Page 10 of From the Shadows

Fuck my life.

I wrap my hand around the base and squeeze, but it’s too late. There’s no warding off this hard-on, no willing it away. This fucker has been ignored for far too long.

I prop my phone on the vanity and stroke my dick to the image of bare, glistening legs. How far have I fallen—practically all the way back to Victorian times—jerking off to the mere glimpse of an ankle?

But it’s more than that. The shapely curve of her calf—I’d run the tip of my tongue along it, following the rise of her muscle to the dip in the back of her knee. I’d plant kisses there and nip at that delicate skin with my teeth. Slide my hand up the back of her thigh, thumbs spreading her open for me.

I’d paint the crease of her thighs with kisses, suck on that creamy, flawless canvas until little blooms of pink and purple decorated her skin. She’d make such a pretty picture.

My wrist flicks on each up stroke. My hips piston as I fuck my hand thinking about the woman I have no business fantasizing about, and I lose myself to the countless ways I would love to make her come. Time and time and time again.

My orgasm slams into me out of nowhere and jets of cum hit the mirror and rope across the vanity. I gulp down air, desperate and shaking with my dick in my hand, still dripping water from my shower and already needing another.

Just a wild night at home for me.

Or maybe it’s just different enough that it’s got me off balance. I just blew my load thinking about the woman who cleans up the crime family’s wet work. The one who owns a gardening and lawn service on the side for the sake of legitimacy.

What the actual fuck? Honestly, I’m a grown fucking man. I have enough to offer that some bat-shit nutcase fucked with her birth control to have a kid with me.

My reflection, streaked with cum, looks a mess. Hell, I am a mess. I turn on my heel and flip the taps of the shower to hot, almost blistering. Water rains down on me as I step into the shower and wash this day away for the second time in under an hour.

I don’t have time for anything with Jess. I don’t have time for much of anything with anyone.

My focus has shifted entirely, from keeping my daughter safe by keeping her at arm’s length, to bringing her under my roof, and under my complete supervision to keep her out of her mother’s influence.

It’s a big task.

It’s going to be a huge fucking problem if I know Amie.

Fucking my hand is going to be my norm for the foreseeable future.

I towel off—again—and grab my whiskey glass, taking it with me to the bedroom. I place it on top of the book sitting on my nightstand and pull on my lounge pants, settling them low on my hips. I’d much rather do without, but with Evie and her nanny under my roof, that’s a luxury I can’t afford. Nor one that’s prudent.

With my phone in hand—because God forbid I let that out of my sight—I prop myself up against the headboard. I cross one ankle over the other, legs extended, and debate whether I should try to consume another chapter of this dry as hell book or give in and go to sleep at… I glance at my phone for the time.

It’s still firmly in the zone of early to bed, but maybe with a toddler under my roof, that’s not a bad habit to get into. Things are definitely going to change in my life. My apartment was fine for the arrangement I’ve had… until now. But I’ll need more space moving forward, Evie will need a yard, and it’ll be safer for her out of town.

Tomorrow. I’ll make a list of all the shit that I need to get working on, but I’ll do it tomorrow.

For now, I’m going to wallow under the weight of the world.

According to the video monitor in Evie’s room, she’s still out cold, and per the camera mounted just outside my door, the nanny is in for the night.

With nothing left to do, I thumb back to Jess’s picture and reach for my drink. It’s a calculated risk. I don’t know if I have it in me to take another shower if I pop wood again.

I raise my glass and dart a quick glance to it just before taking a sip. That quick glance morphs into a long stare and hasty thanks to whoever is looking out for me.

Coating the inside of my glass is ribbon of jizz.

My whiskey is fucking ruined.

Chapter 5

Rain Clouds

JESS

Dark clouds fill the sky making it feel more like bedtime than breakfast time.