Once Written, Twice Shy (The Broken Men Chronicles) (5 page)

I woke alone, with giggling going on downstairs.  The
sweet sound put an automatic smile on my face.

I got up to search for the two of them.

Just as I thought I’d find them in the living room
watching cartoons, I was proven wrong and found them in the kitchen, cooking no
less.

Jasper was standing on a chair beside Alissa as
she measured things out and let him pour the ingredients into a bowl.  I leaned
against the entranceway and watched the pair who were both looking like wannabe
football players, sporting flour marks under their eyes.

“Ah!  Ha!  ‘Tis time for the blueberries!”  Alissa
sounded like a mad scientist on the verge of a great discovery and Jasper
seemed to love it if his giggles were anything to say about it.

“Can I get them, Allie?”  He bounced around on his
chair.  “Can I, can I?”

Alissa freaked out with a squeal, dropping
everything on the counter, including her act and grabbed Jasper by the arm to
make sure he didn’t lose his balance and fall.  She picked him up and set him down
on the floor.

“Go get ‘em, handsome,” she said and laughed as
she turned to stir what was in the bowl, humming a tune I couldn’t quite make
out but knew that it was some childhood nursery rhyme of sorts.

“I thought that I was dubbed
handsome
,” I said
which made them both jump.

“Daddy,” Jasper said and ran to bounce around me, “Allie
and I are making pancake ex-per-mints!”

“Experiment, huh?” I asked and he nodded
vehemently.  I eyed Alissa and mouthed a
thank you
.  She nodded in
welcome, gracing me with a grin.  “Well I can’t wait to try those out then.”

I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat at the breakfast
bar while they got back to work.  It was amazing how well Jasper had meshed
with Alissa.  She had never said how she had gotten him to warm up to her so
quickly.

When Todd had first come into the picture, it had
taken a while before the little guy could accept him as an extension to his
family.  As much as I had hated the idea of another man in my son’s life, it
had taken me voicing that I was okay with him making friends with the man
before he had given in.  Maybe because Allie was considered as
Daddy’s
friend
, Jasper simply had accepted her by default?  I shook the questions
from my head. 
Why mess with a good thing?

“You guys need any help?  I’m feeling a little
left out,” I said and threw in a pathetic pout, gaining me an
aw
from
Jasper and a snort from Alissa.

“You can cook, Mr. Chef,” Alissa said and winked
at me.  “What do you say we set the table, buddy?”  She ruffled Jasper’s hair
and he beamed, giving her a nod.

Half an hour later, we sat at the table, eating
and discussing Jasper’s choices for fun for the day.  I watched Alissa’s face
for hints of regret to her suggestion but she looked about as eager as Jasper
did. 
Huh!

***

“Are you sure you can’t just drop me off at yours?”
Alissa asked.

She wanted to avoid any unnecessary drama that
would most definitely occur when we got to Julie’s.  I couldn’t blame her.

“It’ll be fine.”  I grabbed her hand and squeezed. 
“Besides, we’re already running late.  I don’t know ‘bout you but I’m not in
the mood to give the woman more ammo after last night.”  She snorted her
dislike and then Jasper jumped into the conversation.

A few minutes had come to pass and I saw her mouth
a few curses but a smile played at her lips.  “Just so you know, I’m doing this
for
that
little guy back there.”  She pointed toward the back seat where
my son was bouncing around in his booster.

My expert three-year-old manipulator had managed
to change her mind even though I had given it my best shot.  I had convinced
her that she could sit in the car and wait while we went inside but my son had
managed to put a stop to that.

“Hi, Mom,” Jasper said and gave her a quick hug
and kiss on the cheek.  “Come on, Allie.”

Julie allowed Alissa entry to her house seeing as
Jasper had pretty much pulled her through the threshold before anyone could
stop him.

“Come see my room,” he said and kept dragging her
by the hand.

“Jasp-” Julie said but her argument had fallen on
deaf ears.

