Chapter 29
HAPPY
Fuck, I love the way she reacts. How with just a few whispered words, my lips barely grazing the shell of her ear, her whole body responds with the tiniest of shudders I doubt anyone else can see.
My dick twitches, and I step away from Hannah, putting a few feet of much-needed distance between us as I flip my baseball cap backwards and glance down to where Lucky is kissing the top of Toast Malone’s head.
The damn dog has the audacity to peer up at me and smile, his tongue hanging out with a few panting breaths. Cocky jerk.
“Should we get outta here before, I don’t know, Toast Malone starts snatching purses?”
Hannah laughs.
Toast snorts.
Lucky stands up, her little face fraught with sudden panic that makes my stomach knot. “What’s up, baby girl?” I crouch down.
“Can Hannah come to our house?” she asks hopefully.
I look up at Hannah, speaking directly to her. “If… Hannah wants to come to our house she can, of course.”
Lucky spins around. “Please come.”
Hannah smiles from Lucky to me and back again, nodding. “I can come for a little while.”
“A lot while?” Lucky counters with a cheeky grin.
Hannah laughs. “We’ll see how long it takes for Toasty to outstay his welcome.”
Hannah’s little while turned into all afternoon. Not that I’m complaining; hell, she could move all her stuff in here and never leave and I’d be happy with that. Shit. I’m a goner.
After we got back from the park, I ordered us some sandwiches that we ate up on the roof, in Lucky’s secret garden.
When an afternoon storm rolled in and the rain settled over the city for the foreseeable future, we played a thousand games of Uno, Lucky beating us every single time in that cheaty way kids do.
And now, here I am, perched on the toilet in Lucky’s bathroom, my hair in pig tails on top of my head while Hannah and Lucky take turns painting glittery pink shit all over my face.
“He needs more eyeshadow,” Lucky says.
“I agree,” Hannah responds.
I groan.
“Daddy, you look beautiful,” Lucky assures me, her small hand cupping my jaw.
“Thanks, baby.” I smile.
“Yeah, the glitter really brings out the gold in your eyes.”
At Hannah’s words, I open my eyes then, meeting hers, finding her smirking at me, a tiny brush covered with blue glitter poised between her thumb and forefinger.
Sneakily, out of view of my daughter, I glide my hand up around the back of her thigh, playfully swatting her ass.
She jumps at the contact, her eyes flaring, gaze flitting to Lucky, who is far too enamored by the palette of pink lip glosses on her lap to notice that my hand is currently squeezing Hannah’s plump ass cheek through these fucking leggings that have been taunting me all goddamn day.
“Oh, I like the blue!” Lucky gasps, leaning in so close our noses are almost touching.
“Want me to do you next?” Hannah asks, and the really inappropriate part of my brain thinks things it absolutely shouldn’t be thinking when my five-year-old kid is right here in front of me.
“Yes, please!” Lucky squeals, bouncing up and down with excitement.
Hannah chuckles lowly, leaning in close to finish whatever it is she’s doing to my face, and when our eyes meet again, she winks at me, the hint of her smile knowing, like she can hear every one of my filthy thoughts. “Close your eyes,” she whispers, her voice taking a low, sexy timbre.
Again, I sigh, doing as I’m told. “You know, I really love that Grandma got you all this makeup, Lucky Duck. It’s such an age-appropriate gift for a five-year-old…”
“She got me nail polish too!” Lucky chirps, oblivious to my sarcasm. “Want me to paint your nails, Daddy?”
Another sigh escapes me. But, honestly, this little girl has me wrapped around her pinkie; how can a guy possibly say no to that? “Sure thing, chicken wing,” I say, holding my hands out for her to work her magic.
It’s still raining after Lucky and I are done with our glow-ups, afternoon slowly turning into dusk. As we walk downstairs, Toast Malone is sprawled out on the sofa like he owns the place, snoring loudly like he’s pulled an all-nighter, and Hannah gasps at the sight.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry,” she says, hurrying over to remove the sleeping dog. But he just snorts and grumbles, refusing to budge, and Hannah looks mortified. “He’s so used to the couch at home…” she says sheepishly.
“He’s fine!” I wave off her concern.
“Yeah, he’s fine,” Lucky says, mirroring me as she pulls herself up onto one of the bar stools that lines the island. “What’s for dinner, Daddy?”
“Steaks. Sound good?”
She nods enthusiastically, looking over her shoulder Hannah. “Wanna stay for dinner, Hannah?”
