Fourth Down Baby: A May-December Romance (19 page)

Cory stops and looks at me, smiling. “Let’s do that first. We can unpack later.”

He picks me up in his arms and carries me to the sofa, setting me on the edge. His lips find the magic zones on my neck, and I'm liquid fire in his hands, gasping as my breasts mash against his chest. I get to have this for the rest of my life, and I can't believe it.

“Cory . . .” I moan in his ear. “I want to explore.”

Cory hums hungrily. We don't
explore
every time. Most of the time, we still have what Dani calls 'French vanilla sex' when we've talked about her books, but when the mood takes me, Cory's always willing. “What were you thinking?”

“From behind,” I whisper, looking into his blue eyes. “Can you take care of me?”

He nods, smiling. “Let's see what we can do. One rule though . . . it's sensitive. If you have any pain, anything that feels wrong, you tell me and we stop.”

I grin, kissing his lips quickly before turning over.

I'm still nervous as I show Cory my butt, but the nerves disappear as he puts his hands on each side, humming in appreciation before his thumbs start working in deep, kneading circles. Oh, that feels good.

I help him take my shorts and panties off, unsnapping the button on the front of my shorts and helping him, the warm, still air of the house still causing my ass to break out in goosebumps. Cory notices, but he doesn't move, admiring what he sees. “Pure perfection.”

He touches me again, sparks jumping from his fingertips to my skin as he rubs again, working in gently widening circles that open my most taboo of places to his view. I'm nearly dripping wet, and I look back, shocked at the expression on his face. “What?”

“You have . . . this is going to sound strange, but you have the most amazing ass,” he says, hunger and shyness fighting on his face.

Cory puckers his lips and kisses my left butt cheek, and it feels good, my eyes fluttering shut as he reaches between my legs and cups me. Rubbing softly, slowly, his lips and his fingers send waves of pleasure up and down my spine, and I moan softly, pushing back. “Cory, I want it.”

“You sure?”

I nod and open my ass, and he pauses, his grin spreading. “Let me go get my backpack.”

“Why?” I ask, looking back. “Gonna take a picture or something?”

Cory laughs and shakes his head. “No . . . but for your first time, I want to make sure we have lots of lube. It makes it easier and better for us both. No pain, just pleasure.”

“Sounds like what the rest of our lives are going to be,” I hum, smiling. “Okay. But hurry, my butt's getting cold.”

Cory rushes to the front hallway, pausing before he leaves me. He turns back and gives me a hungry look that sends a fresh spark of desire through me. “Don't worry, I'll warm it up very soon.”

He leaves, and I grin. I can hardly wait.

“
S
o Pete
, you really are looking at investing?”

Pete is sitting across from me, and to be honest, I feel a fun thrill that I never got working for PacFran. Dunham Investments has only been up and running for two weeks, and I've looked forward to work each and every day.

“Yeah,” Pete says, rubbing his chin. He's sporting a bruise, and I wonder if his BJJ classes are going as smoothly as he'd hoped when he signed up. Still, he hasn't quit, and he looks like he's in better shape, so Dani's gotta be happy. “I mean, the city's got a good retirement fund, but I'll be honest, Cory, I'd like to do a bit better than thirty-eight thousand a year. Dani's going to be getting her PhD soon, and then I'm going back to school, but even if I turn my associate's into a bachelor's, I only get a three thousand a year pay bump.”

“And you'd like to establish some passive income streams while you two look at starting a family,” I add, smiling. “Good deal. So what's your budget right now?”

“We don't have a ton saved up. I mean Dani's still paying for school, but we were thinking that maybe we could do something with fifty bucks a month? I know it isn't much, but . . . ah hell, man, never mind.” Pete starts to get up, red faced, and I reach out, grabbing his wrist.

“Whoa, whoa!” I call, smiling. “Come on, sit down. If anything, I can give you some more advice, totally free. Remember, I took a look once back when you two just got married, and I can do that again.”

Pete sits down in his chair and looks at me, frustrated. “You know I love Dani, right?”

“I've known that since high school. And she loves you. Why do you ask?”

Pete sighs and looks down. “I just . . . I feel bad, man. I know it's old-fashioned, but I want to be able to provide for our family. I'm not saying I need to be the biggest breadwinner, but once Dani's done, you know how scary smart and insightful she is. She's going to be getting some job that'll blow me out of the water. I might as well become Mr. Mom at that point.”

