Daddy Crush - Adriana Anders Page 0,60

other siblings approach, all of them watching me as I stutter at the front of the room.

Full of emotion, I muster a deep breath and find my voice again. “This show, all of it, every filament, knot, and thread, is the sum total of my parts. The pieces of me.”

“Thank you,” I force out, overcome by dizziness as I step away from the mic to a surprisingly stupendous round of applause. That made no sense. Why are they clapping?

Probably because it made no sense. Eccentric artist speak.

Someone comes up to congratulate me, followed by another person I’ve never met. I’m surrounded by art buffs and philanthropists, professors, students. I smile and nod and give thanks and react when someone tells me they’ve decided to buy three pieces, and then turn and Karl’s there.

He nods.

I press my lips together, folding them in on each other. It’s all I can manage with all the emotion swelling inside.

“Hello, Jerusha.” I turn toward the voice.

“Hi Mama.” Tears blur my vision.

“I’m so proud of you.” Her last word is a whisper that I feel more than hear as she pulls me in close. Mama’s smell, the soft feel of her hair against my cheek, the busy way her fingers tighten against my back in little spasms she can’t control. “So happy you did it. You became...” She pulls back and looks around, then at me. “Yourself.”

I nod and force a smile. It’s tough with all these feelings so close to the surface. It would be easier to grimace. I lean in to hide against her shoulder, turn and push my face into her neck.

It takes a while for my siblings to cycle by and tell me they’re so happy for me and they knew I’d make it. I had no idea they felt this way—no notion that they were proud or wanted this for me. It hurts and feels good, so mixed up I can hardly feel the disappointment at Papa’s absence.

When Karl finally makes it back, I’m wrung out. His forehead presses to mine, bringing those big, dark, ferocious eyes in close.

“Thank you, Karl.”

He rubs our noses together. “I’m gonna give you space right now, so everyone else can congratulate you, but…just remember: I’m yours. For here. For now. As long as you want me.”

I’m breathing hard and fast. It’s hard to get words out. “To do with as I please?” I whisper.

His reply, a pained-sounding chuckle, warms my lips. “Whatever you want. Anything. For now and the foreseeable future.”

“Okay.” I smirk. “Get ready for it, then…” My mouth makes its way over his cheek to his ear. “Daddy.” I give him one final look before pulling away, intent on doing as he suggested—talking to everyone, spending time with the family he’s brought back to me, soaking up this feeling of a job well done. And making him wait his turn.

Then, when we’re alone again—which might not be for a while—I’m going to show him just how happy he’s made me.

Epilogue

Last Kiss

Five Months Later…

Karl

I swipe the sweat from my eyes and open the gate to see Jerusha on her hands and knees, planting more seeds in her veggie garden.

“Finished,” I tell her, testing the hinges a couple times.

“Yaaaaaay!” She jumps up, clapping, and runs over to throw herself in my arms. As her legs wrap around me, I slide my hands under her ass and anchor her in place. We do this a lot. Glee’s an everyday occurrence with my woman and I love it. After sprinkling a dozen kisses on my face, she nuzzles my ear. “I love it.”

“I love you,” I reply, surprising no one.

Her giggle’s my favorite sound. Well, second favorite. I really like the way she sighs when my cock slides deep inside her. And the little noise she makes when she stretches first thing in the morning, before her eyes even open, or the happy song she sings when she eats my food.

Hell, I love every goddamn thing she does. Like now, she’s sort of rubbing her tits against me, like the dirt and sweat doesn’t matter. Which it doesn’t.

We’re in our backyard—shared, now that I’ve put the gate in—and I’ll fuck my woman if I want to. Course, my dirty girl reads my mind. In fact, judging from the long, loose dress she’s wearing, she clearly read my mind while putting her clothes on this morning, because once I’ve pulled my cock from my pants, there’s not a barrier between us. She shimmies until the silky fabric’s pooled