The hostility that rolled off of Julie was
palpable.  I followed the two and an irritated soon-to-be-hopefully-ex to Jasper’s
bedroom.  Unless Allie assured me that she’d be fine, there was no way I was
going to leave the two women in a room alone—with or without my son.

“Okay, buddy,” I said.  “It’s time for Allie and
me to go.”

“Mom, is it alright if Daddy reads me my story
tonight?”

“Sure,” Julie said, a little too satisfied for my
liking.

“Are you going to be okay?” I whispered in
Alissa’s ear.

“Yeah, go ahead,” she said and gave me a reassuring
smile.

“Night night, Allie,” Jasper said and he gave her
a quick hug after she’d gotten down to his height.  “Can we make blueberry
pancakes next time too?”

“I won’t be here but I’ll make sure to teach Daddy
how to make them.  I’m sure he’d love your help.”  I caught her amused wink. 
“Goodnight, handsome.”

She kissed the top of his head and walked out of
the room.  I heard Julie’s feet shuffle which told me that the vulture had
turned to follow Alissa.

***

I came out of Jasper’s bedroom to find Julie
standing in Alissa’s face while the woman leaned on the sofa’s armrest.  I
stepped back and stayed unseen around the corner.

“If you think that you can just swoop in and take
over, you have another thing coming, lady,” she said.  I wanted to put a stop
to all of it but something kept me rooted in my place.  “I suggest you stick to
wherever you came from because there’s no way I’ll allow you to be around
Jasper.  You might as well move on because I know Paxton, and he would never
sacrifice his son for a little whore like you.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Alissa said with
determination.  I was impressed with her backbone.

“You’ll change your mind,” she said, “no one wants
a kid that isn’t theirs.  In time, Paxton will come to see that all you are is a
piece of ass to him.  When he gets bored of you, he’ll dump you for some other
floozy.  I just hope he learns a few tricks along the way but from a woman like
you, I’m sure you’re doing a bang up job at helping him out, huh?”

I turned to peek around the corner and noticed that
there was nothing but calmness surrounding Alissa.  Hell, the woman hadn’t
budged.

“Are you done?” Alissa voice had gone flat.

A blank expression made an appearance on my ex’s
face.  “What-”

“It’s my turn to talk,” Allie cut in.

Julie’s face flared crimson.  “Listen here, you
little-” I could have sworn I heard a growl.  “There’s no way in hell that I’m
letting you have him.  He’s too good for you.”

“So now he’s too good?  A minute ago, he wasn’t
good enough.  Which one is it, Julie?  Never mind.”  Alissa crossed her arms at
her chest.  “That’s your opinion but I can damn well tell you that based on how
you’ve treated him, you’re no better a candidate than I am,” she said and poked
the waking dragon in the upper arm.  “What are you so afraid of, Julie?”

“
Afraid
?  You think I’m
afraid
?  Let
me tell you what I see when I look at you,” Julie said.  “What I see, is a
woman who thinks she can show up and take over someone’s life because she
doesn’t know how to find one of her own.  I’ll tell you something,
honey
,
the grass isn’t always greener.  Now, listen and listen well.  When you walk
out of here tonight, I best not ever see or hear of you again.  I don’t know
where you came from or what you do but there’s no way in hell that I’ll let
some new hot number in my husband’s life take over my family, do you hear me?”

“Husband,” Alissa said and let out a snort, “Ha! 
Last I checked all you had to do is sign the papers and you’re both free.  You
do know there are other ways of getting around that right?”

“He wouldn’t dare.”  Julie’s venom-filled voice
was a few octaves lower.

