Full Disclosure (Homefront: The Sheridans Book 2) (13 page)

At my urging, he plunges into me unapologetically,
so deep it hits me at my most sensitive depths, making my world spiral out of
control as I dig my nails into his shoulders.

“Oh, God,” I hear the voice, but I swear
it doesn’t sound like my own. The woman in this bed right now is demanding,
lustful—all things that I’m not. And I’m glad to have this other woman’s
soul moving me right now, grabbing his hips as he thrusts into me in a primal
rhythm. I’m exploding beneath him with spasms around his cock as though I want
to consume every bit of his length, even as I feel him filling me up
completely.

The cadence of his body’s movements slow
as my body sinks back to Earth again. I look at him, and it’s like I can
finally see him now. Till this moment, the only sense my brain could interpret
was touch—the feel of his body on me, in me. Now, my eyes soak in the
sight of him above me, slick from sweat, corded with muscles that seem to
pulsate as I trace my hand against each one.

“You’re responsive,” he murmurs, his eyes
lit with desire.

“It’s been a while,” is all I can say,
still mesmerized by the sight of him fully joined with me. It’s erotic to see,
his rippled abs leading to that taut V of muscles, that then leads to the
erection I see as he moves himself slowly now, so deliberately in and out of my
entry. I’ve often wondered what sex would be like after having a child. Whether
I would feel the pressure of invasion, the sensation of my folds gripping a man,
as well as a woman who hasn’t had a child. But he’s stretching me with his breadth
and his length, making my core come to life again and again with every thrust.

His kisses are tender now on my lips, my
cheeks, my neck. His tongue traces my collarbone leaving a light trail of
moisture that catches a chill as he moves down to a breast, toying with my
nipple first before sucking it in. As he massages my other breast, softly at
first, then harder, I can feel him pulsing deep inside of me, as though it’s
starting to pain him to hold himself back.

His mouth on my breast becomes harsher
now, and I can feel his teeth nip at me, making my arousal build. Thrusting
deeper, harder, I keep feeling like he’ll let go at any moment, but he doesn’t.
He’s all control, rocking his body against my clit at the depths of each
thrust, sending my body back on its climb up a precipice again, even though I’d
swear right now that another orgasm might completely undo me.

I stroke the broad muscles on his back,
relishing their movements underneath my fingertips as he moves. My core is
tightening around him again, and my eyes slam shut, readying myself for the climax.
He responds to my grip with speed, slamming into me quickly now, till I cry out
from the sheer ecstasy of the invasion. My neck arches, and all my energy coils
inside of me. His hands grab mine, pressing my wrists into the sheets as he
thrusts. The climax shatters through me, first from my core, then stretching
outward to my very fingertips as I cry out, feeling him come inside me. One
final, shuddering thrust before he falls on top of me, my body still quaking
beneath him in aftershocks.

I sigh deeply as he moves to the side of
me, tugging me gently over so that his face is next to mine.

“That’s not quite the way I was thinking
I’d wind up the school fundraiser night.”

I give him a little shove on his thick
arm. “You can’t pull that. You had a condom in your pocket,
Mr
.
Sheridan.”

“A guy can be optimistic. But I figured
chances were better that I’d be winding up the evening on the clean-up
committee.” His hand traces along my side and then rests on my waist. “This is
definitely better.”

“Definitely,” I agree.

I like this feeling, I decide. I like
being completely encompassed in his arms like I am right now as he pulls me
closer.

“I’m sorry about the reason you ended up
in my house tonight, but I can’t be sorry for the way it turned out.”

“Full disclosure? I was hoping to get you
into bed tonight before we even got to my place,” I confess.

“You were?”

“I was. You had me the moment you bought
those Adirondack chairs.”

“I never knew children’s furniture was
such a turn-on for women.”

“You know what I mean. The fact that you
even thought to get those for me. It meant so much.”

“You slept with me out of gratitude?” His
finger traces a line from my forehead, to my nose, to my mouth which is raw
from his kisses. “A simple thank you would have sufficed. Though this was much
more memorable.”

