Page 19 of Wild Card (Men of Action #4)

I chuckle lowly. “Careful, Princess, your neck is splotching. We don’t want you worked up.”

“This is not funny. You are being intrusive.”

“You’ll get used to it.”

“Never mind, I’ll stay in this heinous hospital gown,” she snips.

My arms curls around her waist, tagging her to me. I sweep my lips across hers, feeling her breath hitch. “You have three minutes. I’ll be outside the door.”

Before she can argue, I close her in.

Sterling shuffles through the door, stopping dead when he sees the empty bed.

“She’s changing.”

He scrubs his hands over his face, dropping his chin to his chest. For the first time since we arrived, I witness the man’s demanding character slip as his shoulders slump. “I wish Stacy wouldn’t have woken her.”

I remain quiet because regardless of my thoughts, Stacy is still his wife.

“Even through it all, she is worried.”

“She’s her mother.”

His angry eyes slice up to meet mine. “She made selfish and bad decisions.”

“Willow said the same thing.”

“She told you?”

“No details.”

“It’s not a pretty story, but it’s also not mine to tell. You want to date my daughter?”

His question comes out of the blue. “I am dating your daughter.”

“You see this going somewhere?”

“Think that’s obvious.”

“Then make sure you take care of her. She’s been hurt by the people who were supposed to love her the most, including me.”

I don’t get to expand on this information because Willow comes out of the bathroom looking completely refreshed.

“I’m starving,” she tells her dad. “Think you can pull some strings and get me something safe and approved?”

He smiles, the anger disappearing as he grins. “Sure, something can be arranged.”

“Good.” She breezes past me and climbs into the bed. “And so you both know, barring any allergic effects, I’m going home tomorrow.”

Sterling and I lock gazes, thinking the same thing.

She may be going home. But she’s not going home alone.

As pissed as she is, she can’t hide her reaction when we turn onto my street and the house comes into view. The closer we get, the more her eyes and mouth widen.

“This is where you live with Ford?”

“For now.” I don’t elaborate my plans to build a house around the corner.

“This isn’t even a home… it’s a mansion.”

“It’s a home.”

“Talon, I can’t stay here. I’ll get lost.”

“I’ll draw you a map.”

“Seriously, I won’t feel comfortable. Isn’t this about my comfort?”

“I’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”

“You can stay with me.”

“Babe, I tried out your bed while you were showering. There is no way we can both sleep on it.”

“I’ll take the couch!” she disputes.

“You’re not sleeping on the couch.”

“Bex will come stay with me.” She uses the same excuse she tried this morning.

“Bex is working and I have the next two days off.”

She chews on her bottom lip and continues to stare in awe as I park around the back.

“I’ll stay with my grandparents.”

I click her out of her seatbelt, lifting her into my lap and threading my fingers through her hair. “I promised your family I’d take care of you. Let me do that.”

“How many bedrooms does this place have?”

“I think the floorplan says seven. Plus, the pool house.”

“Seven is a lot.”

“It’s a nice place. Celia and Doug Whitman built it with their family in mind.”

“Whitman? As in Whitman Estates? The neighborhood is named after them?”

“They developed it.”

“Wow, that’s insane.” An uneasy feeling coils in my gut and I cup her chin, trying to gauge what she’s thinking.

“Willow, your brother is a physician, and you’re soon to be a doctor. Your mother strutted into the hospital sporting Jimmy Choos, your dad wears a Rolex, and your grandparents roll around in a ninety-thousand-dollar Escalade.You’re not new to money.”

She casts her gaze upward, sucking in a breath. “No, I’m not new to money, but believe it or not, I’m pretty frugal.”

“Hundred-dollar leggings aren’t exactly frugal.”

“Those are an exception.” She straightens, a flicker of righteousness in her tone. “And I buy most on sale.”

“No complaints from me.” I squeeze her waist. “You prancing around in these tight pants and skimpy shirts is a bonus.”

She rolls her eyes. “Men are so stupid.”

“Maybe, but we know what is sexy. And you in this get-up is fucking sexy.”

“I’m dressing in sweatpants the next few days.”

“Can’t hide your brand of sexy in whatever you wear.”

