by C Standing
Rick’s gaze turns feral. “He’s still here, sweetheart. I’d kill any motherfucker who even breathed in your direction. Have no doubt that I’ll fucking bury her if she even says your name. The woman has no fucking clue what I’m capable of.”
Damn, hearing him talk like that is quite the turn-on.
I lean down, pressing my bare breasts to his chest. “We’ll be okay, I promise. And it’s not like you’re not the only one who has a lot to lose if she decides to come for us. You have a history with this woman; what if you decide to give your relationship another go? Where does that leave us?”
Rick’s possessive hold strengthens around me. “It leaves us exactly where we are, because that won’t ever happen. The woman almost took everything from me, including my sanity. As far as I’m concerned, she can rot in hell.”
Climbing off of him, I lay down on my stomach, leaving my body bare for his gaze.
“Rick.” My voice is barely a whisper. I must be a glutton for punishment, but I need to know. “Did you love her?”
Sitting up, he rests against the headboard and shakes his head. “No. I tried to, but I just didn’t feel that way for her.”
“Is she the mother of your daughter?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call her a mother, but yes.” Rick nods. “And my son, Christian.”
I jerk up abruptly, clutching the sheet to my chest. “You have two children with her?”
His gaze lifts to mine pensively. “I do. Is that okay?”
Groaning, I scrub my hands over my face. “I think I need a drink.”
I’m leaning a hip against Rick’s white marble kitchen counter, staring out into the vast city skyline and watching the world go by, when I feel a pair of warm arms wrap around me from behind.
“You okay, beautiful?”
Between finding out the man I’m falling for has a vengeful ex that’s undoubtedly out for my blood, to knowing he has two kids with her, my head feels like it’s on a rollercoaster inside of a maze.
I want to be with Rick, but have I bitten off more than I can chew here? Christ, I only came to New York to escape the monotony at home, and now I’ve managed to land myself in even more drama.
Drink in hand, I run my hands along his forearms. “It’s just a lot to take in.”
Rick’s quiet for a moment, grazing the tip of his nose from my ear to the base of my neck. “I understand that. Is my having kids a deal-breaker for you?”
Sighing, I deflate in his arms, set my drink down and turn to face him. I hate this invisible barrier that’s been unintentionally built between us. I don’t want to feel so disconnected from him.
The worry in his eyes obliterates me.
God, I never want to be the cause of his pain.
“Of course, it’s not,” I whisper, burrowing my head in his chest. “I just don’t know how to compete with all of this.”
“Sweetheart,” he implores, nuzzling my neck. “There’s nothing to compete with.”
Goosebumps break out over my skin as his coarse scruff scrapes against my tender flesh. He hasn’t shaved since the night I came to his room, and I’ve found the roughness of his bristles trailing down my stomach and settling between my thighs is beyond this world.
“You have children with her,” I counter helplessly, finding it hard to believe that he feels nothing toward the woman who gave birth to his kids.
“And they are the only ties I have to her,” he assures me. “Tell me you believe that.”
I want to. I really fucking want to.
My voice cracks as emotion gathers in the back of my throat. “They’re pretty big ties to have, Rick.”
“Alright.” He palms my waist and lifts me up onto the counter. “Listen, I understand you’re scared. Hell, if the roles were reversed, I’m not sure I wouldn’t react the same way. But I also know that this”—he motions between us—“is worth fighting for. Just because we’re new, doesn’t mean what we feel for each other is any different than a couple who’s been together for fifty years.”
“I’m scared, Rick,” I admit, my voice a strained whisper. “Four days ago, I didn’t even know you existed, and now…”
I shake my head and look down.
Tears build behind my eyes as he lowers his voice to a breathy murmur.
“And now what, baby?”
“And now.” I wet my lips as the first droplet falls. “I’m falling in love with a man I barely know.”
Rick kisses away the tear. “You know me, River. I’m your City Boy.”