Alissa got up to her full height, leaned into
Julie and said, “You think?  I may have only known him for a short amount of
time compared to you but I can damn well tell you what you’ve known for a while
now.  Come on, Julie, you’re not stupid.  The man has been lonely and deserted,
he deserves better and you know it.  For once in your miserable life, let him
be happy.”  She sighed.  “I don’t care if it’s not with me, just let him go. 
He needs to move on,
you
have.  For Christ’s sake, you’re pregnant with
another man’s child!”  My heart skipped a beat as I heard those words from
Alissa.  “I don’t know why you keep holding on to him but I can tell you that
there’s no good payout for anyone in the end if you don’t let him go.  You have
Todd, what if the man wants to get married?  We both know that Paxton won’t
take you back.  If anything, do it for Jasper, don’t you think that your son
deserves to see both his parents happy even if it’s not with each other?”

“Why you self-righteous bitch,” Julie said.  “You
think you know it all, don’t you, preaching about things you don’t have a clue
about?”

“I know more than you-”

“Is that so?” Julie smiled and I knew the woman
was about to lay it on thicker than thick.

My feet took action and brought me into the living
room.  “Julie, that’s enough,” I said.  My blood boiled.  If it weren’t about
chasing what little happiness I have and making me miserable, I’d admire my
son’s mother’s tenacity.

Her head snapped in my direction and I came to a
stop beside Alissa.  I put a hand on her lower back.  “Go on and wait for me in
the car.”  I handed her my car keys.  “I have a few things I would like to say
to Julie, here,” I said so my not-so-significant other could hear me loud and
clear.

I waited for Alissa to disappear outside.

“She’ll ruin us, Paxton,” Julie said.

“You’ve done enough of that all on your own, Julie,”
I said.  “Alissa’s right, I’m sick of being stuck as I watch you move on with
your life and I can’t do the same.  It’s been a year since you’ve left, Julie. 
A goddamn year!”

“How long have you two known each other?”

“You sound as if I’ve betrayed you somehow.  Last
I checked, I wasn’t the one who ran around or the one that gave up without a
fight,” I said.  “We’re friends.  Well, we were.” 
Who knows now.

“Bullshit!  She said she was your girlfriend
yesterday.”

“You started it,” I said.  “You attacked her with
insults.  She was simply trying to get a rise out of you.  I can see now that
it worked and I’m glad it did.”

“What about forcing the divorce?”

“I will if I have to,” I said.  “You’re not
leaving me much of a choice here, Julie.  I’m done with the games.”

“Then you won’t see Jasper.  I won’t allow him to
be around that blonde bitch,” she said.

“You heard Alissa, Julie, she’s not going
anywhere, not unless I want her gone and that’s far from the case.”

“So you’d pick
her
over our son?” she asked.

“You know I wouldn’t, but I’m not giving up on her
either, I shouldn’t have to,” I said.  “So you either sign those papers by
Friday or I force the divorce through the courts.  If you want to be a bitch
and deny me my son then I’ll take that up with the courts too, Jake’s always
loved a good fight or have you forgotten?  I have my rights, Julie, any judge
will agree with me.”  I pinched the bridge of my nose and let out a cleansing
breath.  “You know what’s right, just do it.  It’s all I have to say to you.”

I walked to the front door and paused when Julie
asked, “What happened to you?”  I turned to her, confused.  “Since when have
you lost your easy-going persona and traded it in?  You’ve become some hard,
demanding, down-to-business kind of man.”

“You wanted to play dirty, the game is on,” I
said.  “I don’t take threats of losing my son lightly, Julie.  Goodbye.”

We drove back to my place in complete silence.  I
couldn’t get Alissa’s words out of my head.  It felt nice to know that I had
someone willing to go to bat for me; someone who was loyal outside of my family. 
I didn’t know what to think of it though but I knew that when Alissa’s visit
was over, that things between us would be different—they already were if I were
willing to be completely honest with myself.  I only hoped that Julie wouldn’t
ruin it all with her resistance.

“I’m sorry about Julie,” I said as I walked us up
the front steps, a hand on her lower back, guiding her forward.

“It’s not your fault,” she said.  “I just couldn’t
take it anymore.  I know it wasn’t my place, I had to say something.”

I nodded, unlocking the door.

