Happily Ever All-Star: A Secret Baby Romance - Sosie Frost Page 0,259

She twisted her lips into a pout. “Okay. I’ll work around you.”

She reached for my shirt, but I brushed her away. “I got this.”

“I don’t think you do.”

Neither did I, but I wasn’t having her walk me, sit me down, and strip me. Last thing I needed was her grabbing a spare diaper and doing the whole nine yards.

But Christ, nothing like being a grown man who couldn’t take off his own shirt. My hands hurt so much I couldn’t pinch my fingers on the buttons.

My temper flared. Fine. I’d rip the fucking thing off.

“Stop.” Piper slapped me away, probably the only time she’d overpower me. “You don’t need to go all Hulk if I’m here to help.”

She worked quick and bit her lip as she went down the line, starting at the top. This wasn’t so bad. She leaned close, and I caught the scent of her hair. Bright. Citrus.

The dress shirt fell open. Piper stared at me in horror.

“Oh God. You’re a solid bruise. Did the trainers—”

“It was a hard game. I’m used to it.”

“I’m not!”

“Well…you don’t often strip me after a game.”

“Would you really want me to?”

“I’m stubborn, but what man would argue with a woman begging to take his pants off?” I met her gaze. “Any guy who’d refuse is an idiot.”

“What do I call the man who lets me help?”

“The luckiest son of a bitch in the world.”

“Funny…” Piper’s smile faded. “The last time I had a guy strip for me, he wasn’t lucky, just a regular son of a bitch.”

“Yeah. He was a bastard.”

She nodded. “A big one.”

“Well, I’d kick my own ass for you, but I think the damage has already been done.”

“I’m not looking for revenge, Cole,” she said. “I just want to understand you.”

“I’m not worth it.”

“I don’t believe you.”

She helped me with my belt, and I let my hands fall to the bed. Her fingers moved, quick and delicate, as she pulled the zipper down.

Any other man might have been ashamed of himself for the bulge that grew, but I couldn’t hate myself any more.

“You know I’m just an animal,” I said. “I’m nothing you should get involved with.”

Piper tugged the trousers down, revealing that hardness I couldn’t control. I stopped her.

She held my stare, her eyes beautiful and vibrant. Honest. “You’re not an animal. Never have been, never will be.”

“You deserve better than me.”

“Says who?”

“Me. You’ll realize it too.”

“Don’t pretend you know what’s best for me. I’ve had enough men in my life try to tell me what to do and how to live. I know what I want. And I know what’s good for me and my baby.”

“You think that’s me?”

“I know when something is worth fighting…” Her words broke. “You could be a good man, Cole.”

She was so naïve, so genuine, so confident. “I want to be.”

“Why don’t you believe me?”

“Because…” It was too good to be true. “I don’t accept help. I don’t get kisses for boo-boos. I don’t dedicate my game to someone else.”

“But you did.”

“I’m not a man who talks about my feelings with anyone.”

“But you are.”

“I’m not…someone who makes love to a woman. I fuck, and I fuck her like a beast.” The apology sounded just as coarse and ugly as the lust I felt for her. “I shouldn’t have touched you. I shouldn’t have let you see that monster in me.”

I stiffened in every conceivable way as Piper knelt before me, edging between my legs and tugging my boxers low. My cock stirred, but I didn’t dare touch it.

Piper looked up at me—surrendering and challenging me at the same time.

How was it possible to want this woman as badly as I needed her to stay away?

“I didn’t fuck The Beast,” Piper whispered. “I wanted you, Cole, and I still want that man. The one who’ll read a bedtime story to my baby. The one who shares his banana with her in the morning. The one who calls me beautiful.”

“You are.”

“The one who makes me feel beautiful.”

“You should always feel beautiful.”

“And you should know that you are that man, Cole.”

I curled my hands into fists, hiding the trembling. “I have no idea who I am.”

“Then let me show you.”

Her fingers danced over my cock. The heat from her hands burned through me, a blessing I didn’t deserve, but I didn’t have the strength to push her away. Her elegant fingers clenched, squeezing my paler skin against her lovely darkness.

I tensed as she lowered her lips. Her tongue flicked against me, soft and gentle.