“Did it make you think of me?” I ask when I turn around, and I’m pleased when I see her cheeks redden.

  Her hair is over one shoulder and messy from sleep. She’s not wearing any makeup and she’s heartbreakingly beautiful. The small sleep shirt has ridden up to show a strip of her soft belly and her shorts are tiny and rolled down at the waist. Everything about her makes me want to cuddle her back under the warm covers, yet my need for her is outweighing all the other carefully planned thoughts I was going to say.

  “Jas—”

  I cut her off as I lunge for her and cover her mouth with mine. I pick her up and have her pinned to the wall in half a breath, and it only takes that much longer before her legs are wrapped around me. She moans into my mouth and I rock against her softness until the hard ridge of my cock is grinding on her pussy.

  “I had a plan,” I growl as I kiss my way down her neck and push her shirt up. When I touch the edge of her bare breast, I surge forward, desperate to find her nipple. My fingers graze the tender peak and I pinch her slightly until she gasps. “I was going to be better at this.”

  “I think you’re doing pretty great right this second,” she moans and rubs her pussy on me.

  “We have to talk, but I need you too badly.” Both of my hands are on her breasts and plucking at her nipples under her shirt. I grit my teeth and let them go, grabbing her ass instead. “You need to get on your back.”

  I hold her to me as I carry her over to the day bed sofa where she sleeps and lay her down. Her lips are already swollen from my desperate kiss and the first light of day streams in across her body.

  “I’ve never seen anything so beautiful,” I confess, rubbing the pad of my thumb across her bottom lip. “I’ve never felt so much at one time and I don’t know how to control it.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t?” she says, touching my wrist gently and placing a kiss on my thumb.

  “Don’t tell me that.” I lean down and bury my face between her breasts and press my ear to her heart. “Don’t give me permission to become an animal. I need to figure out how to save you from what I want.”

  “Tell me, Jason.” I feel her fingers run through my hair. “Tell me what it is you’re so afraid of?”

  I look up into her eyes and my body settles. She calms me in a way I never knew was possible. “When we met you awoke something inside me. I don’t know how to control it or how to explain it, but I’m scared I’ll smother this light you have inside you. It’s what calls to me like nothing else and all I want to do is be by your side.”

  “And that’s why you disappeared before?”

  I nod and place a kiss over her heart. “But I can’t do that again. I tried living with you at a distance and I was a zombie but worse.”

  She smiles and cocks her head to the side. “How was it worse?”

  “I was grouchy.” That gets me a small laugh before I run my hands down her sides and under her ass. “A grouchy zombie with only one thing to satisfy me.” I kiss my way down her stomach and move between her legs. “Thank god I’ve found it.”

  I play with the edge of her little sleep shorts and the soft material stretches nicely. She raises her hips in invitation and my chest swells with hunger. I want to be so goddamn big for her that she never knows fear. That she looks to me for comfort and security because I’m the one that will stop everything before it touches her.

  “Jason,” she moans as I gently pull the material to the side and reveal her glistening pussy.

  “My pretty virgin,” I say, leaning down and separating her lips with my tongue.

  She gasps as I take my time and savor what I need most.

  “But not for much longer.” She spreads her legs wider as I push two fingers inside her.

  She’s so fucking tight and my cock aches for his turn, but I need her right on the edge when I take her. I’ve been a good man for too damn long and I’m tired of trying to do the right thing. I’ve found the woman I want to be with for the rest of my life, so it’s time to stop pretending I can live without her. Because I can’t.

  “I need you, Sky,” I say against her soft skin. “I can’t stay away, and I won’t try anymore.”

  She cries out when I suck on her clit and then rub that tender spot inside of her. Her back arches and I work my fingers faster as she approaches her climax.

  “You’re it for me, and I’m not going anywhere ever again.”

  Between my touch and my words, she cries out my name as her body falls over the edge and into paradise. I feel her release and the clench of her pussy around my fingers as I slide them lazily in and out of her to draw her orgasm out. I want every bit of pleasure from her I can get and I don’t stop. Her body moves with my fingers and against my mouth and already she’s working towards another climax.

  “Not yet,” I whisper against her pussy and she whines as I slip my fingers from her tight cunt.

  I lick them clean, sit up and pull the shorts and small T-shirt off of her. I tug off my own shirt and toss it on the floor beside us and she reaches for me as I fall on top of her. I move my hand between us and push down my shorts until my hard cock springs free. It bounces bare between us, thick with need as it drips cum onto her waiting pussy lips.

  “I’m never letting you go,” I say, rubbing my cock into her juices and coating my shaft. “I love you, Skyler.” Her eyes widen and when she opens her mouth, I shake my head and put a finger over her lips. “You don’t have to say anything right now. Just know that I’ll always be with you, and I’ll always take care of you.”

  I slide an inch of my cock into her as I lean down and kiss her lips gently. As her legs spread wider and her hands move to my ass, she pulls me into her and I thrust all the way home. She cries out against my mouth and I grip the blanket tight to keep from moving. She’s the tightest thing I’ve ever felt and I have to remind myself to breathe so I don’t pass out.