I laugh. “It wasn’t just that.” I can’t
tell him what it really was, as much as I want to. I wish I could tell him that
his presence in my life has somehow awakened something in me. Made me remember
that I’m not just a single mom. That I’m not defined by one mistake of my past.
That even though I keep a secret locked up in my heart, it hasn’t rendered that
organ incapable of feeling something for a man.

I trust Ryan. Completely.

But I still can’t tell him.

- RYAN -

Kim sleeps silently beside me, her chest
rising and falling beneath my sheets as I watch her.

I’ve had my share of women. What is it
about this one that seems so damn extraordinary to me? What is it that sends my
pulse quickening at the same time I feel a level of contentment that I never
knew existed?

I glance at the clock on my nightstand
and wonder what time Kim’s parents will expect her to pick up Connor. I know
mine will probably keep Hannah at their place for at least half the day. But I
don’t know hers. I don’t know anything about her parents or her family except
for Connor. And I certainly don’t know anything about Connor’s dad.

I keep thinking that when the topic comes
up, she’ll tell me about him. But she never does, always sidestepping his
existence. And why shouldn’t she? The asshole obviously hasn’t been much of a
dad to Connor.

But now, with the memory of her broken windows,
the questions in the back of my head can’t help coming to the forefront.

None of the other townhomes had any
broken windows. Could Kim have been targeted? Or was it just random, like the
police suggested?

Leverty will be showing up at her place early
today to dust for fingerprints on the stones, something that the Newton’s Creek
police force didn’t think to do. They’re well intentioned, but woefully
understaffed and underequipped.

Leverty will bring me the answers I need.
He’s worked for my family personally and JLS Heartland on retainer for the past
five years, because inevitably, when there’s money involved, bad things tend to
happen.

In fact, it was Leverty who proved
Adriana was cheating on me, something I hold against him slightly because the
investigation was instigated by my father, not me. “No one screws around on a Sheridan,”
had been the reasoning my father had shared with me when I found out.

But apparently, Adriana sure had.

Regardless of what Leverty finds at Kim’s
place, I know I can’t let her and Connor stay there until Logan and Allie come
home from their trip. Even if I install a security system in there—which
I plan to have done by the end of the day—she and her son shouldn’t be
living there without neighbors till we figure out who did this.

I pad down the stairs barefoot, hoping
the clicking of the dogs’ paws behind me won’t awaken Kim. I kept her up most
the night, and am completely unapologetic for it. But I’d like to have her get
a little sleep this morning.

After I open the French doors to the back
yard, the dogs dart out, scaring up a bunch of birds that had gathered around
the birdfeeders my mom bought me. They charge toward the fence line, and I
leave the door open for them to come back in on their own. The cool October air
stirs me, chilling me slightly.

I brew some coffee in the Keurig that’s
been collecting dust on my countertop because I generally get my morning fix
from Deborah at the office. Then I reach for my phone to dial Logan.

“What the hell are you waking us up for?”
he grumbles into the phone when he picks it up.

“Tell Allie sorry for me. Hey, I don’t
want to ruin the romantic thing you’ve hopefully got going there,” I start,
hinting at the ring I know he stashed somewhere in his carry-on bag. “But I
thought I should let you know that Kim’s house was vandalized.”

“What the hell? Is she all right? Where’s
Connor?” His questions fire at me.

“She’s fine. Connor’s fine. They weren’t
in the house when it happened.”

“How about the dog?”

“Macaroni’s fine. No damage except to the
windows. Someone threw some landscaping stones through them.”

“You called the police?”

“Of course.”

“Did they check for fingerprints?”

“Logan, it’s the freaking Newton’s Creek
police we’re talking about here. They filed a report and went home.”

“Damn place is just this side of
Mayberry.”

“I know. I told Leverty to get out there
this morning. He’ll get some answers, if there are any. After he’s through with
the place, I’ve got a guy coming to fix the windows. I also wanted to install a
security system. Thought I’d see if you wanted me to get one in yours and
Allie’s places too.”

