Bye-Bye Baby Read online

  “You guys don’t have to do that,” Cole protested.

  Sloan shrugged. “Well, our anniversary is coming up so you can take the girls. I want to practice for another baby.”

  Lily blushed furiously. “Sloan!”

  Sloan’s grin danced in his eyes as he regarded his wife calmly. “Do you have an innocent mind, too, baby girl?”

  Lily’s blush deepened.

  Cole looked to Beth and caught her watching him. Her eyes were dark, the need in them a bold sign. Beneath the counter separating him from the others, his cock swelled. It strained against the front of his pants, begging him not to wait anymore. Fuck, he was tempted to give in.

  After dinner was finished, Sloan and Lily left with the girls and Cole helped Beth put Damon to bed. Beth shut the door firmly on the boy’s room and turned to him with a grin.

  “So, I have some news of my own,” she teased. “I got a call from Willow Creek Memorial. They got my transfer papers. I start next week.”

  “That’s great!”

  She peered into his face. “Kind of makes it all official, doesn’t it?” She slid her hand across his chest. “Maybe with all the good news we should have our own celebration.”

  He caught her wrist. “There’s still something we need to talk about.” He pulled her to the sofa. “Ms. Barns phoned me today,” he told her as he sat and dragged her down with him. “She tried you, but I guess you were busy.”

  “I missed her call by thirty seconds,” Beth said. “I called her right back, but she didn’t answer. I left her a message.”

  “I guess she figured I would talk to you,” he mused.

  “What did she want?” Beth demanded.

  Cole hesitated. “They found Damon’s aunt.”

  Beth stiffened. “You didn’t call to tell me? What did she say? When are they coming for him?”

  “They don’t know yet. They’re waiting for her to contact them back.”

  “Who is this woman? Where does she live? Does Damon know her?”

  Cole sighed. “She’s his aunt from his father’s side—”

  “Oh, that is just fabulous,” she exclaimed venomously. “Great. Okay, what else?”

  “They don’t know anything about her yet, except that…” he hesitated.

  “What?”

  He hesitated. “She lives in Newfoundland.”

  “What?” Beth lunged to her feet. “That’s across the country!”

  Cole nodded. “Yeah.”

  “They can’t take him so far away! What if he needs us? What if it doesn’t work out and he’s scared and he has nowhere else to go?” She began restlessly pacing the living room. “What if this woman doesn’t know a damn thing about him? What if she’s like his dad?”

  “Beth.” He went to her.

  “No!” She backed away from him. “They can’t just take him like that. We’re his family.”

  “I know.” He took her arms gently. “But we knew this day might come.”

  “But not this soon.”

  He pulled her to him and cradled her against his chest. “It’ll be okay.”

  “You can’t promise that.”

  And that was the problem. He couldn’t.

  Chapter Eighteen ~ Beth

  Beth spent the next morning packing for Damon’s overnight trip to Lily and Sloan’s. Cole stayed with Damon in the next room, killing aliens and munching on dry cereal—one of the weird preferences the two seemed to share. She could hear them chattering and laughing and her heart died a little more each time when she thought it might be the last time. The very thought that he would no longer be with them cut gashes across her soul, deeper than any possible wound. Every minute felt like an hourglass counting down the seconds until he was taken away. Every part of her wanted to bundle him up and run away.

  Instead, she sat cross legged in the middle of his room, gingerly folding his clothes into a bag. The seemingly harmless action had her broken all over; it was only a matter of time before she would have to pack them for the last time.

  “Beth?” Cole stepped into the room.

  “I can’t do this,” she cried, hugging a blue sweater to her chest. “I can’t let him go.”

  “Hey.” He slid up behind her and pulled her to him. “It’s only one night.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t mean right now.”

  “Don’t think about that.” He kissed the back of her head. “Let’s just take it one day at a time, okay?”

  There was nothing to say to that.

  “Can you keep him busy?” She scrubbed furiously at her tears. “I don’t want him to see me like this. I’ll finish up and meet you guys in a minute.”

