by Nikki Ash
Daddy frowns. “Your mother and I weren’t either, but we grew to love each other. Sometimes relationships are more than just lust and love. Sometimes they’re more practical if they have any luck of making it to the end.”
“I don’t like him.” My voice rises a few octaves. “I don’t want to see him again.”
Annoyance flashes in his eyes that match mine. “You’re being a child.”
I gasp, blinking in shock. “Because I don’t want to go out with the guy?”
“Because you’re not even giving anyone a try. In case you didn’t notice, Kerry, you’re almost thirty. Your chances for finding a successful husband will decrease tenfold once you reach that hump.”
Hot tears fill my eyes and I’m twelve again. Lectured to death by my father. Never quite measuring up or trying hard enough. Whenever I give him my tears, I know it only confirms what he feels.
“I think you should go,” I croak out. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
He purses his lips. “We’re not done discussing this. Perhaps we can continue it for Sunday’s dinner with your mother. Don’t be late. In the meantime, put some effort into things with Sean.”
I watch him leave, not having the guts to tell him what Sean did. I’m a weak idiot, just like my father alludes to. When I’m with Zane, he makes me feel like maybe I’m worth something. Funny how Daddy can crush it all in an instant.
The moment the door closes, warm, strong arms envelop me from behind. I sink against Zane’s firm chest, allowing him to hold all the breaking pieces of me together.
“Your dad’s an asshole.”
“Yeah.”
“Want me to make your day better?” He nips at my ear as his hands untie my robe. “I can make you so, so happy, beautiful.”
I nod, my eyes rolling back as his fingers find my clit. He takes control of my mind—making all thoughts of him—as he rubs me right into a knee-buckling orgasm. Before I’ve even come down from my high, he twists me around and pushes me against the door. His mouth crashes to mine as he shoves his boxers down. As soon as he’s free, he picks me up and my legs wrap around him. Like our bodies have always known the way, his cock presses against my opening and then glides right into me, stretching me to the point of pain as I take his large size.
Oh my God.
Zane Mullins is inside me.
I dig my heels into his ass and my fingernails into his shoulders. This spurs him into action. His fingers bite painfully into my ass cheek as he fucks me hard. My moans and his growls are the animalistic sounds coming from us as he tries to drive me through the door one thrust at a time. He’s everywhere at once—his lips on mine, a hand on my ass and one on my breast, and deep inside of me. I shudder hard as an orgasm tears down my spine, lighting up every nerve ending in the process. The groan that rumbles through him is my only warning of his release. Heat surges into me—thick and potent. My body loves it because I clench around him as though to milk him for every drop.
“Oh, fuck,” he murmurs against my mouth. “I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Probably not.
But we’ve been doing everything we shouldn’t, so why stop now?
Being reckless with him is exhilarating. I don’t feel weak or small like usual. It’s as though he’s empowered me somehow. I feel strong and beautiful and worthy.
“Are you on birth control?”
I squeeze my eyes shut and bite on my bottom lip as hot tears burn the backs of my eyelids. Getting caught up in our little fantasy world is nice until reality smacks you in the face.
“Baby, shh,” he croons, hugging me to him. “It’s fine. I fucked up, not you. I was desperate to be inside you. It’s okay.”
I bury my face against his neck, the sobs finally escaping. He rubs my back and whispers assurances as I cry. His cock is still inside me, not completely soft, holding all of his cum inside. I know what a mistake this is and I still can’t find it in me to want to undo it.
“It all makes me sick,” I whisper. “In the past, I’ve been careful with condoms.”
“I’m clean,” he assures me. “As for the rest, if something happened, I would be there for you. You know that, right?”
This thing between us is quick and hot and crazy, but I know without a shadow of a doubt he would. He’s a better man than anyone I’ve ever encountered.
“I do,” I tell him. “Next time we’ll be more careful.”
He chuckles. “As long as there will be a lot more next times, I can live with that.”
“Ready to shower so I can feed you?”
“Depends on what you’re feeding me. I could eat right now, but you don’t need to shower for that. In fact, I think I’d like to lick away the filth.”
“Mr. Mullins!”
He laughs all the way to the shower, filling my heart and soul with something I never knew was missing until now.
Happiness.
Chapter Six
Zane
I’m an idiot.
Somewhere along the way this year in my quest to wear Kerry down, I fell for her. And, since Renner forced those meetings on us back in January, I’ve developed feelings for her. It was slow and subtle, a gentle tug with each blush of her cheeks or smile. Though she refused to entertain my advances, I felt the pull on her end. The attraction and chemistry we have is undeniable. So, naturally, when we both dove into this thing together, we sank.
Deep.
Fast.
Hard.
It’s been days since we first slept together. Every night is spent in her bed. Every morning we share breakfast and coffee and fantastic sex. When at school, our touches are behind closed doors. Each smile she gives me is in secret but loaded with promise. Now that we’re finally saved by the weekend and she’s ready to have Sunday dinner with her parents, I’m reluctant to let her go.
I’m addicted to her.
She curses from the bathroom and I bite back a chuckle. Since we’ve been intimate and spending time together, I get to see past the veneered façade of the perfect Miss Bowden and see the quirky, funny, adorable Kerry.