  Her breath catches in her throat and I kiss her neck and touch her nipples to try and distract her from the pinch of pain.

  “I can’t keep this from hurting, but I promise you I’ll make it good.” I feel her relax just a bit at my words and little by little she melts into me.

  After what feels like an eternity her hips move hesitantly and then she’s rocking against me and demanding I thrust.

  We smile at one another as I rub my nose against hers, and then I give us what we both want. It’s slow and tentative at first because as much as it feels like absolute heaven inside her, I don’t want to hurt her.

  “Hard, Jason.” She raises her hips and I feel her nails on my back as I plant my hand on the mattress next to her and thrust.

  This time it’s deep and purposeful, and her grip tightens around me. “Fuck.” My back clenches and my cock swells as I surge forward.

  My body won’t let me wait much longer and I have to cum. Her walls are squeezing me up and down my shaft and her cream is coating my cock. With my other hand I brush my thumb against her clit and that’s all it takes for her to release.

  I praise God that I don’t have to fight it anymore and I grab her hips as I hold myself deep. Cum pours out of me and into her waiting warmth. The heat rolls over my body and I cum even harder with the knowledge that’s she ovulating and I’m bare inside her. I wasn’t lying when I said there wasn’t anything I didn’t know about her and I’m using it to my advantage. I need her tied to me in an unbreakable way and that’s going to be with our baby. She’s my everything and I will always take care of her, and that includes the family we make.

  I wrap my arms around her tightly as I roll us over so she’s across my chest. My legs move around hers, and I stroke my hands up and down her back as I kiss the top of her head.

  “Is it always like this?” she whispers, tracing the delicate tips of her fingers across my shoulder.

  “Not for anyone but us,” I answer, looking into her eyes. “This is different, Skyler. We’re different.” I kiss her softly before she lays her head down on my chest.

  “I know,” she agrees right before I close my eyes and finally let sleep take me.

  Chapter 7

  Skyler

  I run my finger down Jason’s jaw, watching him sleep. He looks so relaxed right now that I don’t want to wake him, but I know I have to get up. The sun is starting to set and without having to look at the clock I know it’s time to get ready for work. I lean into him and give him a kiss. He’s always so put together it’s nice to see him like this. I should probably wake him because he’ll likely get grouchy at me later for not doing it, but he’s so relaxed I can’t bring myself to wake him up. He needs the rest; he lets things weigh heavily on him. Ever so slowly I slip from my day bed.

  I’m going to need a bigger bed if Jason is staying over more. But then I scratch that idea because I enjoy how close we have to be when we share it and there’s no room for either of us to go anywhere. My body still buzzes from our lovemaking and I bite my lip as I stare down at him in my bed. He’s almost as big as the thing but he looks like he belongs here—maybe because he does. He even said he loves me.

  I should have said the words back. I was so shocked and I just wanted to soak it all in. They were so foreign to me even though I heard my mother say it to my father, but I don’t recall them ever being uttered to me. I clear my head of thoughts of my parents. They’re no longer a part of my life and from now on Jason’s going to be my family.

  I go into my bathroom and slip on my work uniform. I grab my cell phone and keys before I shut the door and lock it behind me. Jason said he tracks my phone, so he’ll know how to find me and I don’t need to leave a note. I’m sure he’ll text me when he wakes up and I smile thinking about the grumpy look he’ll have on his face when he realizes I’m gone. I wish I could stay, but a girl has to work to pay her bills.

  The whole way to work I smile thinking about all the things we’d done. I can almost feel his hands and mouth all over me and it makes me feel so light and free. It’s silly to compare the love I had for my mother to Jason because she was evil and vindictive. She’d hurt anyone to get what she wanted and the only person that didn't get her wrath was my father. That was because he had a sick obsession of his own and enjoyed the way my mother treated him.

  He didn't care that she ignored me because he only cared about himself. I was the accident and I think my mom thought it would help tie my father to her more. It didn't work because he didn't care if I was there or not. If anything, he got more annoyed if I took my mother's attention from him.

  I was supposed to fall in line and stay out of the way, but after they realized the mistake they’d made having a child, it was easy to leave that life behind. They would toss money my way so that I’d stay out of their hair—from nannies to boarding school and then they tried to push me into college. I was over it and over them.

  I left and they never came looking for me. I never looked back and that was almost a year ago now. For some reason, I thought at one point maybe they would track me down but they didn’t. I don’t ever see Jason being that way because I’ve seen how his family is. They all love each other so much and he even said himself they would try and hog my attention and he wasn't ready for that yet.

  I get that now. We need our time alone because we’re fresh and new. It took everything in me to not call him back last night, but it was good for me. I got to let my mind settle and to rethink everything, even some of the crazy things Jason had been doing this whole time. At the end of the day he was doing what he thought was best for me.

  Isn’t that what’s always important? If you truly love someone you put them first and that’s what he’s done. He left because he thought it was the right thing to do even though he was really there the whole time. He promised me he’d never do that again and I believe him. I don’t think he could leave if he tried. Last night tested all of his control.