“Are you?”
“I’m yours.” His lips drift across mine. “Always.”
Needing him to feel that closeness that only he can give me, I stand up on my toes and bring him closer. “Show me.”
Sometime later, we’re curled into each other on the floor, leaning up against the breakfast counter. After we made love for the umpteenth time today, Rick had grabbed a blanket from the living area and wrapped it around us to keep us warm.
“Tell me you’re okay with this,” he rasps against my forehead.
I think it’s going to take a lot more than mind-blowing sex for me to be okay with this, but I don’t want to lose him, so I’m going to have to figure something out.
“I wouldn’t say I’m okay with it, but within time I will be.” I kiss his shoulder. “It just freaked me out a little. I needed a minute to process everything.”
“And have you?”
“Not really.” I smile up at him, impishly. “My boyfriend has a hypnotizing cock that likes to distract me.”
He gives a guttural growl. “I’ll distract you twenty-four-seven if it keeps you with me.”
I peer up at him through my lashes. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise.” I slip my fingers between his. “Let her come for us. If she wants a fight, I’ll give it to her.”
“She’ll have to get through me first.”
Smiling, we sit quietly just enjoying each other’s company, when a slightly alarming thought pops into my head.
We’ve had sex multiple times since I’ve been here, and we haven’t used protection once.
How the hell did something as important as that slip my notice?
Damn him and his hypnotizing cock.
“Rick?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“We haven’t used protection.”
“I know.” He tightens his hold on me.
I glance up at him anxiously. “Is that something I need to be worried about? I mean, I’m on the pill, but still.”
“There’s a pretty slim chance of me getting you pregnant, sweetheart,” Rick informs me.
“Slim isn’t none,” I point out.
“Well, if by some miracle you are, I’ll be suing the hell out of the urologist who performed the vasectomy on me two years ago.”
My brows shoot up. “You had a vasectomy?”
He nods, his fingers lightly stroking my shoulder. “After Skylar was born.”
Well, that’s one potential problem solved.
“Okay but having a vasectomy doesn’t prevent you from getting STDs.”
“I get tested regularly, and you’re the first person I’ve slept with in a while.”
“How long is a while?”
“Since before Skylar was born.”
I let out a breath of relief and lean against his shoulder.
“What about you?” Rick shifts against me, turning, so we’re facing each other. “You said you haven’t been with anyone for a while? Define a while?”
Heat rushes to my cheeks as I bury my face in his neck. “I don’t want to say.”
“Why?” He chuckles.
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
An amused smirk lights up his face. “C’mon, it can’t be any worse than mine.”
I arch a brow. “No? Try adding another seven on top of your three.”
Rick’s mouth drops in shock. “Ten years?”
I nod on a grimace.
This isn’t mortifying at all.<
br />
“Why so long?”
I shrug as I think back to that particular period of my life. “I don’t know. I guess I just had other more important things to worry about than getting laid.”
Rick must catch the morose undertones of my voice. “What happened?”
Swallowing hard, I lick my lips. “I became a makeshift mom overnight.”
“You have a child?”
I suck in a deep breath. “My sister. She was two when our parents were murdered.”
He stiffens beside me. “Fucking hell.”
“So, yeah.” I twiddle my thumbs. “Sex wasn’t exactly high on my list of priorities.”
“How old were you?”
Trying to make something light of a bad situation, I nudge his shoulder. “Is that your way of trying to find out how old I am now?” I tease, covering up the unbearable pain still simmering under the surface.
“Maybe.” Rick winks like a goof, making me chuckle. “How old were you?”
I’m quiet for a moment, basking in the silence. “Eighteen.”
“Christ,” he mutters. “You were still in school?”
I trace the tribal tattoo on his chest. “Yep. While my best friends were graduating high school, I was working doubles at our local diner to pay for diapers and food.”
“Fuck.” Rick hauls me onto his lap, cradling me close. “I’m so fucking sorry, baby.”
