Merciless Ride (25 page)

He continues to lick and suck while he moves his hands to massage my ass while I ride the few aftershocks of my orgasm.
 

“Shooter, I want you.”
 

His head comes up and he kisses his way back up to my neck before stopping to look at me.
 

“Baby, I don’t have a condom in here, and I’m not sure your mom wants to see me like this.”
 

“I have an IUD, and I’m clean. I’ve been checked,” I spit out, not caring about how desperate this makes me sound.
 

“I’m clean, too. Are you sure?”
 

Reaching between us, I grab his cock, feeling his pulse run through it. I bite my bottom lip and nod.
 

Rolling to his back, Shooter lifts me over him. “With my ribs, you gotta do the work now, baby. You wanna stop, we stop. No questions, no hard feelings. You’re in control, Tessie. Take what you want.” He spreads his arms out, lying under me as my own personal toy to do with as I please.
 

Leaning down, I kiss him, tasting myself on his tongue and driving me wild.
 

Reaching between us, I rub his cock along my pussy, moaning at the contact. After I slide his dick in me, I sit up to allow my body to adjust to his size. I have never felt so full in my life. My heart wants to burst out of my chest as I join together with the man who has captured my soul.
 

Slowly, I begin to move up and down over him, steadying myself by holding onto his hips.
 

“You. Are. So. Beautiful,” Shooter says as he watches me ride him.
 

Tucking my hair behind my ears, I feel nerves build up in me. Nothing has ever felt so good inside me before, but I am holding back because the emotions I have for this man are overwhelming me.
 

His hands come up to my hips and still me. “Never be nervous with me, baby. Inhale, Tessie. Breathe. Let go, baby. Let go and be with me.” His words calm me, the way he knows me, knows what I need.
 

Dropping my mouth to his, I begin to move again, kissing him as I grind, causing my breasts to rub against his chest, sending more sensations through me. He rocks up to meet me, and we both pick up our pace as our need for each other becomes too much to deny. Unable to focus on kissing him, I pull back as my orgasm builds.
 

“Annnndddyyyy,” I cry out, as my inner walls clamp down around him and my climax overtakes me.
 

I am still going through the aftershocks as he continues to pump into me, holding me steady while he finds his own release.
 

Dropping my head to his neck, I lie there with him still inside me as we both try to steady our breathing.
 

“Thank you, Shooter. That was… that was just… beautiful,” I stammer out.
 

“You’re what’s beautiful, baby.”
 

 

The sunlight shining through the curtains wakes me. Finding myself tangled with Tessie is heaven. After a shower spent consumed in one another, we fell asleep with her in my arms. No nightmares plagued either of us. The sound of her even breathing keeps me from moving. I don’t want to wake her, so I relax and treasure the moment.
 

The good things are made to push us through the bad. During all those deployments, the good would be what my team clung to in order to get through the mission at hand. Memories of Tracie would push me through. She had a smile that would light up a room. I would think of times she had really smiled, like our proms, high school football game parties, just going out four wheelin’, or her watching me work at her dad’s garage.
 

Her dad. I haven’t spoken to him since the day of her funeral. Would he see things the way Tessie says they are? That I couldn’t save her when she wouldn’t even reach for the hand I was holding out?
 

The sounds of little feet coming down the hall draw me back into reality. The strongest woman I have ever known is lying in my arms, in my house, and her son is definitely looking for me to make certain he gets to eat some sugary cereal rather than the oatmeal his mom is sure to try to feed him. We have a deal.
 

Since he usually is on the cot and I always end up in here holding his mom, finding me in here won’t be a surprise to him. Usually, I snake my way gently out from under Tessie and feed Axel the breakfast of his choice before she wakes up. However, today may be oatmeal day because there is no way I am giving up even one second of her being in my arms this morning. I need to know she doesn’t regret last night.
 

Some mornings, she wakes before us, and some mornings, she ends up getting up alone. Today, she will not wake up alone. She’s not a barfly or a random hookup. She won’t wake up
alone after we shared a night together. I know she had that in her past, and I refuse to give her that in her future.
 

Axel knocks on the bedroom door even though it is unlocked. He has never knocked before. Granted, that was at his house and he didn’t know I was there. Tessie really has raised him with manners. As much as I would love to have her naked in my arms all day long, I am glad we both got dressed after our shower so Axel can freely come in.
 

I don’t know how Tessie feels about us or what she wants for her son.
 

“Come in, buddy,” I call out.
 

