24. PAUL
“He filmed you without your knowledge?”
She nods against my shirt.
“And then blackmailed you?”
She nods again.
“Which is why you asked Glen to hack into his devices?”
“Yes. I’m so—”
My arms wrap around her tightly, moving her body so she’s straddling my legs while my hand cups the back of her head. She buries her face into the crook of my neck, trembling, and I feel like I might do something that I’ll regret.
Something like killing Greyson Black with my bare hands this very instant.
“I need to hold you, Sarah, or I’m going to get up and go kill that motherfucker.”
She holds me tighter, gripping the back of my shirt.
“Please don’t leave me,” she whispers.
“I’m never leaving you.” My lips press against her temple over and over again. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I don’t care. The moment I knew you were pregnant, I should never have walked out. I should never have left you and will never do that again.”
A beat of silence passes before she asks, “What are we going to do?”
We.
It’s about damn time she realizes she doesn’t have to do this alone anymore.
“Well, now that I know the full story, I think I know who we can contact for help.” I let out a frustrated sigh. One I had been holding in for far too long. “I can hack into computers, but just simple things. Nothing fancy. I was a bit of a loner when I was a kid and preferred to spend my time with my computer instead of people.”
She looks up at me, her brows furrowing.
“I didn’t mention it to you because you freaked out when you saw my computer setup in my room,” I offer.
She looks down. “I should have told you everything sooner.”
“You didn’t know, baby girl.” I push back a few pieces of hair behind her ear. “The problem is, I don’t think I’m going to be able to break into Greyson’s computer without help. I tried to get into his phone before I came here the other day, but even that was impossible to break into, and usually, it’s a simple process.”
Her worried eyes widen.
“It’s okay, though. My brother, Ray, can help us. He’ll take care of this for us.”
“How do you know he’ll be able to?”
I scrape a hand against my stubble. “I can’t really talk about his job, but all I can say is he works for the government, and hacking into someone’s devices to delete a video is probably one of the easiest things he’ll ever do.”
I also don’t actually know my brother’s job title or the specific details of what the hell he does for the government, but from the size of his house, I’d say it’s pretty lucrative.
She freezes in my hands. “But…does that mean…he’ll have to watch it?” A red tint spreads from her cheeks to her neck.
“He won’t watch it. He’ll know what it is as soon as he finds the video and will take care of it.” She anxiously chews her bottom lip. “I trust him with my life. And if there were even a doubt in my mind he would watch it, I wouldn’t ask him to help us.”
“Okay,” she says softly.
“Besides, no one gets to see this body but me.” My hands slide over her waist. Feeling her in my grip, beneath my touch, is helping to simmer the rage within me, knowing that Greyson has a fucking sex tape of her that she didn’t consent to… Deep breath. Deep fucking breath. “I will never let that video get released. Do you understand?”
She doesn’t hesitate when she says, “I do.”
I do.It has a nice ring to it.
I look at the time on my phone, knowing it’s too late to call Ray. He’s probably sound asleep in his recliner, snoring away as a basketball game plays in the background on his TV. “I’ll contact my brother first thing in the morning to see what we need to do. I don’t want that video on Greyson’s devices any longer. He probably already got a new phone, but he’ll likely have all his files saved on the cloud or a hard drive.”
She looks down, disappointment evident in her features. “I thought if I got his phone, I would be that much closer to getting rid of the video. I didn’t think of the possibility that it would be stored everywhere.”
A single tear slides down her porcelain cheek as she leans away, reaching inside her coffee table drawer to pull out Greyson’s phone. She holds it before her, waiting for me to take it.
“I will take care of this, Sarah. You won’t need to worry about this for much longer. I promise.”
I brush the tear away, studying her carefully.
I can’t even wrap my head around everything she’s been through, and my heart aches for her.
“So…I know I just threw a lot at you,” she says. “But there’s one thing I need to make clear.” She sits up, looking me dead in the eye, clearing her throat before she continues. “When I found out I was pregnant, I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t even sure I was going to keep the baby because I was scared I wouldn’t be able to do this alone. But when I thought about my childhood, going from house to house, I realized I could never live with myself if I put my child through that, too.” She shakes her head. “I want this child. I want to be a mom and love this baby the way they deserve to be loved.” A small smile forms on her face until it abruptly falls. “But I don’t want you to feel trapped. I know you’re going into the NBA next year, and I don’t want to ruin your dreams. So, if you don’t want to be a part of this, I understand and am ready to do this myself.”
I can’t help the instantaneous laugh that rumbles in my chest and bursts from between my lips.
