Page 42 of Twisted Fate

This was all too new, too fresh. Everything happened so fast last night. My heart pounded in my chest as I drove to that restaurant, afraid I’d be too late and she’d be gone. Relief washed over me when I saw she was still there, but fury reignited when my gaze landed on her date, his predatory gaze assessing her like prey caught in a trap. I was ready to pummel the creep. If it hadn’t been for Charlie, I probably would have. She’d been half asleep, her head nestled against my shoulder when I found Delilah. Taking her inside with me wasn’t ideal, but I didn’t want to leave her alone in the car.

My emotions were still running high when we got home, and I said some things I probably shouldn’t have. It was just that my protective—and possessive—instincts flared to life, and I acted on impulse. Had I acted rashly? Was it too much, too fast? My stomach knotted with turmoil as I began to acknowledge the implications of my actions. I’d slept with the nanny and my daughter’s biological mother. This was a tangled web, and I wasn’t sure if I was the spider or its prey. All I knew was I was falling, and I hoped it caught me.

“Are you alright?” Delilah asked from the passenger seat. I glanced over at her. Her face was partially bathed in darkness, illuminated only by the lights from the dash and the occasional passing streetlight. Concern knitted her brows as she watched me. Taking stock of my tight muscles and stiff back, I relaxed.

“I’m fine. It’s just been a long day.”

“Okay,” she replied, her voice low as she averted her gaze. She didn’t believe me. Glancing in the rearview mirror to make sure Charlie was asleep, I reached over and laced my fingers through hers. She sucked in a breath, her entire body going taut before she stole a peek into the back seat.

“She’s asleep,” I assured her. Charlie had passed out before we even made it out of the parking lot. Delilah fell back against her seat, her head dropping against the headrest in relief. “We should probably talk about what happened last night.” Her back went rigid again, and I winced. Now that Charlie was out and we were essentially alone, this was the first chance we’d had to talk since everything changed.

“Yeah,” she agreed, letting out a long breath. “We probably should.”

I stayed silent for several minutes. She’d given me the green light to address the elephant in the room, but the words seemed stuck in my throat. She gave my hand an encouraging squeeze, and it was exactly what I needed to continue.

“I apologize for the way I acted,” I began, and she started to pull away, but I didn’t release her hand. She probably thought I was apologizing for kissing her, for claiming her, and for making love to her like I’d wanted to for weeks, but that wasn’t it. “I insinuated that you were somehow at fault for what happened, but you weren’t. That’s on him.” Her eyes fell closed like she was savoring those words, as though she’d been waiting years to hear them. “You did nothing wrong, and I overreacted. I let jealousy cloud my judgment.” Her eyes shot open and snapped to me.

I released her hand and rested my palm against her bare thigh. The feel of her silky skin caused a stirring in my groin that I tried to ignore. “I was jealous as hell that you’d gone out with another man.” My grip tightened on her leg, and she squirmed beneath my touch. “I wanted to be the one taking you out. The one who held your hand and kissed you at the end of the night.”

She huffed out a laugh. “You got more than a kiss.”

“Damn straight I did.” My hand slid further up her thigh until I reached the frayed hem of her cut-off jean shorts.

“What I’m saying is, I’m sorry for being a jerk, but I’m not sorry for what happened after that. And I’d really like for it to happen again.”

“You would?” she asked, voice laced with surprise.

I nodded. “If that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah,” she breathed, “I think I’d like that.” My body stirred to life at the sound, my cock growing hard and thick behind my zipper. I squeezed her leg, and she let out a soft moan.

“So, you want to keep doing this?” I asked, although I was fairly certain of her answer.

“Yes.” She gripped my wrist and held it in place. Uncertainty rolled off her in waves as though she didn’t know if she wanted to move my hand higher or keep me from sliding it closer to her pussy. Fuck, I wanted to do the latter, but I was driving, and my kid was in the back seat. I’d have to behave.

For now.

Delilah and I agreed that what happened between us shouldstaybetween us. It was a complex situation that didn’t need any onlookers or meddling family members poking their nose in our business. We would conduct ourselves exactly the same around Charlie. She was a smart kid. She’d pick up on it if she saw us suddenly begin to touch or hug or act anything but cordial to each other. We would be friendly but not too friendly in front of the other adults in our families on the rare occasion they were around. No one would be the wiser.

At least that was what I thought.

The following week was a whirlwind of excitement and stolen kisses. Monday morning, I snuck down to the kitchen while Delilah made breakfast and wrapped my arms around her waist. I buried my nose in her neck and breathed in her intoxicating scent. She arched into me, and our sweet embrace instantly grew heated. In a matter of seconds, I had her up on the counter, pressing my erection into her as her thighs bracketed my hips.

“I love your cooking,” I said, peppering kisses along her jaw and neck, “but I’d rather haveyoufor breakfast.” She gasped as my fingers found the edge of her panties and dipped inside. She was warm, slick, and so damn inviting. I wanted to make a meal out of her right then and there, but I couldn’t. It was too risky.

“I’ve got an idea,” I said, sliding my hands beneath her ass and lifting. She wrapped her legs around my back, and I carried her to my office. I didn’t waste time explaining my plans. Instead, I kicked the door closed and placed her on my desk, instructing her to lie back. Anticipation glinting in her eyes, she complied, resting back on her elbows. She lifted her hips as I slid her shorts and panties off.

Her head fell back, and a moan escaped her lips at the first swipe of my tongue. She dug her fingers into my hair as she writhed against my mouth. She was insatiable, and her enthusiasm spurred me on. I worked her over, sucking and biting then licking and stroking until she was coming apart.

I stood from where I knelt in front of her as she sat up. She pressed her legs together demurely like I hadn't just been face deep in her honey pot. I swiped the back of my hand over my mouth, and her eyes flared before sliding down my body and settling on my tented pants. Her hand shot out, and she hooked her fingers inside my waistband, yanking me toward her.

My palms met the dark wood as I braced my weight against the desk and stepped between her thighs. Her hand disappeared into my pants the moment a tiny voice called out, “Daddy?”

Delilah yanked her hand away, and I jumped back. “Shit,” I hissed, readjusting my hard-on while Delilah frantically searched for her shorts. I found them draped over a filing cabinet and tossed them to her. “I’ll distract her while you slip out,” I said as she stepped into her shorts sans panties. I wasn’t sure where they’d landed, and we didn’t have time to look for them.

Once she was dressed, I opened the door and slipped down the hallway to the kitchen. “Hey, munchkin,” I crooned as I scooped Charlie into my arms.

“Is Delilah here?” she asked, craning her neck to peer around me at the bowl full of waffle batter.

---