I gasped. “I…” My eyes blinked up at him helplessly. “I want to come.”
“Then tell me what I want to hear.”
My chest heaved with each shuddered breath. “I love you.” I did. I truly did.
His hands slipped from my wrists, and he eased back onto his knees, still buried deep inside me, his pace deliberate, pushing deeper. Knowing fingers found my clit.
“Thank you…” I sighed.
Toby’s head fell back with a moan, a glisten of sweat prickling across his powerful chest from the controlled effort of giving me what I needed. He hadn’t forgotten. He knew I loved the powerful strokes of his cock, the gentle flutter of his fingers, and the commanding hand he squeezed on my hip, holding me steady.
“You’re doing so well, my beautiful Gwendolyn.”
My back arched, and I panted his name.
“So…well….”
I chased my pleasure, jiggling my toes, desperate to hurtle into the happy abyss like jumping off the Blairgowrie Jumping Rock all over again—but my orgasm still caught me off guard when it finally happened.
“Look at me when you come,” he grunted, fighting to hold back. “I earned it, Gwen. Ineedit.”
Heat bloomed in my belly, then exploded in a rush that stole the air from my lungs. I kept my eyes locked on Toby. The awestaring back at me only made the explosion stronger. My body shuddered, legs trembling as the climax rolled through me, so, so fierce.
Watching me, Toby’s hard thrusts pummeled my thighs. He couldn’t look away. Not then. But the sight of me unraveling pushed him over the edge with me. His face tensed, his mouth parting with a long moan as his hips jerked to a broken rhythm, lost in his release.
“I only ever loved you,” he said on a ragged breath.
And I believed him.
Hours later, when voices no longer drifted down the corridors outside, and the whole world seemed asleep except us, we lay curled together, our hands still exploring, gentle, treasuring every second we’d saved.
Slowly, a scowl darkened Toby’s face again.
I smoothed the line speared between his eyes with my finger. “Are you back to being a grumpy bear?” I booped his nose.
Toby sighed. “Gwen, what the hell am I going to do?”
My heart twisted. I knew he’d been worrying, but I wasn’t sure I had all the answers—oranyanswers—this time. Did anyone? And, honestly, these were decisions only he could make.
“What do you want to do?” I asked him.
Toby grunted. “Drag my father out of his grave so I can kill him again with my bare hands. My mother’s the furthest damn thing from a saint, but she had a toddler at home and a baby on the way, and what’s he doing? Screwing around, not giving two shits about his responsibilities, and making more damn kids!” Toby twisted in the bed, thumping onto his back, glaring at the ceiling. “How do I tell Tanya?ShouldI tell her?”
I would. In a heartbeat. But it was hard to be the sucker who had to deliver news like that. It was always a case of shooting the messenger—particularly when the bad guy wasn’t around to take the heat instead.
“What doyouthink is the right thing to do?” I asked him.
“I don’tknow.” Toby tugged an agitated hand through his hair. “Tanya was always Dad’s favorite. Things weren’t perfect between them, but he was damn proud of her. He never shied away from showing it. I know she misses him.Loveshim. If I tell her, it might destroy her memories of him. But she should know she has another brother, right?” His gaze whipped to me, helpless. “Gwen, tell me what to do.”
“You don’t need to do anything right now. Sleep on it for a night or two. If your dad’s secret waited thirty years to be discovered, it can wait a few days before you decide who to talk to about it.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Toby still sounded uncertain. “Should I talk to Ian’s mum?” He huffed out a frustrated breath. “I should, right?” Uncomfortable under the weight of the decisions crushing down on him, his legs kicked out, restless. “Nah, I can’t. What about my mother? I should probably talk to her.”
“Once she realizes what she let slip, you may not get a choice.” I scoffed a laugh. “Maybe we’ll be lucky enough for her to grace us with another one of her visits.”
“Oh, great, that’s just what we need.” Toby’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “I can’t wait. You know, I think our neighbor two doors down has stopped watching TV and turned his couch to face our place instead.”
“We’ve certainly given him a good show, haven’t we? Viral yard sales, arguments, tabloid millionaires, a stalker, cops, and a shady bodyguard.”