She smacks my shoulder, appearing mildly irritated. “What’s so funny?”
“You,” I manage to say. “Sarah, why the hell would you think I’m leaving you or the baby?”
“I just wanted to give you a way out if—”
“I don’t want a way out.”
“You don’t?”
“No.” I run my hands up and down her back. “I want to be a part of your and the baby’s life if you let me. I want to be at every doctor’s appointment and every baby class. I want to rub your feet and buy you whatever weird food cravings you have. I want to hold your hand in the delivery room, cheering you on. I want to be the one who wakes up in the middle of the night to feed the baby so you can sleep. I want a life with both of you. I don’t want it to be a part-time job when I’m fully ready for this. I’m all in.”
She purses her lips, tears pouring out of her eyes.
“You’ve spent almost your entire life taking care of yourself, but now it’s my turn to take care of you.” I brush my lips across hers. “Let me take care of you, Sarah.”
She hesitantly nods.
My lips press against hers slowly, savoring the warmth and taste of her, never wanting it to end.
But she slowly pulls back. “So we’re really doing this? We’re having a baby…together?”
“Looks like it.” I look down at her stomach. “Can I?”
A gentle, breathtaking smile appears on her face.
I slide my hand under her shirt, placing it on her bare stomach, noting the small bump. Something I would never have noticed previously. “Have you felt any kicks yet?”
She shakes her head. “Not yet. But the doctor said I’ll probably start feeling something in a few weeks.” She places her hand over mine. “I thought I would be showing a lot more than I am, but the doctor assured me that sometimes, with your first one, you don’t start showing until sixteen to twenty weeks. So I guess this is just the beginning.”
“I never even noticed,” I murmur, moving my hand to her thigh. “When is your next appointment?”
She reaches for her phone on the coffee table. Looking at her screen, she says, “I have a follow-up appointment in a few days, and then I have the next ultrasound appointment on New Year’s Day for the twenty-week appointment to find out the baby’s sex and to make sure the baby is developing as expected.”
“I’ll be there for both of them,” I confirm.
Her smile widens, becoming brighter and more beautiful than anything I’ve ever seen.
I rest my head against the back of the couch, my fingers still holding her securely to me. “There are a few things I think we should discuss.”
“Like what?”
My eyes hold hers. “Like how I don’t like the fact that you’re living alone while pregnant or with an asshole like Greyson out there.”
Her shoulders drop. “There’s nothing I can do about that, though.”
My hand reaches her face, and I trace her jawline back and forth. “How would you feel if I moved in with you?”
Her eyes widen slightly, but they don’t look disturbed by the idea. Maybe a bit intrigued.
“I don’t want anything to happen to you,” I start. “If there’s any reason you need to get to a hospital, I want to make sure I’m here so I can get you there as fast as possible. And if Greyson has any fucked-up plans about coming here, I want to make sure I’m here to beat the ever-living shit out of him.”
A content sigh leaves her lungs. “I think it would make me feel safer having you here. So, yes. I think you should move in.”
“Good.” I kiss her temple, reach for my wallet in my pocket, and then take out one of my credit cards. “This is for you.”
She stares at my credit card before moving away from it, like it has an infectious disease, but my hold keeps her in place. “You’re having our baby. Which means if you’re hungry, you order food. If you’re cold, you buy a new coat. If you’re feeling run-down, schedule a massage. If you’re not sleeping well, buy the most expensive mattress you can find. And baby girl, if you ever feel like replacing that tin can on wheels, be my guest because there’s no limit on this card… This is for whatever you need. Are we clear?”
Her lips press together in a thin line, but she reluctantly nods. “I don’t want you thinking I did this on purpose to trap you or something. I’m not a gold digger. I’ve taken care of myself for as long as I can remember, and usually, I can keep up with everything, but with the baby, things have become pretty tight.”
She appears ashamed of herself when she has no reason to be.
I brush her hair back from her face. “I would never think that, baby girl. I was there with you that night. I remember quite well how good it felt when your soft hands rolled the condom on my cock.”
She blushes, shaking her head.
“Now, about Greyson.” I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t want to incentivize him to release the tape. So, until my brother takes care of it, we have to be careful about being seen in public together.”
“Yeah. I understand.”
“But I don’t think you should continue to work at the bank either.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t have a choice. I need to finish my internship with LH United, or I’ll lose my credits. I’m already taking extra classes to graduate before the baby is born. I need these credits.” She restlessly twirls a piece of her hair. “I was hoping they’d offer me a job at the end of the internship, but I guess that’s out of the question now.” She blows out a whoosh of air. “I’ll need to start looking for another job soon.”
