“It’s not that I’m ashamed…” Her voice trails off.
“I get it.” And with me leaving to rehab soon, it’s probably for the best. I have every intention of coming back, but Cami won’t understand.
She releases a heavy sigh. “She was so excited about Victor.”
I wince and my hands remain frozen against her back.
Lana traces an invisible pattern against my chest. “I was careful at first and didn’t have them meet until I was sure he and I were serious.”
The only thing keeping me from slipping away is her soft touch teasing my skin and my growing curiosity at what happened.
“He pressured me into meeting her. That should have been the first sign of many that he wasn’t a good match, but I felt so damn lonely and was scared of losing the one person who made me feel a fraction of what we had.” Her voice cracks, and my arms tighten around her.
I release a heavy sigh.
It’s only right you listen to every word since you’re the one who drove her into this situation in the first place.
I’m an expert at self-inflicted torture, so I can handle one uncomfortable conversation.
“In the beginning, things were good. Cami was happy with him. Even asked me a few times if we were going to get married, although she stopped asking after the first time he babysat her.” Her voice wavers.
I press her tighter against my chest. “You didn’t know.”
She peeks up at me with glassy eyes. “Shouldn’t I have, though? She’s my kid. I’m supposed to know every little thing about her, yet I couldn’t even notice that.”
“He was an asshole.”
“I know that now, but I missed the signs. It wasn’t until she timidly asked me if he would become her daddy that I finally started putting things together.”
My lungs stall, and a hot spike of pain shoots through my chest. I don’t speak in fear of my voice giving me away.
I wished you can be my new daddy.
Did she wish the same about Victor?
Lana continues, unaware of the shift in my mood. “When I questioned her about it, she told me she would rather not have a daddy at all. It was the first warning sign that I actually listened to. Because my girl is a romantic through and through, ever since she watched her first Dreamland princess movie. She even wrote letters to Santa asking for a daddy, only to be disappointed when her search under the tree came up empty.”
A laugh explodes out of me, followed by relief.
She didn’t want Victor to be her dad.
She wanted you.
It’s terrifying yet empowering all at the same time.
A small smile teases Lana’s lips. “One year I had to write a fake letter from Santa to let her know that he can only deliver toys, not people.”
My chest shakes with silent laughter. “A shame.”
“A shame indeed, until she took it up with the next best person.”
“Who?”
“The Easter Bunny.”
My head shakes. “She is the cutest kid ever.”
She sinks into me, her body melting against mine. “I think so, but it’s nice to hear it from someone unbiased.”
I chuckle. “Oh, I was biased the day she hustled me out of six hundred bucks.”
“You didn’t stand a chance, did you?”
“Looks like Castillo women are my one weakness.”
“Only the one?” She grins.
I kiss the stupid smile off her face. She reciprocates, matching my fire with one of her own. I’m not sure how I survived six years without this. Without her. The way I feel around Lana makes the whole world pale in comparison. Like I’ve been stuck living my life in black-and-white, only to have it switched to color.
I’m not sure I can go back to a life without her.
You won’t have to.
So long as I commit to working on myself, I can have Lana forever.
Just like you were meant to.
I pour everything I feel into my kiss. Desire. Love. Hope.
Lana wraps her arms around me and tugs me closer. Everything about us feels right. Like two halves of a puzzle finally joined.
I’m desperate to keep the connection going for as long as I can. I tease, suck, and kiss every inch of her body until she is writhing beneath me, chanting my name with desperation.
It doesn’t take long before I find my head between her thighs again, worshiping her body like I was always meant to. The combined taste of her and me is addicting, and I can’t stop teasing her cunt until she comes on my tongue, rewarding me for my hard work.
Somehow, I end up beneath her with my back pressed against the headboard while she rides my cock.
Every gasp. Every moan. Every little sigh pushes us closer toward the edge.
I drag Lana down with me, teasing her clit until she comes around my dick. She doesn’t stop moving until she comes down from her orgasm. Her body goes slack, and she falls against my chest with a content sigh.
My hands grip her hips as I lift her up and down my cock, desperate to find my own release. Her head rolls back, giving me the perfect opportunity to take one of her nipples into my mouth.
She quivers around me, taking every inch of me like she was meant to.
“Cal.” She grips my hair and tugs, making my scalp prickle from the sensation.
“You like this?” I slam her against my dick, earning a gasp. “Driving me wild?”
She reaches between us and teases her clit.
Fuck. That’s hot.
One of the things I love about Lana is that she has never been shy about seeking her own pleasure. Her finger accidentally grazes against my cock as I slide out of her, making me come so hard I nearly black out. Lana continues riding my cock, playing with her clit until she orgasms again.
Her small smile of triumph draws one of my own. It hits me then that Lana doesn’t just feel like home—she feels like my everything.
I stay inside her for as long as I can, settling back into the mattress while holding her to my chest. Her breathing evens out eventually as she slips into unconsciousness, and I’m left grappling with the emotions she stirred up.
At some point, I drift off to the sound of her steady breathing.
I’ll get up in a minute, I repeat to myself for the third time.
I lied.
“Mommy! Wake up! We’re going to Dreamland today!” Cami bangs against the door.
Lana bolts upright, the sheet falling around her waist. “Oh my God! What are you still doing here?” she whisper-shouts.
“Fuck.” I grab a pillow and cover my head. “I fell asleep.”
“You need to hide!” She rips the pillow away from my hands and throws it toward the end of the bed.
“Mommy? Did you hear me?” Cami slams her palm a few more times.
“Coming! Why don’t you go ahead and pick out your outfit for today.”
“Okay!” Cami’s voice sounds farther away when she answers.
Lana shoots me a look as she slides out of the bed, distracting me with her naked body as she darts around the room, collecting our clothes. She throws her shirt over her head before brushing her fingers through her wild waves.
“Get dressed.” She throws my shorts at my chest.
“I’m going.” I reluctantly climb out of bed.