Lily’s eyes were just as wide with surprise and that’s when he realized he might have fucked up. “Listen, I’m sorry. It’s not my place to tell Nicky what to do. I was just trying to help.”
She shook her head and picked up her fork to continue eating. “It’s okay. Toddlers often listen to other people more than their parents. It’s a peculiar quirk. I wouldn’t want you to discipline him or anything—that’s my job. But backing me up when I tell him to do something is fine.”
“Fair enough. So are we on for this weekend?” Dane held his breath and waited for her response.
Lily smiled and he knew everything was going to be okay. She was going to say yes.
“We’re on. How can I say no to a trip to Disney? I haven’t been there for years and I know Nicky is going to be in heaven.” She pulled the toddler into her arms and tickled his tummy. “Did you hear that, Nicky? Do you want to go to Disney World and see Mickey and Donald?”
“Goofy!” Nicky grinned, banging his fork on the table to the dismay of Lily and several of the other diners sitting close by. Dane quickly slipped the utensil from the boy’s grasp and he barely noticed it was gone, too focused on the cartoon dog. “I see Goofy.”
“I’m sure we’ll see Goofy and a bunch of other characters. We can go on rides and see some shows too,” Dane assured him.
Lily cuddled her son on her lap and smiled at Dane. His heart pounded in his chest, unused to feeling this much emotion. And it was all for this one woman who had turned his world upside down in mere weeks. Failure this weekend was not an option.
Plan B was in motion.
“I can see you’re going to spoil him.” But Lily didn’t sound upset about it. She sounded thrilled. Dane had a feeling she hadn’t been able to spoil Nicky very much with her financial situation the way it was. Soon all of that would be solved. The paperwork was almost complete. Not that she’d need the trust fund now that Dane was in the picture but it would give her independence. She wouldn’t ever feel like she had to be with him.
“I plan on spoiling you too,” Dane responded, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Just as soon as Nicky falls asleep.”
Her face turned crimson and she didn’t meet his gaze, instead intent on wiping Nicky’s hands. “I’m afraid we’ll wake him up.”
“We’ll be very quiet,” he whispered, loving the way desire shone in her eyes even when she was embarrassed. He didn’t want her to hide her sexuality. He wanted to help her celebrate and explore it. “But very good.”
Her tongue snaked out and licked her lush lips, making his groin tighten in response and his appetite for food disappear. Bedtime couldn’t come soon enough. “This is happening so fast. I feel like we’ve known each other longer than six weeks.”
“I won’t rush you but I won’t pretend I don’t want to be with you tonight.” Dane kept his voice low especially from Nicky who was drawing on the placemat with a blue crayon. “Trust me, Lily.”
He didn’t have any right to ask. Not with the secret he carried and hadn’t yet revealed but he couldn’t stop himself from asking.
The breath was sucked from his body when she nodded in assent. “I do trust you, Dane.”
He had to make sure she never regretted that statement.
*
It wasn’t easy to be quiet when all Dane wanted to do was toss Lily over his shoulder and carry her straight to bed. Plus the patience he had to corral while Nicky was in the bath. To distract himself Dane had offered to read Nicky a story and the little boy chose a dinosaur book. Looking angelic in his footie pajamas, Lily tucked him into his toddler bed with a teddy bear while Dane read a story about naughty dinosaurs who didn’t listen to their parents.
“I think he’s asleep,” Lily whispered as Dane closed the book he’d read three times in a row for Nicky even though the child clearly had memorized the entire tale. “He looks so sweet when he’s sleeping.”
“He’s a good kid,” Dane whispered back. “Unless he wants dessert.”
Lily answered his smile with one of her own. “Never get between an Emery and their chocolate.”
“He’s–” Dane broke off and then tried again. “He looks like you.”
Actually he had been about to say that Nicky was a Braxton but had stopped himself at the last minute. Tonight wasn’t the time for that discussion.
