Loving Kate (Acceptance #3) (18 page)

He tilts my chin to face him and stares long and hard at me. “Absolutely not. Don’t second-guess this, Kate. Don’t do that to yourself. He loves you and there’s nothing, and I mean absolutely
nothing
in this world he wouldn’t do for you. I know deep down inside you already know this or you wouldn’t have gotten your tattoo.”

He smirks at me and I blush. He’s the only one who knows about my new tattoo. He took me to Ben to get it.

“Don’t let Vanessa’s death make this into something it isn’t. You guys have been through so much. Just enjoy it. But maybe not
too
much. You don’t want to wake Lucas up screaming down the walls tonight.”

I push him away, laughing, and then pull him in for a hug. “Thanks, Connor. I needed the kind of pep talk only you can give.”

“Anytime. But now I’ve got to get back to my girl. By now she’s probably naked and waiting. Don’t worry, I’ll close the door.”

After grabbing a few necessities and writing a quick journal entry, I grab my phone and walk next door. I’m so nervous. I wasn’t even this nervous the first time we had sex.

It’s because of the tattoo.

I quietly let myself into the house and lock the door behind me. As I walk up the stairs, I hear Daniel’s voice coming from the nursery. The closer I get, the better I can hear him. “So your mommy told Auntie Kate when she went to Heaven she wanted her to be your new Mommy. I know you’re sad because you don’t really know what’s going on, but I know you realize she isn’t here anymore. She loved you so much and she’ll always be watching you from Heaven.”

Oh my.

I tiptoe into the bedroom, not wanting to interrupt their private moment. My eyes are filling with tears again after hearing that and I wonder when or if this will ever get easier. I lie down on the bed and close my eyes for just a minute.

The feeling of kisses across the back of my neck and shoulder slowly wake me up and I moan in pleasure.

“Are you awake?” he asks as he continues trailing kisses across my neck.

“Hmm, I am now.”

He chuckles against my skin. I love the sound of him laughing. I’ve missed it. “Why didn’t you tell me you were here?”

“When I came in you were talking to Lucas about Vanessa being in Heaven and I didn’t want to interrupt. It seemed like you two needed that time together.”

His kisses trail up my neck to my ear, setting me on fire. He nibbles on my earlobe in between his words. “Okay, but next time come in. We’re a family now and we need to do these things together.”

“Okay,” I whisper, partially because I’m a little emotional but mostly because I’m completely turned on by what he’s doing to me.

He turns me over and I open my eyes. We’re illuminated by the soft glow of the bathroom light. He cups my face in his hands and murmurs, “So fucking beautiful” before meeting my lips with his.

His mouth is getting to know mine all over again, his tongue exploring mine in a great adventure, his teeth tugging my lips in a passionate fury. It’s so sensual and my body aches for his but he never once lets go of my face. When he pulls my lip and sucks on it so erotically, and then bites it with an intense hunger, I lose control.

“Yes, Daniel, yes!” I cry out as my body wraps around his.

My arms laced under his, my hands pulling him to me, trying to get as close to him as possible and not being close enough.

I need him.

“I want you Daniel, please…” I moan, throwing my leg over his and grinding against him so closely I feel his hardness through his boxers. I love he came to bed almost naked, knowing that he wants me as much as I want him.

He guides me into a kneeling position and pulls my dress off over my head. The amount of hunger in his eyes as they rake over my body makes me wetter and even more eager than I was before. He reaches behind me and unsnaps my bra, gently removing it and tossing it to the floor. My nipples are hard and in desperate need of attention.

“Stay there. Don’t move a muscle,” he says as he stands, dropping his boxers to the floor and giving me an amazing view of his tight ass as he walks to the bathroom.

I hear his bag unzip and some shuffling noises.

What in the world is he looking for? 

When he comes back, he has flavored Kama Sutra oil in his hands.

Oh, hell yes.

After opening it up, he turns me to him. He’s still standing as he drops a tiny drop on each of my nipples and one on his finger. Sliding his hand into my panties, he expertly finds my clit with his finger, and gently blows on my nipples, alternating each side. As he blows, they heat up. Just as the sensation sets in, he begins circling my clit in slow circles.

