He knew what he wanted and knew I was willing to give it to him. Licking me in a skilled, gentle way that only a man who really knew what he was doing could do, he had me quivering and clenching in no time. Whenever I needed to feel just that little bit more, he gave me that too.
He was exquisitely rough and perfectly gentle at the same time. In the back of my mind, I awarded him a gold star. There was no over-stimulation, no uncertainty, and no stopping or breaking his rhythm at inopportune times.
When I got to that point where I needed to be filled, he slid two thick fingers into me without me having to say a word. My mind melted out of existence as I moaned and bucked my hips against his face.
Between his mouth and fingers, he hit every spot imaginable and teased every nerve I had out of hiding. Tension built and built until it hooked below my belly button and the dam burst. Whimpers fell from my lips as my fingers twisted into his soft hair.
Pleasure yanked me into its grip with that hook, and there was no getting away from it as it crashed over me in wave after powerful wave. Chris’s large hands steadied me, whispering sexy words for the time it took me to ride it out.
“You’re beautiful when you come, April. I’ll never get tired of seeing it.” He peppered my upper thighs and lower belly with kisses. “Just breathe. I’ve got you.”
He stood up when the trembling stopped and pulled me into a hug, murmuring to me while he stroked my back and waited for my brain to come back online. When it did, I became aware of how he towered over me, of how firm his body was against mine. His heart beat in a steady rhythm, and again, I felt that overwhelming feeling of being safe with him, protected by him.
He was so damn big and strong, yet he had the best heart and a sense of humor to boot. It wasn’t really any of those things that drew my attention in that moment, though. It was his cock throbbing against my stomach.
Even though he was still fully clothed, I felt the intensity of his need as though it were my own. Not wanting him to have to wait any longer, I brought my hands up to the buttons on his shirt to undo them. I slid the metal tabs through their holes and pushed the shirt off his shoulders, letting it join my clothing on the floor.
Once the shirt fell, he wound his arms around my waist and lifted me up against him, issuing commands between fervent kisses. “Wrap your legs around my hips. If I put off taking you in the car earlier, I’m not about to do it against the wall. Hold on tight.”
He marched us down a hallway with more doors than I could keep count of with my sneak peeks between his kisses. Eventually, he carried me into a room that was clearly his bedroom.
The bed was massive, but so was everything else about this guy and his penthouse, for that matter. It wasn’t like he’d have a single twin bed in a room this size.
He set me down on it, stepping back to do God only knew what. My gaze had drifted to his chiseled, gorgeous torso with all of the subtle yet sexy lines I’d known would be there. Right down to those perfectly formed fuck-me lines I’d literally dreamed about.
I stared unashamedly when his fingers deftly undid the button of his jeans, gripped the tab of the zipper, and pulled down on it. The sight of his long, thick cock when it finally came into view knocked a moan out of me. I just couldn’t hold it back.
He was hard and so fucking ready, his tip glistening and his veins protruding, that I had no idea how he managed to keep as cool as he was. I knew how he felt, considering that I’d been feeling the exact same way only minutes ago.
The only difference was that I’d been ready to drop to my knees and beg again, while Chris seemed perfectly content to take his time. At the sound of my moan though, whatever hold he’d had of his control snapped and he pounced on me.
He crawled over me, his voice strained and his muscles tight. “Keep making noises like that. Let’s see what happens.”
“I’m game if you are,” I teased but the effect was kind of lost with how breathless my voice was. Winding my arms around his neck, I pulled him down until he was pushing me into the mattress and his mouth met mine again.
We kissed until we were both moaning and grinding before he finally pulled away and reached into his nightstand. The box of condoms he pulled out was a new one, I noticed with a strange sense of satisfaction taking root in my chest.
He ripped the plastic off and delved into the box, coming back with a foil package before tossing the rest down on the floor. Moving back to sit on his knees between my legs, he rolled the condom on under my eager gaze.
When he was done, he lined himself up with my entrance and looked into my eyes as he thrust home. I arched my hips into his, loving how full I felt with him inside me but still craving more.
He started moving, slowly withdrawing before sinking back in but never taking his eyes off mine. I rocked in time with the rhythm he set, growing more desperate by the minute. Our bodies moved together until we reached a frenzied crescendo and he drove us both over the edge.
We came together, our moans and curses mingling in the air. Electrifying pleasure coursed through me when he finally jerked against me and lost track of his rhythm.
Our limbs tangled as we collapsed in a heap on his bed, our breathing labored and my head on his chest. His heart raced against my ear, seemingly as out of control as my own.
As I closed my eyes, his hand found its way to my hair and he pulled me closer for another kiss. The moment was intimate, almost loving.
But there was no use in denying it anymore. I was starting to have real feelings for this man, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Chapter 29
CHRIS
Hunter grunted when he lifted a can of paint to carry it into our building. “Man, you’re a billionaire. Couldn’t you just have hired someone to do this?”
