Hard Hit (IceCats 3)

The fuck we are!

My heart jumps into my throat, but I have to fix this. I want to fix this. “You’re more than welcome to touch Celeste—” I pause as my brows come in and her eyes widen. “That sounded really bad. I mean I want you to touch… For fuck’s sake—” At this point, the three idiots are snorting with laughter. I whip my head to yell at them, but then Jaylin’s hand touches mine. I look at her, our gazes locking, and her smile knocks me into last week. I swear it. “I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable or as if I don’t think you know what you’re doing with Celeste—”

Her smile grows. “I don’t know. I only remember a little bit from helping raise Callie, Aviva’s sister, but it broke my heart that Celeste was crying. And you were so kind to help me out with that shitshow of a date I had. I wanted to help her.”

“I want you to help her,” I blurt out, and when D’Artagnan covers his face in embarrassment, I know I’m drowning here. I hold up my hand. “Can I start over?”

She beams at me. “You don’t have to.”

I exhale as I get lost in her eyes. I don’t even know what to say to start over, but then I’m just talking, which sometimes isn’t good. Here we go. “I want you to feel comfortable around us. We’re a package deal.”

Her lips tip, and I can see the playfulness in her eyes. “You and Celeste? Or you, Celeste, and the Three Musketeers?”

I look over at the three hemorrhoids I’ve obtained, and they’re all grinning really hard. Owen even waves, and I want to groan. I swallow as I look back to her just as Celeste grabs Jaylin’s wrist and starts to gnaw on her. That breaks our intense staredown as Jaylin laughs, cupping the back of the baby’s head.

“Oh, I feel teeth coming in,” she giggles, and I let out a breath.

“Yeah, they should be breaking through soon.”

She beams at Celeste, and my heart soars. She moves a piece of hair off Celeste’s temple and asks, “Can I hold her?”

I’m nodding before I answer. “Of course.”

She reaches for Celeste as I undo her seat, and she goes willingly, cuddling deep in Jaylin’s bosom. My heart is pounding in my chest as I watch her coo and gush over Celeste. Jaylin leans her head on Celeste’s, her eyes meeting mine, and then she kisses the top of her head. It’s like in a movie—everything fades away, and a spotlight falls right on them. I don’t hear a word, a sound; all I see is her holding my girl. The contrast of her skin to Celeste’s is stunning, gorgeous. I’ve never in my life felt this way about anyone other than Jaylin. The moment I met her, I knew she was special, but things got in the way.

Not anymore.

“You’re so beautiful.”

I blink. Did I say that out loud?

From the cackling from across the table and the soft glow filling Jaylin’s cheeks, I realize I did.

Her eyes are so dark, so gorgeous, but then, the moment is ruined when D’Artagnan leans toward me and asks, “Are you talking to Jaylin, Celeste, or me?”

“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, and that sends the table into a fit of hysteria. Well, just those three because I’m watching Jaylin hold Celeste with this dreamy look on her face, and everything inside me is burning.

I can’t stop myself, nor do I want to. I lean forward, over the high chair, and cup Jaylin’s chin, bringing her to my lips. She doesn’t hesitate or resist. She leans into me, our lips meeting in a needy embrace. Her lips are thick, luscious, and even more perfect than I remember. She tastes like cider and fries, and I want to consume her. I’m on my way to doing just that when my daughter’s hand grips my jaw.

It’s as if a bucket of cold water is dropped on me.

I lean back, only a breath away, opening my eyes to find Jaylin’s still closed. Her long lashes kiss her cheeks, and I swear I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as her. Slowly, she opens her eyes, meeting mine, and I gasp for breath. She gets more gorgeous by the second. “I couldn’t resist.”

One side of her lips curves. “No?”

“No. I’ve wanted to do that for a very long time.”

Her eyes sparkle. “Why’d you wait?”

“Because I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”

“I did,” she whispers. “Very much so.”

That’s all she needs to say. Kids or not, I’m gonna kiss this girl again. Before I can, though, Owen asks, “Do you want us to take Celeste? I don’t think her young eyes can handle that.”

“For real. You’re probably traumatizing her,” D’Artagnan adds.

“I feel like we should just go,” Evan says, and Jaylin’s lips curve up into a winning grin.