Lily gazed at her son, her expression so full of love and adoration that it made Dane’s own heart ache. What must it be like to be loved like that?
“He has my hair and maybe my nose. When they’re young they change so much it’s hard to tell.”
“I like your nose.” Dane leaned down and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose and then brushed her lips very softly.
“Dane.” The word came out so softly but it spoke of the need between them loud and clear. Dane stood and then pulled her to her feet, tugging her toward the door.
“We’ll be quiet,” he promised, his cock already pressing urgently against his zipper. He’d been thinking about this for the last hour and a half. He wanted to strip the clothes from Lily’s gorgeous body and make her scream with pleasure.
Well, maybe not scream.
This parenting thing was something he would have to get used to. Keeping the noise down, bath toys, and story time weren’t unpleasant in the least. It felt…warm and close. It felt like a family. Even when Nicky had thrown his tantrum about dessert it still felt good to be with the two of them. Dane was a part of something bigger than just himself.
The entered Lily’s darkened bedroom and he reached for the hem of her t-shirt, telling himself to not to rush. She deserved better than that after a long day at work. At the restaurant he could see the dark circles under her eyes and the fatigue she tried to hide.
Pulling the shirt over her head he reached behind her for the fastener of her bra, her skin satiny soft under his fingers.
“How about a back rub?” he asked, leaning down to drop a kiss on her shoulder and then higher up on her neck. She pressed her curves against him and sighed, making his heart trip in his chest. So fucking beautiful. He wanted to worship her all night long.
“Are you kidding? I’d love one.” She let her bra fall to the floor and stripped off her jeans and panties. Bare to his gaze, she laid down on her belly and he straddled her thighs and brushed her long, dark hair to the side. He spied some hand cream on the bedside table and squeezed a dollop into his palm, rubbing it between his hands to warm it up.
“Let me know if the pressure isn’t right.” Starting at her lower back, he ran his hands up and down her spine to spread out the lotion before concentrating on her shoulders and neck. Groaning and moaning as his fingers hit sensitive spots, she moved restlessly underneath him, her bottom brushing his already aching cock.
“That feels so good,” she said softly as he kneaded her biceps and then let his palms glide down her arms to massage her hands and fingers. By the time he worked his way back to where he started she was soft and pliant, sighing with pleasure.
Unable to deny the pressure that was building in his balls, he traced her delicate spine with his lips, kissing a path to the curve of her bottom, nipping at the pillowy flesh. She wriggled her hips provocatively and he pushed her legs apart, her pussy already puffy and pink, glistening with honey.
“I think someone wants more than a backrub,” he said close to her ear while pressing a finger into her warm and welcoming pussy. The tight muscles hugged the digit and he couldn’t wait to be as deep inside of her as he could possibly get.
“Yes,” she sighed. “More.”
He’d give her the world if she’d let him. He added a second finger and moved them in and out, hooking them so they rubbed her G-spot with every stroke. Her eyelids fluttered and her breathing became ragged as she gushed cream on his hand.
“Dane.”
No one said his name the way Lily did. It never ceased to turn him on and he began shedding his own clothes as quickly as he could, impatience making his fingers clumsy a
s he unbuttoned his pants. He managed to kick them away along with his shirt and boxers. He fished a condom from the pocket of his pants and rolled it on before covering her delicate body with his own larger one.
He nipped and kissed her neck, loving her breathless giggles as he slid his hands between her and the mattress to cup her breasts. Pinching the nipples, he ran his tongue around the swirls in her shell-like ear until she quivered underneath him.
Pulling them both to their knees, he pressed between her shoulder blades until she was on all fours while he braced his hands on her hips. With one thrust he was in to the hilt, his balls already pulled up close to his body. The pressure built in his lower back as he pulled out and then powered back in, biting his lip to keep from making noise.
