The sun feels so good beating down on my face and shoulders. In spite of the emotional day, I tell myself that I feel at peace. Everyone comes out and Bubba strides up to me, handing me a Corona.
“You really know your way to this girl’s heart, don’t you?”
“You bet I do, baby girl. How you holding up?”
“Actually, better than I thought I would be. I love her so much Bubba. It just hasn’t quite sunk in yet that she is really gone, but I do know that she would want all of us to continue on with our lives and be happy. Speaking of being happy, there is something I need to tell you.”
“You’re not leaving already, are you?”
Shaking my head no, I continue on. “Before I left here all those years ago, I found out I was pregnant.”
With a confused look on his face, he stops me before I say anything more and calls out to Adam who turns and glances at the two of us. Seeing the look on Bubba’s face, he comes over immediately.
“Did you forget to tell her that you told me about her daughter?” Bubba says calmly.
Adam turns to me with a plea for forgiveness in his eyes. “Shit, Shayne. I am so sorry I didn’t tell you that I told him and Jen. After I called you and told you about mom I just needed someone to talk to about everything, and I knew that I could trust these two. You know I would never betray your trust but I knew both you and Lucy were going to be here, and…”
Placing my hand on Adam’s arm, I give him a tight squeeze.
“It’s fine, Adam. Really it is. And I am not mad at you at all. In fact, I am thankful that the two of you have stayed as close as you are and that you have someone to talk to.”
Bubba sets his beer down, but before Bubba can respond, Jen comes out of the house carrying a mini version of her husband; light blonde hair and the biggest blue eyes I have ever seen. Zoe extends her arms out to her daddy and he peppers her face with kisses as she squeals out all kinds of little giggles.
“Shayne, this is my Zoe,” Bubba introduces.
“Oh God, Bubba, she is absolutely adorable. May I hold her?” He hands her off to me and she lets out a little giggle that sounds like a perfect angel. It is the cutest thing I have ever heard and it brings tears to my eyes, reminding me of my own little angel's laughter. Just like that, I know that I can’t meet Luke tomorrow... or ever. I have to do everything I can to stay as far away from him as possible before Adam gets back with my very own green-eyed, dark-haired princess who looks just like her daddy.
After we all have a few beers, Adam and I decide to call it a day and head home. As we are pulling into the driveway, Adam turns to me.
“Today was hard on both of us, but I know that mom is at peace and would want both of us to live our lives without regret and heartache. So let’s try to move forward and live the kind of life that she would want us to. She loved you, Shayne. You were her daughter in every way and she would want you to be happy. I know you are having second thoughts about going to talk to Luke tomorrow, and I think you should let those thoughts go.”
“How do you know that?” I say.
“Because I know you. I can tell that you are scared, but I will say this one more time. I really think that you should let him explain everything.”
“Adam, I don’t know if I can. He left me and I just don’t know if I can forgive him for that.”
“You need to try, sweetheart, and you need to find a way to tell him about his daughter. He has a right to know.” I look at Adam only to find him staring back at me blankly.
The tears I can no longer hold back flow down my face.
“How am I going to do that when I am scared to death that he will leave her too?” I ask with a quiver in my voice. “What if he doesn't accept her from the beginning? How do I explain this to her without the possibility of her being hurt by him?”
“He won’t leave her, Shayne. Just...please talk to him.”
“How can you say that? You have no idea what he will do once he finds out about her. I can’t lose her, Adam. She is everything to me.”
“You’re not going to lose her. He’d never take her away from you, but he has the right to know about her, and she has every right to know him.”
I sit there looking at Adam, knowing he is right, but all I can say is, “What am I supposed to say? ‘Luke, I would like you to meet your daughter, Luciana Andrews’?”
“Yes, Shayne, that is exactly what you should say.”
************
I lay on my bed after tossing and turning all night long, thinking about today and how I’m supposed to meet with Luke.
I know that I should go, but I just can’t. I am not ready yet.
