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“Are you sure?” Portia’s skeptical tone made Cheryl smile.
“Yeah, I think they’ve got this.” Izzy threw Cheryl and Nick a stern look. “Don’t mess it up.” She turned with Portia and the two left out the front door.
Cheryl and Nick stared at each other for a few long minutes.
“You didn’t answer my question.” Nick closed the distance between them. “Do you like the house?”
“I don’t understand any of this.”
“I’ve tried for ten fuckin’ years to get you outta my system and I can’t. You’re reckless and fearless and so goddamn loyal. You’re an excellent mother to Portia, and fuck me, I can’t walk away from you. I know I can’t live without you because when we were apart I was half dead inside, barely existing?—”
“I know, I?—”
“Let me get this out.” He paused. “We’ve lost so much fuckin’ time already and I’m not about to lose anymore. I wanna get to know you again and most of all I wanna get to know my daughter and give both of you the best damn life possible.” He grabbed up her hands in his. “I know I came down hard on you when you first told me about Portia and I’m sorry. I had no idea what you went through—alone, but most of all I’m pissed off at not having the chance to make it better for you and Portia.”
Cheryl’s heart thumped hard at his perfect words.
“I never want anything to separate us again and from now on we always tell our truths.”
“When I walked into this house I loved it right away but a part of me knew something was missing.” Cheryl opened her arms wide. “And here you are when I need you. Saving me.”
“Nah, babe, you don’t need me to save you, you’ve been doin’ that all along. I just wanna be here to catch you if you fall.”
Silent tears streamed down Cheryl’s face. Her man knew how to bring her right to the brink. He didn’t use flowery phrases or pretty words, he just spoke from his jagged heart. A heart like hers that had been torn to ribbons and although scarred somehow repaired enough to accept this perfect gift. Their love and their beautiful daughter who looked so much like her daddy.
“Even your father is on our side. The hard-ass mob boss said if I didn’t do right by you, I’d be swimming with the piranhas in my own damn club.” He closed the distance between them, then circled his arms around her waist and drew her closer. “Kiss me.”
Nick fulfilled her in so many ways. Only with him did the loneliness disappear.
“Even Samson said, stop acting like a whiny punk and go after what you want.”
“So, the only reason you’re here is because Samson called you out and you’re afraid of my father?”
“Samson’s always calling me out on some shit and I think you already know I’m not afraid of your father.” He pulled her closer. “The reason I’m here is because I’ve lived half a life way too long, and I’m not about to let you go ever again.”
“Sounds like you’re talking about forever.”
“Damn right, so stop giving me shit.” He attacked her lips again pushing her back against the kitchen island. His hands roamed down her back, cupping her ass, pressing her to him. She ground against him desperate for more.
Nick’s frayed self-control hung by a thread. He wanted to take this slow. Lay her out in bed and savor every part of her smooth skin and delicate curves, but logic and his restraint combusted when he was with Cheryl. Ten years ago or now, it didn’t matter the urgency, the need for it never lessened.
He broke the kiss and smoothed his palm over her still bruised cheekbone. “You scared the shit outta me in that bathroom. You were covered in so much fuckin’ blood.”
“That day is still a black hole in my memory.”
“Hopefully you’ll never remember it all.” He kissed her again. “I always knew you were ride or die, but gotta say you proved it. Fearless, cool, and gutsy. Just the way you stood up for Izzy and took care of Portia all these years. I never doubt your courage.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of words for a man with a raging hard-on.”
“I know what you’re doin’. Playing down the real shit you’ve been through, but I see every part of you, even the parts you try to hide.”
“Reason why we’re good for each other. Neither one can hide from the other. Even if it’s painful as fuck we show all sides good and bad.”
“Right now, I’d like to show you my bad—or good depending how you look at it.”
His fingers slipped to the front of her shorts, flipping open the button and easing down the zipper. When they fell to her feet, he looped his forefinger under the lacy elastic of her thong and jerked his wrist until the flimsy material ripped away.
“I have a feeling you’re going to be buying me lots of panties in the future.” She twisted her lips into a smirk. “I also think I’m going to love every minute of it.”
