Truths and Lies Duet

Her arms circle around my neck as she hugs me to her. I bury my nose against her flesh, inhaling her sweaty, unique scent. I lick her salty skin and brand her with my teeth. I’m already hardening again like I’m fifteen years younger.

Fuck.

She does this to me.

I stand with her in my arms and kick out of my slacks and shoes. She holds on, worshipping me with her kisses as I carry us to our bed so I can return the favor. We fall into the bed—where we fucking belong—and I kiss her deeply. She helps me rip my shirt off the rest of the way and then I’m driving into her slowly, my eyes glued to hers.

I want to see her.

I want to look at her for-fucking-ever.

We spend hours tasting and teasing and fucking. I can’t keep my dick out of her. We’re sweaty and messy and fucking exhausted. And yet, we can’t part ways. It isn’t until we’ve showered and I’m about to bend her over the bed again that we’re dragged from our sex-fest haze.

“Da-da-da-da-da.”

The baby babbling in the other room warms me to my soul.

“I’ll get her,” I grunt as I yank on some boxers. Talia grabs one of my T-shirts from the drawer to wear as I leave to get our baby.

When I turn on the light, Zoe watches me with wide blue eyes. Fuck, she’s so damn perfect. I stalk over to her and pluck her from the crib. Hugging her to me, I inhale her hair.

“I love you, agapiménos,” I whisper. “I will kill that motherfucker for stealing you and your mother from me.”

I consider telling her all the horrible ways I will torture that monster, but then I figure that’s not a fatherly thing to do. It’s something my father would do. And I’m not him.

Carrying her back to the room, I can’t help but smile when I see Talia cozied up in our bed. She’s so fucking beautiful with her hair wet and messy. Her lips raw from kissing. Purple bruises from my mouth littering her skin.

I settle on the bed and adjust the little one so she’s nestled between us. On my side with my arm propped under my head, I admire the cute as fuck kid we made. Talia mimics my position and smiles proudly at our daughter.

Aris—my goddamn brother—took from me.

Took and took and took.

Never again.

As soon as I find him, and I will find him, I’m going to take from him.

Skin. Hair. Teeth. Organs.

I’m going to take from him until there’s nothing left to take.

A slap to my face erases all murderous thoughts. The little angel with the blue eyes and brown hair swats at me again as though she’s trying to touch me. Leaning in, I let her abuse me. She’s vicious as she grabs a handful of scruff and tries to pull me to her mouth.

“She’s hungry?” I ask because I know fuck all about babies.

“She’s been teething, so it could be that. Or she’s curious. Usually she cries when she’s hungry.”

“What do I do?” I grunt. “Fuck, she has a good grip.”

Talia laughs and untangles the tiny fingers clawing at me. “For one, don’t offer your face as a chew toy.”

Zoe’s face pinches and she lets out a pouty cry.

“But she likes it,” I argue.

“She also likes hair and blankets and shirts.”

I grin down at my baby. “Don’t listen to Mommy. You can eat my face if it makes you happy.”

Zoe coos and wriggles more, attempting to grab at me. I offer her my thumb and she sets to trying to pull it to her mouth.

“I’ll make her a bottle,” Talia says with a laugh.

While she’s gone, I stare at my perfect daughter. How is it this afternoon I was wallowing in despair and murdering my fucking father with my mother’s pillow and hours later I have my wife back and a daughter I never knew about? I feel like I’ll blink awake and this will be some cruel as fuck dream.

The baby swats at me with her other hand.

“You’re distracting like your mother,” I grumble but smile at her.

Talia walks in, messy hair, perfect nipples poking through the thin shirt, and bare legs on display, carrying a fucking bottle.

“Distracting,” I whisper to Zoe. “You’re both bad news for the bad guy.”

Talia grins as she hands me the bottle and climbs onto the bed, flashing me her naked pussy beneath her shirt. “Out there you’re the bad guy. In here, you’re Daddy.” She leans in and kisses me. “And spoiler alert, he’s the good guy.”

Talia

The sound of my daughter babbling happily from beside me wakes me from my deep slumber. I open my eyes and find Zoe lying on her back, her feet in the air, and her fists in her mouth. Kostas’s side of the bed is empty, but in his place are a dozen pillows entrapping Zoe. I laugh, imagining him building a barricade to keep her safe in the bed. He doesn’t know she’s fully crawling and could climb right over that wall if she wanted to.