by S. M. West
After Costa left, his words weighed heavy on my mind and heart. Even though it was total bullshit, it made concentrating on work difficult, and I only got more riled when he sent a text hours later to confirm we’d have the results couriered to each of us in three days.
Then Pansy came over with Henry this afternoon, only to get some more of his things and so I could spend time with him. I managed to keep it together, enjoying the time with my son and sister, although relieved once Pansy left with him. I will have to tell her and Gray…even if it’s for nothing.
I hope it’s for nothing.
“Fuck me.” A deep husky tone of appreciation causes me to twirl around.
Gray stands in the doorway of my room in a tuxedo. He’s gorgeous, the perfect mix of celebrity handsome with his all-around good looks—blond hair and blue eyes—and bad boy danger with dark ink peeking out from the edges of sleeves and his shirt collar.
“Daisy, you look amazing.” His blue eyes glitter admiringly, and he drops a small duffel bag onto the floor.
He’s staying the night, and until now, I hadn’t given it any thought. Now, the boulder-sized knot that’s been sitting heavy on my chest all afternoon lessens at the sight of him.
“You look gorgeous too.” I’m done with the questions and doubts about Henry and Costa and launch myself at him.
My arms wrap around his neck, and my Erotic Dreams-covered mouth crashes onto his, and suddenly everything is right with the world again.
Costa and his stupid lies melt away, and all that matters is here and now. Gray.
“Hi.” He pulls back, eyes heavy-lidded, and his smile slays me. “I was going to ask if you missed me, but I think that kiss just about covered it.”
“I did miss you.” It’s true. Despite how messed up this day was and how scattered my mind is, Gray and Henry are the only ones to keep me sane.
There’s a knock at the door as he leans down to capture my mouth once more. He groans, fingers squeezing into my waist.
“I was going to ask if we could be late to this thing,” he murmurs against my lips. “I wanted to taste you again.”
As if on command, my panties are wet, and my core heats at the thought of his hot mouth and skillful tongue on me, in me.
“You’re horrible,” I moan, pushing away from him. “Now all I’m going to think about tonight is your mouth on me.”
A wicked grin takes over his face and he chuckles. “That makes two of us.”
I laugh, grabbing my purse and taking his hand. “You ready? That is probably the driver here to take us to the dinner.”
“Lead the way.” His hand tightens on mine, and an animal-like growl erupts from behind me. “Damn, Daisy, I’m not going to be able to take my eyes off you in that dress.”
Well, that right there justifies the outrageous cost of the dress. I’d spend ten times what I did to hear the blatant hunger in his voice I just so clearly heard.
Tonight’s event organizers arranged for a limo, and as we slide into the back, I mull over when best to mention Costa’s visit. I can’t keep this bottled up for much longer, but tonight is supposed to be special.
How do I not mix the two in my head? The day my stupid ex basically called me a liar, and I received the most coveted award any up-and-coming photographer dreams of.
Despite traffic, our driver gets us to the event on time, and the dinner is fantastic. I graciously accept my award, pulling off my practiced speech flawlessly and smiling for the camera so many times I lose track.
Of course, Gray’s presence makes everything bearable. At my side all night long, he silently smiles at the many strangers who approach us to introduce themselves, talk shop, and give me their business cards.
It’s more than I could have asked for. Future photography gigs come at me from all directions, and in some ways, it’s overwhelming. When we get back into the limo several hours later, I lean into Gray and close my eyes.
“Thank you for being there tonight.” My hand squeezes his bicep, and my head nestles onto his shoulder. “It must have been boring for you.”
“Nope. Not a chance. It was amazing to see you get the recognition you so deserve.” He kisses my temple. “You okay?”
I pull away, gazing up at him. “Sure. A little tired, that’s all.”
His brow furrows but he doesn’t say anything, and I rest my head back onto him. When we get to my house, Gray opens the front door, ushering me in before him.
No lights are on inside, but the place is alight with candles. Tealights line the hallway and soft music comes from the speakers.
“What the…” I glance back at Gray who’s grinning before heading into the living room.
Almost every surface is covered with vases of flowers. Tulips, hydrangeas, roses, and my favorite and namesake, Gerber daisies.
“What is this?” I stare at Gray, incredulous.
“This is for you.” In the dim light with the soft glow from the candles, his lips twitch with amusement.
“For me?”
“Daisy, you deserve to be celebrated.” He takes both my hands in his and pulls me to him.
Leaning his head into me, he nibbles on the side of my neck, eliciting a flurry of shudders, and I ask on a breathy moan, “You did all this for me?”
He nods, tongue laving at my pulse point, and I curl an arm around his waist, turning in his embrace to look around at the room once again.
Flowers. Candles. Champagne chilling in a bucket. When did he have a chance to do all this?
“But how?” I dip my head back to get a good look at his face.
He flashes me a sexy, crooked grin, and my eyes drop, drawn to the strong cords of his neck. Everything about him fascinates me.
“I have my ways. I wanted tonight to be special since it’s just the two of us. But before that, we need to talk.” He pulls me to the couch and picks up the remote to turn off the music.
“Talk?”