Sliding off the bed, I grab my jeans, pulling them up my thighs sans underwear. I zip them but don’t fasten the button. When I reach the doorway, I grip the top of the doorframe, leaning in to watch her as she applies mascara.
Everything about her in this moment is flawless. A demure, floral print dress hugs her body. Her long blond hair has been straightened to sleek perfection. As she paints her naturally pretty face, she transforms into a glossy version of the woman who an hour ago was gagging on my cock, making a mess with slobber and tears.
“What?” she demands, her hand shaking badly enough she has to recap the mascara.
Frowning, I release the doorframe and step into the bathroom, wrapping my arms around her. Our stare meets in the mirror. “Are you nervous?”
“To have dinner with my parents?” She huffs. “Of course not.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
She gnaws on her plump bottom lip, her brows knitting together. “I don’t know.”
I sweep her hair to the side to expose her neck and press a soft kiss there. “If you don’t want to tell him about Sean, don’t. You’ve successfully avoided any more attempts by your father to set you up with him. Sean is a predator, but he’s one we don’t have to worry about anymore.”
She turns in my arms, her palms cradling my cheeks. “How is it you’re better than any man I’ve ever known?”
I chuckle. “You don’t get out much. It’s like you forgot I’m the town bad boy.”
“You like to stir up trouble, but you’re far from bad.” She kisses my lips. “School will be out soon and we won’t have to hide anymore. Then maybe you can meet my family one day. I could handle them better if I wasn’t alone.”
“Your parents are about as exciting as my dad. Your brother, on the other hand, I’d like to meet him. Sounds like he’s my kind of guy.”
She beams at me, her blue eyes twinkling.
“Keith is great. I miss him.”
“We could always get out of here this summer and go visit,” I offer, stroking my fingers through her silky hair.
“I’d like that. Sometimes I wish I’d stayed back with him in Brigs Ferry Bay. It makes me wonder how my life would have turned out. I certainly wouldn’t be going out on dates with sleazeballs to please my father.”
“But then you’d never get to bang your student.” I flash her an evil grin that earns me a smack to the arm. “Kidding sort of. On a serious note, I wouldn’t have met you.” Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead. “But, it’s not too late to go back.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?” I smirk at her. “I’m following your ass out there.”
“Promise?”
“Sure do, Miss B. Now bend over that sink and let me fuck you nice and sweet to give you something to smile about over your dinner from hell.”
She rolls her eyes at me, but obeys, turning and lifting her dress over her ass. I give it a playful smack.
“Good girl.”
I step into the cavernous foyer of my home and listen for sounds of my father. It’s Sunday, which means since he can’t be in the office working, he’ll be in the one at home. I weave my way through the house until I reach his doorway. His voice is deep and commanding in his fierce Felix-Mullins-who-doesn’t-take-shit tone as he puts someone—probably his poor assistant—in their place over the phone. With a frustrated growl, he ends the call.
My knuckles rap at the door three times before I push through, entering the imposing space. Dad is so career oriented and focused on his goals. His office always intimidated me growing up. I felt like he had plans for me that I’d never measure up to.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, sauntering into his space and taking the seat in an armchair nearby.
Dad swivels in his desk chair to scowl at me. “What?”
“You’re mad, and for once, it’s not at me.”
His expression softens slightly. “I’m not mad at you. In fact, your grades this term have been impressive. I see you’re walking without a limp too.”
I sit a little straighter in my seat. “Coach Long has been working with me. Reconditioning me. It’s…nice.”
“Have you thought about which college you’re attending?” His sharp green eyes laser into me, making me squirm.
I seriously wish we could spend five minutes without discussing my future.
“I’m not sure, Dad,” I mutter, a drastic change from my usual smartass response. “There are things I want to do, but nothing that college seems helpful for.”
Rather than snapping at me, he frowns harder, as though he’s trying to understand my inner workings. “Like what?”
I blink at him, confused. Since when does he consider anything but college?
“I’d have to tap into my trust fund,” I state, pushing him because it’s in my nature.
He doesn’t bite this time.
“Sounds like an investment. Explain.”
“You’re busy—”
“It’s Sunday, Son, and you’ve been absent all week. Excuse me if I’d like to ignore work to focus on my boy.”
Since when?
His career is usually his pride and joy. However, lately, I must admit it doesn’t seem to bring him the happiness it once did.
I arch a brow at him in shock. “You’ll probably hate it.”
“Probably. I still want to hear it.”
Glancing over at the clock on the wall, I note that I still have time. Kerry won’t be back at her apartment until closer to eight she guessed.
“Do you remember when I was in the sixth grade and I went through my skateboarding phase?”
Ever since Kerry and I got together, I really did some soul searching, because despite my resistance to commit to a career or college, it’s weighed heavily on my mind.
His green eyes twinkle and he laughs. “Your hair was atrocious.”
I playfully scoff. “It was awesome, Dad. Admit it.”
“Hell no,” he says, shaking his head. “I was so glad you got the hots for that cheerleader and cut it off to impress her.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I grumble. “Laugh it up, old man.”
