Reciprocity

by K. I. Lynn

  “I didn’t know they worked that fast.”

  “They did after Joan showed them the damage. My bruises were fading, but still very visible. She took me into the nurse’s office, had me take off my shirt, and took photos of it all. After developing them that afternoon, she took them to a judge along with my medical records, and I was pulled.”

  “I’m so happy you had the courage to contact her. Otherwise… I don’t like the alternative future you would’ve endured.”

  “Me, either.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I never would have met you.”

  We stopped conversation, both needing a moment to decompress and eat. After I finished stuffing myself with fajitas, I placed the ice back on my hand and looked down at my watch. Time was passing a little too fast.

  I reached across the table and took her hand. “So, what do we do now?”

  She shrugged. “No idea. Go back to the office?”

  I shook my head and smiled. “No, Honeybear.” I laughed. “First off, you’ve been drinking. Second… What does everyone say when they win something?” She quirked her brow at me, then looked at me like I was insane. “I’m going to Disneyworld!”

  She stared at me, her brow scrunched. “What?”

  I sighed and took her hand in mine. “We’re going to Disneyworld.”

  She continued to stare at me, possibly wondering if I’d gotten another lobotomy. “Huh?”

  “Delilah Thorne, you and I are flying down to Orlando in four hours and spending the rest of the week at Disneyworld.”

  She blinked at me. “But we have work.”

  She was still confused, and I tried not to laugh. Then again, I did broadside her. “No, we took the week off for the trial, remember? We weren’t sure how long it would go.”

  Her head tilted. “So…we’re going to Disneyworld?”

  My lip twitched—she was catching on. “Yes.”

  “Really?” The confusion cleared from her face and was replaced by disbelief.

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  “But how did you know we’d be done today?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Then how? I’ve been with you this whole time.”

  “Mom had it all waiting in the wings with her travel agent for me. When we were leaving the courthouse she called her, and the agent texted me our flight information.”

  “We’re going to Disneyworld? Now?”

  I laughed, unable to keep it in any longer. “Yes, we’re going to Disneyworld.”

  Her eyes widened and she bounced in her seat. “Oh, my God! We’re going to Disneyworld!”

  “Now, that is the reaction I was expecting.”

  She jumped up. “We need to get packed!”

  We headed home and began to pack like maniacs on the run. I pulled out a few pairs of shorts and t-shirts and threw them in a small suitcase. Lila was flipping clothes everywhere into a larger suitcase. She was a planner, so the sudden need to pack was driving her a little insane and she was over-packing.

  “How long will we be there?” She stared down at the pile of sundresses she pulled from the closet.

  I pulled out my phone and looked over the information again. “We fly back on Sunday, so three full days.”

  After sorting through the stack, she picked two and left the rest in the middle of our bed. She then went through the clothes she’d already accumulated and weeded some out, making the mess on the bed bigger.

  Half an hour later, we were packed and ready to go. Well, Lila was still going through a mental list to make sure she remembered everything.

  “Did we leave the oven on?” she asked as we were driving to the airport.

  I quirked my brow at her. “Were you using it any time this week?”

  She blinked at me. “No.”

  “Then I’d say no.”

  She turned back to the front and looked out the window as we neared our destination. I took her hand in mine and kissed her fingers.

  “Relax. That’s the point of these days off. We’ve just been through the gauntlet and won. Adam’s in jail. It’s time to celebrate.”

  She let out a hard breath and sank back into the seat.

  “He’s really going to jail.”

  “Yes, he is.”

  Her lips twitched up and grew into a smile that lit up her eyes. Nothing but happiness.

  A few hours later, we checked into the Grand Floridian. It was an iconic, out of time hotel. With as late as it was when we finally got there, and with as long of a day it’d been, we ordered room service for dinner.

  We were unpacking, going over the park information, when Lila threw open the curtains and looked out. Her eyes widened as she stared out at the park in the distance and the castle lit up in the middle. I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist.

  “You know what else we could do while we’re here?” I kissed her neck and ground my hips against her ass.

  She relaxed back into me and let out a contented sigh. “I think I know where you’re going with this.”

  “Yeah, where’s that?” I nipped at her skin.

  “Baby making practice.”

  I pulled back. “Practice?”

  She nodded. “Practice makes perfect.”

  “Well, it’s always perfect, but why are you calling it practice? You’re not on birth control anymore, right?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  I turned her in my arms. “Am I pressuring you?” She was silent as she looked back at me. “Lila, do you want to have kids?”

  Her brow scrunched and she let out a hard breath.

  Fuck.

  I held my breath, waiting. I couldn’t explain my want—need—for a baby. It was visceral. Every part of me wanted a family with her, as if it was an attempt to get even closer to her. I wanted to see the mix of her and me in our child.

  Men didn’t have a biological clock, but it felt like I did. Maybe it was because I was someone new, who understood better than the old me how important and special family was. Grace was the driver then, and now it was me. I’d wanted kids then, wanted the American dream—and more than to appease Grace—but with Lila it was more than all that.

