Crave Me (The Good Ol' Boys #4) (45 page)

Four and a half years later

“You ready?” I asked my baby girl.

She stopped building her sand castle and looked up at me. She got her long, silky brown hair from her mama and the freckles sprinkled across her nose from me, but those bright blue eyes she shared with both of us. She fervently nodded, standing up, brushing off the sand from her chubby little legs and her purple two-piece bikini that Briggs insisted was the cutest thing she’d ever seen.

“Hold on, Amari,” Briggs said to our almost three-year-old daughter.  

She walked over to us from her beach chair and helped Amari wipe off the sand.

“Turn around, baby girl,” she said, wanting to tie Amari’s long hair up high on her head so it would be away from her face.

Briggs strapped on her life vest and I made sure it was securely in place, tight against her chest. Amari ran over and kissed her eight-month-old baby brother, Michael. We named them after Briggs’ parents, and I was already trying to knock her up with a third. To give her the big family that she always dreamed of.

It took a little less than a year for her to tell me that she loved me again, even though I told her every fucking day. We started off as friends like we did when we first met, flirting relentlessly, cuddling, and laughing all the time. She slept in my arms every night like old times. The first time we kissed was on my birthday, exactly what I wished for when I blew out my candles. We had been together for three months by that time, but it felt like we’d never parted ways.  It was as if nothing had changed between us.

The first time I tasted her again, bringing her to ecstasy with my tongue and fingers, was on her birthday. It was three months after mine. That was my gift to her. The best fucking orgasm she’d ever experienced. She wanted to make love right then and there, she actually begged me for it. It took everything inside me not to give her what she wanted. I told her she couldn’t get my cock again until she told me she loved me.

Sound familiar?

She finally said it the day I received my four-year sobriety chip. I didn’t waste any goddamn time. I asked her to marry me and knocked her up on our dock out back. We were married on those same wooden planks less than a month later. The same day she told me she was pregnant.

I was paranoid as fuck with her pregnancy. Since she had suffered a miscarriage before, she was a high-risk pregnancy. I barely let her lift a finger. I waited on her hand and foot, giving into her every crazy request. Turned out her pregnancy was normal, and she went full term without any complications. We both wanted to focus on Amari being the only child for as long as we could. Finally getting the baby girl that I’d dreamt about for years.

Amari was the spitting image of her mama. She already started asking to dye her hair bright pink, her favorite color. Briggs bought her some pink clip-in hairpieces instead. She was so damn cute when she wore them, carrying around her “Briggs doll” that she stole off of her mama’s shelf in her office, claiming it was hers now. She took it everywhere, and it made Briggs smile every time she saw it. Our son, Michael, was the spitting image of me. Briggs claimed that he already had my “I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude.”

“I’m ready, Daddy,” Amari said in her tiny baby voice, standing in front of me with her arms up in the air.

I picked her up, placing her on my back. Her little arms wrapped around my neck while I held on to her under her butt. I crouched down kissing Michael on the forehead. Grabbing Briggs’ chin to kiss her pouty pink lips.

“I love you,” I rasped against her mouth.

She smiled. “Be careful.”

“Always am.”

I kissed her one last time. Grabbing my surfboard, we made our way into the water.

“You ready, baby girl?” I asked, lifting her higher on my back.

She nodded. “Yep! Let’s do this,” she replied, enthusiastically kicking her legs at my sides.  

I laughed, strapping the leash on my ankle. Lying on my board, I paddled out with Amari safely placed on my back. Her arms were tightly wrapped around my neck, practically choking me.  The first wave hit and I dropped in, holding onto Amari tight before I stood.  I caught the wave with her on my back like I’d done countless times. Riding it all the way down the peak along the shoreline.

“Yeah, Daddy! Let’s hit a big one!” she yelled in my ear.

Amari loved surfing. She was my little daredevil.

It was one of her favorite things to do with me. We had been surfing like this since she turned two. My baby girl was definitely going to be a surfer when she got a little bit older and could swim better. As soon as my son was old enough, I would do the same with him. All the boys had done this with their kids. It became our thing. Wanting to give our kids something that was so special and dear to our hearts.

We spent the next hour out there, laughing and having a good ol’ time. I finally started going to therapy for my back while I was in rehab. Believe it or not, it worked wonders. I could do the things I loved again without the throbbing discomfort and pain. Sometimes I would lie about it just so Briggs would give me a massage. Naked. After the kids were in bed, sleeping.

“Mama! Mama! Mama! Did you see us? Did you see the big wave Daddy rode? Did you see, Mama? Did you see?” Amari shouted, running up the beach toward Briggs.

