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  He let out another groan, deep and loud, with his mouth on my neck. His body shuddered repeatedly, and he thrust his hips forward three more times before he finally collapsed.

  He panted wildly, still stuck in the moment, his forehead glued to my cheek. Sweat was everywhere, along with the smell of liberating ecstasy.

  I turned my head when he lifted his, and when our eyes met, I couldn’t believe what’d just happened.

  After so many years . . .

  It was still the same—we were the same. Honestly, it was even better than before.

  “Why did I let you go?” I whispered, stroking the right half of his face. Tears rimmed my eyes as well as his.

  “You didn’t let me go. I’ve been here. I never fucking left you, babe.”

  My throat thickened with emotion as I dropped my hand and looked away. I had no choice but to unleash the tears.

  He swiped each droplet away, then he said, “Chloe, look at me.” I looked up and a smile graced his lips. “We were never done. You hear me?” His mouth came closer. “Look at what we just did—how fucking powerful that was. I haven’t felt like this in years. Not since I was with you.”

  I nodded, just enough for him to see. I sat up to get a better look of his eyes. “Please don’t tell me you want to divorce your wife because of me.”

  His lips pressed. He was ashamed to confirm it, but obviously it was true.

  “Why? What if I would have rejected you? What if I would have said no?”

  “You wouldn’t have. I didn’t come here to be turned down. Failure wasn’t an option.” He chuckled and I couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t need to be with her anyway.”

  “We shouldn’t sneak around behind Izzy again, Theo.”

  “We won’t. I’ll tell her.”

  “When?”

  “As soon as I know you’re actually mine again and not thinking about that fucker that stole you from me.”

  “He didn’t steal me.” I pulled my legs away and stood. “We just . . . got to know one another better. Same way you and your wife did.”

  “Stop calling her that,” he muttered.

  “What?” I threw my hands in the air. “She is your wife, Theo. You’re still married and the divorce probably won’t be final for months.” Knowing that made my heart squeeze in my chest. Months seemed ridiculous. All of this felt like a damn dream.

  He stood up when I turned away and stepped into my shorts. “You’re upset,” he noted.

  I turned quickly to face him. “Of course I am. I was happy for you before, but now I’m just . . . envious of her, I guess.” I waved a hand.

  “Why, when I already told you I don’t want her, but I want you?” He was utterly confused now.

  “I don’t know, okay?” I shrugged. “But I guess this is what I deserve after leaving the way I did.”

  He studied me as I slouched back down on the sofa. “Is that why you’ve been checking my Facebook?”

  I jerked my head up, shocked. “How do you know that?”

  He sat back down and turned my way, giving me his undivided attention.

  “How did you know that?” I asked again, and he smirked.

  “You liked one of my posts by accident. A picture of Izzy and me. It was a few months ago. It was also a public post. I made it my cover photo.”

  Embarrassment swallowed me whole. “Theo—I—”

  “No need to explain.” He folded his fingers. “I was doing the same thing.”

  Well that was a relief. “You were?”

  He bobbed his head. “That’s why I made an account. To look for you.”

  “Well, at least I don’t seem like too much of a stalker now, but it’s still pretty embarrassing.”

  He laughed. “I think I would be a little more upset if you weren’t checking up on me.” He watched my eyes carefully and then he sat back, pulling me closer. I rested my ear on his chest, and he kissed me on the top of the head.

  “I want you back, Chloe.” His voice was firm.

  “And I want you, Theo. But wanting each other doesn’t come easy. People will get hurt.”

  “Yeah, but we’ll get through it. It’s okay to be selfish sometimes, you know?” He tipped my chin so I could look at him. “Just don’t run away this time.” He grinned and I playfully smacked his chest.

  “I can’t make any promises on that one.”

  Chapter Eleven

  THEO

  It was nearing 3:00 a.m.

  I was still in Chloe’s house, but we were in bed now. I wrapped my arm around her middle, pulling her closer. I needed her close. I wanted the warmth only she could provide.