  Cole gave her a hard squeeze, kissed her cheek and nodded. “Okay.” He rose. “Take your time.”

  Beth finished the packing. She left the bags in the hallway and went to wash her face and reapply her makeup. Cole and Damon were in the kitchen, having a snack when she joined them.

  “My boys ready?”

  “We are ready.” Cole dusted the rice cake crumbs off his fingers. “We forget anything?”

  “Cookies.” Damon pointed towards the top cupboard.

  Beth blinked. “We have cookies?”

  Cole squinted at Damon. “That was our secret!”

  Beth gasped. “Are you guys hiding cookies from me?” She grabbed the boy and dug her fingers into his sides. “You’re betraying me?”

  Damon squealed and was caught by Beth when he thrashed against the tickling assault. She hauled him into her arms and kept tickling him until he was begging her to stop. She set him down, but kept him tucked into her side.

  “I clearly can’t trust you boys.” Bending down, scooping Damon up, she kissed him hard on the cheek before setting him down again. “It’s a good thing I have my own stash.”

  Cole gasped. He looked from Beth to Damon. “Do you believe this? Where is the loyalty?”

  Damon was still laughing hysterically when Sloan walked into the apartment. He paused with one hand on the doorknob and studied the scene with a raised eyebrow.

  “What did I miss?”

  “Only that I can’t trust anyone in this house. They all lie.” Marching around the counter, Cole scooped Damon up and tucked him under his arm like a football. “This one’s a traitor. He gave away information on the whereabouts of the cookies. He can no longer be trusted.”

  Wheezing with laughter, Damon could say nothing before he was shoved into Sloan’s arms.

  “We’ll toss him into the alligator pit on our way home,” Sloan decided as he twisted Damon up and pitched him potato-bag style over his shoulder. “All ready?”

  “Yup, we’ll meet you downstairs.”

  With Damon still draped over his shoulder, Sloan left the apartment. Cole grabbed Damon’s overnight bag and motioned Beth to the door.

  “Come on, traitor number two.”

  Beth walked to the door and out, swinging her coat on. She heard Cole behind her, heard the shuffle of his feet on the carpet, the jingle of the bag zippers. She turned her head and caught his eyes on her backside. Her mouth twitched.

  “Like what you see?” she teased, putting an extra little swing in her hips just for him.

  Cole let his gaze travel up her spine to meet hers. “Always.”

  At the top of the stairs, Beth stopped. She waited for him to catch up.

  “Forget something?” But his tone knew better.

  “Maybe.”

  With a grin, she cupped a hand over the back of his neck and pulled his head down. She kissed him, long and slow, filling it with every ounce of her pent up sexual frustration until it was rolling off them both in hot coils. Against her mouth, Cole’s groan vibrated. The bag hit the ground at their feet. His hands closed in her waist. He raised his head, not far, but enough so their lips brushed lightly when he spoke.

  “What are you doing?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I thought I was being pretty obvious.” Never breaking eye contact, she reached betwe
en their bodies and cupped him through the stiff material of his jeans. “Is this better?”

  “Jesus!”

  He swayed into her, into her palm. The swollen muscle twitched, growing harder and thicker at her touch. His hands left her hips to fist in her hair, dragging her head back roughly and claiming her mouth in an almost cruel clash of wills. The cold, concrete wall slammed into her back. Her gasp was swallowed by his raucous snarl, by the hard cords of his thighs thrusting up between hers.

  “If you’re testing my control, you know getting caught won’t stop me from taking you when I want, where I want,” he hissed against her mouth.

  Core throbbing with anticipation, Beth tightened her fingers. “I don’t believe you. Maybe that was true once, but I’ve all but danced naked in your lap the last month and you couldn’t seem to care.”

  One hand closed in the front of her jeans, jerking the tough seam up between her legs with a harsh jerk that made her cry out.

