Read Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) Online
Authors: Harley Brooks
Riley's Pond (New Adult Romance) (39 page)
“You didn’t sleep much last night, babe,” I whispered into her hair.
“Your son kept me awake with his constant kicking.”
Lifting a bunch of gold curls, I kissed the back of her neck and pecked my way to her bare shoulder. “Have you thought anymore about names?”
Taylor giggled. “I guess
Riley Jr.
is out, thanks to your twisted humor.”
“Pretty much all the men’s names in my house are out then.”
She slapped my hands, then jerked. “Ouch!” She moved my hand to the side where a foot or an arm pushed against my palm. “See? He never stops. I hope this isn’t a preview of what’s in store for us.”
I pressed my lips below her ear. “He’s just anxious to get out, so his old man can get back in.” Her elbow gouged my gut.
“You’re disgusting.”
I caught her before she could move out of my arms. “And you’re beautiful.”
“I’m a large navy blue satin blob.”
“You’re pregnant Taylor. That hardly qualifies you as a ‘blob’.” I watched her eyes shimmer with tears and wrapped her protectively to me, wanting to absorb all the sadness from her. “No tears, baby. Angels don’t cry, remember?”
The bedroom door burst open, slamming against the wall. Who knew a four year old could be so strong?
“Speaking of,” I gathered the bundle of pink ruffles into my arms.
“Who’s an angel, Daddy?”
“Mommy is.” I kissed her chubby cheek and nuzzled my nose into the folds of her neck until she laughed. “And you, Miss Lydia, are an ‘angel in training’.”
Her little arms barely fit around my neck and I nestled my cheek against her silky caramel colored ringlets, squeezing her pint sized body. Who knew I’d turn out to be such a sucker for pretty girls? Taylor eased into my free arm and I held her close, sensing her fragile emotions still hovered close to the surface.
“Patience, baby. You’ve only got one more month before your hot little body will be back to torturing me.” Her shoulders shook with a light laugh.
I kissed her puckered mouth. “Besides, I kind of like you pregnant, babe. Your boobs are a major ‘turn on’.”
“
Boobs,
” spat on a puff of air against my face. “Mommy has boobs.”
“Now look what you’ve done, Riley! Your mother is going to throw a fit if she blurts that out during the ceremony.” Taylor moved out of my arms and picked up her bouquet. “We better get downstairs. Where are the bride and groom, anyway?”
“Gina is in the downstairs bathroom and Dirk is outside pacing somewhere. I can’t believe my baby brother is getting married. He’s barely twenty-three.”
In a few short minutes, Dirk would marry Ally’s youngest sister, ironically mixing family matters once again. After a short six month marriage to Jax’s best friend Brandon, Ally and he divorced and she married a forgiven Jaxson when he returned from his second tour of duty overseas.
Tomorrow, they would leave for another two year stint on some military base in Germany. My mother had turned into a walking human fountain with her precious baby, Dirk, getting married, and her oldest son moving across the ocean, taking away her only grandson. Taylor and I hoped to keep the sex of baby number three a secret until his birth, but we may have to spring the surprise to cheer up Mom.
“Dirk’s only three years older than you were when we got married. You didn’t seem to think
we
were too young.”
“We were hot for each other. I had to marry you before I died of exhaustion from constantly jumping your bones. Someone had to cook for me before I withered away to nothing.”
I deserved the punch to my shoulder for that one.
“Hey, ‘man holding child’ here. Easy with the brutality.”
“We got married because I was pregnant.”
“This is the first I’ve heard such a scandalous rumor!” I teased, ducking. “Still can’t believe my parents swallowed the ‘honeymoon baby’ story.”
“Well, Grammy didn’t. Good thing she liked you, or she’d have spilled the beans to your mother the first chance she got.”
A melancholy memory flickered in my lover’s eyes. I caught the single tear sliding down her cheek with my thumb.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
“I miss her, that’s all. I wish she’d waited a while longer to give up on life.”
“Cancer doesn’t give many choices, babe. I believe that’s why she sent this little bundle our way.” I bounced my armful of ruffles and Grammy’s namesake. “She’s even got her bright blue eyes.”
Taylor tugged Lydia close for a smooch on the cheek. “She’s definitely the calmer of our girls. I just hope her little brother follows suit.” Taylor gave me a look that made my pants suddenly feel tight. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into a third ‘Martin munchkin’.”
“You took advantage of me in a weakened moment. I had no choice. Besides, I wanted to enjoy ‘preggo boobs’ one last time.”
“Riley Martin,” Taylor hissed, covering Lydia’s ears, but grinning too wide to be innocent. She kissed me quick for penance.
