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But Hayes nodded and faced my dad again. “Look, I’m not gonna pretend I was ever a saint. Because I’m not one—but I’m not stupid. Della’s as good as it gets. If I fuck this up, you have every right to come over here and kick my ass. Hell, I’ll be kicking my own ass if I do something to lose her.”
He paused, taking a breath. “I know how incredible she is, and I plan to be around as long as she'll have me. I know it would mean the world to Della—to both of us—if you’d give me a chance.”
I nodded, trying to blink back tears. Hayes may have cussed, but he’d also stood up for me and my desires. He’d put me first. “It really would mean a lot,” I echoed, looking between my dad and mom.
Mom covered my hand with hers and then squeezed Dad’s hand on her other side. “Of course we will,” Mom said. Then she gave Dad a look. And since my dad’s only weakness was my mom, he said, “We will give you a chance. But I’ll take you up on kicking your ass if you hurt my little girl.”
“Chuck!” Mom said, shocked at my dad’s language. I was surprised too; I could count the times he’d cussed in front of us on a single hand and still not use all my fingers.
But Hayes beamed at my dad. “Thank you.”
Instead of responding, Dad took a bite of his chicken. “This is pretty good.”
I felt relief like it was air releasing from a balloon. Thank God.
We finished eating supper, and then we all went to Hayes’s living room to sit and watch TV. I sat tucked under his arm on the love seat while my parents sat beside each other on the couch.
And I realized I didn’t have a relationship like my parents. I never would, because that was their unique coupling. But I had a man I loved, and he loved me. It wasn’t what I pictured. Somehow, it was even better.
After we finished watching our show, it was dark outside. Hayes and I walked my parents to the door and said goodnight. Mom even gave him a one-armed hug goodbye as she carried her flowers.
Once the door shut, Hayes and I turned to each other. His smile widened as he said, “I think we pulled it off!”
I took his hands, jumping up and down excitedly. “We totally pulled it off!”
He chuckled at me and pulled me into a hug. His lips pressed to the crown of my head, and he took a deep breath. “I love you,” he whispered.
I smiled against his chest, feeling warmth radiating from him. “I love you too. Thank you for fighting for us.”
“I’ll never stop,” he promised, still holding me tight.
I knew he meant every word.
I reached down, grabbing his belt and beginning to pull it apart. “Now, to celebrate all of that hard work,” I hummed, lowering myself to my knees.
He gave me an incredulous grin. “How did I get so fucking lucky? Celebrating twice in one day?”
I freed his cock and licked his piercing, making him shudder. “Might have something to do with this,” I purred.
He tossed his head back and laughed, even as his fingers wound through my curls. “Is that so?”
I gave him a sultry smile and took him in my mouth. The smooth skin of his head was velvet under my tongue. Just tasting and feeling him was already turning me on. But then he gathered my curls in his hands, holding them away from my face.
“You take my cock so fucking good.”
I looked up at him to find him gazing down at me, fire in his eyes. I nearly shuddered at the intensity I found there. It was all I needed to pull him deeper into my mouth, shaking my head until he was at the back of my throat.
“Take me deep, baby.” His voice was husky. “You know how to make me feel good.”
His encouragement had me holding as long as I could until I had to pull back and gasp for air. Seeing his lips curl into a wicked smile had me spitting on his cock and taking him again, licking up and down his shaft, then teasing his piercing with the tip of my tongue while I cupped his heavy sack with my hands.
He’d made me feel so good with his mouth, and the way he moaned told me I was making him feel just as good. The tang of precum spread onto my tongue, and I lapped at it.
“Fuck, Della,” he grunted, gripping my hair tighter. The way his fingers tangled in my curls was an aphrodisiac all its own.
I took him in my mouth again, bobbing my head on his cock, and he said, “Your pretty lips look so fucking good on my cock.”
God, his dirty talk was so hot. Most guys I’d been with just moaned, or worse, put their hands on my head to guide me into what they wanted. Even when I was supposed to be on my knees worshiping him, Hayes treated me like the goddess in charge.