Katrina
Wrapping my arms around Dagger, I hold on for dear life. The way his tongue swirls with mine, his lips hold mine as he kisses me deeply. It’s not like the last ones we shared, and I remember. There’s no way I could forget just how talented his mouth was.
Mouth. Hands. Fingers. Tongue. And that cock of his. God, he’d known just how to push me over the edge with every part of him.
Just as quick as he kisses me, Dagger pulls back, both of us breathing heavily. His eyes meet mine there’s no missing the lust in them, the need for more.
“We’re gonna work this shit out between us,” he says, one hand coming up to tangle his fingers in my hair. “I’m not going to be a sideline parent. You’re not going to go through all of this by yourself. We’re gonna do this together. Meaning you and me, we’re gonna talk,” he dips his head close again, our lips brushing, “we’re gonna do a hell of a lot more than talk. We’re also gonna do what’s best for this baby.” His other hand goes flat against my stomach. “You aren’t alone, baby.”
It’s hard to swallow. Hard to think. His words hit me in a way I didn’t expect. I wasn’t ready for them. I didn’t know how to handle what’s going on with just the baby, but also my life, and add in the addition of Dagger, and I don’t know what to think anymore. I mean, this is not what I expect of him. For him to tell me that we were going to do this together, that I wasn’t alone in this, it felt good, but also scared the daylights out of me.
Maybe it has to do with how I grew up. Or that I refuse to let anyone close. I know I’ve got issues against letting others close. Who wouldn’t when you grow up in the household that I did?
All I wanted to do was give Dagger the courtesy of telling him the truth in a way my mom never did with my dad. Give him the name on the birth certificate as the father. Something my mom still refuses to give me.
“What’s your name?” I ask, feeling heat bloom across my face.
“My name?” Dagger cocks a brow in question.
“Yes.” I nod. “Your name, not the one everyone calls you, but the one that’s on your license.”
“I know what you’re talking about, and I did tell you that night.”
“Blame it on the tequila, brain wasn’t fully functioning on all cylinders,” I blurt, unsure of how to handle it all.
Dagger shakes his head and chuckles. “Blame the tequila all you need to, baby,” he says, pulling me close once again. He dips his head down and leans his forehead against mine. “Van Delgado is the name I was born with and the name you scream when I’ve got my cock inside you or mouth between your legs.”
My face heats up immediately at his words and the memories they bring flooding back. So many vivid images flash through my mind. His large hands on my thighs, his mouth exploring places that make me shiver just thinking about them.
“Van Delgado,” I whisper, testing it on my tongue. It feels intimate in a way that “Dagger” doesn’t. This is the name that will be on our baby’s birth certificate—the name our child will carry.
He runs his thumb across my bottom lip, his eyes darkening. “Like the sound of it on your lips.”
I swallow hard, trying to regain some composure. “I just needed to know. For the baby’s sake.”
“For the baby,” he repeats, but there’s something in his tone that suggests he doesn’t believe me. I honestly don’t believe myself either. Saying his name, him liking the sound of it on my lips, goes straight between my legs.
“Van,” I say again, softer this time. My body betrays me, leaning into his touch as his hands slide up to cup either side of my face.
“You like saying it, don’t you?” His thumb traces small circles on my cheeks, and I feel myself melting under his touch. Just as I melted to him that night we’d met.
“Maybe,” I admit, licking my lips nervously, trying to hold onto some semblance of control but failing miserably. The way he looks at me makes my knees weak.
“Gotta say, I didn’t want you to leave my bed, Kat,” he says, his voice dropping to that deep rumble that vibrates through my entire body. “Thought about finding you more often than not over the past months. I couldn’t get the taste of you out of my memory.”
I try to look away, but his hands keep me from doing so. “I didn’t think you’d remember me. Figured I was just another one night?—”
“Don’t,” he cuts me off, his eyes flashing with something that looks like hurt. “Don’t think that. I didn’t want you to be a one-nighter. I still don’t. That’s why we’re gonna start here and now, as we should have two months ago.”
“Start?” I blink up at him, unsure of exactly what he’s talking about.
“You and me. We’re in this together?—”
“I don’t want you to be with me because of the baby,” I blurt, staring at him with wide eyes.
“You think I just want you for the baby? Think again.” The words are quick to come from his lips. “I don’t give the first fuck you’re carrying my kid. Not that I don’t want the baby, they’re just a bonus to having you as mine.”
“I don’t understand you,” I whisper, confused.