“It’s in the past now.” I snuggle into him. “I try not to dwell on it, but it hasn’t been easy.”
The rough pads of his fingers stroke up and down my back. “Were you close?”
I smile at the memory of family trips to Lake Tahoe, and late nights spent around the fire, toasting marshmallows. “My mom was the one person I could always rely on; she dedicated her life to making sure everyone was happy. Dad was there, but he was always so busy with work.”
“Tell me something about them.”
A wistful feeling washes over me as I think back on my mom, and the little things she loved to do that made her smile. “She used to love listening to Motown while doing housework. The Temptations. Marvin Gaye. The Supremes. You name it, she loved it. I’d often come home from school and find her standing over the cooker, singing at the top of her lungs to some Stevie Wonder song. I actually have a tattoo of one of her favorite songs going down my side.”
“Yeah?” Rick pulls the sheet away to inspect my body. “I noticed the dreamcatcher on your ribs and the feather on your ankle.” He traces a thumb over my ink. “What made you want to get those?”
“I had the lyrics done because I wanted something to remind me of my mom,” I explain, lifting my arm so he can see the delicate script marking my skin.
“Someday We’ll Be Together,” he reads. “That’s fucking beautiful, baby.”
“The dreamcatcher was actually Mali and Lydia’s idea.” His brows pull together at the mention their names. “They’re my best friends,” I clarify. “I was having trouble sleeping for a while after my parents’ deaths. Every time I closed my eyes, all I saw was the on-duty officer telling me that my mom and dad were gone. So, they suggested the dreamcatcher.”
Rick presses a tender kiss to the tattoo. “I need to meet these girls.”
I tilt my head to the side. “You want to meet them?”
“They’re important to you, and they had a say in taking your pain away. So, yes, sweetheart. I’m going to want to meet them.”
Warmth floods my heart as I stare into the eyes of the man I’m falling for. “Why are you so amazing?”
“I’m not.” Rick kisses my nose. “I just have an amazing girlfriend.”
My eyes close, reveling in the way he calls me his. “I love hearing you call me that.”
“Yeah? Because I fucking hate it.” Huh? “The word doesn’t do my feelings for you justice. Girlfriend sounds so fucking casual and inferior, and we’re are anything but casual.”
I tangle my fingers into his hair. “What do you want to call me?”
A possessiveness flickers in his eyes. “I’m not sure you’re ready to hear that yet.”
Curiosity has me by the metaphorical balls. Now I really want to know. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”
“Sweetheart, I just had to talk you off the ledge after you found out about my psychotic ex and my kids. I’d rather not send you running for the hills by opening my mouth too soon.”
I roll my eyes, and he chuckles.
“Tell me about the feather. What’s the meaning behind that?”
I lift my leg slightly and wiggle my toes, showing off the intricate artwork. “The feather symbolizes bravery and courage. The years after my parents passed were some of the hardest of my life. I've always had dreams of coming to New York. Hell, I wanted to be your typical teenager, whose only worry was passing classes and getting hammered every night.” I snicker at the naivety of it all. “In the blink of an eye, my future was gone. I had a life thrust upon me that I wanted no part of, but I couldn’t escape it.” Tears threatened, stinging the backs of my eyes but I fought them. “My friends had gone off to college, and I had no other family to turn to. At least not close by or none that cared. It was just Joey and I for the longest time, and I needed a visual reminder to keep going, for my own peace of mind. So, I had the feather tattoo done, and if I’m honest, it’s been my saving grace.”
He cups my face. “You are your saving grace, River. You are the incredible woman who raised a two-year-old, and worked your ass off for everything you have. The tattoos may have been the inspiration you needed to help you through, but ultimately you’re the one who fought tooth and nail to get where you are today.”
“In the arms of my City Boy?”
“Damn right,” he husks, kissing me softly.
