Page 62 of At The End Of The Day

He huffed and looked away, taking a swig from the can. “Thank you,” he grumbled, resting it on the center of his chest.

“That’s more like it.” I tossed his keys to the nightstand and huffed, crossing my arms. Looking around the room, I frowned, having no fucking clue what to do now.

“Vin?”

“Hm?” I grumbled, focusing on the wedding photo of him and Mary over the tall dresser. It was then I realized Dash no longer wore his wedding ring. In fact, I couldn’t recall seeing it the whole time we were in Georgia. Had he taken it off the moment her dead body hit the floor?

“Can I see it?”

My eyelids rounded, my stomach fell, and my heart skipped a beat. Very slowly turning my focus back to his, my breathing shallowed as lust heated my veins. “Dash, I don’t think—”

His profile to me, he cleared his throat and inhaled deeply from his nose. “Please?”

A knot forming in my throat, I licked my lips nervously when he tipped his head and peered at me. Losing myself in his stare, I leisurely pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it on his legs. His brows lifted, his sight raking over my torso with a sense of sadness. When I tugged at my belt buckle, he squinted.

“What are you doing?”

I stilled, the belt out of its loop and pulled to the side. My stomach shaking, I muttered, “You wanted to see it?”

His eyes lit up and he burst out laughing and grunting. “I was talking about the gunshot wound.”

Humiliation burned me from the inside out. Cursing under my breath, I shrunk inwardly, wishing I could disappear. Quickly relooping the belt and pushing it through, I grumbled, “Son of a bitch. Such a fucking idiot—”

“Hey, hey.” His arm folded across his torso and he grimaced, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress. His feet on the floor, he sat up and set the beer down on the nightstand, sweat beading on his brow again.

At a very slow, deliberate pace, his palms spread across my lower abdomen, his fingers curling around my sides. A shiver ran down my spine, my pulse erratic. Leisurely dragging his touch upward, over the bandages wrapped around my ribs, he tipped his head to gaze up at me. I was panting heavily, my cock hardening as I peered down the length of my nose.

“You ain’t an idiot, Vin. I just ain’t in no condition to be doing nothing. If you think we ain’t gonna finish what we started, you’re crazy. I still want that nut one of these days.”

Adrenaline shot to my head so quickly, I grew lightheaded. Groaning, I bent over, grabbed the sides of his face, and smashed my mouth to his, thrusting my tongue to the back of his throat. He grunted, slinking his arms around my waist and crossing them, his hands spread wide over my shoulder blades, fully returning the kiss.

Just before I gave in and took things farther, the front door creaked open, tiny footsteps echoing through the house. “Daddy?”

I tore away and stumbled backward, gasping for a breath. Pain ripped through my groin, the desire fizzling instantly. “Goddammit,” I hissed, plunging my hand into my jeans to rearrange.

“Shit,” he muttered, cradling his forehead. “I swear, it seems like we’re fucking cursed. What the hell, man? Can’t we ever finish something? Jesus.”

In my mind, a voice chimed in that it was fate trying to stop us from making a huge mistake. These weren’t inconveniences, they should be seen as blessings in disguise.

Still, I knew what it felt like to have that man inside me. Though his orgasm had been interrupted, some of his cum filled me, and that was something I could never forget. It hadn’t felt as good as it had with Billy when we first fell in love, but that was because we haven’t had a chance to fully be invested with one another yet.

Besides, Billy had loved me, still did. Dash did not, never would. He was still riding the haze that fell over us when we were locked in that house, thinking we might never leave alive. The longer we were back in the real world, the more he’d realize he wanted nothing to do with me. Not sexually or platonically anymore. I’d ruined everything.

Piera came charging down the hallway, barreling straight for her father. Dash turned gray, his eyes bulging. Panicked, he shook his head and threw his palm out, leaning away while shouting, “Vin!”

I lunged forward and scooped the little girl into my arms before she pounced on him, causing further damage to his wrecked body…taking it for myself. Hissing against my teeth, she was a lot easier to pick up than her father, but it still hurt like hell. “Hey there, acorn. How you doing?”

She was whimpering, unshed tears in her dark brown eyes. Her chin quivering, she was staring at him, a finger on her bottom lip. “Daddy?”

“I’m okay, acorn,” he exhaled with relief. Pain contorting his features, he scooted back into the pillows to get comfortable. “Promise.”

I smiled and fixed the sleeve of her Barbie tee shirt, swaying her side to side. A moment later, the bedroom door filled with Janelle, one of our sisters in the Serpents. Her hands on her hips, she smiled and shook her head.

“I swanney, Dash. What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time?”

He snickered bitterly, repeatedly picking up his head just to lay it down again until he found the right spot. “You know me. Always looking for trouble. Thanks for taking care of her while we was gone.”

Her smile fading, she cleared her throat and inched closer, clicking her nails together anxiously. “Is it true? Everything being said about Jackyl?”