Page 19 of The Tempo of Truth
I moaned against Ky’s mouth when I felt the edge of his teeth on my bottom lip.He shifted gears and his grip.His wide palm covered one of my ass cheeks and gave the plentiful flesh a tight squeeze.His lips and tongue moved hungrily against mine, turning the kiss from something sweet and exploratory into a tangled, heated mess.Apparently, there was no need for alcohol.We lost control and ended up drunk on one another in no time at all.
I curled my fingers into the soft, dark hair at the back of his head.It was a lot longer than when he was a teenager and when he played football.The shaggy length and midnight color gave him an unruly and untamable feeling.I always liked it when he bleached his hair, and how the unnaturally white color contrasted with his God-given coloring.Still, there was something very sexy about being able to grab a handful of his dark locks to hold onto as I unraveled underneath his exploring fingers.The rough scrape of his palm against my skin made me shiver.
His thumb rubbed a circle on my hip, then traced along the line of my underwear, following down and getting much closer to the part of the fabric that was getting damp and clingy.I gasped when I felt the tug of his teeth on my bottom lip.He quickly gave the little sting a light lick in apology, and I nearly knocked him over when he started to suck on the small sore spot gently.He barely had to do anything in his drunken stupor to seduce me the last time we hooked up.I quickly realized that Kyser Kent, in control of all his faculties, was incredibly dangerous.It was just a kiss.A really good kiss.The best kiss of my life.Even so, it shouldn’t be enough to have me ready to chain the man to my bed so he couldn’t get away so I didn’t have to share him with anyone else, but it was.
I could have anything I asked for—except for him.Ky had always been the one thing I wanted that I wasn’t allowed to have.
It would take minimal convincing for me to hand myself over to him on a silver platter.
I moaned when his agile fingers skimmed over the thin fabric covering the quivering spot between my legs.I should be embarrassed that everywhere he touched reacted in such a greedy manner.Things between my legs went from damp to wet after one stroke, and I was ready to strip Ky naked and climb on top of him.I heard him swear under his breath, and the material of his sweatpants did little to hide the way his body reacted to mine.The bulge beneath the soft fabric was just as impressive as it was in my memories.I wanted to rub against him.I wanted to press against the hardness and lose myself in the heady sensations overtaking my whole body.
Ky’s fingers were beginning to slip under the edge of my underwear.He was seconds away from finding out just how wet and weak he made me when a small voice called, “Mommy!”from upstairs.
I jolted out of the sensual stupor I’d fallen into and climbed off Ky’s lap like it was suddenly set on fire.My hands were shaking as I smoothed out the twisted jersey and my messy hair.I also fixed my crooked glasses and took a second to catch my breath.Once I had settled myself down, I shouted back at Lowe, “Why aren’t you asleep?”Lowe had been out like a light after I read him his favorite bedtime story.I thought he’d stay asleep the rest of the night.He wasn’t usually very restless at bedtime, but we were both still adjusting to being in a new place.The city was much busier and louder than the small Italian island where he’d lived before.
Ky wiggled around on the couch.He grabbed the blanket I brought down earlier and strategically placed it over his lap.We exchanged a look that spoke volumes.He lifted his chin and told me, “Go take care of Lowe.”He flopped back on the couch and threw his arm over his eyes.“That shouldn’t have happened.I forget myself when I’m around you, Winnie.”
I tossed my hair over my shoulder and asked, “Is there anything I can do to make sure you keep forgetting yourself when we’re together?I’m quite fond of this version of you.”I liked having the smallest bit of control over this complicated man.I dreamed of the day he would willingly put himself in my hands.
“Are you asking if I’ll let you bribe me into sleeping with you?”Ky sounded annoyed, and I was pretty sure he was glowering under the arm covering half his face.“You can do so much better than that if you’re looking to put me in my place.”
“It’s more of a bribe to keep you from forgetting that you would rather be anywhere else than here with me.I know you’re only this close right now because of our son.It’s another situation where I didn’t leave you many options.That works out well for me as a CEO, not so much as the woman who’s never been able to forget about you.Name your price, Ky.”It started as a joke, but the mood grew serious very quickly.I couldn’t stick around and wait for him to answer because I heard tiny footsteps headed in our direction.Lowe got tired of waiting for me and came to find me instead.
Ky grunted while still refusing to look at me.Just as I reached the bottom step, I heard him quietly mutter, “Can you give me back my life before that night in Lisbon?If you can do that, I’ll be whoever you want me to be and play whatever role you ask of me.”
I didn’t respond.There was probably a way to clear his name within the professional leagues and wipe out any of the criminal allegations.Money and influence in the right places could move mountains when needed.However, I didn’t really want to tie him to this tiny family out of a sense of obligation.That was nothing more than trapping him next to me in another way.I was already anxious that he was going to see Lowe as an inescapable responsibility.If I gave him what he desired most, I feared losing what I yearned for above anything: having him pick me because he realized he couldn’t live without me.