I try to move against him, but I can’t get any feeling in my legs from where we’ve been sitting on the floor so long. “As nice as that feels, I need to get up. My legs are going numb.”
Rick helps me up and leads me toward the bedroom so we can change. “Oh, by the way. Don’t make plans for dinner.”
“Why not?”
“I’m taking you out.”
“Where?” I call as he struts into the bathroom.
I hear the shower turn on and wait as he peeks his head around the door. “It’s a surprise.” The bastard winks. “If anyone buzzes up, let them in.”
Wait, who am I letting up?
And where is he taking me?
Goddammit. “Rick!”
“This is definitely the dress,” Kylie, the pink-haired stylist gushes as she carefully places the dress in the garment bag and hooks it over the rack. “Mr. Blackley will lose his mind.”
A light blush heats my cheeks. “I don’t know about that.”
“Trust me.” She winks, setting out the heels for me to try on next. “He’ll love it.”
“I’ll love what?” Rick’s deep voice booms from behind me.
“The dress Miss McKinley has chosen. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and flatters her figure perfectly.”
I inhale in a sharp breath when I feel him against my back.
“I have no doubt about it,” he rasps, placing his hand on my waist. “Are you finished or do you need more time?”
“We just need to do heels and jewelry, and then she’ll be ready for hair and makeup.”
I balk at her last three words. “Hair and makeup?” I glare up at him. “Where the hell are you taking me?”
“I told you, baby.” He kisses the shell of my ear. “It’s a surprise.”
“One I’ll actually like?” I ask, deadpan. “Because I’m not a huge lover of surprises.”
“I think you'll like it, but if you don’t, I’ll make it up to you.” He lowers his hand to my ass and squeezes. “Fuck, is it bad that I’m hoping you don’t like it?”
Giggling, I swat him away. “Horndog.”
Rick gives me a sexy wink. “Only with you. I'm going to make a few calls. Come into my office when you’re done.”
“Goddamn, that’s a nice ass,” Kylie groans.
Normally I’d rip her eyes out for even looking in his direction, but I have to admit, she’s got a point. He does have one sexy ass.
“Isn’t it?” I turn and grin. “And he’s all mine.”
“I know, sweetheart. I’ll be home soon, I promise,” Rick says softly into the phone. My heart warms as he talks to his daughter.
Either that or he has a wife I don’t know about who he calls sweetheart, in which case, the asshole needs to run.
Not wanting to disturb his conversation, I lean against the office door, wearing nothing but my dress robe. I’m clean from the shower, and I missed his closeness, so I decided to forgo clothes and slip into something a little more…revealing.
I’ve never walked through a house wearing next to nothing before, and I have to say, it’s incredibly liberating.
“When I get back, we’ll go to that ice cream place you love.” Yup, definitely his daughter. “I promise. Daddy loves you, too, Pumpkin.”
Hanging up, he sets his phone on the desk and scrubs a hand over his face.
Figuring the coast is clear, I push on the door slightly and edge my way inside.
Rick’s tired eyes peer up at me, flaring with excitement when they see what I’m wearing.
“Does Daddy love me too?” I tease, twirling the silk tie around my fingers.
He pats his lap, and I saunter over and straddle his thighs. “Fuck, baby.” He loosens the robe and parts the delicate fabric, exposing my bare breasts. “Daddy loves every inch of this beautiful body.”
Tipping my head back, I let out a soft moan as he runs his hot tongue along the swells of my cleavage. Taking an erect nipple into his mouth, he lifts me onto the hard wood of his desk with ease. “Put your hands above your head,” he orders, taking the tie from my robe and securing it around my wrists. “Don’t fucking move.”
“Honey,” I whimper as he kisses his way down my body, swirling that deviant tongue around my hardened peaks, and sucking until I’m a writhing mess beneath him. “Rick, we’ll be late,” I protest feebly, as his finger toys with my slick folds, gathering up every drop of wetness.
