Page 112 of Steel

“But she did, right? Isn’t that why you let Lyric go back to her?”

“She got as clean as someone who is forced to. My experience? Someone has to want to get clean on their own before it sticks. Ain’t got no proof that she’s not, and when I saw her, she was as clean as I can remember her ever bein’. It has to be enough for my daughter. Gotta believe she loves Lyric because she’s her mom.”

“Oh, Jericho,” Bailee says with a sigh. “You can’t count on that. Just because you give birth to someone or give the sperm to help create them, doesn’t mean that love is going to be there. I’ve got scars that prove that.”

“Fuck. I know that, Hummingbird. My head fuckin’ knows that. But I got great parents. They’ve never raised a hand to me in anger, never spoken bitter words that couldn’t be taken back. Just want my girl to have that. Despite what I feel toward Heather, gotta give her a chance because Lyric is the only family that Heather has. She’s always said that’s meant something to her.” My laugh is a bit rough when I let it out as I jam my head against the couch cushion. “All this shit makes me seem like a goddamn doormat to that bitch, don’t it?”

Bailee scoots closer and grabs a handful of my beard, pulling my face toward her. “Don’t do that. You’re a great father, Steel. You love that little girl to the depths of your soul, and you’ll go to ridiculous lengths to make sure she’s happy. There’s not much wrong with that. A great parent should want their child to have the best life possible. You see the love she has for her mom, so you try to make sure she has that in her life no matter what it costs you.”

Her fingers travel through my beard to curl around my jaw. “And bossman, it may not be so visible to others, but I see what it costs you to be around her. Especially after what she did. If you ever need me to take over, just say the word. I’ll be the go-between. I don’t give a crap about her, only you and Lyric. If I have to take her on, then I will. It wouldn’t be the first fight I’ve had protecting someone I . . . care about.”

Her hand drops when I pull my head away as I lean forward to place the bottle of beer back on the table. Disappointment rolls off her, but when I turn to her and drag her onto my lap so she’s straddling me, her relief is palpable.

I guide her arms over my shoulders then settle mine on her thighs. “Don’t need you takin’ her on, Hummingbird. ‘Preciate the offer, but it’ll only give her more fuel for her fire and don’t want that for Lyric.”

Something flashes in the depths of her eyes, but it’s gone when she blinks and smiles at me. “Well, I’m here, okay?”

The tips of my fingers dig into the bare skin of her thighs when fuckingfeelingsfor this woman fire through my blood. She must see it because she drops her forehead to mine.

Words ain’t really needed as we sit here staring into each other’s eyes. They speak for us, saying the words we’re both still too terrified to speak out loud. I’m good with that. Silence has always been preferable to me anyway. Sometimes, it’s the silencethat speaks the loudest, if you only listen to what it’s trying to tell you.

“I know this scares you,” she whispers, her words breathing life against my lips. “Us. It does me too. You’ve left before, and it bent me pretty badly.”

The only sign I show that her words cut me is the way my fingers tighten against her.

“What happens next time? Where will that leave me? Those breaking points I was talking about before, I haven’t hit them yet, but I’m really scared because I don’t know what will happen when I do.”

“Don’t give me that power, Hummingbird,” I order. “I don’t fuckin’ want it.”

Her eyes fill with tears. “Believe me, I don’t want you to have it any more than you do.”

Unable to stop the bitterness her words bring to my mouth, I decide to drown them out with her taste. Lifting my hand from her thigh, I grasp the back of her neck and pull until the distance between our mouths is closed. I attack her like a fucking savage, my tongue shoving its way through the small opening she gives and dominating hers.

My cock aches and lengthens when she swirls her hips, grinding her pussy against me.

I suck her moans down greedily.

This. This I know. This is what I’m familiar with. Pure, unadulterated lust. Even if there’s something else burning deeper and hotter underneath it, this passion is what I understand.

Fucking, I’m good at. Loving . . . not so much.

She pulls away, breathing harshly, and grabs the hem of her tank, lifting it over her head. Her tits pop free, and I waste no time grabbing the globes in my hands and dropping my mouth to them, sucking the pebbled nipple into my mouth tightly.

Bailee tosses her head back with a moan, her fingers lifting to tangle in my hair and hold me to her.

I move to the other tit after one last gentle nip to the stiff peak.

“More,” she groans.

I lift my mouth from her. “You want my cock, baby girl? You want me buried inside this tight little cunt?”

She doesn’t answer me. Her eyes stay closed as she twirls her hips against the bulge in my pants.

Pleasure racks up my spine, and I grit my teeth.

Dropping my head, I grab one of her nipples between my teeth and bite down, knowing just how much pressure she can take and how much it’ll take for her to get off.

Her scream echoes through my living room as she shudders on top of me, and heat soaks my sweatpants where her release drips from her.

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