Life Changer (Chicago First Responders Book 2) Read online

  The erotic sight of my cock disappearing between her lips drives me closer to the knife’s edge. “That mouth . . . damn,” I grunt.

  When she smiles victoriously, her lips stretched tight around my cock, I snap, thrusting in and out. Her moans and whimpers fill my ears as I push deeper and deeper. The sight of her own hand diving between her legs and knowing she’s getting off on this is all it takes for me to shove between her lips again and again.

  As soon as Dee’s throat tightens around the head of my cock, I lose the fight. And with a flex of my fingers against her hair as my only warning, my vision turns white as I growl out my release, my hips jerking as she swallows me down, only stopping when I gently ease her off me.

  With her hand still working between her legs, I’m already moving before she knows what I’m doing. I carry her over to the bed lining one side of my office and lower her onto it, jerking her shorts down her legs before diving in face first. Her back arches off the mattress as she quickly buries her face in my pillow, and I suck her swollen clit between my lips at the same time that I push two fingers inside her. I go at her hard, wanting to give back just as good as she gave me, ignoring my reinvigorated cock in the meantime. This is all for Dee, and the entire world could catch fire and it would not stop me from making her come right now.

  Thank fuck it doesn’t take my girl long—she’s so turned on and on a hair’s trigger already—I thrust my fingers deep and curl them up as roll my tongue over her clit, and then the sweet, muffled sound of her climax wracking through her fills my ears.

  When she finally comes back to earth, I’m kneeling on the floor beside her head. Dropping my lips to hers, we taste each other as we kiss, lazy and slow.

  A satisfied smile transform her face. “Best. Day. Ever.”

  “Love you, Dee.”

  “Love you too, honey. Also, really loved that.”

  “Me too. It was worth missing out on the food.”

  “Well you did eat . . .” she says with wicked grin.

  My lips twitch. “So did you.”

  “Touché.”

  “Indeed. Now let’s get cleaned up, and maybe Marco did me a solid and saved me a plate.”

  She shrugs and holds out her hands for me. I pull her to her feet, then we quickly set out to right out clothes again. “If he didn’t, there’s plenty where that came from. I have an in with the chef, you know . . .?”

  “Hmm.” I lean in and take one last, long, slow and deep kiss. “I think I have an in with her too.”

  She laughs against my mouth, and I enjoy every second of it. “Good. Because you can be in her, whenever you want.”

  “Or just with her. Because sometimes, seeing her is just as good.”

  “Dammit. I have to kiss you again. You can’t say sweet, swoony stuff like that and not expect me to kiss you.

  I can’t help grinning at her and leaning in so she’s all I can see. “Have at it, sweet cheeks. Never gonna stop you doing that.”

  Chapter 18

  Dee

  “Why are you looking peaky?”

  “I’m not. I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”

  “Sure you are. That’s why you’re pacing a path into the rug,” Flynn says, looking amused from his stretched-out perch on our couch. “Why are you nervous? You weren’t worried when you met my parents for the first time.”

  “Because you were raised by Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. I just had to play the nice, respectable girl, who their son wanted to sleep with—I mean date—and charm them with my perceived innocence.”

  Flynn arches a single brow. “Nice . . . respectable . . . innocent? Dee, we’d been banging for about three months at that stage.”

  “Yes. But they didn’t know,” I snap.

  Flynn rolls his eyes at me. “Well, they sure as shit guessed when we got caught making out in the back seat of my dad’s Buick.”

  The memory of that night makes me gasp. “Oh my god. I’d forgotten about that.”

  He tilts his head and looks up at me. “Bet you’re not nervous now.”

  I bite my lip and shake my head. “Thank you.”

  “Honestly, you’re an easy sell, but if I was in Rhodes’s shoes—a widow, a single father, and not dating for how long did you say?”

  “Six years.”

  His eyes widen. “There you go—six years—then the decision to introduce the woman I’ve been seeing for the past three months is not one I’d make lightly. Which means . . .”

