Page 88 of Daddy Sees Snakes

"Good," I manage. "Ready for that meeting, Iris?"

"I am. Good luck with your boy toy," she says, and Allegra blushes.

"Thanks," she says.

"See you soon," Iris winks, and with that, she heads out the front door.

"Bye, dad. Have a good meeting," Allegra laughs, heading back into the dining room.

"Yeah. Thanks," I mumble, and the minute the door closes, I'm racing out the door. "Iris!"

"Oh, God," she hisses, turning on her heels.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. Walking away," she smiles, and her innocence is enough to melt me. "She's right here, Viper. I don't want her to see us together."

"You can't come to my house, okay? You can'teverdo that again," I hiss, pulling her into my arms. "Fuck. I want you. So fucking much. Last night was amazing. Fucking incredible."

"Me too. But we can't be together. Not yet. She won't accept it. God, I'm only a few years older than her," she whispers.

"I know. It's complicated as fuck," I hiss, kissing her softly.

"We can't do this. We can't," she cries, pushing me away.

"Baby," I start.

"No. Just, no," she hisses. "Not like this. Not in secret. You don't understand. I can't keep doing this. I love what we have going on between us, Viper, but we can't do this if we have to hide it forever."

I groan, then follow her to the car.

She won't let me open the door for her, and I stand on the curb uselessly.

"Fuck," I hiss, and get in the driver's seat.

We drive to the meeting in silence, and when we're parked, she reaches over and grabs my hand.

"You'll wait for me, right?" she whispers.

"You know I will," I hiss. "You're mine, Iris."

"Then kiss me goodbye. Like you mean it," she whispers, and when my lips touch hers, my chest is filled with warmth.

"I'll always mean it," I whisper, and the second those words leave my lips, the moment is broken.

"Wait for me. Wait for me, please," she begs, her tears streaming down her face.

"Always. Always, baby," I hiss, wiping the tears away. "Always."

"Good," she sniffles.

My heart fucking breaks for us, and what we could have been if the circumstances were different.

"I'll be here. Every step of the way," I whisper, and she nods.

"I need you, Daddy. But we can't ever let her know," she whispers, and the second the words leave her lips, I know they're true.

"Never. We'll never tell her. I promise. Never," I hiss, kissing her forehead.

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