by Jenna Jacob
“Papa?” he repeated.
“I’m coming,” Ed assured. “I can’t wait to meet your new gramma and grampa.”
I draped my arm around Tori when we reached the bottom of the stairs and coaxed her toward the foyer.
“Come in,” I called out.
My parents stepped through the door, each wearing mile-wide smiles as they locked their gazes on the little man in Tori’s arms. Their grins grew even wider when they turned their attention to the girl who owned my heart—the same one who was trembling like a leaf but bravely donned a warm smile of her own.
Peeling her eyes off Tori, my mom rushed in and hugged me tightly.
“She’s gorgeous,” Mom whispered in my ear. “And Dustin is…oh, Darren…he’s just precious and…I can’t believe how much he looks like you.”
Dad dragged me in for a manly hug, clapped me on the back, and murmured, “Good, job,” in my ear.
“Mom, Dad, this is Ed, Tori, and Dustin.” My heart nearly burst with pride as I introduced my new family. “Ed, Tori, my parents; Walt and Susan. Dustin, this is your new grandma and grandpa.”
While the dads shook hands, our little man shot Tori a quizzical stare. It was crystal clear he had no idea what was happening. She sent him a gentle smile and a reassuring nod that brought a relaxed smile to his face.
“Oh, gracious. He’s got your dimples,” Mom gushed as she rushed toward the pair, wrapping both in a hug. “You’re a pure blessing, Tori. Thank you for giving life to this beautiful little boy. I know being a single mother must have been incredibly hard, but you’ve made me the happiest woman on the planet. Welcome to the family, sweetheart.”
As she placed a kiss on Tori’s cheek, I watched the apprehension melt from her face and the tension leave her body.
“Indeed. Welcome to the family…all of you,” Dad seconded as he gave her a tender hug.
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” She softly smiled.
Mom sent me a pained expression. “Don’t shoot me.”
“Why? What did you do?”
“Well… I didn’t want to overwhelm everyone, but your aunt Gail is up at the house waiting to meet her new grandnephew.”
“Ma,” I groaned. “We just got here.”
“I know. I’m sure you have a lot of unpacking to do, but if it’s all right with Tori, and you, Dad and I can take Dustin to the house to meet her. We might have done a little shopping after you told us you were coming.”
“How many t-o-y-s did you buy?”
She wasn’t able to wipe the guilt from her face quite fast enough. “Just a few.”
“Susan,” Dad admonished with a grin. “You darn near filled the back of the pickup, woman.”
Tori started to giggle while I just shook my head.
“If you’re not comfortable with us taking him up to the house, just say the word, Tori. I totally understand. I know it’s going to take some time for you to get to know us enough to—”
“I’ll go with him,” Ed offered, interrupting my mom. “Our kids haven’t had a minute to themselves what with me, Dustin, the bodyguards, and all those people who camped out in front of our house. I’m sure they’d like a little peace and quiet, alone time for once.”
Call me a perv, but I knew exactly what I intended to do with our alone time. But there wasn’t a damn thing peaceful or quiet about the things I intended to do to my girl.
“Is that okay with you?” Mom asked Tori.
“Of course. Let me run upstairs and grab the diaper bag.”
As Tori started to hand Dustin off to Ed, Mom held out her hands. Hope and unconditional love glowed on her face. Without an ounce of hesitation, Dustin reached for her, and I damn near started to bawl like a fucking baby.
While Tori scurried up the stairs, Dad cupped the back of Dustin’s head and simply stared at the little man in awe. Yeah, I knew that feeling well.
“We’re going to Gramma and Grampa’s house for a little bit so you can meet my sister, Gail. I know you don’t have any brothers or sisters yet, but maybe one day…soon.” Mom glanced up at me and waggled her brows.
“Like Ed said, we haven’t had any time alone.” I laughed.
“Oh, we’ll be happy to babysit, anytime.” Dad grinned. “I still remember how to make a blanket tent, and someone’s got to teach this young man how to fish.”
