Perfect Embrace by Kaylee Ryan

Chapter 20

Grayson

I think the entire damn town decided to be out and about today—specifically at fountain square. Laken and I have been here long enough to get the girls ice cream and find a bench to take a seat, and already all eyes are on us. Not that I mind. In fact, I expected it. I love this town, but the meddling is out of control. Hazel and Hattie were working the counter when we ordered our ice cream. I don’t know their favorite means of spreading gossip, but I’m certain the rumor mill is already spinning.

“Waken, help.” Harlow lifts her cone that’s dripping down her hand. I lean forward to pull the wad of napkins I shoved in there, but Laken has it under control. She reaches down into her purse and pulls out a small pack of baby wipes. She has one out, and Harlow cleaned up in no time. She even managed to hold onto her own cone and lick Harlow’s down to catch all the melted parts so it will no longer drip.

My cock swells as I watch her tongue dart out and catch the melted dessert. Harlow and Hayden giggle as she makes funny faces at them. She’s incredible with them, and they adore her. This moment just makes me love her even more. It also makes me happy that I told the girls about us. I couldn’t hide this anymore.

“Baby wipes?” I ask with a raised brow once she has Harlow and Hayden both cleaned up.

She shrugs. “It’s what Leni does with Trace. I just thought I’d grab some for my purse just in case.”

“Thank you for taking such good care of us.”

“Well, look who we have here.” I turn to see Christine and Marty standing before us.

“Nana!” Hayden cheers.

“Pap!” Harlow echoes.

“That looks yummy,” she tells them.

“It’s so yummy. Waken had to help us,” Harlow tells her.

I’m on high alert. I’m not sure how my late wife’s parents are going to take the four of us together. I know they read the MC Scoop, but neither has mentioned Laken to me. I won’t let them hurt her.

“That was very nice of her,” Christine says. “Laken, how are you?” she says politely.

“I’m well. You?” Laken asks.

“Oh, we were just out enjoying this nice weather when we saw the four of you. We wanted to stop and say hello.”

“Are you girls ready for our sleepover?” Marty asks the girls.

“Can Waken come?” Hayden asks.

“Yeah, we wike sweepovers wif Waken,” Harlow agrees.

I look over at my girl and see her face almost as red as that gorgeous hair on her head, and me, well, I’m smirking. I can’t help it. I’m happy. She makes me happy. She makes my girls happy.

Christine winks at Laken. “How about we let Laken stay with Daddy? He might get lonely while you’re gone.”

Harlow turns to Laken. “Waken, you stay wif daddy, okay?” she asks.

Anyone watching can see the moment when Laken relaxes. She pulls Harlow into a hug. “I promise, sweet girl,” she says softly.

“Hey, I want a Waken hug. Dems da bestest.” Hayden slides off the bench and hugs Laken, dripping ice cream on her leg. “Oh, no!” Hayden covers her mouth.

“Hey, it’s a little ice cream. No big deal.” Laken grabs the wipes from her purse and quickly cleans up her leg. “Are you ladies finished?” she asks my girls. It’s almost as if she’s forgotten that Holly’s parents are standing there. She’s only worried about my daughters and what they need.

The girls nod. Laken takes their cones and tosses them in the trash can beside her. She then takes out more wipes and cleans them up. The three of them are laughing and chatting in their own little world.

It takes extreme effort, but I pull my eyes from the three of them to look at Marty and Christine. Marty gives me a nod as he swallows hard, and Christine, well, she has tears in her eyes and a smile on her face. That’s enough for me to know that they approve. Not that I need their approval, but I know that it’s going to make my life with Laken a hell of a lot easier if I have it.

I know I should have called them, but if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to know what they thought. I didn’t want to know if they disapproved, because I’m happy. I didn’t want to allow anyone or anything to interfere with that.

“Laken, can you keep an eye on them for a minute?” I ask, nodding to the girls.

“Of course.” She turns her attention to my daughters. “Why don’t we go play on the swings?” She lifts her purse to her shoulder and takes each of my girls by the hand and leads them to the swings.

“I’m sorry,” I say, as soon as they’re out of earshot. “I should have told you about Laken and me, I just… I didn’t want to hurt you, and I didn’t want you to tell me you didn’t approve of her.”

“Gray,” Marty says, his voice gruff. “Son, that’s not for us to decide. Unless those babies are in danger, it’s your decision.”

“Laken is a sweet woman. She’s so good with the girls.” Christine smiles sadly. “She’s good for them.”

