Page 86 of Steel

“All of it. Killer. Your club. Heather. Lyric. You. But mostly, this. This scares me more than any of it,” Bailee admits.

“We’ll figure it out, Hummingbird.” I lift her head from my chest and cup her chin in my hand, rubbing my thumb across her bottom lip. “Thanks for comin’ with us tonight and for listenin’ to me. Know you didn’t have to.”

“Yeah, well, you played dirty and brought your daughter. You knew I would have given in to anything with her.”

“Not sorry about it. Knew it was the only way I was goin’ to get you to give me the time I needed. Know shit isn’t fixed, but I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“Steel, if everything you say is the truth, then there’s not really much that needs to be fixed. You and Heather weren’t together and neither were we. Is it fucked-up that you played her like that? Yeah, and I don’t like it, but I understand why you did it. But that’s something between you and her. Just don’t ever pull that shit with me. I would appreciate you telling me if she pulls any more kind of stuff like that, though, only so she can’t catch me by surprise again.”

“Got it. Hope she pulls no more bullshit. Damn tired of it. Been dealin’ with it way too long. Fuckin’ exhausted.”

Pulling her face to mine, I place my lips over hers, wasting no time in shoving my tongue into her mouth and tangling ours together. My cock lengthens at the eroticism of our kiss, pulling a moan from her when her pussy rubs against the bulge beneath her.

I remove my hand from her face and place them both on her ass as I climb to my feet. When she pulls away, her eyes are dazed, and her breathing is elevated. “Got two seconds, baby girl, to make a decision. You in my bed or you alone tonight?”

Her lashes flutter as she tries to clear the fuzz from her head. “You’re giving me a choice?”

“‘Course. Just had a talk about consent. Make it quick because I either need inside this pretty sweet cunt or need a cold shower.”

She grabs hold of my beard and yanks my face toward her. Her teeth grab hold of my bottom lip and bite down, making my cock weep in need before she runs her tongue across the mark. “Your bed, bossman.”

“Thank fuck,” I mutter before slamming my mouth back against hers as I walk us to my room.

Don’t know where shit’s going from here and don’t expect it’s going to be easy. I’m probably going to fuck up more than I won’t. Right now, I got my Hummingbird in my arms and my little girl under my roof. That’s enough. Bailee and I will figure the rest of the shit out as we go. We’ll fight and fuck, and we’ll probably want to strangle each other, but I didn’t lie to her when I said we were both fucked the moment she came back into my life because there’s no way in hell I’m gonna be able to let her go again.

Chapter twenty-three

Never really expected mytalk with Steel to go the way it did. A lot of truths were laid out for both of us, and I’d like to say it brought us closer. I still can’t believe what he told me about the blowjob he’d confessed to. There’s still a part of me that’s so mad at myself for not giving him the chance to explain the night he’d said something about it.

God, I’ve never in my life wanted to murder someone the way I want to murder Heather.

When he confessed about Heather and the blowjob, I never expected sexual assault. It’s the last thing Steel wants to accept happened to him, but I think—or at least I hope—now that he knows he’s got me right there, it’s easier for him to come to terms with. But I also, in a sad way, understand his reasoning for not wanting to face that too. The type of man he is, there’s no way he wouldn’t be tempted to kill Heather. And honestly, after having witnessed the darkness creep into his eyes a few times, I’m not sure he’d be able to stop himself if he fully accepts it. With the way he loves his daughter and the way she loves her mom, it would break him to know he took her fromLyric. And I hate that too, that he’s having to sacrifice a piece of himself again. But the bond between Lyric and Steel, it’s so beautiful, and I’d probably sacrifice pieces of myself so it could be preserved too. It’s just too precious.

My new favorite thing to do is watch those two interact with each other. It’s foreign to me after what I grew up with. I mean, I knew there were parents out there who loved their kids unconditionally like Steel loves Lyric, but I’d never witnessed it firsthand until I spent time with them.

Lyric. That little girl seems so starved for female companionship that it breaks my freaking heart, especially with the way she loves her mother. When we had our little mini mani and pedi session, the absolute wonder on her face tore me to shreds and made me want to do something like this with her every single day. It made me want to pamper her and spoil her until she never has to express wonder at having her freaking nails painted by someone who wasn’t herself or her dad’s best friend.

Lyric stole my heart the moment she demanded her daddy fix the heart of mine that he broke. She was so fierce in her battle for me that I couldn’t help but fall in love with this little stranger who looked exactly like a mini version of the man I’d stupidly fallen in love with.

I think we were all a little heartbroken when the weekend was over and it was time for me to go back to the apartment and Lyric to return to Heather.

Steel did promise more bonding time together, so I’m holding him to that.

“Girl, you’re in your own little world over here,” Reva says with a smile. “Go take a break.”

I grimace. “Crap. Sorry. Was just thinking about some stuff. I’m good. I don’t need to go on break. We’re freaking swamped.”

“And we’ll take care of it for ten minutes. You’ve been busting your ass since you clocked in. Take a breather.” She peers around the club. “Just be careful. I’ve been getting a bad feeling lately, and I don’t fucking like it because I don’t know where the hell it’s coming from.”

My phone rings, and I pull it from my back pocket, the corners of my mouth quirking up when I catch Steel’s name and peer over at Reva. “Yeah, okay. I’ll go take a break.”

She snorts, her eyes dropping to my phone before coming back to mine. “Of course, you will. Shoo. Go on. It’s only going to get busier later.”

“Hey,” I answer the call, plugging my ear so I can hear while I head down the hall and to the apartment. “Let me get where it’s quieter.”

“Baby girl,” he rumbles in greeting, sounding exhausted. “Head to your apartment. Got something there for you.”

I give a tiny squeal. “You got me a present?”

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