Page 21 of Never Gonna Lie
I can slowly feel myself coming back to the land of the living and give a slight tilt of my head. He hums as if liking my response and helps me sit up. Most of my weight is still on him, but the tunnel vision feels like it's lessening.
He hands me the glass, and I manage to hold it with both hands. I bring it to my mouth and take a small sip.
“All of it, pretty girl,” he gently says.
I do as he says and finish the glass, handing it back to him. James gently picks me back up and places me on his lap again.
“How you feeling?” he asks for the third time.
Is he worried about me?
“Tired,” I chuckle lightly against his chest. “I don’t know what happened, but I spaced out massively.”
He continues to stroke my hair as he says, “It’s called subspace. It happens after a particularly intense scene, and this was.”
“Scene?”
“Yeah. When you called me Daddy, we entered into a scene, but my stupid ass got so carried away, I didn’t even think to discuss it with you first.” He looks so angry.
“Did I do something wrong?” I ask quietly, worried that he’s angry atme.
“What?” he asks incredulously. “No, Raven. This one was on me. This was my fault, and for that I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “I liked it.” I can feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment.
We sit in silence for a while, him stroking my hair and me breathing in his scent. I’ve never felt more at ease than what I do now. The experience that I had with James was intense, but something I’d like to explore with him further. Am I weird that I liked calling him daddy? Is it normal? I want to ask him, but I’m too embarrassed to. He knows what he’s doing, so will he push me away again when he knows just how innocent I really am?
James breaks the silence first, bringing me out of my happy place. “You should get to bed, Raven.”
“Good idea. Mine or yours?” I tease, snuggling further into his chest.
James sighs, and I know it can’t be good. My body tenses immediately, waiting for the inevitable words that are about to spew from his lips.
“Look, this was a mist?—”
I push away from him, glaring as I reply, “You finish that sentence, James Smith, and I willnotbe held accountable for my actions.”
James sighs again and rubs a hand down his face in clear frustration. I stand up on shaky legs, hands on my hips as I wait for him to open his mouth and, knowing him, making this worse.
“You’re Drew’sdaughter, Raven.”
“Uh, huh,” I agree. “But I’m failing to see your point here. We obviously have some sort of chemistry between us after”—I gesture wildly with my hands to articulate my point— “that.”
“We can’t, Raven. You're twenty fucking years old, for Christ’s sake,” he exclaims. “Your dad would kill us, killme.”
I shrug. “Then we don’t tell him.”
James abruptly stands up, the muscle in his jaw ticking. “I’ve never lied to your dad in all the time I’ve known him, Raven, I’m not gonna start now,” he explains, giving me a pointed look. He takes a moment, placing his hands behind his head and glancing up at the ceiling. Finally, he lowers his head and looks directly at me. “Yes, there’s chemistry here, but that’s all it’ll ever be.
I pause, the words on the tip of my tongue to tell him exactly what I think of him, but I don’t. I’m tired of this. Tired of the back and forth and confusion he brings to my life. I turn on my heel, calmly walking out of the living room, not giving him a backward glance.
Chapter Fourteen
JAMES
Ibarely slept last night as thoughts of Raven kept spiraling in my head. What is it about her that’s got me like this? Not to mention the fact that I should never have touched her in the first place. What was I thinking? I wasn’t, clearly. My dick apparently overtook my faculties and made me into even more of a jerk than I already am. It’s like my body reacts to her without my brain engaging.
And Drew. What would he think if I were lusting after his daughter? He’d be just as disgusted with me, and I wouldn’t blame him. I’d let him beat my ass for thinking of her like this. Raven’s nothing to me. Absolutely nothing. I’m just an asshole who took advantage of a young, impressionable woman.