“She really is.” I glance over to where she’s pushing them on the swings. Both of the girls’ laughter greets my ears, and all three of them are wearing huge smiles. “She’s good for all three of us.”

“Well, we’ll see you in a little while. Are you still dropping them off around five?” Marty asks.

“Yes. You know they wouldn’t miss one of your sleepovers.”

“We love them too.” He chuckles. “Keeps us young.” With that, he throws his arm over his wife’s shoulder and leads her in the opposite direction.

I watch them walk away before going to my girls. All three of them. “You need some help?” I ask Laken. She has her hands full, pushing both girls.

“Yes.” She huffs out a laugh. “These two keep me on my toes.”

“Don’t I know it.” We push the girls for about fifteen minutes, and they lose interest. “All right, we need to get home and get cleaned up and get your bags packed for your sleepover tonight.”

“Waken, you hafta pack a bag too for your sweepover wif Daddy,” Hayden reminds her.

“You’re right. How about you come up to my apartment, and you and your sister can help me pack?”

“Yay!” They jump up and down with excitement.

The walk back to Laken’s store is filled with chatter from the girls and lots of smiles and waves from the townspeople. I can only imagine what Tate is going to have to say about today’s outing. Not that it bothers me. Laken and I are solid. Besides, Tate isn’t about breaking up relationships. She is more about bringing them to the surface, helping bring people together.

* * *

“Thank you for dinner,” Laken says as we make our way out of Sauce It Up, an Italian restaurant that sits behind her bookstore one block over.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been there. It was good.”

“Definitely. I can smell it from my apartment, and sometimes I can’t resist ordering something and picking it up.”

“You never dine in?”

“Sometimes, but never by myself. It feels weird. Besides, this town talks. I swear the walls have eyes. Can you imagine the ladies that would be trying to fix me up with their sons, or nephews, or hell, their neighbor’s son?” She laughs. “I’ll pass.”

“Good thing you ate there with your boyfriend tonight. Wouldn’t want anyone trying to take my girl.”

“Trust me, Gray, you have nothing to worry about. I’m right where I want to be.”

“Oh, yeah?” I ask as we approach my truck. “I have somewhere I’d like you to be.”

She turns to face me. “Where’s that?”

I lean in close, my lips a breath from hers. “In my bed.” Placing my hands on her hips, I move her body closer to mine, and she melts against me.

“Let’s do that,” she says, smiling up at me.

“You sure? The night’s still young.”

“Take me to bed, Grayson.” The words are a husky whisper from her lips.

“My pleasure.” I kiss her quickly before reaching around her and pulling open my truck door for her.

“You want me to drive my car? So you don’t have to take me home?”

“No. I want you with me.” She nods, and I know she’s picked up on this fear I have of something happening to her. It’s not a constant, but anytime she talks about driving, it presents itself.

The drive to my place is short, and the anticipation of what’s yet to come is coursing through my veins. I’m keyed up, and if the way her leg is bouncing is any indication, she is as well. Our relationship has been a whirlwind. We fell hard and fast. We love each other, and now we’re about to take that love, take our relationship to a deeper level.

I know I’m not the normal male population, but I like the fact that the first woman I made love to ended up my wife, and now the second, well, she holds my heart now. Casual has never been my thing. I have two little girls who require me to be serious. I won’t risk their hearts on a casual relationship. Before them, Holly was the only woman I could see.

Pulling into my driveway, Laken has her door open and is climbing out of the truck before I have a chance to tell her to wait for me. Springing into action, I grab my keys and follow after her. When I reach where she’s standing, she holds her hand out for me, and I don’t hesitate to take it. Together, we make our way into the house. We kick off our shoes, and I lock the door before I lead her blindly down the hall to my room. Thankfully there are no toy mishaps along the way. Nothing hurts worse than stepping on one of those little plastic Barbie shoes with your bare feet.

Once we’re in my room, I walk to the bathroom and turn on the light, positioning the door just so there is a soft glow in the room. “I want to be able to see you,” I explain when she gives me a questioning look.

“Oh, yeah? You like watching me sleep?” she teases.

“I’ll do that too. After I’ve tasted every inch of your skin,” I say, trailing kisses down her neck.

“I like this plan.”

“Me too, baby. I like it a whole hell of a lot.” Stepping back, I reach behind my head for the neck of my T-shirt and pull it off, letting it fall to the floor. “Your turn.” I smile at her. I’d love nothing more than to strip her out of her clothes, but I know my girl, and she’d want to reciprocate, and I can’t have her hands on me. Not yet. I’m barely maintaining control at the thought of her pussy gripping my cock.

