Page 40 of Anything For This Love

“That’s great! I didn’t think you’d be able to make it in until Christmas Eve.”

I can hear the smile in his voice. “I’ve got it all worked out. You’ll have me by the twenty-second.”

A huge grin splits my face and I do a little dance, bursting with excited energy.

“How is everybody? Is your dad nervous?” I ask.

“I think he is, but he won’t admit it. A lot of people think he’s a shoo-in, but you just never know.”

“How areyouhandling everything?”

“Okay, I guess. My dad seems happier and more at peace now that Mom’s moved back in. She’s trying to make amends and I’m trying to keep an open mind,” he offers, a hint of sadness in his voice. “Logan doesn’t seem like himself, but every time I ask him about it, he just brushes me off and hides in his room. It probably has something to do with a girl.”

“Will you see them at all for Christmas?” I ask.

“They’re going to be out of town, but I’ll meet up with them a couple days later.”

We chat a little longer until Chloe runs in, demanding my phone. I put him on speaker and let her have it. She babbles and he responds in all the right places, eliciting amused laughter from me. It’s so sweet the way he talks to her that my heart is nearly full to bursting. I want to bottle up this feeling and hold onto it forever, pulling it out every time I need a little dose of happy.

That happiness turns to trepidation the closer we get to his visit. He hasn’t met my mom yet and I’m dreading that moment. She’s been extra curious about him lately, asking all kinds of questions under the guise of being a concerned parent, but I’m understandably skeptical about her intentions. She’s managed to find a part time job at a convenience store working the night shift, so hopefully she won’t have to keep mooching off my grandmother and me. We split all the bills, and with my hours getting cut back at work, I can’t afford to pay any extra, and I refuse to use the money in the account Jacob set up for Chloe and me for anything that would benefit that woman. She’s lucky she never got caught using or selling drugs. That would have made it much harder for her to find work.

When the day finally comes for Jacob to arrive, I’m a ball of nerves. He won’t get here until the afternoon, but I’m up before six in the morning. The house is clean and breakfast is made by the time everyone else wakes up. My stomach twists into knots so all I end up having is coffee and half a banana. When his knock finally comes, I’m wound so tight that I jump half a foot in the air. Then I run. I swing the door open and leap into his arms. He stumbles back a few steps but doesn't drop me as I wrap my legs around his waist.

“You’re here,” I breathe, inhaling his woodsy scent. He cradles me in his arms, his hands planted firmly on my backside.

“I take it you’re excited to see me,” he chuckles.

I bury my face in his neck. “I missed you,” I proclaim, basking in his warm embrace.

“I missed you, too,” he whispers into my ear, his lips skimming the shell as he carries me inside. “Is anybody else here?”

“Just Chloe.” My mom went with my grandmother to have new tires put on her car. The ones she had won’t last through the winter.

“Where is she?”

“It’s nap time.”

“My favorite time of the day.” He grins deviously. “How long do we have?” His lips trail up my jaw, causing me to squirm against him.

“No idea.” I flex my hips and he growls against my chin.

“I’m willing to take the chance.” He captures my mouth, his tongue sliding against mine in a scorching kiss that has me clamping my legs harder around his hips.

“Me, too.”

Chapter Sixteen

Jacob

Abby landson her bed with a soft thud as I turn back to the door to shut and lock it. She props herself on her elbows and watches as I stalk toward her. I shrug out of my jacket and slip my shirt over my head. Her eyes flare and darken as she takes in my bare torso. I reach for my belt and slowly undo it, sliding it out of the loops. She sits up, scrambling to her knees and reaches for me as I start to thumb open the top button of my jeans.

“Let me,” she demands, hooking four fingers into the waistband and tugging me toward her.

“Yes ma’am,” I agree without hesitation. She giggles and pops open the button, eagerly sliding the zipper down. She pushes my pants down my thighs, my underwear going with them. Her wet, pink tongue darts out, sweeping across her lips when I spring free. Still, I’m caught off guard when she curls her fingers around my shaft and sinks down, taking me in her mouth. I suck in a sharp breath and let out a low curse as her hot mouth envelops me. She works me over, quickly bringing me to the edge. If she keeps going, I won’t make it much longer.

“Abby.” My voice is strained and gruff, the voice of a man yearning for release but desperate to please his partner. Her tight fist pumps up and down my length in rhythm with her sucks. My stomach tightens, my impending release growing closer with every thrust. “I need…” My words catch in my throat, pure ecstasy coursing through my body. I don’t even have time to warn her. “Fuck,” I groan as my body explodes. She doesn’t let go or shy away when my hips flex. I reach for her dresser to steady myself as she milks every last drop of my release from my body.

When I finally catch my breath and find the strength to open my eyes, she’s grinning at me triumphantly. I lean forward, coaxing her backwards until she’s flat on her back.

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