  I craved another taste of her sweet, young pussy, but I knew it was best to wait it out. I didn’t want to add too much pressure to the situation. I could tell she was thinking about what we’d just done. I hoped she wasn’t regretting it.

  She had to have been thinking about it. I was, lying in the same bed this fucker slept in with her. I hated the thought of it, but stuck it out for Chloe. It was late, and she was still awake. Something deep down made me wonder if staying up this late was a normal thing for her.

  “This seems . . . strange,” she said quietly as she rolled over to look at me.

  “How so?”

  “I don’t know . . . us getting back together. It was way too easy, don’t you think?”

  I pushed up on my elbow and she rolled over so I could look down at her. “Should I have made it harder?”

  “No,” she blurted out.

  “Good. ‘Cause I don’t believe in playing games. I know what I want. Why fight it?”

  She shrugged, bashful now.

  “You’re too used to him playing games with your heart. That’s all. He’s a bullshitter. I’m not, and you know it. Real men don’t do shit like what he does.”

  She scowled up at me, but said nothing. Her lips twisted as if she were thinking about it. She knew I was right.

  “What?” I asked.

  “He left because he’s not over Janet.”

  That, I must admit, caught me by total surprise.

  She sat up on one elbow with me, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “He called off the engagement because he still thinks about her.”

  I looked away, towards the streetlights that were filtering in through the window. “So do I, but I know I can’t dwell on it. Nothing will bring her back.”

  “She was his first love.”

  “And she was mine too,” I snapped. “Probably before he was even born.”

  She looked me straight in the eyes, unflinching. “I didn’t mean it that way, Theo.”

  “I know you didn’t.” Turning over, I sat on the edge of the bed, exhaling deeply. “It’s not that he’s not over her. He’s just a fucking coward. Same as I was. He’s not ready to let go of the memories or the idea of her.” I swiped a finger across my nose. “What he doesn’t realize is that he doesn’t have to. It’s okay to keep the memories. What wouldn’t be right is if he acts like she never even existed. At least I told you when I was thinking about her. I could talk to you because you understood.”

  “I know,” she murmured.

  I looked over my shoulder at her. Her hair was smoother now from the shower she took. I could smell her vanilla scent from where I sat. She smelled good—sweet enough to eat again.

  “Should I go?” I asked.

  Her head shook. “No. You don’t have to. You can stay if you want.”

  Reaching over, I stroked the apple of her cheek and then tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. Her smile was soft, but tired. “I think I should go. Give you some time to think about all of this.” I stood, walking to her side of the bed. My lips pressed on her forehead and I sighed.

  Her skin was so soft, and her hair smelled so damn good. I missed this girl. I missed her so damn much. She honestly had no fucking clue how much.

  “I’ll text you in a few hours. We can go for lunch later,” I said.

  She bobbed her head with a smile.
“I’d like that.”

  “Wish I could pick you up on Ol’ Charlie.” I smirked.

  She giggled. “Ahh, the memories.”

  Her laugh tickled every fiber in my body. Grabbing her hands, I picked her up and reeled her in, cupping her full ass in my hands as she fought her amusement.

  “Theo,” she giggled with warning.

  I grinned, looking down at her. “What? Can’t help myself.” I draped my arms around her waist instead.

  “I missed your laugh.” I kissed the tip of her nose. “I missed everything about you. See how fucking cheesy you make me?” When she picked up her head, I caught her lips. Her arms fastened around the back my neck, chest pressing on mine. I could feel her pebbled nipples through the fabric of our shirts.

  She moaned lightly, and that moan alone was enough to make me want to take her again. I was a little rough earlier, but I couldn’t help myself or hold back.

  It’d been so long.

  I’d wanted her pussy for years, pretending Sheila was Chloe just to temporarily satisfy myself. Chloe’s pussy was remarkable in every way—impossible to forget.

  Wet.

  Soft.

  Snug.

  She fit around me perfectly.

  Next time I was going to take it slow.

