And I need an escape.
But I ignore my internal warning because fire builds below my navel, and I feel like I’m at the edge of a cliff. Glancing down, I’m met with a pair of protective eyes that sends a flame up to my heart.
Connor watches with pure admiration as I fuck him. As if I’m a queen.
He has patience because I know it’s a struggle for him to let me lead when we’re intimate like this. I don’t mind, I like it like that, it’s kind of a turn-on. But right now, I need the control.
I slide up and down, dragging from his base to the tip, knowing it gives him pleasure as much as it does for me. At first, I thought that I needed slow, but I have frustration swirling in me, which is why I need to work out some stress, and I pick up the pace.
Connor uses his upper body strength to sit up, which allows me to wrap my arms around his neck, drawing his mouth back to mine while I swivel my hips and tighten around his length, every thrust more charged than the one before.
My breath turns to a near pant, and his answer is to cover my mouth with his, as if he will give me air, but it only causes the passion between us to intensify.
We move together, with my breasts pressed against his chest and his arms tightly wound around my middle, bringing his length deeper inside of me. His own breathing turns heavy as he follows my cues and meets me on every thrust.
A shade of contentment hits me, because in this moment, my mind goes blank, and my body feels alive. I quickly spiral into temporary relief when I convulse around him, not even noticing that he chases his own release to the end. My body goes weak, but he has me. He stays inside while his hand rubs soothing circles on my back, and he kisses the curve of my shoulder.
Connor doesn’t say anything, he just holds me because my body is spent and filled.
I lose track of time, but he eventually kisses along my jaw before gently flipping me so I’m on my back and he can pull out. Connor grabs the duvet and brings it over my body while he leans on his side to observe me again. However, I only feel his eyes on me, since I stare at the ceiling.
His finger, like a feather, traces the lines of my shoulder to the base of my neck. “I’m not leaving you.”
“You’ve mentioned.”
“I’ll make sure nobody bothers you today if that’s what you want.”
I turn my head to the side to look at him. “You mean my father?”
His lips purse out. “He wants to see you.”
A scornful yet humorous smirk curls on my lips. “I forgot that you two are close now.”
Connor’s head falls, and he rubs the back of his neck. “I did what I thought was right.”
A long silence overtakes us.
“You and me? I’m cautious still. I’m here and not running away, but that doesn’t mean I can forget. That’s where you and I are,” I clarify.
He drags his thumb across my bottom lip before his fingers dive through my hair to the back of my head to bring me to his lips for a confirming kiss. “I’ll take it.”
* * *
A short while later,I’m dressed in a hoodie and yoga pants when I stall at the entrance to the kitchen to find my father sitting at the kitchen counter.
He attempts to offer me a gentle comforting half-smile, and he holds his hands up in surrender. “I come in peace. Connor let me in. He ran to the store.”
My husband clearly isn’t following my instructions for the day. I walk to the coffee machine, but I give up because I doubt that I will be able to taste much due to the irrational amount of crying that has transpired today.
“I needed to see that you’re okay,” he laments.
I lean against the counter and feel defeated. “I’m alive.”
A long breath leaves his lips. “This doesn’t change anything. You’ll always be my daughter. I was the one who watched you grow, raised you, and love you more than you can even measure.”
The sting in my eyes returns, which informs me that tears are coming. “You and I have always been close. Why didn’t you just… tell me?” I feel so hopeless.
“I promised my brother Camden. It was his dying wish that I raise you as my own, and that meant never telling you. He thought losing another parent since your biological mother was never in the picture was the right move. We’re not identical twins, which might explain why we don’t have the same blood type.” His head gently lolls to the side. “I owed him his wish, and it was the best gift I ever got… just don’t tell your brother that,” he says, attempting to make me smile. “I don’t want anything to change between us. I’m still your dad.” I notice it now, how his eyes look as though he hasn’t slept in days.
