Page 42 of Lore
“Not now,” he snaps, taking a step toward Suit. I grab the back of his cut and pull him back toward me. “Stop it. Where are the kids?”
“Watching a movie with the twins,” he replies, still staring Suit down.
“Come on then, let’s go find them,” I say, circling him until we’re standing face-to-face. “Nothing happened, we were just talking, okay? There’s no need for this.”
“That’s bullshit, and you know it. You let all the men get that close to you? This is my world, Atiana. Don’t even think about hitting on any one of my brothers and turning me against them.” His tone is low and lethal.
I was trying to calm him down, but now his words have pissed me off. I haven’t done anything wrong. My back straightens, and I step closer, resting my hand on his hard chest. “We aren’t together.”
“You’re fucking mine,” he growls, his eyes darkening. “You know it as well as I do.”
I notice Suit exits the room, and thank God for that.
“Really? Last I remember, we broke up so you can fuck around with my cousin!” I snap.
“I didn’t fuck her,” he replies, his tone serious. “I kicked her out after you left.” He pauses and then admits, “But I did let her get in my head. She was saying how stupid it was for us to commit to each other so young…”
“The words you and commit in one sentence are stupid,” I agree, crossing my arms over my chest. “I fucking loved you, Lore! More than anything. You were all I had. I always believed in us. Always. And you threw us away, and now what? You’ve decided you want me on your terms. On your timeline. You’re years too late.”
“I know,” he whispers, and the tormented expression on his face makes my heart hurt.
“You acted like you had all the options, and I was just someone you got stuck with. But you know what? Kids might be a deal breaker for you, Lore, but they aren’t for other men. Plenty of good men love to play stepdaddy. They don’t care if I come with children. Hell, most of them don’t care that I come with a husband.”
I’m just angry, emotional, and ranting now. He’s lived his life with women throwing themselves at him, and he needs to be brought down a peg or two.
Anger and jealousy flicker through his beautiful eyes. “Yet I’m the one you call when you’re in trouble.”
“Because you are Rider’s father.”
“Finally remembered that at least,” he mutters, and I turn my body to leave, but he grips my wrist, pulling me back against him. His expression is angry, but his touch is gentle. “You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, Butterfly. Of course, men want you. I never thought otherwise. I never thought I’d find someone better than you. I just wasn’t ready for you back then. I couldn’t have given you what you deserved.”
“And now you can?” I fire back.
“Yes,” he declares, and I can tell he truly believes that.
“Lots of experience fucking women doesn’t make you ready for commitment.”
He grips my nape, then his fingers slide into my hair, using it to tilt my head back. “No, it doesn’t. But now I have money, a house, and men at my back. Now I know what I want. I’d never question anything because, darlin’, I’ve been there and done that. I want you. That’s not going to change.”
“You don’t know that.” My response comes out in a hushed whisper, the anger draining out of me.
In its place is fear.
Fear and a little dash of hope.
It’s the hope that scares me.
“I fucking do,” he replies, his fingers flexing. “And stop throwing that you have kids in my face, that rule clearly doesn’t apply to you. I would die for those two kids in a heartbeat. Even though Dove isn’t mine, she looks just like you. She’s a part of you, and that’s enough for me. I’d give either of them anything they wanted, everything I own. I’d kill anyone who harmed them. My whole world has changed, and I don’t want it to go back. I just want you…” He pauses and buries his face in the crook of my neck. “All of you.”
“Just leave me alone, Lore. We can be friends. We can co-parent.”
“We’ll never just be friends, Butterfly,” his gravelly whisper rolls over me as he kisses the column of my neck.
My fucking weakness.
My nipples harden, and a small gasp of pleasure leaves my lips.
“I know you’re scared to give me a second chance, but you won’t regret it,” he vows, trailing his lips until he reaches my mouth.
