Better (Stark Ink Book 2)

by Dahlia West

  But it hadn’t happened that way.

  He sighed quietly and pushed the thought away. No point in wallowing. He glanced at Zoey’s belly. Fairy tales were better left to the kid, for as long as he could keep them and believe in them. And the kid should have that, deserved that.

  Dalton was determined to shield him for as long as he possibly could.

  Back home, Zoey slunk into the kitchen and reached for her teabags. Dalton watched her go but didn’t join her. He needed time to think. There wasn’t much he could do about Grant, certainly not in this moment anyway, but there was one thing he could do.

  He headed to the garage and shut the door firmly behind him. He turned on the heater and scanned the space until his eyes settled on what he was looking for. He walked to the wall, picked up a crowbar, and headed back to the middle of the floor. With the claw end, he pried up the top of the table until it was completely detached from the legs. He set the crowbar aside and took the large plank of newly liberated wood to the workbench against the far wall and prepared to, quietly, hack it to pieces.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  As Dalton worked, the snarl in his brain began to untangle. The lathe shaped the pieces of wood as well as his thoughts. Grant was a more serious problem than Dalton had anticipated. Not only was he a bastard, but he was also an entitled bastard. Those were the worst kind because you’d never get rid of them without giving something away. The thought of giving that fucker a thin dime was infuriating.

  Dalton felt money was the key though, somehow. Grant had a new car but was broke, had cash but didn’t give Zoey any. He took a swing at her whenever he saw dollar signs slipping away. That was a man on the edge. There might be a way to leverage that without having to pay the guy off. Zoey didn’t need the stress of a long, drawn out divorce. Grant had to know the marriage was over except for the ink on the paperwork. All he wanted was what he thought he was due. Take that away and Dalton felt certain they’d never hear from him again.

  “Hey.”

  Dalton looked up.

  Adam was standing in the interior doorway to the apartment. “I called your name.”

  Dalton frowned. “I didn’t hear you.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Adam moved down the steps and into the garage. His gaze swept the area and fell on the draped sheet. “What are you doing in here?”

  Dalton shrugged, moving away from the workbench. He put himself between Adam and the sheet. “Working.”

  “On what?”

  Instead of answering, Dalton glanced down at his watch. He’d been in here longer than he’d realized. “What are you doing here?”

  “Zoey called Calla. She’s worried about you. So, I thought I’d come over and see how you were. She said you’ve been in here all day. Tough time at the lawyer’s?”

  Dalton grimaced. “Yeah. Grant wants money to walk away.”

  Adam frowned. “You don’t have any money.”

  Dalton’s jaw twitched. “I’m aware, thanks.”

  “Why don’t you let Zoey and her parents handle this?”

  Dalton grit his teeth so hard his head hurt. “Because they don’t want to handle it and Zoey shouldn’t have to deal with it alone.”

  “Yeah, but it is her problem and really, if she cares about you and wants what’s best for you, she’d handle it herself. God knows you’ve got enough on your plate.”

  Dalton took a step closer to Adam. “Look, I’m not interested in throwing any punches today. And I’m pretty sure Mom’s not looking down on me ashamed anymore.”

  Adam paled. “You know why I said that.”

  “I do and it was true then, but it’s not anymore. I’m not that man. I know who I am and I know what I owe you. I’ll pay you back. I am paying you back. You don’t have to keep reminding me of the mistakes I’ve made.”

  Adam’s jaw dropped. “You think I’m worried about the money? I’m here because I love you. Mom asked me to look out for you.”

  “Look out for me? I’m not a parrot or a record collection, Adam. You don’t will me to your next of kin to look after, okay? I get that she asked you, but I don’t need you to do that anymore.”

  Adam crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was shorter than Dalton, but still formidable. “Clearly you do. You’re making bad choices, D. You’re on a slippery slope here and you’re too attached to—”

  Dalton glared at him. “Too attached? Jesus, what’s with you? Zoey’s not a stray puppy. She’s my woman and I love her. I’m not too attached, Adam. I. Love. Her. And if you can’t deal with it, then just leave. I’m too busy for this shit.”