She entered the house ahead of me.  I grabbed her
hand and pulled her back where she turned to bury her face in my chest and my
arms wrapped around her in a tight hug.  “Thank you,” I said in her hair.  She
took a deep breath and I felt the tension leave her body.  She pulled away and pecked
me on the cheek before heading toward the sofa where she dropped like a ragdoll.

Reaching for the camera that we’d left on the
coffee table earlier in the day, she asked, “Did you take a look at these?”  I
shook my head.  “Come see.”

Cuddled with each other, I let her control the device
as we looked through each photo taken throughout the day.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you were a
shutter-bug.”

There were photos of my son and me at the fair,
the water park, the ice-cream shop, and the few I had taken of her and Jasper
on the park bench with their icy treats.  My favorite was the one where he had
nailed her on the nose with his cone and she had returned the gesture; the end
result was a photo of Jasper looking up at her with a wide grin while Allie had
her head tilted back laughing, looking carefree.  I had managed to get a few additional
shots before I had to break them apart, sensing that a food fight was brewing.

I found myself watching her reaction while she
looked through the photos I had taken.  She was beautiful and the emotions that
flashed through her features made her look radiant.  Her expressions resembled
that of a young child witnessing something for the first time—they were honest;
candid even and I was ignoring the rest of the photos because I was so taken by
her.

I ended up taking the camera from her hands,
turning it off and setting it on the coffee table.

“Hey,” she said, “we weren’t-”

My lips were on hers, my hands framed her face and
she whimpered beneath my aggressiveness.  I pulled away and smiled at the look
on her face.  That well-kissed expression made me want to do it again and again.

“I was expecting a
thank you for the photos
,”
she said, her voice filled with huskiness, “but I’ll definitely take that.”

“You’re welcome,” I said.  She pecked me before
leaning into my shoulder and I laid us down.  I sighed.  “Four more days until
you leave.”  My heart felt heavy.

She lifted her head and said, “In a rush to get me
out the door already?”

“Hardly,” I said and squeezed her tight, “I kind
of like you here.”

“Hmm…”  She turned so her body lay atop mine,
crossed her arms over my chest and set her chin on them.  We lay there, staring
at each other as I played with the loose strands of hair that ran down her
back.  Neither of us seemed to want to break the comfortable silence.

She began to trace the contours of my face.  My
eyes closed instinctively as I relaxed further into the sofa, savoring the
silky feel of her fingertips.

“Keep your eyes closed,” she said.

I smiled, obliging her.

Her lips descended onto mine with their warmth and
softness.  Her kiss was sweet, slow and tender hands clasped the sides of my
face.  There was no doubt that she took the prize home for innocent sensuality.

I groaned my discontentment when her lips left
mine.  She let them skim the day-old scruff of my cheek, nuzzling as she got to
my jaw bone and nipped my chin.  It was slow and torturous—I loved every second.

In an effort to disperse the tension that was
building in my body, I slid my hands down her back and around to let them rest
on her bare thighs.

Her kisses stopped, then recommenced.  These ones
were to my eyes, my nose, and my forehead.  They were sweeter than the others—the
kind that made you feel more than just lust—they were the kind that made you
fall for a person.

Her lips brushed the edges of my mouth as she
spoke.  “Open your eyes.”

I did.  She had pulled back a bit more so I could
see her entire face smiling down at me.

“What was that for?” I asked with a hoarse voice.

“For today,” she said, “it was one of the best
days I’ve ever had.”

“I’m glad you had fun despite having Jasper around
to entertain,” I said.  “I-”

Her fingertips reached my lips.  “I know it wasn’t
planned and it could have been under better circumstances but I would have
hoped to have met him at some point,” she said.  “I’m glad it happened.  I
don’t think I’ve had this much fun as a kid to be honest.  This trip was about
two friends getting to know each other better.  Part of knowing you includes
your son, Paxton.”

“
Friends
,” I said and tried to hide my
disappointment, “with benefits I suppose?”

