My lips twitched and I stole a glance, taking in his quirked brow. “Now that I can do.” Swiping the lube, I lathered myself up, then gripped his cock for good measure. His deep, needy sigh was worth it as I applied the slick and gave a few slow strokes.
“Anytime now,” he said with a deep groan.
“Needy, huh?” So not what I expected from him, but I was definitely a fan.
“Pearce, I swear— Nngh…”
Two fingers slipping inside him cut him off beautifully. “What were you saying?”
He attempted narrowing his eyes, but adding a third finger stopped that with a moan fierce enough to have my dick bobbing. He was loose and so ready for me. I pulled out, positioned myself, and pushed in with one slow stroke. There was no resistance, just his sweet, soft gasp, and a delicious heat engulfing my cock that I swore I would combust.
“Daddy.”
We froze, held our breaths, and I swore my heart stopped beating. The sound of a door opening shot a bolt of adrenaline to my heart, and I moved, tearing out of Eddie so damn fast that I teetered on my knees and fell backward. Mildly aware of Eddie’s grunt and the horror in his gaze, there was nothing I could do, not when my arms windmilled and I disappeared off the edge of the bed, my ass hitting the floor with a thump.
Crumpled on the floor, I gasped for breath before a groaned laugh escaped me. I slammed my hand over my mouth just as a naked Eddie appeared at my side, his eyes wide. His lips twitched and he opened his mouth—
“Daddy, I had a nightmare.”
“Shit,” he mouthed, and my amusement died down when his face blanched. “She can’t see me coming from your room.”
I swallowed back my hurt and nodded, reluctantly understanding that this thing between us had escalated so quickly that my head was still spinning. It made complete sense that he didn’t want Lottie to know. But a fool she wasn’t. “Go to the bathroom. I’ll get her to bed, then you head to your room, okay?”
Some of the color returned to his cheeks as he spoke. “Yeah, okay. Thanks.” Realizing I was still on the floor, he reached out for my hand and helped me up. “You okay?”
“Not the first bruised ass I’ve ever had,” I whispered, then called out, “Hold on, Lottie. I’m coming,” when I heard her again.
Eddie squeezed my hand and backed away, shooting me a grateful smile. I offered him a chin lift, then reached for my sweatpants that were draped on my oversized chair. Once I tugged them on and wiped my hands quickly on the towel I’d dumped on the floor, I unlocked the door. Lottie stood in her open doorway, her eyes wide and immediately connecting with mine.
“Hey, kiddo.” I stepped toward her, cuddling her close. “Bad dream, huh?”
“Yeah.” Her quiet voice held a tremor I’d never heard from her before. “I called Dad.”
Tightness lassoed around my gut. Guilt that he hadn’t been able to rush out to her immediately was a shit of a thing. “Let’s get you to bed. He must be in a deep sleep. I’ll wake him before I go and get you a glass of water, okay?”
She nodded against my stomach, and I gently squeezed her arms before guiding her back into the bedroom she’d claimed as her own. The soft light of her bedside table lit her disordered bedsheets. The poor kid must have really been active in her sleep.
“Are you sore?” I thought to ask. So much movement post-operation couldn’t be good for her, right?
“A bit.” As she climbed onto the bed, I saw her wince. I imagined “a bit” meant that she was in pain. Lottie was so much like her dad, it was scary. He didn’t like people fussing over him, just like he never admitted to feeling unwell or being hurt.
“You going to be okay here a sec while I get your dad and sort some painkillers?”
Indecision warred on her face. I hated seeing it there. This girl was a warrior, and seeing her vulnerable hurt my damn heart.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” Eddie stepped into the room wearing shorts and a tee.
“Daddy.” Lottie’s voice cracked, and I winced, shifting out of the way so Eddie could get to his daughter. “Where were you? I called.”
Fuck.
“I’m so sorry, baby girl. I was fast asleep.”
I looked away, not able to bear seeing Eddie’s wince or the guilt I was sure would be evident in his features. “Uhm… I’ll go get pain meds and some water.” I headed for the door, hearing Eddie’s soft “Thanks” just as I stepped into the hallway.
Once by myself, I shook my head and closed my eyes, barely comprehending how one second I’d been buried so deep into the man I secretly loved and then next I was wracked with guilt. Oh, and supporting a legit bruised ass. That fall had been hard.
With a deep breath, I set about my task, not liking one bit the guilt I felt over the delay in getting to Lottie, or the fact we’d both lied to her. Feeling shitty wasn’t the best thing ever.
