Page 24 of Sacrifice
I tuck a strand of hair back from her face and brush my thumb lightly along her lower lip. My dick hardens at the sight of her running her teeth over it, her tongue trailing behind to wet the dry skin.
“It’s not going to happen. Neither of us can say for certain what the future will bring.” I sigh, my eyes pausing on her lips again. “When you’re around me, all I can think about is wanting to be closer to you. I want to touch your soft skin and feel your body pressed against me. I want to listen to you talk about anything and everything you’ll tell me.”
“I’ve never felt anything like this before. I get it’s soon and I understand you’re scared, but I’m not.”
“Where have you been my whole life?” she jokes. “Why hasn’t some woman come along and snatched you up already?”
“I’ve been here, waiting for you.”
Chapter Nine
Haelynn
Corbin and I exchanged a few messages over the past few days, but after the confrontation with Atlas, I had a lot on my mind. I put all my energy and focus into taking care of Huxton and my job.
I remember how fast I fell for Atlas. Corbin came out of nowhere and has tipped my whole world off its axis. Although he’s nothing like the man Atlas is, I still can’t stop thinking about how quickly it all happened, and all the questions have started to swirl around in my head.
There are times I’ll be sitting at my desk and glance over at the bed staged in the studio not far from me, and just like that, he’s consuming my every thought.
I left work early yesterday to talk with my lawyer about the divorce proceedings. I hate how ugly this was going to turn when Atlas found out I was moving forward with fighting for sole primary custody of Huxton.
Atlas was well known in the Everton area. After his grandpa passed away, it was written in his will that he’d inherit a large chunk of money. He’s always been a smart businessman, so when he turned twenty-five and was granted access to the funds, he put every cent into building his own brewing company.
He was praised in the media for being one of the youngest and fastest growing entrepreneurs in Iowa. My lawyer, although she agreed and felt strongly that custody should be awarded to me, cautioned me that we’d have a hard time convincing the judge to sign off.
On paper, Atlas was the picture-perfect husband and father, and he had the coin to put up the fight.
The last thing I want is to bring Corbin into this mess, especially when it’s only just begun.
Makenna and Corbin both invited me to Friends Night and encouraged me to bring Huxton along. The urge to pass on the offer was there, out of fear of where this would go with Corbin, worrying it wasn’t the right time to introduce him to Huxton. I’ve pushed so many people out of my life over the past few years because of Atlas.
I’m not going to let him control my life anymore.
“Will there be other kids to play with too?” Huxton sighs, shoving his feet into his sneakers, bending down on his knee to lace them up.
“Well, Ms. Layla will be there. She’s friends with Makenna and she said she was bringing her daughter with her too. I believe her cousin will be there also.”
Huxton’s eyes light up and he purses his lips together, attempting to smother his grin.
Oh boy, why do I think one day this kid is going to give me a run for my money when it comes to girls?
“That’s cool, that’s cool.”
He pretends to play it off, jumping to his feet. He checks his appearance in the mirror, using his hand to smooth an unruly curl into place, turning his head from side to side.
I shake my head, leaning against the wall opposite of him with my arms folded in front of me. What have I gotten myself into?
“You almost ready there, Rico Suave?”
He scrunches his nose. “Rico who?”
I chuckle and push myself off the wall. I wave him over, urging him out the door.
“Don’t worry about it now. It’ll make more sense when you’re older.”
We lock up the house behind us, crossing the front yard and the street over to Makenna and Alex’s house. I immediately spot Corbin’s pickup truck parked near the end of their large driveway, along with a few others.
The sound of voices and laughter grow louder the further we get up the driveway toward the backyard. There’s a deck with a large patio off to the side with a smaller picnic table lined with drinks. Towels and sandals are discarded, like they were too excited to bother caring where they ended up. I spot a group of kids near the back with a massive bouncy house Corbin promised.
