by Susan Hayes
“I know. But I saw it, and I’m still here. I still want to be with you. You don’t need to protect me from the darkness, David. I’ve seen it before. I’ve lived it, and it doesn’t scare me.” She carefully washed every inch of him, starting at his shoulders and working her way down. When she reached his stomach, he covered her hands with his and drew her against him, lifting his gaze to look her in the eye.
“You’re so perfect for me, it’s scary,” he whispered before kissing her upturned lips. “I love you, Dani.”
“I love you, too.” She let her hands glide lower, brushing over his rapidly hardening cock once, then again, before finally taking it into her hand and pumping him slowly in her fist.
He groaned and thrust his hips against her hand. “Need you.”
“Then take me. Make me forget everything but this. Tonight is the beginning of my new life. Share it with me.”
“As my lady wishes.”
He backed her against the nearest wall and kissed her again, sweeping his tongue into her mouth as he lifted her until she could wrap her legs around his hips. He kept her pinned to the wall as he worked a hand between her legs, stroking her clit, then testing her readiness with one thick finger. He slid into her slick channel easily, and his low groan of approval vibrated through her as he withdrew his hand and positioned his cock at her entrance.
“Fuck me,” she told him, arching her hips so that he slid a bare fraction of an inch inside her.
He chuckled, a dark and dangerous sound that made her clit throb and her body tingle with anticipation. “Believe me, I intend to.”
He drove into her in one long, smooth thrust that didn’t stop until he was completely sheathed in her body. Her inner walls clamped around him, gripping him tight in welcome. He pulled almost all the way out of her body before thrusting back inside. He took her hard and fast, driving into her again and again.
Possessive and hungry, they devoured each other, skin sliding across skin, mouths mated, breath mingled. Soon she was drunk with pleasure, letting go of everything but the joy of being in his arms. The world vanished, leaving the two of them alone in a timeless place where every heartbeat lasted an eternity and every kiss was an unspoken promise.
He lifted her higher, changing the angle so that the head of his cock rubbed against her G-spot. It was all she needed to send her flying, carried away by a cresting wave of pure bliss. Her pussy fluttered and squeezed around his cock as she came, pushing Dave past his breaking point. Still lost in her release, Dani could only hold on as he shouted her name and began pounding into her, the wet slap of their bodies meeting and parting filling the air as he lost himself in the moment.
His orgasm tore a wild groan from his lips as he came, his thrusts becoming wild and unsteady as he emptied himself inside her. When he was spent, he didn’t pull out. Instead he blindly groped for the faucet handles, shutting off the water before carrying her out of the bathroom, both of them streaming water and his cock still buried inside her.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, then lay back so that she straddled his body. Without a word, he reached up to cradle the back of her head in one hand, drawing her down for a slow, leisurely kiss.
“We forgot towels,” she said when she next found breath to speak.
“We did. Guess we’ll just have to drip dry because I’m not moving and neither are you.”
“You’re being pushy again,” she informed him, deliberately shaking her head to shower him with droplets of water.
“And you’re being sassy. It’s fucking sexy.”
She smiled down at him, her heart overflowing with love. “That’s one of the things I love about you. I’m free to be myself, flaws, scars, and all.”
He cupped her face tenderly in his hands. “Your scars are proof that you’re a survivor, and I don’t see any flaws in you, sunshine. I only see the woman I love.”
There were tears in her eyes as she leaned down to kiss him again. “And that’s why I’m staying in here, in Chicago. I can make a life for myself anywhere, but there’s only one place in the world that has you.”
Epilogue
Dave sat at the bar at Leo’s and watched Casey play with his infant niece with a sense of contentment he could never have imagined before meeting Dani and her daughter. The family he’d once dreamed of was his now, long after he’d given up hope. He’d spent the summer turning his house into a home, and while he was transforming his house, his girls had transformed his life.
When the house was ready, he’d formally asked Dani to move in, and she’d happily agreed, pointing out that she’d basically been living there for weeks already. They’d told Casey together, and her happy shrieks had been like music to his ears.
