by K. I. Lynn
“You want to date me that badly? To become my boyfriend? For a blow job?”
He shook his head. “Not for a blow job. I’m playing for something much more valuable than that.”
“What would that be?” I asked
“You. All of you.”
I blinked at him, unsure of how to respond.
“What about her?”
His brow scrunched. “She’s part of you, isn’t she? So that includes her.”
I swallowed hard, my chest clenching as I watched him make silly faces at her. Maybe I was wrong about him after all.
After lunch we walked around again, and after about an hour Kinsey gave up the fight and fell asleep.
Thane chuckled as he looked at her passed out. “She’s adorable.”
“Wish I could say I had something to do with it.”
“She’s happy because of you. Anyone can see that.”
“You’re being awfully nice, and I’m having a hard time processing it.”
Another chuckle. “I am a nice guy once you get to know me, when I’m not being a total prick.”
“And I’m a nice girl as long as you’re not a prick.”
He grinned at me before leaning down and pressing his lips to mine.
“Roe?” a familiar voice called out.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Brown eyes that I’d once stared at lovingly at met mine. Eyes that had been filled with anger when he left me. “Pete.”
“Hey.” Pete glanced down to the stroller. “You kept it.”
It. We never talked again after he walked out that day. Well, nothing past a few “is this yours or mine” conversations when he cleared out the following week. Every time he spoke about Kinsey he always called her “it,” and I wanted to punch that sneer right off his face.
The eyes of the girl beside him widened. “You got a kid?”
He shook his head. “Nah, that’s something she was stupid enough to get stuck with.”
His comment burned and ignited something inside me. Once upon a time, I’d thought we’d spend our lives together, but as I looked at him I couldn’t remember why I ever wanted that.
He was self-absorbed and never really cared about what I wanted. What I wanted that day was the baby in my arms, no matter the cost.
“I chose her. I wasn’t stuck with her. I chose her, dipshit,” I spat back.
“Once a sucker, always a sucker.” Pete glanced to Thane, who was glaring at him. He looked Thane down, then up, his lips curling. “And you suckered some dope.”
Thane stepped forward, towering over Pete much like he did me. The move was so sexy, that little bit of intimidation, that heat rushed through me and it wasn’t weather related.
“Only half right on that word, but she didn’t need to suck me for me to be a man. Only a boy would run away from a baby.”
I took a little too much joy in watching Pete give a hard swallow. “Whatever, man.”
I shook my head. “How did I stay with someone like you for so long?”
“Because I’m a beast in bed,” he replied with a smirk. So full of himself, so sure that he was “the man.” An attitude he never showed before. My guess was that it was for the clueless girl on his arm and to get back some of the ground he’d lost with Thane’s overpowering presence.
A bark of a laugh escaped me. He was nothing compared to Thane. Thane was caring and kind and strong and sensual and so sexy that I was having a hard time not jumping him right then.
A really hard time because the protective aura he was emitting was working me up. Wow.
“Keep dreaming,” I said with a roll of my eyes.
Thane made a sound and narrowed his gaze on Pete. It was as if he was sizing him up and found him to be a weak opponent. The kill shot was easy. Pete had left himself open for it.
Thane set his hand on the small of my back, his fingers dipping into my back pocket before squeezing my ass. “From what I’ve gathered in the last few minutes, you are a selfish lover who has probably never gotten a woman off. You’re a pussy of a boy who can’t step out of your own self-centeredness to help anyone. And she probably stayed with you so long out of habit and pity.”
Pete’s anger and ego stepped up but Thane was a shark, and sharks could smell blood in the water. It was what kept Pete from opening his mouth and cutting Thane off.
“Bingo,” I confirmed. It wasn’t entirely true. I’d deluded myself into thinking Pete was the one, settling on him.
Thane looked at me. “How many times did I make you come last night?” he asked.
“Hmm, five? Or was it six?” I shook my head. “Honestly after two in five minutes, my brain was mush. I mean, you weren’t even inside me until the last two.” I let out a moan, my lip quirking up into a smirk as I glanced at the wide-eyed look of the woman with Pete.
Our little fake conversation was turning me on even more. I really needed to cool down.
“It was seven by my count, though you were almost passed out by the last one. I had to hold all of your weight up against the glass. Probably gave someone a show.”
I bit down on my lip, pulling him closer. He leaned down and pulled my bottom lip free with his teeth before pressing his lips to mine.
The fire that burned between us flamed high, and we pulled each other closer. I couldn’t stop the moans and was consumed by Thane. His display, his arrogance and strength set me off and I wanted the lie we told them. Desperately. When we separated, we were both breathing hard and I didn’t want to let go.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot you were there,” I said to Pete.
I had. Thane had the ability to wipe my mind of all thoughts.
Pete’s girl stared at us. Her cheeks were pink, lips parted.
“Come on, Amy.”
“See you, Pete,” Thane said with a wave, then winked. “Bye, Amy.”
I smacked him on the stomach, making him laugh. “What was that for?”
He grinned down at me. “Just to get her more pissed off at him.”