“I’ll be glad to help with that,” Ed offered.
“You like to fish?”
“Like? No. I love it.” Ed beamed.
“Excellent. We’ll grab some poles tomorrow and take this little tiger to the pond.”
“Just don’t take him for any tractor rides like you did Darren at that age,” Mom chided.
“Oh, he’s going to ride the tractor,” I countered. “It’s a rite of passage.”
“You boys, I swear,” she tsked.
Four and a half minutes later, and yes, I counted them down, the front door snicked shut.
Tori and I were finally alone.
“Your folks are really nice.”
I nodded. Picking up on her sudden unease, I stepped in close to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “I knew the minute they met you, they’d love you.”
As I leaned in to claim her lush lips, Tori placed her palm on my chest. “Hang on. We need to talk.”
The trepidation in her eyes instantly set me on edge. “Let’s go sit down in the family room.”
Nibbling her lip, she strode across the foyer and took a seat on the beige sectional in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, and the vista of wide-open fields.
“Can I get you something to drink?”
“Water would be great,” she replied as déjà vu slid through me.
The air was ripe and heavy with the same hunger and uncertainty that had filled my hotel room the night we met.
I snagged a couple of bottles from the fridge, wondering why the hell we were revisiting this uncertain and uncomfortable place again. Tamping down my angst, I returned to the living room, handed her a bottle, and sat down beside her.
“What’s on your mind?”
Gripping the bottle, Tori swallowed tightly. “We need to start talking about Dustin about making arrangements.”
“Arrangements for what? Preschool?”
“No.” Fear darted across her blue eyes. “Visitation.”
Every ounce of blood plummeted to my toes. “Excuse me?”
“I can’t let our son witness what he saw today again. I don’t want him thinking that women throwing themselves at his dad is okay.”
My heart and my stomach were both lodged in my throat. But the realization that Tori’s jealousy was threatening to destroy us sent a slow anger building inside me.
“I get that you can’t control what your fans or the press do,” she continued. “And I’m certainly not blaming you for what they do. But this isn’t the environment I want to raise my son in.”
“He’s my son, too,” I bit out, struggling to harness my anger.
She closed her eyes and exhaled a slow breath. “I meant our son.”
“Let me get this straight. You want to draw up a legal document giving me X amount of time to spend with our son because a couple of women, who don’t mean a flying fuck to me, threw themselves at me today?”
“It’s a lot more than those women, Darren. It’s everything…the press, the fans, the hiding and dodging. I had to lie on the floorboard of a car with our son in my arms to escape my own house.”
“I know. I’m not happy about it, but I’ve had to do a lot worse than that to shake the paparazzi in the past. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t realize I should have rented an armored limo for you. My focus was on getting my family out from under the goddamn microscope,” I drawled, unable to mask my fury.
How did such a tiny, sexy siren possess the strength to flay the flesh from my bones?
Tori’s lips thinned to a tight line as she lifted her chin defiantly.
“And I appreciate you doing that, but y
ou’re missing the point.”
“If taking my son away from me isn’t the point, then what exactly is?”
She threw her head back and growled. “I’m not trying to take Dustin from you. I’m simply saying the way you live isn’t the reality I want him raised in…isn’t the reality I want him exposed to.”
“You mean you. It isn’t the reality you want, right?”
“It’s not a healthy environment for either him or me.”
Biting back a growl, I scrubbed a hand through my hair and launched off the couch. Grappling for control, I started pacing the thick beige carpet. “What do you want me to do, Tori? Quit the band? Trust me, that won’t change a fucking thing. Fame and fortune come with a mighty big price tag. My life is never going to belong to me again. Never. I’ll be hounded by the press and the fans until the day I die.”
“I know,” she whispered.
“And if you think you’re going to go back home and live a nice, quiet, happy life as a single mom again, you’re smoking crack, sweetheart,” I bit out. “You’re the mother of Darren Ash’s baby. You’re going to be dodging paparazzi and fans the rest of your life, too.”