  I clock into work and grab my cleaning cart. When I get on the elevator I look to the top floor button. I don’t know why but I press it. It’s the one that used to go to Jason’s floor. The button lights up before the door closes and the elevator starts to rise.

  When the elevator opens I’m surprised to see a front desk. I step out and bring my cart with me. There was nothing left on the floor before and as I glance around I can see now the place is filled. My eyes go to the mounted sign behind the front desk, where I see Fisher & Taylor etched in glass.

  He really did get it all back, not that it mattered to me. I would be happy snuggled up on my day bed with Jason in my tiny studio apartment for the rest of my days, but Jason’s a driven man. He would take pride in taking care of me and the thought has my hand going to my stomach. I could be pregnant right now for all I know and I can’t help the bubble of excitement that rises.

  Our family would be so different from the one I’d grown up in. My child and I would never be alone because I have a new family now. I hadn't been looking as I drifted through each day and now I’m going to have it all. Jason isn't going anywhere and the world is so different now that I have someone to lean on. I didn't realize it until this exact moment and when it hits me I know what I have to do. When I get back home I’m going to say the words to him I should have said already. I love him.

  The elevator chimes and I turn to see who it is because I shouldn't even be on this floor.

  My mouth falls open when I see my father step off the elevator and his eyes roam over me in my cleaning uniform. He glances to the cleaning cart before he sees the sign behind the front desk and he looks over at me in disgust.

  “You clean for them?”

  I haven't seen him in over a year and that’s the first thing he says to me? His face is filled with confusion.

  “Yes, I clean,” I answer, and I know he’s never cleaned anything a day in his life.

  Nothing about him has changed, except I don't see my mother, but she’s never far from his side. My father enjoyed my mother's obsessiveness over him, but he also enjoyed other women equally, something that sent my mother in a rage. She never took the anger out on him, but I wasn't so lucky. But he only cared about himself and not what happened to me. It’s probably why he enjoyed that she was so obsessed with him. Together they were toxic.

  “Is there something you want?” I ask.

  “I want to know why Marco Taylor and Jason Fisher are snooping around in my life.” He raises an eyebrow at me. He always does that when I’m doing something that annoys him.

  “That would be me.” Jason’s voice booms through the office and I turn to see him standing in the doorway that goes to the stairs. He clears the distance between us and he moves to stand between my father and me. I have to move a little to see around Jason’s massive form and my father takes a step back.

  “Do you do that thorough of a background check? Even checking the people who clean your building?” His face scrunches and he still hasn't asked me anything else.

  I now have an idea of what Jason spent last night doing when he wasn't with me. I don't have anything to hide, I just don't care to talk about it. There’s nothing to really be said because all I did was go to school and stay out of the way.

  “You own this building?” I ask.

  “As of last night,” my father answers for Jason. “His new company bought it.”

  “The people you’re asking about is your daughter,” Jason growls and his voice is low and deadly.

  “Yes, my daughter.” My father annunciates the word and I can see Jason’s back tense.

  My father takes a step back.

  “I went looking into your life because my girl here is terrified of blood. I want to know why.” He takes a step closer to my father.

  “Because she’s a silly girl, that—”

  Jason lunges forward and has him by the throat before he can finish his words.

  “I’d knock your teeth out, but like I said, my girl doesn’t like blood.” He slams my father against the wall, making him look like a rag doll. I shouldn’t be enjoying this as much as I am. I don’t want Jason going to jail.

  I walk over and gently place my hand on his arm. “He’s not worth it. Him or my mother. Trust me on that.”

  He shakes his head and I know he can’t understand their actions. I’ve been there and at times it’s still hard for me to understand how someone could treat their child like that. Some people just aren’t good people. You have to learn to stay the hell away from them and not let their crap get on you.

  “You want them gone?” he asks.

  “It’s why I left. I was leaving them behind,” I admit.

  The one advantage to my parents being so cold to me was I didn’t harbor feelings for them. I felt a loss, not knowing what others had and what it felt like to have a family. A part of me even thought maybe I was like them because I so easily left them behind. Then there’s Jason who lights up my whole world and he made me realize I’m nothing like them.

  Jason takes a few more steps before he pushes the elevator button. The doors slide open and he tosses my father inside.

  “Get out of our city,” he tells him before the door close.

  I stand there shocked as my father rubs his neck where Jason held him and nods his head. As I watch the doors close, I realize this is the last time I’ll ever see him, and I’m grateful.

  “He didn’t fight you,” I say in wonder.

  “That’s because I dug into his life, which isn’t as shiny and nice as he likes people to think,” Jason answers.

  I honestly don’t want to know what that means. I was done with them when I walked out over a year ago.

  “I’ve always had a thing about blood,” I admit, to change the subject. I think Jason got the idea it was over something that happened to me. Maybe it was, but I remember falling down and skinning my elbows. I went running to my mother for help and I had blood everywhere. She lost it because I’d ruined the dress she’d just put on for a night out. She screamed and went on and on about her dress. I stood there taking it with blood dripping down my arms. I knew in that moment, even at seven, my mother was never someone I could count on and I was in this alone.

 

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