He sat the tray over my legs and took the baby from my arms.
“I want you to enjoy your pancakes and juice. You need the nourishment to get better. I made her a bottle and some oatmeal. I’m going to take her in the kitchen and feed her while you enjoy your meal. No arguments.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you for breakfast.”
What was up with him? I didn’t know, but the food smelled delicious, and my stomach growled.
He placed the perfect amount of butter and syrup on the pancakes. I didn’t think I’d finish the three of them, but I had. I’d taken the last sip of my juice when he walked into the room to check on me.
“How was it?”
“Amazing. I ate it all. Thank you again. Are you okay? You seem…? I don’t know. I can’t place my finger on it.”
“We’ll talk when Hali goes down for her nap. Today, you’re going to rest while I take care of you. I don’t care if you’re feeling better, you were sick yesterday and you need to regain your strength.”
The bossy Thorn really turned me on. I didn’t want to wait for an explanation, but something told me to refrain from objecting.
He took the tray with the empty plate and cup into the other room, leaving the flower and vase sitting on my bedside table.
I hated sitting idle. If I knew he wasn’t listening for my movements, I’d sneak into my office and grab my laptop to get some work done. But I knew he’d frown upon that. Instead, I took the towel off my head and went into the bathroom to brush out my hair. The least I could do was look presentable when he came back into the room. I blow dried my hair on a low setting to try to hide some of the noise and then threw it on top of my head in a messy bun. Looking at the contents on my vanity table, I picked up a bottle of bright pink polish and decided to pamper myself a bit.
I painted my nails. I was on my bed blowing on my fingertips when he walked back into the room. He hadn’t put on a shirt, and I took a moment to admire his sculpted abs as he walked around my bed to the other side. He sat down beside me and crossed his legs. I continued to blow on the polish so it would dry as I waited for him to speak.
“Do you have any idea how worried I was about you yesterday? I shouldn’t have found out about you not feeling well from Trevor. You should’ve been the one to tell me. And when I got here, you muttered something about calling Owen and I almost lost it. I want to be that person you go to, Lily. I thought we were in this together and trying. You saying that hurt. A hell of a lot more than I care to admit. You’re my woman. Mine to care for. If there ever happens to be a next time that you’re sick, I’m the one you call. Got it,” he said in a firm voice.
I nodded and took a deep breath before I let it back out.
I don’t know what had come over me. A combination of his demanding tone and his caveman like tendencies caused me to want him now more than I ever had.
But I had to rein it in. Now wasn’t the time to jump on him.
“I mean it, Lily. You and Hali are my responsibility. That’s how this couple thing works if I’m correct. We’re a team.”
“We’re a team,” I repeated to him as I scooted closer.
I sat in front of him and placed my hands on his toned thighs. I could feel his muscles quiver beneath my touch.
“I’m holding on by a thread here. You wearing those tight ass shorts and that skimpy as hell top is doing all sorts of things to me. Now with you this close, I can’t hold back much longer,” he warned. But I didn’t heed his warning. It only made me grow increasingly bolder. I got up on my knees and climbed into his lap, one of my legs on each side of him.
“Don’t hold back, Thorn. I don’t want you to hold back anymore. You say I’m yours. Prove it,” I goaded as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
Those words were all it took for him to snap. His arms were around my back in an instant, and his mouth landed on mine. Taking my mouth like his life was dependent on it. He picked me up and flipped me over on my back like I weighed nothing. His body laid on top of mine. I enjoyed the weight of his body on top of my own. I remembered one of his weaknesses back in Bora Bora was when I placed my legs around his waist and pulled him into me. Wanting him to give me more than he was, I put my legs around his waist and pulled his body full down on top of my own. I could feel his hardness between my thighs, and I felt myself grow wetter at the thought of having him inside of me again.
To goad him even further, I ground my center into him, causing him to groan into my mouth.
He pulled back and looked down at me. I didn’t want him to stop and think. I just wanted him. Right here and now.
“I wanted our first time together again to be romantic. I wanted you in the candlelight. But feeling you against me is making me want to throw those plans out the window and take you.” He tried to pull back, but my legs around his waist prevented him from going too far. I felt like I had the power. And I used it to my advantage.
“I love that you wanted to give me that, but I don’t want to wait. Not when I feel like I’ve got you right where I want you,” I said as I used all the strength I had to pull him back into me.
His arms didn’t give way like I’d planned. He was stronger than I anticipated.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to rush you into anything. I can keep taking cold showers and wait as long as you need.”
The fact that he’d continue to wait turned me on more. He thought he was deterring me, but he was having the opposite effect.
“I don’t want to wait. I want you, Thorn.”
Those four words sealed the deal. He pulled back and rid me of my clothes and himself of his own in record time. Part of me wanted to cover my stomach and the marks that our daughter had left on my body, but I didn’t want to move. My breath hitched in my throat as he took in my body. His eyes roamed down every inch of me and then back up, finally looking into my eyes. He leaned over top of me and kissed the tip of my nose. I felt the tip of his hardness against my waiting core.
