The Fighter's Secret Child (The Burton Brothers Series Book 3) (7 page)

Rachel’s cell phone rang. She dug it out of her purse and sat down on the couch in the den. Next to her Chaz was sitting on a giant recliner, a game controller held in both pudgy hands as he struggled with it.

His tongue stuck out of the corner of his mouth, and his concentration seemed fierce and total. Rachel had the place to herself—the Burton brothers had gone to the hospital to arrange bone marrow testing, and Alice and Avery had gone out shopping, saying Chaz needed a few things. Rachel had been too tired to argue.

Now she answered her phone, expecting it to be Beck, instead a bright, familiar voice came on the line. “Rachel? That you?”

She sat up. “Jasmine? Good to hear from you. Everything okay?”

“Holding down the fort, but the apartment seems empty without you. How are things going? Do I need to hunt down that no-good Beck? Has he been causing you or that precious little boy of yours more pain?”

Rachel had to smile. “Slow down, girlfriend. It’s a long story.” Rachel started into everything that had happened. She’d known Jasmine since high school. After Rachel’s mom had helped her slip away from Beck, she’d moved to Vegas.

Jasmine lived there and Rachel went from looking for her own place to moving in with Jasmine. Rachel wasn’t sure how she would have gotten through the last couple of months without her help.

There was a pause, and Jasmine let out a gusty sigh. “Sorry. I probably shouldn’t be bashing on the guy without even having met him. I just keep thinking of all those nights you cried over him. I was starting to think MMA meant mean mega-asshole.”

Rachel forced a small laugh. “He’s in getting tests done—him and his brothers. He’s going to be sore for a more than a few days. Chaz…well, I can’t say I know he’s going to be okay, but it’s a step.”

“And you?” Jasmine’s voice dropped. “How are you doing seeing him again?”

Wishing I could jump into bed with him. Wanting him so much my teeth ache.
Rachel shifted the phone to her other ear. “The guy still looks like a hunk—how do you think I’m doing.”

“Stay strong. Take an aspirin if you need it.”

“How will that help?”

“You tuck it between your knees and don’t let go.”

Rachel laughed again—this time it sounded better to her. “I miss you, girlfriend.”

“Yeah, well, you call if you need anything, okay? I can hop on a flight and be there in no time.”

“I might take you up on that.” She hung up, but she wished Jasmine was here.

Chaz finally got bored of his game, so Rachel took him into the kitchen to fix them both lunch. She found cans of soup, bread and cold cuts in the fridge, which now seemed to be stocked almost to overflowing. Earlier, a housekeeper had come by to make beds, do laundry and tidy up. Feeling awkward and in the way, Rachel had gone out to the patio. Chaz had wanted to go into the hot tub, but she kept him busy by telling him a story instead.

Making sandwiches with a bum arm took more work and time than she’d ever known. But she managed to get something in front of Chaz. He ate three bites and gave a huge yawn. “You ready for a nap?” she asked.

Chaz shook his head—and yawned again.

Taking him into his room, she settled him under a blanket. He threw it off and sat up. She tempted him with his stuffed doggy, but that didn’t work, either. His eyelids were heavy, and Rachel knew the signs. He was headed for over-tired, cranky, and tears wouldn’t be far behind.

Just when she was about ready to give up coaxing him into bed, she heard a car. The front door opened and voices lifted. Chaz bolted out of bed, heading at a toddling run for the living room. Rachel followed him.

Alice and Avery had come back, along with the guys. The house was suddenly full of noise and talking, and Chaz was reaching up for Beck.

“Hey, scout. What’s up?” Beck scooped up Chaz without effort. Avery took Chaz from him, producing an MMA action figure. Mason scooped him out of Avery’s arms and settled him on the floor, putting down a set of cars and trucks in front of him. Then Alice and Bryant were bending over him, Alice with story books and Bryant with a set of building blocks.

Arms crossed, Rachel told them, “I am going to have one spoilt child here.”

