Page 45 of Forbidden Daddy Mate

“And you’re…okay with it?” I asked.

She gave a sly grin. “I mean, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t give me all the sordid details,” she said. “But he’s my dad, and you’re my best friend. And it’s obvious how much you love each other. I couldn’t get in the way of that kind of happiness even if I wanted to.”

I pulled her into a long hug. “You’re the best,” I said. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s fine,” she said, squeezing. “Like I said, I totally get it.”

“C’mon, Freya,” Klyte said, seemingly unfazed by the whole thing. Even back at the fight, he hadn’t looked remotely shocked. “While Malcolm’s taking a shower, let me take a look at you. I don’t want him pissed off at me for neglecting you when he gets back down.”

He took care of my injuries, none of which were major. Even my arm had healed more or less fully while in captivity. Klyte had finished with me long before Malcolm came down the stairs.

He was shirtless when he came down the steps, and I let out a hiss as I saw all the knife wounds. They looked worse now they were clean.

He saw my expression and gave me a warm smile. “I’m fine,” he promised. He glanced at Jenn. “I’m guessing you told her?” he asked me.

“Yep.” Jenn nodded. “And I won’t lecture you on keeping things that big from me at a later date. Right now, I’m just happy the two of you are okay.” She held up a finger. “But if either of you keep something this big from me again, we’re going to have words.” She gave us both a mock scowl.

“Don’t kill him,” Klyte said, throwing the rest of his stuff in the medicine bag. “I’ve just patched him up. It’d be a waste of good bandages.”

“Thanks, Klyte,” Malcolm said.

“Anytime. Besides, I should thank you. Rand isn’t the only person Tannen owes a lot of money to now.”

“You guessed?” Malcolm raised his eyebrows.

“Please. You helped raise me. I knew back when we fought them the first time.” He shrugged. “I just kept it to myself because I figured that was your story to tell.”

“You could have told me,” Jenn protested. “It would have saved me the trouble of worrying I’d pissed off my best friend.”

I winced. “Sorry,” I muttered.

She rolled her eyes, then brought me back into a hug. “It’s all right. It’s all out in the open. Now we can move on and see what happens next.”

I grinned, holding tight to my friend. For the first time since all of this began, things finally started to feel right.

Jenn and Klyte stayed over for a bit longer while Klyte continued to look over both mine and Malcolm’s injuries. After a couple of hours, and long after Klyte had finished, Jenn gave a meaningful cough.

“I think it’s about time we head out, honey. What do you think?” She raised her eyebrows, and Klyte caught on immediately.

“Right. We should get going.” He stood and stretched. His grin turned mischievous. “Don’t do anything too strenuous. I don’t want to have to come patch you guys up again.”

Malcolm growled and Klyte gave a wide smirk and a wink as he and Jenn strolled out of the house.

“Do you feel better now?” Malcolm asked, closing the door behind them.

“I think so,” I said. “Still going to have to get used to being open about it.”

He chuckled. “Understandable. But between you and me, I’m glad we don’t have to hide it anymore.” He stepped toward me, arms going to my shoulders.

He pulled me toward him, pressing my body against his so I could feel the hard lines of his abs and chest. He brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his eyes boring into me as he studied every inch of my face. My heart pounded as his lips moved down to brush against mine.

The kiss was soft at first, then more fervent, the passion growing every moment. His hand went to the back of my head, fingers tangling in my hair and holding me in place as his mouth claimed mine. That fire that only he seemed able to ignite lit between my legs. I moaned into his mouth, hands clasping his shoulders, unwilling to let him go.

One large, calloused hand slipped beneath my shirt. Electricity followed the path of his fingers, sending shivers racing through my body as fingers trailed up my stomach toward my breasts. His mouth never left mine as he played with my breasts, grabbing them proprietarily, slipping into the cups to toy with my hardening nipples. I gasped, writhing against him as the delicious need grew and intensified.

Common sense prevailed, and I pushed him away slightly. “Are you up for this?” I asked.

He raised his eyebrows, then growled. “Are you calling me old?” He pinched my nipple, eliciting a soft moan. “Because I think I’ve established well enough that I’m more than capable of fucking you senseless.”

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