“I won’t?”
“Leigh-Leigh—”
“No.” I put my hand up to halt him and changed course since I knew he’d fight me tooth and nail about going back to the scene of the crime. “Are you going to come over and train this puppy?”
“Yes.”
“Really. And you’re gonna walk it, and pick up puppy poop, and feed it, and buy its food, and the bed and toys and the hundred other things that come with owning a dog?”
“Yes.”
I let out a long-suffering sigh knowing he’d gladly come over and do all of those things.
“You can’t make decisions without discussing them with me.”
Holden’s body locked and his face fell.
“Damn, Leigh-Leigh, I didn’t mean to…you’re right. I should’ve talked to you first. Faith mentioned how much she loved Tank and Axel and there’s another litter from the same parents. I got ahead of myself.”
Shit. Why’d he have to go and apologize and admit he was wrong? That took the wind out of my sails and made my blood pressure lower.
Maybe a puppy wouldn’t be so bad. Faith had been asking for years if she could get a pet. And I bet if Tank or Axel had been at my side when Chad knocked, the dog would’ve torn him apart before he’d had the chance to knock me out and take my child.
Okay, so maybe a dog was a really great idea.
“We’ll go look at the puppy when they’re—”
“Yippy!” Faith shouted and twirled. “Oh, yeah, I’m getting a dog.” She continued to do some weird jig that included kicking her feet, flailing her arms, and contorting her body in a way that would have me in traction for a year.
Seriously worried about injury, I asked, “Do you have homework?”
“Yep. I have new spelling words. But they’re easy, and two pages of math.”
I had no doubt the spelling words would be easy for Faith—if I had to guess, I’d say the math would be easy for her, too. I’d been blessed with a brilliant daughter and God knows I didn’t pass that gene down to her.
“Wash your hands and grab your homework and take it into the kitchen. I made you a snack.”
She nodded and rushed to Holden, wrapped her arms around his waist, and stared up at him like he hung the moon. Oh, yeah, my daughter had fallen hard for Holden.
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t make you the snack, doll. You should thank your mom.”
“I’m talking about the puppy. I promise I’ll take care of it and help you train him. I want him to sit, roll over, and play dead.”
“I’m sure we can manage that.”
“You’re the best!” She broke the hug and ran off down the hall.
“Oh, Lord. She’s wrapped you around her finger,” I muttered.
“Leigh-Leigh.” He smiled. “It’s not my fault. I tried, I really did, but when she got this little frown and told me how much she’d always wanted a puppy, I couldn’t say no.”
“Right. And I’m sure she gave you sad eyes and told you all about the time she found a kitten and only had it a week before the owner contacted us and thankfully came over to pick up the beast.”
“She didn’t call it a beast.”
“It was the devil. It clawed my couch, my curtains, it hissed and bit. I was so happy when someone finally responded to the SOS I put out.”
“She played me.”
“Oh, yeah, she did. You better toughen up or she’ll run roughshod all over you.”
“Nah.”
“Seriously—"
“Baby, I was joking. I knew she was playing me and I didn’t mind.”
Of course, he’d know Faith’s big, pleading eyes and pout. What scared the hell out of me was, he didn’t mind. In a few short days, Holden had done an about-face.
Faith came skidding back into the foyer and announced, “Ready.”
Neither Holden nor I moved. Our eyes locked and the old Holden was back. The one who didn’t conceal how he felt about me. The man who openly loved me. And when he turned his gentle gaze on Faith, she froze and I knew she saw the difference, too.
Oh, boy, we were in trouble with a capital T and an exclamation point.
Shit.
It wasn’t only my daughter that had fallen—Holden had, too.
“Come on. Let’s go see what your mom made.” Holden gestured to the kitchen.
Faith pulled herself from her stupor enough to nod and woodenly turn toward the kitchen.
I was thinking about what I was going to tell Faith about Holden when he walked past me and stopped.
“Babe, tonight don’t even think about hiding again. Gave you last night to sort yourself. You didn’t take Faith and run. You didn’t tell me to leave. I want you to know I heard every word you said the other night. I’m all-in to prove to you I’m here to stay. But I also felt you, and, Leigh-Leigh, you cannot deny you want me to prove those things to you. Tonight, you’re in my bed and this time you’re staying.”
With that, Holden sauntered off, not giving me a chance to reply. Not that I had anything to say. He was right; I hadn’t run or kicked him out. I also really wanted to stay so he could prove he was the man I’d always thought he was.
“Christ. Your mouth,” Holden growled. “Heaven.”
I smiled around his cock and took him as deep as I could go. My eyes lifted to his and he groaned.
“Up,” he demanded.
I didn’t follow his demand. Instead, I wrapped my hand around his shaft and stroked him while I worked the head of his dick with my tongue. Past experience told me I had approximately ten seconds left to enjoy Holden in my mouth. Ten seconds to drive him crazy with need. The results of my efforts would be otherworldly.
The mere thought of him filling me up made my pussy clench.
“Up,” he repeated, but this time he didn’t give me a chance to obey. His hands went under my pits and he pulled me up over