I laughed. “Nope. This was what you wanted, remember? You said we’d fix it up ourselves and that’s what we’re doing.”
“I was an idiot.” He wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his arm. “Can I take it back? Hire whatever crews you want to.”
“What, you aren’t having fun?” I joked. The heat was blistering today, and it felt like we were moving through wall after wall of humidity.
“Usually when I take a day off work, I do have fun. I’d rather be back at the hospital right about now, though. At least we have air conditioning there.”
“Toughen up, big guy. There are going to be a lot more days like this before we can move in.” I would’ve hired a crew to do the work in a heartbeat if I thought he was serious, but I knew he wasn’t.
Everyone who would listen had been told about the building and how we were going to fix it up ourselves. It had also been two weeks since the cleaning crew had come through here, and we’d been here almost every spare minute we had.
Unfortunately, that meant seeing less of April and Adi. I still saw them, of course, just less than I would’ve liked to. The building would be ready eventually, though. I had to agree with Hunter. It was better to do it ourselves.
Seeing it all coming together as a result of our own blood and sweat—because there’d been a few instances of actual bleeding—was pretty damn satisfying. There was already a fresh coat of paint outside and about half the inside was done. We had ordered our furniture and equipment and had redone the stairs and railing.
Hunter cracked the paint open just as my phone started ringing. April’s name came up on my screen, and he rolled his eyes at my smile when I saw who was calling.
“Jeez. You two are inseparable these days.”
I shrugged. “Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t have been the exact same way if you had a girl like her.”
“Dude, I’ve told you. I’m too busy for women.” He winked and picked up a paint brush. “You’d better get that.”
Sliding my thumb across the green bar, I flipped him off with my free hand and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hey, babe. What’s up?”
“Could you meet me at the lawyer’s office?” she asked, her voice shaky.
“He just phoned me to ask me to come in and I’m fucking terrified.”
My brow furrowed. “Of course. Do you want me to come pick you up?”
“No. We’ll be late if you do. Are you sure you’re not too busy?”
“I’m shooting the shit with Hunter at the new building. It’s fine, April. I want to come with you. He can manage some painting by himself.”
The man himself raised a brow at me when I hung up, concern pulling his eyebrows together. “What happened? That didn’t sound like the happy kind of ‘I want to come with you.’”
“It wasn’t. I set April up with my lawyer weeks ago to represent her in case Craig follows through with his threats. Something must have changed because he’s suddenly asked her to come in.”
“Fuck.” He rubbed the spot right over his heart like the news was causing him pain too. “Go, brother. Let me know how it goes or if there’s anything I can do to help. I was there the day Adi came in, after all.”
“I’ll do that.” I gave him a curt smile before turning around and racing to my car.
When I got to the lawyer’s office, April was already there.
I saw her through the window to the conference room and didn’t bother waiting for the receptionist to usher me in. The door to the room slid open soundlessly, but the lawyer and April both looked up anyway.
Relief filled her expression and she held her hand out to mine instantly, gripping it hard when I went to sit down beside her. The lawyer, some guy called Howard who I’d been assured was the best in this business, acknowledged me with a dip of his head.
“Doctor Matthews, I presume. Thank you for joining us.” He folded his hands on the table. “We’ve only just gotten started. I’m sorry for calling you in on such short notice.”
“It’s fine. What’s the emergency?” I looked into his icy-blue eyes, and when I saw the regret in them, I already knew what was coming.
“I received communication from the attorney acting on behalf of Mr. Ludwig. I’m afraid he’s provided me with proof of his appointment and his letter was to inform us that they intend on suing for full custody of Adi.”
April’s hand shook in mine. She seemed to be beyond words, with silent tears tracking down her cheeks, so I took the lead. “What do we do now?”
“They haven’t filed a suit yet. They’ve simply given us notice that they intend to do so. I assumed you’d want to meet with me at my earliest convenience regarding this matter, so I cleared some time for you.”
“Thank you.” Not that he deserved any thanks for what he was billing per hour, but I still appreciated that he’d contacted us immediately and had ensured he had time to see us. “What do you make of his claim? What are his chances of success?”
The older man pursed his lips and shook his head. “He won’t get full custody. There’s no basis for a suit to that effect at this point in time. I’ve seen many an opportunistic litigant in my day, but Mr. Ludwig seems to be right up there with the best of them. Unfortunately, he’s found an attorney willing to act on those ludicrous instructions, which means we have to prepare for the battle.”
“Worst-case scenario?” I asked, cutting right to the chase.
April’s fingers tightened on mine until I thought she might cut off all the blood flow to them, but I didn’t mind. If this was difficult for me to hear, it must be hell for her.
Howard uncapped a fancy pen and pulled a notepad closer. “The worst-case scenario is that Mr. Ludwig will be granted unsupervised visitation with Adi over weekends, some holidays, and a weeknight or two every second week.”
