Too Complicated

  “Ahhhh,” I moaned at that first velvety touch.

  “God, you’re amazing,” he gasped as he slid one finger inside, his blue eyes watching me closely as his finger moved.

  “Don’t stop,” I begged, caring about nothing but the way he was making me feel.

  My hands roamed absently, feeling his skin, playing with his nipples, but all of my focus was centered on his hand in my panties.

  When a second finger joined the first and his thumb began massaging my clit, I arched my back, bowing off the bed as I tried to get more.

  Breathless moans emitted from my lips. I’d never been very vocal during sex, but with Reardon I felt no embarrassment, and I didn’t want to shy away from what I was feeling. I wanted him to know what he was doing for me, and I couldn’t wait to return the favor.

  “Fuck my hand,” he growled, his mouth by my ear.

  “Yes,” I replied, putting my hands about my head and pressing them against the headboard to brace myself and bear down. I felt it begin to build as I concentrated on everything that was happening. Reardon’s lips at my throat, his teeth on my earlobe, while his fingers pumped in and out of me … I could do nothing but feel, and let the orgasm roll through me.

  “You’re so beautiful,” Reardon said, his eyes on me as my lips parted and I cried out with pleasure.

  I smiled at him as I came down, then pushed him back onto the bed. I felt fabulous. Loose and happy, and ready to focus on him.

  His head hit the pillows and I smiled down at him, my hands roving the expanse of his chest as I lowered to bring my lips to his. He tasted great, he smelled great, and he felt amazing.

  “Chloe,” he moaned, my name reverent on his lips.

  I reached for his pants, my fingers undoing the button while I trailed my lips over his chest and down his abs.

  Reardon lifted his hips, his hands coming down to help me shimmy his pants and boxers down, then I backed up off the bed and pulled them completely off. Since I was up, I rid myself of the last of my clothing.

  “Wait,” Reardon said when I would have crawled back up onto the bed. “Let me see you.”

  My first instinct was to cover myself, but I looked at him, looking at me, my gorgeous Viking, and the obvious desire on his face destroyed my inhibitions. I’d never felt so sexy, so desirable.

  “Come here,” he whispered after a few seconds, so I put my knees to the bed and crawled back over him slowly. I put my hands to his thighs and caressed my way up his body, dropping kisses along the way. I paused, my gaze taking in the length of him, desire pooling deliciously in my belly once more as I ran my tongue along his cock. I was just about to suck the tip into my mouth when Reardon’s hands came to my arms and urged me up. “Another time,” he said at my questioning glance. “I need to be inside you.”

  Eager for the same thing, I ran my tongue lightly up his stomach, stopping to briefly suck, then nip his nipple, before finding his lips with mine. In this position, I could feel his hardness against my core, the shock and intimacy of it breaking the last of my control. I rocked against him, moaning as I brought my hands to his chest, steadying myself as I enjoyed the pleasure this friction caused.

  “Fuck,” Reardon said, his eyes closing as my wetness coated him. “Condom in my pants,” he managed, just as I lifted to guide him inside me.

  I scrambled off the bed, rifled through his jeans, and tossed him the condom. By the time I was back to him, he had the wrapper open and was rolling the condom on. Needing to feel him, I helped him secure the rubber, then grasped him tightly and jacked him a few times. When his tongue darted out to lick his lips, I knew I needed to stop playing around and feel this man inside of me.

  I lowered myself down on him slowly, loving the fullness and stretching of each inch as I seated myself fully. Reardon’s cheeks were red, and I could tell he was using every ounce of control he had to be still and let me take the reins. Teasing, I lifted and lowered myself a couple of times, my eyes locked on his face so I could watch his reaction to my movements. Call me crazy, but I wanted him to snap. To lose that control he was holding on to so tightly. On the third lift, I got my wish.

  One second I was palming his chest as I moved over him, and the next I was flat on my back.

