions in his eyes.
I let my gaze drop to his chest again, and a fresh wave of heat poured off him. When I met his eyes once more, I managed to lift my lips in a smile, letting him know I was aware of how he was feeling and that I fully intended to do something about it.
“Later,” I murmured with a wink.
He sucked in a breath, and I chuckled. At least I wasn’t suffering alone.
I got to work making dinner, telling Bryce to take it easy. He disappeared for a moment, and then came back, now wearing a shirt. I wanted to protest, but I guessed it would seem a little odd if he sat down to dinner naked from the waist up. Still, I missed the seeing all that flesh, and I let Bryce know, even if was only none verbal.
Liam was a good little sous chef, and I kept him busy enough that he didn’t seem to notice the heated looks passing between Bryce and me.
By the time dinner was done, Bryce was shifting restlessly in the chair he’d taken at the kitchen table. His knee bounced up and down, and his knuckles were white where he gripped them together. It was obvious he was trying desperately to hold back how much he was affected by my presence right now. He looked like he didn’t quite understand the intensity of what was happening. His heat would be amplified in my presence, I knew that much. The draw of an omega in heat to his fated mate was one of the most powerful urges in existent. There was no containing it. He was doing a damn good job trying, though. Liam seemed completely oblivious.
We managed to make it through the meal, but Liam was already yawning when he started clearing the dishes.
“Why don’t you let me take care of these?” I pushed back from my chair. “I’ll get you off to bed.”
Liam jumped at the offer and darted out of the room saying he just had to brush his teeth.
That left Bryce and I alone again for the first time since I’d walked in. I stood there for a moment, staring down at him. His breath hitched as I came around the table to stand next to him.
“I’ll be back in ten minutes,” I told him, my voice low and full of promise. My wolf howled inside me, raging that I was this close to my mate and not doing a damn thing about it yet. I knew there would be no resisting this once Liam was off to sleep.
I left Bryce sitting there staring after me, wondering what he was thinking. Wondering how he would react when it was just the two of us. No distractions. Nothing except our desire between us. For that matter, I wasn’t quite sure how I’d react. What I was certain of, though, was there was no escaping the need to do something.
When I got to Liam’s room, he was already climbing into bed and pulling his blankets up around him. “This was the best day ever! First practice, then you cooked dinner for us.”
I chuckled, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “I’m glad you had fun.”
“I wish we could do this every day,” he said, surprising me.
“What do you mean?”
“If you could be with us every day. Maybe even live here with me and Bryce!”
My eyes widened, shocked he’d want that so much, but it was also what I wanted. “You know, I’d like that too. In fact, I’m working on something along those lines right now.”
Liam grinned, almost knowingly, and it made me wonder if he’d seen or heard anything from Bryce that would have him thinking like that. God, I hoped so. I told Liam goodnight and turned off his lamp, then shut his door behind me. Without waiting another second, I strode toward the kitchen. Bryce was still there, but now he was standing by the kitchen counter, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
He turned toward me, going still, and I stopped right before I reached him, leaving only three feet between us.
Uncertainty warred with hunger. It was written all over him, in the way he looked at me, the way he held his body. Like he was barely restraining from flinging himself into my arms.
“Jaxon,” he whispered, his voice thick and full of longing. “I don’t…”
I looked at him, making sure he saw every bit of desire I was feeling. “I do. I want this, Bryce. I want you.”
The attraction connecting us was undeniable. The pull irresistible. With him in heat, and my obvious reaction to him, there was no holding back. Bryce seemed to let go of everything he’d been holding onto, closing the distance between us in three quick steps, his limp barely slowing him down.
The minute his body crashed into mine, I lost my control. Grabbing his head with both hands, I jerked it up toward mine and crushed my mouth to his.
A strangled moan escaped his lips, and I delved inside the second they parted. Backing him up against the counter, I plundered his mouth, ravished him. Took everything I wanted in a searing, demanding kiss.
The taste of him hit my tongue, exploding in fire that raced through my body. Bryce’s hips rocked forward, the bulge of his cock grinding against mine, and a growl rumbled through my chest. He dug his fingers into my shirt, and I released my grip on him only long enough to reach behind me and yank it over my head. Seconds later, I tore his off as well.
Then we were skin to skin, and I barely managed not to take him where we stood. Without another word, I scooped him up in my arms and strode back through the house. Straight to his bedroom.
8
Bryce
Oh my god, YES!
I clung to Jaxon’s shoulders, my body humming with anticipation. Unbridled lust coursed through me, passion like I’d never known rising up inside. Fuck me. There was no mistaking it, Jaxon was igniting things I’d never imagined. My heat was more intense than anything I’d ever felt before.
I could barely think straight as Jaxon carried me into my room and laid me down on my bed. Staring up at him, my body screamed for me to reach out and pull him to me, to feel his mouth pressed against mine again, but somewhere in the depths of my mind a tiny alarm sounded.
This was dangerous. My heat was out of control, making both Jaxon and I react in ways we might not otherwise. Except having him here on my bed, his green eyes molten as he moved toward me again, made me think that maybe I would, even if I weren’t in heat. I wanted to experience everything this man had to offer.
But there was too much at stake.
“Jaxon.” I placed a hand on his chest to stop him from moving closer. The feel of his skin beneath my fingers nearly had me forgetting what I needed to say.
But he paused, his brow creasing as he studied me. “Bryce?”
I steeled myself to say the words. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”
His gaze roved over my face. Down my chest. Landing on my throbbing cock, which twitched as a result. “Are you sure about that?”
No. Not at all.
“I just…” Fuck, this was awkward. “I just don’t want this to be a mistake.”