I tip her chin up. “How much longer do you have for the internship?”
“Just one week. Only two more shifts.”
I nod. At least I know that we have a good amount of away games this upcoming week, which means less of a chance for Greyson to be at the office while she’s working. “I would never tell you what to do, but after your internship, I don’t want you anywhere near that bank again.”
She scrunches her face, focusing on the front of my shirt. “It will be hard to find a job when I’m pregnant. No one will hire me.”
“Then don’t work.”
She lets out a humorless laugh. “Good joke.”
“I’m not joking.”
“I have bills to pay and things to buy for the baby.”
“Sarah, I have more money than I know what to do with. Let me take care of things financially right now, and after you have the baby, if you want, and only if you want, you can look for a job if that’ll make you happy.”
She rolls her lips from side to side, debating something inside her head—something she wants to say but doesn’t know if she should.
“What’s going on inside that head?” I ask.
“I want to paint,” she blurts out.
“Then paint.”
“I mean like as a job.”
“I know what you mean.” I grin in amusement.
“Do you…do you think I can do it?” she nervously asks.
“I do. And I think if that’s what you want to do, then go for it. Listen to your heart.” I press my hand against her chest, over her heart. “And do what makes you happy. Do whatever it is that brings the light back into your eyes.”
She smiles, grinning from ear to ear. “Okay. I’m going to do it. Or at least try to.”
“That’s my girl!” I encourage.
She chuckles and then yawns, her eyes drooping. This has been one long hell of a day for the both of us, and I think it’s time to bring it to an end.
“Let’s get to bed, baby girl.”
Without waiting for a response, I lift her in my arms and carry her to her room, or, I guess, our room now. Laying her down, I reach for the blankets and bring them up to her chest before I get in beside her, pulling her small body right up against me.
I think she’s fallen asleep until I hear her soft voice.
“Paul?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you mean it when you said the night you met me was the best night of your life?”
I smile, kissing the top of her head. “I did.” My hand brushes down her back as she curls into me. “Go to sleep, Sarah. You’re safe now. I will never let anyone hurt you again.”
Gazing down at the woman in my arms who stole my heart, I think about how one night completely changed my life in more ways than I can ever thank her for.
The night that I will always remember as the best night of my life.
SARAH’S 21ST BIRTHDAY
Goddamn, those eyes.
Those beautiful, vibrant green eyes.
I can’t stop gazing into them. They’re the most brilliant shade of green I’ve ever seen. Big too. Making her appear like a damn Disney Princess.
She has me hypnotized to the point where I can’t even remember why I came here tonight.
Oh, that’s right, because Glen dragged my ass here with some of the guys from the team.
Guess I’ll have to thank him later.
My eyes travel down her body where my hand rests on her hip. She leans into me, her hand relaxing against my chest, her long, black nails curling into my shirt.
“Make me forget,” she whispers, her eyes pleading with me to take her away from here.
She’s itching to get out of here.
And so am I.
“Your place or mine?” I ask, bending down to brush my lips across the shell of her ear.
She peeks up at me under those thick lashes. “Neither.”
My brows furrow. “Then where would you like to go, birthday girl?”
She glances around, her breathing increasing.
“Hey.” I cup her cheek, my thumb gliding against her soft skin. “If you’ve changed your mind, it’s not a big deal. We can sit here and—”
“No.” She pushes her long, dark hair over her shoulder. “I was just thinking, maybe we could get a room upstairs.”
I smirk. “You in a hurry?”
She nods, rising on her tiptoes. “You have no idea.”
Her soft lips ghost over mine, giving me a tiny taste of what’s to come, igniting an inferno within me.
“Let’s get out of here.” I straighten, leave a bill on the counter to cover the drinks, take her hand in mine, and lead us directly to the lobby. “One room,” I request, quickly placing my card on the counter for the man standing behind it. He takes it and types on his computer before suddenly freezing. His eyes widen, recognition crossing his face from the name on my credit card.
Fuck.
“Hey, you’re—”
“We’re in a bit of a hurry.” I hold the girl’s hand, keeping her against my side. She has no idea who I am, and I intend to keep it that way.
The man nods, thankfully taking my hint, then tells us our room number, dropping a key card in my hand.
Walking into the room, we both look around. It’s nothing special. There’s a bed, a bathroom, and a TV.
I find myself wishing I had taken her somewhere nicer for her birthday.
“Well, it’s not the Taj Mahal, but I like it.” She shrugs and walks up to the wall-sized window overlooking the city. “Wow,” she admires. “Okay, I really like it.”