I have no idea how to tell him about Lucy or if I even should. While I know the right thing would be to tell him, I just can't stop this nagging feeling in my chest. I'm scared, most definitely. Of his reaction, yes, the reaction to the news as well as to Lucy. But, how he will want to proceed after that? Will he want to meet her? Not want to meet her? Will he decide that he's not ready and leave once more? The scenarios are endless and of course my mind keeps zoning in on the negatives. Shaking my head as if to clear my thoughts, I decide retail therapy is just what I need.
Nothing like shopping to get your mind off of the heavy shit.
I get out of bed and start my usual morning routine. It's another sunny day outside so I decide to wear something light; a short, pale yellow sundress. I pull my hair into a high ponytail, put on my favorite flip flops, and head downstairs.
I walk into the kitchen and find that Adam left me a note saying he went to check on things at his house. Deciding to skip coffee at home, I head out to the car and drive to Starbucks to indulge in a Cappuccino and a muffin before driving to the outlet mall.
I spend most of the day strolling in and out of shops, buying all kinds of cute little outfits for Lucy. The girl has more clothes than she will ever be able to wear, but I can't help myself. They are so cute, and surprisingly, shopping for her takes my mind off of the Luke situation. I can decide on what to do later; for now I'm just going to enjoy my day.
I step outside into the bright sun and run across the street to the surf shop to pick up my last purchase of the day, a new swimsuit for Lucy. I spend a few minutes down each aisle and finally spot the cutest black and pink bikini for my girl. I continue on to make sure I don't find one I like better when I see the perfect bathing suit for me. It's a deep turquoise string bikini with black sequins around the top. I swiftly go up to the counter and ask for the dressing room so I can try it on.
“I love this one,” says the obviously outspoken hunk standing in front of me. “And you have got a banging body, lady. It will look amazing,” he comments once more as his eyes travel up and down my body before landing on my chest. Not quite sure what to say to him, I just head to the back of the store and lock the door to the dressing room. I try the suit on and turn around to look in the mirror, only to find there isn't one.
“What the hell? How in the hell am I going to know what this looks like it if there's no mirror?” I yell in confusion, hoping Mr. you’re-So-Hot hears me. “He probably does this shit on purpose. Damn perv,” I mutter under my breath. I silently open the door and peek out to make sure he can’t see me before hurrying to the mirror just to the right of the door. Not bad, I say to myself and quickly run back to the dressing room. I shut the door and turn around to get dressed. As soon as I turn, I scream, because standing in the middle of the room is none other than Luke.
“What the fuck are you doing in here? More importantly, what the fuck are you doing here? Are you following me?”
He doesn’t answer me; he just stands, staring at me with an intensity that sets my blood on fire. His eyes are such a dark green, the pupils almost disappear. I remember this look well, a look that used to make my body melt under his dark scrutiny. I turn away, needing to disconnect myself from his eyes before I do something stupid. Like jump him in a public dressing room with Pervy McPerverson standing outside. I'm pre
tty sure he's already downloaded me into his spank bank; I don't need to add an auditory fantasy as well.
"He’s right, you know?" My head immediately snaps back around and my brows draw together.
"Who's right?" I ask, the confusion I'm feeling evident in my tone.
"Kevin, the manager of this shop," he says.
I look at him like he has lost his mind.
"Oh, okay." I turn back around still not knowing what the hell he is talking about. I rest my head against the door and look down. Groaning, I remember that I'm in this stupid bathing suit and I can't change because Luke is in the room.
A strip show is so not what I need to be handing out right now.
I go to reach for my dress, but Luke snatches it away from me. Holding the dress in his grasp, I quickly reach out, trying to rip it away from him. Just as my hand gets close, he latches onto my wrist and slams me against the wall.
I gasp as his body presses up against mine and my lids get heavy. My chest rises and falls in quick succession and I can feel my heart rate increase. My hands start to shake with need and wetness seeps into my core. At that, I snap back to my senses and grasp onto the first emotion I can.