  “Hold on,” he said as he lifted my hands to the headboard, leaving them there so he could lift my ass off the mattress and tilt my hips. That was all the warning I got before Reardon’s control snapped and he began thrusting his hips furiously. I was momentarily stunned, but almost immediately I got with the program, braced against the headboard, and tilted even farther up. The sounds, the smells, and the sight of Reardon fucking me like I’d never been fucked before, soon had another orgasm building deliciously within me.

  “Yes,” I called, wanting to let him know that I was totally down with what he was doing, then all I could do was moan as pleasure rocketed through me.

  “Fuck, yes,” he muttered as my pussy contracted around him. He thrust into me two more times before planting himself with a sharp groan and lowering us both onto the bed.

  Aftershocks of pleasure coursed through me as I brought my arms around his back and ran my hands over him. My head fell to the side as I fought to catch my breath, and I smiled when I felt his lips lightly touch the side of my neck.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine ~ Reardon

  I felt fan-fucking-tastic!

  I’d just had crazy-hot sex with a beautiful, smart, funny woman who made my heart beat double-time, and I was walking into Comic Con.

  It didn’t get much better than that.

  Chloe smiled shyly up at me, the tips of her ears reddening as I took her hand in mine, and I knew she was thinking about what we’d just done in the hotel room.

  Honestly, if I could think of nothing else for the rest of my life, I’d die a happy man.

  “Chris said they’d be over here,” Chloe said, pointing up at a sign indicating which way Zoey’s panel was being held.

  I let her lead, happy to follow her anywhere she wanted to go, then I looked up and saw a large sign.

  “Oh,” I gasped, tugging on Chloe’s hand and pulling her toward the sign. “Guardians of the Galaxy has a panel… Can we go?”

  I’m not ashamed to say that I practically begged that last bit, causing Chloe to laugh and say, “I think we can fit it in.”

  “Awesome,” I murmured, then looked down at her. The happiness in her eyes, coupled with the sexy little smile playing on her lips, was too much to ignore, so I bent down slowly and brushed my lips against hers. “You’re the coolest girlfriend ever.”

  “Girlfriend?” she asked, pulling back slightly to search my face.

  “That work for you?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t relay my nerves. Yes, we’d talked about giving us a chance, but I wasn’t sure how she felt about me labeling it already. I still worried that I was a couple steps ahead of Chloe when it came to our relationship.

  “Sounds perfect,” she said, then delighted me when she tip-toed up to brush our lips one more time. “Now let’s go find our family.”

  We wound our way through the crowd of people until I caught sight of Gabe. One of the perks of being as tall as my cousin and I were, was that we stood head and shoulders above most people, even those dressed as cyborgs, X-Men, and aliens, so I could usually pick him out in a crowd.

  Never one to miss the slightest detail, Gabe zoned in on our clasped hands as we made our way toward him. His head shot up, his gaze locking on me, and his eyebrow went up.

  I answered with a shit-eating grin, which he immediately answered with one of his own.

  We conveyed everything we needed to with those grins.

  I’d told him after Chloe and Chris came into our lives that I’d seen her first at that party, and how I’d felt about her, so he knew where I stood. Now he knew Chloe was standing right there with me, and he was cool with it.

  That’s all I needed to know.

  I knew Zoey, Jazzy, Serena, and Dillon would be cool too, and fro
m his reaction at the fitting, Chris didn’t have a problem with it. I was pretty sure my dad and most of the family would be cool. The wild cards were my mom and Aunt Annabeth, but I’d already decided to talk to each of them myself, to try and shield Chloe from any possible grief, and let them know right off where I stood.

  Because, like I said, I was a few steps ahead of Chloe in this relationship, and I already knew she was it for me. What started as lust and infatuation was quickly turning into love, the more I got to know her. I knew it wouldn’t take much for me to fall completely; I just hoped she could come to feel the same way about me.

  I just needed to slow down and give her the chance to catch up.

  “Hey,” I said when we reached my cousin.

  “Hey,” he replied, then looked pointedly at our hands. “What have you two been up to?”