Grinning, Alice looked up. “Only until he has new babies to give him competition. Besides, I looked up that procedures he needs. He’s going to be in the hospital for way too long.”

Frowning, Beck came over to Rachel. “Is that true?”

She nodded. “That’s why I made a deal with him. No more hospitals until he’s got to go in. When do you get the test results?”

“Couple of days,” Mason said, heading into the kitchen and wrapping his arms around Avery’s waist. “Meaning we have time for a bar-be-que. And let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve had a Burton bar-be-que.”

Everything seemed to shift to the patio. Mason lit up the gas grill, Beck settled on the brick with Chaz and his building blocks and cars—it looked like they were constructing a garage. Avery and Alice started to carry out plates and set the table. When Rachel asked what she could do, Bryant pointed to a chair. “Relax, and keep yourself out of the traffic flow. Trust me, when the girls get going you’ll want to duck out.”

Rachel found out what he meant after they’d eaten. Alice and Avery had gone shopping for Chaz. Shoes, T-shirts, pants, new underwear with Batman on them, shorts, sandals—if there was something they hadn’t bought for him, Rachel didn’t know what it was.

“I can’t…we can’t—” Rachel said, stammering out the words.

Beck swung an arm over her shoulders. “You can. For Chaz, you damn well can. Now be the sweet girl I know you can be and say thank you, Auntie Alice and Auntie Avery.”

The two women grinned, and Rachel dug an elbow into Beck’s ribs. She turned to Alice and Avery. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back for everything.”

“No you won’t.” Coming over, Avery swung her long braid over her back. She took Rachel’s hands. “We’re making up for missed birthdays and Christmas, and besides Chaz is going to try out everything we want to buy for our kids when they come.”

Chaz never got his nap, but by eight he was asleep on the couch. Rachel took him to bed. He’d have to miss his bath tonight. Once he was in his new jammies, his doggy tucked into his arms, she stood over him, watching him sleep. She heard a floorboard creak and turned to see Beck. He came up to her side.

“He’s going to be okay, Rach.”

Tears started to fill her eyes. She sniffed them back. “You don’t know that.”

“I do. You don’t become a fighter because you see other guys punching your lights out. You see yourself winning. We need to see Chaz winning—see him strong and running around like the hellion a Burton is supposed to be at his age.”

She glanced up at him, a tight band around her chest. She knew then she would never stop loving this man. This was the Beck she’d fallen for—the guy who could say things like this. The guy who had been playing a video game with his son this morning.

It seemed the most natural thing in the world to lean toward him, to stand on tiptoe and kiss his cheek, and then his lips. His arms came around her.

She sighed as he kissed her, placing little butterfly kisses along her jaw line, behind her ear, and then back to her lips. He stroked his fingers over her face, and she tangled her tongue with his as he deepened the kiss.

Pulling back, she whispered, her voice thick, “Your brothers.”

“Are out. Mason’s teaching at the dojo tonight and Avery went out to dinner with Bryant and Alice. We’ve got the place to ourselves.” He swept her up in his arms. “And, honey, if you don’t let me make love to you, I think I’m going to explode. Please…please, Rach. I need you.”

She glanced in his eyes and saw the truth. It had hit him harder than he’d let on, but the tests today—they would make it real. She knew about that. After Chaz had first been diagnosed, she’d gone straight to denial. It hadn’t been until she’d been tested for a marrow match that she realized the pain her little boy was going to have to face—because it was that or facing even worse.

She wrapped an arm around Beck’s neck. She could do this—for tonight, she could. “I need you, too, Beck. But are you sure?”

He carried her into his bedroom and the bed gave as he settled her on it. “That sure enough for you?” He stretched out next to her and put a hand on her stomach. Rachel arched her back. Just the touch of Beck’s fingers skimming over her skin caused goose bumps to rise. When his lips following his fingers, she moaned in pleasure.

She wrapped her good hand around the back of his neck. She’d had this dream so many times, and this time she didn’t have to wake. He pushed his fingertips beneath the waistband of her panties. She spread her legs. He slipped his hand between her thighs and stroked, and tucked his other hand under her butt.

