Chapter 12
TWELVE
Kali
Rolling over in bed, I groan and pat the empty spot next to me, hoping to find a body. No dice. Sunshine’s gone. Damn.
Rubbing the crusties from my eyes, I stretch and blink myself awake. It’s difficult, considering I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. In a good way. Alright. Maybe that’s a horrible example. My poor pussy is sore. I spread my legs to give the bare lady a chance to breathe and hopefully stop throbbing. It’s a pleasant throb that reminds you of a wild night… and last night…holy hell…that was… something.
Licking my dry lips, I rub a hand down my belly and pause for a moment at the small thatch of hair above my sex before I venture down. Every inch is swollen from overuse. Even my clit is oversensitive when I draw a finger over the bundle of nerves and hiss at the electrical shock that makes my toes curl.
Peering around the room, I look for evidence the man in question is still here. I don’t think he’d disappear like a one-night stand. At least, I’d hope not. Not when he’s been my literal ride-or-die for well over twenty years. He was the first person to buy me a new wardrobe after my mother passed. The same man who sold my van, gave me what little cash it was worth, and moved me into his house, no questions asked. Just like that, we were family. Now we’re what? More than that?
I sniff the air, hoping for bacon, but I come back with a hint of coffee instead. Sunshine only drinks coffee when he’s stressed, tired, or both. Is he out there contemplating what went down last night without me? That man sure as hell better not be. We can figure this out together just like we have most everything else.
Rolling out of bed, I force myself to stand and use my nightstand to keep me up as I gain my balance. Even my thighs ache, which makes sense. I rode that man like a bull last night after he bent me in every direction, even ways I didn’t know I could bend, to fuck me into a coma.
Not bothering with clothes just yet, I hobble into the bathroom to pee, give myself a quick whore bath in the sink, and brush my teeth. Not wanting to stink, I liberally apply the deodorant and smell myself—vanilla fresh. The matted mess of my hair on top of my head is not easily tamed by a brush. I use my fingers to unknot places I didn’t even know could get knotted like this from just a night of sex. Damn. We sure did a number on my body. There are tiny fingertip bruises sprinkled across my shoulders and an even bigger one on my thigh. How did I get a hickie on my tit? I probe the discolored skin around my nipple, testing to see if it hurts. It doesn’t. Drawing a hand down my front, I press my palm to the center of my belly, right over the skull and raven tattoos. It’s fluttery in there—a whirlwind of unexpected emotions running rampant. We’ll deal with those later.
Back in the bedroom, I blindly gather clothes from my drawers—an old, oversized t-shirt from Sunshine and a pair of black cotton booty shorts. Not wanting my toes to freeze, I step into my moccasins and mosey out of my room into the living space, where I find a cereal-munching Lily at the kitchen island still in her unicorn Pjs and a pissed-off Sunshine seated on the couch in the living room, arms tucked across his chest. The set of his jaw is scary as he stares blankly at some spot on the floor, deep in thought.
“Everything okay?” I address him, then focus on Lily when I ask, “Did you sleep well, kiddo?” In other words, please tell me you slept like a rock, and my noises didn’t wake you.
Spoon shoved into her mouth, Lily smiles around the mound of cereal and nods enthusiastically.
Thank Mother Earth.
I blow out a relieved breath.
That’s good.
We didn’t scar her for life.
Turning back to Sunshine, I approach the living room hesitantly. His gaze zeros in on me, and the tension in his shoulders and the wrinkles in his forehead deepen the closer I get. Wanting to give him space because something is seriously off with this man, I slide in front of the chair and bend to sit, only to be stopped by a hand wrapping around my forearm and drawing me directly into his lap, right in front of Lily. Sunshine doesn’t seem to give a crap about that when both of his arms wrap around me protectively, and he kisses the underside of my chin.
A low, almost purring rattles in his chest as he nuzzles my neck. “Good morning, Sweets.”
“Morning.”
“How you feelin’ this morning?”
“Sore. You?”
“Same.”
“You wanna tell me what’s going on? Are you havin’ regrets about what we did last night?” I ask, hoping that’s not why he’s upset.
“What? No. I plan to do that a lot more. Why would I regret it?”
“Oh. You do, do you?” I tease, bumping him gently with my shoulder.
“Yeah. I do. Do you object?”
Curbing a giddy, girlish smile that threatens to break the surface, I tap my finger to my lips and hum as if contemplating whether we should have sexy times again in the future. Not appreciating my hesitation, Sunshine growls and nips my shoulder with his teeth, and I shiver at his playful gesture. A moment later, he licks the sting away, lingering far too long for it to be considered appropriate. Not that any of this is appropriate in present company. Lily will have questions—lots of them. I’m sure of it.
As if on cue, the dark-haired beauty skips into the living room and plops onto the chair in front of us, wearing the biggest, toothy grin. “Are you getting married?” she asks out of nowhere, shocking the crap out of me.
Sunshine snickers as if he finds it funny as I gape at them both.