Anger.
How dare he think he can do this to me? What right does he have to touch me like this? And, how dare he turn me on! I can feel the flames of my anger rising up to my face as I glare at him in hate and bring my hands to his shoulders to shove him off of me. Not only does that not work, he presses himself closer, molding his body to mine and brings my wrists above my head, locking one hand around them.
My body reacts as if I have no control. I reach back for the anger that is suddenly replaced with need and hold on for my very life. His head moves lower as if he's about to kiss my neck and I thrash my head back and forth. I'm not sure what I expect to happen, but will try anything to make this situation end. With one hand still locked around my wrists, the other snakes up and rests on my hip, pulling my body closer to his. I can feel how hard he is and I moan against my own accord.
"Let me go," I sneer, gathering up every ounce of malice I possess and placing it in those three words. His breath is hot against my neck as he moves to whisper in my ear.
“Kevin is right about this body, Shayne. Not only is it banging hot, but it’s made my cock so hard right now, it's taking every ounce of control to not rip this bikini off of you and show you how much I need you."
I groan again, completely hating myself for being so weak, but unable to fight any longer.
"You know what else, Shayne? This body belongs to me, it always has. You know how I know that? Because your body, baby, hasn't stopped shaking since you saw me standing here and those perk nipples of yours are so hard, if I ran my tongue over them you would be lost, soaking wet and on the verge of coming within seconds."
I don’t know what to say to him because... fuck, he's right. But, I am not about to fold no matter how my body reacts. I can't help that my body responds to his, nor can I help the thoughts that are running through my head. I can, however, control my actions and leave with a little integrity. After seven years I am not about to let him talk to me like this, so I do the only thing that I can think of. I jerk my right hand free from his hold and I bring my hand up and slap him across the face.
He doesn’t even blink or wince. He just smiles.
"I deserved that,” he says, “And I deserve so much more. However, you are going to listen to me. You stood me up today and there are things that I need to say to you. But I am not going to explain it to you here. You are going to get in your car and I am going to follow you back to your house. Then, you are going to come with me and let me tell you everything. After you listen to what I have to say, you can decide if I am worth forgiving or not. But know this; I will not let you out of my sight again until I say what I have to say.” He pauses and licks his lips. “Do you understand me?”
"Okay," I say quietly. "I will listen to you, but I can tell you right now that it will not change a damn thing. And you can take that to the bank. Now, can you please let go of me and leave so I can change?”
He gives me his panty-dropping smile before turning and walking out of the room. I turn around, put my head on the wall, and mentally shout at myself. What the hell am I doing? I stand there for a few minutes, allowing my breathing to get under control before I get dressed and grab the bathing suits. I exit the dressing room only to find Luke standing up against the wall with his legs crossed at his ankles and his hands in his pockets waiting for me. Strolling right past him, I remember that I have my daughter’s swimsuit in my hand. Oh, shit! What am I going to do? I instantly start to panic. Luke comes up behind me and stands so close that I can feel his breath on the base of my neck.
“I paid for your things and I look forward to seeing you in that bathing suit again. But... not as much as I look forward to taking it off of you," he gently whispers into my ear.
Well if that didn’t leave my pussy swimming in its own pool of wetness, I am not sure what will.
"Not going to happen, Schavone," I say, calling him by his last name, which he hates. With an exaggerated sway I swish out of the shop, feeling like for once I’ve come out on top.
About The Author
Kathy is married to her wonderful husband Tony. They have two sons, Aaron and Shane. She is a hairstylist by day. Kathy has always been a reader and a year ago she started the Panty Dropping Book Blog. With the love and support of her family and her best friend Barri, she decided to take the plunge to write her first novel and so she did!
Kathy would love to hear from you! She can be reached at [email protected]. Please also check her out on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Kathy-Coopmans/1436758106573941
Her Dom (Dominic Powers #1) Page 26