Tori recoiled in horror as she turned a pasty shade of white.
“Whether you like it or not, you and Dustin are smack dab in the middle of my reality. Like the song goes, sweetheart…you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.”
♫
Tori
As Darren’s words clanged through my brain, the ground beneath my feet broke apart and crumbled to dust. I’d known all along that if he’d left town while the circus was going on at my house, stragglers wanting photos and interviews would remain. But I’d foolishly assumed they’d leave when Dustin wasn’t there to build a bigger story.
Knowing I had zero say whether I was thrust into the limelight for the rest of my life filled me with dread, but it pissed me off even more.
Bounding off the couch, I slapped my hands on my hips. “Well, that’s just fucking great.”
Darren blinked. His brows shot up and his mouth curved in a crooked grin.
“What?” I barked. “What so funny? My life… Our son’s life is crashing down around me and you find that funny?”
“I’m not smiling about that, it’s just…I’ve never heard you swear before.”
“That’s because you’ve never seen me this mad,” I growled. “How the hell do I get my life back?”
A heavy sigh exploded from his lips. “You don’t. But we can limit the chaos.”
“How? By running away and hiding, like we’re doing now? We can’t run forever.”
“I can take you back home. Is that what you want?”
“No. What I want is for everyone to forget about me, forget about Dustin so I can raise him in a sane environment.”
I knew I was acting like a petulant child…throwing a bigger fit than even Dustin could muster, but I didn’t care. Not that he owed me any favors, since I was merely a co-parent, but I wanted Darren to fix this mess.
“We can do that, Tori. We can reclaim our privacy but we can’t do it apart. We have to work together.” He exhaled a heavy sigh that seemed to soften his expression. Darren placed his hands on my hips and delved into my eyes. “I don’t want to miss a single second of Dustin’s life, or a single second of yours.”
He brushed a kiss to my lips and extinguished some of the fear and fury blazing inside me.
“I can get you anything money can buy, Tori. Unfortunately, the thing you want most, a normal, quiet life, isn’t something I can purchase at any store.”
“I know.” It warmed my heart, knowing he would if he could.
“You’ve done an incredible job raising Dustin. You’ve kept him grounded and surrounded in love, much like my mom and dad did with me…are still doing for me. Even now, they continue to instill the normal reality I grew up with alive in me. That’s why I come home after each tour is over, so I can wrap that blanket of normalcy and peace around me again.”
All this time, I’d stupidly thought Darren was living the rock-and-roll dream…going to wild parties every night, taking willing women to bed, and having his ego stroked by his adoring fans. I should have known, especially after the first night we were together, Darren Ash yearned for the simple life he’d had growing up. He’d even told me so, though not in those words.
“I can’t promise that the paparazzi won’t snap photos of you and Dustin any chance they get. Or that he’s never going to see women throwing themselves at me like he did today. All I can do is promise that when it happens, we’ll sit him down and explain that kind of behavior isn’t okay.” He cupped my cheek, tilted my head back, and pinned me with a steely stare. “If I were in your shoes and had to watch other men grope, kiss, and proposition you, I’d be in jail for murder. I know being forced to watch that shit preys on your insecurities, feeds jealousy. But I swear, I haven’t given any other woman a single glance since I met you. Tori Combs, you’re the only woman I want, today, tomorrow…forever.”
Forever? Oh, god, is he really saying what I think he’s saying?
“Forever?” I whispered.
“And a day. I love you, beautiful.”
My heart was swelling and thundering so loudly I feared he could hear it. Tears stung my eyes and my body trembled until I thought my knees were going to give out.
He loves me. He really, really loves me.
All this time…this inexplicable connection between us was more than sex or primal pleasure. This was love…pure, sweet, forever after love.
“I love you, too,” I confessed in a quivering whisper.
“Thank fuck,” Darren growled as he cupped my neck and dragged my lips to his.
I parted for him in complete surrender.