“Would that be a bad thing though?” I ask seriously, giving him a questioning look. “I'm being serious, too. Think about it. Troy's going to spend from July to February, we hope, coming home most nights after Laurie's gone to sleep. Yeah, he's got the offseason, and he told me that he's got most mornings off, but still . . . I bet he'd love to be able to spend more time with Laurie. And besides, don't sell yourself short. You're smart too. As for investing, we can take a look at some options. You were right, fifty bucks a month is a start. It's not a big start, and you for sure won't retire on that, but if you're already maxing your city retirement fund, then an extra fifty can start to make some headway. What's your debt load like right now?”

“Dani's got her student loans, but she's been able to get a lot of scholarships, and her current job more than handles the rest,” Pete says. “I was smart in the Navy. I didn't get into credit cards or piss away my signing bonus on a car. Right now, we've got about another three thousand or so outside of Dani's student loans and our mortgage.”

I'm happy at what Pete says, and I nod. “Okay, we can do something with this then. The first thing I'm going to do is give you a packet I put together to help you and Dani get your hands on your monthly budget. I want you to take this home and sit down together and figure this out. Then you and Dani have me over for coffee, since Patricia's cutting back on caffeine until the baby comes, and I'm feenin'.”

“Damn, man, I thought you were just going to tell me some stocks to sink my money into,” Pete says, newfound respect in his eyes. “You do this for all your clients?”

“No,” I admit, pausing when the door to the office opens and Patricia comes in from her doctor's appointment. “But if Troy called me up and said he just signed an endorsement contract and he wants to sink a hundred thousand into something, I'd not worry. He's making enough money that I know he's not hurting. But I won't just push some product on my friends willy-nilly just to make a sale. I'll make sure that you have some of what one guy I know calls 'fuck you money' before we start taking big risks.”

Pete nods slowly, then smiles a bit. “Guess that Silver Fox bond goes on a long time, don't it?”

“Damn right. One more piece of advice, not as a financial advisor but just man-to-man?”

“What?” Pete asks, curious.

“Talk to Dani about how you feel, Pete. She's smart and she loves you. I'm not saying you need to just get over it or some other shit, but just talking with her can help. And if you do someday end up as Mr. Mom, remember that you've got a more important job than Dani. She might end up bringing in more money, but you'll be protecting your family.”

Pete nods and stands up. “Thanks, Cory. I mean that. Okay, I'll talk to Dani about this . . . do you need me to make an appointment when we have the packet done?”

“Just drop it off any time. I'm serious about inviting me for coffee though, Pete. No decaf either.”

He laughs, and I come around the desk, doing the whole one-armed hug that guys do. Pete pulls his hat on and leaves, and I close the door behind him, smiling as he gets back into his truck.

“You were nice,” Patricia says when I turn around, giving me a smile. “That's good.”

I shrug and go back over to my desk, sitting down. “He’s a friend, and you know how important Dani is to both of us. So I'm going to go that extra mile for them. Also, I want to make sure we do things right. Whitney's already invested her money, and Carrie's going to follow up next. I got a call from Tyler too this morning while you were at Doc Baker's, and he said that while he can't do anything himself until my non-compete lapses, he's frozen any more contributions to his PacFran investments, and he told me that he's going to move his stuff as soon as the Canadian season's done. Until then, he's invited us to come to Vancouver when the Fighters play Vancouver in October.”

“Hmm, might be a bit swollen by then,” Patricia says, patting her belly. “But I like the idea. We'll see.”

At the mention of our baby, I get up and come over, sitting in the chair next to her desk. I want to reach out and touch her, but we talked before we opened up, and inside the office, at least, we're going to be professional. Not that it isn't tempting, as she's wearing a simple white blouse and skirt that makes her legs look delicious. She told me that she didn't wear this sort of thing around the construction office much and is looking forward to it. Considering that she's one of those women whom skirts are made for, I look forward to every morning too. I think she knows what she's doing, since we're still sleeping in our different 'homes' at least four times a week. She's teasing me. It's all subtle foreplay, and I love every second of it.

Still, I want to know about her checkup. “So the OB doc says everything is going well?”

Patricia nods and gives me a smile. “She did an ultrasound, and she says everything looks good so far. My blood work is spot on, and she says everything is going just fine. Next month, she'll try and get pictures, but she says not to be expecting too much. At four months, there usually isn't a lot to see.”

I sigh in relief and nod, reaching out and taking Patricia's hand. “Next time, I'm going to be there no matter what. I'll close the office for the day if we need to. Forget the markets for twenty-four hours.”

“That sounds wonderful to me,” Patricia says, smiling. “So besides giving financial and personal advice to Pete, how're we doing today?”

“We're up,” I say with a little smile, “but it's a pretty flat day stocks-wise. Actually, I was going to spend the rest of the day researching some real estate deals for Duncan and Carrie. He's really liking the sound of it right now. I think they want to set something up for Cammie.”

