When Austin buries his stubbly face between my thighs and traces a finger from my entrance to the tender hole of my ass, the electric pulses that erupt across my body leave me shaking and panting. Being without him has been like living without air, the breathlessness a reminder of how he makes every nerve in my body come alive.
I turn on my stomach, needing to feel every thick inch of him spread me. Claim me. Own me.
The gentleness he starts with as he edges the head of his cock into me has me trembling with want, and his first thrust shoves in so deep, I lose every thought but of him. When he pulls himself out, I ache from the loss. And when he forces himself back in, I can’t help my screams of yes and please.
His cock fills me over and over until I feel his thighs tighten. His strong hands grip my waist as he rocks harder, hitting that spot until another wave of pleasure tears me apart, shattering me as we ride out the harmony of our climaxes.
Our breaths steady, and his tender kisses roam across my shoulders and feather up my neck.
A strange question comes to me, and I ask, “How did you find me tonight?”
His shy laugh is pure debauchery. “I slipped a tracker in your purse.”
Without looking, I’m sure he can see the wonder in my expression, and he continues.
“I thought you might be heading back to Dallas. And if you did, I wanted to be there because I had to know what was going on. Why everything changed.”
When he rolls to his back, I turn, resting my head on the solid heat of his chest, weaving my fingers through his. “Tell me about Gaby. She seems so grown.” I’m interested to know more, but cautious.
“She’s thirteen,” Austin says, and I lift my head, needing to study his eyes.
“How old are you?” I ask, hoping my question comes out more curious and less flat-out shocked. The man can’t be much older than me.
“Thirty,” he says, and gives me a few seconds to do the math. “Her mom, Joelle, and I were both underage. Her family moved away suddenly. My calls and texts went unanswered, and one day, the number belonged to someone else. I signed up for my first deployment soon after, when I turned eighteen. I had no idea Joelle had been pregnant until out of the blue, Gaby reached out to me on Facebook. As soon as I saw her profile picture, I knew. I just knew.”
Laying my head on him, I stay quiet, taking in every word as I rest on his heartbeat.
“Her mother is married. He’s been the only father Gaby has ever known, and she loves him. He sounds like an amazing father.”
“How did she know?”
“My girl has a thing for puzzles, just like me. She dug around until she found the truth. Her birth certificate. She searched some more, and when she found me on Facebook, she said it was my eyes that convinced her. No one else in her family has them—our eyes. I was about to deploy again when she called, so I left the military. Coop found the house here and gave me a job, and I laid low as we worked things out with her mom . . . her mom and dad.” There’s both sorrow and joy in his voice as he says that word.
“Months later, when the phone calls slowed down, I wasn’t sure what to think.” He takes a long breath. “Apparently, my little girl was working stuff out with her family so they’d agree to let her visit. She’s incredible. So goddamn together. A whole grade above the other kids her age.”
The pride in his voice wanes, and his hand cradles my jaw, lifting my eyes to his. “Does this change things for you, Evie?”
I give an honest shrug. “I don’t think so. I mean, does it change my feelings for you? No. But what about you? You’re just getting to know her. Maybe having me in the mix isn’t the best idea.”
“Hey.” He hushes me with a kiss, and the tightening of tension building in my shoulders vanishes. “You’re in this mix. Bound to me.”
The devilish grin he sports conjures images of knots and ropes, and curtain ties. And my father’s twisted little game of watching me.
The unsettled realization settles over me, but I don’t bring it up. This issue is between my father and me.