She nods against my chest.
“I’m just going to go tuck her in right quick.”
“Can Asher tuck me in, too?”
My throat tightens. “Of course.”
Asher smiles, getting up from the couch and placing his tiara on the coffee table before following us into her bedroom. He pulls back the covers while I lay her down in the bed, slipping off her shoes and dropping them to the floor, but I leave the princess dress on because we should all be able to sleep in a princess dress at least a few times in our lives. I tuck the comforter in around her, making sure to keep her arms free just the way she likes it, then I lean down and kiss both of her cheeks like I do every night. “Sweet dreams, my Lyla Jo.”
“Sweet dreams, Mommy,” she replies, squeezing my neck tight.
Asher kneels down on the other side of her bed. Her tiny hands framing his masculine face. “Will you come back and play with me tomorrow so we can build the fort?”
Asher’s eyes shift up to mine, seeking permission. I nod my approval. How could I say no to either one of them?
He returns his gaze to Lyla, giving her a warm smile. “I promise.”
After kissing both of her cheeks, he stands. “Sweet dreams, Princess Lyla,” he says, tapping her small nose with the tip of his finger.
Lyla yawns, her eyes drifting shut as she flips to her side, tucking her hands beneath her chin. “Sweet dreams, Princess Ashland.”
I smirk at him as I shut off the light, leaving her door cracked a little.
“Princess Ashland, I like that,” I say once we’re out in the hall.
One hand grasps my waist, making me spin around to face him, my hands landing on his solid chest. He slowly walks me into the wall, angling his face to mine. I can feel his warm breath on my skin and I suck in a sharp breath at the look in his eyes. The look that tells me he’s just as surprised by all of this as I am. By how much we want each other. By how right it feels.
And how fast it’s all happening.
His lips touch mine.
Savage.
Raw.
The possessiveness I’ve grown to crave seeping all the way down to my bones. I sag against him, my hands reaching up to clutch the back of his neck while his hold my head in place, his mouth devouring mine as if he can’t get enough.
And neither can I.
I think that’s what scares me the most. How much I want this with him. And how much I’m willing to risk in order to get it. But I’ve never felt this way before. Not ever. Not this deep sinking feeling I get every time I think about not seeing him again. Or what I would do if he suddenly got bored and found himself with someone else.
The thought is devastating to even think about. Especially with the way we started out. What woman in her right mind would trust this?
But I can’t resist him or the way he makes me feel.
His hands roam my body, but not in a sexual way, in a comforting way that I so desperately need right now. A reassurance that he’s not in this for just the sex, even though that part is beyond amazing. I need to know he wants me for me and not just a warm body.
He slows the kiss, taking lazy licks and tiny sucks from my lips.
“I missed you today.”
“I missed you, too.”
“Can I stay?” he asks, a soft plea in his rough voice.
I kiss his mouth again. “I was kind of hoping you would.”
His lips press against my forehead before he takes my hand and leads me over to the couch. He lifts my feet onto his lap, removing my heels one by one and dropping them to the floor.