“Holy hell, oh, oh, oh, shit!”

The heat intensifies with movement and his mouth circles my nipples which are so hot and so hard for him already. I’m going to come already; it’s too soon. I want to hold back but then as if he’s reading my thoughts, he slides a finger inside me and it’s too late. I’m lost. Freefalling into the rabbit hole of pleasure only Daniel can give me.

I fall into his arms, my heart pounding against his chest, his finger still inside of me. After placing a kiss on my forehead, he slides his finger out of me and into his mouth. Watching him has me licking my lips.

“That was so incredibly hot, gumdrop. Lie down. It’s time to massage your back.”

Without even thinking in my post orgasmic bliss, I do as he asks and lie down. It’s not until I hear his shocked tone that I remember I had something to tell him
before
I got naked.

Shit.

“What in the hell is that?”

Before I can say a word, he pounces on me, effectively holding me down as he straddles me and traces the outline of my tattoo.

Just like I did when I first saw all his tattoos.

“I um, well…”

Good one, Kate. Way to speak your mind.

I’m going to cry. Fuck, I wanted to warn him. I didn’t want him to just see it. He flips me over and looks me dead in the eyes. A single tear falls from my eye and he wipes it away before I even get the chance.

“How long have you had that, Kate?”

I turn my head so I can answer him without looking him in the eyes, but he’s not having it. He turns my head back so I have no choice but to look at him, and asks again, “How long?” His tone is demanding and I can’t tell if he’s angry or just shocked.

“Since the day after Lucas was born.”

His hands slide down my arms and grab my wrists, lifting them above my head. As he leans over me, his mouth so close I can taste him, he finally speaks.

“Why did you do it? For me? For us? Why, Kate? I
need
to know.”

I feel his
need
pressing against my stomach. He’s so hard and I grind against him, trying to get closer. I haven’t answered him yet; I’m trying to think of the best way to explain it to him. But as I’m thinking, my body is betraying me, arching against his, trying to connect before he gets mad and leaves.

Daniel leans back, holding my wrists with just one arm now, and fisting his cock with his other hand.

Fucking hell, that’s hot.

He moves his cock against my wetness, teasing my entrance with the head, eliciting the neediest of moans from me. He’s so close.

“Daniel, please…” And then suddenly, he enters me and my eyes roll up in the back of my head as I relish this feeling I’ve missed so much. But all too quickly that feeling is gone.

“Just tell me, Kate, and then we’ll finish what we started.”

Okay, I can do this. I can be honest with him.

“I did it for me,” I tell him and he slides back into me, letting my wrists go and holding on to my hips as I arch to greet him.

But he doesn’t move. He stays as still as a statue as he growls out, “Why?”

I try and move against him but his hands are effectively keeping me still. I sigh in frustration. “Because I’ve known from the first time we touched that you were it for me.”

“Go on,” he urges as he slowly starts moving and God it feels
so
good.

“So when everything got all messed up and I saw your tattoo, and then you said you didn’t want me anymore, I needed something.
Anything.
So I could always carry a piece of you with me,” I tell him breathlessly, pausing as his tempo picks up and I feel him move in perfect sync with my body. I feel myself lifting higher and higher and I’m so close to coming again when he stops. His intent is clear—he wants me to talk.

“So the day after Lucas was born, when Connor and I left the hospital, I had him take me to Ben’s shop.”

He pulls me closer, lifting my hips higher. We fit so perfect together. “And?” he encourages me to finish. This is hard for him, too…waiting. His jaw is tense and all of his muscles are flexing in
all
the right places.

“And I had him do it. At first he was unsure, but Connor convinced him I knew what I was doing so he relented.”

“But?” he asks me curiously.

“But nothing, Daniel. I love it. It made me feel close to you when we were so far apart. Every day it gave me hope, knowing that at least for now you have the same tattoo with my name in it as I have with
yours
. It took a while for you to see but, Daniel, you’re
it
for me. For now and for
always
.”