“I don’t have anything to protect you with. I wasn’t planning for this to happen today or I would’ve been prepared.”
“I’m not worried. I got an IUD after I had Hali. It’s good for five years,” I told him, and I inwardly thanked myself for making that decision.
“Are you sure? I’d love nothing more than to have you bare.”
“So very sure. Make love to me, Thorn,” I whispered as I pulled his head down toward my own.
He kissed me softly. Tenderly. When I thought I couldn’t wait another second to have him inside of me, he reached between us and rubbed the thick head of his cock against me, causing me to lift my hips. He rubbed himself against me once more before he pushed himself inside. I gasped at the feel of him stretching me. Once he was fully inside, he stilled and pushed himself back, looking me in the eyes.
“You feel so perfect. I have no other words to describe this moment. I love you, Lily. So fucking much,” he said before he began to move.
I wanted to respond, but feeling him inside of me left me speechless. Instead of the fast-paced movements he used in Bora Bora, he was gentle as he brought us both to the pleasure we sought.
“You’re mine. Forever. I don’t care what happens from here on out. I’m never letting you go. Not ever,” he said as he finished inside of me.
He rolled off my body but didn’t let me go. He pulled me into his side with his arm wrapped around my shoulder. I wanted to bask in the afterglow of the amazing pleasure he’d just given us both, but I knew our daughter would be waking any moment.
Instead of resting my head on his shoulder like I wanted to do, I laid my hand on his chest and played with the small amount of hair that was there.
“You keep amazing me at every turn,” I said to him as he laid there with his eyes still shut. I wanted him to look at me when I said these words to him, but I’d settle for him just hearing them instead.
“I love you too, Aria Caras. More than I thought possible. Thank you for taking care of me. For loving me,” I said
to him before I got up to get dressed. I was putting on my shorts when he came up behind me and picked me up.
“What are you doing?” I shrieked as he turned me around in his arms.
“You can’t go saying things like that to me and not expect me to want to take you again. Hearing those words just made me harder than I’ve ever been in my life. You’re the first person who’s ever said those words to me.”
My heart broke at that revelation and the fact that he’d never had someone show him love before. To never have it in his life, he was doing a fine job of showing me how he felt about me.
“I’m sorry there, stud. We have a daughter in the other room who will be waking soon. You’ll have to go take one of those cold showers and wait until later,” I replied with a smirk as I patted his chest.
He groaned and sat down, albeit reluctantly.
I finished dressing and put my hair back into a messy bun.
Thorn had just put on his boxers and sleep pants when I heard our daughter making noises in the other room.
“I’ll go get her,” I said as I walked over to him. I stood on the tips of my toes and placed a quick kiss on his lips before turning and walking in the direction of the door.
“I love you, Lily,” he said from behind me.
“I love you too.”
Chapter 18
Thorn
I couldn’t believe that I’d just blurted all that out. What the hell was I thinking? Furthermore, it worked. She finally saw what I felt for her. And she’d said it back.
I didn’t know what love was before her. Didn’t know how much I wanted this feeling in my life until I experienced it with her. Hearing those words caused my heart to swell and me to want to do everything in my power to continue hearing them. Daily. Hell, hourly. The words ‘I love you’ could easily become my new addiction.
“Thorn, come here. Quick!” I heard Lily scream from the other room.
I dashed down the hallway as quickly as I could and stopped in my tracks when I walked into her living room. There our daughter was on the floor. Sitting up all by herself. She usually needed the aid of what Lily called her Boppy pillow. But today she was doing it alone. Pride filled my chest at the sight.
“Look at you, baby girl,” I said as I walked into the room.
She turned her head to see where my voice was coming from and almost fell over. She would have if Lily hadn’t caught her in enough time.
I sat down on the floor beside the both of them, enjoying the moment.
I should probably tell her everything that had occurred yesterday. Sooner rather than later.
“So, I have some good news,” I said as I looked from the floor up to Lily.
I’d lead with the good news first.
“Yeah. What’s that?”
“I found a place of my own. I got tired of living in a hotel. I wanted somewhere to call home.”
“That’s great. Where at?” The enthusiasm in her voice made me even happier to tell her how close I’d be from now on.
“The top floor of your building. I won’t have to go far when I leave every night, and I can be here at a moment’s notice if anything ever happened.”
“Wow. That’s expensive. But I’m glad you found a place.”
We’d never discussed finances. She’d never even asked me for a dime in helping to raise our daughter.
“I can afford it. We should probably talk about that, but first, there’s something else you should know. Something you’re likely to get mad at me over,” I warned. It was now or never.
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not that big of a deal. But yesterday I kind of overreacted when Trevor told me you were sick. I wasn’t fully focused on what we were discussing after he told me, and he asked questions. Ones I couldn’t lie well enough about.”
“Did you tell him about us?”
“I wasn’t planning to tell him anything, but he couldn’t understand why I was so worried about who was taking care of Hali. When he asked what we were to each other, I didn’t lie. I’m sorry I didn’t discuss this with you first, but I didn’t have the opportunity.”