  I would make it last a little longer.

  I would be gentler.

  “You’d better go,” she teased, running a finger across my bottom lip. “I wouldn’t want you to end up not making it back to Izzy.”

  She licked her bottom lip, only fueling the raging fire in my jeans.

  “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “I know you will.” She placed one last kiss on my lips and then pulled her arms away.

  “Go back to bed. I can walk myself out. I know you’re exhausted.”

  She slid beneath the sheets again, rolling onto her side, still looking up at me. “Drive safely, Theo.”

  I bent down, placing a kiss on the apple of her cheek. “I will. Sleep tight, Little Knight.”

  It was too late for Isabelle to be awake . . . or should I say too early?

  I unlocked the door to my suite and walked in, peering towards the bedroom. The light was off. She was most likely sleeping.

  Dropping my keys on the counter, I let out a deep sigh of both relief and euphoria, walking towards the mini-fridge to get a bottle of water.

  As I cracked the bottle open, I heard a door squeak on the hinges and looked back. Izzy was walking out of the bathroom, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was a mess, and she wore a knee length shirt that said “Mornings Suck”.

  I took a quick sip and turned to look her.

  I’m sure she wouldn’t have noticed me if I was sitting, but I was standing right by the window, the moon shining right down on me.

  “Dad?” she called.

  “Yeah, sweetie?”

  “What are you doing up? It’s almost four in the freakin’ morning.”

  “Just got here, Iz.”

  She stepped closer. “You were at Dane’s for that long?” Her eyes stretched a little bit. She was scrutinizing me now.

  “We had a lot of catching up to do,” I told her. Fuck. Why lie? Just tell the fucking truth. I promised Chloe . . .

  “Oh. I guess that makes sense. It’s been, like, five years or something, right?” She yawned. “I hope you aren’t hung over in the morning because I am not taking care of you. Drink some water.”

  I chuckled. “I won’t be. I’ll be fine. Go get some rest.”

  She bobbed her head, her messy ponytail bouncing up and down. She turned off the bathroom light switch, and then turned around, shuffling back into the bedroom and shutting the door behind her.

  I pulled my shirt off and set up the sleeper sofa next. As I crashed in my boxers, I couldn’t help thinking about Chloe.

  It was a risk—me showing up there and not knowing if he was around—but it didn’t matter.

  A real man takes what he wants.

  A real man knows what he wants.

  And a real man will never give up on what he knows he needs.

  I wished shit with us was simpler. I wished that I’d never given Sheila that ring. I never should have acted out of spite. Deep down, it was payback for Chloe. For leaving me. For abandoning me.

  I thought, well if she doesn’t want me, someone else will. And I was right, but it was a big fucking mistake.

  Now, I didn’t know what Sheila was going to do. I didn’t exactly wait to hear what she had to say. I saw no point, and was kind of glad I didn’t stick around when I received the hundred voicemails about how she “hated” me and wasn’t going to settle with the negotiations.

  She needed to cool down. She said she was going to fly to Florida and be with her sister because she couldn’t stand to be in the house. But I knew even if she signed, she wasn’t going to do so until she took everything I owned.

  I owned a business. I made a better income than her. I hoped she would be a decent adult and treat the situation respectfully.

  Being in Bristle Wave brought back so many memories, so many things that I tried to forget. Chloe wasn’t too far away. My Little Knight wanted me back just as much as I wanted her, and this time I wasn’t letting her walk away, no matter the circumstances we were in.

  Chapter Twelve

  THEO

  Pans clanked. Water turned on and off. Music was blasting from speakers.

  I groaned, rolling over. Izzy was in the small kitchen, tampering with the stovetop. She had a red bowl in her hand, her hair piled on top of her head. From this view, she looked just like her mother.

  I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. “Iz, what time is it?” I asked, voice dry and raspy.

  “8:30,” she responded with a grin. A grin because she knew how much I hated mornings.

  “What the hell are you doing anyway?” I countered, pushing off the couch and stretching.

