“You don’t have to tell me,” I say, remembering what little Dad had told me.
“I need you to know this,” he says, quieter, and I nod. If he wants to tell me, I’ll listen. “Micah’s mom and I were married for a little over a year. I was crazy about her. When we found out we were expecting, it was one of the happiest days of my life.” He pauses, and it seems like he’s struggling to continue. I gently run my fingers through his hair, and he takes a deep breath, meeting my eyes again.
“She had a good pregnancy, right up until the end. There were some complications…” Even before he says it, I know the words that come next. My heart breaks more than it ever has in my life. Oh, what a fool I’ve been. “She died in childbirth,” he finishes in a whisper, and I blink back the tears.
“Oh, Nathaniel,” I whisper, my heart aching for both him and Micah. “What was her name?”
“Danneel,” he says, almost inaudible. “After she died, I never expected to love anyone that way again. I didn’t think there was anyone who could make me feel the way she did. Until you.”
All I can do is stare at him.
“I’m so in love with you, Poppy. It knocked me on my ass, and it was the last thing I expected. But this week… the prospect of living without you—”
I don’t let him finish, pulling his head down so I can kiss him. I pour every bit of love and longing I can into my kiss. He sets the whiskey bottle down, and then his arms are around my body, holding me close, devouring me.
“Poppy,” he groans.
“Yes,” I whisper. It’s all he needs. He carries me to a chair and sits down, pulling me onto his lap, so I’m straddling him. He pulls down the bodice of the strappy dress I’m wearing, freeing my breasts. The cool air makes my nipples pucker, and Nathaniel’s intense gaze only makes them harder. He lowers his head and takes one nipple between his lips, sucking greedily, and I cry out in need. His other hand tweaks and pulls my other nipple, and I’m on the verge of coming just from having him touch me again.
“Nathaniel,” I moan, and he hikes up the skirt of my dress and rips the thin little silk thong I’m wearing right off.
“I need you,” I murmur, undoing his jeans and lowering the zipper. His cock springs free, and it’s all I can do not to cry in relief. I’ve missed every bit of him, and I knew after that first time we were together that no one would ever make me feel the things he does.
Without another word, I lower myself onto his cock, and he fills me, so deep, stretching me, and I cry out at the overwhelming sensations he’s making me feel. I stay, just like that, impaled on his cock, my forehead pressed to his as his hands torture my breasts.
“Mine,” he growls as he gently rubs his thumbs over my nipples. It’s exquisite torture, and I moan. He always knows exactly what I need.
“Yours,” I pant. “I’m yours.” There’s no point in denying it. He’s everything I want; everything I need. I move over him, slowly, savoring the sensation of my sex sliding over his cock, of him filling me, then retreating almost completely, over and over again; a slow, decadent torture that has me sweating, panting, begging.
“I’m never letting you go again,” he murmurs, watching my face with intensity as I near my release.
I smile down at him. “As if I planned on giving you a choice,” I tell him, and in the next breath, I’m coming, hard, and I hear him shout my name as he goes over the edge with me.
Afterward, he takes me up to his office, and we spend the night putting the sofa in there to good use, eventually falling asleep in one another’s arms.
Epilogue
Poppy
It’s been nine months since I let Nathaniel back into my life. It hasn’t always been easy, I think as I glide onto the ice. This gorgeous little neighborhood park is the perfect place to ice skate, and we wanted to make sure Micah had a chance to do it as often as he wanted. I glance forward to see him skating beside my dad, who is wobbling a bit but managing all right.
I smile—I’m glad he came around. It almost came to fistfights a few times, at first, between Nathaniel and my dad, but they
’re okay now. Mostly, my dad sees how happy I am, and I’m grateful for that conversation we had after he saw Nathaniel and me together. It’s made a world of difference for both my relationships.
I finally graduated, and I’m working in a great little gallery in Manhattan. I’m dating a man who treats me like a princess, and I’m getting close to Micah, who’s a great kid and shares my appreciation for superhero movies. But I never want to replace his mom. I know that Danneel will always hold a special place in both Micah’s and Nathaniel’s heart, and I’m completely okay with that.
And as for Nathaniel and me? I swear I love him more every day.
I do a few little jumps and spins, and turn to see Nathaniel grinning at me.
“A woman of many talents,” he says as he takes my hand.
“And I’m just getting started,” I quip with a smile.
“Don’t I know it. Shall we sit?”
I nod, and he leads me over to one of the benches at the side of the rink. Fairy lights twinkle in the trees overlooking the pond and skaters pass us in a blur. It’s cold, but not bitingly so, and I take a deep breath and let it all surround me. My dad and Micah circle around again and Nathaniel waves Micah over. Micah gives him a grimace but waddles off the ice and comes up to us.