She caught her in the air, throwing our daughter up on her hip.

“I saw, baby girl.”

“Mama, Daddy says that maybe I can learn to surf by myself when I’m this many.” She held up five little fingers. “That’s only…” Her eyes looked everywhere, trying to think of the answer. “That’s only… a lot away,” she simply stated, making us both laugh.

“You definitely got a minute or two, baby girl,” I reminded, kissing the top of her head.

“How’s Michael?” I asked, grabbing Amari from her arms.

I sat her on my lap to help her build her sandcastle like I’d promised earlier.

“He’s lounging at the beach and has a full belly. He’s the happiest baby in the world right now. Just like his daddy.”

“Like father, like son, huh, buddy?” I cooed, leaning around Amari to blow raspberries on his chubby belly.

He flapped around everywhere, excited. Lying on Briggs’ memory blanket that she now used for our babies.

I peered back at Briggs who was already looking at me adoringly. She was still breathtakingly beautiful, especially when she was wearing a bikini. Having two kids only made her curvier, she was sexier than hell now. I couldn’t take my eyes off her heavy breasts that were spilling out of her top. Breastfeeding made her tits so fucking perky. All I could think about was motor boating the shit out of them later.

“Austin… stop,” she giggled.

“What?” I glared at her with a predatory regard.

“I know that look! Your daughter is on your lap.”

“Do you hear your mama’s nonsense?” I whispered into Amari’s neck, making her tuck her chin and laugh.

She hated her neck being touched as much as I did, but I still tortured her with it like my parents did to me.

“Mama, Daddy told me you belong to him so he can do anything he wants to you. But he said I belong to him too, and I need to remember that. So I can tell boys and he won’t have to beat their ass’.”

“Austin!” she reprimanded.

My eyes widened, trying to hold back a laugh.

“You’re not supposed to repeat that,” I murmured to Amari.

She looked up at me, smiling. “Oh yeah, I always forget that part.”

“Psst… Amari, let’s get Mama,” I nodded toward Briggs.

“Yes, let’s get her good, Daddy.”

“On the count of three, okay?” I whispered again to her.

“Austin…” Briggs warned hearing our plot against her, knowing what I was implying.  

Amari readily nodded, standing from my lap, counting, “One...”

“Amari,” Briggs coaxed.  

“Two…” I added.

“This isn’t fair.”

“Three!” We both shouted together.

Briggs instantly got up to take off running, but I grabbed her around the waist before she even took a step, flinging her up in the air.

“Austin,” she giggled, loving this game even though she liked to pretend she didn’t.

I placed her down on the ground, straddling her waist. Sitting over her legs, Amari and I attacked her, tickling her everywhere. Briggs thrashed around, screaming and laughing all at once.

“This isn’t fair! It’s always two against one! I need Michael to be on my team!”

“Michael will be on the A Team. Mine! Then there’ll be three against one!”

I held Briggs’ arms above her head, tickling her neck and face with my beard. Amari tickled under her arms.

“Oh my God! Stop!” She thrashed around more, moving her face side to side. “Well then it’s a good thing I’m pregnant because this one will be on Team Kick A-S-S.” 

I jerked back, smiling. Not letting go of her wrists.

“Amari,” I called out, locking eyes with a grinning Briggs.

“Let’s give your mama a break. Can you check on your brother for us, please?”

“Yes,” she replied, happy to help.

She loved Michael and being a big sister. She jumped up and ran over to her baby brother, not paying any mind to what Briggs just informed me.

I didn’t falter. “You’re pregnant?”   

“Your baby is in my belly,” she stated with the same phrase she used with all our babies.  “Apparently, your boys really love me. The doctor was even shocked that it happened so fast.”

I leaned forward. My cock throbbed to be inside her, and I hated that we were in public. I couldn’t have my way with her.

“I fucking love you, baby.”

I kissed her long and deep. Until Amari jumped on my back, tickling me under my neck. Causing us to break our connection. I threw Amari in the air, tickling her next. Kissing all over her face, rubbing her with my beard exactly like I did with her mama.

I had everything I ever wanted and more.

My wife.

My babies.

My family.

My life was finally complete, and I owed it all to my Daisy.  

The girl with the tattoos and vibrant purple hair.

I had never been so happy before in my entire life. My whole world was in front of me, and it was filled with nothing but happiness. The past didn’t matter anymore. I truly believe with all my heart that it was what led us to this place and time.

My future.