The moon outlines her features in a subtle glow.
She’s the epitome of beauty.
And she’s mine. For tonight, anyway.
I snake my arm around her waist, and my large hand splays out over her stomach, holding her flush to my chest. She molds into my body like she was made for me. And me alone.
“What do you say we make this a birthday you never forget?” I ask.
“I like the way you think, big guy.”
I smirk at the nickname. “Oh, baby girl, just wait until you see how big I am.” My lips glide over her shoulder, sending shivers down her spine.
“Promises. Promises,” she whispers, tilting her head over her shoulder.
Our eyes connect, neither of us looking away.
The electricity pulses in the air between us.
I want her so fucking badly, I can’t wait another second.
So I don’t.
My lips crash with hers in a hungry, ravenous kiss.
She lets out a whimper that goes straight to my cock like a bolt of lightning. Her body begins shifting around to face me, but I stop her, placing my hands firmly on her hips.
“Hands on the window.”
Her breath catches as she looks at me with those damn big eyes, but then quickly obeys my demand.
I grip her hips to pull her into me and press my hard cock against her ass, which she wiggles beside impatiently.
“Patience.” I let my hand travel down her stomach. “I need to get you ready for me first.”
My fingers pop the button of her jeans and slowly glide down the zipper. I hear her breathing pick up, anticipation building between us.
God, I need this tonight.
I need her.
“Just remember, if you want me to stop, say the word. Okay?”
She nods, pushing her ass against me. “Keep going.”
My fingers loop in the belt rings before I slide her pants down over her luscious curves, letting them rest against her thighs.
I let out a breath, admiring the ass in front of me in nothing but a black lace thong. “This ass is sinful.” My hand skims over her skin, squeezing before I bring it to her front, cupping her pussy. The thin piece of lace is the only barrier between us.
My fingers trace her center back and forth, noting the damp fabric. “Wet already.” I push the fabric aside, swirling one finger above her entrance. “Let’s see how much wetter I can make you.” In one go, I thrust knuckles deep inside her.
The prettiest moan fills the room as I slide in and out of her, prepping her carefully.
I wasn’t lying about how big I am.
And I definitely don’t want to hurt her.
“More,” she breathes, her breath fogging the glass.
I shove two fingers inside her, feeling her core clench with desire. My thumb gently rubs circles over her clit, round and round, as I watch and listen to what she needs.
“Oh my God… Just like… Right there.” Her pussy grinds relentlessly onto my hand. “I’m so…so…” She lets out a scream as she comes apart on my fingers, panting rapidly. Her trembling body eases into my hold, her hands gripping my forearms for support. She turns her head over her shoulder, bites her bottom lip, and says, “If that’s what you can do with just your fingers, then I’m dying to see what you can do with your cock.”
God, this girl has a mouth. And I love it.
I press soft kisses across her jawline, enjoying the whimpers she produces with each one. “And how does the birthday girl want my cock?” My hand travels up her stomach and under her shirt, where my index finger circles her belly button. “Slow and gentle? Or fast and rough?”
“Fast and rough.” Her voice comes out breathy.
“Your wish is my command.” I spin her around to face me and drop to my knees, my face almost level with her breasts. My fingers grip her pants and underwear, sliding them to the ground. She carefully steps out of them and then brazenly removes her top and bra, standing before me in nothing but her birthday suit.
My eyes graze over every inch of her gorgeous body, unable to get my fill of her. And then I notice them. All the floral tattoos covering her arms and thighs. She’s a fucking work of art. “You’re exquisite,” I whisper, tenderly kissing her porcelain skin repeatedly.
And even in the dark, with the moon as our only light source, I can just make out the faint shade of pink covering her cheeks.
“Thank you.” Her soft voice fills me with yearning. A need to satisfy this woman overtakes me.
Standing before her, I play with a soft piece of raven-black hair cascading down her chest.
“This is by far the best birthday I’ve ever had,” she admits. Her hands press into my chest, running down my torso until she gets to the hem of my shirt, lifting it for me to remove. As I toss my shirt to the floor, her eyes widen, and her head tilts to the side as she takes me in. “Someone works out.”
I chuckle. Little does she know that’s pretty much all I do. Well, that and gaming, but she doesn’t need to know about that. Don’t want her knowing the truth about me, which is I’m a certified nerd.
Yeah, we definitely don’t want her to know that.
“I think you forgot something,” I note, stepping back to give her space. She smirks, dropping down to her knees. The sight alone is enough to make me come, but I fill my head with thoughts of smelly locker rooms, old gym socks, and broccoli to keep it together.
