Kincaid
L ilah is snug against me and fast asleep when I hear the knocking at my door. I check my watch, see that it’s almost nine in the morning, and carefully slip out of bed, not wanting to wake my girl.
We didn’t get much sleep last night, and I want her to rest.
I quickly tug on a pair of gray sweatpants as the knocking sounds again, and I’m headed for the door when Lilah moves in bed, snapping my attention back to her. She looks like an angel with her messy blond hair fanned out on the pillow around her, her pale skin glowing in the soft morning light peeking in around the edges of the drawn curtains. A debauched angel, with kiss swollen lips, a hickey emerging on her neck and a come-filled pussy.
I close the bedroom door behind me and walk quickly through my apartment. I’m expecting a delivery from the team this morning—some signed memorabilia for a charity auction I’m participating in next month. The charity needs the items in advance in order to photograph them for the website and social media in order to drum up interest.
My fatal mistake is not checking the peephole before unlocking the door and swinging it open, because Shane is standing there, box in hand.
Fuck. Me.
Adrenaline skyrockets through my system as I force myself to smile at my coach.
“Hey,” he says, hefting the box in his hands. “Hope it’s not too early. The marketing manager left this stuff with me by mistake, but I think it’s for your charity auction.”
My heart is a kickdrum as I nod and take the heavy box from him. “Oh, thanks. I could’ve picked it up from you. You didn’t have to bring it all the way over here.”
He shrugs. “I don’t mind.”
I set the box down on the floor, my pulse pounding in my temples. “Well, thanks.” I don’t want to slam the door in his face, but I would like him to leave. Now.
Especially because I just heard my bedroom door creak open.
He starts to say something about the road trip, but I can’t hear him over the rush of blood in my ears.
And I know he sees her from the way he stops talking and his eyes go wide, pure shock etched across his face.
I glance over my shoulder and see Lilah standing there, looking sleep-rumpled and well-fucked wearing nothing but my Toronto Thunder t-shirt.
Lilah’s steps falter and my stomach turns to concrete as dread pummels me. “Dad?” she says quietly, eyes wide and lips parted.
I glance back at Shane and his face is red. I can see a vein pulsing in his forehead. He turns to me and for a second, I think he might hit me.
“The fuck is this?” he says, his tone low and lethal.
I don’t need my new neighbors hearing any of what’s about to go down, so I reach behind Shane and close the door. Lilah moves closer, not stopping until she’s at my side. She weaves her fingers through mine, and I don’t pull away. No matter what Shane says or thinks, I’m not walking away from Lilah.
“Dad, please,” she says, her voice shaking a little. I give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “This isn’t how we wanted you to find out.”
Shane shoves a hand through his dark hair and walks into the living room. He doesn’t say anything, just paces with his hands on his hips. But then he looks up at me, and his lip curls.
“Don’t be mad at ,” Lilah says before he has the chance to say anything, this time with a little more strength in her voice.
“Don’t be mad?” Shane laughs but there’s no warmth in the sound. “I come here to drop off a package and I find you in this asshole’s bed, and I’m not supposed to be mad?”
“I know how this looks,” I start, but don’t get far when Shane takes a giant step in my direction.
“It looks like you’re fucking my barely legal daughter, is what it looks like,” he snarls. His fists are bunched, and I really think he’s going to deck me this time. “She’s almost half your age.”
Lilah steps between us, and I shove down the urge to hide her behind me. Her spine is straight, her shoulders square, and I have the distinct impression that this is something she needs to do.
“Dad, stop. You’re shocked. I get it. But I’m an adult, and I can make my own choices, including who I date.”
“The hell you can,” he says, shoving a hand through his hair again. “What did I tell you about hockey players, Lilah? They just want one thing. I warned you to stay away from them.”
“This isn’t like that,” she says, and I swear it’s the loudest I’ve heard her speak—outside of the bedroom. “ cares about me. This isn’t him using me for sex or whatever you think is going on.”
Shane looks at me, a look of pure disgust on his face. “I’m sure that’s what he told you. He’s using you, Lilah. Can’t you see that?”
“Dad, enough!” Her voice cracks, and I tuck her against me. I want to jump in on this argument so badly, but I keep my mouth shut. “ and I have real feelings for each other. This isn’t just sex. It’s more.”