She blushed.  “Well-”

I laced a hand into her hair and clasped the back
of her neck.  Pulling her face down, I crushed her lips to mine.  I bit down on
her bottom lip.  She opened with a gasp and I plundered her mouth.  She still
tasted of the strawberry ice-cream she had eaten earlier.

“Let’s not kid ourselves, Alissa,” I said against
her skin as I trailed hot, wet kisses down her jaw.  Her head tilted back and I
moved down her neck.  “We’re not friends with benefits and you know it.”  I pulled
away to gauge her reaction.  Her lips were swollen and pursed, and those
gorgeous breasts of hers rose and fell at a more frantic rhythm.  I smirked.  “I
believe the word you used yesterday was
girlfriend
?”

“About that,” she said and bit down on her bottom
lip.

“Shh.”  I reached up and trailed my thumb,
releasing the soft flesh from her pearly whites.

Her eyes shuttered to a close and I took advantage
of the fact that she was straddling me to let my fingers do the talking.  I
trailed a slow path from her lips, down her jaw bone and ran it out to her
shoulder from her collarbone.  She shivered.  I continued down to the junction
between her breasts and enjoyed the view seeing as her shirt had inched lower.

“I don’t think I can ever grow tired of how you
feel against my skin,” I said but pulled my hand back.  The absence of my
fingers made her eyes open and she peered down at me.  “Why don’t we move this
to the bedroom?”

She nodded, her eyes giving off a sense of urgency.

***

By the time we had reached the bedroom, my shirt
was off and my pants were unbuttoned.  I dropped my jeans and kicked them off
to the side.

Giggling, she asked, “In a rush are we?”  She attempted
to walk to me.

“Stay,” I said with my hand help up.  She froze. 
A zing of arousal floated down my spine to settle in my groin.  This sexual
demand and control thing was heady stuff.  Why I hadn’t tried it before, I’ll
never know.

I walked to her, grabbed her around the waist and
kissed her hard with possession.  My hands found the edge of her shirt and tugged
it up and over her head.  Her arms wrapped around my neck and with her lips
over mine, I went straight to undo her bottoms.

My lips left hers and moved down her body as I
helped her wiggle her shorts down.  I knelt in front of her and smiled at the
sight of the tiny black lacy number she was wearing.  Looking up, she was grinning
down at me.  “I wondered if I’d ever get to see those again,” I said.

I watched her face as I ran my thumb over her lace-covered
lips and felt the humidity from her juices.  The hand that cupped her rear felt
her quiver.  Tapping each of her legs, she stepped out of her shorts.  I kissed
her core through the material and looked up at her again.  Her head had tilted
back in rapture.

“Turn around,” I said.  She did.  I found myself
face to her firm bottom.  “Has anyone ever told you what a fine ass you have?” 
My hands rubbed up her legs, onto her bare cheeks before pausing on her hips. 
I nipped her, making her jump.

“Pax!”  I laughed at her reaction.

There was more I wanted to do to her, so much more. 
I made my ascent, letting my hands rub up her sides, to her shoulders, pushing her
bra strap to the side and ran a path of kisses from her shoulder to the back of
her neck.  My fingers trailed down until I could wrap one arm around her waist
and hold her against me.  I nipped the tender skin behind her ear and felt her
body begin to shake when I rubbed my erection into her firm ass.

“I want you on your back, on the bed,” I said and
sucked her earlobe, “eyes closed.”  Her breath caught.

I reached between us and undid the clasp to her
bra with one hand before I allowed her to move away.

I lowered myself beside her, feeling her body warm
mine.  “This is a little something different,” I explained.  “I don’t want you
to move, I want you to listen to my voice and feel my touch.”  I ran a light
finger over her collarbone.  She hummed.  “For months, you’ve been teasing me
with your stories, your flirty comments, and toying with mention of things you
would do to me if we ever met face-to-face,” I said as I nuzzled her ear. 
“This isn’t what it’s all about.  Don’t get me wrong, by the time the night is
over, I’ll have fucked you the way I know you ache to be fucked, Alissa.”  She
whimpered.  My fingers began tweaking her pert nipples, hardening them further—her
body’s responses amazed me.