“That little girl's going to be a millionaire by the time she's in high school,” Patricia says with a smile. “Who else are you going to make set for life?”

“Well, let's start with our little circle of friends and family. Then we’ll see who else we can pick up on the way.”

Patricia smiles and takes my hand. “Dinner at my place tonight?”

I grin and shake my head. “Nope. My place. I'm pampering you tonight.”

“I like the sound of that,” Patricia says, then chuckles. “Okay, working together is going to have drawbacks, because right now, I just want to ask my boss to close the office early so I can go spend a wonderful evening with my boyfriend.”

“Tell me about it. Some time, maybe next week, I had a silly idea. I'd like to take you up to Slater's Point and have dinner with you out there. You know the Point?”

Patricia chuckles and nods. “Not personally, but I know pretty much what goes on up there. Whitney told me that her first date with Troy was up at Slater's Point, but he was a gentleman, apparently. Still, I'm sure quite a few people in this town were conceived overlooking the lake up there. So why not tonight then?”

“I'd love to, but I need to make a visit to Doc Baker. He wants to hear what I can set him up with, and also to take care of my initial checkup. He got my files from my old primary care in San Fran, but he wants to verify things too. Thought I might be able to lump them together.”

Patricia smiles and gives me a nod. “Okay. Well, I'll stay here and man the fort then, and close up around five or so. See you at your place.”

I get up, and just before I get to the door, I turn around. “Oh, and Patricia?”

“Yes, Cory?”

“I love you.”

She smiles, which is the best thing in the world to me. “I love you too.”

* * *

“
S
o Cory
, it looks like you're in good health,” Dr. Baker says as he finishes jotting on his clipboard. “Then again, any man who is your age and active should be. Your weight is good, your body fat looks leaner than most men, and while we've got to wait on your blood work numbers, I'd give you a clean bill of health easily. Whoever you're getting insurance from should be happy.”

“Patricia's studying for her license, actually. Until then, I'm going through the state exchange, but supplementing in cash. She's going to get top flight care, Doc.”

Doc Baker hums and sits back on his stool, giving me an examining look. “I've been Patricia's primary care doctor for a long time. She always gets the best care I can give her.”

I nod apologetically. “Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just mean that for her and our baby, there's no limit to how far I'll go for them.”

“Good then. Now, what's this about you turning me into a bazillionaire by the time I retire in ten years?” He asks, chuckling. “Or are the rumors off?”

I smirk but reach for my briefcase. “They're off, but here's some of what I can do.”

After giving Doc some information and talking about setting up some sort of pension fund for his workers, I put my shirt and tie back on. I think this is the first time I've ever done a sales talk without a shirt, actually. Leaving his office, I'm surprised when I bump into Bill Moss outside on the sidewalk.

“Cory Dunham.”

“Bill,” I greet him, not wanting to say any more. I'm not sure I can trust that I won't put him through the pavement.

“Wait. Actually, Cory, I'm glad I ran into you,” Moss says, trying to sound like he's being nice. “I wanted to welcome you back to town. It's so good to have a prodigal son return.”

I should just walk away, but I don't. Instead, I turn to look at him. “I'm no prodigal son. Just a man who thinks this is a good town to raise my child in.”

“It is. But what makes it a good town are the good people in it. People who can listen and obey the rules of the Lord,” Moss replies, his voice rumbling. “Which is why I was hoping you and Patricia could come back to New Harvest. The Lord forgives, as do I.”

“And why would we do that?” I ask, trying not to go upside this man's head with my briefcase. It's tempting, very tempting. “Let me guess. Connections with the movers and shakers in this town?”

“Some of that, yes. No other church in Silver Lake Falls can boast having over two thousand members, and some of them are exactly the sort of people who can make your new company succeed—or struggle—in this town,” Moss says, smirking.

So that's how it is. Normally, if I were in a weaker position, maybe his shtick would work on me. Instead, I'm not putting up with it anymore. “You know what? You're a sanctimonious, hypocritical son of a bitch, and with most people, your petty attempt at extortion and influence would work. But you see, I've got powerful friends too. The fact is, I don't need you. I don't need New Harvest or your friends like Trevor Bana, who fired Patricia merely because she's now unavailable to his married, philandering ass.”

Moss sputters, but I don't care about him any longer. As what I said soaks into my brain, I realize exactly what I need to do, and I turn, heading for my car. It's still unfamiliar, new to me after selling off my old car in San Francisco, and I don't yet have my permanent plates from the DMV, but it doesn't matter.

I know what does matter, and as I turn out onto the street and head home, I hang a sudden right, heading toward the best jewelers in town. I know her size, and I should do this right.