This could possibly end up being our first fight, and I was feeling uneasy about the whole conversation. Especially when she didn’t say anything right away.
“Lily, I didn’t mean to go against your wishes. You have to know that,” I pleaded for her to understand.
“What did he say? How is this going to affect us at work now that he knows.”
“He was more worried about losing you if I screwed this up. He wasn’t mad about our relationship, though. He wished us well as a matter of fact.”
She sighed and rubbed the top of Hali’s head.
She looked up at me with her bright green eyes and smiled.
That reaction had to be a good sign. Right?
“I’m glad he knows. I felt like we were living a double life. I still want us to remain professional at work. I don’t want to flaunt our relationship by any means, but I don’t want to deny it any longer either. I’m happy with where we’re headed, and I don’t want to make you feel like I want to hide you from anything. I was trying to figure out a way to bring up telling him but didn’t know how.”
I could finally breathe a sigh of relief now that this conversation didn’t lead to the fight I was expecting.
I slid over closer to her and pulled her into me.
“You have no idea how happy you just made me. But we also need to discuss something else. I haven’t been hiding anything, but you hadn’t asked so I didn’t say anything. I do feel that you have a right to know, though.”
“Now that sounds like something I should be worried about.”
She tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let her. I held on tight. She had nothing to fear with what I was about to reveal.
“I want you to know that I can take care of you and Hali financially. You nor she will ever have to worry about anything. I want to give you both the world. The moment I found out she was mine, I transferred funds into a college fund for her. I’m a very wealthy man, Lily. I don’t flaunt it, but I felt you had the right to know.”
“I’m happy that you did that for her and secured her future. I want to help provide for her as well. I figured you were a wealthy man when you had us go out on the private excursion in Bora Bora. I’m afraid to even know how much that cost you. But your money isn’t why I’m with you. I’m with you because of how I feel about you. I hope you know that,” she said.
Of course, I did. She’d never asked me for a dime. She also didn’t need fancy, flashy things to be happy. I knew that about her the moment I met her. She was different than the women I’d spent time with in the past who needed the fancy dinners and expensive things thrown at them to gain my attention. That was part of the reason I was drawn to her in the first place.
“Can we continue our little game now that the heavy conversations are over?”
“Lead the way,” she replied.
“You’ve traveled all over the world. What’s the one place you’d love to see that you’ve never seen before?”
She didn’t take long to answer. Almost as if she thought about this location often.
“I’d love to see Rockefeller Center at Christmas. I know you said a place I’d never been, but I’ve never seen the tree at that time of year. I’ve heard it’s magical.”
I’d have to keep that piece of information in the back of my mind for a later date.
“Your turn,” I said when she hadn’t immediately asked her question.
“Winter or summer?” I found that question odd, but the rules were she could ask anything she liked.
“Both,” I laughed. She wouldn’t like my answer, but it was the truth. I loved the warmth of the summer sun and the coldness of a winter’s night.
“That’s not fair. You have to choose,” she said with a laugh of her own.
“I can’t. I love them both equally. Do you even know what winter is? You’re from Californ
ia. It doesn’t get that cold here.”
“Yes, I know what winter is. I’ve traveled a lot, remember.”
“Yes, I remember.”
The baby took that moment to fuss from the floor. Apparently, sitting up on her own wasn’t as amusing as she thought it would be.
I picked her up and put her on my lap.
“Can you give me another one just like her?” I was partially kidding with the question, but I did want more children with her.
“I’m nowhere near ready for that. We can discuss that topic in like five or six years,” she said with a giggle.
Her response wasn’t a no. I could handle that. Who knows, maybe in five or six years, there’d be more than just one more baby running around.
“Are you ready for the hotel opening next month? Trevor tells me you’re still up in the air about going. I’d thought you’d jump at the chance to go.” I never expected her to turn this trip down.
“The old me would be ready in a heartbeat. No questions asked. Now, I have Hali to think about. I don’t know how I feel about leaving her for a few days. I’ve never been away from her for that length of time. Taking her with me isn’t an option. I wouldn’t want her on a plane ride for that length of time.”
I understood her reasoning. I couldn’t imagine not seeing Hali for one day let alone a few days. But I had to be there. I’d been to every one since I became a silent partner in Trevor’s venture. In the background of course, but there nonetheless.
“Unfortunately, I don't have a choice. You have a few weeks to decide.”
I hoped she’d planned to go with me. I was sure her mother and father wouldn’t mind having Hali all to themselves for a few days. But I wouldn’t pressure her into doing something she wasn’t comfortable doing. I’d support her either way.
“I know. I just hate the possibility of disappointing Trevor and Hidden Paradise. I want to show my support, but the thought of leaving her breaks my heart.”
“You’ll make the right decision, and Trevor will understand. Besides, it won’t be the last hotel he opens. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you for understanding. I’ll think about it more now that the date is getting closer. We’ll see.”
Hidden Paradise Page 14