Lily appeared to be having similar issues, her face buried in the covers, her fists wound around the bedclothes in a death grip. His fingers bit into the soft flesh as he built up speed, Lily’s breathing becoming more labored and ragged and her skin taking a rosy hue of arousal.
Her velvety pussy gripped him tightly, pumping his cock with each stroke. Higher and higher they flew until the pressure was too much. He reached around, his fingers finding her swollen clit. Her frame stiffened and she quietly keened into the mattress as she fell over the cliff even as he found his own release. So intense, the pleasure was almost like pain flowing over him like water on the shore. Sucking air into his lungs, he held her close to his body as they collapsed on the mattress, their skin sticky from sweat and honey. He stroked her soft skin while his heart rate returned to normal, pressing kisses everywhere his mouth could reach.
There was so much he wanted to say and yet he had no idea how to say it. His heart was so full of emotion but it was too new and unfamiliar. If he tried to express it, he didn’t want to get it wrong or scare her off. At this point it was better to be silent. Safer.
He levered to a sitting position and her hand came out to halt his movements.
“Will you stay? Will Ace be okay?”
“I will. A neighbor is watching Ace and trust me, that dog is being spoiled rotten. Just give me a minute.”
Dane padded to the bathroom, his mind whirling with conflicting thoughts and his heart focused on one thing.
He loved Lily. Anything else took a backseat. He didn’t know how to love anyone or even if she wanted him to love her. They had some things to work out before they decided to live happily ever after.
She still didn’t know the truth. And that fact was slowly killing Dane inside. He didn’t want to hurt this amazing woman. He just wanted to love her.
Chapter Eleven
‡
Nicky was having the time of his life at Disney World. They’d spent the better part of Saturday at the Magic Kingdom riding Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and It’s a Small World, among others. When they’d seen the dog with the key in Pirates of the Caribbean, Nicky had wanted to climb out of the little boat and carry the dog back to the hotel with them. They’d had to physically restrain him to keep him from jumping out of the boat.
Now back at the hotel at the end of the long day, Nicky was having a hard time keeping his eyes open and Dane was anxious for the little boy to drift off to dream land. It had been hard to wait all week and then all day today, but the time had come to tell Lily who he was.
And hope for the best.
“Let’s just put him to bed,” Dane suggested. “He’s already almost completely asleep.”
“He had a big day. I guess I can just wipe off his face and hands. One night without a bath isn’t a big deal.”
The hotel staff had already opened the fold-out couch and made up the bed so Dane laid the tired little boy on it before tugging off his Spiderman tennis shoes. They were staying in a suite that had a living room and kitchen combination in addition to the bedroom next store, not that Dane thought there would be anything sexy going on in there. Once he told Lily the truth he’d be lucky not to be kicked out and have to sleep in the car.
Between the two of them they managed to undress Nicky’s limp body and tuck him under the covers with his teddy bear. Lily switched off the light and pointed to the bedroom. Dane nodded, grabbing a couple of sodas out of the refrigerator on the way.
“I could use a shower.” Lily was already stripping off her shirt and heading into the bathroom. “I’ll be right back.”
Dane could use the short reprieve to do a final “go-over” of what he was going to say. Even though he’d had days to practice, he still didn’t know the exact right words that would make her understand why he did what he did.
Popping open the soda can, he reclined back on the bed and turned on the television, trying not to sweat through his t-shirt. He only had himself to blame for being in this position and Seb was right. Only raw honesty would get him out.
Lily joined him a few minutes later wearing pajama shorts and an oversized shirt. The ends of her long hair were damp and her freshly scrubbed skin glowed.
“Is that for me?” She pointed to the unopened soda can and he smiled and offered it to her, suddenly not knowing what to say or do. He simply needed to get to it. He reached for the remote and turned off the television, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure she could hear it.
“Baby, we need to talk.”
Lily froze, the smile she’d been wearing all day fading away. “Okay. What about?”
