Page 35

NATALIA

I leaned back against the closed door the second he left. My body was still trembling, not from fear, not even from anger, but from the raw heat that man always managed to drag out of me no matter how hard I fought it. My lips were swollen from his kiss, my thighs slick and aching from how easily he brought me to the edge without even needing to finish what he started. And fuck me, I hated how much I still wanted him.

I pressed my hands to my cheeks, trying to cool the heat that was burning through my skin. There was a faint scent of him still lingering in the air. Cologne, leather, and the thick, intoxicating scent of male musk that had once lulled me to sleep and kept me tangled in sheets that only knew his touch. Now it just haunted me.

I moved through the rest of my day on autopilot. Cleaned. Folded laundry. Cooked. Did the dishes. All while the ghost of Tick Tock clung to me. I could still feel his kiss bruising my lips. His voice still whispering filthy promises in my ears. His hands still sliding up my thighs.

By the time the house was quiet and Gabriel was asleep, I found myself in the shower, water pounding against my skin as I leaned forward against the tile, trying to scrub away the memories. But I couldn't. Not when they clawed their way down my spine and settled deep in my belly. When I finally stepped out, I wrapped myself in the nearest towel, walked into my room and collapsed into bed, exhausted but wide awake. The sheets felt cold without him, too empty, too silent. I rolled over, then again, and again, I tossed and turned trying to shake him from my thoughts.

But he was there. On my skin, in my mouth, under my fucking ribs. I squeezed my thighs together and growled at myself, but it didn’t stop the heat that bloomed between them. With a frustrated sigh, I slipped a hand down, telling myself I just needed to take the edge off. Like some kind of addict.

But it wasn’t just my hand. He was present in my mind. My Daddy. My collar snapped tight around my throat as he clicked the leash into place, yanking it gently and commanding me to lie back. I was his kitten again, my anal plug, coming out in the shape of a soft, long, black tail brushed the sheets, my nipples already tight and aching. I could feel his hands, rough and skilled, stroking my breasts, teasing the sensitive tips, sliding down over my hips, petting me like I was his most precious pet. I was spread out and naked for him, needy and trembling.

And when he moved over me, it wasn’t his fingers that slid inside me, it was his cock, thick and pulsing, stretching me wide. I gasped aloud, back arching as my own fingers mimicked the fantasy, circling my clit as I imagined him holding my leash tight, whispering filthy things into my ear.

"That’s it, baby. Let Daddy in. Let him wreck you."

My orgasm slammed through me so hard it knocked the air from my lungs. My thighs clenched, my toes curled, and I sobbed his name into the dark. I rolled my hips into my fingers as they flicked my clit. An incessant thrum that was part torture, and part pleasure.

I shuddered as I came down from the ecstasy. Clamping my thighs tightly as I rolled onto my side, wet between the legs and hating myself all over again.

* * *

A few days passed and I hadn’t heard a word from him. Maybe he’d finally come to his senses and realized leaving me alone was the best choice for both of us. It was Monday, the weekend had flown by in a haze of overthinking followed by anxiety. I was still walking around in my scrubs after a long shift at the clinic and I was exhausted.

I stopped at the corner market, dragging my tired legs down each aisle. Gabe’s favorite dinner was pasta and chicken, so that’s what I grabbed. Penne, parmesan, some fresh garlic, and a pack of chicken thighs. It was easier to focus on prepping dinner than letting my mind wander back to him.

By the time I got back in the car and turned the key in the ignition, I convinced myself I could do this. I could live a normal, simple life without letting him back in. Without letting him tear apart everything I’d built for myself and my son.

That is, until I saw the bike.

"Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me," I muttered under my breath as I spotted him leaning against his Harley like the smug bastard he was.

I marched up, heart hammering, anger on full display. "What are you doing here?" I snapped.

He shrugged like it was nothing. "Told you. I want to meet my son."

"Don't you dare, Jose."

He pushed past me with that same cocky strut that used to drive me insane. "I thought I told you I wasn't asking for permission."

I watched, frozen, as he crouched down in front of Gabe and smiled. "Hi, Gabe, is it?"

"Jose!" I warned, voice sharp.

He looked back, lips curling into a smirk while Gabe glanced back at me.

"I'm a friend of your momma's."

Gabe's eyes went wide at the sight of the bike. "Is that yours!”

He ran past me and headed right for the Harley. Tick Tock winked at me as he walked past me and toward Gabe. “Sure is.”

“It’s so cool! Can I take a ride on it?”

“Only if you’re Mom says it’s okay,” they both looked at me and I was taken aback. They had the same glint in their eyes and their similarities took me by surprise.

“Please, Mom?" Gabe insisted.