  I noticed Chloe’s face getting pink, so I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed it gently, hoping to reassure her that I’d handle any questions, and replied, “Just getting things sorted.”

  “Cool,” Gabe replied simply, then looked around the room with a slight shake of his head. “It’s already been complete madness around here. A couple of fans were a little too eager to get close to Zoey, so I had to step in. I don’t think they realized she’s pregnant, but still, I almost lost my shit. She’s making me stay out here for the rest of the panel.”

  “She’s okay?” Chloe asked, her concern for her sister apparent.

  “Yeah, she’s good. There’s security with her now, or else there’s no way I would have left, no matter what her fans thought.”

  I tried not to laugh at the thought of Zoey kicking Gabe out of the panel, but a snicker escaped my lips.

  Gabe just scowled at me.

  “Is Chris with her?” Chloe asked.

  “Yeah, she allowed him to stay.”

  This time I had to cough to cover my laugh.

  “You got a problem?” Gabe asked, but I could tell he was trying not to smile.

  “No, man, glad to hear your honeymoon’s off to a great start.”

  “You keep fucking with me, I’m not going to tell you where Stan Lee is, or where the cast of X-Men were taking pictures,” Gabe threatened.

  “I’ll stop,” I promised immediately, causing both Chloe and Gabe to chuckle. I didn’t care if they made fun of me, I needed to know where Stan Lee was. “Where?”

  “C’mon, I’ll show you.”

  “I’ve got my camera ready,” I said, patting the camera that was hanging around my neck.

  “Uh, yeah, I can see that,” my cousin responded, then asked Chloe, “You comin’?”

  “No, you guys go ahead, I’m going to go in and see Zoey in action.”

  I leaned over to kiss her quickly on the lips, then slapped Gabe on the shoulder and said, “Hurry, let’s go before he leaves.”

  Chapter Thirty ~ Chloe

  I watched them walk away. Reardon like a little boy in a man’s body, so excited to get to meet one of his heroes; and Gabe, smiling at his cousin and best friend fondly, as he chuckled at the other man’s exuberance.

  It was hard to imagine that Reardon, the sweet, sexy, self-appointed geek, was the same man who had thoroughly rocked my world just a little over an hour ago.

  Just thinking about his body, that mouth, and the words that came out of it … Sheesh, it was enough to make me clench my thighs.

  Such a dangerous combination of nice guy and hot man. I walked into Zoey’s panel thinking how lucky I was, and how I couldn’t wait to learn more about this complicated man.

  I stood in the back and watched as my sister, looking totally composed and in her element, answered questions about her beloved trilogy.

  I was so proud of her and all she’d accomplished.

  Zoey had always lived in her head, in a fantasy, and although we’d been opposites growing up, I’d always cherished her for her big heart and quirky personality. When she’d given up everything to move in with me and help me when I was pregnant and alone, she solidified her place as the most important person in my life.

  We’d never been able to count on our parents, and neither of us had ever lived with a man or counted on one to take care of us, but we’d always had each other.

  Watching her up there, smiling down at a crowd of her fans – people who loved her stories and the worlds she created – was an amazing feeling for me. I could only imagine what it felt like to her.

  I could see Chris standing off to the side of the stage, his eyes wide as he took in all of the people. He knew his aunt was successful, but seeing just how beloved she was was probably overwhelming.

  I took one more moment to relish Zoey’s success, then walked around the aisles to get to my son. I caught the eyes of Zoey’s publicist, who motioned to security to let me pass.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” I asked Chris, tilting my head toward the stage Zoey sat on.

  “Awesome,” Chris said, his eyes glittering with excitement. “Aunt Z totally kicked Dad out. You should have seen his face; his mouth was open, but he couldn’t speak.” Chris let out a gleeful laugh. “It was so cool.”

  “Did you get a program or anything? Is there anyone specific you wanted to see?” I asked quietly.

  “Guardians of the Galaxy and Spiderman for sure.”

  “Yeah, Reardon wanted to go to the Guardians one, too,” I mentioned, then looked at my son’s face, which was starting to lose the little boy and look like a young man, and cleared my throat. “I, um, think Reardon and I are going to go to dinner tonight. Do you want to come?”

