The Harder He Falls: 2 (So Inked) (30 page)

“You’re going to break your teeth doing that,” he grumbled.

She smirked.

“What’s that look for?”

She rolled the condom on. “I just realized you’re a DILF.”

“A what?” He blinked.

“A DILF is a Dad I’d Like to Fuck.”

“Well, fuck me.”

She rose up on her knees. “I think that’s the point.”

He grasped his cock and slid the tip through her folds. She rocked her hips, wanting his length inside, but he teased her, pulling it forward and over her clit instead. She wrapped her hand around his wrist and held him steady, their gazes locked as she lowered herself onto his hard length. She groaned and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him touching her inside and out.

Their breath mingled. He feathered light touches over her clit, his other hand squeezing her ass. His lips traced a line over her collarbone. She dug her hands into his hair and forced his head back for a kiss. It was his turn to groan when she lifted and thrust back down hard. He helped her, lifting her hips in both hands and slouching down just enough so he could thrust up to meet her.

She rolled her hips and his cock hit just the right spot, sending off little ripples of pleasure through her body.

“Mm, again.”

The muscles in his arms stood out in thick cords. He was waiting for her.

Reaching between them, she rubbed her clit as he guided the pistoning motion of her body. Quin pushed her hand aside and rolled the sensitive bundle of nerves between his fingers.

“Oh!”

Mini bolts of ecstasy pierced her. Quin moved her hips in a circular motion, rubbing her mound on his pelvic bone while his fingers continued to strum her even higher.

She tossed her head back and groaned as release hit her. Quin continued thrusting, light and shallow, drawing it on and on until his flesh jerked and twitched deep within her channel. He grunted and leaned his head against her shoulder while they both struggled to catch their breath.

Several moments later they still sat, stacked like pancakes. She ran her fingers through his hair and stroked his shoulder.

“Thank you,” she murmured against his temple.

“No need to thank me for anything.”

“Still, thanks for being with me tonight and holding my hand.” Her heart ached in pain and swelling emotion she wasn’t ready to face.

“I’m not good at this kind of stuff, but I’m trying.” He leaned back, his hands still creating trails of warmth across her body. “Why don’t we take a shower and get some sleep? We could both use it.”

As shitty as her day had been, that was the perfect ending, however Quin’s phone rang. She leaned over and grabbed it from where it had been discarded on the side table and offered it to him.

He grimaced. “I do not want to be the boss right now.”

She kissed his temple. “Answer it.”

He sighed and tapped the green button. “Hello?” This time he didn’t put it on speaker but she caught a few words, enough to scowl along with him. He didn’t look at her but his grip on her thigh tightened. “Shit. Have you called the cops? Good. I’ll be there in a bit.”

She didn’t want to let him go. She wanted to keep him there with her, but couldn’t. Disentangling their bodies, she gathered their clothes and pulled the minimum requirement of underwear and shirt back on before padding to the kitchen. While Quin might not be staying, she could offer him something to eat and a shower before he had to leave and she crashed for the duration.

He followed her to the kitchen, jeans and underwear mostly in place.

“What was that about?”

He leaned against the counter and watched her assemble two sandwiches. “Someone trashed the A/C units at the gym. Totally wrecked them, like with a baseball bat or something. This is getting out of control.”

She handed him a sandwich. “Eat, then go take care of it.”

“I want to stay here with you.”

“And I want everything back to normal.” She kissed his cheek. “Eat.”

* * * * *

The next morning, Quin pushed the front door of Penny and Chad’s house open and tiptoed in.

“Penny, have you seen my keys?” Chad strode past the entry toward the kitchen. A second later he hit reverse and backed into view. They couldn’t be more different. Chad was husky, blond and brown-eyed to Quin’s leaner build, black hair and blue eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey, Chad. How’s it going?” He stepped into the living room and offered his hand.

“Pretty good. Penny—”

“I told you your keys were in the laundry room. You left them—” Penny paused in the hall and stared at Quin. “Hi.”

“I get it. You didn’t think I’d show up.” He’d given them plenty of history to make that assumption valid, but when he said he would do something, he did it.

“That’s not true. I didn’t know if you would still be with Kellie. How is she?” Penny wrapped her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

He squeezed her against his side. “Not good. A lot of wait and see.”

“Honey, keys?” Chad interjected. “Sorry, I’m going to be late.”

“Laundry room, and your lunch is in the fridge.” She turned and gave Chad a real kiss, lips and all. “Have a good day. I love you.”

“Love you too, babe. See you later, Quin.”

Chad detoured through the kitchen and grabbed his lunch before exiting through the laundry room. Penny leaned against the bar, arms crossed over her chest, and examined him.

“Why were you at the hospital? What happened?”

“The doctors think her grandmother had a stroke, but they aren’t certain yet. At least that’s what she told me last night on her way home.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. He’d spent the whole day messing with the cops and insurance before going home to crash. He’d woken up long enough to talk with Kellie before passing out again. In the light of morning he wondered if he should have made her come to his place instead of being alone.

Penny gasped and placed a hand to her chest. “That’s terrible.”

“Yeah.”

“What about the rest of her family? How are they doing with this?”

“She doesn’t have anyone else. Her dad died and her mom lives out of the country. I kind of feel like shit for not being there with her, but she said not to bother.”

Penny rolled her eyes. “Girls don’t say what they really mean.”

He chuckled. “Kellie does. If she wanted me to be there with her, she’d have told me.”

“That really sucks, but that’s sweet of you to be there with her. Your text said you were there all night?”

