“Right. I’ll just lie here and die a happy man while you torture me to death.” Winking, he folded his arms behind his head. “I’m yours.”

  My heart did a silly little flip, but I quickly pushed that aside and started making some of my fantasies about this man a reality. Pushing all my hair to one side, I bent, kissing his chest. I licked each pec, letting my teeth scrape over his flat nipples, earning me another curse from him.

  Grinning against his skin, I moved my lips to the center of his chest and pressed a deep kiss right over his heart. It was pounding furiously, and as I moved lower, my hair tickling over his abdomen, I could hear the beat grow even louder.

  I traced my tongue over his hard eight-pack, then down to the top of his unbuttoned jeans. While he’d been tearing the bottom half of my clothes off me, I’d only gotten as far as unzipping and unbuttoning him. Pushing back the sides of the material, I kissed the top of his low riding boxer briefs. Lifting my head, I watched him through my lashes as I pushed my hand underneath his clothes and wrapped my fingers around his massive shaft.

  “Mother of God,” he groaned, his eyes closing in agonized pleasure. “Baby, please. I’m so fucking close right now.”

  Releasing him, I quickly got rid of the rest of his clothes, then did the one thing I’d always wanted to do. Gripping him in a tight fist, I lowered my head and touched my tongue to the very tip, licking away the pearly white drops that were already leaking out.

  He jerked, groaning my name, and clenched one of his hands in my hair. Taking him in my mouth, I went down halfway before he hit the back of my throat. His hand in my hair pulled me back, and with a curse, he twisted us so I was once again on my back and he was between my legs.

  Fisting himself in one hand, he spread my pussy lips with the other and pushed into me balls deep in one thrust. We both groaned at his invasion. I felt stretched to the limit, unable to breathe without my inner walls contracting around him, welcoming him home.

  “You’re so damn tight,” he panted. “This pussy is paradise, baby. I don’t ever want to leave it.”

  I felt myself creaming around his cock, and he pulled back, only to thrust back in so hard, I saw stars. My nails bit into his sides, and he growled his pleasure before latching on to one of my nipples.

  “Howler,” I cried out.

  “Lyla, I fucking swear, I’m going to come right now if you keep saying my name like that.” He pressed his forehead to mine, breathing hard as he thrust into me faster. “I’ve wanted this for too long, and you feel so damn good.”

  “So do you,” I told him with a whimper as he pulled his cock out and slammed it back into me. He was so thick and long, and I was so stretched, every move he made, every breath he took, sent off little ripples of pleasure inside me that were pushing me higher and higher toward another release.

  I loved how rough and hard he was being, that he wasn’t treating me like I was fragile. His heavy, muscular body was pounding me into the bed, while the room filled with our shared moans and heavy breathing.

  “Baby, look at me.” Without hesitation, I lifted my lashes and met his passion-glazed eyes. “I love you.” The words came out in a reverent rasp.

  The breath felt like it was knocked out of me, tears burning the backs of my eyes. I never thought I would ever hear him say those three little words. “I-I love you too.”

  “Lyla.” Ravenously, he kissed me, and just as his tongue brushed against mine, I came.

  My release was even more powerful than my first, and it almost hurt as my pussy contracted around his cock. Above me, Howler went still, his entire body tensing as his arms shook.

  Sweat dripping down his brow, he reared back his head and roared my name.

  Chapter 7

  Howler

  Half asleep, I reached for Lyla in the dark.

  Only to come into contact with a chilled, empty bed.

  I opened my eyes and glanced around, keeping my ears open to listen for any sign of her. The light was off in the bathroom, but the one in the hall was on. Sitting up, I hit the switch on the lamp beside the bed. “Baby?” I called out, but I got no answer.

  Getting out of bed, I grabbed a pair of basketball shorts out of my dresser and walked down the hall to check on Josie. The door to her room was cracked open, letting the hall light stream in enough to show both my girls were sound asleep on Josie’s twin princess bed. Josie’s blond hair was spread over Lyla’s arm, her face pressed into Lyla’s chest. Lyla’s other arm was wrapped around Josie’s tiny body, holding her close and protectively to her.