He’d fucked things up already. “Not what you’re thinking. I adore you and Nicky and I’m really happy. This isn’t a speech about how things have moved too fast or I need some space. I don’t want any space and I’d be okay if things moved even faster.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she sat down cross-legged at the end of the bed. “That’s good. I’m still a little worried though. What do we need to talk about?”
Dane sat up straight, his hands tight around the can. No more delaying or making excuses. Truth time.
“We need to talk about Brandon and the letters you sent him.”
Lily frowned and moved restlessly on the mattress. “What about him? I’ve told you everything.”
“It’s not what you can tell me, it’s what I can tell you.” Dane swallowed the fear that had taken up residence in his gut. “You see, I knew Brandon. He was my cousin. I found out about you when he died a few months ago and made me executor of his estate.”
Dane let his words sink in. At first she looked confused, her brow knitted but then his meaning must have gotten through somehow because she hopped up from the bed and walked over to the window.
“Brandon was your cousin? He’s…dead?” Her voice sounded strangled and for a moment he feared she still had feelings for Nicky’s father. “How? Why?”
“A car accident in the mountains of Greece. He was going too fast,” Dane said flatly.
Lily’s hand was shaking as she took a sip of her soda. “He always did drive like a maniac. Poor Brandon. And poor Nicky. He’ll never know his father now.” She seemed to wake up then and rounded on him, her brown eyes almost black. “You’ve known this all along and didn’t tell me? Wait. You’re his cousin?” She backed away as he stood, holding her hands up. “I don’t understand what’s going on here. How can you be Brandon’s cousin? Did you know who I was when we met?”
The last sentence was said with an incredulous tone and Dane knew he was in trouble. He had to explain fast.
“I did. I wanted to meet you and Nicky. I know Brandon didn’t do the right thing but I was determined to make sure Nicky was taken care of if he was truly Brandon’s son.”
Lily inhaled sharply. “Did you think I was lying about that?”
“I didn’t know for sure, but if so I didn’t want your son to suffer because Brandon was selfish and irresponsible.”
“And now?” Her lips were trembling and her face was pale. “What do you think now?”
He tried to move closer but she backed up again, shaking her head. “I took one look at Nicky and knew he was Brandon’s son. You may not see the physical signs but I do. He’s a Br
axton.”
“Brandon’s last name was Donovan.”
“His mother was a Braxton and that makes Nicky a Braxton.” Dane slipped by her and reached into his suitcase, pulling out the thick envelope. “This is the trust I’ve had set up for Nicky. You’ll never have to worry about money again, Lily.”
He held out the papers but she was looking at them as if they were a poisonous snake. “Just look at it,” he urged. “For the most part you’ll have complete control over the fund.”
Finally she took the envelope and pulled out the sheaf of papers, taking her time studying them before returning her gaze to his. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion, no color in her pale face.
“This says there’s a million dollars in this account. A million dollars, Dane. I think you need to start from the beginning again. Just how did you find out about me? And why did you seek me out? I want answers.” Her voice had turned shrill at the end.
Scraping his fingers through his hair, Dane knew the time for honesty had come. He needed to tell her the ugly truth.
Even if she didn’t want to be with him anymore. He didn’t want her pity. He wanted her love.
*
Lily was glad Nicky was sleeping peacefully but her world was quickly crashing down all around. Less than half an hour ago they were having a lovely getaway, enjoying her young son’s first visit to Disney. Now she was face to face with the man she thought she loved but may never have known at all.
“When Brandon died I was named the executor of his estate.”
“You said that,” Lily replied abruptly, trying to be patient even as her heart was breaking into a thousand pieces.
“I’m trying to explain. As his executor I was given access to certain personal items. One of them was the last email you sent him after Nicky was born.”
Lily remembered that letter well. She’d been terrified of raising a child alone with little money and no emotional support. It had been a last ditch effort to get Brandon to own up to being a father and taking even the slightest interest in his son. She’d never heard a word back and eventually any hope she had withered away.
Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) Page 8