Her hand flattens against the rather large bulge in my pants, rubbing her palm from top to bottom, causing me to groan as pleasure takes over.
There’s a desperate need to be inside this woman like I’ve never felt before.
“Stop teasing me.” My fingers comb through her hair, brushing it out of her face. My hand reaches into my back pocket for my wallet, pulling out the condom.
She unbuttons and then unzips my pants, sliding them down my long legs, leaving me in only my underwear. The state of my erection does not go unnoticed as she comes face to face with it. The only thing separating me from her lips is a measly piece of fabric. Her fingers loop under the waistband, slowly sliding down my briefs.
“Well, shit. Looks like you weren’t lying,” she breathes, shaking her head. “There’s no way that’s going to fit.”
I laugh, taking the final step out of my underwear. Her eyes look up at me with a mixture of yearning and lust. Giving her the condom, I watch as she first strokes my entire length in a firm grip before rolling the latex on. My thumb floats over her bottom lip. “We’ll make it fit, baby girl.”
She stands in front of me. “Promise?”
I fill the space between us, pressing her body against the glass. “Promise.”
Our mouths collide as we devour the hell out of each other.
She wraps her hands around my neck, pulling me in as she nips on my bottom lip hard.
A groan leaves me as I lift her in my arms, pushing her against the window. If I thought anyone could see inside, I would have the curtains closed and her beautiful naked body in the bed with me. But as it is, we’re so high up with no lights on that I’m certain no one can see her.
Her legs wrap around my torso, the heels of her feet digging into my ass.
Reaching between us, I position my cock at her entrance, swiping it through her wet center.
“Please,” she begs, deliciously scratching her nails across my back.
And because I can’t wait one more second, I thrust inside her, but only a few inches, giving her body a chance to acclimate to my size. Her head rolls back as her lips part in a silent moan.
“Are you okay?” I ask, stroking her cheek.
“M-more. I can take it.” She looks up, locking eyes with me as I continue sliding inside her.
“That’s a good girl,” I praise, pushing more of myself inside her tight entrance. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
She bites her bottom lip until I’m all the way in, and she finally releases a gasp. “I’ve never felt this full before.”
“Is that a good thing?”
She nods, her lips curving up. “A very good thing.” She nips at my lip. “Now move before I scream.”
My lips brush against her neck. “Oh, I plan on making you scream, baby girl, but not until you come all over my cock.”
My cock slides in and out, slowly at first, until I pick up the pace, going hard and rough like she asked for.
“Yes,” she moans, clutching onto me, rolling her hips as she grinds her clit over me.
I grip her ass, pounding into her. But it isn’t enough. Looking over at the bed, I make a last-minute decision and carry her over, laying her on her back.
“What was wrong with the…ohhhhh,” she moans as my thrusts reach deeper inside her, hitting that special spot as I clutch her left leg behind her knee, bringing it over my shoulder, plunging inside her at a maddening pace.
“Oh my God… I’m going to…” she pants, her body tensing as her back starts to arch off the bed.
“Me too,” I say, feeling my balls tighten painfully, waiting for her to find her release first.
And she does.
The second that sweet sound of her crescendo scream echoes in the room, I spill into the condom, coming right along with her until I’m completely spent.
That was the best fucking orgasm of my life.
I hold myself over her, hovering as I catch my breath. She’s beautiful beneath me. The afterglow of her orgasm shows in her flushed cheeks and glazed green eyes, staring up at me with a look I’ve never seen before. “That was—”
A pounding on the wall behind the bed makes us both glance up. “Keep it down in there! Some of us are trying to sleep!”
We look at each other, trying but failing to hold in a laugh. She loses it first, bubbling over in a fit of laughter as I remove myself from her, rolling over to toss the condom in the trash and then rolling back toward her to pull her body against mine.
She wipes away the tears from her eyes, giggling. Her smile might be my second favorite thing about her. The first is those beautiful eyes I’m trying to engrave in my memory at this very moment.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be loud,” she whispers.
I brush the palm of my hand down her back. “You never have to apologize for being loud in the bedroom. In fact, I don’t think you were loud enough. Want me to really give you something to scream about?”
She bites her bottom lip, her hand cupping my cheek. There’s no awkwardness between us or weird after-sex tension. Just a feeling of calm. A comfortable sensation as though we’ve known each other for years.
But that can’t be true.
Because I would recognize these eyes in a crowded room.
I’m sure of it.
“Where have you been all my life?” she asks softly.
I press my lips to hers, savoring the sweetness. “Waiting for you.”