Page 51 of Seduction

“It’s still early, Chopper. Ellen’s not there yet.”

“I know. Just don’t give up on her, son.”

“I won’t.”

I can’t. Not when I can clearly see a future for us.

Ellen is mine.

CHAPTER 9

***Ellen***

After one day with Jon, Mikey thinks he’s his new daddy. I don’t blame him; Jon’s great. He’s definitely the kind of man I’d want around my son. That is, if I could bring myself to have another man in my life.

Today was a good day. The more I’m around Jon, the less I think about Eddie. Maybe that’s my problem. I could never forget him, but the fact that he isn’t at the forefront of my thoughts scares me. Jon scares me, too. After what happened last night, he was the star of all my dreams. Being around him all day was Heaven and Hell at the same time. There were times when I wanted to touch him so badly, while other times I wanted to run away. Especially when Mikey questioned the nature of my relationship with Jon. I don’t even know what’s happening between us. How am I supposed to explain it to my son? Regardless of how this ends, Jon will always be around. He’s the only man Mikey’s seen me with, and it’s natural for him to feel the way he does, but I’m worried that he’s becoming so attached to Jon this quickly.

The chapel doors open and the men start spilling out into the bar. Daddy comes right over, taking Mikey’s plate from me.

“I got him. You go eat.”

“Thanks, Daddy.”

I can feel Jon’s eyes on me as I head to the kitchen, but I avoid his stare. I’m so confused. I don’t know if I should push him away or pull him closer. It doesn’t deter him, because not a minute later, there are footsteps behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I find him standing in the doorway.

“Hungry?” I ask.

“Sure. What’s on the menu?”

“Fried chicken.”

I grab two disposable plates, keeping myself busy by piling food onto them. He approaches, standing so close I brush against him with every movement. My hands begin to shake. Every part of me begins to shake.

“You okay?”

“Of course.”

“Really?” He brushes my hair to the side, exposing my neck. “Because I could have sworn you were trying to avoid me out there.”

“Why—” I try to control my breathing. “—would I do that?”

“Just checking.”

His lips brush against my neck, and I drop the spoon I’m holding. He takes the plate from me, setting it down on the counter. His hand slides around my waist, pulling me against him. My head falls back on his chest and he takes advantage, sucking and licking at that spot where my neck meets my shoulder.

“Jon….”

The arm at my waist slides over my breasts, up to my neck. Gently grabbing it, he uses his thumb to angle my lips toward his. Our eyes meet, but I close mine as he leans in. For a moment, our lips touch. It’s a soft, fleeting kiss, but the effect on my body isn’t. The need for him slams into me, just as hard as it did last night.

“Let’s eat.” His voice breaks my trance.

I turn in his arms, his fingers sliding down my neck and fingering the locket on my necklace.

“It was Mom’s.”

“I know.”

Releasing me, he picks up our plates. I take a deep, steadying breath, get two drinks from the fridge, and then precede him to the bar. We set up at the counter, away from the others. A few Hounds have shown up, but with Mikey here, everyone is behaving. They focus instead on feeding the men. I don’t know them by name, and I don’t want to. One of them, a cute redhead, sidles up to Jon.