“What makes you ask that, Lily?” I croak, then slap Sunshine’s hand away as he rests it on the inside of my thigh and gives it a gentle squeeze that sends an unexpected jolt of arousal to places I don’t wish to deal with right now. It’s crazy enough I’m draped over his lap, and I like it. I like it, maybe a little too much.
Giggling as if my question is absurd, Lily tucks her legs under her and pulls the blanket off the back of the chair to stay warm. “Because of Pops’ ring. The one he bought you.”
“The what?” I squeak.
“Lily,” Sunshine scolds softly, not mad at her little tattle but not happy either.
Eyes rounding like she made the world’s biggest oopsie, Lily covers her mouth.
I turn to the man in question. “A ring, huh?”
“Do you remember what I asked you last night… In the middle of… Ya know?”
Oh, I remember. I just don’t want to focus on it because that means far more than sex. I’m surprised he’s even bringing it up. I assumed it was in the heat of the moment—a slip of the tongue. Marriage proposals don’t usually come during sex, but men declare their love all the time in the height of passion. Then again, we always say I love you to each other when we’re not engaged in anything more than a text, standing in the kitchen, or saying goodbye. It’s second nature. We love each other. We always have. I guess his I love yous mean more than I thought. Then again, maybe mine do, too, a little.
“I remember,” I reply.
He squeezes my knee. “You didn’t answer.”
“I didn’t think you were serious.” How could I think he was serious?
“I’m serious.”
“Colton.”
“We don’t have to talk about it now because Lily’s here, and we have a lot more to discuss, even after she leaves, but I asked, and I’ll ask again ’cause I meant it.”
Oh.
“You want to…”
He nods as if that’s a silly question. “Yes. Without a doubt. You are mine. Wearing my ring or not doesn’t change that.”
You are mine.
The declaration tumbles through my head.
His.
Wild raven-sized butterflies flap in my chest. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
Sunshine smiles in that ovary-exploding way—lopsided and too damn charming. “Think about it. Then you'll have an answer when I ask again, ’cause I will.”
“Um. Okay,” I mutter like a flustered idiot.
How is this real? I don’t know if I’ll ever have an answer. The last time anyone proposed, I was still a teenager, and it was his son. Sunshine was there. He’d bought the ring. Dark didn’t even know what it looked like when he got down on one knee in the backyard of Sunshine’s old home, where we all lived together until we married. Beneath the maple, he asked those four simple words. Will you marry me? It was spring. I cried ugly tears that sting your nose and make your mascara run. They didn’t care. Dark took my blubbering as a yes, which it was, then held his hand out to his father, who produced a ring box. It was simple. Gold with a solitaire diamond—dainty yet perfect. Unable to part with it, I keep the sentimental token of my past in the top drawer of my dresser.
“Now.” Sunshine jostles me from my thoughts. “Why don’t we spend time with our girl before she goes home, and you go on your lunch date with Todd? We’ll talk later. We’ve got all the time in the world.”
Just like that, the conversation ceases, and Sunshine lifts me off his lap. But before I can leave or start to digest all this madness, he cuffs the side of my neck and pulls my body flush to his. I tilt my head back to look up at him, and he once more shocks me to my very soul when he leans down and presses the sweetest, warmest, softest kiss upon my lips. It lingers there, seeping down to the bone. My belly flutters and my heart wallops alongside those raven butterflies. He emits the sexiest satisfied hum against my mouth before he pulls away and delivers a panty-melting wink.
Unable to move, speak, or do anything, I stand in my living room in surprise and brush my fingers over my lips where he was. He kissed me outside of the bedroom. A frog leaps up my throat at the knowledge this is real. We had sex, and now he’s asking me… to marry him.
How did we get here?
Sure, we’ve spent years together .
But this? Here? Now? Why?
Skating past me, Sunshine pecks my cheek before he claims Lily, and they go hand-in-hand out the backdoor to my greenhouse, chatting animatedly as if none of this is weird and I’m the odd man out.
Once they’re gone, I collapse onto the couch and drop my face into my hands.
What is going on?
We’ll talk?
We’ve been saying that for days.
I have a date with Todd this afternoon and must be on. There’s no margin for error if I’m to spy on him. The deal is, after lunch, I’m to lure him back to his place for sex. Sex brings down a person’s walls—especially men. Then, when I get up to use the restroom, I’m to find any evidence I can bring back to Dark and Cell. Sunshine hates the idea. He said as much yesterday. Now I can see why. There’s no way I can have sex with Todd after last night. Not only because my vagina can’t take the subpar penetration, but I can’t do that after everything else. I’m not a cheater, and having sex with Todd feels a whole lot like cheating on that man outside playing with his granddaughter.
Speaking of her, how did she even know about a ring?
That’s yet another question I’ll need answered after the date I’ll have to improvise on. Dark’s gonna hate it. But I don’t see any other option, and it’s not like I can discuss alternatives in the presence of an eight-year-old. This is wholly up to me. I’ve got this. I can do it. I’m a professional.
Dragging a hand down my face, I expel a pent-up breath and sit up straight. I slap my palms on my bare thighs, determined not to overthink too much and make the best of the day. First step, spend time with Sunshine and Lily. Second step, shower and prepare for my date with Todd.
What could go wrong?