  Instead of walking away, Adam grabbed a corner of the sheet.

  Dalton dropped the sandpaper and lunged toward him. “Don’t mess with that!”

  Adam pulled and the cover slipped to the cement floor.

  Dalton froze and glared at his older brother. Now he was in the mood for throwing punches.

  “Jesus Christ, D.”

  It wasn’t finished, but the bones were there. Four legs, hand carved. He’d spent all autumn on them back when it was a coffee table. Now the surface was raised several inches higher. Spindles rose out of it like ribs. Those weren’t carved because they were smaller, making it an infinitely more difficult task. He was short on time. It still needed rail caps and a headboard. He thought it would be ready, though.

  Before Adam could speak, they heard a gasp.

  Dalton turned to see Zoey standing in the open interior doorway.

  Her hand covered her mouth and her eyes were wide. Her voice came out in a whisper. “Dalton?”

  He frowned and rubbed his hand over his face. “I didn’t want you to see it until it was done,” he told her. “Doesn’t look like much now.”

  She shook her head slowly. “It’s beautiful.”

  He shrugged. He didn’t agree. A year ago it could have been. Now it was adequate. “I downloaded the specs. I measured and re-measured everything. It’s completely safe. There’s no way to get his head caught between the bars. I’ll make sure you can lower the side to get him in and out easier.”

  Adam blew out a harsh breath. “Yeah, it’s a nice crib, D. Where are you going to put it?”

  Dalton turned on him. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ve about had enough of your shit! Why are you so—?”

  “You know why,” Adam shot back. “You know damn well why.” He turned to Zoey. “I love you,” Adam told her. “I do. At one point you were like family. We thought you were going to be family. But you already left once. Now, no one is saying that you didn’t have good reasons. No one is saying that you made him the way he was, but losing you didn’t help. I honestly think he would’ve died. He was about wrap his truck around a tree or just take one drink too many, pass out on that couch, and never wake up. But I came this close to losing him after you left. Now you’re back, but I don’t know. Are you staying? Are you going to go back to your husband and try to work it out?”

  “The hell she is!” Dalton snarled.

  “Well, it’s not your choice, is it?” Adam countered. “She’s going to do whatever it is she’s going to do and if she walks out that door what will you do?” Adam didn’t wait for an answer, instead he turned back to Zoey. “You’ve got him all twisted up, Zoey. You’ve got him wishing for things that might never happen. And it’s not just you. That baby’s got Dalton wrapped around his little finger and he’s not even here yet. If you stay until he’s born, if Dalton ever actually looks into his eyes, that’s it. It’s all over. If it isn’t already.”

  Dalton stepped between them and jabbed a finger at Adam. “Don’t put this on her! Don’t you do that! I’m not doing anything wrong. I’m just… doing the only thing I’m good at.” He gestured to the crib. “I’m just trying to help.”

  “Bullshit!” Adam replied. “You’re playing fucking house. You’re playing house with another’s man’s baby, another man’s wife.”

  Dalton shook his head.

  Adam’s face so
ftened. It was the same look he’d worn when Dalton had been drinking, pity mixed with disappointment. “You’re building a house on quicksand, D, and you of all people should know what happens when you do that.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Dalton closed the door behind Adam, managing to resist the urge to slam it. His older brother had no right to dump all that shit on Zoey, no right at all. Dalton could handle himself, had been doing so for six months now. He was long past the need for a babysitter or someone who was going to make things harder with Zoey. Dalton accepted that he’d made bad choices in the past, but Zoey and the baby weren’t one of them. He refused to believe that.