“Yeah, I basically dropped the guys off and went straight to the hospital. I texted you?” He didn’t remember that.

The corners of her mouth turned up. “Yeah, you did. She really means something to you, doesn’t she?”

He mimicked her pose leaning against the bar. “Yeah, she does.”

“Do I get to meet her?”

“Eventually. I don’t want you to scare her off or anything.”

“Oh shut up.” Penny smacked his arm. “Go get Josie out of bed, will you?”

“Sure thing.”

He’d never done this before. How could he call himself a real dad if or when he’d never even woken his daughter up for breakfast?

Things were going to change. He was determined to make it happen.

He walked down the hall to the first door on the left. The room was decorated in a riot of pink and frills. Yesterday Penny had texted him a short video of Josie in her pink tutu practicing her karate moves. It was weird, but he’d never felt more like he could be a real father.

It was clear Penny had at least tried to wake Josie up. The comforter had been pulled off onto the floor and Josie lay curled up on her side, a pillow covering her face. He might not win Father of the Year awards, but even watching his girl sleep brought a smile to his face. He sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on her side.

Josie groaned and wiggled farther away.

“Is that any way to say hello?”

She rolled over, a mass of curls covering her face and her little bow mouth scrunched up. Josie blinked at him and pushed her hair out of the way. “Daddy?”

“Morning, Lady Bug.”

A slow smile spread across her face, lit with an inner glow that melted his heart. She crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Hi, Daddy,” she mumbled into his shirt.

“Hey now, you’re supposed to be getting up, not going back to sleep.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Well, if you don’t want to get up, I guess I’ll just leave then.”

“No, don’t leave.” She gripped him tighter.

He ran his fingers through her hair, or tried to until he ran into tangles. “Then why don’t you get up? We can eat and watch some cartoons. Would you like that?”

She nodded vigorously and slid out of bed, holding his hand. As if someone had flipped a switch, she was a bundle of energy and raring to go.

* * * * *

Kellie parked her Cube in the garage at the hospital and sat staring at a solid wall of concrete. Yesterday had been hard. She’d napped for a while after Quin left, then gone back to the hospital until they kicked her out for the night. It had been worse on her own, and she didn’t expect it to be any easier today. She sucked in a deep breath and pushed open her door, dragging her bag out after her.

The air was humid. She hadn’t watched the news, but there was a very good possibility they could get the last good soak before the summer really took hold. For now, all it did was make her hair frizzy and stick to the back of her neck. She slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder and headed for the stairs.

People were already loitering outside the hospital, talking on cell phones and congregating in clusters. In the sea of people, she was alone. She could have asked one of the girls, her neighbors or even Quin to come with her, but they weren’t blood. She might love them like family or care for them a lot, but this was her responsibility.

She made her way into the hospital and up to the ICU floor. The person manning the desk was different, so she signed in.

“Name?” the attendant asked.

“Kellie Nahm.”

The woman slowly lifted her head and blinked at her over the rim of her glasses. “Nahm you say?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“And your patient’s name?”

“Cho Hee Nahm.”

“Mrs. Nahm isn’t allowed any guests today.”

Kellie froze. “I’m her family.”

She shook her head. “Don’t matter none. If you want to wait, I’ll let them know you’re here and someone can come speak to you.”

“Did something happen to my grandmother?” She hated how her voice trembled, but damn it, she couldn’t do anything.

“Someone will come and call you shortly, ma’am.”

“Will you just tell me if anything’s happened?”

“I don’t know that. I only know Mrs. Nahm cannot have any visitors.”

Kellie glanced around. “Where do you want me to go?” So what if she was a little short with the woman. Something could be terribly wrong and they weren’t telling her.

“Go into one of the family rooms and someone will be with you soon, ma’am.”

“Fine.”

She stalked around the corner to more fish bowls like the one she’d waited in with Quin. Last night she’d sat in one while they told her it was possible that her grandmother had suffered a stroke, at home and alone. She shoved the first door open and plopped down in yet another uncomfortable seat to wait.

The minutes ticked by until she’d sat and stewed for half an hour. By the time a short, stocky woman entered, Kellie was alternately scared and pissed.

“Hello, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m Briana Sanford, I’m with social services.” She put down a clipboard stacked with file folders and a plastic Big Gulp before offering her hand.

“Hi.” Kellie shook the offered hand. “I don’t think I understand why I need social services.”

“Well, it’s not you.” Sanford sat across from her and opened one of the folders. “There was concern expressed about the conditions that your…” She squinted at the papers. “Grandmother?”

“Yes, my grandmother,” Kellie replied, clipping her words. “What exactly were these concerns?”

“She has Alzheimer’s, correct?”

“Yes.”

“And when she fell and had her accident, she was alone?”

“She was alone because the new nurse left her. If you would like to check the schedule, the nurse was supposed to be there until three a.m., but left a little after midnight. She was not supposed to be alone.”

“From what I understand, this was a recent development to have her assisted twenty-four hours a day?”

“She’s gotten worse, so yes.”

“But it was suggested over a year ago that you go to complete care.” Sanford flashed a piece of paper at Kellie. “Or you put her in a nursing home, correct?”

Kellie had a bad feeling about this. Anxiety simmered in her gut. “Yes it was, however, it was a cultural decision to keep her at home. We’re Korean. We don’t give up one of our own. A year ago she was easy to manage. Her friends, our neighbors, could help me watch her and I could leave her alone for short periods of time. That’s changed and I’ve altered the schedule accordingly.”