I guessed we had that in common. Abandonment. From the very people who were supposed to love us unconditionally. It made me want to protect her from anyone who tried to hurt her ever again.
Chapter 27
Camilla
Trey stayed for dinner, and we sat on the floor around my coffee table, sharing a pizza before he attacked the cupcakes Debbie had brought over.
We ended up calling Leila so we could say good night to our daughter. The beaming smile on her face when she saw that we were together at my apartment made it clear what she hoped would happen.
“Lose the grin, Little Lair, and put our daughter on.”
“Sure, sure. Hold on.” The screen rapidly shifted as Leila handed the phone to Alivia.
“Hi, Mommy. Hi, Daddy.” Seeing her beautiful face combined with her salutation brought me such joy.
“Hey, Squirt,” Trey said, leaning his shoulder harder against mine. “Having fun?”
“So much fun! Leila painted me and Siarra’s nails. Look.” She shoved her fuchsia-tipped fingers toward the cell phone. “I picked this color because it matches Hello Kitty’s bow.”
“It’s so pretty, sweetie,” I said.
“I know. Are you coming for pancakes tomorrow? Leila said she’s going to make Mickey Mouse ones.”
“Only if Leila makes me a Goofy pancake,” Trey said firmly. “I like him better.”
Alivia waved a hand with mock disdain. “Oh, Daddy.”
“Sweetheart, make sure you’re a good girl for Jack and Leila, and Miss Beverly, okay?”
“Yes, Mommy. Love you.” Her eyes widened before she added, “Oh, and you too, Daddy.”
“We love you too, Squirt.” Chills covered my arms at hearing him say that. After the day we’d shared, I dared to imagine us as a family. Sure, we were a long way from that reality, but in just one day so much had already changed.
“Wait. I almost forgot. Miss Leila said today was your birthday. We’ll have to have another party so you can make a birthday wish.”
“I already got my wish… you.” He smiled wide for her and winked. “But okay, we’ll have another party if that’s what you want.”
“I do. And I have a surprise for you when you come tomorrow.”
“I can’t wait.”
“Bye, guys.” When the call ended, he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “She looks like she’s having a ball.”
“She won’t forget you okayed a party,” I teased, fully aware he was still pressing his body against mine. “FYI, her last birthday involved mani-pedis.”
“What the hell are mani-pedis?”
“Oh, you’ll see,” I said around a grin. But my smile soon faded as he drilled that hypnotic gaze right through me. His eyes then shifted down to my lips and held there, igniting me from the inside out.
He looked up for the briefest moment, as if debating, and then crushed his lips against mine with no warning. Until now, his kisses served as the worst form of foreplay… firing me up only to leave me hanging. And I had no idea what his position was on crossing a line we hadn’t yet, but I knew damn sure at that moment that if he were to go further, I’d take the leap willingly.
As if reading my mind, he wrapped his hand around my ponytail to ease my head back and deepen the kiss. Sexy strokes of his tongue against mine drove me insane. He tasted of sugar, and I gripped his wrist just to be sure he wasn’t stopping anytime soon.
Thankfully, Trey had no intention of stopping when he easily lifted me with one arm to position my ass on his lap. And when I shifted on his crotch, a sexy moan traveled through him. It spurred him to skim his hands around my hips and up my back. After a few firm passes across my T-shirt, they then slipped under the fabric to run over my bare skin.
They suddenly stopped to grip my sides, bringing his thumbs just below my breasts. This was too much. He was driving me crazy, and I needed more. The opportunity couldn’t be more perfect, and the mere thought of stopping caused a swell of panic so strong I took matters into my own hands by pulling away from his mouth to remove my shirt.
I almost laughed at his stunned expression, until he ran one fingertip over the swell of my breast before circling the hardened nipple beneath the lace… and in the process erasing any trace of humor.
His mouth replaced his touch, but he then thought better of it by hooking the cup with a finger and dragging it down to release my breast. He then continued my torment by pulling its pebbled peak between his lips.
“Trey,” I said, his name encased in a heavy breath. His response was to wrap his free hand around my other breast and squeeze. I seriously couldn’t take any more… and resorted to pleading.
Trey
“Trey, please.”
“Please what?” I asked against her sweet flesh. Christ, I could suck on her all day. And if my cock hadn’t been painfully begging to be let out, I might have. She didn’t respond, but I really didn’t need her to.
I twisted her body in my arms and stood to carry her toward her room. If this was going to happen, on a worn linoleum floor wasn’t where it would. And as visions of thrusting into her stole my thoughts, a flash of regret tried to steal my nerve.
This was Camilla, the mother of my child, no longer the star-crazed fan who’d embarked on an adventure seven years ago by using me. Nor was she like all the females I’d mindlessly fucked to fill the loneliness in my core.
Not wanting to hurt her gave me pause long enough to halt as she searched my face. I needed to slow my roll and not come off as a horny fucker. Especially since I was a horny fucker.
“Are you okay?” she asked nervously.
“Yes. I worry about you.”
“I’m fine, Trey.” She cupped my jaw to keep my eyes on hers. “I’m more than fine.”
“I don’t want to rush you into anything that you—” Her hand clapped against my mouth.
“Trey. You’re not rushing me. I’ve been wanting you since that kiss on the beach.” Well, damn. “Besides… it’s still your birthday,” she added before dotting my jaw and neck with her soft lips. With each kiss, she managed to tug me back into the good visions, the one where we finally came together after all these weeks of push and pull.
The last place she kissed was my mouth. Slowly, we caught up to where I had left off… together, each taking a turn to raise the bar. But touches and kisses quickly became inadequate.
We hastily stripped off our clothes, because our patience had run out. Beneath the denim shorts, beneath the lace bra and cotton panties, was a gorgeous woman. That night we conceived Alivia may have been crude and tawdry, but what unfolded between us now was the complete opposite.
She ended up kneeling beside me with her hands on my abs. “Trey, don’t stop me,” she said, waiting for an argument. “Please.”
“I can’t stop you, Camilla.”
Her full lips lifted into a sexy smile. She tucked her fingers into the waistband of my black briefs and peeled them down my body, and I knew there was no turning back.
When her eyes caught on my piercing, they widened. And when she glanced at my face before fingering it in awe, she made me crazy with desire.