  When he turned to look at her, though, his anger at Adam faded. This was Zoey and Dalton had to admit that through no conscious effort on her part, she had the power of life and death over him, or at least sometimes it seemed that way. He parsed over Adam’s words, pictured Zoey walking away now, or worse, going back to Patrick. The resulting pain felt like it started in his chest and radiated everywhere throughout his body. To deny Adam’s words was to deny what Zoey meant to him and he didn’t think he could do that, maybe he shouldn’t do that.

  Dalton thought about Jig and what he would have said if Dalton had told the truth about the plant. Jig would want him to be cautious, to be honest with himself.

  “Is that what you’re doing?” she asked quietly. “Playing house? Is that what we’re doing?”

  Dalton sighed. “At one time I thought all I wanted, all I needed, was to tell you I was sorry. But it’s more than that. I had — have— so much more to say than that, but I don’t know where to start.”

  “Say what?” she demanded.

  “I don’t know, Zoey.”

  “But say what?” she pressed.

  “I don’t know!” he insisted. “I don’t know how this goes, Zoey. All I know is that I love you. I’ve always loved you. Even when I was pushing you away, I loved you. Adam’s right. We’re not exactly on quicksand, I don’t believe that, but we’re definitely not on solid ground here, either. Or at least I’m not. I don’t know what to do. I’ve only been in love twice in my life.”

  “Twice,” she repeated.

  He shook his head. He didn’t know exactly what to say but he sensed that what he’d already told her was too much. “I don’t want to put this on you.”

  “What? Put what on me?”

  He looked at her, the way you’d look at a cliff when you were about to jump off- even if you had a parachute, even if there was water underneath you, that feeling of terror was always there. But as he looked at her, the thought of all the things he’d wanted to say back when he thought he’d never have a chance to say them. “I’m sorry,” “I was wrong,” he’d told her all that. Now it was time to lay it all on the table.

  “I love him,” he admitted, feeling strange and slightly panicked now that he had to bring it up. “I talk to him, Zoey. I talk to him at night, when you’re asleep. He hears me. And… I tell myself he likes me. I didn’t mean for it to happen. I wanted to give you space, choices. I didn’t want to pressure you.”

  Zoey’s hands fluttered to her stomach, her lips parted in surprise. “You didn’t say anything at the ultrasound. I thought you were mad.”

  Dalton shook his head. “I wasn’t mad. I was scared. I was scared you’d say something negative, something like you didn’t want me sticking around and… fuck.” He ran his hand across his face. “Adam’s right. I was playing house. I didn’t want it to end. I fell in love with him.”

  Zoey gaped at him.

  “You shouldn’t look that surprised. You think I wouldn’t love him? Just because he’s not my blood? Of course I would. Mom and Pop took in Jonah and Ava. Did they love them any less because they were adopted?”

  It was a rhetorical question, of course. Zoey had known Mom, known his entire family. She knew who the Starks were. Did she think he wasn’t one of them anymore?

  “They raised me right,” Dalton told her. “I… I might have gotten off course there for a while, but I know who I am and I know what’s right, Zoey. You and this boy…” His voice was in serious danger of cracking so he shut himself up long enough to take a deep breath. “They say not to start a relationship for at least a year, in case it goes south. They say get a plant and see if you can take care of it, keep it alive. If you can’t, you’re not ready. I know I’m not doing it right. You’re not supposed to have the plant and the relationship at the same time. I don’t know what I’m going to do if I lose you. ”

  Zoey gasped and Dalton immediately felt like shit.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he corrected. “Zoey, Zoey look at me. Those things I did in the past, that’s all on me. And anything I do now or later, that’s on me, too. None of this is your fault. Nothing will ever be your fault. Don’t… stay because you’re afraid for me. I can’t have that. I’m better, Zoey. Or at least, I’m getting better. I just… I feel like you two are here for a reason. This is my second chance, Zoey, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going to try and take it. If it doesn’t work, if you don’t want it to work, I’ll find a way to deal with that. But I will be damned if I don’t try.”

  “The old Dalton wouldn’t have said that. He wouldn’t have risked his pride.”