“I will ravage your body until you’re begging me
to stick my cock into your pussy.”  I shifted and nudged my knee between her
legs, rubbing it against her heat.  She spread her legs further for me and dug
her butt into the mattress.

“I have a plan for us, Allie.”  I took one nipple
in my mouth and sucked hard on it before releasing it with a pop.  She moaned. 
“You say we’re friends with benefits?”  She nodded with hesitance, “but you’ve
also called yourself my girlfriend.”  My heart swelled when there was no
hesitation this time.  “Sweetheart, we have a bit of a dilemma here,” I said
and took her other nipple and inflicted the same treatment I had to the other. 
“Here’s what I propose but open your eyes first.”  I waited for her to do so. 
“By the end of this week, we’ll know which one of those it’ll be,
that
,
I swear to you.”  I kissed her hard at first and then softened my assault
before pulling back.

“Pax-”

“This is for you, baby,” I said gruffly. 
“Tonight, I show you how hot you make me.  Tomorrow, you’ll know how beautiful
you are to me.”  Our eyes connected and I was entranced by those bright blue
orbs of hers, mixed with softness and potent lust.  “Now, close your eyes again
but this time, tell me what you want from me.”

I licked a trail back down to between her
breasts.  My mouth found a nipple and flicked it with my tongue while pinching
the other one and rolling it between my thumb and forefinger.

“That,” she said, panting as I continued.  I
nipped her and she yelped.

“You’re delicious,” I said and blew hot air,
making her peak stiffen up before I moved to the other.

“Oh, God,” she said and moaned as I took the other
in my mouth.  “Pax!  Oh…I don’t think-”

I pulled away.  “That’s just it, baby, don’t
think, just let go and feel,” I said.  I bit down and laved the pert nub to
soothe the sting.  Her body gave way, turning boneless in my arms, the orgasm
that raked through her body being one of total submission.  “Good girl,” I said
as I trailed down lower, her hands grasping my head as if trying to guide me to
a new destination.  “Tell me,” I licked around her navel, “where?”  My tongue
dipped into the hollow of her bellybutton.

“I-I…”

I hovered, my mouth over her covered pussy which
was pungent and drenched from her overflowing nectar and blew.

No answer.

I knew that she wanted me to eat her out but I
refused to give in to my urges if she couldn’t voice hers.

“Gah!” she said when I moved down and kissed the
inside of her thigh.  “Pax!”

“Tell me,” I said with a growl as I kept moving
away from her core but pressed my thumb to it and swiped it upward until I felt
her swollen bud pulse beneath it.

“I-I…” she said again.  I pinched her protruding
clit and bit down on one of her thighs, causing her calming orgasm to pick up
in intensity.

“More,” she said, “I want…”  She was panting.

“You want what, Allie?”  I kept up with the
rubbing of her throbbing clit, extending her climax, her legs twitching.

“Fu-” she said.  “I...”  She swallowed.  “I want
to feel…”

“You want to feel
what
?” I asked.  “I want
to taste you baby but I can’t do that until you-”

“Eat me!  Fucking eat my pussy, Pax!”

My shaft went from concrete to steel within a
fraction of a second with her vulgarity.  She was normally too shy to use such
language or so she’d confessed before.  Well, she sure as hell wasn’t shy now,
unleashing some of her inhibitions.

“Your wish is my command, sexy,” I said, looking
at her flushed face of carnal exasperation and grinned, knowing that I had been
the one to put that look there.

“Pax…
now
,” she practically growled, animalistic
heat overwhelming me.

My hands grabbed the thin lace at her hips and tore
her underwear down the middle, exposing the flesh I so yearned to sink into.  I
had a moment of guilt for destroying her lingerie—a short-lived one.