Free Reckless by Winter Renshaw Page B

the doorbell. I hear Nathan yell for the boys and then I hear the tromp of Beck’s footsteps coming down the stairs.
    “Mom!” Beck practically jumps in my arms after swinging the door wide open. A quick glance over his shoulder, and I spot Dash sitting in a chair in the nearby living room, his ankle still iced and resting on an ottoman.
    “How are you feeling?” I ask, making my way over with Beck hanging on my side like a wild monkey.
    I pass a pale pink floral arrangement on the coffee table. Must be one of Lauren’s touches. Even the sofas are light cream. Nathan never would’ve let me decorate our house the way I wanted. This entire McMansion feels like the type of place a 1920s Hollywood starlet might want to live. Everything is shiny and ornate and glam, and there are chandeliers in places that don’t need chandeliers.
    “Hey.” Nathan appears from around the hall corner. He keeps back a careful distance, shoving his hands into the pockets of the kind of expensive jeans he never would’ve worn a year ago. A v-neck white t-shirt clings to his body, showing off the fact that he’s dropped a few pounds, and the salt and pepper flecks around his temples have clearly been tinted dark. Funny how I didn’t notice any of this Friday night at the hospital. “Boys, you have your bags? Beck, carry Dash’s.”
    My phone buzzes in my bag. And then it buzzes again. I stand back as Beck hoists their bags over his shoulders. For an eight-year-old, the kid has muscles. He’s almost stronger than Dash. Dash is going to be tall and willowy, and he’s a runner. Beck is going to be my linebacker, all speed and agility and brute-force muscles.
    “Ready, boys?”
    My phone buzzes again. Whipping it from my purse, I check the screen really quickly to make sure it’s nothing urgent. Expecting to see Saige’s name across my screen, my heart catches in my throat when I see that it’s Dante.
    DANTE: FINE. IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO ANSWER YOUR PHONE OR CALL ME BACK, I’LL TEXT YOU THE STORY. IT’S A DAMN GOOD STORY AND SOMEONE OUGHT TO FINISH IT. SO I WILL. EVEN IF I HAVE TO DO IT BY MYSELF.
    A second message reads, LAST WE LEFT OFF, MY LIPS WERE PRESSED AGAINST YOUR COLLARBONE AND YOU WERE REACHING FOR MY COCK, YOUR HIPS GRINDING AS YOU SILENTLY PLEADED FOR THE ONE THING YOU WANTED MORE THAN YOU’VE EVER WANTED ANYTHING BEFORE.
    Buzz, buzz.
    My cheeks redden, deeper, hotter, and my jaw falls.
    He sends another: YOU’RE NAKED, BACK TO THE WALL. I’M BITING KISSES INTO YOUR SOFT FLESH, LOWERING MYSELF TO YOUR BREASTS. I TAKE A NIPPLE BETWEEN MY TEETH, BITING AND SUCKING, AS MY HANDS SLIDE DOWN YOUR HIPS AND CUP YOUR ASS, GIVING IT A HARD SQUEEZE TO REMIND YOU THAT IN THIS MOMENT, YOU BELONG TO ME.
    “Mom?” Dash asks. He’s standing across from me now, bracing himself on the back of the sofa, steadying a pair of crutches under his arm.
    “Maren, you all right?” Nathan asks, studying my face.
    Buzz, buzz.
    NEXT, I HOIST YOU UP, WRAPPING YOUR LONG LEGS AROUND MY SIDES. YOUR FINGERS WRAP AROUND THE BACK OF MY NECK AND YOU PRESS YOUR FULL LIPS AGAINST MINE. OUR TONGUES MEET AND YOU GRIP ME HARDER. I CAN’T WAIT TO TASTE YOU. I CAN’T WAIT TO TASTE WHAT I’VE DONE TO YOU…
    My heart races so fast the room spins, and I feel like I’m breathing through a straw. Nathan, Dash, and Beck are all staring at me, quizzical looks on their faces.
    “Everything okay?” Nathan moves closer, his hand reaching for my shoulder, and I press my phone against my chest and step away before he has a chance to touch me.
    “Yeah,” I say, breathy. “Yes. Everything’s fine. Boys, let’s go.”
    Buzz, buzz.
    I don’t remember walking from Nathan’s front door to the car. I don’t remember what the boys were bickering about when they climbed in. I don’t remember what Dash said he wanted for dinner. All I can think about is getting home and reading the rest of the texts.
    “Mom, you said we could have chicken for dinner,” Dash