Now he moves—passionately and relentlessly—and we come beautifully, at the same time, crying out in unison as our souls connect again.

Finally.

He lies down next to me and pulls me into his loving embrace, kissing me so tenderly.

“I’m sorry,” he says when he pulls away.

“For what? You have nothing to be sorry for.” And I mean it. It took a lot to get here and I don’t want to keep looking back.

“For being stubborn for so long. For not paying attention to my heart and being guided by my wounded ego instead. For so many things.”

“Daniel, we both said and did things we aren’t proud of. But you were right earlier. We’ve already wasted too much time being sad and angry. No more looking back, okay? Only to the future.”

“Deal,” he says before kissing me so tenderly that my heart melts with his touch.

“You know, I really wanted to make love to you tonight, not fuck you senseless. But
damn,
Kate, when I saw that tattoo, when you told me you’re mine…that was so fucking hot. You have no idea how happy it makes me knowing you’re really mine.”

“Me, too. And speaking of, I think you asked me to move in with you today.”

He pulls me closer and releases a frustrated grunt. “No, you
know
I asked you to move in with me today and you said yes.”

A super cheesy smile takes over my face because I’m so freaking happy. “I did. I said yes, but yes to
what
exactly? I’ve got school starting again in the fall and Chad lives pretty much around the corner. We need to stay close to him, Daniel. But your work here is almost done, so how do we make this work?”

“I’ll move,” he said decisively and with not an ounce of hesitation. “We can live here for now and keep my house as a weekend or summer getaway. Or we can start looking for a house out here so we can grow our family.”

Grow our family?

“Um, I think our family is big enough right now,” I croak out. “Not that I don’t want one with you, but Lucas deserves to be the center of attention for a few years and we need to be married if you even want to think about a family.”

He pounces on top of me, peppering kisses across my collarbone and up my neck and jaw.

“So,” he says, nuzzling into my ear, “I have to make an honest woman out of you before I can knock you up.”

“Yes,” I answer as I run my hands through his hair.

“Okay, good to know. So for now we live here? Next door? Find a house? Anything you want, Kate, just tell me and we’ll do it. I’ll put in for a permanent transfer tomorrow. Shouldn’t be too big of an issue since I’m part owner of the company and all.”

Wait, what?

“Since when?” I’m shocked and my tone obviously shows it.

“A few weeks ago. Nobody knows yet. It’s just twenty percent for now and next month, after he announces it, my dad is also going to cut Mike in at twenty percent.”

“Really? Daniel, that’s amazing. I’m so proud of you and Mike. God, he’s going to be so happy to finally have worked so hard for something and for it to be his because he actually earned it.” I’m beaming and I have no idea how I’m going to not tell Mike about this.

Daniel takes my hand in his and pulls the blankets back for us to cuddle underneath. “He deserves it, Kate. My dad and I decided that instead of the company being left to just me, he’s going to make Mike and I equal partners. Mike’s been like family from the first day we met and I honestly don’t want to run the company by myself. It takes a lot of pressure off me knowing Mike and I will be able to do it together.”

“When Mike finds out we
have
to go and celebrate. It’s going to kill me to keep this from him!” He starts cracking up. “What’s so funny?”

“Not you, I swear, but when you told me Connor went with you to get the tattoo I just couldn’t believe he kept it secret that long. Connor has
never
been able to keep a secret for more than a few days,” he says, still chuckling.

“Face it, he just loves me more than he loves you.”

“Well, I can understand why that would be the case. So do you know yet where you want to live?”

I bite my bottom lip and nod my head. “Yeah, I do. I want to stay here. I’ll give Jess the condo next door instead. This one is special. Vanessa decorated that room for Lucas to spend his first two years in and I think the least we can do is honor that.”

His eyes are dancing with happiness and love. “Thank you, Kate. I know Vanessa would love that. You never did read her letter to me but I think one day you should. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too” I say through a yawn. “Sorry I’m just so sleepy all of a sudden.”

Lucas starts to cry and I realize I’m going to be sleepy a lot. I start to get up but he gently pulls me back down. “I’ll get him tonight, you sleep.”