I felt April’s shoulders falling next to mine. Driven by pure instinct, I slung an arm around her and pulled her right into my side while also fixing the lawyer with a glare. “That can’t happen. Adi would be in danger with him. I’m not just saying that on a whim or a suspicion either. Have you read the report of what happened the last time he had her for only a few hours?”
He nodded. “I can assure you that we will fight against any order that includes unsupervised visitation. But I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you whether there was any amount of time or conditions of visitation that you were willing to offer him in order to make this go away.”
“It won’t go away.” April’s voice was still shaky, but her jaw was set with determination. “I don’t want him getting any visitation with her. If there has to be some kind of order, I wouldn’t want it to be anything more than one hour per week under my supervision and in a public place. It might sound like nothing, but it’d be more than he’s ever seen her.”
Howard scribbled on his notepad. “I understand. I will make sure that our counterargument is structured in such a way so as to illustrate that even the bare minimum would be more than fair.”
He asked us more questions and walked us through the process. An hour later, April moved like she’d aged at least twenty years and hung onto my hand as we left.
“Why is he doing this? I just don’t get it. He’s never been interested in her. Why now?”
I hugged her closer to me. “He’s just trying to make you miserable.”
“Well, it’s working,” she spat. “I hope he knows I wasn’t kidding about those pictures. Revenge is a dish best served online for all the world to see.”
I stopped when we walked into the parking lot, then walked around her to look into her eyes while taking her hands in mine. “I get where you’re coming from, but you can’t release those photos right now, baby. It’ll be too easy to trace them to you and you could get arrested or sued for a whole host of other things.”
She blew out her breath before leaning forward and resting her forehead against my chest. “I know. I just feel so helpless.”
Closing my arms around her, I put my cheek on top of her head and did what I could to reassure her. “Everything’s going to be okay, baby. Howard’s the best. He’s taking care of this for us. Just let him do his job. We’ll keep fighting until we win.”
She nodded against my shirt, burrowing her face even closer to me. “Are there really any winners in something like this? It doesn’t feel like there will be. Adi sure as fuck can only be worse off for it, and if she loses even an ounce of her innocence because of this, we all lose.”
She got that right, but I didn’t have to tell her so. It went without saying. Adi might not biologically be my daughter, but I wasn’t letting that man hurt one hair on her precious head if I had any say in it whatsoever.
Chapter 30
APRIL
The physical therapy department was becoming like a second home to us. Adi and I spent so much time there that we were as comfortable there as in our own living room. Laughter rang out behind me as I went to pull up a chair to watch them work for a while.
“You look like a seal.” Adi giggled as Hunter struck a pose on the floor. “Can I try?”
“Sure.” He grinned and patted the mat beside his. “Just let me know if any of your muscles feel a bit stiff.”
“You should do just fine,” Chris said from where he’d been working on some fine motor activities with her at a low table. “Your progress over the last couple of weeks has been great.”
“Thank you.” She sat down on the mat and slowly lowered herself into position. While Hunter showed her what to do, Chris kept a watchful eye over her movements until he was satisfied she wasn’t hurting.
“She’ll have her full function back soon,” he said, walking over to me. “A few more sessions and then we’ll have a PT graduate on our hands.”
My heart gave a little pang. Seeing Adi this happy and carefree again was nothing short of amazing, but I would miss coming there once her treatment ended. “She’s going to be ecstatic once she can do everything she used to be able to, but I think she might want to keep popping in.”
“Any time.” He smiled, and a lock of his hair fell across his forehead as he looked down at me. “We’re going to miss having you two around to hang out with us. You’re welcome to come see us whenever you want. Some o
f the younger kids enjoy having recovered patients around to encourage them.”
“Really?” I frowned. “Do lots of your patients hang around even after they’re done with their sessions?”
He shrugged. “More than you’d probably imagine. Some come in to say hi whenever they’re in the hospital visiting someone. Others still have treatments in other departments or follow-ups happening. Mostly, they come in if they’ve volunteered for our graduate program.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“We offer the kids the opportunity, if they want to, to come to sessions with patients who have to come alone. If their parents can’t be here, it’s nice for them to have support from someone other than us. Regardless of our relationship with them, we’re still the people doing the treatment. Sometimes, they just want someone else around to encourage them.”
“Sounds like a cool program.” I eyed Adi on the mat. “I think she might like to join something like that. Will you continue with it once you move to your new building?”
“We’ll try.” He glanced at the open door. “Realistically, we might have fewer people signing up or be willing to come back when they won’t be around the hospital anyway. We’ll have to see how it goes.”
I gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Chris was still having trouble making his deal with the board, and I knew he was worried about leaving the patients behind if he couldn’t get it done.
Eventually though, I knew he would get something worked out with them. It was just a matter of what and when.
“How’s the building coming along?” I asked. “Have you picked a name yet?”
“No, we—”
Hunter cleared his throat. “Actually, I’ve come up with another possible option. What do you think about ‘The Therapy Hounds’?”
“Hounds?” Chris shook his head. “That’s terrible.”
She’s Mine Now Page 19
