“Honey.” She rolls her eyes, putting her hands on my arm, giving me a gentle shove toward the door.

“Love you, Mom.” I smile, kissing her cheek before walking out to my truck, feeling the weight’s gone from my chest.

*

“Thanks for picking up Hope from your mom’s,” Ellie says quietly as she takes a seat next to me on the couch, tucking her legs underneath her.

She came home an hour ago, but as soon as she walked in the door, Hope was on her, so all I got was a quiet greeting before she disappeared with Hope upstairs to put her in the bath then into bed.

“You can thank me with your mouth,” I tell her, wrapping a long piece of her hair around my finger then watching as her cheeks turn a dark shade of pink.

“Jax,” she murmurs, ducking her head, which causes her thick dark hair to fall in front of her face.

“C’mere,” I say, pulling her hand until she’s pressed up against me, with her hands against my chest and her big eyes looking up at me. “You okay?” I ask, running my thumb over her bottom lip.

“Yeah,” she breathes quietly as her eyes roam over my features. “I like when you don’t wear a hat.”

“Why’s that?’ I ask just as quietly, feeling the intimacy of the moment wrapping around us.

She studies my face for a long time before saying with a shrug, “I don’t know. I can see your eyes, I guess.” She ducks her head again, making me wonder what she’s really thinking.

“Liar,” I whisper, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her head lifts, her eyes meet mine again, and she licks across her bottom lip, causing my eyes to follow the sultry movement.

“Okay, I lied, but the reason just sounds so stupid now that I think about it.”

“Tell me,” I say on a squeeze, tilting my head lower until our eyes lock again.

“I like thinking I’m one of the few people who sees you like this.”

Pulling her toward me with my hand wrapped around the back of her neck until we’re sharing the same breath, I tell her softly, “I like that reason,” before covering her mouth with mine, licking across her bottom lip, pulling it between my lips and tasting her on my tongue. When her tongue touches mine timidly, I lift her, hearing her squeak as I adjust her on my lap to straddle me.

“Jax,” she exhales heavily, leaning back to look at me.

Seeing the trepidation in her eyes, I run my hand over her hair, settling on the underside of her jaw then back up to wrap into her hair. “Slow, Ellie. I promise we’ll take it slow.”

“Slow,” she repeats against my mouth as I pull her forward. Sweeping my tongue between her lips, I groan when her hands slide from my chest to my hair and her fingers move through the stands.

Dragging her tighter against me with one hand on her ass and the other in her hair, I pray I don’t come in my pants like a sixteen-year-old kid that’s never had a chick on his lap before.

Slipping my hands up the back of her shirt, my fingers roam over her smooth skin. Her tongue moves lightly against mine as her hips circle. I don’t even know if she understands what she’s doing to me, and to herself, as her core bumps against my erection.

Moving my hands, I still her hips while pulling my mouth away from hers, groaning, “We have to stop.”

Seeing the heat in her eyes makes it harder to stay firm, when all I want to do is strip her down so I can explore her body. Shaking my head, I tuck hers under my chin while my heart beats rapidly in my chest.

“Are you okay?” she asks quietly, and I feel her hands on my shirt, running her fingers over the material.

“Yeah, baby.” Kissing her head, I tilt her chin up. “You feel like watching TV with me for a bit?”

“Sure,” she agrees, and her eyes drop to my mouth, making me smile.

“Just TV, my gluttonous girl,” I chide her playfully.

Turning red, she ducks her head again, mumbling, “Sorry.”

“Slow, remember?” I ask, running my finger over her lips, gaining her attention once more.

“Slow,” she agrees, moving to sit on the other side of the couch. Wrapping an arm around her waist, I yank her back, settling her against my side before picking up the remote and turning on the TV.

Opening my eyes, I see the cable box has powered off, leaving on the blue screen that has cast a glow around the room. I feel Ellie’s weight against my side, her arm over my waist and her warm breath against my shirt. Smiling, I lean my head back then hear a little voice whisper, “Ax.”

Turning my head to look over my shoulder, I see Hope standing in the doorway to the living room, wearing her sleep shirt and pants with the snowman on the front of them. Her long brown hair is down in a mass of wild waves, and her face is soft and sleepy.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I whisper as she walks toward the couch. “Are you okay?”

“I had to potty,” she whispers loudly, making me smile, then looks at her mom, who’s asleep on my side. “Mommy’s sleeping,” she points out, climbing up on my lap.

“She’s tired,” I say, watching while she studies me.

“Me too,” she says in a whisper, pulling my hand from the arm of the couch and wrapping it around her waist. She then tucks herself into a ball against my chest while her tiny fingers play with mine for a moment until they still. Tipping my chin downward, I find her asleep as well.

At a loss, I kiss the top of her head, letting my lips rest against her hair as I pull in a breath then let it out slowly as I feel my chest crack open, as if they just ripped my heart out and split it amongst themselves. Listening to them breathe, I close my eyes, holding each of them a little tighter, understanding exactly what my mom meant. I would protect these girls with my life. I would die for them. And I will never let anyone take them from me.