Shane lets out a disbelieving scoff and shakes his head. “This stops now, you hear me? I won’t have you whoring around with hockey players almost twice your age.”
My fists clench at my sides, anger burning through me. I take a step forward, putting Lilah behind me.
“You can say whatever you want about me, Shane. But I can’t let you talk about her that way.” Our eyes lock, tension practically vibrating in the air.
Lilah lays a hand on my arm. “, don’t. If you two fight, it’ll only make things worse.” I glance down and can see unshed tears shining in her eyes.
Fucking hell.
Shane crosses his arms. “I don’t care what either of you have to say. This ends today, whatever the fuck it is.”
Lilah shakes her head, and I can see the panic in her eyes at the idea of not being with me. I slide my arm around her waist and pull her against me, trying to reassure her that I’m not going anywhere.
“No,” she says, her voice quiet but firm. “I’m twenty years old, Dad. I’m young, but I’m an adult, and it’s my choice who I date. My choice. Not yours.” She looks up at me and then back at her dad. “Don’t make me choose, because you won’t win.” She swallows thickly, and I can hear the emotion in her voice. “I’ll choose him.”
Love and happiness and possession all swell together in my chest, and I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I’m going to ask Lilah to marry me. Probably soon.
A muscle ticks in Shane’s jaw and he jerks his head in the direction of my bedroom. “Get dressed. We’re going home.”
Lilah shakes her head. “No. I’m staying here.”
“The hell you are.”
“Dad, I’m in love with .”
Shane goes still, his anger swinging back to shock. He drags a hand over his face and looks at us. “Excuse me?” When neither of us says anything, he lets out a bitter laugh. “Love? Christ, Lilah, you just met him.”
“We’ve been seeing each other for a couple of weeks,” she says quietly. “And yes, it’s fast, but I know how I feel. I wanted to tell you. I just hadn’t figured out how because…well, because this is pretty much exactly how I thought it would go.”
Shane exhales sharply, his nostrils flaring. He shakes his head. Looks around my apartment. Opens and closes his mouth. For a long moment, he stares down at the floor, his hands on his hips. Then, he shakes his head again and looks at me, eyes hard and cold as ice. “If you hurt her, Campbell, I will fucking end you, in every single way possible. I mean it.”
I meet his gaze unflinchingly. “I’d never do anything to hurt Lilah. I love her. I care about her more than anything.”
He snorts, clearly not convinced. “I need to go,” he says, then moves past us and lets himself out without a backward glance.
Lilah slumps against me, and I wrap my arms around her. “That could’ve gone better,” she says shakily.
“It’ll be okay,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “He just needs time. It’ll be okay.”
“I meant what I said,” she whispers, holding me tighter. “If it comes down to it, I’ll choose you.”
I slip my fingers under her chin and tilt her face up. She’s so tiny and sweet and the need to soothe and protect her takes over. “It won’t come to that. Let’s let him cool down and process and then we’ll talk to him.” She nods, and then I add, “But for the record, I would choose you, too. Over anything.”
I carry Lilah back to bed, her legs wrapped around my waist and her face tucked into my neck. My heart is still pounding hard from what just happened.
I set her down gently on the bed and then lie down beside her, brushing her hair off her face.
“That was…” She grimaces, her cheeks pink.
“Yeah. It was,” I agree. Surprising and intense and emotional, all wrapped up into a five-minute confrontation.
She chews on her lower lip, so I lean forward, gently tug it out from between her teeth and kiss her. She kisses me back immediately, and I get the sense that she needs the contact as much as I do. Her hands slide up my chest and around my neck, holding me close as I stroke my tongue against hers.
We kiss and kiss, unhurried. Tasting and claiming and promising, as though we’re sealing in everything that was just said.
“I love you,” I whisper against her mouth. “I’m never letting you go.”
Lilah smiles at me, and it’s the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. Then she kisses me again, this time trailing her hands down my chest and stomach, toying with the waistband of my sweats.
“I love you, too,” she says as she slides her hand into my pants and wraps her small fingers around my hard cock. I groan and slide my hand up her thigh, pushing the hem of her— my —T-shirt up. She’s not wearing any panties, and when I drag the tips of my fingers over her little cunt, I find her hot and slippery.
Lilah moans, spreading her legs for me. “I need you, . Make me forget about everything else.”
So I do.