Total pages in book: 178
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 170884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 854(@200wpm)___ 684(@250wpm)___ 570(@300wpm)
My voice rough, I whispered, “You need my help sleeping?”
Her subtle nod was all she gave me.
And that was okay because tonight was not about me making demands. It was about giving selflessly to my queen.
So I rolled us and peered into her damp eyes, ran my hands up her thighs, and lifted the hem of her skirt before moving backward off the bed. Gripping her ankles, I dragged her down the bed until that sweet ass rested on the edge of the mattress.
She elevated herself on her elbows, looking up at me, wide-eyed and curious.
My baby.
I would do whatever I needed to keep her safe.
Right now, though?
I got down on my knees, spread her legs, lowered my head, and prayed.
***
Lexi
“Daddy?”
I heard the little monster, but I was too busy being a coward and continued to feign sleep.
From his position, pasted to my back, the man beside me lifted his head and his voice was sleep-rough. “Hey, bud. What’s up?” He quickly added, “Don’t wake your Mom.”
A.J. approached, and muttered, “You had a sleepover?”
I tried hard to quell my smile, but it was difficult. He sounded so left out, our beautiful boy.
“Ah, yeah,” he grumbled, lowering his head back down to the pillow we shared. “I couldn’t find my keys.”
At that, I couldn’t suppress my smile. It was a good lie. One he would believe.
A.J. sounded confused. “They’re right there.”
Twitch lifted his head again. “Oh, what? No way.” He faked his surprise so well that my entire body shook in silent laughter, then jolted as Twitch pinched my ass, hard.
Our son giggled. “Silly Daddy.” A moment later, “I’m hungry.”
Twitch sighed. “Where’s Molly?”
“In the shower.”
I whispered, “Go feed our son,” and Twitch ran his hand over my bare hip, under the sheet. A slow, loving caress. A secret caress, just for me.
God. I was so in love with this man.
It was perplexing. What a contrast our previous relationship was compared to the one we had now. I was coming to realize Twitch was not as complex as I once thought. I mean, sure, he was a complicated creature, but he wore his heart on his sleeve, and when he decided he loved you, he gave all of himself. And as it were, I needed all of him.
The night before, I had the strangest dream.
There he stood holding a dagger in one hand, his heart in the other, and as he fell to his knees, bleeding from the gaping wound in his chest, taking his final breath, he extended his bloody, shaking hand in offering, pleading with me to take the still beating piece of him.
I did, and when he finally perished, he did it smiling.
When I woke with a start, hot with worry and panting, I found him in the dark and he opened his arms to me. I rested my head on his chest and listened carefully to the steady rhythm of his heart until I found peace and fell asleep again.
“Okay, little dude. I’ll be there in a sec. Wanna put some bread into the toaster?”
A.J. rushed out of my room, and called out, “You want some?”
“Nah,” he called back loudly, knowing full well I was awake. He pressed his front into my back and kissed my bare shoulder as the hand at my hip trailed over my stomach, lower still until it rested just above my mound. “I already ate,” he muttered huskily into my skin, pressing his smiling lips to my flesh.
A happy “Mmmm” was all I could respond with.
He sure had. He ate his fill.
I grinned into my pillow, and when I felt the mattress lift, the bed felt colder and I had to fight a pout.
“You hungry, Mommy?” he asked as he pulled on his jeans, moving to leave the room without his tee but pausing at the door for my response.
I lifted my head and squinted through one eye, and my heart thumped at the sight of him. God, he was gorgeous. “Yeah.”
He watched me through lowered lids, his eyes roaming my sheet-covered body. It left little to the imagination. Then Twitch shook his head and sighed loudly. “Get up, baby, or I’m comin’ in after you.”
A few minutes passed, and I found my underwear, pulling them back on before slipping into a bra and wrapping my silken kimono around me. I opened the curtains, letting in the morning breeze, and sat at the dresser, where I brushed my hair and pulled it into a topknot at the very top of my head. But when I saw something at my collarbone, I leaned in. When I focused on it, I brushed my hand over the purple, then rolled my eyes.
Another hickey.
Nice, Twitch.
When I walked into the kitchen, to the man spreading Vegemite on toast for his son, I watched his face screw up, and when he noticed me, he grimaced. “How can you feed him this stuff? It tastes like ass.”