His once-quiet evenings were filled with laughter and noise now, and his immaculate and orderly house was awash in toys and chaos. With Nick’s help he’d turned one of the bedrooms into a little girl’s paradise, the walls covered in detailed paintings of all of Casey’s favorite things. Ben had helped him remodel the kitchen, and somewhere in all the work and mess, he’d reconnected with all his brothers. He hadn’t realized how far he’d pulled away from them as they’d each fallen in love and started down a path he never intended to walk again.
He’d been back at work a week after the shooting, and while he was glad to be back, he’d known from the first time he walked into his office that the job wasn’t the focus of his life anymore. He’d still make captain, and he’d still love going to work every day, but now the two greatest joys in his life were a blue-eyed angel and her beautiful mother.
The angel in question was currently staring down Megan Rose Wilde, the first of the new generation and named after her grandmother in a blatant attempt by Tag to try and become the favorite son. Not that it was going to happen. If he got his way tonight, little Megan wouldn’t be the only granddaughter in the family, at least not for long.
“Penny for your thoughts,” his mother said, resting a hand on his shoulder.
He looked over at her and flashed her his most charming smile. “I was thinking that if you’d be kind enough to take little Megan for a minute, I’ve got something I need to ask Dani and Casey. Trust me, Mom. You’ll be glad you helped me out here.”
She beamed at him and whispered, “Really?”
“Yes, really. I’ve got to reclaim my place as your favorite son somehow, don’t I?”
She rolled her eyes at him. “You will always be my favorite, but this certainly helps cement your position.”
With that she walked over to Casey, pressed a kiss to her curls, then carefully lifted her baby granddaughter into her arms. “Grandma’s turn to hold the baby!”
Dave got to his feet, surprised to find he was actually nervous. He walked over to where Dani was seated without saying a word and dropped to one knee at her feet. Within seconds, all conversation had stopped. He was the focus of everyone’s attention, but the only person he saw was Dani.
“David, what are you doing?” she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“Taking the next step in my plan to keep you here forever.” He took her hand and reached out to take Casey’s as well. He’d memorized what he wanted to say, but now that the moment was here, he couldn’t remember a word of it so he simply spoke from his heart. “I want you both in my life, so I have a question for each of you. Daniella Moore, will you be my wife? And Casey Moore, will you let me adopt you so I can be your daddy for always?”
“Yes!” Both mother and daughter spoke at the same time, and Casey threw herself off her stool and into his arms.
“I told you he wanted to be my daddy. I told you the night he drew me the police horse! I was right!” Casey crowed, hugging him so tight he could barely breathe.
Everyone around them laughed, and Dave gave her a hug and a kiss before speaking. “Yes, munchkin, I guess you were. Now hold on a second, I’ve got something for you and your mom.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the diamond-and-sapphire
ring he’d been carrying around all day, offering it to Dani. “It’s not official until you put this on.”
She let him slip it on her finger, then grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. “I love you,” she told him before kissing him hotly. He kissed her back and for a glorious minute forgot everything and everyone around them.
“Oi, there are children present! Not to mention bachelors who don’t need to see that kind of mushy crap.”
“Kissing isn’t mushy crap, Uncle Jared, it’s romantic!” Casey declared, then held out her hand to Dave. “You said you had something for me, too.”
“I did.” He set her down so he could reach into his other pocket to retrieve her present. It was a heart-shaped gold locket on a golden chain “This is for you. There’s a picture of your mommy in there, and a picture of me, too.”
Casey beamed at him. “So I can show everyone that I have a mommy and a daddy now?”
“You got it, munchkin.”
There were tears on Dani’s cheeks as she looked down at Casey and back to him. “You sure you’re ready to take us both on?”
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life. You’re my world, Dani. With your permission, I’ll adopt Casey and give you both a new name, along with my love, and a promise that I will never let anyone hurt you or our little girl.”
“Permission granted.”
He gathered them both into his arms and hugged them as all around them family and friends started to cheer. “I love you both so much.”
Dani smiled through her tears, looking radiantly happy. “We love you, too.”
The End
www.susanhayes.ca
Other Books by Susan Hayes:
www.evernightpublishing.com/susan-hayes
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