She kisses me then, soft at first, but it doesn't stay soft for long, both of us pouring everything from tonight into it, every emotion still sitting close to the surface after everything that just happened at that table.Instantly my cock is hard, and I want her underneath me.I back her up against the counter, and she fists both hands into my shirt, pulling me closer, kissing me like she's trying to prove to herself that this is really happening.
"Darren."Her voice comes out breathless when she finally pulls back enough to speak.
"Yeah?"
"Take me to bed."
I don't need to be told twice.I lift her up onto the counter first, just to kiss her properly, her legs wrapping around my waist, hands sliding up into my hair while I trail kisses down her neck, feeling her pulse jump under my lips.She tastes like the dessert she had after dinner, and she smells sweet as hell.I put her back down for a second.
"I love you," I murmur against her skin, needing her to hear it again after everything tonight.
"I love you too."She pulls my face back up to hers, kissing me deeper this time, one hand sliding down to grip the front of my shirt while the other stays tangled in my hair."So much, eight pack."
I laugh, before fully lifting her off the counter, and she wraps herself around me, legs locked at my waist, still kissing me like she can't stand the idea of stopping even for the ten seconds it'll take to get down the hallway.I carry her that way, bumping into the doorframe once because I refuse to break the kiss long enough to look where I'm going, both of us laughing against each other's mouths before diving right back in.
By the time we make it to the bedroom, I'm ready to lay her down and spend the rest of the night showing her exactly how much tonight meant, how much every single day with her in this house has meant, how much that one word from my daughter settled something in my chest I didn't even know was still unsettled.
"Mine," I murmur against her lips, laying her back against the sheets.
"Yours," she agrees, pulling me down with her, and the rest of the house goes quiet around us, nothing left in the world tonight except the two of us and everything we've built here together.
Chapter21
Macie
"Ican't believe all that happened last night," Molly squeals as we sit in the break room at the hospital the next day.I've filled her on everything that's happened with Darren and Nicole."I do have one question though."
"What's that?"I ask, taking a drink of my afternoon coffee.
"How's the sex?My friends in high school had thoughts about him, but since we're quasi-related I never asked.He's so serious all the time.How does that translate?"She raises her eyebrows, grinning.
"Oh my God, Molly.I'll tell you, but then I have a favor I need from you, deal?"
"Deal," she reaches across the table, giving me a high-five.
"It's really good, and he's as serious about pleasure as he is about everything else.I have zero complaints."
She laughs, pulling her bottom lip in between her teeth."Good to know.Okay, what is it that you wanted me to do for you?"
Now is the time where I'm ready to put my plan into place."You know how you work with the social media manager for the hospital?I need you to take a picture of me, say I work in the ER, and put it on social media."
She pulls back, her eyebrows going up."Macie...we're supposed to be keeping you safe.That doesn't seem very safe to me."
"Don't tell anyone, but I'm trying to pull Gerald out of hiding.All I want is to live my life, and I can't live it while that guy is out there.Darren almost had him the other day, and he fled.I can't live like this," I do my best to try and explain what's happening.
Molly swallows roughly."I don't want you to be in danger, Macie."
"I'm already in danger," I remind her."All I want is to be safe again, and I can't do that, until it gets a little dangerous."
She sighs."Okay, against my better judgement, I'll do it.And when Darren comes asking who did this for you, you better keep my name out of it."
"I will, I take full responsibility for this."The break room is getting louder as more people are coming in to take their breaks."Let's get out of here and take a picture in front of the nurse's station."
We head back out to the floor, and get set up to take the picture.
"Be sure and give me a genuine smile," Molly says."No one will believe it otherwise."
It's hard, but I think of Darren and Nicole so that I can let that real smile spread across my face.We take a few different angles, and then I wait as Molly logs into the hospital account, and posts it.