"Not a chance in hell," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Come on, Mom! Please," he begged, looking between me and Jose. The gleam in his eyes was what broke me.

I walked over to Tick Tock and grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. The scent of his cologne engulfed me, making me instantly wet for him. I put in my meanest most threatening look as I spoke to him.

He brought his face down to mine, his curls brushing my cheek. "You bring him back in one piece or I'll come after you," I muttered suddenly grabbing his balls. He grunted. “And I’ll rip these off,” I smiled sweetly, patting them softly and backing away.

"Promise," he said, eyes locking with mine, something dark and heated passing between us.

I narrowed my eyes on him and my heart nearly crawled out of my throat as I saw him place my child on the bike, he placed his helmet on his head before taking off.

Please bring him back , it was all I could think as I made my way back home.

* * *

An hour later, I had changed into a sundress, wanting to feel somewhat human again. I was running around barefoot when the doorbell rang. Gabe was standing at the doorway grinning ear to ear and holding Tick Tock’s hand.

"Can he come to dinner, Mom? Please?"

I looked up at Tick Tock as he arched a brow and I sighed. "Fine. But only dinner."

Jose followed me inside, shutting the door behind us. “Nice dress,” he whispered to me as he slid his hand across the hem of the skirt as he walked past me into the kitchen.

I glared at him as he took off his jacket, revealing sleeves of tattoos. Some new, some old, all hiding scars I hadn't seen before. My eyes lingered and when I looked up, he was watching me. He smiled at me and winked before flexing his arms.

I rolled my eyes at him, quickly turning away.

We sat around the table. Gabe went on about school, his latest drawings, the motorcycle ride. I barely heard a word. Jose barely looked away from me. Every time I met his gaze, heat rushed through me.

After dinner, I told Gabe to get ready for bed.

"But Mom…"

"No buts. Upstairs now."

Jose leaned in, his eyes on me as he spoke to him. "If you want us to hang out again, I think you should listen to your mom."

That did it and Gabe rushed off yelling out his goodnights. As soon as he was out of earshot, I turned to him. "He's not a game, you know. You can't just barge into our lives. He'll get attached. And I don't want my son hurt."

“That’s not my intention.”

“Then what is, because it’s clear you’re just getting his hopes up. You’ll probably leave when you get bored.”

I cleared the plates and stood at the sink. Suddenly, Jose was behind me. One arm sneaked around my waist, his breath at my ear.

"Now who the fuck says I'm going anywhere?"

He spun me around, lifted me up and set me on the counter. I shoved at him, but he was already between my thighs.

"Let me go," I breathed.

"Not a chance, beautiful."

He kicked my thighs open, standing between them as he fisted my ponytail, pulling my head back to expose my neck.

“Look at you, getting all dolled up for me.”

“Never,” I struggled against him, but he pressed his mouth to my throat shushing me.

He started to kiss me along my shoulder, lower until his tongue grazed the tops of my breasts. “Jose,” I whimpered.

“Shhh, kitten. Speak only when spoken to.”

His hand slid beneath my skirt, bold and possessive, the heat of his palm searing against my inner thigh as his fingers curled over the damp silk of my panties.

"Mmm, fuck... my Kitten is soaked," he rasped, his voice rough with need. "Tell me, is it the way I kiss you or the way I promise to own you that gets you off this fast?"

"Jose," I hissed, breathless and shaking, but he was already dropping to his knees before me.

He shoved my legs apart, his grip bruising as he buried his face between my thighs.

"God, I missed this sweet pussy," he growled, tongue swiping hard and slow over the soaked fabric before he yanked it aside with a brutal tug. His mouth was on me in the next second, devouring me with sharp licks, sucking on my clit like it was the only thing keeping him alive.

I gasped, back arching, fingers tangling in his hair as my thighs trembled around his head.

"Fuck... fuck," I whimpered, every flick of his tongue playing with my sanity, his beard scraping against the sensitive skin of my inner thighs, his hands pinning me in place so I couldn't run even if I wanted to.

And I didn’t want to. I was seconds from falling apart when…

"Mom?" Gabe's voice echoed down the stairs and I jerked. His voice was like a bucket of ice water and I quickly Tick Tock off me, my heart racing as I jumped off the counter.

“Are you heading up to bed now, Mom?”

“Just saying goodnight! I'll be right up!"

Jose stood, lips glistening, smirking like the devil. He smacked on his lips, licking them as he cornered and pressed me against the hallway wall.

"This ain't over, Kitten. I'll have you on all fours soon enough."

He winked and walked down the hallway like he hadn't just played havoc on every cell in my body. When he turned to open the door, I threw the dishrag at him and he only chuckled, making sure to close the door behind him.

I suddenly hated him more than ever because I knew he was right. And I knew I didn’t have the strength to want to stop him.