“Like this?” she asks, lifting the hem of her shirt and tugging it over her head.

“Yeah,” I reply, my voice thick.

I reach for the button on my shorts as she takes a step forward. “Need some help?”

“No.” I huff out a laugh. “Baby, I want your hands on me. I do. But if you touch me right now, I’m going to lose it.”

“You mean my hands on you are going to make you lose control?” She tilts her head to the side. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“It is when all I can think about is coming with your pussy gripping my cock.”

Her chest rapidly rises and falls with each breath. “Yeah, we could do that too,” she murmurs, licking her lips.

“Naked, baby. I need you naked.” She nods and slips out of her shorts. I stand still as I watch her.

She’s standing before me in nothing but a green pair of lace panties and a matching bra. I can’t tell from the dim lighting, but I know that the matching set brings out the color of her eyes. Her long red hair hangs down her back, and a flash of me gripping the long locks while taking her from behind plays out like a movie reel in my mind.

“What are you thinking right now?”

“About you.”

“What about me, specifically?” she asks.

“That’s for another time,” I tell her. I can’t take her like a savage who’s been deprived of pussy for far too long our first time together.

“Tell me, Grayson. No secrets, right?”

Fuck. She’s got me there. I swallow hard and tell her exactly what I was thinking.

“That. Let’s do that,” she breathes.

“Laken, babe, we have plenty of time for that. Tonight, I want to worship you. Savor the first time I get to be inside you.”

“We have all night. I ache for you, Grayson. I need you now. You can savor all you want later. Right now, I need you.” She reaches behind her back and releases the clasp on her bra. My eyes track her every move as she slides the straps over her shoulders before letting the green lace fall to the floor.

“You’re perfect.” My voice sounds foreign even to my own ears as I fight the desire coursing through my veins. I watch with rapt attention as she slips her index fingers on either side of her tiny green lace panties and pushes them to the floor.

“Gray?” She hums. “I need you.”

It’s as if her words start a fire under my ass as I strip off the rest of my clothes. My hands shake as I reach for her. I slide one arm around her waist, pulling her into my embrace, and the other slips behind her neck as I crush my lips to hers.

Her naked body feels like silk pressed against mine. My hand that’s holding her close slides free of her waist and travels to her pussy.

Before I can slide a finger inside her, she’s stepping back. I watch as she climbs up on my bed, settles on all fours, and looks back at me. “Take me, Grayson.”

“Fuck,” I mutter. “I need to get you there first. You’re always first.”

“I’m there, Grayson. Trust me. I’m there. The way you’re looking at me, I think I could come from that alone, but I don’t want to. I want you inside me when I do.”

“Condom,” I say, more to myself than to her. Stalking to my dresser, I reach into my sock drawer and pull out the box that I bought a couple of weeks ago and tear it open.

“Sock drawer?” she questions. There’s laughter in her voice. I love that even with the desire that we both feel in this moment, that we can still laugh and have fun.

“Twin daughters,” I remind her, tearing open the small packet and rolling the condom over my cock.

“Good plan,” she agrees.

Climbing onto the bed, I settle behind her, gripping her hips. “You sure this is what you want?”

“Now, Grayson,” she playfully scolds.

With shaking hands, I align myself at her entrance and push forward. “So wet,” I breathe as my cock slides in easily. “So tight.” I pull out and thrust in again, my hands on her hips. “You okay, baby?”

“So good,” she pants. Reaching around her body, I find her clit, and massage it with my thumb. “Gray—” She moans from somewhere deep in her throat. “Harder.”

Removing my hand from her clit, I reach up and grip her hair. I tug gently, careful not to hurt her as I thrust deeper. Harder. Longer.

Over and over again, I give us both what we need.

“I feel your pussy squeezing my cock,” I pant, never stopping my thrust.

“I’m… Gray!”

At the sound of my name, I lose control. One more thrust, and I still as I spill inside her. My entire body spasms as she takes all of me. I lean over, trailing kisses up her back. “I love you, Laken.” My heart is full, and my body is… hers. It’s as simple as that.

Pulling out of her, I strip off the condom and drop it into the trash can next to the bed. I fall to the bed, and she immediately cuddles up to my chest. “That,” she pants, “that we have to do again.”

“Give me about ten minutes,” I tell her, making her laugh. I hold her tight as our breathing evens out. I know we need to get cleaned up, but I can’t seem to let her go. She’s brought so much to my life and to the life of my daughters. She’s my second chance at love and happiness, and I’ll be damned if that doesn’t have a permanent smile on my face.