  “It’s not that I don’t want them, it’s that it scares me to death. Would I love to bring our children here? Yes. I want the family experiences I’ve always seen but never had.” She leaned forward and rested her head on my chest. “But I can’t shake the fear that I’ll fuck up, be a terrible mother. I…I don’t know what to do. I don’t even know if I can hold a baby, because I never have.”

  I let out the breath I’d been holding and chuckled, the tension leaving me as I pulled her closer.

  “Honeybear, I know it’s scary, but it’s impossible for you to be a terrible mother.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  I tilted her head up so I could look into her eyes. “Yes, I do. You’ve changed before my eyes, but your capacity to love has only grown.” She let out a shaky breath, and I turned her so we could both look out the window again. “Look out there, out at the castle that has you entranced.” I looked down to make sure she was, and she was locked on, her hand reaching out and settling on the window. “Now imagine coming back here in five years and sharing it with our little girl. Imagine her face lighting up.”

  Lila’s voice was barely a whisper. “Anna.”

  My heart stopped and a sense of déjà vu took hold.

  Anna.

  Flashes of a dream, a nightmare long ago, came back to me. The smiling face of a little girl who called me Daddy.

  I swallowed hard. “That’s a beautiful name.”

  “It was my mom’s.”

  I kissed her temple. “I think it’s a great name for our little girl.”

  She sniffed and nodded. “I think so, too.” She tilted her head up and kissed my jaw. Her lips continued up my jaw, nipping as she went. “Let’s make our baby girl.”

  I growled and took her mouth with mine. “I love you.”

  CHAPTER 17


  Lila was not the woman I knew. No, the woman before me was a little girl—wide-eyed, smiling, full of bouncing, hyper energy and wonder.

  We were starting out our trip in the Magic Kingdom bright and early. Her attention was all over the place as she took in Main Street. When we were almost to the end, I pulled the map from my back pocket.

  I didn’t even get to ask where she wanted to go before she nearly tugged my arm out of the socket and I tripped over my feet, almost face-planting onto the stone below. Her pace was almost a run, her gaze fixed on one thing in front of her. She was practically dragging me on her quest.

  When I looked up, I saw what had her so excited—Cinderella’s Castle. It was the iconic Disney view. She blew past people, only to stop in front of it and stare. I wrapped my arms around her waist and stood behind her, cradling her against my chest.

  “It’s so pretty.” Her voice was low, reverent almost.

  I nodded against her shoulder. It was what had given me the idea in the first place—the Cinderella story. Lila mentioned in the past how it was her favorite growing up. It wasn’t until we were standing in front of it that I was reminded how much she lost out on growing up with her father.

  We probably stood there for a half an hour, Lila soaking it in, memorizing every detail. The chiming of a bell seemed to wake her up and remind her where we were. She straightened and grabbed my hand before turning and taking off again.

  “Someone excited?” I laughed as I took an extra step to catch up. Her head was bouncing around everywhere, trying to take everything in at once, but I wondered if she could absorb anything with as fast as she was going.

  She slowed and gave me a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

  I shook my head. “No, Honeybear, don’t be sorry. Be happy.”

  “I am happy.” She pulled me close for a quick kiss. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

  We walked around, heading through Adventureland and stopping to watch people on the Aladdin ride. “What does it mean?”

  She stepped back and headed toward the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. “I don’t remember much about my mom, but I do remember she had a jar above the fridge with money in it.” I was surprised at the mention of her mom—Lila never had any stories. I’d often wondered if she remembered her at all. “Every time she put any in she would look at me and say, ‘We’re getting closer to Disney.’ I would pick up every piece of change I found on the ground and give it to her to add.”

  “How close were you?”

  She shrugged. “Who knows. She died before we got to go, and I was sent to—”

  “The bastard asshole motherfucker.”

  She elbowed me and glared. “Sssh!”

  “What?”

  “We’re in Dinseyworld.”

  I smirked at her scolding me like it was the most obvious answer and held up my right hand. “I will attempt to refrain from cussing out loud for the duration of our time in the park.”

  She smiled at me and linked her fingers with mine.

  A little while later, we were done with one ride and climbing onto Splash Mountain. The faux log swayed as I stepped on, and I held my hand out to help Lila on. She leaned her head on my shoulder, her arms tangled around mine, as we began moving.

  I couldn’t help but stare down at her chest and the view I had of her soft breasts.

  “What?” She grinned, her brow quirking, knowing exactly what I was looking at.

  I shook my head. “Nothing.”

  “It’s not nothing, so what is it?” She prodded my side with her finger.

  I leaned, trying to get away. “You’re wearing a white shirt.”

  “And?” Her brow scrunched.

  “We’re going on Splash Mountain.”

  “And?” She was so fucking adorable when she was confused. I grinned at her and licked my lips. Her eyes widened. “Oh.”

  I slipped my hand up her thigh and squeezed as we took off.

  Full-blown giggling filled my ears as we twisted, turned, and dipped, followed by a high-pitched scream along with my own yell as we plummeted down the final hill. She was laughing as the ride slowed down, and we took stock of our water-soaked, dripping bodies.

