“I don’t …” I coughed. “I don’t … give a fuck … what she told you.” And I didn’t. Even though I didn’t get to taste Dakota like I wanted to, I did get to see the look on her face when I announced who I was.
“Oh, but you should,” he grinned. “Because that’s how I knew you were going for my wife. It’s also how I knew which one of the Steels to snatch for helping you with the info to get that warrant.”
“Your wife still knows you’re a fuckin’ deadbeat in a designer suit.” I tried to spit on his goofy ass, but I guess I didn’t have enough strength yet because half that shit landed on my chin.
Fury shook his head. “There’s that naïve part I was talking about. But I mean, I guess every boy wants a daddy. Too bad I’m not yours.”
“Fuckin’ liar!” I shot back.
“Nah, not me. See, first of all, I never fucked any of that club ass raw, not even when I was seventeen. And your mother, Lashay, she was prime club ass.”
I lunged at him even though I knew he was telling the truth. Lashay Thomas was a whore. I’d seen that shit firsthand every night she brought a different piece of shit into our apartment and let him do all sorts of vile things to her for drugs and money. And when I tried to defend her, she let those bastards beat me. Until I finally showed her how those beatings felt.
He stood and moved out of the way before I could get to him and my face connected with the floor. I didn’t stay down though. I pushed up and got to my feet so I could face him again.
“I don’t know who your daddy was for sure. But based on the timing I’d say it was a dude named Spacey. He got caught up on an attempted murder charge, spent about five yearsinside before he was killed. That’s who Lashay was fuckin’ at the compound before she up and left that summer. Nobody ever heard from her again and Spacey had two other baby mamas, one of which was who he tried to kill.”
He shrugged and I wanted to punch this bastard in the mouth. But I couldn’t move, not after what he’d just said. “You’re lying.” I almost choked on the words.
He shook his head. “No need to lie. If there was a chance that I was your father, you wouldn’t be in this position right now. And I never slept with Lashay. If she told you I was your father, she lied.”
I don’t know why but I believed him. Ever since finding out who he was I’ve been watching him. I watched how he handled club business, watched him switch lanes and build a legal empire and how he interacted with his brother and sister. That shit pained me the most because how come they could get his love and attention and I couldn’t? Because I wasn’t his, I guess.
“She said you didn’t want me or her. Cursed you most nights because she said if you had wanted us, she could’ve stayed at the compound.” I’d watched my mother lie to get what she wanted out of those men she brought home, so it wasn’t hard to believe she had lied about who my father was.
I just really wanted it to be Fury Mathias. Because if it was, then that would mean that I could be somebody important, too. I could behim.
“Fuck you!” I yelled, getting back in his face. “I don’t need you either! And when I get out of here, I’m still gonna fuck your wife. She’s gonna love my di?—”
The last thing I heard was the “pop” of his gun.
CHAPTER 23
FURY
“I love gifts, but not really surprises,” Dakota said as I helped her out of the truck. “And you’ve got me blindfolded. This is really some scary nonsense.”
“Don’t be scared, baby,” I said when her feet were on the ground and I closed the door behind her.
She looked so cute in her black leggings, black tennis shoes and hoodie. We’d spent the last week at home, unpacking her stuff the movers delivered and enjoying each other as if it was our second honeymoon. That’s how I told her we were going to think about it since the stress of all that shit that went down at her parents’ place. Charles had taken Mama Brenda to their family island in the Caribbean while Dakota’s alpha crew, then the contractors came in to clean up the place.
Cade, Shawna and Miss Malissa—as I called her to get on Cade’s nerves since it was close to his nickname for her—were having a staycation as well. I don’t know why that fool thought if he gave somebody a nickname nobody else was supposed to use it. That shit made me smile because Dakota’s family really was my family now.
“I gotchu’,” I told her before leaning in to drop a kiss on her forehead. “Just walk.” I looped her arm through mine and led her to the door.
Once inside, we continued until we reached our destination.
“Okay, stairs and beeping, like there was a control panel somewhere,” she said when we made it to the bottom of the steps.
“Stop trying to figure it out,” I told her and reached behind her head to undo the tie and remove the blindfold. “We’re here.”
Her hands flew to her mouth and trapped her gasp. I stuffed the blindfold into my back pocket, then took her hand.
“I thought about all the things I’d bought you since meeting you,” I said pulling her gently until she took the next step with me. “And about all the gifts I plan to shower you with in the future. I’m talking birthdays, anniversaries, just-because gifts, get me out of trouble gifts, all that.”
She yanked on my hand instead of responding verbally and I turned back to grin at her. “Those will always be diamonds,” I said. “I know you love them. And yellow roses, your favorite. But I’ll give you those all the time because you deserve all your flowers, baby.” Stopping at the end of the table, I pulled her into me. “You deserve the world, Dakota and I plan to give it to you.”
I kissed her. A soft touch of my lips at first, then another touch, then another and I pressed my tongue into her mouth. There was only a second’s hesitation before she slipped her hand from mine and looped her arms around my waist. I wrapped my arms around her and deepened the kiss. We stayed like that and the way my dick was starting to brick up, might have even gone to second base, if not for the muted screams coming from behind us.
