Page 43 of Dr. Baby Daddy

“You’re right. It wasn’t fair at all.” Izzy rakes her hands through her hair, her eyes watery. “I looked like a fool in front of my boss. You know how hard I worked to get him to agree to changing up the material.”

“I wish I had a better excuse. I got to The Gilded Raven, and I saw everyone watching you and then I got worried about them watching me. I’m sorry.”

“All you had to do was tell me that you couldn’t do it. I would have understood. I would have figured something else out.”

Izzy gets up and makes her way into the kitchen, pouring herself a glass of water. Anger radiates off her in waves as she turns to face me. She kicks one leg over the other, watching me over the rim of her glass.

The oxygen is sucked out of the room as she waits for me to say something.

I don’t know what else there is that I can say.

Leaving her alone to figure out what to do was horrible. I should have called her hours ago, but I kept trying to tell myself that I was going to be able to do it. I wanted to believe that I was going to be there to perform.

I managed to make it all the way to The Gilded Raven before admitting defeat, even though I knew it was inevitable.

There was no way that I was going to be able to perform tonight. The little voice in the back of my mind knew it even when I told her that I would do it. I just didn’t want to disappoint her.

And yet, I’ve managed to do that anyway.

I stand up and make my way over to her. She stiffens as I approach, but she doesn’t push me away when I tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’m sorry, Iz. I really am. I was so worried about disappointing you that I tried to convince myself that everything was going to be all right, even though I knew that I had no business being on that stage.”

She sets the glass to the side and loops her arms around my neck, some of the anger melting from her expression. “You need to start communicating with me better. You might not have run off for days this time, but you’re still making me feel like I’ve been abandoned. This thing between us isn’t going to work if we can’t be honest with each other.”

It’s the first time that either one of us has said out loud that this might not work. My heart stalls in my chest as I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her close.

Though I’ve been trying to keep my distance from her — preparing for the day that both our hearts break — I didn’t know that she was thinking about the same thing.

I kiss her forehead. “I don’t want to make things more difficult between us. I should have told you the truth. I’m sorry.”

She cups my face in her hands, a thin line appearing between her eyebrows. “I forgive you this time, but please don’t let it happen again. I like you, Oliver, and I really want to see where this goes, but I can’t commit to that if you’re going to keep running the other way.”

“I really like you too.” I ghost my lips over hers, my heart hammering in my chest. “And I want to see where this thing between us goes too.”

“Good.” She puts her hands on my chest and pushes me back a step. “Then there is something that I bought earlier that I want to show you. Wait out here.”

Izzy strides into her bedroom and shuts the door while I stay in the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of water and sip it slowly. Some of the tension in my body fades away.

I screwed up, but she isn’t calling an end to everything yet. She’s willing to give me another chance, even though I don’t deserve it.

When the door to the bedroom opens, the air is knocked from my lungs. Izzy stands there in nothing but a lacy bodysuit and towering heels. My cock stiffens, straining against my jeans as I cross the room.

Her sultry smile grows wider as I pin her against the wall. My mouth slants against hers in a searing kiss. I moan as she nips at my bottom lip, teasing me.

I slide my hands along her curves, teasing her nipples with my thumbs before dropping lower. She moans, her hands slipping beneath my shirt. I cup her ass, massaging the flesh before I lift her up.

Her legs wrap around my waist, her pussy brushing against my cock. I reach beneath her and flick open the button on my jeans. As I step out of them, I kiss my way down her neck.

Izzy writhes against me, her hips circling as she tilts her head back to give me better access. I groan and graze her pulse point with my teeth, loving the way her nails dig into my back.

I press into her harder, dipping my head to suck one nipple into my mouth through the thin lace. Izzy moans, her fingers runningthrough my hair. Her back arches off the wall as my fingers dig into her ass.

“Bed.” She gasps as I bite down on her nipple before switching to the other. “I need you now. Stop teasing.”

I smirk, flicking my tongue over the stiffened peak. My cock aches to be buried inside her. Izzy rolls her hips again, teasing me as I carry her over to the bed.

She keeps her heels locked together behind my back, grinding against me with every step. I inhale a ragged breath as I put her on the bed.

Izzy spreads out, revealing the crotchless core of her bodysuit. With a groan, I drop to my knees between her legs and pull my shirt off over my head.

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