Page 100 of Almost Always

“Switch with me, so you can eat.”

“It’s fine, I can eat like this,” she insisted, holding the plate with one hand as she ate with the other. Before he could protest, she was drawn into a conversation with one of the Allenwood wives. He took a picture of the moment and sent it to his father, then dug into his own dinner.

“Didn’t know you had so many friends, hotshot,” she teased.

He looked around the table and shrugged. “They’re…coworkers more than anything else. And I try not to bring work home with me too often.”

“You might need to invest in a different soap if that’s the case.”

He laughed and set his empty plate down, draping an arm over the back of her chair. “I’m sorry this evening is never-ending.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad to be here with you.”

“I’m not sure what I did to deserve you, but I’m so grateful that you’re mine,” he told her and she smiled.

“How about we get out of here, so you canreallyshow me how grateful you are.”

He couldn’t even stop the growl that slipped out of him, but he nodded and straightened out his clothes. After a quick round of letting people know he was leaving, he scooped his son into his arms and they headed out.

Sure, he had been turned on all night. But that wasn’t the only reason he was rushing them out, not that it mattered anyway.

CHAPTER 29

The evening had been wonderful and a nice change of pace from their usual date nights. Putting on makeup, heels and that gorgeous dress took time, but it was worth it for the way the Ames men reacted. Falling in love with both of them was inevitable and she knew there was no hope of ever walking away. Not that she planned to, because she saw a big future with them.

When she’d suggested they donate something to the silent auction she didn’t actually think anyone would be interested. By the time they’d left, the price on their offering had been more than she could imagine. Working on community gardens was a summer project for her and if the flower shop wasn’t too busy, she dedicated a lot of time to that. Now, she’d get to work alongside Rafferty and the thought made her giddy.

He’d always been the quiet kind of person at gatherings when they were younger. That evening, however, he was incredibly social and she liked seeing that side of him. He’d introduced her to so many people, they’d done the rounds a few times and she’d met tons of firefighters. It was quite incredible to see how the community came together to help those who needed it.

However, by the time Cal was done with his dinner, she was also exhausted. She yawned for the millionth time when he pulled into the driveway of the Ames house. Callahan was fast asleep in the backseat, tiny snores echoing in the car. She climbed out when the door swung open and yawned again, getting a chuckle in response.

“I’ll get him into bed. Can you let Boots out? Then I’ll tuck you in too,” he said, kissing her forehead.

Humming her confirmation, she unlocked the front door and greeted Boots as he came over to nuzzle into her legs. She opened the back door to let the dog out. While Boots did his thing, she scrolled through the pictures from the night and sent a few to her father and Pia.

She looked happy in every single shot, but more than that, the three of them looked like a proper family.This is what I’ve always wanted and look at me now.The realization that she had it all, with someone so special to her, made tears spring to her eyes. She might not have given birth to Callahan, but she loved him so much. And even if he didn’t always say it, she knew that he loved her too. Then again, loving them had been so easy. Boots came back and lapped at his water bowl while she locked up and turned off the lights. He followed her down the hallway and snuck into Cal’s room while she went to the master bedroom.

After her first sleepover, she hadn’t used the guest room again. Not for lack of trying—Rafferty liked her in his bed and threatened to tie her to the headboard. They hadn’t done anything more than kissing and the occasional slip of hands into pants. After long days of work, that was about the most they could do before falling asleep anyway.

Honestly, she wanted to be tied up and even manhandled a little. She’d never had a partner who could or wanted to do that. Her sex life hadn’t been terrible. She’d explored everything thatshe could and tried new things whenever possible. She wantedmore. She wasn’t overly kinky or interested in BDSM, but sex could be about so much more than an orgasm.

When he’d dropped to his knees in her greenhouse and feasted, she’d felt a kind of horniness she’d never experienced before. She’d never met someone so desperate to taste her, to strip her where she stood and use their tongue and teeth to make her come. She wanted more of that. Kissing him was fantastic and it sent sparks of lust and desire to her core, but Daisy knew that there was more that Rafferty was capable of and she couldn’t wait to find out what that was.

She slipped out of her dress and hung it up, leaving her in a strapless bra and tiny shorts. In the bathroom, she tied her hair up and exhaled loudly as she looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes sparkled with the joy that fluttered in her chest and her lips curved into a small smile as she stared at her reflection. Her gaze dropped to admire the rest of her body and she was impressed that she didn’t flinch. She was proud of herself that evening and happy with the way she looked.

“Okay, let’s not overdo it,” she told herself, laughing as she unpacked her cleansing kit and started wiping off her makeup.

She’d gotten rid of her lipstick, mascara and eyeliner when a deep voice came through before the man did. “That’s a shame. I was hoping for lipstick marks tonight.”

“If you ask nicely, I might make it happen.”

Turning to face him, she leaned against the counter with the lipstick in hand. Seeing him in T-shirts and jeans was intoxicating. Seeing him in an all-black suit ensemble? There weren’t any words to express that.

With his eyes on her, he stripped out of his jacket, tossing it to the side. He started on his shirt and her mouth watered as his tattooed chest came into view.I want to lick him. She twisted open the tube and with every button he undid, she spread thered color over her mouth. His eyes darkened and filled with heat as his shirt came off, putting that glorious body on display. He took a step forward, hands working to undo his pants. Rolling her lips together to spread the lipstick, she made a soft smacking sound and he growled.

“Beg, Daddy.”

His chest heaved and he swallowed hard before saying, “I will do anything if you would be so fucking kind to mark me up with that delectable mouth.”

---