“Because you’re boyfriends, Daddy,” she says as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You have been for ages. I know. I see you.”
Words fail me at the shrewdness of this child. She turns five at the beginning of August, but you’d be easily forgiven for thinking she’d be fifteen. The more comfortable she’s gotten in her surroundings, the more this bright, sassy, observant personality comes out that, at times like this, leaves you reeling with her astuteness.
We just so happened to emerge from the door to the flat as Nancy was speaking, and, upon hearing her words, Archer, Cole, Aidan, and Rain all try and fail miserably to hide their snorts of laughter.
“What?” I ask, mouth slightly agape.
“Babe, it’s the worst-kept secret in Norfolk that you two have feelings for each other,” Rain says, agreeably.
“We’re just glad you’re finally back, so big bro over there” – Cole inclines his head at Nash, who has Nancy in his arms now – “Can get la—”
“Lucky,” Aidan interjects, and Cole smiles sheepishly in Nancy’s direction.
“Yeah. Lucky.” He nods. “Corey’s your good luck charm, or whatever the kids are calling it these days.”
“I call it a good luck charm,” Nancy says knowingly, despite the furrowed brow thatsuggests she is not quite following the conversation, and for that, I’m glad.
We say goodnight to the twins, both of whom hug me tight and welcome me home. Aidan and Rain take Nancy with only a few minutes of Nash listing her bedtime routine in great detail. By the glazed-over expressions on their faces, I’d hazard a guess that this is not the first time they’ve heard it.
“Yeah, bro. We still have the printed itinerary you gave us last time she stayed over. She’ll be fine. Go and have a fun ‘sleepover’,” Aidan says. He actually uses his fingers to do the inverted commas gesture around the word sleepover. I roll my eyes.
And then, it’s just us.
“Do you mind if I just take a quick shower before I come over? I feel all gross and sweaty,” I ask, knowing that if we’re going to be spending the night together, I, in fact, need to have a very thorough shower. He kisses me on the tip of my nose, and if I swoon just a little, then that’s between me and my conscience.
“Not at all, but don’t forget to bring a change of clothes for the weekend. Now that you’re back, I’m not ready to let you go yet. I’m not sure I ever will be,” he growls, nuzzlingbeneath my ear and sending goosebumps over my whole body.
With that bombshell, he makes his way across the green, looking back over his shoulder as he reaches the halfway point, his blinding smile filling me with a fizz in my blood, and the thump, thump, thump of my heart, a crash of elephants making themselves known. I wave back, then make my way upstairs.
“Just grabbing a shower,” I call as I rush through to my room to grab my… equipment.
I clean myself inside and out before dressing quickly. I pull on a black jockstrap – sue me, I’m fucking horny – jeans, and a black T-shirt. I forgo socks, shoving my feet into my Birkenstocks, before chucking a random selection of underwear and clothes into my backpack. I grab my toothbrush from the bathroom and call it good. I’m literally two hundred yards away if I forgot anything, but if I’m honest, I have no plans to leave Nash’s bed for the next twelve hours at least.
“See you tomorrow,” I call into the living room as I pass on my way out the door.
“Sure,” Wren drawls in a disbelieving tone. “See you whenever, babe.” She chuckles at her own joke.
“Don’t forget, real men use lube,” Emma calls out. I shut the door without comment, hearing their wails of laughter even as I’m halfway down the stairs.
Before I even get to the top of Nash’s drive, he’s pulling the front door open, and I crash into his arms. He hauls me up, tosses my backpack to the floor, and hooks his strong arms under my arse. I wrap my legs around him and kiss him like I’ve been starved of oxygen, and he is the breath I need to survive.
He kicks the door shut behind us and carries me into the kitchen, placing me down carefully on the counter of the island. With another sweet kiss to the top of my nose, he turns to open the oven, checking on something inside briefly before he turns back to the island to chop vegetables for a salad. I hop down from the counter, curious, and peek through the glass door of the oven. It looks like a frittata. My stomach grumbles, and I realise just how hungry I am. Nash looks over at me, his eyebrow raising in amusement.
“I heard that,” he says, cheekily. “You need to take better care of yourself.” He scoops the vegetables into the large salad bowl in front of him, then rinses his hands in the sink and dries them on the tea towel.
I haven’t moved a muscle, a million ideas running through my head of how I might like him to take care of me. In the next breath, he proves his ability to read my mind and crowds behind me. He curls over my shoulders, his mouth to my ear as he speaks, his deep voice vibrating through me.
“Or maybe I need to take care of you, hmm?” I lean back into him without a word, and when I feel his nose nestle into the crook of my neck, I tilt my head further to the side, giving him better access to my skin.
I feel the heat of the tip of his tongue lightly tease my neck and blaze a scorching trail to my collarbone, where he lightly nips at my skin with his teeth before soothing it with his tongue again. I moan in pleasure at the sensation.
Blood rushes to my dick, filling it almost to the point of pain as Nash continues biting and licking at me. In one quick second, he spins me around to face him and devours me with a passionate kiss.
Nash grabs the bottom hem of my T-shirt and tugs it off over my head, tossing it to the floor before running his big hands up my sides. I shudder. He brushes his thumbs gently overevery faded mark or scar on my body, the delicate touches filled with myriad emotions, making me feel as though I want to climb inside him and let him protect me for the rest of my life.
Nash lowers himself to his knees in front of me, and I almost choke on my tongue. This man does not belong on his knees for anyone. He is everything, and he deserves to sit on high and be worshipped by us lesser mortals. Although if any other such lesser man came near Nash at this point, I think I’d go full-on evil twink and scratch their covetous eyes out.
He loosens the button on my jeans and lets them fall to the floor, A rough sound emanating from his as he takes in my jock.
