British ad exec Dylan Locke isn't looking for love. He isn't looking for fate. He's definitely not looking for Audrey Lind. She's pretty, far too young, and overly romantic--in short, exhausting. But when the girl, young enough to be his daughter, literally lands in his lap and asks for his expertise, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested. In her body, in her innocence, in her philosophy. In the kind of kismet that starts with kisses. But Audrey isn't looking for love either--she's looking for lessons, and she's certain Dylan knows everything she needs to learn. If he agrees to play the teacher can he keep his heart? Of course he can. Then again, he might be lying.
Lihat lebih banyakDylan leaned over my backside, and placed light kissesover my shoulders. “I’m going to miss this. We need toget in as much of this as possible before Aaron gets herefor Christmas, because after the girls are born, who knowswhen we’ll get to be intimate.”“Oh, please.” I shrugged him off so I could roll overand collapse on my back on the bed. “We’re still going tohave sex after the babies are born. I don’t know how manytimes I have to tell you this. I can’t live without it.”He stretched out on the bed next to me on his side andrubbed a hand over my stomach. “I’m not disagreeing thatSm FATE | 243you are a greedy girl when it comes to fucking, but youare vastly underestimating the exhaustion of one baby, letalone twins. I don’t know how many times I have to tellyou this.”His playful smirk was irresistible, and I couldn’t helpgiggling. “So we’ll have to figure out ways to work it in.Sex when we shower. Half-asleep sex. Is it too weird to tryto bang while nursing?”“IT am
Her lips rolled inward as she tried to suppress a soband she flapped her hand in front of her face, as though thatwould dry up her tears. Nodding profusely she managed tosqueak out her response. “Yes. I say yes.”A wave of relief rolled through my shoulders. I hadn’trealized how worried I’d been about her answer until Iheard the one I so desperately wanted. “Thank God,” Isighed. With my palms braced on each side of her face, Ikissed her, and kissed her. Kissed her with sweet, shallowkisses.“This is what | meant when I asked you to stay in London with me,” I said in between kisses. “Is this discussingit soon enough for you?”She burst into laughter, and her eyes twinkled as brightas her diamond. “I’d been preparing myself for a long roadahead. My next goal was to get you to see the convenienceof living together. I didn’t think... wasn’t sure that marriage would ever be on the table. Are you sure this is whatyou want? I can go slow. We don’t have to commit to—”I cut her o
Once again she darted away. “If you want to keep mewith you, you can’t play this scared routine anymore. |already called Jana and accepted the job at the Gallery,but you can’t be closed off if you want me to really stay.232 | LAURELIN PAIGEYou can’t keep building these walls. You have to tell mehow you’re feeling. You have to start trusting me with yourheart. You hurt me, Dylan.”Guilt won over lust. I brushed her cheek with myknuckle. “I know, and I’m incredibly sorry. I never wantedto hurt you. If it helps, I hurt us both.”She cupped my face with her hands and lifted it towardhers. “It doesnt help. I don’t like you hurting. I don’t likeeither of us hurting. Don’t do it again.”“T won’t,” I promised. But it came out on a groan asshe drew a lazy circle over my crotch with her hips.“T mean it.’”’ She drew another circle. Then a third.My eyelids threatened to close from the agonizingsparks of pleasure shooting through my dick. “I can’t tellif you’re trying to punish me
This was nothing like what I’d imagined. It was somuch better.A few minutes later, Audrey returned with the tea,then a few minutes after that, the shift nurse came in. “Mr.Locke, Ms. Wallace, I’m happy to report that Aaron is outof surgery. He’s in the recovery room now. Would you liketo be taken down to see him? The surgeon can talk to you ©both there.”“Yes,” Ellen answered immediately.“I'd like to go as well.” We'd already been told onlySm’ FATE | 227parents were allowed in recovery. I knew Audrey wouldunderstand, but I looked at her for confirmation.“Tl be here when you get back, if that’s okay?”I wasn’t sure if she was asking me or the nurse. “Canshe stay in the room while we’re gone?”“Sure. Ill bring another chair. And your relation is...?”The nurse studied Audrey, trying to find a resemblance,perhaps.I waited for Audrey to play her usual game and claimto be my daughter or a niece, but she didn’t. She reachedout and took my hand. “I’m his girlfriend.”So she
