Page 95 of Double the Redemption

“We both know that’s not going to happen. Now, how much longer will you be doing the books here? I’m assuming the twins have Asher?”

She nodded. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. I have to fix Jax’s error, and it’s turning into a bigger problem than I thought, but I have one more thing to try. If that doesn’t work … I might have to leave it and come back to it tomorrow.”

“Why doesn’t it surprise me it’s Jax? I’ll go and check on our boy and then I’ll come back down.”

She froze. No, she couldn’t have heard him correctly. “What?”

He got to his feet and arched a brow. “What?”

“You … you called him our boy.”

Ink’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes sharpened. “I did. Because you and I are doing this, Naomi, and that means I’m claiming you and Asher. He’s mine. I don’t care about what his beginnings were or that he’s not mine by blood. He’s yours, he’s a part of you, and that means he’s a part of me now too.”

She stared at him as he walked out, unsure what to think or how to feel.

It had been less than twenty-four hours, and Ink was moving at warp speed. Any other woman would be so happy, but why was she nervous? Why did she feel like the other shoe was about to drop?

35

INK

When he walked back into the garage, he found Naomi waiting for him, lips pursed and eyes narrowed slightly. Shit, he knew he’d moved too fast, but he didn’t see the point in hiding or pussyfooting around.

Asher was his as long as he was here. As long as Naomi was his. Still, maybe he shouldn’t have been so quick to let the internal thoughts slip out.

Damn it, this whole relationship thing was harder than it needed to be.

“We need to talk, Ink.”

Yep, there were those four dreaded words. Good thing he didn’t scare easily.

He stopped in front of her, careful not to crowd her. “Did you get everything figured out?”

He didn’t mind delaying the inevitable a little bit, sue him.

“Yes, but I’m going to lock Jax out of the computer until I can figure out a way to make sure he can’t do that again.”

“Effective. Rogue will thank you.”

“Mm-hmm. Ink, we really need to talk about what our next steps are.”

His lips curled into his most charming smile. “Our next moves are I sit you on that desk and bury my face between your thighs. I’ve been thinking about tasting you again all day.” His mouth watered at the thought. “I really want you to come all over my face again, baby girl.”

She blinked, her eyes glazing at his words. Then she shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “You’re not distracting me with sex, Ink.”

“No?” He eased forward, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her tight against him. There was no mistaking his hard-on in this position and the way it pressed against her belly.

“Ink,” she snapped, glaring up at him. “You can’t just go around and claim Asher as your son.”

He sighed. Alright, looked like they were doing this. “Look, Naomi, I know that it might feel like this is a bit rushed⁠—”

“You think?”

“Okay, maybe it is, but I don’t see a problem.”

“The problem is that you and I sleeping together does not mean you get to claim my son as your own. You and I are new, and I’m not about to confuse him. I’ve already told you that I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know if I’m going to be here all the time, and while I want the next few months to be as normal as they can be for him, telling Asher that you’re his father isn’t in the cards. What happens when we leave, hmmm? Or when you decide we’re done and you’re no longer interested in us? I won’t have you hurting him and confusing him.”

Temper pricked, he narrowed his eyes at her. “I never once said I was going to tell him to call me daddy.”