Hannah looks awkward for a moment, her eyes flitting about nervously.
“Baby, Hannah might have to get home,” I say, smiling at Hannah when she looks at me so she doesn’t feel any kind of pressure. “But you can stay if you want. I don’t mean to toot my own horn, but I cook a mean steak,” I add with a casual shrug of my shoulder. “The secret is lots of butter.”
Hannah grins, glancing at Toast who is suddenly sitting up at the mention of food.
“I’m sure we can scrounge up some food for the beast,” I say, as if answering her unspoken question. “Maybe even a few leftovers if he plays his cards right.”
Hannah glances at Lucky, who is watching her with seemingly baited breath. “Sure.”
Lucky claps her hands excitedly. “And then, after dinner, we can build a fort and we can watch—”
“No!” I interject, because seriously, as much as I would die for this girl, I’ve got to draw the line somewhere.
The long-leveled look Lucky spears me with is quietly terrifying. She’s adorable as hell, but when she gets that look, it’s like one of those possessed kids straight out of a horror film.
“I am not watching it again,” I argue.
“Daddy…” Lucky warns.
“Lucky…” I retort.
“Um…” Hannah clears her throat, and I look at her. “What’s going on?”
“KPop Demon Hunters,” I say through gritted teeth because really, that should be enough of an explanation.
Lucky’s possessed glare morphs into her angelic puppy dog eyes as she turns to Hannah, putting on a real show. “Would you want to watch the KPop Demon Hunters with me?
Hannah’s face shifts, and I see the very moment my daughter has won her over, my eyes rolling when Hannah says, “Uh, yeah,” as if it’s obvious. “That’s, like, one of my favorite movies.”
Lucky looks at me with a smug smirk, and I swear, it takes all I have to throw my head back on a groan. But also, she played that well; I’m kind of impressed, actually.
Hannah walks past Lucky, giving her a brief hug from behind. And man, just seeing those two together does things to me. I can barely contain the foreign emotion that swirls in my chest.
Rounding the island, Hannah sidles up next to me, bumping me with her hip. I look down at her, meeting her smiling eyes.
“What can I do to help?” she asks sweetly.
“Can you make a salad?” I quirk a brow.
“The best damn salad you’ve ever had,” Hannah responds in a way that makes me think she’s not talking about salads at all.
I bite back a smirk. “No doubt…”
“Ew, I hate salad!”
Hannah and I are pulled from our moment, both of us looking at Lucky as she grimaces, causing us to laugh.
And this moment right here, in my kitchen on a rainy Sunday, a beautiful woman by my side, my kid making us laugh—this is corny as fuck, but my God, does it feel good.
I imagine this is what it’d be like having a family.
I tap Hannah on her shoulder and she startles, glancing back at me.
I hold a finger to my lips, and her eyebrows knit together in obvious confusion as she looks down to where Lucky is fast asleep on the couch cushion with Toast Malone sprawled out long-ways in front her like a body pillow twice her size, KPop Demon Hunters playing on the television.
After dinner, we moved to the cinema room upstairs and built a fort, which Toast Malone’s hefty, uncoordinated frame quickly demolished, so we settled on the sofa instead and put the movie on.
Moving slowly, cautiously, Hannah pushes up from the sofa and tip toes carefully around to where I’m standing, looking up at me curiously. I flash her a mischievous grin, snagging her hand in mine before pulling her with me.
“What are we doing?” Hannah whispers once we make it out onto the landing.
I spin around and gently shove her back against the wall, pinning her body with mine. “I’ve needed to kiss you all fucking day,” I murmur against her lips before slowly and forcefully sliding my tongue inside her mouth and making her whimper.
Hannah’s hands find their way into my hair, tangling into the longer lengths and holding me against her as I claim her with a kiss.
I trail my hand down the curve of her hip, wrapping around her thigh and lifting it so that I can nestle between her legs.
And when I grind my hips, purposely pressing my hard dick against her pussy, she moans into our kiss, and I smirk like the cocky bastard I am.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Hannah pants out as I pepper kisses down the column of her throat, moaning when my tongue swirls around the pule point at the base of her neck. “Lucky might wake up.”
“She’s fast asleep with her new bestie,” I murmur against Hannah’s skin. “And, besides, as needy as I am right now, how desperate I’ve been for your cunt ever since I watched you fuck your dildo the other night, sadly I don’t think I’ll last long at all.”
Hannah flashes me a devious smirk. “You better at least make it worth my while.”
“Challenge accepted.” I grin.