Page 90 of Sweet Addiction
See you at six, Mom.
Lilah
Want to pick me up? I barely fit behind the damn wheel these days.
Dillan
Sure. I’ll swing by after I pick up the food.
Mom
Love you girls.
Lilah
There’s no place like home!
Dillan
Kiss ass.
“Hey, baby.” Rome walks into the kitchen, where I’m nursing my coffee, and drops a kiss on my head before he wipes his face with the bottom of his T-shirt, giving me a delicious glimpse of his abdominals. God bless the way this man runs every morning.
“Morning,” I murmur, reminding myself I do not have time to ravage him today.
He pulls a premade protein shake from the fridge and shakes it up. “What’s with the face?”
Oops. Guess I was making it obvious. “Just thinking about how much I’d like to drop to my knees right now, but I can’t.” I look at the time on my phone. “I don’t have time. I’ve got a Zoom meeting scheduled with my editor in thirty minutes, and I need to take it at the shop because Kaleigh needed today off.”
“Baby,” he whines as he moves in front of me. “It’s not nice to tease a man like that.”
“Sorry.” I shrug and smile. “You’ve got to get to Crucible anyway.”
“I’ll always have time for you on your knees, Dillan.” Pretty sure he’s not lying about that. And yes, that thought makes me so damn happy, I kinda wonder who I am and what I did with the real Dillan Ryan.
I shove my laptop in my bag and grab an apple from the bowl on the counter before I press my lips to his and back up, already tempted to take this further than I have time for. “I’m going to be late tonight.”
“Oh yeah? Everything okay?” he asks as he pulls me back to him, and fuck if I don’t go willingly because this man is impossible to resist.
I nod and close my eyes, inhaling him for a moment. “Promised Mom and Lilah I’d come over for dinner and a littleWizard of Oz.”
“Like ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’?” he asks and lifts me up, planting my ass on the counter so we’re almost at the same height. God, I love the way this man manhandles me. It probably shouldn’t be hot, but it really is. Who knew...?
“Yup,” I smile and press another kiss to the corner of his lips. “It’s our thing. Always has been. When we were little and Dad would be traveling with the team, Mom would put it on and pop popcorn, then while it was still hot, she’d toss in a handful of chocolate chips so they could melt. Dad and the boys hated the movie, so even when Noah and Asher were home, they never watched it with us. But Lilah and I loved it and loved having the girl time with Mom. I kinda can’t wait to watch it in a few years after Lilah has her baby and she’s old enough to enjoy it too.”
“So your dad and brothers won’t be there?” he asks, but I can tell he wants to say something else.
I run a finger over his lips and shake my head. “Nope. Just us girls. Why? You thinking about crashing girls’ night?”
I can think of a few ways to make better use of the chocolate.
“No, that’s all you.” His tone grows serious, and my spine straightens, suddenly unsure where he’s going. “But can I ask you something?”
“Well that doesn’t sound good,” I tell him and watch as something flashes on Rome’s face. Something that makes me uncomfortable. “Just say it, whatever it is.”
I brace for the hit I fear is coming, but Rome runs a soft hand over my hair, soothing my nerves. “Have you considered talking to your mom and sister about your career or why you want to keep your identity quiet? I’m not going to tell you what to do, but, Dillan, you should be so damn proud of yourself, and I know your family. They would also be so proud of you.”
“I don’t need them to be proud,” I insist, even though I think part of me does. It’s just... Fear is so much stronger than the hope I have that they’d understand. “Ihavethought about it. Honestly, more lately than ever before. I just... I’m not sure I’m ready.”