  Chris tore his eyes from the panel and looked at me, a small smile on his lips.

  “Like on a date?”

  “Ah, yeah, exactly a date,” I replied.

  Chris’s grin got big.

  “Awesome.”

  “So, do you want to go?”

  “I don’t know,” Chris said, turning his head back toward Zoey, who was answering a question about her upcoming Zombie book. “I’m thinking I’ll just chill in the room and get room service.”

  “Are you sure? You know you’re more than welcome to come, and, you like Reardon, right?”

  “Yeah, Rear’s the coolest … You guys go have fun, I’ll be fine in the room.”

  “Okay,” I said, my tone conveying my uncertainty.

  I knew Chris heard it when he put his hand around my waist and leaned in for a quick hug.

  Knowing how rare it was for him to hug me in public nowadays, I squeezed him back and discreetly kissed the top of his head.

  “You deserve to have fun, Mom,” he said as he pulled away, and I swear, I literally felt my heart swell in my chest.

  “Thanks, buddy,” I replied softly.

  Suddenly the room erupted with applause and I turned my head to see Zoey stand up, then turn and walk toward us as she waved at the crowd.

  “Oh my god, that was amazing,” Zoey said, her face flush and happy. “Did you see all those people?”

  “Yeah, you rocked it, Aunt Z,” Chris said.

  “So proud of you,” I added, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  “So much energy and positivity; I’m feeling totally inspired,” my sister said, looking around the room as people started to file out. “I have to go write.”

  I was used to this from Zoey. Whenever she was inspired, she had to get it out. I can’t say how many dinner, movies, or family outings she’d cut short so that she could go put pen to paper. It was one of the things that made her special.

  “Okay,” I replied, “We’ll meet up with you later.”

  Zoey started leading us out of the room, then stopped and remembered, “Oh, Gabe.”

  I chuckled, not surprised in the least that she’d momentarily forgotten she had a husband.

  “Don’t worry, he’s with Reardon, I’ll let him know where you went.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You want me to walk you to your room, Aunt Z?”

  Zoey turned, then waddled over to give Ch
ris a quick hug.

  “No, but thanks for asking, and thanks for hanging at my panel. Now, have fun, enjoy yourself.”

  We said goodbye to Zoey, then went in search of the men. We found them taking pictures with the X-Men.

  “Hey, Rear, we’re going to Guardians of the Galaxy,” Chris shouted out when he caught sight of them.

  “Cool,” Reardon responded, giving Chris a thumbs up before turning to thank the people in costume.

  “Zoey went back to the room, she got inspired,” I told Gabe when they approached us.

  “Thanks,” he said, then turned to his cousin. “I’m going to head back too, see you later.”

  “Sounds good,” Reardon said, then turned to me and offered his elbow. “Milady,” he added goofily, causing me to giggle. Yes, giggle.

  I looped one arm through his, then the other through Chris’s, and I went with my men to meet the Guardians of the Galaxy.

  Chapter Thirty-One ~ Reardon

  We’d agreed to meet in the hotel lobby after parting ways to go to our respective rooms and get cleaned up. Now, I was basically pacing nervously as I waited for Chloe to come down. I wasn’t sure why I was suddenly so nervous. It’s not as if we hadn’t been spending time together over the last few months.

  Still, this was our first official date, and now that we were finally on the same page and had agreed to give this thing between us a go, I was freaking out over the fact that I was finally getting a shot with the woman I’d been dreaming about for years.

  No big deal, I assured myself as I looked down at my watch for the thousandth time, this is only the chance you’ve been waiting for … I’m sure she loves the fact that you’re a small-town lawyer who geeks out over movies and is the cousin to the father of her son.

  Shit!

  Since my internal pep-talk was only causing more stress, I decided to shut the fuck up and clear my head.

  I pivoted on my heel and swung my eyes to the elevator, just as Chloe stepped off.

  My breath caught.