  After exiting, I looked down and groaned—her white tank top was thoroughly soaked and giving me a nice show of her sexy little bra. I pulled her close, grabbing her ass as I pushed my tongue into her mouth.

  Surprise filled her eyes, her cheeks turning pink.

  I leaned down, my lips ghosting her ear. “Tonight I’m going to get you wet in a whole other way.” Keeping to my promise of no spoken cuss words, I adjusted what I wanted to say. “I’m going to eat you out, stick my fingers inside you, and suck on your nipples until you’re begging me to stop. If you’re lucky, I’ll stick my man meat in you and thrust until we both come undone.”

  I smirked down at her as I pulled back. Her eyes were heavy, mouth open, and her face was flush—all her telltale signs of arousal.

  “How about a picture, you two?”

  I looked up to find a park photographer holding up a camera. “Sure.” I stroked her cheek with my finger. “Look at the camera, baby.”

  She did as I asked, but I had a feeling I’d pushed her over the lust edge and she was no longer aware of what was going on. My dick got hard just thinking about it. I was tempted to find some little corner for a quick fuck, but I didn’t want to get thrown out of the park for sexing up my girl in such a wholesome place.

  We continued on, taking a train ride in a western town, stopping for lunch, and taking in a creepy trip through It’s A Small World before walking around toward the Haunted Mansion.

  A shop window caught my eye before we got to our next destination, and I pulled us in. It was filled with little girls dressed up as princesses with their hair and makeup done while wearing frilly dresses.

  Lila’s brow scrunched as she looked around. “What are we doing in here?”

  I read over the signs around the register. They talked about different princess packages. “I think you should be a princess.”

  “What?”

  I grinned. “Don’t you want to dress up? Be a princess for a day? I’ll be your faithful man-servant, Cristoff.”

  “This is for little girls.”

  “Ah, you were thinking it would be fun.” Her face turned pink and she looked down to the ground.

  “This is stupid.”

  I grinned at her. “No, it’s not. Come on.” I tugged on her arm.

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  She huffed. “It’s for little girls! Besides, they aren’t going to have adult-sized dresses.”

  “Then we can stuff you into something too small.”

  She pushed on my shoulder. “You just want to see my ass hanging out.”

  My mouth dropped open. “We’re in Disneyworld! You said a dirty word!”

  Her cheeks got even redder and she beat on my back, pushing us out the door.

  We walked around, taking it all in and looking for our next adventure when it dawned on me.

  “Do you like rollercoasters?”

  She nodded. “Mm-hmm. Teresa and Armando took Noah and me to Kings Island one time.”

  “What was the first ride you went on?”

  She grimaced. “Well, Noah was a bit sneaky. I told him I wanted to try, but was scared. So he convinced me to go on the Vortex, saying it was a pretty easy one.”

  My eyes widened. “What? Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope. I screamed, probably cried a little, and told him how much I hated him.”

  “You saw it before you got on, right?”

  She nodded. “I was freaking out the whole time we were in line. Once I calmed down, I realized it wasn’t that bad, so we went on the Beast next. After that, I was in love with the thrill. I guess you could say it was the first time I’d felt alive in many years.”

  At the beginning of her story, I couldn’t decide if Noah was a little shit back in the day, but by the end, I had a
feeling he knew it was exactly what she needed at the time.

  “Teacups!” Lila’s face lit up and she pulled on me again, heading straight for the end of the line.

  After spinning and spinning and almost making me sick, we got off. My stomach turned a few times, but after a drink and a snack, it settled back down. We sat at a café and watched the people walk around, taking a nice break. I stretched—my body snapping, crackling, and popping. We still had a lot of park to cover, and I couldn’t wait to take her to Space Mountain.

  After another pass of Cinderella’s Castle and a few other small attractions, we entered the line for Space Mountain.

  “Okay, now you’re the one that’s full of excitement.”

  I realized then I was bouncing on the spot and shrugged at her. “Mom and Dad brought Erin and I here probably twenty years ago. Erin and I went on it about five times. It is by far the best coaster I’ve ever been on. It’s awesome.”

  “What is it?” She snickered at me.

  “It’s awesome!” I threw my hands up in the air and did a little dance.

  And it was. As soon as we were off, Lila grabbed my hand and ran back to the end of the line. By the third time, the sun was setting and we were both dragging. We decided the day was done.

  “Oh, wait!” I pulled the photo ticket from my pocket on our way out.

  “What’s that?”

  “The photo number.”

  “We had a photo taken?”

  I grinned. “Oh, yeah. After we got off Splash Mountain.”

  She blinked at me, confirming that I was right—she was lusted out and not paying attention to anything but what I’d said to her.

  We walked over to the photo booth, and I handed the attendant the ticket. It took him a moment to find it, and the moment it popped up on the screen, I knew I had to have it. Lila gasped.

  “We can’t get that!”

  It was fucking perfect. She was so alluring my dick was getting hard just looking at it. Her cheeks were pink, lips slightly parted, eyes heavy-lidded.