“Yes, you’re awfully quiet tonight. Something’s bothering you. What is it?”
God, why does he have to be so attuned to me? I want to tell him about Costa and had planned to once we got back to my place after tonight’s event. But the candles, the music…I don’t want to ruin this.
But I won’t lie to him.
“I had a visit from Costa.” My tone is flat even as my stomach churns, reliving the near hour of turmoil with the man earlier today.
16
Gray
Sucker punch
Costa. I can’t bring myself to say anything. I’m totally surprised and hadn’t seen that coming.
Henry’s father. What about him? Why did he come to see her? I’ve never met him and only know what Daisy’s shared, but it’s enough not to like him. And if I’m being truthful, I never really gave the man much thought.
The one and only time she talked about Costa was when Henry was a week old. Late one night, the baby was finally able to latch onto her breast for a full feed, and she cried tears of joy. It was one of those standout moments in parenting.
As much as she’d wanted to breastfeed, Henry took his sweet time to latch, and she supplemented with baby formula. Despite it being less than a week since she’d given birth, she beat herself up, feeling like a failure at motherhood because of using a bottle.
Anyway, that night, something shifted, both in Henry and in Daisy, and they’ve been in sync ever since. I’m forever grateful I’d been there.
Since his birth, I’d taken to coming over daily to help her, knowing caring for a baby was a monumental undertaking. I was caregiver to my younger sister once she started walking, although I was only a year older than she was.
That night, Daisy told me how Costa had denied being the father and wanted nothing to do with the baby. She hadn’t spoken to him since then but sent him her contact information in case he ever changed his mind.
Is that what’s happened? My heart pinches. Does Costa not only want Henry but Daisy too?
“What about Costa?” The words
are heavy and clumsy in my mouth, but I need answers.
“He came here…today.” Her fingers tremble, stroking lightly over my jaw.
I lean into her touch, my mind clouding with the heat of her. “Yes, you already said that.”
“Yes.” Her palm rests on my cheek and she straightens. “He emailed me sometime last night when he got in and said he needed to see me. He said it was about Henry and then he showed up today.”
I lay my hand on top of hers, staring into her eyes and willing my heartbeat to slow down. “What did he want?”
“He said…he couldn’t be Henry’s father.” Her lips tremble, and the tips of her fingers press into my face.
“Okay. We knew he didn’t want to be part of Henry’s life.” I don’t get what has her so upset, unless she was hoping he’d change his mind?
I can understand even if there’s an ounce of…what is it? Jealousy? Fear?
Something dark and ugly struggles to take root in my gut at the idea I could be so easily replaced by Henry’s biological father.
You know what they say—blood is thicker than water.
“No, he says he isn’t his father.” Her tone is hard, and I’m confused. “Costa says he is sterile and has been since he was a kid. He only just found out now that he and his wife are trying to have a baby.”
“Seriously?” Our fingers entwine and she nods her head, pressing her lips together.
The next logical question slips from my mouth of its own accord, without thought. “Is there someone else you were seeing at the time? Someone else who might be his father?”
I’m not judging, and as much as I hate the thought of Daisy with any guy but me, she had a life before we met. And her relationship with Costa and her modeling career are a mystery to me.
“No. You don’t understand. I wasn’t seeing anyone else. I didn’t sleep around.”
“Hey.” I lift my hand from hers and stroke the side of her face. “I didn’t mean to suggest that. I only asked if maybe you’d been seeing more than one person. It happens and it’s all right. No judgement.”
My fingers sink into her hair, curling around the back of her neck, and she releases a small whimper.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have taken it that way. I’m just a mess right now. Costa was the only one I had sex with.”
“I…” Puzzled, I have a hard time processing what she’s saying. “I don’t know what to say.”
There has to be someone else. She had a baby and that takes two people, and one has to be a man. This isn’t the Immaculate Conception or something.
“Daisy.” I pause, and she must sense my hesitation as she pushes to her feet.
“This is why I’m freaking out. It doesn’t make any sense.” She shakes out her hands at her sides as if numb, needing to get the blood circulating again. “Costa and I were together for a couple of years, and I was monogamous.” She slips off her heels, one hand running through her hair. “I didn’t sleep with anyone else.”
“So you think he’s lying?” I also get to my feet, needing to see her face. The turmoil in her tone is too much without looking into her eyes, offering some kind of reassurance that this will turn out okay.
“It’s the only explanation, but I don’t know why he’s doing this. It’s…no, he is fucking with my head.” She slaps at the side of her head in frustration.
Her physical blow to her body is a sucker punch to my gut. No way. She won’t hurt herself any more than this is already hurting her.
I bring both her arms to her sides, banding them with mine. “Shhh, we’ll figure this out. Don’t ever do that.”
My hand strokes the side of her face, needing to erase the hit, but my attempt to soothe isn’t enough…for me. My lips kiss the side of her face, holding there longer than I should but not wanting to pull away.
A tear slips from the corner of her eye, and she starts to bob her head. The reality of what she did, of what this is doing to her, sinks in, and even still, she doesn’t believe me. She doesn’t believe it’ll be okay.