  “Which means he wants me to meet them and for them to meet me.” I study him for a moment. “And how are you with me and Harvs meeting the parents and going to this party tonight?”

  Flynn swings his legs over the side of the couch and leans his elbows onto his legs. “Honestly, I’m happy for you. I wondered how it would feel, you know—you dating, putting yourself out there, but Rhodes kind of . . .”

  “Fell into my lap?”

  Flynn chuckles and shakes his head. “The way I heard it, it was you that needed saving, and there was no falling-into-laps involved.”

  “Okay, two things. Stop talking to my brother, or mother, or whoever is giving you the goss.”

  “Father. But carry on,” he muses.

  My mouth drops open. “I never thought Dad would be the one to rat me out.” Flynn, Dad, and Ezra play golf every now and then. Flynn does it a lot for networking, as does Ezra, and Dad is just a retired old man who wants a reason to get out of the house occasionally to have time to himself without Mom giving him a honey-do list.

  “Hey,” Flynn replies, holding his hands in the air. “I do kind of know what’s been going on. You’ve been giving me the friendly cliff-notes version—which I appreciate by the way. You’ve gotta ease me into this whole ‘the mother of my kid is dating another man’ situation.”

  “Yeah, unlike you, I’ve had a bit of time to get used to you and Sophie.”

  He points at me. “See. Exactly. It’s not easy, but—”

  “Life never is.”

  “Nope.” He pushes to his feet, crosses the room, and puts his hand on my shoulder. “Now, to end this little TED Talk—stop pacing, stop being nervous, and go powder your nose or something. Not that you need it, because you’re beautiful, and you’re going to impress every single person you meet tonight. But the fact you are nervous tells me that Rhodes is a good man and must be worth it, because you’ve cooked for celebrities and didn’t even break a sweat.”

  “I love him, Flynn,” I murmur.

  He leans down so his eyes are on my level, his lips curved into a wry smile. “I know you do. This is a good thing, sweetheart?” He straightens, kisses the top of my head, then steps back. “When are you going to realize that men like Rhodes and I will do absolutely anything to earn the love of a good woman like you.”

  “And Sophie,” I add, watching as Flynn’s expression softens.

  “And Soph.”

  “And we’re set for you to pick up Harvs from Rhodes’s place in the morning?”

  “Yep. It’s all sorted. Harvs has packed all his stuff for tonight, and he made me promise I’ll be there at nine a.m. sharp, because—”

  “You pinky promised you’d take me indoor rock climbing this weekend, and a Duncan man never goes back on a pinky promise,” Harvs announces, walking into the room looking cute as hell and far too grown up in a bright blue button-down shirt and black jeans paired with his favorite—and thankfully clean—pair of white sneakers.

  “Son . . . did you maybe spray some of my body spray on?” Flynn asks. He bites his lip and tries hard not to laugh and also gag, because as soon as Harvey entered the living room, it’s like we’ve been transported smack bang into the toiletries aisle at Walmart.

  The boy at least has the decency to look a little guilty. “Um . . .”

  A snort escapes my lips before I can cover it with a cough, and I don’t miss the twitch of both Duncan males’ lips.

  “At least let me rinse some of it off, Harvs. You don’t wanna clear everyone’s nostrils a
t the party.”

  “What do you mean?” Harvey lifts his arms and smells under them. “I think I smell awesome.”

  “You smell like your dad, but also like you’ve bathed in it, baby. It’s the same as with chocolate, less is more.”

  That seems to make sense to him. Flynn winks at me and leads our son to the main bathroom .

  About five minutes later, I’m upstairs checking myself in the mirror one last time and grabbing my overnight bag when Flynn calls out from downstairs. “Dee, Rhodes is here.”

  I grab my bag, give myself a spritz of my Coco Mademoiselle perfume, and make my way down the stairs, remembering the first time Rhodes picked me up and Flynn answered the door and how nervous I’d been. Ironically, now I’m excited every time I see the man I love get along with my best friend and father of my child.

  My past and hopefully my future intermingling—it’s more than I could’ve ever hoped for.