  “Well, I’m not him, Zoey. Not anymore. I’m not saying I know exactly who I am. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be difficult sometimes, but I’m not that man anymore, Zoey. I’m not.”

  “You… you really want us? Both of us?”

  “More than anything. More than my life. I’m risking my life by having you here because I never want to let you go.”

  Zoey looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “I was afraid to ask,” she whispered. “I just wanted to pretend, too. For as long as you’d let me.”

  All of his breath came out in a rush in that moment. “Oh, Jesus,” he said as he moved toward her. In two steps he had her. She was in his arms, his lips were pressed against her hair, the baby was between them, right where he belonged. “I will do anything I have to,” he promised. “I’ll be anything you need.”

  “I know,” she said through her tears. Suddenly she was laughing, laughing and pulling him to her. His lips found hers, but her giggle was infectious. He grinned and bent down, scooping her up in his arms.

  “Dalton!” she cried. “I’m too heavy!”

  He smirked at her. “Baby, think about who you’re talking to.”

  He carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the comforter. His hand brushed her thigh before dipping between her legs. “You feel good,” he told her, slowly stroking her. “Bet you taste good.”

  Zoey’s eyes were half closed. “Dalton,” she said quietly.

  “You don’t have to worry about getting ready for me, baby. I’m going to eat this pussy til it’s soaking wet.”

  She sighed as he peeled off her pants and let them fall to the bedroom floor. Her panties weren’t spared either. He ran his fingers through her soft curls just once before he pushed himself back on the bed and sprawled across it. “Saddle up,” he ordered, tugging on her hand.

  “What?”

  He grinned at her. “You know how this goes. You’re going to ride my tongue.”

  To her credit, she didn’t argue, but she did say, “Don’t blow.”

  “I know,” he told her. She looked at him curiously. He shrugged. “I might have read it in your book.”

  She grinned, letting go of his hand to balance herself as she crawled up his body. She gave him a sly smile as she placed a knee at the side of his head. Dalton couldn’t wait until she was fully settled. He gripped her hips and took a long lick of her slit as her other knee pressed down into the mattress.

  Zoey gasped.

  He pushed his tongue past her curls and into her folds, searching for her clit. On finding it he gave it a swipe. Zoey pushed down, her swollen nub moving past his lips and into his mouth. He sucked her greedily. Once again she was his, grinding on his face. She pinched her own
nipples for him as his fingers smoothed over the rounded flesh above him.

  No woman had ever felt more like “his” before. He moved down and tasted her hot, wet hole, teasing it.

  Zoey gyrated hard, forcing his tongue deep inside her. She tasted salty and sweet and oh-so-female.

  “Don’t,” she rasped, lifting her hips.

  Dalton gripped her hard and tried to pull her back. “I want you to finish,” he told her.

  “No,” she panted. “Not yet.”

  He frowned as she pulled away from him. She moved down until she was straddling his thighs. He would have objected once more, but Zoey grabbed his zipper and yanked it down. She tugged open his fly and his cock bulged out, still encased inside his briefs. Her fingers dug into his waistband, pulling his jeans down. The cool bedroom air hit his erection, but it didn’t flag.

  As Zoey leaned down and licked his shaft, Dalton groaned. “Not in your mouth,” he ordered.

  She took another lick, teasing him mercilessly.

  “Zoey,” he growled. “I’m serious. Do not make me cum in your mouth.”

  Her hot breath fell on his skin as her lips sealed around his cockhead. She took him in deep until he hit the back of her throat before pulling it out again. Dalton hesitated a moment, steeling his nerve. As though she sensed she might be winning, her hand slid down into his briefs and cupped his heavy sac. He sucked in a breath as she squeezed. She was gentle, though, thank God for that.

  She groaned again, loudly, and the vibration of her throat made him close his eyes.

  “Zoey,” he warned. “Trust me, you do not want to challenge me. Pregnant or not I will spank that ass.”