Page 20 of Inked Daddies

That gets their attention. Hugo raises an eyebrow, and Sam straightens slightly, his expression darkening.

“What about her?” Sam asks.

I glance between them, trying to figure out how to say this without sounding like a total creep. “She…she knew I was there. Last night. On watch.”

Sam frowns. “Okay?”

“And she, uh…left the bedroom window open.”

There’s a beat of silence. Then Hugo smirks, setting his mug down. “And you’re telling us this because…?”

“Because she let me watch her…” Shit, just thinking it now, I’m getting hard. “She let me watch her play with herself.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hugo asks, his accent peeking out.

Sam runs his fingers through his hair. “Jesus, Trick. Are you sure she knew you were there?”

“It wasn’t an accident,” I say quickly, my face heating. “I mean, she knew, and she didn’t…she didn’t care. Well, not at first. At first, she started to play with her toy?—”

“There were toys?” Hugo asks, amused.

“Just the one—a vibrator—and when I realized what was happening, I made sure to say something and let her know I was there…but I had my dick in my hand before I could think.”

“You did what?” Sam asks rhetorically.

“Yeah, and I don’t know, we looked at each other, and it was like we knew what we wanted. I gave her a nod, and she went back to business. We ended up finishing together.”

Sam looks like he’s trying to process what I’m saying, while Hugo just looks entertained.

“Let me get this straight,” Hugo says, leaning forward slightly. “You think Mariewantedyou to watch her in her bed?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, raking a hand through my hair. “But she didn’t close the window. And she wasn’t exactly being shy about any of it.”

Sam sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Jesus, Trick. She’s Preacher’s daughter.”

“Like I don’t know that,” I snap, my frustration boiling over. “You think I don’t know how wrong this is? I’ve been trying to ignore it since the day she came back, but last night…”

I trail off, my chest tightening. Last night changed everything.

“It’s not just me,” I say quietly. “You’ve noticed it too. The way she looks at us. The way she acts around us. She’s not a kid anymore, Sam.”

“No,” Hugo agrees, his voice calm and measured. “She’s not.”

Sam doesn’t say anything, but I can see the conflict in his eyes. He’s been fighting this as hard as I have, maybe harder.

“I don’t know if it means anything,” I admit. “But…I hope it does.”

Hugo’s smirk fades, and for once, there’s no teasing in his expression. “Aye,” he says softly. “Me too.”

Sam exhales slowly, his shoulders sagging slightly. “This is dangerous,” he says, his voice low.

“No kidding,” I say, giving him a small, humorless grin.

But dangerous or not, there’s no going back now.

9

MARIE

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