“Oh, okay. Please take her off our hands, I've been waiting twenty-five years for this. But I'll tell you one thing…”
“Ah yes.” Daniel looks up, looking confused as hell as if he's wondering what he's going to say next. I mean c'mon, he is Mac's dad. Her crazy had to come from somewhere.
“There are no returns, no refunds, no warranties and no money back guarantees. You want her, you've got her. For life. Until you take your last breath.”
“Wouldn't have it any other way, John.” Daniel stand and holds out his hand. John stands up and shakes his hand before pulling Daniel in for a man hug.
“Welcome to the family, Daniel. She couldn't have picked a better husband and father of her children than you.” Well, shit. I feel like an intruder now.
“So you're asking her tonight?” John asks, flagging Zach and ordering a round of whisky.
“I want to ask her before the babies arrive, and since it's her birthday, it will be a day she'll never forget. She'll always remember her birthday as the day I asked her to marry me.”
“Well, this calls for a decent drink to celebrate,” he states emphatically. “It's not every day I gain a son.”
“I'll always do right by her, John. I promise you that.”
“Enough, Daniel. Our Mac needs a superhero to keep her in line,” he says with a wink.
I knew Mac got her crazy from him.
“Should Mac ask our permission too?” Will asks with an amused voice.
“Don't you start, old man. You're gaining another daughter and two grandchildren. You're getting a great deal already,” Daniel says with a laugh.
“Too true,” he replies.
“Now, enough of this sappy shit. Let's grab our drinks and head over to the pool table. I feel like kicking some ass,” John announces, standing up just as Zach returns with four tumblers of Macallan on the rocks each. He quirks an eyebrow at me, and I just nod, letting him know I'm fine.
We all walk over to the pool table and spend the next few hours talking shit and playing pool with Daniel, his father, and his future father-in-law. It was just what the doctor ordered ahead of what could be one of the worst nights of my life.
Chapter 24: “The Mess I Made”
ZANDER
I'm sitting on the couch surfing the internet when Kate comes dancing through the door, literally bouncing with happiness.
“Hey, babe,” she says cheerfully, dropping her purse on the counter and heading toward me.
“Hey. How was your day?” I ask, putting the computer on the coffee table and holding my arms out to her. She jumps into my lap, making me grunt in discomfort before she gives me a soft sweeping kiss.
“It was the best day ever. Daniel proposed to Mac on the L in front of a bunch of total strangers. It was epic.”
I chuckle at her excitement. “That's awesome. I'm really happy for them. He asked Mac's dad for his permission at the bar this afternoon.”
“You had a drink with Daniel? And the dads?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh Zan, that's awesome.” She bounces in my lap, which makes my dick jump to life like there's a party in Kate's pants and it wants to gatecrash. Suddenly, my mind is clear of everything Mac and Daniel and full of everything that is Kate naked underneath me.
“Babe, you keep looking at me like that, and I'll have you on your back in five seconds flat.”
“Don't make promises you can't keep.” Her eyes fall to half-mast as I run my arm up her back, tangle my fingers in her soft red hair and pull her lips to mine. My tongue moves in for the kill, seeking hers and rolling over it causing us both to groan into each other's mouths. I need her naked; I need to be skin on skin. Suddenly, we're ripping our clothes off, and I'm lying on top of a naked Kate on the couch.
“See,” I say, a cocky smirk on my face.
“Now you got me, what are you going to do with me?” She raises an eyebrow, her eyes dancing with amusement, but still flickering with lust.
I thrust my hips against hers, my aim right on target as she moans loudly. I lean down and kiss her, taking her mouth as if it's the last time I'm ever going to kiss her. Reaching between us, I stroke my fingers over her wet pu**y, circling her clit until she's writhing against my hand. She's wet as hell, and it's all for me. Her whimpers and moans are driving me crazy and I know I need to be inside her. Overcome with feeling, I move my knees out slightly so that they fall between her thighs, opening her up to me.
“Fuck. I need to go grab a condom.”
She reaches up and cups my jaw in her small hands. “I want to feel you, Zan. I don't want anything between us. I'm safe, and I'm on the pill. I trust you.”
I hover over her and watch her face for any uncertainty. Fuck, she trusts me. The intensity of this moment threatens to pull me under, but I shove it back and slowly push my way inside her. She grips my back, her fingernails digging in just enough to sting. Fuck, I love this woman, and by God does she feel good wrapped around my cock.
“Baby, you feel like heaven.”
“Mmm,” she says before kissing me again. I slow down and make love to her, taking my time and savoring this moment. It may be the last time I see her. The last time I can touch her, be with her. Whatever happens after our talk tonight, I know that I'll always love her. Nothing can sway my feelings. She's it for me. My princess. My life. As we climax together, I kiss her slowly. With every stroke of my tongue against hers, every caress of her lips, I'm memorizing every part of her; her taste, her smell, the cute little sounds she makes when she's turned on.
“I love you,” she murmurs against my lips. Her husky voice reaches my heart, squeezing hard. I never thought I'd hurt her, but this is the mess I've made. I only hope she'll listen to me long enough to give me a chance to explain.
KATE
After a shower and another orgasm from Zander's talented mouth, I'm sitting on the couch twiddling my thumbs. Zander said he wants to have a talk after dinner, so I'm kind of anxious. I see his laptop open and decide that I could check my emails to pass the time until he's dressed and ready to go grab a bite to eat.
“Zan, Can I use your computer to check my emails. The battery is dead on mine,” I yell down the hallway.
“Sure, babe. Password is firebird.”
Firebird? Where have I heard that name before?
I type the password in and open the web browser, typing in my email account and waiting for the page to load. I check out his bookmarks and notice “Chicago Singles” as one of his most visited pages. That doesn't seem right. Zander would never need to go on an internet dating site. I mean, he's the God of Gorgeousness. He doesn't need the internet. He could just flex a muscle or lift his shirt, and he'd have women attacking him. It's worse now that he's working full time; the police uniform is rather f**king hot.