Chapter 22
CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO
ADELINE
“Idon’t know about this,” I say in the bedroom. “Nothing fits right.”
“Let me see,” Damon calls out from the other side of the door.
“How can my boobs still be bigger when I stopped breastfeeding?”
“Stop it and get your ass out here.”
I open the door, thinking about calling Bryce and telling her there’s no way I can go on this girls’ night out. I have a muffin top over my pants, and no jacket is going to hide it.
Damon has Clover in her bouncy seat and is feeding her the baby food we’ve started introducing to her.
She’s just like her daddy, not very picky, which has worked out well for us.
The spoon hovers near Clover’s mouth as Damon’s gaze tracks down my body.
It’s a sexy as hell look, as though he’d like to take me to his room and strip these clothes off of me.
Clover whines, and he blinks, turning his attention back to her.
“You look fine. I don’t see the problem,” he says.
I walk over to the full-length mirror near the entry that allows me to see my whole outfit. “I’m not going for fine. And I’m probably going to be hot in these pants.”
I fiddle with the black pants. My blouse is tight, off the shoulders, and dips at my cleavage. My makeup looks good though, which is surprising. After all these months of not really doing much with it, I was still able to accomplish the look I wanted.
Looking at my reflection, I spy Damon behind me, his eyes meeting mine. Okay, no need to be self-conscious, he obviously likes what he sees. Why does that make my stomach feel funny?
There’s a knock on the door, and Bryce shouts to Damon to release me, which makes me laugh and Damon grumble. I open the door, sliding into my heels, finishing off the outfit.
“Whoa, mama, you are smokin’.” Bryce walks into the apartment. “Isn’t she, Damon?”
“He said I look fine,” I say.
She rolls her eyes behind his back, then sits on the stool next to him. “Hi, Clover. You’ve got Daddy all to yourself tonight.”
Bryce is wearing a dress, and I wonder if I should’ve done the same. Chicago weather is a little cooler at night this time of year, but still, it can be warm if where we’re going is busy, and I don’t want to be sweating all night.
“I’m her favorite man,” Damon says in that cocky way that seems to come naturally to him.
“What about Haze?” she asks, and I bite my lip to stop from laughing.
Damon shoots her a death glare, and Bryce laughs.
Haze is great. Definitely made to be a nanny, but he and Damon aren’t seeing eye to eye on a lot of things. One being Damon wants to put an ankle bracelet on him so he stays within a two-block radius. I honestly think Damon just doesn’t like sharing Clover’s attention with another man.
Watching Bryce and Damon interact is comical and what I needed after a long week.
“Have fun, Clover and Daddy. I’m sure Miles and Cooper will be over soon. And don’t worry, I’ll have her back before you leave for the game in the morning.”
“What?” Damon asks, spinning around in his seat to look at me.
Bryce laughs. “Huh, I think someone might be scared he’s gonna be replaced.” She raises her eyebrows.
I walk over to Damon and kiss Clover’s cheek. “Good night, baby girl. Be good for Daddy.” I turn to Damon, and his eyes are on my cleavage. “If you need me to come home early, just call me.”
“Nope. No way,” Bryce says. “There will be three men here. Surely they can handle a baby. Rent that old movie about that if you need tips.” She tugs on my sleeve. “Let’s go. Quick getaway.”
“Have fun, you deserve it.” Damon wipes Clover’s mouth and picks her up out of her seat, walking us to the door.
I look at them again, finding it hard to leave. Bryce clears her throat behind me.
“Okay, bye,” I say.
“Bye, Mommy.” Damon lifts Clover’s hand and waves it.
I nod. “Bye.”
I circle around to Bryce before I shove her out the door and lock it so I can stay. I’m a mom, a working mom, so the guilt of leaving her when it’s my free time is almost unbearable as we walk down the stairs.
“This is good for Damon. He needs to see you going out and not waiting around for him.” She pulls out her phone. “Here’s our car. We’re meeting Elle there.”
“I’m not waiting around for him,” I say, sliding into the back seat after her.
“Sure, you aren’t.”
The driver verifies with Bryce where we’re going, and I drop the subject of Damon because I don’t really want to think about him tonight. He’s constantly in my head anyway. I could use a little break.
When we enter the restaurant, Ellery’s hand is waving in the air at a table in the back. She’s already got some type of cocktail with fruit in it on the table in front of her.
“Hey, ladies.” She slides out of her chair and hugs us. “Tell me Damon’s tongue was on the floor when you left?” She and Bryce share a conspiratorial grin.