“All I keep coming back to is…maybe he wants Henry, and this is some twisted way of getting to me. I don’t know.” Her voice cracks, and a wintry chill burrows into my heart.
Exhaling a harsh breath, she wriggles her arms until I loosen my hold and steps back. I try not to take her retreat as anything more serious than what it is—a need for space. To think.
“When you talked to him, how did he seem? Was he drunk, high, angry?” My head hurts from puzzling over this. “Did it feel like he was being cagey with you?”
Maybe there’s something else at play, although I’m coming up blank as to what it could be.
“That’s the thing. I could see he didn’t know how to tell me, and when I thought he was lying…that’s when things got weird.” Daisy slides her arms around her middle. “He truly believes he isn’t the father, and even when I didn’t want to, I believed him.”
“Well, there’s one way to find out. A DNA test.”
“Yes.” She nods and starts to pace, her dress swishing with each step. “I gave him Henry’s toothbrush and hairbrush for a DNA test. He figured I’d insist on a test and so he arranged one. We’ll know in three days.”
“Can you trust him?” I take her hand, stopping her from another walk across the room.
“I thought I knew him, but now I’m not so sure. His wife is a girlfriend from high school. He was with her the entire time we were together, even when he was with other models before me. So I don’t know, but I’m not subjecting Henry to any of this.”
The news of the wife and Costa’s lies tweaks a thought. “Do you think the wife has something to do with this? Maybe she wants Henry out of the picture and is lying to Costa about his sterility?”
“Really? I mean, I guess it’s a possibility, but who does that?”
“You’d be surprised what people will do. If she thinks you or Henry are a threat to her marriage, especially if Costa was unfaithful to her, then she may have lied to him.”
“Should we get our own DNA test?” She nibbles on her lip, and her hands land on my waist, fingers digging into my sides.
I welcome her nearness and kiss her once more, this time on the lips. It’s quick and gentle, not looking for anything more than to show her I’m here. She isn’t alone.
“Yeah, let me take care of it.” I sweep hair away from her face.
“I’ll have to ask Costa for a DNA sample.”
“No, I’ll handle it.”
“Gray, but—” I cut her off with a finger to her mouth, and her warm breath skates over my skin, causing a shiver along my arm.
“But nothing. Let me worry about this. I’ll figure it all out tomorrow. We should get some sleep.” I glance around the room, dejected that the night didn’t go as planned.
She stops at the mouth of the hallway. “Aren’t you coming?”
Beautiful. The candlelight causes her dress to shimmer more than it already does, and even with her hair tousled and expression glum, she looks like a princess.
I smile. “Yeah, in a minute. I just need to blow out all these candles and make a few calls to get things started.”
“Calls? Like what?” She rests her head against the doorjamb, studying me.
“I’m going to go in a little later tomorrow, so I need to let Silas know, and I want to get the ball rolling on the DNA test, Costa…all of that.” I blow out a breath, already weighed down just by the thought of this.
“Can I help?”
“Hey.” I saunter over to her, hands now cupping the back of her neck, and I bend to press my lips to her forehead. “Relax. Do me a favor and go get changed. Get ready for bed. Oh, and maybe you can blow out the candles in the bedroom.”
Her eyes widen. “There are more candles in the bedroom?”
I nod. “Yeah, and flowers. I may have gotten a little carried away, but I wanted this night to be magical for you.” My thumb sweeps over her collarbone, and she trembles, her eyelashes fluttering closed on a b
link.
“Thank you. Thank you for tonight. For being here. For everything.” She wraps her arms around my back and plants a long, slow kiss on my mouth.
She pulls away, studying me, and I can see it in her eyes. The worry and questions. Oh, how I wish I could take them away.
“What if the DNA results come back and Costa is telling the truth?” she murmurs, stepping back farther into the shadows where I’m unable to see her expression and can only judge her mood by her frail, doubtful voice.
“Do you think that’s going to happen?” My hand wraps around her wrist, pulling her back to me.
“I don’t believe it will. No, it won’t. But…” So much uncertainty laces that final word. “It’s hard to make any sense of this.”
“Come here.” My arms wrap around her, and she nestles into me, placing her head on my shoulder.
“Gray, despite this thing with Costa, you did make tonight special. You make everything special.”
My chin perches on the crown of her head. “Try to get some sleep. I know this is hard to believe right now, but it’s going to work out. I’ll be in bed as soon as I can.”
She kisses the base of my neck, and my heart does a back flip. “Please don’t be long.” She turns toward the bedroom, and I watch her for a bit.
In the gown, she glides down the hallway, and it takes everything in me not to go after her. To make her forget about all the bullshit of Costa.
But first I have to deal with him. I check the doors are locked and text Silas about a change in plans for tomorrow with India’s album. He replies right away. He’s got questions but he doesn’t object, only agrees to my request. Thank fuck.
I’ll give India and her album a few hours in the morning. We’ve only just started, and I can’t bail this early in the process. Besides, I’m up tomorrow for a drum solo. So I’ll do that before I talk to Costa. But first I have to find him.
Then I place a call to my resourceful and tenacious lawyer, stressing the importance of finding Costa and giving him until noon tomorrow to do so. No excuses.