He’d always said her ass was one of her best assets, and in her dreams he always ended up with his hands squeezing and playing with her there. Now he was doing it for real. He kissed her again, long and deep and then licked her neck. She turned to him and pushed her hand under his shirt. A sharp tug in her wrist reminded her to take it easy.

Pulling back, he grabbed her hands and pushed them over her head. “Lay back and let me do the heavy lifting.”

“I’m burning up here. Slowly.”

He grinned. “Good. Now lift up. You’re wearing too much. I want to see you in just a smile.”

The mattress bounced as he shifted. Beck knelt on the bed next to her. She reached up her hand, needing to touch him, but he pushed her hand back up over her head. “You’re not good at taking orders.”

Pulling down her good hand, she unbuttoned her blouse. “Still complaining?”

Lust flared in his eyes, and a flush deepened on his cheeks. She wanted nothing more than to feel his hands on her again. “Touch me.”

He seemed to need no further encouragement. Without a word, he took her lips in a searing kiss and stripped off her jeans and panties. Reaching behind her, he unhooked her bra. “Beautiful…you are so damn beautiful.”

Leaning over her, he captured one nipple between his teeth and sucking hard. She arched off the bed and gasped. Pleasure streaked to her core. He shifted to her other breast and nipped at it. Leaning back, he dragged off his T-shirt and his sweats. He pressed close to her, skin to skin, his heat washing over her and into her.

She pulled down her good hand and pressed her palm against his chest. He’d never had much chest hair and she loved that she could feel his taut muscles under his skin. His erection nudged her hip and she could feel the leak of slick moisture. She knew he was more than ready to spill himself. She wrapped her hand around him. He gave a soft moan. His eyes darken. She licked her bottom lip and bit it with her teeth.

Rolling to the side, he opened a drawer and pulled out a condom. He slipped it on and then lay next to her again, letting his fingers skim over her stomach and down to her mound. He watched her eyes as he trailed his fingers further into the crease between her thighs. She moaned and heard his fingers dip into the slick wetness between her thighs. Spreading her thighs, he knelt between them and pushed her arms above her head again.

He kissed her and whispered, “Hold on tight and don’t let go.”

Rachel shook her head. “But I want to touch you.”

“You touch me again, it’ll be over long before it should be.”

Beck nipped her chin and then took her lips in a ferocious kiss. He pulled back, panting hard now. “We’ll talk later, but I want you to know—you…are…mine.” He punctuated each word with a kiss and then rubbed his hardness against her.

“Beck?”

“Yeah, honey?”

“Shut up and kiss me.”

Beck grinned and did as she asked. He felt so good against her—so hard and strong. She opened for him, gave him everything she could. She was ready to slide over the edge of ecstasy just from his kiss. She loved his weight covering her. And then he pushed into her—sliding in inch by inch. She felt stretched—filled. She wanted to touch him, but he’d told her to hang on.

He set up a nice easy rhythm, one designed to drive her crazy, she thought. The orgasm snuck up on her, swept over her with heat and shivers that left her gasping. Beck increased his speed, changing the angle of his thrusts, and hit just the right spot deep inside her.

The world narrowed to just his body, the sweat slicking their skin, their breaths now synched and gasping, the sound of his body slapping against hers. She gave a small cry and came again. Shivering, she lay under him.

Beck kissed her neck and asked, “Good?”

“Better than. But you didn’t—”

“Next time.” He pulled out slow and then pushed in deep. “And that next time would be now.”  Reaching around, he took her ass in his hands and tipped her hips up, hitting that special spot inside her that was guaranteed to send her over once again. “Come again. Now.” He growled out the words. Rachel shuddered—how could she do anything but what he asked. The world dissolved into pleasure, until nothing existed other than that moment between them. She gave a small cry.

Over her, Beck shuddered and called out her name in a harsh whisper. She could feel him spurting into her. His hips bucked as he pushed deeper, and then he held still.