“Sure as hell was,” Bryce says, laughing.
“I’m not sure about that. I think he was just surprised,” I say. “He’s literally never seen me dressed like this. Even when we hooked up, I was in ball game clothes.”
“Yes, can we talk about that night?” Ellery asks. “As a doctor, I’m wondering how our little Clover came into being with so many birth control options out there.”
“Elle!” Bryce scolds.
Thankfully, the waitress comes over. We both order some rum drink they have on special.
“I’m sorry, Bryce is right. It’s none of my business.” Ellery sips her drink, shaking her head. I have a feeling Ellery may have already finished off another drink before we arrived.
“It’s fine. Honestly, I don’t really know. I don’t like being on birth control if I’m not in a relationship—it gives me too many side effects—so I wasn’t on it at the time. We used condoms, but nothing is a hundred percent, so…” I shrug.
Ellery and Bryce look at one another, sharing a similar expression, and I can tell they’re about to bring up his reputation once again. I don’t know any of them very well, but I’m kind of sick of the jokes at Damon’s expense.
“Listen, I know Damon’s no saint, but he really has only treated me with respect.
I realize you both know a very different version of him, but he’s been good to Clover and me.
” This is not how I wanted girls’ night to start out, but I can’t sit here all night and have them put him down when he’s done nothing but try to lift me up since he found out I was pregnant.
He could very well be the one out tonight and me home with Clover.
Bryce reacts first, her hand flying over mine and squeezing.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. We won’t start in with any jokes, and we won’t disrespect what you two have.
” She looks at Ellery and back at me. “We’re honestly surprised the two of you haven’t gotten together as a couple.
But I know I make fun of Damon a lot, and I’ll stop.
You’re right, being a dad has changed him. ”
“Thanks, and as far as if we’re going to be together or not, the answer is no. We don’t want to jeopardize the easy relationship we have going on right now. Clover has to come first.” Thank goodness the waitress comes and drops our drinks. I take a quick sip to cool myself down.
“Eventually that’s going to change though, right?” Bryce asks. She’s definitely the bolder one of the two. “I mean, are the two of you going to stay together and celibate until Clover’s eighteen?”
I laugh, not even able to imagine that. The last five months since Damon gave me an orgasm have been torture. “That’s a hard no.”
“At some point, one of you will find someone else, and things will change. I mean, could you be in the room next door, hearing Damon banging someone else?” Bryce asks.
“I think we shouldn’t talk about Damon for the rest of the night. It’s supposed to be girls’ night out.” Ellery is quick to chime in.
I appreciate what Bryce is saying. She’s making me see it from an outsider’s perspective, staring into the perfect little snow globe of a life that Damon and I have created. It’s what friends should do, but tonight I just want to have a few drinks and not think too far into the future.
“Elle is right. Forget it. I really like you, and—”
“Don’t worry, she was as blind as you before she got with Miles.” Ellery laughs, stopping the waitress and asking for a round of tequila shots. “We’re going to restart this girls’ night.”
Things improve from there, and we all talk about our different jobs. Ellery’s is probably the most interesting—she seems to come across all kinds of people at the hospital. The only stories I can tell are about prepubescent boys and girls, but some of them are good for a laugh, too.
About an hour later, Ellery leans over the table toward me. “There’s a guy checking you out.”
Bryce looks in the direction Ellery indicates and nods. “He’s hot too.”
“Oh, I’m not looking to hook up or anything,” I say, but Ellery waves him over. “Ellery!”
“This is girls’ night out,” Bryce says with a bit of a whine in her voice.
“I know, but it’s also Adeline’s first night out since she had Clover.” Then Ellery looks at me. “I’m not suggesting you go to the bathroom and screw his brains out, but a little interest from a guy never hurts the ego.” She shrugs.
“Hey,” a deep voice says from behind me.
“Hi.” I turn, and he sidles up to me, way too close for comfort.
“Hi. I’m Ellery.” She sticks her hand out over the table to him. “This is Bryce, and this is Adeline.” She finishes with her hands directed at me as though I’m center stage.
He nods. “Lincoln. Good to meet you all.”
Lincoln asks the table next to us if they’re using the empty chair and slides it over to join us. He’s attractive, to be sure, but the opposite of Damon. The tattoos up and down his arms say he has an edge that implies he’s rebellious in ways Damon isn’t.
Oh my god, brain, stop comparing him to Damon.
“Can I buy you a drink, Adeline?” he asks. “All of you, actually.”
Ellery smiles. “Sure.”