“Yeah. Get the whole building done while
you’re at it. I’ve got the other two townhomes on the market now. Give me the
codes after they do it, so that I can pass them along to the real estate
agent.”

“Great. I’ll run it by Kim when she wakes
up. With all the excitement, I’m hoping she’ll sleep in.”

“She didn’t sleep in her place with
broken windows, did she?” Logan sounds like he’s just about hit the ceiling.

“Hell, no. Of course not. She slept at my
place. Connor was at his grandparents last night because of the school fundraiser.”

“Oh,” he says, then after pausing a
moment, adding, “Ohhh,” with a bit of a realization in his voice. “So you and
Kim—”

“Not your business, big brother.”

“Aw, hell. You know Kim will tell Allie
by the end of the day anyway. What gives?”

I sigh. “We’re just seeing where the road
takes us.”

“That’s one way of putting it. I’m happy
for you, man. Kim’s great. I hope it works out. She’d be good for you—and
Hannah, too.”

I can’t help agreeing with him. “So
anyway, I’ve got copies of your keys, but I’m going to need to get into the
other townhouses too.”

“They’re on a hook in my pantry.”

It seems too obvious a place for my
former SEAL brother, making my eyebrows rise till I hear him continue, “Behind
a hidden panel right next to the Fruit Loops.”

I nod, smiling at the knowledge that my
brother’s choice in cereals hasn’t changed since he was a kid. How the hell did
he make it in the SEALs eating Fruit Loops?

“Thanks. I’ll let you know what Leverty turns
up. So, did you uh—take advantage of one of those sunsets for a
particular conversation?” I ask cryptically, in case Allie is close by and
might overhear. But I can’t resist wondering if I’m going to be gaining a new
sister-in-law anytime soon.

“Rained the first two evenings we were
here.”

“Damn.”

“S’okay. We amused ourselves indoors.”

“I’ll bet you did. Hey—uhh…” I
hesitate, my conversation the other day with Dad going through my head.

“What?”

I drum my fingertips on the granite
countertop. “How did you—know?”

“Know what?”

“About Allie. That she was the one.”

“Hell, how could I not know? I think it
took me a while to admit it to myself, but there was no avoiding it. It hit me
like a ton of bricks.”

Or a lightning bolt
. “Funny.”

“And you’re asking me this now
why,
exactly?” he asks.

I want to tell my brother that I never
felt this way with Adriana. That in the eighteen months we dated in college, I
never once felt that gut instinct that I’m feeling right now with Kim. I never
thought I was capable of it. But I’m not up for the ribbing I’d get from the
confession right now, especially since I probably woke Logan and Allie up, and
they’ve got better things to do in a bed in the Caribbean than listen to me.

“Just wondered. I mean, I knew you had
fallen fast for her when you nearly tore my head off when I told you I wanted
to ask Allie out.”

“That time we took Hannah to Buckeye
Land,” he recalls with a chuckle. “I’d forgotten about that. So I shouldn’t
read anything into it that you’re asking me about this the morning after you’ve
had sex with Kim?”

I hear Allie’s shriek on Logan’s end.

“Shit,” he utters and I hear him try to
calm down his soon-to-be fiancée as she peppers him with questions.

I laugh. “I’ll tell Kim to expect a text
from Allie this morning.”

“Yeah. Thanks for the call. Do me a favor
and don’t bug me again, unless it’s life, limb, or eyesight, okay?”

“Got it. Sorry, bro. I’ll be hoping for
clear skies for you tonight.”

Logan gives a final grunt as he ends the
conversation. I set my phone on the counter, and hear Kim coming into the
kitchen.

“I hope I get a cup of that,” she says. She’s
wearing one of my simple white undershirts with a v-neck, and I don’t think
I’ll be able to put one of the damn things on again without getting aroused by
the memory of her in it.

“You do. As much as you like. You want some
blueberry pancakes or French toast?”

“You made pancakes?”