  “Hey,” I say as walk down the stairs. Rhodes tips his gaze my way, and going by the flash of heat in his eyes, he approves wholeheartedly. I’m wearing a bronze-colored silk cami underneath a relaxed linen blazer, my favorite skinny black jeans, and leather knee-high boots. It’s smart, sexy, and I knew it would grab Rhodes’s attention and keep him distracted if he was nervous too.

  He takes my bag out of my hand when I reach him and wraps an arm around me, brushing his lips gently against my cheek. When I look over at Flynn, he nods approvingly at me. Harvey is standing beside Jake talking his ear off and oblivious to anything except him.

  “We’d better get going. If I’m going to pretend I have no idea that this party is happening, then I need to arrive on time or else my mom will have a conniption.”

  “Good to see you again, Rhodes. Don’t be a stranger on my account,” Flynn says as the two men in my life shake hands before he turns to Harvey and ruffles his hair. “Bye, kid. Be good, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning. Rhodes said he’ll make sure you’re ready by nine.”

  My head jerks to Rhodes then Flynn, and I begin to wonder how much I missed. “Um . . .” I say, a little freaked out.

  Flynn smirks and leans in, dropping his voice to a stage whisper. “You be good too, Dee. And don’t be nervous.”

  My mouth drops open as Rhodes chuckles beside me and squeezes me tightly.

  “Let’s go, guys. We don’t want Grandma Anderson blowing up my phone.” Jake laughs, Harvey smiles, looking adorably confused but joining in on Jake’s amusement.

  We’re at the bottom of the front stairs when Flynn calls out to us. “Rhodes, look after them for me.”

  “Always, Flynn.”

  “Yep,” my ex-husband replies, looking between us with an intense, warm gaze. “I know you will.”

  This is not just a goodbye . . . This is a moment—a passing of the torch. My tear-filled eyes meet Flynn’s soft ones, and it’s clear that was Flynn giving Rhodes his seal of approval, and that means more to me than I ever thought possible.

  Rhodes didn’t miss it either. He pulls me into his side and presses his lips to my temple and holds me there. “C’mon, sweet cheeks. Parties to be surprised with, kids to feed, parents to introduce you to.”

  Nodding, because I can’t trust myself to speak, I blow a kiss to a smirking Flynn and let Rhodes lead me to his truck.

  I wonder what I could call a video where I’m so deliriously happy that all I want to eat is candy. Maybe ‘Foods to Make when Life is Good.’

  “Surprise!”

  “Happy Birthday!”

  “Woo-hoo! Party time!” Both Scotty and Harvey yell. Heaven help me.

  I try to step away from Rhodes to give people the opportunity to greet and hug him, but his fingers tighten in mine and keep me there.

  “There’s my boy,” says a short, sprightly woman with curly brown hair and a huge, warm smile as she embraces Jake. “As handsome as his father.”

  “Ugh, Mom. I’m right here. You know, your actual son?” Rhodes teases, earning narrowed eyes from his mom.

  “I suppose you’re alright,” she adds with a smirk before she wraps him up in a hug. Then she turns that bright smile my way, and I’m suddenly being released by Rhodes and pulled in for my own big welcome. “And you, Dee, you’re as beautiful as Rhodes says. I’m Nora—Rhodes’s mom if you hadn’t guessed.”

  My head jerks to my smiling boyfriend. “You talked about me?” I mouth.

  His brows bunch together and he tilts his head. “Why wouldn’t I?” he mouths back.

  “Don, my husband, told me you made videos on the internet, so when Jake came over, I got him to show me some.” She leans in close. “I hope it’s not weird, but I made a couple of your recipes for tonight.”

  My heart swells and this time it’s me pulling her in for another hug. “I love that. It’s very sweet.”

  “Would you believe that Jake made some not-so-subtle suggestions about which dishes we should do for the party, then got Don involved, and before I knew it, the two of them had planned the entire menu and written the grocery list for ingredients.”

  “You’ve trained them well,” I say with a wink.