  She was about to answer, but then her eyes dropped down to the area between my legs and they grew wide. Her eyebrows shot up as her face turned cherry red and she yelled, “Eww! Oh my God, Dad! What the hell! Put it away!”

  She turned her back to me just as quickly as she yelled. I looked down, immediately cupping my morning wood. Shit!

  Izzy was facing the stove, doing her best to laugh it off, but I’m sure she was shuddering with disgust more than anything. I picked up a pair of sweatpants and covered up, marching towards the bathroom. My eyes were still wide when I met at the door and tugged the pants on. “You weren’t supposed to see that,” I stated, voice hesitant.

  Izzy took a side-glance but then snatched her eyes away as if she would catch sight of it again. She tried not to laugh—she really did. I was so fucking embarrassed. Too embarrassed to even speak on it, better yet tell her to stop fucking laughing at me.

  “I knew I should have gotten my own room,” she choked out, holding the bowl of pancake batter close. She still wasn’t looking at me, and I couldn’t even blame her.

  She started up a nervous giggle—not an oh-my-gosh-this-is-so-funny giggle but an oh-my-fucking-God-I-just-saw-my-dad’s-boner-and-am-so-fucking-grossed-out kind of giggle. I hoped she wouldn’t go around thinking about that shit all day. Fuck.

  “Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, opening the bathroom door. “Just . . . pretend you didn’t see that. Shit—Iz, I can’t even talk about it with you! Just don’t look at me for the rest of the day. All right? Good.”

  She shook her head, her face still flamed red. “You don’t even have to worry about that, Dad. I’m not sure there’s much I can say to justify the awkward as hell situation we’re in right now anyway.” She looked sideways again, but not fully at me. I could tell. She was fucking mortified. “Gah, this is just like that time I walked in on you and Mom. I swore I would always knock first from now on. I guess I couldn’t really knock this time though. It was just like BOOM, there it is! Jesus Christ,” she scoffed, finally peering at me. “I’m still grossed out here. This was not how I planned on startin
g my morning!”

  I held up a hand. “What are you trying to do? Let the whole hotel know? Look, forget it ever even happened, all right? And stop looking at me! Finish up the pancakes!”

  “Yeah. Okay. Sure thing, Pops,” she snickered, shaking her head swiftly.

  I walked into the bathroom and released a heavy breath, silently laughing as I started up the shower.

  As the water ran, I gave Chloe a text, letting her know all about my embarrassing mishap.

  She responded right back to my surprise.

  Little Knight: LOL. Wow. I bet she is flipping shit right now!

  I didn’t wake up with a hard on for no damn reason. I dreamed of her . . . again.

  I had to rub the image of my own fucking daughter seeing me at a vulnerable state out of my head, but when I focused my thoughts on Chloe, it helped. Just thinking about her sweet pussy, her scent that was still on me was enough.

  I dropped my boxers, got into the shower, and peered down at my swollen cock. Gripping it in hand, I began stroking lightly. Slowly. Remembering how her soft tongue and mouth felt wrapped around me. How she sucked me like she owned my cock—like she never wanted it away from me again.

  Water trickled through my hair as I pressed my left hand on the white tile, stroking harder now. Faster.

  I was close . . .

  Until the words, “Eww! Oh my God, Dad! What the hell?” blared in my head like a foghorn.

  I yanked my hand away, pressing it on the tile wall.

  Nope.

  I couldn’t fucking do it.

  I guess that’s what happens when you end up in such an awkward situation in front of your kid and it involves your junk.

  You can’t escape that shit.

  Fuck me.

  “All right, Dad.” After breakfast, Izzy had the handle of her suitcase in hand and a pair of sunglasses perched on top of her head that kept her hair tucked back. “I’m out of here.” She smiled broadly at me as I followed her to the door.

  “I’ll walk you down.” I grabbed her suitcase. I was glad she wasn’t making a big deal about what happened this morning, though she was still sniggering while we ate breakfast.