  Noticing the covers had been kicked off them, I walked quietly into the room and tucked the comforter up around them both. Lyla had on one of my shirts, her hair a tangled mess across the pillows. Instinct screamed at me to carry her back to our bed and fuck her over and over again, but she looked exhausted and content.

  Bending, I kissed her forehead, then Josie’s, and exited the room, closing the door behind me. Knowing I wouldn’t get any more sleep that night, I walked downstairs and made sure the house was locked up. Normally, I couldn’t fall asleep until I knew the house was secure and Josie was safe enough for me to get some rest. But after the double fuck session with Lyla, I’d passed out as soon as she’d fallen on top of me after riding my cock until we were both shaking with our shared release.

  I fell asleep with her slight weight and scent enveloping me in contentment.

  Opening the back door that led from the kitchen into the garage, I made sure my Harley was there and that the door was down. There was plenty of room beside my motorcycle for a car, but my SUV was too long for me to park it in there.

  Closing the door, I locked it then walked through the rest of the house. I double-checked the front door then the French doors that opened up onto the deck. I had a huge backyard with a privacy fence. I’d designed and built Josie a playset that included a princess tower, two different slides, and a swing set.

  With how cold it had been lately, though, Josie hadn’t been out there much. Which was why I was surprised when I found the doors unlocked. I’d checked those same doors religiously every night, and they had been locked the night before. Josie hadn’t even had time to go outside earlier since she was helping Lyla cook and then went straight from her bath to watching a movie.

  Paranoid that my girls weren’t safe, I locked the French doors, then walked through the entire house, checking every room. Nothing was out of place, but I still felt like something was off.

  Heart pounding, I went back to Josie’s room. She and Lyla were still sound asleep, but I felt uneasy. Quietly, I walked through the darkened room to her closet, needing to make sure every hiding place was checked before I could breathe easier.

  Jerking the closet door open, I was prepared to fight, but it was empty. Yet…

  I could smell her fucking perfume.

  It was the same strong scent Gwen had worn from the time I’d met her, and one I couldn’t get rid of even long after we broke up. In the end, I’d bought new pillows and bedding, yet it still had lingered in the apartment I’d lived in at the time. Smelling it now made my stomach clench with anger.

  That crazy bitch had been in my house. In Josie’s room, her goddamn closet.

  And I hadn’t even suspected.

  I should have, though. She was psychotic, and now that I’d blocked her from seeing Josie, she would be looking for another way to get to her. Maybe even take her from me. Not because she wanted Josie, but because she hated me and knew Josie was my entire world.

  “Howler?” Lyla’s soft voice made me jerk in reaction.

  Sucking in a deep breath to calm my rage, I walked over to the bed where she was still curled up with my daughter. “Sorry I woke you, baby,” I told her quietly as I bent to kiss her lips.

  “Josie had a bad dream,” she explained. “She was crying, and I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Hold on to her tight,” I ordered. Her arms tightened around Josie’s body, and I lifted them both into my arms.

  After carrying them down the hall to my room, I shut the door with my foot before placing them in the center of the bed. Leaving them only for a second, I locked the door, then climbed in behind Lyla.

  Once my arms were able to wrap around them both, I finally began to relax. “I was just checking the doors,” I whispered close to Lyla’s ear. “The French doors were unlocked.” I felt her stiffen and she turned her head, but I could only make out the outline of her face in the dark. “Gwen was in Josie’s room. I could smell her perfume in the closet. Like she was hiding in there for a while or something.”

  “Do you think she was in there while we were—” She broke off, but I knew what she was thinking.

  “I don’t know, baby.”

