Page 128 of Mountain Daddy

“And I’m yours,” he says quietly.

I believe him.

Tonight, and I hope forever more, we belong to each other.

Completely.

Irrevocably.

Forever.

29

NIKOLAI

Iwake to sunlight on my face. And Lilly’s hair. Soft. Warm. Spilling across my chest like a damn silk curtain.

She’s still asleep. Bare skin against mine. Her breathing slow. Steady.

Safe.

Last night crashes through me in flashes?—

Her nails. Her moans. The way her body clung to mine like it was made to fit.

Fuck.

My cock stirs, hard and ready again just from the memory. From her.

But it's not just that. Not just lust in my blood. It’s something quieter. Deeper. The weight in my chest isn't heaviness. It’s stillness.

Peace.

And goddamn it… I think it’s her.

Her eyes flutter open, catch me watching her.

“Morning,” she whispers sleepily.

I brush hair from her face, letting my fingers linger on her cheek. “Morning.”

She stretches against me and for a moment I consider pulling her under me again. Taking her slow this time. Making her beg.

Then my phone buzzes.

Text from Rosa:On our way with the little man. 20 minutes.

“Rosa's bringing Chleo,” I tell Lilly, showing her the screen. “Twenty minutes.”

Her eyes widen. She bolts upright, sheet falling away from her naked body. “Twenty minutes? The place is a mess. We're a mess.”

I grab her wrist before she can leap from the bed. Pull her back to me. “Calm down.”

“But—”

I silence her with a kiss. Feel her melt against me before I release her. “Shower. I'll clean up.”

Ten minutes later, I'm collecting torn clothing from the floor when I hear it. The sound of tires on gravel. A car door. Then?—

---