Page 58 of Your Soul to Keep

My body, floating and boneless, melded to his.

The rattling of the doorknob followed by a key turning in the lock shocked me out of my passion-ridden stupor.

Gabe’s forehead furrowed. “What the fuck?”

I pushed his hands off my face and danced away from the door, pulling my jeans closed and smoothing my shirt back into place.

Gabe stepped back with me, his wide back shielding me as the door opened to admit his mother.

She looked exactly like I remembered.

Wild, wavy black hair, now liberally highlighted with silver, hung untamed to the middle of her back. Silver bangles stacked up her slim wrists and jingled as she gestured to someone behind her. Earrings dangled from her ears, and she wore not a smidge of make-up.

Maeve was a free spirit, and Gabe’s biggest supporter where his dad tended to be much more serious.

People either loved her or mocked her.

I belonged firmly in the first camp.

Her eyebrows flew up and her eyes widened in surprise as she found Gabe. She smiled widely. “Well, hey there, darlin.’ I didn’t know you were going to be home!”

Gabe spread his hands wide. “And yet, here I am, Ma!”

Maeve’s eyes moved past Gabe and found me. She brightened and grinned for just a second before her attention flew back to her son. “I thought you were going out!”

He guffawed. “What did you expect me to say? I’m bringing Shae over to take her to bed?”

I slapped a hand over my face, feeling the heat climb up from my chest.

Maeve laughed and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re a bloody handful.”

Pushing him aside, Maeve greeted me with a wide smile. “Hey there, Shae darlin.’ It’s good to see you.” With her hands on her hips, she wagged her eyebrows. “Prepare yourself, girlie. The queen bee is on her way up the path.”

Maeve moved out of the doorway, and I saw Dylan in the flesh for the first time.

She was smaller than she seemed in pictures. Her little belly protruded from under a t-shirt that had seen better days. Paired with hot pink leggings dotted with grass stains, she was a hot mess.

And the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

15

Daddy Kink

Dylanswungherarmsas she marched up the path and painstakingly tackled the stairs up to the porch.

“What the hell is she wearing, Ma?”

Maeve waved him away. “We were gardening.”

Dark hair sprung about her little head like a curly halo as she struggled up the stairs, the height of each step half the length of her little legs. Her bright blue eyes darted around seeming to take in everything.

She was a sprite.

A mischievous pixie.

I was in love.

And I’d never wanted to run so far and so fast in all my life.

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