“That was an elaborate description you gave them,” I said, feeling my face flame, and I looked back to them.
“Did you see the look on her face?” he asked with a chuckle.
“I saw the glare she gave him. Now you have quite a reputation to uphold.” I pulled him close again, the heat between us almost intoxicating. “Are you up to the task?”
He held me tightly to him, and I was lost in his gaze. “With you? No problem. Give me a day and I’ll triple it.”
“You’re just digging yourself a deeper hole,” I said a little breathier than intended.
He leaned down, his lips ghosting mine. “I like a challenge.”
A moan left me, and I arched into him when our lips met again. There was a high-pitched whistle followed by “Get a room” being shouted that pulled us from our lust-filled bubble.
I felt my face flame as many sets of eyes looked our way. Reluctantly I stepped out of his arms and grabbed hold of the stroller, checking on Kinsey before walking again.
“Was that really why you stayed with him?” Thane asked after a minute.
I shrugged. “First love, so it held that romanticized idea that we’d be together forever. Then we graduated college and started working. I was angry and sad when he left, especially because I think he was sleeping with someone else, but once he was gone, after those initial painful emotions settled, I realized how much better I felt without him around. It’s not that he was some bad guy, or that we fought a lot, but we had become more like roommates. It took me a while to admit there hadn’t been love there in a while.”
Every time I said the word “love” while looking at Thane my heart jumped, as if it was pumping that emotion back to life. As if he was bringing it back to life.
“Sounds like you were comfortable.”
I nodded in agreement. “Since then, my situation has led to an inability to date, because most guys run when they find out you have a baby.”
Thane took my hand and pulled me to hi
m. “Fuck them all, because they have no idea what they’re missing.”
I rolled my eyes, which earned me a swat to the butt. “They’re missing two a.m. scream fests, milk throw up, and poop. Lots of poop.”
“And the beauty that is seeing the way you look at her. The way she reaches out for you, her cute little giggles when you do something silly. They’re missing your feistiness and fierce loyalty. Your beauty and your cock-teasing body.”
I could feel my eyes filling with tears. “You really need to stop.”
“Why?” His brow scrunched.
“Because I’m really starting to like you when you do that.”
A chuckle left him. “And that’s a bad thing?”
“Maybe.” I stared at his chest, afraid of what would happen if I looked directly at him.
“Kiss me again and I’ll make you change your tune.”
All I needed was that edge of arrogance in his tone to pull me from whatever schoolgirl crush embarrassment had taken hold.
My lip twitched up as I looked up at him from under my lashes. “I think you’ll have to make that night we talked about real if you think you want to change my tune.”
His pupils dilated and his hold tightened on me. I could feel how much he wanted me pressed against my stomach. “All you have to do is name a time and a place.”
“Slow your roll, Casanova.”
“Oh, you want it slow?” He leaned in closer, his lips against my ear sending a shiver down my spine. “I can do slow, baby. Long, slow fucking all night long.”
I swatted his chest and he backed up, chuckling at me.
“You, Mr. Carthwright, are a bad boy.”
He threw his head back in laughter. “I can be a good boy, just let me prove it.”
“Uh-huh, right. Come on,” I said, pushing the stroller and continuing our walk around the zoo. He sidled up close to me and slipped his hand back into my back pocket.
“And here I thought fighting with you was fun and arousing. Teasing you is even better, plus I get the added bonus of turning you on.”
“Who said I was turned on?” I asked, trying not to give away how right he was.
“You want me, just stop pretending you don’t.”
“Wanting you has never been a problem.”
He grinned down at me and pulled me in closer, his lips pressing against the top of my head. “Ditto.”
Four hours later we were exiting the subway station.
“Let me walk you home,” Thane said.
“Really? It’s only a few blocks.” Though I didn’t want him to go. I wasn’t ready for him to leave.
“And more time I get to spend with you.”
“You’ve spent a lot of time with me the last few days.”
“That’s what happens when you’re infatuated with someone—you want to spend all your time with them.”
He’d already won me over, and I felt the same. “Infatuated, huh?”
“Is it so bad that I don’t want to leave you?”
“You don’t?”
He shook his head. “Yeah, I kinda like you, and my bigger-than-a-Popsicle-stick friend really likes you.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Well, I’m beat, so if he’s expecting any loving, you can just go on home.”
He reached up and slipped a loose lock of hair behind my ear. The action had me looking up at him, and I drew in a sharp breath at the beautiful smile that held none of the sexual banter of the day.
“Where should we order dinner from?” he asked.
I could only blink up at him, completely taken aback by the soft sincerity of his expression. He agreed without saying the words, knowing nothing sexual would be happening.
We decided on some Greek, and when I put Kinsey to bed, we snuggled on the couch together, watching a movie on my laptop since the TV was busted. It was simple but intimate, curled up against him.
Besides a few soft kisses, he kept the evening tame, and around midnight he headed toward the door.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked, turning back to me. “I really don’t like leaving you alone.”
I swallowed. It scared me, being alone after the other night, but I couldn’t ask more from him. “It has to happen at some point.”
