“I know,” I growl, reading the anxiety flickering in her eyes. “But if we don’t want to tell Natalie yet…”
“I get it. It’s best to be somewhere private.”
This conversation causes a jagged feeling of guilt to swirl through me, twisting in my gut, taunting me with insults aimed at my status as my little gnat’s father.
It’s fair.
This is wrong.
I should tell her before I take her best friend on a date.
But it’s like my body physically won’t allow me to leave Kelly. There’s a beast deep inside of me, fueled by my seed and my need to put babies in my queen’s womb, roaring at me to never get too far away from her. I have to protect her, be close to her, no matter what.
Because there are predators out there, weak fucks like Lennie, and if they ever try to touch my woman I’ll crush them into the dirt.
“We can tell her,” I say.
She glances at me, a note of her signature sassiness in her expression. “We’ve already discussed this.”
I grin wolfishly and lean over, kissing her cheek just as the light changes. “You’re going to be such an amazing mother.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her wringing her hands. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you can be soft when you need to be and stern when you have to be.”
She smiles at me. I can feel the heat of her affection even as I focus on the road, taking the turn that will lead us to the underground parking of the high rise restaurant.
“I’ve always wanted a family. But I always… it doesn’t matter.”
“What?” I growl.
“You’ll make fun of me.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“I always wanted it to be with you,” she says in a quick rush. “I had such a huge crush on you…”
“Wait?” I glance at her, at the redness of her cheeks, the blush creeping down her neck and disappearing into her dress, making my already heavy balls feel somehow weightier. “Really?”
“Majorly,” she murmurs. “Did you really never know?”
“Of course not. To be honest, I barely remembered your name until I saw that selfie of you at the photography studio, as your phone background. I was just happy Natalie had a friend. If that makes me sound like a self-involved piece of shit, so be it, but I had my business and my fighting to take care of.”
“It’s okay. Obviously, I knew you never noticed me. But these past couple of years, ever since high school – while you’ve been away – I guess you could say I’ve been having crazy fantasies about you.”
My cock stiffens even more as I drive us toward the underground parking lot. I reach over to the keypad and press a couple of buttons.
“Whoah, fancy,” she murmurs. “Are you a regular or something?”
“Something like that.”
I drive through the busy underground parking lot, to a separate internal garage, where I stop and reach out to swipe my thumb along another keypad. The door opens and the lights automatically switch on as I guide the car into the private garage, over by the gleaming silver elevators.
“Wait a second,” Kelly says once I’ve brought the car to a stop. She turns to me. “Do you own this place?”
I shrug. “I own a large percentage of it, yes, including most of the offices and the top-floor restaurant.”
Her mouth falls open and she stares. Her eyes are light and captivating, but I struggle to believe she can feel the same captivation that moves through me every damn moment, consuming me right down to my bones.
“What is it?” I chuckle. “I thought you knew I had money.”
“Yeah, but there’s having money and then there’s this. This is incredible. And you have your charities… you’ve used your MMA money well.”
I nod a note of pride thrumming in my chest. I never normally allow myself time to dwell on my achievements. A man must always keep looking forward if he’s going to get anywhere in life, but I can’t deny the truth of her words.
“Others bought cars, houses, jewelry, and then it was gone. I bought cars, houses… not so much jewelry, but you get the point. After I invested it intelligently. A man with a small fortune can make an even bigger fortune if he puts his mind to it. Fighting gave me my start, but real estate is going to give us our future, Kelly, leaving you free to pursue your art.”
She leans back against the window, head tilted adorably. I could spend the next several years studying all the different expressions my sassy girl's face can make. “Since when did you know about my art?”
“Since I sat outside your apartment earlier, trying to convince myself to leave.”
I’d sat there for half an hour, staring at her building, one voice inside of me screaming at me to retreat while the other – powered by the atavistic desire inside me – snapped at me to charge in there and claim her.