Because there she was. There was Audrey. Bundled upSo FATE | 221like an eskimo, her cheeks flushed, her eyes shining.“Never mind,” I told Amy, never taking my eyes offthe woman in front of me. “Cancel it. Cancel all of it.”I ended the call without saying goodbye, and let themobile slip out of my grasp to the carpet so I could haveboth hands free as I took Audrey into my arms.She threw her hands around my neck and pulled myhead down toward hers. My mouth found hers easily, likeit was made for this, made to only kiss her. I kissed her likeit had been decades since I'd last seen her. I kissed her likeI hadn’t been alive until now.I kissed her like I would die if I didn’t kiss her.Breathless, I pressed my forehead against hers. “Stayin London. Let me be the reason you stay.”She nodded, tears sliding down her face. “Okay.”Then I kissed her again, like I’d never let her go.CHAPTER LifeITH MY ARMS still around her, I pulled back toWi=« at her. The enormity of what she’d d
“She was still doing that when I met her. We’d watchtelly together, and she’d be fused into my side. She hadzero personal boundaries. Anytime I had any food or drink,she’d take it without even asking. She truly believed in the‘mine is yours, yours is mine’ philosophy of co-living.”“It was annoying sometimes.”“It was annoying a lot of the time,” I agreed. “Andalso...also not.” It was hard to look back at the nuisances,things she’d done that had been exasperating at the timewhen I’d give everything in my bank account to have herback and bothering me just one more time. Losing a childwas the true definition of hell. The worst part was that itnever went away. It burned and burned forever. Eternaldamnation.216 | LAURELIN PAIGEIt was such serious pain that it made a person want todo anything to avoid feeling ever again.“She looked up to you. So very much.” Ellen’s voicecaught, and when I glanced over at her, I saw a tear rollingdown her cheek.I wiped at my own eyes. I co
I blinked a couple of times, processing the simplestatement. It was the kind of thing that didn’t require a response, but I was beginning to bore of the stupor and thisfelt like a safe, mindless conversation to embark on. “Doyou have a problem with your service?”“I’ve had a terrible time with our old provider. Aaroncomplains every day when he tries to do his homeworkthat he can’t get the sites he needs to load.”I hmphed. “Sites he needs? Or YouTube videos?”“IT know, right? Though, it’s both, I’m sure. So muchof the education at his school is provided in other learningformats such as video and podcasts. I like it. I just swearthe internet company is throttling download speeds. It’sgotten progressively worse over this year. The irritatingpart is that it will be another three weeks before I can get anew appointment, even on a wait list.”I scowled at the annoyance she must feel. “Don’t youhave someone who can meet them for you? Aaron is always telling me that you’re dating
“They’ve already changed which antibiotic they weregiving him once since this morning,” Ellen added.I didn’t like the implications of that. “What was thereasoning for the change? It’s been less than twenty-fourhours. Surely that couldn’t have been enough time to determine the first medicine wasn’t working.”“It’s not as concerning as it sounds,” Dr. Sharma assured me. “We put him on one antibiotic when he checkedin, and after watching him for a few hours and seeing theinfection was spreading at a faster rate than we’d originally suspected, we decided to move him to a more powerfulmedicine.”“It’s spread?” I sounded more alarmed than I wantedto.Ellen met my worried gaze. “It’s just under his eyesnow, Dylan. And it’s moving down his neck.”“That’s bad, isn’t it? You don’t want it to move past hiseyes.” I was only repeating the information she’d givenme earlier.“That is correct, Mr. Locke. Once the infection getspast the orbital bone, it can easily enter the brain. Encephal
It was a lie anyway. If it were really too soon to panic,Ellen wouldn’t have said I should come. But I couldn’tthink about that right now. I could barely think at all.I didn’t pack a bag. Even if I didn’t have clothes andessentials in my New York apartment, I would have leftempty-handed. My flight took off too soon—I was goingto be scrambling through security to make it as it was—and I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on what Ineeded, what I didn’t need. I had no idea how long I’d begone. I was barely thinking clearly enough to remember tograb my passport.I was in the cab on my way to the airport before I couldidentify the one thing I did need—Audrey. I was devastated when I got her voicemail again and was sure shehadn’t turned her phone back on, but I tried over and over,hanging up each time the recording was finished. It wascomforting to hear her voice, even if all she said was I’mobviously not available or I’m avoiding you. If you dontleave a message after th
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