I glance at Ellery, but she turns and starts a conversation with Bryce about someone they went to college together with, leaving me no choice but to talk to Lincoln.
I find out he owns his own tattoo parlor in the city and doesn’t live far from the bar we’re at.
He moved to Chicago ten years ago from Milwaukee, and he loves it.
He tells me about his favorite restaurants and how there’s one specifically he’d love to take me to.
Panic ensues.
“I have a baby,” I blurt.
Bryce almost spits out her drink while Ellery laughs.
“Oh yeah?” Lincoln chuckles as though he’s not sure what to make of that.
Seriously, Adeline, you can’t get through one conversation with a hot guy without telling him you have a baby?
“Yeah, she’s five months old and with her dad today.”
He nods. I can tell I’ve probably lost his interest, but I’ve never been in this situation. I don’t know what to do. And besides, I’m not interested anyway.
He asks me her name and eventually excuses himself, saying he sees someone he knows.
I down the rest of my drink in one gulp.
“Okay, so we have to start from scratch. You’re a little rusty.” Bryce smiles.
“Yeah, he doesn’t get your life story for just one drink.” Ellery laughs again. “I’m so happy I was here when that happened though. It was the funniest thing I’ve seen all week.”
“Happy to be the entertainment.” I shake my head and laugh at myself.
We have another drink, and I’m feeling slightly buzzed when we return to “The Den.” Both Bryce and I are struggling a little up the stairs—whether because of our heels or the drinks, I’m not sure.
“I tried to get Miles to install an elevator. Maybe you can ask Damon. He’s Daddy Warbucks.” Bryce heaves for breath by the time we get to Damon’s place.
“I can ask, but I’m only here until the season is over.” I chuckle.
She stops, looking surprised. “What?”
I nod. “Damon asked me to move in here so he wouldn’t have to commute during the season, then he’ll move out by me for the offseason.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that.” She hugs me. “I’m going to go screw my fiancé, and hopefully they’ll win because of it tomorrow. I’ll come and grab you before the game. Text you in the morning with a time.”
“Sounds good. Thanks for taking me out.”
“Oh, you don’t have to thank me. We’re going to be great friends.”
The door opens behind me, startling me. Damon stands there in a pair of athletic shorts and no shirt, the tattoos on his arms and chest on display.
God damn, the alcohol has further weakened my willpower because the buzzing between my legs right now is more demanding than usual.
“Afraid someone walked her home?” Bryce cackles, walking up the stairs.
“Your loud-ass mouth woke me up,” Damon calls back.
I step in, slipping off my heels. “God, I haven’t worn shoes like that in so long, my feet are killing me.” I grab a ponytail holder off the counter and secure my hair back. I’d undo my pants if he wasn’t standing here looking at me.
My gaze meets his, and I find it lust-filled and heady.
My nipples pebble in my bra. “What?”
“You’re so fucking sexy.”
I blink a few times. “I’m sorry?”
He walks toward me until our chests brush. “You heard me.”
I place my hand on his chest. “I heard it, but I don’t understand what’s happening here.”
“How much have you had to drink tonight?”
“Just a couple drinks. I’m fine, a little buzzed, but fine. What’s going on?”
“Adeline.” He slides his hand along my cheek, and I can’t help how my eyes drift closed for a moment.
“It’s been months since I’ve had sex, and I’m going to be real fucking honest here, I’m dying.
And seeing you tonight…” He runs his thumb along my bottom lip, and his eyes drop to my cleavage.
“These tits.” His tongue slides along his bottom lip.
“It’s all I could think of when you were gone.
All night, I’ve been imagining what I would do to you if I got you naked and in my bed. ”
Oh shit. I am so turned on right now, but some part of my non-lizard brain must be working because I say, “But it might ruin what we have.” My hands run down his muscled chest, dipping in the valleys of his lower abdomen in what has to be the pinnacle of mixed messages.
He bites his lower lip before he speaks again. “The way I see it, we can have the best of both worlds. I need to have sex, and I’m pretty sure you need it too.” His other hand wraps around my waist, tugging me harder against him. “I need to fuck you. You’ve made me a desperate man.”
I need to fuck him too.
“Okay, just this once.”
I barely get the words out before Damon smashes his lips to mine. Months of pent-up lust explodes between us—our hands are frantic and groping, our lips devouring, our chests heaving.
This is going to come back and bite me. I know it. But right now, I don’t care, especially when his hard length presses into my stomach. All I want is for that to be inside me when I come apart.
I climb him like a tree. “Take me to your room.”