  “What if Josie’s bad dream wasn’t a bad dream?” she whispered. “What if Gwen was in there and—”

  “Shh, shh,” I murmured, kissing her temple to calm her. “We can ask Josie in the morning. The house is locked, and I made sure it was empty. I’ll have all the locks changed tomorrow and a few more added to the French doors. We should also talk to Judge about getting a restraining order.”

  I felt her nod.

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’m not going to let Gwen hurt anyone I love.”

  “I’m not scared of her. But I will kill her if she tries to touch Jo-Jo again,” she swore.

  “I know you will.” Kissing her again, I tightened my arm over the two people who mattered the most to me. “Get some sleep. I’ve got you.”

  --

  Both my girls were still sound asleep when I got up for work the next morning, but I couldn’t leave the house with them sleeping inside and no one to watch over them.

  While I was making coffee, I called Judge and told him what had happened the night before with the unlocked door. After the conversation we’d had a few nights prior, there was no way in hell I was going to tell him the other part. Not yet. I’d deal with him regarding Lyla and me when I had to.

  He assured me he would send someone over to watch the house, and I waited until I saw one of Judge’s people pull into my driveway before leaving.

  My mother was already in the office when I got to work. The place smelled like perfectly brewed coffee and her delicate perfume as I walked in with a set of new plans in hand for the latest development we were working on.

  Seeing I was alone, she narrowed her eyes on me. “Where’s Josie?” she demanded, her hands on her hips.

  Dressed in a pair of jeans and a chic floral top, Cherie Bronson didn’t look like anyone’s grandmother. Fuck, she barely looked old enough to be my mother. After my father’s death, she’d started to age rapidly from the loss of the love of her life, but when Josie was born, it was like she was given a new beginning.

  She had more energy, smiled all the time, and it had worked miracles. My mother had aged backward overnight, losing at least a decade of age in appearance when the gloom that surrounded her like a dark cloud had lifted and even took away some weight in the process.

  “She’s at home with Lyla. They were both still sleeping this morning, and I didn’t want to wake them.” I kissed her on the cheek before continuing on to my office.

  She followed, closing the door as she entered behind me. I sat down behind my desk, whistling to myself as I went through the stack of messages already waiting on me.

  “All right, mister. What’s going on with you?”

  At the sound of her mom tone, I lifted my gaze from the message in my hand to her. “What?”

  “You are whistling and walking around with a new strut to your step, Graham. So, I will repeat—what is going on with you?”

  “Nothing is going on with me,” I evaded, picking up the phone to return a call that needed my immediate attention.

  “Graham Bronson,” she snapped, and my finger hovered over the last number on my desk phone. “Put the damn phone down and talk to your mother right now, boy. You might be grown, but you aren’t so big I won’t put you over my knee and whip your ass.”

  I fought a grin, knowing she wasn’t kidding. She would try to whip me, and I’d end up letting her because I wouldn’t risk her hurting herself. “Lyla is staying at my house,” I told her.

  “And? I already knew that.” She’d been giddy about it the day before when I’d told her, until she found out why Lyla was staying at my place. Then I’d had to talk her out of finding Gwen and committing murder.

  “And,” I began but paused, not sure if I was ready to tell my mom I’d fucked the girl she had always wanted me to spend the rest of my life with. She loved Lyla like another daughter and had made it very plain where she stood on the two of us getting together.

  “Graham!” she growled, and I laughed.

  “Something may or may not have happened with us last night,” I admitted. “But if you even hint to Judge about it—”

  Mom was practically dancing with happiness now, and she quickly waved off my comment about Judge. “All the power that boy was given after his father died has gone to his head. He’s got a total complex now and needs to realize he can’t dictate everyone’s life. Especially his sister’s.”

  Coming around my desk, she kissed my cheek. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart. Just don’t fuck it up. Lyla is exactly what you and Josie need. And if you lose that girl, I’ll disown you.”

  Leaving that threat hanging over my head, she walked out of my office. I shook my head at her retreating back, picked up the phone once again, and got to work.