  “You seem to forget something.” He closed sharp teeth over her bottom lip and tugged. “You’re—”

  “Come on, you two!” Lily stood at the bottom of the stairs. “You can finish later.”

  Five more minutes! Beth wanted to beg. She’d been so close.

  “You’re mine tonight.” Cole groaned huskily, flicked a tongue over Beth’s lip and pulled back.

  With a last hungry glance, Cole stepped away from Beth and picked up Damon’s bag. He offered Beth his free hand and together, they followed Lily outside. Sloan had Damon, Calla, and Willa standing by the Mustang parked in front of Cole’s Mazda. The four looked up when the apartment door opened and the trio stepped out.

  “Daddy!” Calla skipped over and threw herself at Cole’s legs.

  Cole caught her with one hand.

  “Hello darling! You excited?”

  Pulling back, Calla shook her head. “But I promised Mommy I’d say yes.”

  Cole smothered a grin. “That is very big of you.”

  “All right then.” Sloan clapped his hands together. “You three, into the back.”

  After many hugs and kisses, the three climbed into the back with Willa going first, followed by Damon, and finally Calla. Sloan shut the door behind them and yanked open the passenger’s side for Lily. Lily beamed at him and paused to give him a hot kiss before ducking into the seat.

  “Those two should never be allowed out of the house,” Cole mumbled to himself, but Beth answered.

  “I still think they’re the sweetest couple ever.”

  Cole frowned at her. “Even more than us?”

  Beth snorted. “The fact that they have sex, probably quite frequently … I would say yes.”

  “Sex does not make sweet couples,” he mumbled. “It makes horny couples.”

  “It makes satisfied, happy, and close couples,” she corrected. “I remember we used to have sex like it was going out of fashion, and as I recall, we used to be damn good at it, too.”

  His blue eyes sharpened on her face. His hands closed on her hips and she was pulled to him.

  “We were,” he agreed. His breath whispered over her cheek, followed closely by his lips. “I miss it, too.”

  “Then why…?”

  He nipped on her bottom lip with his teeth to silence her and followed a path along her jaw and down to the erratic little pulse at her throat.

  “Because the really good stuff is worth waiting for.”

  Beth moaned, head falling back. “I can’t wait anymore, Cole. Damn it, I need you.”

  His eyes darkened, but he remained quiet as he took her hand and led her back inside. The apartment felt too big and silent without Damon, but the emptiness also felt nice, especially if it meant finally getting Cole to herself for one night.

  Moving away from him, Beth removed her coat with a deliberate slowness. Then her shoes. All the while, she kept her back to him. It wasn’t until she reached the entrance to the hallway that she peeked back over one shoulder and grinned.

  He hadn’t moved from his leaning position against the door. His hands were buried in the depths of his pocket and he was watching her with a look she knew all too well, and loved.

  “Coming?”

  He didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

  Beth reached for the hem of her sweater, wrapped the knitted fabric and hoisted it over her head. She let it hit the floor and kept walking, dropping a new piece of clothing all the way to the bedroom.

  If that didn’t paint a clear picture of what she wanted, and if he didn’t finally give in, she was out of options.

  Alone in the room, she climbed onto the bed, naked except for her bra and panties. Anticipation and dread chilled her skin as she waited with her back against the headboard. Her eyes stayed on the door, wondering if he was about to mortify her by not showing up, or worse, showing up and telling her it wasn’t going to happen.

  When the slow clip of footsteps filled the silence, Beth bit her lip. Her heart cracked loudly in her chest, masking the uneven draws of her breath. Her stomach fluttered when his shadow broke the doorway first. Then Cole was there, hands still in the pockets of his jacket.

  “Get on your knees.”

  The sharp command had her moving quickly to obey. She got up on her knees in the middle of the bed.

  “Not there.”

  Swallowing hard, Beth scrambled off the bed and lowered herself down on the floor, knowing exactly what he wanted.

  He moved across the room in slow, even strides and stopped when his crotch was inches from her face.

  “Take him out.”