He shook his head. “This is the furthest thing from a mistake.” But he must have seen my concerns written all over my face because he sat back on his heels and blew out a hard breath. The tension on his features made it clear he was barely holding back.
“This isn’t just about sex, Bryce.”
Was it not?
“It’s so much more than that,” he said, continuing. “I really like you, and that has nothing to do with anything except you being you.” Jaxon reached out and ran a finger down my chest, causing the muscles to tighten while injecting a fresh flare of desire deep in my belly. “I want a relationship with you. I want you.”
I tried to believe that. I really wanted to believe that, but how could that be possible? This had to be my heat making him say these things, right? I thought he meant what he was saying—in this moment, but how would he feel tomorrow or the next day?
Jaxon leaned in slowly, his gaze on mine as his lips claimed me again. Softer this time. Testing. When his tongue brushed out to trace the seam of my lips, I moaned, my body bucking up against his. He smiled against my mouth, then deepened the kiss. Not rushing me, not pressuring me, simply taking his time, and in that moment I lost all my resistance. I needed this. Needed him.
I’d dealt with too much pain and stress for too long now, all my worries and fears that had plagued me lately only compounding the physical aches in my body. I needed a release. To let go, even for just one night. To simply enjoy the moment for once in my life.
I felt the shift between us the moment I returned his kiss, giving in. As if he recognized that surrender, a growl rumbled deep in his chest and he captured my face in his hands, tilting it up so he could kiss me even more thoroughly.
“Yes, fuck, Jaxon,” I groaned when he ran one hand down my neck, scraping his fingers along my sensitive flesh.
It was like he snapped, unleashing all the pent-up desire he’d been holding back. I could sense the alpha in him rising to the surface, his recognition of an omega in heat. I knew there was no stopping an alpha in rut.
And I knew now I didn’t want to.
Gone were the slow kisses. Jaxon kept his mouth on mine as he trailed his hand lower, and I kissed him back with all the want and longing I had in me. I slid my hands around his strong shoulders, digging my fingers in hard, a cry of pleasure escaping my mouth when he made contact with my aching cock, even just through my sweats. I ground my hips against his, the pain for once subsiding, challenged by the pure pleasure racing along every limb.
Jaxon yanked at the waistband of my pants, expertly ridding me of them without breaking our kiss. I skimmed my hands down his sides to his narrow waist, then fumbled with his zipper. God, if I didn’t feel him now, I thought I might die.
Jaxon chuckled against my mouth, then pulled away, raising up on his knees as he rested his hands on the button of his jeans. I squirmed beneath him, trapped between his thighs.
With his gaze boring into mine, he slowly unfastened his jeans, then slid the zipper down. My breath caught as he reached for his cock. His jaw clenched, and I swallowed hard. When he pulled his cock out, another flood of my heat coursed through me. Pheromones filled the air and my slick flowed.
“Fuck, Bryce,” he said, his pupils nearly black. “Do you have any idea how fucking sexy you are?”
I whimpered in need at his words, then found myself responding in a way I never would have thought. A little bit taunting. A little bit cocky. Way surer of myself than I expected.
“Why don’t you show me?”
A wicked grin tilted his lips, and I felt my body shudder. He was the one who was too sexy for words. I’d never seen a man’s body that was so perfect. Not in real life. So perfectly sculpted, all hard lines and angles.
He reached for my hand and wrapped it around his cock, and I squeezed hard. Holy shit. He was big. So thick, so long. My ass clenched around emptiness, and I knew I needed him inside me, like…yesterday.
Precum beaded on the wide tip, and I ran my thumb over it, drawing a groan from Jaxon. I smiled, loving that I was making him feel this way. Making him lose control. But Jaxon wasn’t one to give up control easily. Reaching between us, he stroked a finger between my ass cheeks, his eyes going darker still when he realized how slick I was.
I stroked him harder, loving the grunts I was drawing from him, but I was the one mumbling incoherently when he pressed the tip of his finger inside my hole.
“Oh, god,” I moaned. “Yes!”
“You like that?” He pressed in further before slowly pulling back out, running his finger along my clenching walls. I pushed against him, needing him back inside me, and he let out a low chuckle.
He traced circles around my bud, gathering my slick and rubbing it all over my hole, and my entire body convulsed. Then he pushed back inside, harder this time, deeper.
I squeezed my eyes shut and bit my lip, lost in the feel of Jaxon’s cock throbbing in my hand and his finger fucking my ass. He moved in and out of me, adding another finger. When he scissored them, I gripped his cock tighter, and he groaned again.
Then he was pulling out of me, taking my hands and pinning them above my head. He lowered his mouth to mine again, rougher this time. Need and desperation seeping through. I met him stroke for stroke, teeth and tongues and lips colliding as we nearly devoured each other.
My body was on fire, hot and desperate, begging for more. My ass clenched again, and when Jaxon pulled back this time, his face was drawn tight with restraint again. He moved to position his cock at my entrance, teasing my hole with his cockhead.
He glanced at me uncertainly, as if he wanted to be sure I wanted this as much as he did.
“Please.” It was all I said before he was slamming inside me, filling me completely. His thick cock stretched me as he drove in deep, bottoming out. I cried out. However, the unexpected shock at being filled so quickly was replaced almost immediately with an overwhelming sense of pleasure that had my mind and body reeling.
Jaxon stilled, his eyes on mine, concern in his gaze, almost as if he was afraid he’d hurt me. And that’s when I realized—that’s exactly what it was. He didn’t want to hurt me. He was looking at me so tenderly, I felt my heart rate speed up for entirely other reasons than the fact it had never felt this good to have a man inside me like it did right now.