  But even as I was returning phone calls to clients who needed my full attention, I couldn’t stop thinking about the night before. Being with Lyla was everything I’d ever fantasized it would be, but I couldn’t help wondering if she was sore this morning.

  I should have been gentler with her, taking things slower. But once I had her in my arms, I’d lost it. And instead of making love to her the way I’d always planned, I’d fucked her hard.

  A sudden realization hit me in the middle of an important phone call, and I quickly made an excuse before hanging up and grabbing my cell.

  “Hello?” Lyla said groggily.

  “Are you on any kind of birth control?” I demanded, unable to hide the panic in my voice.

  There was a pause on her end before her sassy voice filled my ear. “Good morning to you too, sunshine. I slept so well. How about you?”

  Groaning, I leaned back in my desk chair. “Baby, I’m sweating right now. Please, just tell me you’re on something. I forgot protection last night. Both damn times.”

  “Actually, I’m not,” she informed me, making my stomach clench in dread. “But you can stop sweating. I’m clean. As for pregnancy, that isn’t a problem either. It’s not the right time for me.”

  “I’m clean too,” I rushed to assure her, relieved she wasn’t freaking out. “I got tested six months ago, and I haven’t been with anyone in over a year.”

  “Glad that’s cleared up.” She yawned. “I’m going back to sleep.”

  “Wait.” I stopped her, wanting to hear her voice for a little longer. “One of Judge’s people is in the driveway.”

  “Why?” she demanded, sounding irritated. “You know I’m trained to protect myself and others, right? It’s kind of my job.”

  “Because I couldn’t leave for work knowing the two people I love the most were sleeping and vulnerable to my crazy-ass ex. And I don’t care how much training you have, I’m not leaving you unprotected.”

  “Okay, then,” she said after a moment, sounding dazed.

  “Do you want me to come home at lunch and eat with you and Josie?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “I could bring you something,” she suggested hesitantly.

  “Whatever you want, baby.”

  “What I really want is for you to be cuddled in bed with us again, but reality is a bitch and you’re at work already.” I grinned, picturing her pouting. “I’ll bring you lunch. That way, Josie can stay with Cherie afterward. I have an afternoon class I have to go to.”

  “All right. Just bring me some of the leftover spaghetti from last night.” My desk phone rang, and I blew out a frustrated sigh. “I have to go.”

  “Don’t yell at anyone,” she cautioned.

  “I’ll try my best, baby.” Still holding the phone to my ear, I picked up the landline. “This is Graham. Please,” I gritted out before the person on the other end could answer, “hold a moment.”

  Her laughter was my reward for attempting to be polite. “I’ll see you in a few hours,” she promised.

  “Be careful. Love you.”

  Her quick inhale made my cock instantly hard. “I love you too,” she murmured softly before hanging up.

  Tossing my cell on the desk, I put the landline back to my ear. “Yeah, what is it?”

  Chapter 8

  Lyla

  I hated driving.

  I had a car at my brother’s house that had only been driven a handful of times ever. I was a fairly good driver and had never personally been in an accident. But when I was in high school, I saw someone else wreck right in front of me, and I’d been anxious behind the wheel ever since.

  Judge’s security guy, Tony, drove Josie and me to Howler’s office downtown. I had an entire lunch packed for the three of us so we could eat together before I went to class. With Josie’s hand in one of mine and our food in the other, we walked in, only to have Cherie, Howler’s mother, greet us.

  “There’s my sweet girl,” she said, swooping down to kiss Josie’s cheek. “How’s my baby feeling today?”

  “Grandma, Lyla made spaghetti last night, and we get to eat leftovers with Daddy,” she told her excitedly.

  “Yummy. It smells so good.” Cherie straightened and hugged me. “Good to see you, love. Go on in. He’s been growling at people for the last hour, so maybe seeing you two will put him in a better mood.”

  “Do I want to know why he’s all growly?” I asked with a grimace.

  Cherie glanced down at Josie then sighed quietly. “I’m sure he will tell you.”