He cupped my cheek and leaned down, his lips softly pressing against mine and then moving up to my forehead. “Call me if you need anything. And I do mean anything. If you’re scared or just want someone to talk to or someone to sing you to sleep.”
“Can you even carry a tune?”
“Surprisingly well.”
I rested my hand on his chest. “Thank you. For everything. Today was wonderful. Best day ever.”
A huge smile broke out on his face. “Good. I’m glad. Goodnight, beautiful. I’ll see you tomorrow for brunch.”
“Brunch? I never agreed to that. I don’t know. Kinsey…”
“I’ll bring the food. We can picnic on the floor.”
I nodded. “Okay.” I smiled at him and pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. “Goodnight.”
When the door closed behind Thane, I let out a groan. I was so screwed. Completely and totally off my rocker.
Thane was nothing like I expected and yet everything I never knew I wanted. I didn’t know things could be so amazing physically between two people.
While my experience was limited, I knew Thane was the kind of man who was the boyfriend every woman wanted—whether they knew it or not.
Owning up to my mistakes, my initial assessment of him was completely off base. Thane wasn’t afraid of commitment, and Kinsey didn’t scare him away. He was amazing with her and without a doubt, I was terrified that I was going to fall for him.
I was definitely screwed because I realized I was too late—I was already falling for him. He was acquiring my heart a little more each day.
At noon, Thane arrived with his arms full of bags of the most delicious-smelling food. It was the standard brunch fare, but after a long day the day before, it was nice to just relax at home.
Three hours later, someone knocked and I opened the door to find three delivery men with their arms full. They immediately went to work taking my broken TV down from the wall.
“What is going on?” I asked as I looked to Thane.
He just smiled and shrugged. “New TV.”
I blinked at him, understanding clicking. “You bought me a new TV? Thane… Why?”
He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me. “I couldn’t let you be without.”
“I have renter’s insurance to cover it.”
“Yes, but that could take weeks. Besides, it was my fault the television was broken.”
“And not stolen,” I said as I glared at him. “None of it was your fault.”
“Maybe not, but I do have a sense of responsibility since I don’t know if your policy would replace that.”
One man handed me a bag and a box containing a Playstation4, which I had no clue how he knew I’d once had since Pete took it when he left. I looked inside the bag to find a new ten-inch tablet and case.
My eyes were wide as I looked at him and shook my head. “This is too much.”
“It’s not. I just won’t get new cuff links this week,” he said with a wink.
“Let me at least give you some money to cover the expense.” Tears welled in my eyes and I tried to pull them back, but then it all hit me. I’d never had a man do things for me like Thane had. He accepted Kinsey without pause and thought about ways he could see me without having to exclude her—something that would have put more stress on me. “You suck,” I cried as the tears streamed down my face and I hiccupped a sob.
He pulled me into his arms. “If this is the reaction I get from me sucking, I’ll do it again and again. Now, did I earn that dinner date?”
I nodded against his chest. “Yes.”
A few hours later, he reluctantly headed home, and I had to admit that I was reluctant about it as well.
After giving Kinsey a bath and putting h
er to bed, I cozied into the couch and started playing with my new TV.
I was thankful for the TV, but the rest was unnecessary. We could have done without the tablet for a while, and definitely without the PS4. Though, it would be nice to watch one of my movies, and I couldn’t do that without some sort of Blu-ray player.
My mouth dropped open when I realized it was a smart TV and immediately entered my Wi-Fi password. I was logging into my Netflix account when my phone buzzed beside me.
Carthwright the Assholian: Goodnight beautiful.
I smiled at the message, my heart swelling with so many emotions. However, regret did catch me at the name. I quickly clicked on his name and erased all the letters, typing in five new ones.
Roe: Goodnight. I’m half tempted to call you my savior, but I don’t want it to give you a big head so instead I’ll send you this.
I attached a screen shot of our conversation with one glaring change.
Thane: That name change looks good on me. You look good on me too.
Thane: Great, now I’m thinking about you on me. And me on you. Me all over you in more ways than one.
Thane: I just wanted to say goodnight and now you have me contemplating sending you a dick pic because you made me so hard.
A giggle left me, and my heart soared.
Roe: I’m not entirely sure I’d be against that. Just imagine me playing with all those imaginary toys you think I have.
Thane: Fuck.
Thane: Fuck. Fuck…did you really have to tease me like that?
Roe: Yes.
Thane: So, how about that date?
Roe: I’m turning my phone off now.
I ran to my room with a wicked idea. Grabbing the one and only toy I actually had, I set the dildo between my breasts and squeezed them together before snapping a photo and sending it off.
Roe: And about that date—yes.
All I’d been able to think about in the week since Roe finally said yes to our date was that fucking photo. Every time I grabbed her at the office, she slapped my hands away and told me to wait until the weekend.
It was fucking torture. She was torturing me and getting off on it. I could tell by that sexy little smirk she’d give me as I sulked away. Though one time I refused to let her get away with teasing me as I pressed her against the glass window in my office. One hand under her shirt grabbing her breast and pulling at her piercing while two fingers slipped in and out of her incredibly wet pussy.
