Page 23 of The Hottest Daddy
She nodded, meeting his gaze. “I am. I’m yours, River.”
They took their time, which was unusual for them. Usually, an animal fire overtook their lovemaking, but tonight, it was more about discovery. In essence, she knew, they were still strangers, but tonight it seemed as if River was trying to give more of himself to her, even if he couldn’t tell her about his past.
He trailed his fingers down her belly, stopping at the small scar at the side of her navel. “What’s this?”
“You didn’t see it before?” She played for time, knowing that if she lied, he’d know.
River waited, the look in his eyes telling her that this was an important moment. Sunday drew in a deep breath. “I was shot. Last year. When I told you my fiancé was hit by a car, that was a lie. He was shot too. He died.”
River sat up. “Jesus.Jesus, Sunday …”
Sunday sat up. “When I told you about the stalker … it was him. Or someone he sent to kill us. The thing is … there is more. But if I trust you with the information, it could mean he finds me.”
River ran his hand through his hair. “I won’t let anyone hurt you, Sunday. Ever.”
“And I won’t let Angelina Marshall hurt you or take Berry. But, River, if we’re going to trust each other, if this is going to work between us … you have to tell me what she did to you.”
He stared at her for a long time, then, almost imperceptibly, he nodded. “Okay. Okay …”
And for the next two hours, River Giotto told her everything.
Chapter Ten
Then …
River sat in his room, his headphones on, pretending to finish his term paper, but really sketching. He had no need to worry about the paper—he was at the top of his class for everything—even with a B-grade he would still finish miles ahead of everyone else.
Nerd problems, he grinned to himself, then jumped as he heard someone open his door. His heart sank.
Angelina, his father’s new wife, stood in the doorway, backlit, her body showing through the flimsy robe she was wearing. River sat up and took his headphones off, winding the cord around them carefully. Why did he always feel like this with Angelina? He had hated her on sight, not just because she dared to assume the mantle of ‘mother’ to him, trying to replace his beloved ma. Worse though, were the times she was alone with him, and she made her intentions clear. Ludo might have been her target, but River was the prize she craved. Only a few years older than him, she had waited, through the courtship, then her marriage to his father, before making her move.
River had rebuffed her constantly but every time she was near, his heart pounded uncomfortably and he felt like cringing away from her.
“Where’s Dad?” he asked now, keeping his tone even.
Angelina smiled, no warmth in her eyes. “Still at the party. I was tired so I took a cab home.”
“Well, good night, then.”
Ha. No such luck. Angelina came into the room and sat down by him. He leaned away from her but she cupped his cheek in her hand. “River. My darling River. Do you even realize how beautiful you are? Look at you.”
She turned his head so that he faced the mirror. All he saw were his mother’s green eyes, huge with tension and terror. He hated feeling this way. Would a man really be this terrified? No. He had to stand up to her. He got up off the bed but she was too quick for him. She darted to the door and locked it.
“No. Not this time, River.”
He drew himself up to his full height, already six-foot-two at just sixteen. “I’ll tell my father.”
Angelina smiled, cat-like and merciless. “Oh, I don’t think you will. All it would take for me is to say one word to him.”
“He wouldn’t believe you.”
She laughed. “Sweetheart, I’ve been planting the seeds since before he married me.Have you seen the way your son looks at me, Ludo? Isn’t his teenage crush adorable, Ludo?”She walked towards him. “Hasn’t he grown strong, Ludo? What would a weak little woman like me do against all that brute strength … Ludo.”
River couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Her hand snaked down to cup his cock through his jeans and he staggered back, the edge of his bed slamming the back of his knees and then he was falling …
Chapter Eleven
Tears were pouring down Sunday’s face as River spoke, his voice a monotone. “It went on for a couple of years, until I could escape to college. But the damage had been done. I fucked my way through college, treating women like trash. I suppose it was my way of revenge. I wouldn’t let anyone close. Luke, Carmen, they stuck around long after I told them to go to hell.”
