Page 285 of Second Sets Omnibus

River throws her head back with a groan, swiveling her hips several times. With each movement, my dick hits every inch ofher pussy. My damn balls tighten embarrassingly early until I’m cumming deep inside her.

“Holy shit,” I groan, emptying everything I have deep inside her pussy.

River slumps against my chest, brushing her lips along my flesh. “I think I’m addicted to you,” she murmurs, working her way up my neck until her lips caress mine.

“You’re not the only one,” I whisper, weaving my fingers through her hair. “I’m hopelessly addicted to everything about you. And that’ll never change. Ever again. Now, let’s go enjoy a hot shower together and get cleaned up.”

She grins, slowly rising off me, and stands by the bed. “You better wash me good, Knight.”

And I fucking do. At least three more times against the shower wall. Once I had her in my clutches, there was no way I was letting her walk away without walking funny. By the time we’re in bed, I hold her close to me, reveling in the feel of her flesh against mine.

“Do you care if I take Ly out for some ice cream tomorrow? Maybe some shopping… I…” My heart breaks when Lyric’s questions from earlier ring in my mind. My poor baby has lived her life thinking we didn’t want her when the opposite is true. If I had known about her, I would have been there from the second she started growing inside River’s womb. Every day I’ll live with this ache in my heart that Lyric’s first years were taken from me. But I can’t live in my past failures. I’ll live in the now and make it up to her every second I get.

“Knight,” she murmurs, running her fingers over my bare chest. “You don’t have to ask. You can take her. She’s yours, too.”

“Thank you,” I breathe, mentally planning out what we’re going to do. “Night, River Blue. I fucking love you.”

“Love you, too,” she whispers before drifting off to sleep in my arms.

“Pick whatever flavor you want.”

Lyric’s huge, mismatched eyes dart wildly around the tiny ice cream shop with wonder, latching on to the vast display of flavors under the glass container. Pinks. Blues. Hell, there are even sparkles in the damn ice cream. With every color she gazes at, the more excited she becomes, barely containing it as she bounces beside me.

Her tiny hand squeezes mine in excitement.

“Double scoop?” she whispers, staring at me with pleading eyes.

“Triple scoop, if you want.”

The worker behind the counter flinches when Lyric’s sweet squeal rings through the shop, catching the attention of several parents sitting with their families. Cue the curious whispers starting all around us, saying my name beneath their breaths to their friends, knowing exactly who I am.

“I wants a triple scoop of unicorn sparkle ice cream, pwease,” Lyric says with confidence, standing on her tippy toes barely astall as the counter. Her little eyes watch the redhead with the name tag—Penny—behind the counter, smiling at her.

“Of course. And for you, Sir?” A deep crimson tint takes over Penny’s cheeks as she looks me up and down, biting her lip.

Shit. This is the downfall of being famous. I can’t even have ice cream with my daughter without eyes watching our every move. The heated stare the worker gives me is nothing new. I’m used to women stopping me for autographs. Or soliciting me for a good time. It comes with the rock star territory. They don’t see me as Kieran. They see me as the shirtless guy who walks around on stage doing what he loves. It’s tiring.

My need to protect Lyric ramps up tenfold as I survey the room. It’s nothing but families, friends, and their children, but you never know who is lurking in the background. Case in point, River, and her damn stalker. Nothing pleases me more than that asshole being off the streets and six feet deep. Now, I feel like I can protect both my girls better. A vow I will never break. They’re my number one priority.

“I’ll have the same.” If my baby girl likes it, then I like it, too. Whatever she wants today is hers.

“Okay! Two triple scoops of sparkly unicorn ice cream coming right up. That’ll be… $45.56.” I blink several times, computing the amount she fucking said. Is this ice cream made with real gold flakes? What am I missing here? Fuck.

With a grimace, I dig in my pocket, pull out my card, and hand it to Penny as she swipes it. Even though I’ve got millions in the damn bank from working all these years, spending forty-five bucks on scoops of ice cream makes my stomach drop.

I think it’s from all those years of scrounging for food after my dad left. My mother was never stable. Especially the following months after he was gone. We barely survived. Little to no food. Couldn’t pay our damn heat bill. Luckily, power companies won’t shut off the heat in the winter months due tonot paying the bill. But when spring came? Yeah, we were out of luck for a few weeks until the church stepped in and helped us pay. Then came the eviction notice from our rental with thirty days to vacate.

“We’ll be homeless,” I mumble, staring down at the paper my mother threw at me with disgust.

A cigarette hangs from her mouth as she sits on the sofa, not doing a damn thing to fix it.

“Don’t worry; I’ve got an idea.” The smirk that lights up her face when she peels herself off the couch and heads upstairs without another word sends chills down my little body.

I’m way too fucking young to have to understand what’s happening. But I know it all too well. Ever since Dennis—since I refuse to call him father—left us without a fucking goodbye, I’ve had to grow up. I’ve watched my mom continually dress herself up, bring men over, and then have a few bucks for McDonald’s. Then, the process starts over again.

“Make yourself scarce, boy,” Gloria says, fluffing up her brown locks. Makeup covers the tired lines and hides all the truths about our situation. “I’ve got company coming. Then, we’ll go out and have some dinner. After that, we’ll stop by and talk to the Aid Office. They’ll have some sort of housing for us. Especially with this,” she says, holding up the eviction notice. I blink several times when she lights up another cigarette and smirks like she’s got it all figured out.

Somehow, my mother finagled her way into the government housing apartments after showing them her eviction notice and bank account. After that, we lived there for a few short years. But those short years were the most stable—and I use that loosely—we had ever been. With a roof over our heads and help with food and power, we never lived without the necessities again. Not to mention, moving into those apartments brought me to my best friend. The love of my damn life. Producing this cutelittle creature watching Penny behind the counter, furrowing her brows.