Tessie wakes up and, forgetting about my ribs, pushes off me, causing me to grunt in discomfort. After yesterday and then the activities of last night, I am a little more sore than usual.
 

“Sorry, Andy,” she whispers.
 

Andy, huh? It has a nice ring to it coming out of her mouth. I smile as I think of her calling out my name just hours ago.
 

Axel comes and jumps on the bed between us.
 

“Shooter, can you make my breakfast?”
 

“No—” Tessie starts to answer at the same time I do.
 

“Sure, but how about we cook something for your momma and Gigi?”
 

Tessie looks at me with a smile on her face, knowing I am on the oatmeal prevention task force.
 

Axel is bouncing in excitement.
 

“Momma loves pancakes. Can we make those?”
 

Getting out of bed, I stand and stretch slowly, careful of pulling my midsection. My chest tightens at the sight of Tessie lying in bed with Axel sitting beside her, both of them smiling up at me. This is a happiness I have never felt before. More than happiness, this is true long lasting contentment. Happiness is an emotion that comes and goes, contentment is real inner peace. I could be completely satisfied waking up to these two every morning for the rest of my life.
 

“Let’s go, buddy,” I say to Axel as I lean over and kiss his mom on the forehead before we head to the kitchen.
 

“We gotta get fruit, Shooter,” Axel states firmly when we start pulling out the pancake mix and pans.
 

“What’s in the fridge?” I question, not having a clue.
 

Tessie wasn’t in my house two hours before we had to go to the grocery store because apparently, beer, bread, and peanut butter were not balanced food groups to feed her family. Being a bachelor, those are common staples in my pantry.
 

“Momma says, if I’m gonna eat the sugary syrup, I gotta eat fruit. Otherwise, I’m gonna make my tummy grumpy. She says we gotta give it as much of the good as we feed it the bad.”
 

“Well, she’s right. You gotta keep everything in life balanced. The good shit—I mean, stuff takes care of the times we gotta go through the bad.”
 

“You’re the good stuff, Shooter. You balance us out, ya know.”
 

“Nah, Axel, you and your mom and Gigi, y’all are the best parts of my days. That’s the good stuff, knowing I get to come home to that.”
 

A thought hits me. How much longer will I get to come home to them? After Tripp talks to Thorn, the threat may be eliminated. What then? Will Tessie move out?
 

 

Mending Bridges
 

 

Failures happen for everyone, boys. Your measure of success does not come in wealth; your successes happen when you face your failures and learn from them.
Pops always told us not to give up.
 

“Where ya at, fucker?” Tripp kicks my chair at his dining room table, jarring me.
 

“Right here. What the hell?”
 

“Doll asked you four times if you wanted a beer, and you said nothing. Caroline agreed to have sex with you—” My cousin is cut off at the screech of Lux.
 

“The hell I did, Tripp.”
 

Grabbing my chest in mock emotion, I say, “Lux, you crush me. We’re all family here, you can be honest. Doll is used to everyone wanting my cock,” I joke, knowing it drives Caroline crazy, especially when I call her Lux.
 

“What gives, Rex? Normally, you would’ve grabbed your junk and pushed the issue more,” Doll, ever the observant one, inquires.
 

Dropping my head into my hands, I blow out a frustrated breath. It’s time to own my mistakes and face my failures. I drag my hands down my face before I look up and face everyone.
 

“I have a son.”
 

The room falls silent and everyone stills. Well, not exactly the reaction I was going for.
 

“What the fuck?” Tripp questions.
 

“Tessie’s boy, Axel. He’s my son.”
 

“No way!” Doll exclaims, the shock written all over her face.
 

“Don’t mean this harsh, but you sure he’s yours?” Tripp asks with a look of understanding.
 

“I’ve seen him. One look at him, and there’s no denyin’ it.” I stand up, no longer able to remain still.
 

“Whoring around does that to ya, Rex. What are you gonna do about it now?” Caroline has to put her two cents in as usual. That broad busts my balls every chance she gets.
 

Doll quietly walks over, wraps her arms around my waist, and softly asks, “Why didn’t she tell us? Why didn’t she tell you?”
 

“I need to talk to her. I sort of over-reacted to seeing him. From what Shooter has told me, she didn’t think I was ready. She wanted me to live my life.”
 

“Shooter? Of course he would know if it’s that obvious. He’s had the boy living with him. Why the hell didn’t he tell you? I’ll kick his motherfuckin’ ass,” Tripp says, throwing his beer into the wall, the glass shattering everywhere.
 

“I already tried,” I say, giving them the truth. It is not fun to beat the shit out of someone who puts up no resistance.