  Nora turns to Rhodes with a beaming wide grin. “Ah, yes, I totally like her already.”

  Her son claims me once again, reaching out to tip my face up to meet his. “That’s good, because I do too,” he murmurs before laying a hard and fast kiss on my lips right there in front of his mom.

  “Happy birthday, son,” A deep voice announces. Turning my head, I’m met by identical blue eyes on a handsome, older version of Rhodes. And when he smiles, I swear I’ve fast forwarded into the future and I’m getting a glimpse into what Rhodes will look like in twenty to thirty years. Going by his dad, the future is looking bright for me if we go the distance.

  “Damn, son. You do have all the luck, don’t you?” Rhodes’s dad teases, holding his hand out my way. When I slide my palm against his, he leans in and winks. “I’m Don, and I’ve taught my son everything he knows.”

  “Grandad, stop,” Jake groans.

  “What’s he doing?” Harvey asks.

  I press my lips together as my body shakes with silent laughter. Rhodes claims me back. “Stay away, old man. She’s mine.”

  “I’ll win her over. You know I will.”

  Resting my head against Rhodes’s shoulder, I give up the fight and giggle at him. “He’s totally just like you.”

  “Except I’m much more charming and handsome, right?” he asks, quirking a brow.

  I nod overenthusiastically. “Oh yes. For sure. Absolutely.”

  Nora laughs, the sound as endearing as tinkling bells. She’s totally the kind of mom I imagined would have raised Rhodes. She’s all soft and sweet and full of joy, but you can tell she’s the boss of the family. Just like my mom, and just like me.

  There’s another older couple standing off to the side, hand in hand, their curious gazes on us.

  “Nana!” Jake calls out, walking toward them hugging them both affectionately.

  Rhodes slides his hand into mine and puts his mouth close to my ear. “That’s Connor and Celeste, Lily’s parents. Do you still want to meet them?” He lifts his head, his gaze focused on my face as he waits for my answer.

  Therefore, there was never a question for me, not about this. I nod and give his hand a squeeze, lifting up on my toes and lightly kissing his cheek. “No time like the present.”

  By the time we reach them, Harvey is beside Jake and telling Lily’s parents all about the firefighter visit to his school and how awesome it was. They both listen to his every word, and it’s only when Harvey looks across the yard and spots Marco that his attention is diverted. And after waving a quick ‘bye,’ he’s tugging Jake’s arm to go join the fire crew. That leaves Rhodes and I standing in front of Connor and Celeste, silence stretching between us.

  I smile at Lily’s mom first, then her dad. “Hi. I’m Dee. It’s an honor to meet you.”

  Celeste’s mouth drops open before it transforms into the most bea
utiful smile—the same one I’ve seen in the photos of Lily back at the house. “It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Celeste, and this is my husband, Connor.”

  “Hi, Connor.”

  “Hey, there yourself, Dee. I must tell you, we went to your restaurant last year. The food was amazing.”

  My smile brightens. “Thank you. I must not have been working that night, but I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

  Celeste leans in. “Connor is a little bit obsessed with your desserts. When Rhodes told him who he was bringing to meet us, he made me watch your lava cake video and make it for him.”

  Upon hearing that, Rhodes throws his head back and bursts out laughing, earning puzzled looks from his in-laws. “Everyone is in love with Dee’s lava cake. Jake even stole my phone before Dee cooked for me for the very first time and requested it in a doggy bag.”

  Celeste giggles, and the sound is so mom-like it warms my heart.

  “I might have to get some cooking tips off you.”

  “You don’t need any help, lovely. You’ve always kept me well fed. I mean, look at this belly.” Connor rubs his stomach and grins over at me. “This is not the body of a man whose wife doesn’t know how to cook.”

  While Celeste blushes and moves closer to her husband, Rhodes presses his lips to my temple. “See, what did I tell you? Nothing to worry about. I love you, so they love you.”

  He’s right. I don’t even know why I was nervous. Actually, I do, but having met Nora and Don, and now Connor and Celeste, I had nothing to worry about. And with that knowledge, I finally relax completely.