  She didn’t hesitate. Her hands were quick as they tore open his belt, then the snap and zipper. She fished inside and pulled free the heavy weight of his cock.

  He was fully erect. The shaft was hot in her palm, the head a thick, purple bulb, shiny from his precum. She licked her lips. Her gaze flicked up to his face, waiting for his next instruction.

  “Suck.”

  He tasted exactly as she remembered, salty with a hint of sweetness that made her hollow her cheeks and suck him harder. It had taken her months to learn how to take all of him and she was sure Cole had loved every minute of her practicing. It had been a lot of trial and error in the beginning, but once she learned how to relax her throat muscles and breathe through her nostrils, the rest had been simple.

  She took him in deep now, tucking him as far back as possible before swallowing and massaging the head with her throat muscles. She hummed quietly as she did and was rewarded by his husky groan. His hand closed in her hair, latching her face over his cock. His hips bucked forward, thrusting him against the back of her throat. Beth pulled back most of the way and flicked her tongue around the head. Her hand glided over the shaft in time with her rapid bobs. The hand in her hair tightened.

  “Yes…” he breathed with a grunt. “Faster,” he demanded. “I want to come in your mouth.”

  Beth obliged. She quickened her movement and sucked until her cheeks hurt. His release was the only important thing in the world in that moment. It was all she wanted.

  When he sprayed with a hiss of her name, she clamped her lips shut around the pulsating shaft. His hot, sticky come drenched her tongue and trickled down her throat. Beth swallowed it all and kept sucking until the last drop was released.

  He was breathing hard. His blue eyes were a near black as they peered down at her. The hand in her hair released and moved to cup her flushed face. His thumb skimmed her swollen and damp lips.

  “Beautiful,” he murmured, and Beth flushed in pride.

  He moved back and shrugged out of his jacket. It was tossed aside. All the while, he kept his eyes on her.

  “Get on the bed.”

  Beth rose and got on the bed. She lay on the pillows and waited.

  Rather than strip and join her, Cole rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and walked towards the closet. Beth watched as he pulled open the sliding doors and reached inside. Her curiosity was perked when he came back with a single red tie.

  �
�Hands up.”

  Excited, she did and curled her hands around the wooden bars running lengthwise across the headboard. The mattress dipped as Cole joined her. He straddled her chest and he leaned over her to fasten the tie around her wrists, shackling her arms over her head.

  He climbed down her body without a word until he was at her feet, still fully dressed.

  “Open.”

  Hot waves rushed up her body at the command he’d given her a dozen times since her injuries. Only, he wasn’t talking about her mouth this time.

  Beth raised her knees and splayed them apart, lewdly showing him the soaked patch of fabric covering the place she wanted him most. Cole stared, his face a blank mask. Carefully, he raised a hand and traced the seam along the outer edges. For several minutes, that’s all he did. Just up and down from the inside all the way around her hips. To her mortification, she only kept getting wetter the longer he took. The white panties were bound to show evidence of that and that was what he was watching.

  “Shit…” she whimpered, body wiggling for even the slightest relief.

  “I can almost see through the material,” he said quietly.

  Beth groaned and squeezed her eyes shut tight.

  His fingers derailed off the stitching and made a firm sweep up the center of her body, stroking every nerve and muscle along the way. Beth’s eyes flew open with a strangled cry that he paid no attention to. He was entirely focused on tracing the little bump straining against the fabric, focused on rolling it beneath his thumb.

  Beth’s whole body jerked off the mattress. The board her hands were strapped to creaked above her head as she strained against her binds.

  Cole did it again, and again, pressing a little hard each time until her heels were gouging into the mattress and her hips were wildly thrashing into the simple contact.

  Then he stopped. His hand vanished.

  “No!” her pathetic sob went ignored.

  He bent his head and placed kisses along the inside of her right thigh. He moved down slowly, drawing closer and closer. Her body tensed in anticipation. Her pussy muscles clenched. She bit her lip, waiting.