I jogged up the stairs and picked up Lowe, who was rubbing his tired eyes and pouting.I swore he got the put-upon look from his father because my lower lip never stuck out that far when I was upset.
“What woke you up, little man?”Lowe’s head landed on my shoulder as he suddenly became a boneless handful.
“I had a bad dream, Mommy.”Lowe’s tender voice sounded thoroughly disgruntled.
“About what?”I smoothed a hand over his dark hair and turned my head to place a loud smooch on his cheek.
“I was in a room full of other kids, and they were making fun of me.They kept pointing at me and laughing.I wanted to beat them up, but I couldn’t move.I was stuck.I called for help, but no one came.They just kept laughing louder and louder.”He huffed a small sound of aggravation.“They pointed their fingers at me and called me short and stinky.They made fun of me for wanting to be a goalie.They told me I had to have a father to teach me how to play, so I couldn’t be any good because I didn’t have one.They were really mean, Mommy.”
“It sounds like it.But you know that was just a dream, right?You’re probably nervous about school getting ready to start since it’s a brand-new experience for you.Don’t forget, all your cousins will be there with you.If anyone dares to pick on you, just ask them for help.”I did my best to calm him down and walked him back to bed.He was restless as I tried to tuck him in.I could see genuine worry in his dark eyes.Lowe was such an easy-going kid.It was rare to see him get so worked up over anything.I stroked his little eyebrow to smooth out the frown on his forehead.“And everyone has a father, even if they don’t get to see them all the time or at all.Parents come in a lot of varieties, Lowe.There is no perfect family, and that is okay.As long as you have people in your life who love you and protect you, it doesn’t matter if they’re called Mom and Dad.That’s not something that affects how you play soccer.You need to listen to Ky.If he says the most important factor is practice and dedication, you should believe him.”
Lowe scrunched up his face and hugged the stuffed animal I placed in his arms.His voice was barely above a whisper when he asked, “Will I ever get a chance to meet my dad?I know he’s not dead or anything.I overheard Uncle Win telling Aunt Channing that he hoped I never asked about my father because he didn’t want me to be disappointed.Why would I be disappointed?”
“Lowe, you shouldn’t listen in on adult conversations.”I sighed and leaned down so I could kiss his still-wrinkled forehead.“When the time is right, I’m positive your dad will introduce himself to you.”
“Promise?”The pleading dark eyes about did me in.My heart turned over in my chest.
“I promise.”I silently prayed Ky wouldn’t let either of us down.“I’ll stay with you until you fall back asleep, okay?I’ll be right here if those mean kids show up to bully you again.”
Lowe snuggled under the covers and muttered, “If I weren’t frozen, I would’ve made them sorry they picked on me.”He harrumphed and squeezed the toy in his arms so tightly I was surprised the stuffing didn’t pop out.
I didn’t tell him that he sounded exactly like his father at that moment.Ky never stood still when he saw someone weaker than him being pushed around.That’s how he won me over when I was still so sheltered and unsure of everything.A couple of kids from the prep school had cornered me and taunted me about my mother being dead and my grandmother being a murderer.If he hadn’t stepped in to save me that day, I don’t know what I would have done.Back then, I lacked the most basic of survival skills.That rescue solidified Kyser Kent as a good guy in my mind, and nothing he’d done since had ever been able to shake him off the pedestal I placed him on.Even his refusal to tell me what happened the night of the kidnapping wasn’t a deal breaker.In my mind, he was innocent until he admitted his guilt directly to me.
Lowe asked a few more questions about what his first day of school would be like, but eventually, he couldn’t keep his eyes open and drifted back to sleep.
I tiptoed back downstairs to check on Ky and found him passed out on the couch.He hadn’t moved.His arm was still tossed over his face while the injured one rested across his midsection.He’d thrown the blanket over his lower half and stretched out fully on the couch.His long legs nearly reached the edge of the oversized piece of furniture, but since they didn’t hang off and he appeared comfortable enough, I let him be.
I turned off all the lights, checked the security system, let the night staff know everyone was done for the evening, and reminded them I had a guest over so Helio wouldn’t jump Ky if he stumbled upon him when he showed up to take me to work.My head of security made no secret of the fact that he didn’t like Ky and would prefer things to be back to how they were before I invited Lowe’s dad into our lives.There were a couple of moments when I thought his concern crossed professional boundaries, but we’d gone through so much, and I relied on him so heavily that I didn’t want to open that door at all.I needed him to view me as his friend, but more importantly, as his boss.I didn’t want to damage the trust we’d spent years building, but he needed to respect my boundaries.Even though I knew Helio had done an extensive background check on Ky, there was nothing he could tell me or uncover that would change my mind about the former football player.
I took myself to bed but couldn’t fall asleep right away.I was going to scroll through my phone and see if there was any new gossip floating around after my lunch with Oliver Byrd, but the only new pictures were of me leaving the hospital with a battered and bruised Ky.