Darren swallowed down my needy moan as he swept in deep and tangled his tongue with mine. Sparks and fireworks exploded inside me, and I wrapped my arms around his wide chest, drinking in his strength, his warmth…his love.
His hungry, muffled groans were intoxicating. Cupping my breast in his palm, Darren strummed the peak of my pebbled nipple while nibbling and tugging my bottom lip. Electricity arced straight to my clit.
Mouths melded together, our tongues swirled and danced in the decadent, wet heat. And I simply held on when Darren lifted me into his arms and began carrying me up the stairs. Dizzy with desire, I didn’t know we’d reached his room until he followed me down onto the soft comforter adorning his massive bed.
The urgency of his kiss belied the slow sensual glide of his hands as he peeled my shirt up my stomach, past my ribs, and over my chest. As we broke apart briefly, I raised my arms and he tugged the material off over my head, then lowered his mouth to my breasts.
As he dragged his teeth and tongue over my pillowy flesh protruding from the top of my bra, a throat moan rolled from my lips. And as he laved between them, tingles spilled through me. I sank my fingers into his dark, silky hair, writhing and whimpering beneath him.
“Christ, I’ve missed you…missed the feel of your body…the taste of your flesh,” he murmured against my skin.
I missed everything about him, from his sinful tongue, talented fingers, and masterful cock, to the way his words—sweet or naughty—turned the fire inside me into a blistering inferno.
“Darren,” I mewled. My heart clutched as my body and soul melted. “I ached for you…ached for everything about you every day and every night.”
“You walked away, but you never left me...never.”
Shame and remorse snaked their way into my brain and I stiffened.
Lifting his head, Darren gently shook it. “No guilt, Tori. I forgive you. It’s time you forgive yourself. There’s no room between us for regrets or lies or anything that has the potential to destroy us. Understand?”
I nodded.
“Answer me,” he demanded in a low growl.
“Yes. I understand.”
He sent me a lazy smile as he hooked his fingers in my bra straps and eas
ed them down my arms. “Good. Now, let’s get this off you. I’m dying to get my mouth on those hard, dusky-pink nipples.”
“I need to taste you, too.”
“Oh, you will, beautiful, when I’m done lapping up that sweet nectar spilling from inside you. I can already smell you and my mouth is watering.”
A stream of cream rushed from my folds as he reached beneath me and unfastened my bra. Kneeling up, Darren tossed the lacy fabric to the floor and locked a hungry stare on the shallow rise and fall of my chest. Cupping my breasts, he kneaded and squeezed them, pushing them close together. He extended his tongue and swiveled his head from side to side, lashing my swollen tips, one after the other…toying and teasing and uncoiling a delicious ache down low in my belly.
He opened wide and sucked one taut nub deep into his sinful mouth. When he pressed my pebbled peak to the roof of his mouth, I gasped. The cool air laced my throat while a bolt of fire seared straight to my clit.
Instinctively arching my back, I silently begged him to take his fill of me.
And he did, scorching me with his stare while benevolently bestowing the same mind-bending attention to my other breast. Heat, demand, and bliss expanded. And when he skimmed a trail of kisses down my quivering stomach, memories of his wicked tongue undoing me flooded my mind.
Hooking my thumbs beneath the waistband of my yoga pants, I wiggled, trying to tug them off my hips. I could feel him smiling against my skin as he wrapped his hands around my wrists, thwarting my attempt to get naked.
“Darren,” I groaned. “I need…more.”
“I know exactly what you need, and I’m going to give it to you, over and over again.”
“Yes…please.”
“Patience, beautiful. I’m still warming you up.” He flashed a wicked grin before flicking his tongue in my navel.
I jolted with a yelp before a growl of frustration bubbled in the back of my throat.
“I passed warm-up downstairs.”
“Then let’s see if I can make you sizzle,” he growled.
Releasing my wrists, Darren sat up, gripped my pants, yanked them off my legs, and tossed them over his shoulder. Shivering with excitement and the cool air wafting over my heated flesh, I watched him lock a ravenous gaze on my dripping center, then lick his lips.