Her face softens and she drops her forehead to mine. “This is weird.”

“It’s only weird if you make it that way.”

“This house is lavish. I’m not sure I’ll be comfortable.”

“You’ll be surprised. Give it a chance.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

“You always have a choice, Willow, but I’m asking you to give it a chance. Pool, hot tub, media room, game room, fully stocked kitchen, plenty of space for the dogs. If you can’t stand it, we’ll go back to your place and I’ll deal.”

Her expression goes thoughtful. “I can give it a chance.” She links her hands around my neck. “It’s really fast for you to have to take care of me.”

“Not fast enough for me.”

I nip her bottom lip lightly, careful of the cut, sliding my hand to her scalp. My tongue curls with hers, creating a slow, unhurried rhythm.

This may not be our first kiss, but it’s the first time nothing stands in our way.

No clouds of her resistance, no noise of a bar, no family interruptions—just us.

And the reality this is happening.

I savor her taste, the scent of fresh linen and honey filling the air, her silky strands tangling around my fingers. The softness of her body curls into me with each stroke of my tongue.

Her neck tilts, giving me access to deepen the kiss.

My dick strains against the confines of our position, poking into her hip. She grinds to the side and I tear my mouth away, knowing my control is slipping.

“Babe, we need to take this inside. We have cameras.”

Her body lurches as she wriggles to get out of my hold. “Is someone watching us?”

“Don’t know.”

She spears me with a death glare, throwing the door open. “Don’t bother with my bag yet.”

“Too late, you already agreed to give it a chance.”

She huffs, hopping out and trudging to the door.

I enjoy the scene before adjusting my cock, grabbing her bag, and meeting her at the door.

She steps inside and gasps. “It’s enormous.”

“Heard that a lot,” I crack a joke and she rolls her eyes.

“Men are stupid,” she repeats, twisting and turning in place. “This is your room? What do you do with all this space?”

“Not sure yet.”

She swings her head my way. “You’re not sure?”

“Moved in this morning while you were waiting to be discharged.”

When there was no adverse reaction to the peanuts in her food challenge, Willow pushed hard to be released. Sterling was adamant it was too soon. Chase was on board to keep her under observation but medically agreed her reports were normal.

A family argument ensued that she couldn’t be alone until I shut it down by stating she’d be with me.

The two Richards men didn’t blink, both tipping their chin in agreement. Willow gloated triumphantly while I worked on arrangements.

Ace, Ford, and Major helped move my things down to this vacant room.

“Where were you located?”

“Upstairs on the other side of the house.”

“Why the change?”

“It’ll be easier for us.”

Her eyebrows shoot up. “For us?”

“You may think you are out of the woods, but you’re still under watch. Being on the main floor is a better decision in case something happens. We have a private entrance which is an advantage. Especially if Wolf needs to go out in the middle of the night.”

Her gaze softens and lips begin to tremble. I drop her bag, hauling her to me.

“I don’t want us to be an inconvenience.”

My chest tightens at the vulnerability in her statement. “You will never be an inconvenience.”

“But you moved your entire room.”

“I was planning to move soon anyway.”

“You were?”

“This room was rightfully mine from the start, but Ace stole it.”

“Stole it?”

“The fucker cheated in poker.”

“Sounds like a story I’d like to hear.”

“Not much to it.”

She places her hands on my shoulders, her eyes now bright. “I want to hear all your stories.”

“We have time.”

“Yeah, we do,” she whispers, darting her tongue over the small split in her lip. “Talon?”

“Right here.”

“I really want to kiss you right now.”

The tightness in my chest intensifies for an entirely different reason. “I’m not stopping you.”

“Sorry I was a bitch earlier about coming here.”

“Babe, if strutting around in a pout is your brand of bitch, I may piss you off more often.”

She tips up on her toes, brushing her lips across mine. “Thank you, for everything.”

“Careful, Princess, that’s twice now.”

“I have a feeling I’ll use those words a lot with you.”

“Willow, my bed is five feet away. Unless you want to find yourself underneath me, you need to tone down your sweet.”

“Okay, Talon.”

Fuck, just the sound of her voice has my dick hard. I squeeze her hips, crashing my mouth to hers.