I can see the disgust on her face.
I give a dry laugh. “Oh, I wasn’t given the option. She built herself an entirely different life I wasn’t a part of.”
“And your daughter?” she whispers.
“Much better off without me. Penny threatened to file abuse charges on me and expose the club if I tried to contact them again. You can imagine the courts would’ve bought everything she sold them.”
“Jesus.”
“Wasn’t my finest hour.” Dredging it up makes me thirsty for a drink, but sharing my past with her makes me feel less burdened. The entire bloody truth is out for her to see.
“You haven’t seen her since?” she whispers, taking my left hand and sandwiching it between hers.
“Penny’s the type of woman who’s always made good on her word.”
“How long ago was that, Edmund?” Her voice is soft and full of concern. It’s been a long time since I received that from a woman who wasn’t my mother.
Raising my head, I meet her gaze. “Ten years.”
She drops my hand and pulls me in for a hug. “You didn’t deserve that.” Leaning away, she cups my face in her hands. “You understand that, right?”
“I wonder some days,” I admit dryly.
“Is that why you waited to make a move?”
I nod. “I don’t want a tumble in the hay. I want all of you, Rian Banks. That used to scare the shit out of me. Now, the only thing I fear is missing my chance with you.”
She snickers. “Hell of a time to figure that out, Edmund.”
“Never was one for the conventional way of living.” I tangle my fingers into her hair and force her head back to meet my gaze. “You’re mine after this, Flower. Be sure it’s what you want ’cause I don’t do anything by halves, and I won’t be letting you go.”
She licks her lips. “What If I don’t want you to?”
I take her lips, devouring her words as I taste her sweetness for the first time. Her lips part, and I plunge my tongue inside, exploring every inch of her I can reach. Sweet and warm, her flavor coats my tongue, drugging me with its potency. Starved for the way she makes me feel, I press her curves to me. Breathless, I bite down on her neck gently, sucking at her salty skin. I want to see my mark against her skin.
“Feel how hard you make me, Flower? I’m hungry for your taste.” Releasing her hair, I place my arm under her ass and scoop her into my arms. Our mouths meet again, and I stumble toward the guest bedroom on the bottom floor, determined to fill the house with fresh memories.
I nudge open the door and move us to the bed. After laying her down on the bed, I tug down her tights and underwear, baring her neatly trimmed pussy. Kneeling in front of the new altar I plan to worship, I admire her as I remove her boots and spread her legs wide. “I’ve been waiting for years to see this tight little pussy.”
“Oh God,” she whispers.
I trail my fingers down her slit, admiring the slickness gathered at her center. “Is all that for me?”
“Yes. I always need a change of panties after I see you,” she admits breathlessly.
“If I’m making the mess, it’s only fair I clean it up.”
Parting her lips, I lean in, circling her opening. The sweet and salty flavor floods my mouth as she spills her nectar. I moan as she rocks up against me, begging me for more with her body. I lap a trail up her slit, circling her swollen clit before I push the tip inside of her right entrance. Her hand buries in my hair, and I thrust deeper, nudging her clit with my nose as she screams my name. Her thighs close around my head, and I’m surrounded by her heat and sweet musk. Body trembling, she gushes into my mouth, flooding me with her goodness as I continue to ease her through her orgasm. Her legs fall open, and I lean back on my heels, licking my lips.
“Better catch your breath, love. That’s just the beginning.”
“Fuck,” she exhales.
I chuckle. “Soon.”
* * *
“Are you wooing me?” Husky voiced and sleep ruffled with kiss-swollen lips, I’ve never seen Queenie look more beautiful. The dark spots from my teeth are a map marking all the places I’ve explored.