“No,” I laugh. “When I lived on my own,
breakfast was a couple protein bars, or a muffin from Pop’s. But now that
Hannah’s with me full-time, I’ve got a woman who comes in once a week to cook
up some meals for us. She makes a bunch of breakfasts and dinners and then
freezes them, so all I have to do is put something in the microwave.” I extend
my hand with a mug toward her, and then move to get the creamer from the fridge.
“I’m kind of useless in the kitchen, and there’s only so many times I can order
pizza for my kid without someone calling Child Protective Services.”

Her eyelids fall half-shut appreciatively
as she sips her coffee eagerly. “Kids have lived on worse than pizza. But I
like the idea of pre-cooking things. I might try that myself.”

“So…” I say, unable to resist the urge to
pull her closer to me. I can feel the warmth of her skin through the t-shirt
and it’s already got my boxers tenting out. Her effect on me is incredible.

“So?” A smile touches her lips as she
feels me, hard and ready, pressing against her.

“So, what time do you have to pick up
Connor from your parents?”

“I should probably head over there as
soon as I’ve had my coffee. I’ll tell them what’s going on.” She sighs. “I need
to find a handyman to fix those windows…” her voice trails.

“It’s already been done. I called them
last night when you were talking to the police. They’ll come out around lunch.”
Her mouth opens, and I sense an argument coming, so I decide not to add just
yet that I’m installing a security system whether she likes it or not. “Listen,
I don’t think you and Connor should be there with no neighbors till Logan and
Allie get back.”

“It’s probably nothing, the police said. Just
a random vandal.”

“No offense to Newton’s Creek’s finest,
but I’m not convinced of that. And there’s no way I’m risking you and Connor
there alone. As nice as Macaroni is, she’s not much of a guard dog.” I catch a
glimpse of the cocker spaniel who is licking up God-knows-what off my floor.

She slumps in her chair. “I can’t let
someone scare me out of my home.”

“Uh, yes. Actually, you can do that. And
you’d be smart to. There’s nothing wrong with playing it safe. Do it for
Connor, if not for yourself.” I pull her closer. “Hell, do it for me.”

“We could stay the night with my parents.
God, they’ll never let me live it down. ‘Only a month on your own, and you’ve
had to come back to us already,’ they’ll say. I can just hear it.” She frowns.
“I guess I could get a room at Bergin’s.”

I open my mouth and then slam it shut. Until
I’m sure that Connor’s dad isn’t the one who sent a couple landscaping stones
careening through Kim’s window, I’m not exactly comfortable with the idea of
her staying in a hotel. I can’t imagine security is very tight there. “There is
another option,” I say carefully. “You and Connor could stay here.”

“No, no. No way.”

“I’ve got six thousand square feet. You
could stay here the week and I’d never notice.” I nuzzle against her neck,
unable to resist taking a sniff of that sweet smell that seems to follow her
everywhere. “Well, maybe I’ll notice a little.”

“That’s just—not right. I’ve got a
son. What will he think? What will everyone think?”

“It’s one night. Only the kids will know.
And Hannah’s good about keeping quiet. How about Connor?”

“Not so good.”

I shrug. “Yeah, but half of what comes
out of a four-year-old’s mouth is sheer imagination, anyway. No one will raise
an eyebrow.”

Her lips press together, forming a tight
line as she thinks. “I don’t want the kids knowing about… you know. Us.”

I smile. “Us. I like the sound of that. But
no, we don’t have to let on to the kids.” I couldn’t agree more. It’s too
early. “I’ve got plenty of rooms for both of you to choose from. But I strongly
recommend you go with the one furthest from mine. I hear I’m irresistible.”

“Oh, really. And where did you hear
that?”

“From you. Last night.”

“Did I really say that?”

She presses her lips against me, and I
can taste the flavored creamer on her lips, sweet with a hint of amaretto. I
part her lips, dipping into her deeper, needing more than she might be willing
to give me this morning.

“If you give me a few more minutes, I
might be able to convince you of that again.”