Twisted Choices E-Book

J.C. Wittol

• Herausgeber: Boruma Publishing
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Friends With Benefits
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018

Seitenzahl: 87

Beschreibung

Book 2 of "Friends With Benefits"

Leseprobe

Book 2 of “Friends With Benefits”

Twisted Choices

By J.C. Wittol

Artwork By Moira Nelligar

Copyright 2018 by J.C. Wittol

~~ All characters in this book are over eighteen ~~

Chapter One

DeShawn pulled his Mercedes up to the gate, and stopped next to the uniformed policeman. His road trip had been long, and he was suffering from a severe case of car-butt.

Laughlin Air Force Base. His eyes traveled over the brown grass and near-desert geography, and he suppressed a curse. He’d never visited this Air Force base before, and was glad he was only here for a visit.

This place is unbelievable.

The Air Force Base in question was located along the Texas/Mexico border, and the only thing in this god-forsaken area worth anything was airspace. So it was no surprise that the base’s mission was pilot training. Sleek white fighter aircraft circled on the east side of the airfield, and slower black-and-white aircraft with larger wings circled opposite their smaller number. The sky was filled with planes, and DeShawn couldn’t determine how they kept from hitting one another. There was little rain or cloud cover, so it was perfect for its intended use, but it was too far from a big city for DeShawn.

A blast of hot air hit him as soon as he lowered his window, and he passed his identification to the gate guard. He was waved through immediately, and he started following the directions John and Becca gave him.

Second thoughts ran through his mind. He’d driven from Florida to West Texas to see a couple he’d only met once. He still wasn’t sure about this visit, but they’d asked him several times to come, and he did want to see Becca again.

Becca.

He’d found himself thinking of her constantly, and the time they’d spent together haunted him. It wasn’t love, he knew that, but they’d shared a connection for that week in South Padre, and he wanted to see if it was still there.

Becca’s husband, John, was the wild-card. He wasn’t sure how John would fit into this situation. He’d mentioned that to Becca during one of their phone calls, but she’d assured him that John was fine with everything.

She was waiting for him when he pulled into their driveway. He’d found their house easily, and he noticed it had the best lawn on the block. She waved excitedly, and he slid out of his car just in time to catch her. She jumped into his arms, gave him a big hug that lasted long enough for them both to start laughing, and any worries he’d had immediately vanished.

He set Becca back down on the pavement, and her amazing smile hit him like a ton of bricks.

“It’s about time you got here!” She poked his chest. “How dare you keep me waiting, mister?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. It took me longer than I thought to make the drive.” He lifted his hands in surrender. “It’s a freakin’ long way from Florida, and my ass is completely asleep.”

“Well, maybe I can do something about that for you.” She flashed him a naughty smile. “Let’s get you inside and settled. John and I made up our spare bedroom, so you’ll have your own space.”

DeShawn’s half-smile reflected his confusion and uncertainty. Becca acted as though things hadn’t changed since South Padre, and that didn’t make sense. Finally he shrugged, grabbed his luggage, and followed her into their house. His eyes tracked her figure, and his smile widened in anticipation. She had her figure back, and if anything, she looked even more gorgeous now. The shorts she was wearing really emphasized her amazing ass.

Their home was a typical military housing unit for junior enlisted personnel, but John and Becca had done a great job of furnishing and decorating it. DeShawn also noticed pictures of the baby everywhere, and felt a twinge of jealousy. It was short-lived, though, because he quickly realized they could provide a very stable, loving home. His job and lifestyle simply had made it impossible before, but things had changed for him recently.

Maybe it’s not impossible any longer.

Becca led him into their spare bedroom, and he dropped his luggage on the bed. It was tastefully decorated, just like the rest of the house, and he let out a long sigh. Then he felt arms circle him from behind, and Becca laid her head on his back.

“I’m so glad you came. Thank you so much. It means a lot to me…and to John.” She squeezed him tightly before letting him go.

“You’re welcome.”

She grabbed his hand. “C’mon. Let’s go see what John and the baby are up to.”

They walked through the house, past the kitchen, and out the back door. The patio was small, but it was shaded by a huge oak tree. There was a light breeze, and combined with the shade, the outdoors felt surprisingly pleasant. John stood over a classic Weber grill, beer in hand, and he was studying the charcoal briquettes. He’d obviously just applied lighter fluid, because the briquettes were still in flames.