We’re both smiling. It takes me a minute to realize we haven’t done this in a while. I blamed my dad for a lot, but I wasn’t exactly easy to get along with. After hearing stories upon stories from Kerry about her controlling, asshole father, it makes me appreciate mine a little more.
“So, let’s hear it,” he says, smoothing out his tie. “And then I want to hear about her.”
I stiffen, my features hardening. “Who?”
“The girl. You’re in love, Zane. I just wonder when I’ll get to meet her.”
There’s no way in hell my dad will be cool with me sleeping with my guidance counselor.
“Her name’s Kerry,” I admit, leaving out her job title. “She’s beautiful and funny and sweet.”
“Careful,” he warns. “You’re young.”
“Not every woman is like Mom.” I pin him with a hard stare. “Kerry is different.”
Guilt morphs his features. “It’s not her fault. I’m the one who had the affair.”
“She abandoned me, Dad. If we’re comparing crimes, hers wins as the most heinous by a longshot.”
He nods slowly, vulnerability shining in his gaze. Right now, I’m reminded of the man who singlehandedly was the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, birthday party coordinator, sports dad, and filled a million other roles. When I broke my leg playing basketball, I broke my spirit too. And I took it out on my father. He and I have butted heads ever since, but he’s always been there for me. Always.
“Tell me about the skateboards,” Dad urges, his voice going back to business mode.
I bite back a chuckle. “Not the skateboards, but the logos. Remember I designed the cool as hell skull wearing a halo and hand stamped it on everything I owned?”
“Skalo. Yes, I remember. Even the back window of my Porsche.” He gives me an annoyed smirk. “It looked ridiculous.”
“Yeah, on your lawyer dadmobile, but the logo itself was cool.”
“It was eye-catching and you put it everywhere. All those damn kids at your school started buying your shit.”
“Merch, Dad. It’s called merch.”
He rolls his eyes, reminding me of when I was a young boy. “Right. Merch. You were hustling for a while there until your principal shut that shit down.”
“Mrs. Langford was such a bitch.” I chuckle. “Anyway, I want to own my own shop one day. Design graphics for apparel and all sorts of cool shit. I know you think it’s dumb—”
“I don’t think it’s dumb,” Dad barks out. “In case you forgot, I funded every single one of your endeavors.”
He did.
Guilt weighs heavily on me.
“It’s going to require startup capital,” Dad says, a frown marring his face. “Probably more than what you should access your trust fund for.”
“But, Dad—”
“Which is why I’ll allow you to take out half of what you need. You can borrow the rest from me.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “If it’s profitable and you’re serious about it, we can renegotiate your loan and consider it a gift later.”
I gape at him. “That’s risky.”
“Having kids is risky. You’ll understand one day.”
I glance at the clock again, fighting a smile. “You’re for real? You’ll let me do this?”
“You’re eighteen years old, Zane. I believe my letting you do anything is irrelevant. We both know you’ll do what you want. I’m just happy you’re showing an interest in something. It’s all I want for you.”
“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “For being such a dick.”
He grins, shaving years off his age. “Apology accepted. Do you have time to grab dinner with your pops?”
“I can make time.”
For the first time in years, I feel like I have my da
d back.
Based on the genuine smile on his face, maybe he feels the same way about having his son back too.
Chapter Seven
Kerry
I already miss him.
My hands tremble as I stare up at my parents’ stately home through my windshield. I do this every week. Why the sudden bout of nerves?
I know why, though.
I’m changing and Daddy hates change.
Ever since I took the leap to be with Zane, I have felt as though I could breathe. Like the woman inside me is stretching her limbs and realizing she has the freedom to not just move around, but to run free. It’s both exhilarating and terrifying all at once. Daddy doesn’t like for a woman to think for herself. I’ve witnessed that firsthand with Mom.
I’m not like Mom.
If I stand up to Dad, I never will be.
I know this means, eventually, I’ll be forced to put some distance between myself and my parents. I can’t tell him about Zane, at least not yet, because that’s what he’ll make it about. No, I need to tell him about Sean, that I want him to stay out of my dating life, and that I am a successful, worthy woman who’s tired of him insinuating otherwise.
With a deep, calming breath, I attempt to silence the doubts running rampant through my mind. Once the air is exhaled, I climb out of my car and head toward the front door. With each step, the confidence to go against my father begins to rise like the swelling sea. Zane’s handsome face is forefront in my mind—smiling, encouraging me, kissing me. I’m raising my hand to open the door when a car pulls into the driveway.
The front door opens as I try to peek at who the visitor could be. A familiar man steps out of the car as Daddy’s strong hand clutches my shoulder, squeezing.
“So glad you made it, sweetheart. And look, our guest has arrived at the same time.” Daddy chuckles when I suck in a sharp breath. “Don’t worry. This isn’t a date. He and I actually have business to attend to.”
Sean’s predatory smile reaches me as he joins us on the porch. Daddy releases his grasp on me to shake hands with the man who drugged me this week. I shoot daggers Sean’s way. Rather than being put off, he flashes me a cocky grin and winks.