My lips part, then shut. I swallow hard and take the plunge. “I’ve liked him ever since the first time I saw him.”
Her eyebrows rise. “You have?”
“But he didn’t know I existed.”
“Well, he does now,” she smiles, reaching over to touch my knee. “Nobody comes to a Cocker Family BBQ unless they’re important to this family.”
Denise frowns, “Is this a BBQ?”
Jeremy stands up, shakes out his slacks. “If we’re all together, and there’s Mom’s fresh ginger-ale and chili, it’s a Family BBQ.”
The screen door opens and Nicholas walks out with Matthew. He takes in the group of us and smiles to me, “There you are. You want to take a walk?”
My eyebrows twitch. Setting my wine down I say, “Sure,” and rise up to go to him.
Denise stands, too. “I have a dance partner waiting for me, so I’m just gonna take this wine for a walk of my own, if you don’t mind.” With a comical saunter she heads back inside.
Nicholas asks his parents, “What’re you guys doing? Grilling my girl without me?”
Zoe smiles, “I’m the referee. And don’t worry, they played nice. Except Dad won’t let me drink, so I’m outta here. Matthew, you coming?”
He nods, dips his head to Nicholas’s parents as he leaves.
Now it’s just the four of us, and Bucky. Nicholas has my hand, and his thumb is lightly caressing mine as he tells his parents, “Food is a free for-all, but there’s enough for two weddings so no rush.”
We start to head off with Bucky happily trotting at my side.
“Nicholas,” Meagan says.
He turns, “Yeah?”
“We’re happy for you.” She’s got emotion in her eyes as she adds, “We like your girl.”
A grin of pride and confidence flashes from him. “Thanks Mom.” He locks eyes with Jeremy. “Thanks Dad.”
They watch us go down the steps onto a gravel driveway. Heading left for the side of the house, pass them and smile. As we disappear into the shadows around the side of the great house, out of earshot I whisper, “Where are we going?”
CHAPTER 42
N ICHOLAS
“Where no one can see us,” I smirk, leading my girl past the warehouse-sized garage for all those Ciphers motorcycles.
We slip by the building unseen, muffled voices coming from inside.
Surrounding the main house in every direction are woods filled with ancient oak trees draped in Spanish moss, some with trunks so gnarled and thick that you can hide behind them without a problem.
Madison laughs, “The one time I don’t wear flats.”
“You complaining?”
“Oh no, never,” she returns with a funny face. Losing the smile she says, “Actually I’m having the best time.”
“My folks treat you right?”
“You know they did.”
A grin flashes. “Yeah. They’re good people.” With a more serious tone I add, “I think Zoe likes you a lot. See how she teased dad and left to go and do what she wanted?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s a new thing. You didn’t see the look in my Dad’s eyes? The surprise?”
“I didn’t notice.”
Giving Maddie’s hand a squeeze, I glance over. “She wanted to impress you.”
“But I didn’t do anything that would inspire that.”
“I told her your nickname is Slugger.”
Madison’s eyes widen and she laughs, “You told her about the fight with Marla?”
“Yup! Everyone was giving me credit for beating up Dane Schweis so I had to tell them you’re a badass in your own right.” Scanning the darkness I back my girl into the seclusion of a thick oak, pulling up the hem of her dress. “Still sore from last night, Slugger?”
She whispers, “Let’s find out,” tilting her head for a kiss as her fingers hungrily unbutton my pants.
As she takes my length and strokes it, a guttural sigh breaks free from my lungs. My fingers slip into her g-string and find her already damp, slippery, and ready. The sex we’ve had is constant, and I can’t get enough of her.
We kiss as voices from the wedding drift on a warm Louisiana breeze. Madison and I tease each other into a fever. I flip her around and she moans with anticipation, clasping the tree trunk with both hands, dress hiked. I drag her panties down her thighs and groan at the dark outline of her round ass. “Remember when I said I’d pay for this?”
With a sexy laugh she confesses, “I so wanted you that night.”
My eyebrows fly up as I give her butt a light spank. She arches it higher while I chide her, “You gave no sign of that.”
“If I had, would we be here now?”
“Probably,” I admit, positioning my swollen tip at her edge.
Over her shoulder, Madison asks, “Seriously?” her voice deeper and excited for me to penetrate.
“I think when you find the right person, it doesn’t matter when you fuck.” Ever-so-slowly diving into her body, I relish the pleasure as my ten inches disappear. “Waiting is a manipulation.”
Maddie moans, “Bullshit!” as we start to move. “You’d have rubber-banded and then maybe never have snapped back.”
“That would have been a loss,” I groan, massaging her cheeks with my thumbs as the thick tips of my fingers dig in. “You feel so good, Slugger.”
She’s tight, slippery wet, and with this sneaky location and family voices from that wedding in the background, my shaft is rock-fuckin-hard. As we fuck in the darkness, my thighs catch fire with the increasing pleasure. Throwing my head back I move a little quicker, then slow it up, leaning forward to reach around and play with Maddie’s clit. She writhes in response.
“Nicholas, I’m close!”
“Not yet. I want to stretch this out.”
My girl whimpers, “So good. You feel so good inside me.”
These words are fuel but I keep control of myself, fucking her just like she likes it, moving to a beat with her moans, drawing out the pulses I can feel because with every thrust, they stretch and embrace my stiff length more.
On a
