“We were going to skip it and go to the beach instead, but I figured that we should at least make a brief appearance,” I call back as I cross the yard to him.
“Honestly, I think that would have been the better option. Jake just burnt the meat, and my youngest has Janet trapped inside the house. He’s going through that ‘no’ phase and is being a bit of a pest, if I’m being honest.”
He reaches me and pulls me into a hug.
“And for the life of me, I just can’t imagine why I’m not a father yet,” I joke.
“Who would have your baby? Oh, hello!” Ben beams as he spots Carrie trailing behind me. “You must be Carrie, who I have heard, well, probably a normal amount about. Not too much, not too little.”
“That’s funny, Blake hasn’t mentioned you at all,” Carrie shoots back.
Ben erupts into a fit of laughter, and I feel the tension melt away.
“Damn, she has an acid tongue this one,” he says, slapping me on the back. “I like her already.”
“Uncle Blake!” I hear the call coming from across the yard, nearer the house. I turn to it, smiling the moment I spot its source. It’s Simon, Ben’s son.
“Simon Says!” I yell back. “I’ll be one moment,” I whisper in Carrie’s ear as I turn and charge toward Simon. The moment I reach him, he throws open his arms and I scoop him into the air, holding him there.
“Put me down!” he wails.
“Why would I do that?” I ask, holding him by his waist.
He still has a bandage on his head from his accident. I’m careful not to touch it. I love Simon as much as I have anyone. He and his brother are the closest things I have to children and are a large reason behind my desire to have one of my own.
“Because I’ll tell Dad!” Simon giggles and screams.
“Do it. I think he’ll tell me to keep going.” I throw him in the air, catching him by the waist and planting him back on the ground. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he wraps his arms around my leg and pulls me into a tight hug.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” he says excitedly.
“For you, I would cross the world,” I say, and I ruffle his hair. “Did your father not tell you?”
I look back across the yard and see that Ben and Carrie are still talking. Carrie is laughing, and Ben clearly loves the effect he is having on her.
Despite how light-hearted their conversation looks, I still feel my stomach drop as I watch them. I know what Ben is like, and he is likely to mention something embarrassing. As he knows how I feel about Carrie, that something is likely to be in the vein of how much I like her.
That wouldn’t be a bad thing, if Carrie and I had had that conversation yet. But we haven’t, and I don’t want the first time being in Ben’s backyard in front of his friends.
“I’ll be right back,” I say to Simon, and I ruffle his hair again. I then turn and hurry back across the yard to Ben and Carrie.
“What’s so funny?” I ask.
“Oh, nothing,” Ben says back, and as he does, he turns and winks at Carrie. She cracks up laughing again.
“Somehow, I don’t believe you,” I respond lightly.
“It’s seriously nothing,” Carrie says, wiping away the tears. “We were actually just talking about you and Simon. I can’t believe how good you are with kids.”
“Oh,” I say surprised. “Yeah, well, I have a knack for it, I suppose.”
Ben turns back, waving at his son. “I always said you would be a good dad. You’ll have to settle for being a good uncle instead.”
As Ben is looking across the yard and away from Carrie and me, I catch her eye and wink. She smiles knowingly back. Yes, I am a good uncle, and I will be an even better father. I just can’t wait to prove it.
Chapter 28
CARRIE
Blake feels so good inside me. Like really good. I lay on my back with my legs wrapped around his waist. I relish the way he punishes me. He thrusts up and down, deeper and faster with every move. He bites my neck, he pulls at my hair and he digs his fingers into my exposed ass.
I’m fully clothed, except that my skirt is pulled up around my waist. And so is Blake, save for the fact that his pants are down around his ankles. We weren’t meant to have sex today, at least, not right now. I was on my way to the front door, my bags all packed, when he grabbed me and dragged me back to his bedroom.
I wrap my hands around his ass and guide him. He moves faster and faster. There is no foreplay or anything like that. We don’t need it. I am so wet and so aroused whenever I am around him that I am always ready to go. He is too, and the way he has me now is proof of that.
Back and forth, he pushes himself, his hips dancing. My legs stick up in the air now, and my ass is raised. He goes deeper and deeper. His hand moves down and rubs my clit. It sends a spark through my body. I bite his ear, and his nails press into the skin on my ass.
He continues to thrust inside of me, and his movements become harder and faster. His head is buried into my shoulder, and I can feel his whole body shuddering.
“I’m close,” he growls.
“I know, babe,” I reply.
His movements are the giveaway. And although I haven’t had time to reach that point, I really don’t mind. I just want him to come inside me.
And then, before I know it, he comes. Hard and fast. As he does, his body tightens up, and his lower half spasms. He pushes himself further into me, pausing as the base of
