Baby Daddy Wanted (Crescent Cove 5)

“No. I met two of them. Goddammit. And I wanted both, and I didn’t know how to choose, and I thought that made me some kind of horny ho, when in truth you were driving me crazy—”

“Shut up. Just shut up and listen to me. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t know how.”

“What? Why? Why couldn’t you just open your mouth and come clean?”

“Because I’m me and you’re you.”

“What?” I shoved him again, half for the pleasure of feeling my hands against his firm pecs. So firm. Jesus. “Talk sense.”

“Here’s some sense.” He gripped me by the shoulders and lifted me up on the counter so we were eye level. “You’re my dream girl. You’re everything. And I couldn’t find the words to tell you. So, shut up already.”

Our chests were so close, but our faces were even closer. He was out of breath, and so was I. But that didn’t stop me from cocking my head. “Why don’t you make me?”

“Why don’t I?”

His mouth came down hard on mine, his lips warm and soft and oh so hungry, and all I could think was finally.

Fucking finally.

Eleven

Murphy

Cabin Fortress: Dream Girl Alert! Flatline imminent. I may not survive.

I cupped her face, my entire system humming and crashing at the same time.

This woman was everything. I wasn’t lying about that. And I was terrified that she was going to disappear now that she knew I was Cabin Fortress. The rage in her eyes was nothing next to the hurt.

Things had just gotten even more crazy and convoluted, but I wanted to be her baby daddy and her lover. I wanted even more than that if I was truly being honest. But she wasn’t ready for that level of honesty.

I was way ahead of her. Had been for well over a year.

But I had right now to convince her that we were worth the chance. Worth a gamble.

Her legs rose to hook around my hips and I knew I had one chance to get this right.

Bring every A-game you ever had in your life, son.

I lightly wove my fingers into her hair. It was soft as cornsilk and just as fine. A rainbow explosion of colors twisted and flowed over my wrists as I pushed through the little clips and twists she had had going on. She was forever braiding and pinning her hair back because of the work she did.

I’d always wondered just how soft it would be and it was even better than I could have imagined.

She groaned into my mouth and I deepened the kiss, turning her lightly so I could taste every last inch of her. I wanted to know everything about her. Every nuance, every breath, every gasp. I wanted to swallow her whole and let her know just how much she was wanted.

Before I could pull her closer, she wrapped her arms around my neck and hoisted herself up so we were eye-to-eye.

“Nice guys don’t kiss like that.”

I squinted at her. “First of all, did you just quote a movie at me?”

She licked her lips with a devilish smile. “Maybe. And because you’re Mr. Sneaky, you should know what movie it’s from. I told Fortress on one of the first nights we chatted.”

I smiled and shifted her tighter against me. Bridget Jones’ Diary. I didn’t know the exact line, but I figured I was damn close. “Who told you I was a nice guy?” I asked against her mouth before I went in for a second round.

She laughed into the kiss and then we were both sunk. We kissed like we’d known one another for years, not weeks. And while Murphy had known Veronica for a damn long time, it was the deeper, quieter connections between Vee and Fortress that had finally pushed both of us beyond our shyness.

Beyond the social barriers that wouldn’t let us get past the polite pleasantries of customer and barista.