He looked up, and smiled as Becca and DeShawn stepped out of the house. He didn’t seem bothered that Becca was still holding DeShawn’s hand. Smiling, he stepped over to greet them, and DeShawn expected a handshake but got a sincere hug instead. Surprised, he threw Becca a confused look, but she just smiled and winked.

John stepped back. “DeShawn. Thanks for coming, man. It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too.” He motioned at John’s beer. “You got an extra one of those?”

“Becca, would you mind getting DeShawn something to drink? I’ve got to tend this grill if I’m going to properly burn our hamburgers.”

“Sure thing, honey.” She disappeared into the house, and John nodded at a chair. “Have a seat, dude. Make yourself at home. Mi casa es su casa…as they say down here on the border.”

“Thanks.” DeShawn slid into the chair just as Becca reappeared with his beer. “Becca, you are an angel. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

She didn’t sit down in the chair next to him. Instead, she walked past John and bent over something, but DeShawn couldn’t see what it was. He leaned over to get a better look, and Becca motioned him over. He glanced uncertainly at John, but Becca’s husband motioned for him to obey.

DeShawn took a swig of his beer, and moved across the lawn. She stood near the base of the oak tree next to a big plastic crib-looking thing, and she smiled invitingly at him. DeShawn approached until he caught sight of a little baby sleeping peacefully inside the crib. Then he stopped and stood next to Becca, studying the sleeping bundle of joy. Her skin was light brown, and her head was full of curly black hair. A cute pink headband with flowers circled her head, and she wore a matching pink dress with pink socks. It was a cute outfit, and he couldn’t help smiling.

Their eyes met, they both smiled, and he hugged her. “Becca, she is absolutely beautiful.”

“She’s the most beautiful thing in our lives, and we have you to thank for it,” she murmured against his shoulder.

When they eased apart again, her eyes were misty. DeShawn was speechless, and simply stared at the baby for a while before he looked back at Becca.

“Hey, what’s her name? Are you guys finally going to tell me?”

Becca laughed. “Sorry, but we wanted you to be here when we told you.”

“That was Becca’s idea, DeShawn, not mine,” John quickly demurred. “I wanted to tell you a lot sooner.”

“Stop it, John. We discussed it.”

John shook his head. “No, baby…you decided, and I knew better than to argue.”

“Whatever.”

DeShawn laughed, and Becca glared at him. He lifted both hands in surrender. “Sorry.”

“Anyway…” Becca paused for effect. “Her first name is Bethany, and her middle name is DeShawna.”

He grimaced. “I like the first name, but did you really curse this child with DeShawna…as a middle name?”

That earned him a hard punch in the arm. “Yes. And I like it, so don’t make jokes!”

“Sorry. It’s a beautiful name.”

A strangely contented smile curved his lips, and he took a deep breath. Bethany DeShawna. She was beautiful.

Becca saw his expression, and took his hand. “John and I both wanted to find a way to work your name into hers, and that name sounded the best. Besides, you definitely don’t want to hear the other options we came up with.”

She pulled him back over to the chair, pushed him down, and slid onto his lap. Then she took a sip of his beer. He grabbed it back as soon as she was done, and she stuck her tongue out at him before sliding into the chair next to him. The homes in this area all had backyards with no fences, so there wasn’t an over-abundance of privacy.

John transferred the hamburgers on the grill, and they shot the breeze while the meat burned. Just as they were finishing, DeShawn heard a little cry. Becca was up like a shot, and picked up the little girl. She instantly quieted down, and when John walked over, the baby held her hands out for him. He nestled Bethany in his arms, then twirled her twice before he walked over to the patio.

“DeShawn, meet Bethany. Bethany, meet DeShawn.”

Bethany took one quick look at the big black soldier, and then hid her face in John’s neck.

“Oh, stop it, young lady. He’s not scary.”

Bethany peaked at DeShawn again, studied him with one eye for a moment, then offered him a crooked smile.

DeShawn couldn’t stop smiling. She was absolutely precious, and while his life didn’t have room for a child, staring at Bethany made him look forward to that possibility.

Becca’s hand on his shoulder brought him out of his daydreams. “We’d let you hold her, but she’s still a little scared of strangers. I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to make her cry,” he assured her. “Besides, I need to watch John for a while, and see how it’s done.” He chuckled, and shook his head. “I’m proficient with a variety of firearms and knives; but I am helpless with babies.”

Becca stared at him for a quiet moment before she smiled. “Not for long.”