“You got it, boss.” I gave her a wink.
After we had the tree planted and both shrubs trimmed, we moved on to planting all the flowers. We got Brendan his own small shovel, and I helped him dig a hole. He reached up with one hand and smeared dirt along my cheek. Giggling, he ran away, and I pretended I was going to get him as I chased after him.
“Boys,” Bella called after a few minutes. “These flowers aren’t going to plant themselves.”
I looked over to find her standing near the gardens with her hands planted on her hips. I picked Brendan up and whispered in his ear. He nodded enthusiastically. When we got close enough, I set him down on his feet as we both ran toward Bella. She let out the cutest squeak and ran in the opposite direction. Catching her by the waist, I lifted her as Brendan chanted what sounded like “got you.”
A half hour later, we finally had the last flower planted and more mulch added. With my arm around Bella’s shoulder and my other arm holding Brendan, I surveyed our work. I had to admit it looked a hell of a lot better. Almost like a picture in a home and garden magazine.
“This looks great,” I said, giving her shoulder a squeeze.
“It was a team effort.”
Brendan laid his head on my shoulder. “I think little man is getting tired. Maybe we should clean up and put him down for a nap?”
“Yeah—can I lay him in your bed? Is that okay?”
“Of course. He’s a mess; you might need help getting this layer of dirt off.”
We both chuckled as we made our way to the master bathroom. After getting him cleaned up with a fresh change of clothes, we laid him down in the middle of my bed. He was out within minutes.
“Want a glass of lemonade?” I asked Bella from the kitchen.
“Sure,” she answered from the family room.
I found her sitting on the couch, leaning back with her eyes closed. I cleared my throat and handed her the lemonade when she looked up. I found a game on TV and leaned back, pulling her against my side as we sipped our drinks. A few moments later, she surprised me by putting our glasses on the coffee table and straddling my lap.
“Take off your shirt,” she demanded.
I chuckled, but did as she requested. “Yes, ma’am.” My cock twitched under her as she ran her fingers along my stomach muscles and over my chest. I sucked in a breath when she leaned forward and grazed my ear with her teeth.
“Bella,” I groaned when she moved against me. Grabbing her by the hips, I stopped her. “I forgot to grab a condom from my room.”
Her eyes widened, and she sucked her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m on the pill and haven’t been with anyone since… well, in three years. But…”
She stared at my chest and ran a finger through the light patch of hair there. Which was destroying my focus.
It finally dawned on me what she was getting at. “I used a condomeverytime.”
When her hooded eyes found mine, I leaned forward and claimed her mouth. I ran my tongue along the seam of her lips until she opened farther, allowing me to explore inside. I pulled back, brushing the stray strands of hair out of her face.
Fuck, she’s beautiful.
I wanted nothing more than to sink balls deep inside her with no barrier between us, but I needed to know she trusted me and wanted that too. She smiled and offered me a brief nod before our lips pressed together in a desperate need once again.
I was laughing my ass off thirty minutes later as we fumbled to get our clothes back on. Luckily, we had just finished when Brendan started crying.
Bella was still giggling as she said “here” and tossed me my shirt before heading down the hallway to check on Brendan. After a few minutes, she returned with her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her laughs.
“What? He good?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s back down. We must have been too loud and stirred him awake.” Another chuckle escaped as she moved into the kitchen.
I handed her another glass of lemonade. “Youwere too loud,” I corrected with a wink.
She popped her hands on her hips. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”
“Oh. Fuck, no. I’ll never complain about hearing you scream my name.” She rolled her eyes and grabbed the spaghetti noodles and sauce out of the pantry.