“Boobs!” Lydia squealed around a laugh.
I turned my cherubic beauty to face me, poking her tummy to get a big toothy grin, “Enough, missy. Where’s is your big sister, anyway?”
“Chasing Uncle Jax.”
“Well, we better go save him.”
I leaned back and stole another taste off my gorgeous wife’s mouth. My heart still did funky summersaults when I was near her. I couldn’t believe after twelve years, she could rock my world with a mere smile, let alone take me to the brink of insanity at warp speed when she sucked my lips off.
“Let’s see if we can get Uncle Jax to say ‘sneaky snake’.”
Jax still talked with a slight lisp after Ally damn near bit his tongue in half when she found out he cheated on her with
my
old girlfriend. No one noticed unless he says a series of “S” words, which became a favorite game of mine.”
“You’re pure evil, Riley,” Taylor chastised, following me and Lydia into the hall. “But I believe I read a warning in
the fine print
on your lips.”
“Fine print?”
Taylor’s finger seductively slid across my bottom lip. “Yeah, right here, baby.”
Her mouth fit perfectly against mine and I kissed her slow and deep, ignoring the wiggling bundle in my arms. I licked my lips, “Tasty. Can’t wait for dessert, later.”
She gave my butt cheek an affectionate squeeze. “I’ll get the bride. You rally the troops, Dr. Martin.”
I playfully jostled my beautiful little girl in my arms as we bounced down the stairs. “Sneaky snake,” I hissed, waiting for her to repeat my words.
“Boobs!” she giggled. “Boobs!”
I was in serious trouble, but I knew that the day I found her mother swimming in my pond.
****
Riley’s Pond
I hope you enjoyed reading Riley’s and Taylor’s story as much as I enjoyed writing it. They could be quite boisterous in my head at times trying to get my attention. In the end, I felt like I’d been invited into their intimate lives like an old family friend and had my own seat at the Martin’s dining room table.
Thank you my readers.
You can jump onto my website to discover the other stories rambling in my thoughts, in the throes of editing, or ready to soon be unveiled. I love hearing from my fans, so please stop by.
About the Author
HARLEY BROOKS grew up with the majestic Rocky Mountains literally climbing out of her backyard. Her childhood dreams were to become an astronaut, but the teenage years proved she sucked at Math and liked boys
way
too much. When she finally kissed the right “frog” and found her prince charming, she traded the granite snow tipped mountains for the breathtaking red cliffs of the high desert. Inspired by the blazing orange of sunset baked red rocks, she loves to create romantic tales about all the “first times” and growing pains experienced when morphing from teen to adult. When she’s not writing, you can find her camping with her family, exploring trails on her 4-wheeler, or chasing her latest muse on her Harley Davidson.
Coming Next
THE DESIGNER GENES TRILOGY
. . . a glimpse from Book One:
“The Boyfriend Cut”
Jordan caged me against the counter, his eyes leveling to mine. He studied every laugh line, every freckle dotting my face. I stopped breathing when his head dipped and lips lingered close.
“I really want to kiss you.”
“What’s stopping you?” I asked breathier than intended. Our noses grazed and an eternity seemed to pass.
“You scare me,” he uttered lightly over my waiting mouth. His lips barely brushed mine, but the spark in the kiss was undeniable.
“Wow,” I whispered, no longer feeling my legs. “Now I’m scared.”
His arm eased around my waist, pulling me into him. A seductive smile appeared, and my heart skipped a beat. “Can I kiss you again?”
“Oh yeah,” I replied softly on his cheek.
His hand wrapped the back of my neck, his fingers braiding into my hair. My lips bloomed against his when they pressed with a second, more confident kiss. When the kiss ended, our eyes locked. I worried what thoughts bounced in his brain.
Did I kiss okay? Too much? My breath?
He pecked the end of my nose.
Had he made a mistake?
“
Sorry, I shouldn’t have—”
Another person suddenly possessed my body. I rose on my tiptoes, tugged his collar and settled my lips on his, hushing his apology. His tongue teased and my lips parted, welcoming the delicious taste of his mouth taking mine. Jordan’s arms wrapped tighter and I leaned into his curves as if by body had done it had a million times, familiar with every bend and angle.
Heat ripped through my veins like fire chasing a stream of gasoline. No one had ever kissed me like Jordan. I never
tingled
all over before
.
It was as if I inhaled air for the first time and my lungs wanted more. Something clicked between us—bolts sliding effortlessly through locks. I never wanted our kiss to end, or Jordan to leave my arms.
His lips tickled the spot below my earlobe and my bones turned spongy. “Marli Davis—don’t break my heart.”
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