Our future was with each other and our family. I wanted a whole soccer team. I wanted to be surrounded by babies and my husband, that’s all I needed.  I loved being pregnant. I loved knowing that what was growing inside me, was a part of Austin and me. I loved hearing the heartbeat for the first time. Feeling the flutters and kicks. There was no feeling like it in the world. Austin would spend hours talking to our unborn babies so they would know who their daddy was. We had come full circle and nothing else mattered anymore.

He saved my life.

I saved his.

And then we saved our relationship.

“Austin, we got to go. I still have to go home and pack,” I reminded him.

“What time does our flight leave tomorrow?”

“Noon.”

My uncle was having a party for some unknown reason. When I asked him what it was about, he said I would find out soon enough.

Our relationship had changed so much it was hard to believe. He flew out the second I told him we were getting married and that I was pregnant. Since then he was there for every holiday, birthday party, any memorable event. Even for the birth of our kids. He was still the same man as always and still did the same shady shit. A mystery.

But Amari had him wrapped around her little finger from the moment she was born. She didn’t see the cold, soulless man behind the expensive suit. She would grab his hand, kiss his cheek, sit on his lap, and to our surprise.

He let her.

Amari helped me pack when we got home, and Austin put the kids to bed so I could shower. I was lying on our bed waiting for him.

Naked.

He grinned, shutting and locking the door behind him. Crawling his way up my body. Kissing every last inch of my skin only stopping to linger on the tattooed dates of our babies’ births on my lower abdomen. 

Giving me one hell of a wicked, mischievous glare. He kissed his way back down to where I wanted him the most.

“I want to fuck you with my mouth.”

I bit my lip, peering down at him with hooded eyes.

“After I’m done making you come, over and over again, tasting you all around my tongue, I want to fuck you with my fingers and then have you lick them clean so when I claim your goddamn mouth. I can still taste you as I fuck you, hard and rough with my pierced cock. That you love so fucking much.”

My breathing hitched, my chest rising and descending with each filthy word that left his lips.

“You think you can do that for me, baby?” he groaned, taking my clit into his mouth.

“Yes,” I panted.

“Good.”

He did everything he promised and then some. Until I begged him to stop, unable to come anymore.

He didn’t.

I was exhausted on the flight to New York, but in the very best possible way. There wasn’t anything better than to feel Austin for days after he made love to me like that. The thought alone made my belly flutter and my panties wet.

We made it to my uncle’s penthouse around four in the afternoon. Traveling with two kids proved to be taxing, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. He left a key with the concierge for us. We said we were going to get a hotel room while we were visiting, but he shot that idea down really quick. He argued that he would make sure that every hotel in New York would deny us a room. That we were to stay with him.

The sad thing was, he would actually do it.

“Mama, when will Unkey be here?” Amari asked as I opened the door.

She couldn’t say uncle when she first started talking so the name stuck for him.  

“He said later this evening.”

“Can I wait up for him?”

“Maybe, let’s see. Okay?”

She nodded, satisfied with my answer.

“He said he left a gift for me in his office when we talked on the phone, Mama. Can you go get it for me?” she asked as we stepped inside.

I looked back at Austin, and he reassuringly nodded.

“Yes, Daddy is going to go put down Michael for his nap. Will you help him?”

“Daddy, can I feed him?”

“Sure, baby girl.”

“I’ll be right back.”

I kissed him, setting down my bag near the couch. I walked toward the back of the penthouse where his office was located. Even after all these years the penthouse still freaked me out. Maybe it was the soundproof doors and walls. The only thing that could be heard was your shoes echoing off the marble floors. Or maybe it was too many bad memories, lingering.

Although, having my family here with me made it less scary. I opened the door to his dark office and before I even stepped inside, a loud popping sound ricocheted off the walls followed by a hard thud.

My eyes widened and my heart dropped. I knew that fucking sound. It haunted my dreams for years.

A gun.

“Briggs!” Austin shouted, his pounding footsteps running towards me, echoing off the walls.

I didn’t think twice about it, I fully opened the door and came face to face with my uncle lying in a pool of his own blood.

“NO!” I lunged into action, falling onto my knees. “NO! NO! NO! PLEASE NO!” I screamed, placing my hands over his wound. Blood gushed through my fingers as I applied pressure.

“Briggs!” Austin yelled, barreling into the room. Stopping dead in his tracks, peering from me to my uncle’s body, to the person standing behind his desk.

I looked up never believing who was holding the fucking gun.

The end.

For Austin and Briggs.

It’s only the beginning or is it
the end
for…

Alejandro Martinez

(Next is a Spin Off Standalone Series)

RELEASING AUGUST 23
RD

PRE ORDER WILL BE AVAILABLE ON

MAY 23
RD