"You warm enough, little man?"

I pull his wool hat down to cover his ears against the slight breeze. Summer is starting to come to an end and in a few weeks it'll be fall. I make sure the built-in mittens of his onesie are covering his hands and wrap my arms around him as I walk. Delilah likes taking the stroller when they go for walks but I prefer the carry-on. It's just easier to strap Zack up to my chest. He seems to like it too—always peering up at my face with eyes that are just like Del's. He does that now and I lean down to nuzzle his nose with my own. His little hands grab my face to hold me in place and I can't help but laugh.

"I got to see where I'm going, dude." I tell him and pull away with more effort than I was prepared for. The kid sure has a firm grip.

His tiny legs swing in the air as I walk down the trail of the park. Kids are screaming and running and playing on the climbers, their mothers looking on from the benches. Some of them blatantly stare at me as I pass, eyes wide and mouths parted. I feel the urge to snicker. Is is that rare to see a guy with a baby? I guess we do look kind of funny. Zack is so much smaller compared to me and my one hand alone easily spans over his entire back as I hold him to me. Plus, he's cute as fuck so I don't blame their gawking. He's the most goddamn adorable baby I've ever seen and I actually fucking melt every time he smiles at me. I would burn the world down for this kid.

I pass a bench of elderly women who are gaping at me openly. Amused as hell, I toss a wink their way as I pass them and they all giggle shyly as they wave. I lift up Zack's hand and make him wave back before calling out, "Have a good one, ladies."

More giggling and hushed whispers meet my back. If I've learned anything from being out in public with Zack it's that women go stupid when they see men with babies. They get this dazed look on their face as if they're imagining making more babies with you. Delilah gets that look on her face sometimes too, especially when I'm doing skin-to-skin with the little man.

I smile at the thought of her. It's been two weeks since that kiss and...fuck. It was better than all the times I'd imagined and I imagined plenty over the last two years. Finally feeling her lips on mine, swallowing her soft gasps and moans, running my hands over her squirming body beneath me made me lose my goddamn mind. And the way she responded to me? There was no holding back on her end as she arched into my touch or kissed me back roughly or completely trusted me having my way with her. And since that night I've been stealing more kisses and touches whenever I can. I haven't been able to spend another night because of how busy I'm getting with training and Zack's been fussy the past few nights because of his acid reflux but whenever I see her I make sure I kiss the hell out of her. And she lets me. Every time.

We haven't exactly put a label on what's happening with us and we're not outwardly telling other people but I'm fine with that. We're figuring it out as we go and I like having her to myself in our own little bubble we've been living in. I'm just glad I don't have to hold back every time I see her anymore. Well, mostly. Our physical touches were limited because of her post-birth healing but she was officially cleared yesterday by her doctor and I plan to make good use now that those boundaries are suddenly lifted. I meant it when I told her I couldn't wait to taste her. Knowing I'll be the first guy to do that to her, the only guy to ever do that to her, makes me feel primal as fuck. There's a whole lot of things I plan on teaching her about pleasure. Thoroughly. And it's no secret Delilah is an eager student.

My phone buzzes in my back pocket and I take it out, my heart doing a weird series of flips and jerks in my chest when I see Delilah sent a text.

"Dude." I tell Zack with a groan. He blinks at me. "I'm so whipped for your Mom."

He babbles in response and if I didn't know any better, the little man actually looks kind of sympathetic. He's probably used to my sulking by now.

I open the text and read as I walk.

My gut tightens at the word home. The fucking things this girl does to me without even trying.

"See that, little man?" I show him the phone screen and he frowns at it. "That's a little something I like to call progress."

He looks away, uninterested, and resumes staring at my face. I raise a brow at him.

"We got beef? Is that it?"

His gummy smile is immediate and it cracks me up. I throw my head back in laughter. Who knew one of my best buds would turn out to be an almost-two-month old?

I'm just rounding the corner when a flash meets my eyes and I stop walking, bringing a hand up and blinking away the spots in my vision. I bring my hand down again and look around to see where that came from when I catch some fucker partially hidden behind a tree, a professional camera in his hand. Fucking paparazzi?

"Hey!" I bellow at him and he jerks at the rage in my voice. "Come here!"

He starts to back away and I growl low in my throat, stalking my way to him. He watches me with wide eyes and stays in place, the warning in my gaze telling him not to move a damn muscle.

"Give me that." I swipe the camera out of his hands and he starts to protest before the heat in my stare shuts him up again. "What the hell do you think you're doing taking non-consensual pictures of a baby?"

"That's kind of the point." He's stupid enough to mutter and I can feel a muscle pulse in my jaw. "We've seen you with him a few times. Your audience wants to know who the kid is. Is he yours?"

"That's not your business. If you want to take pictures of me, fine, that's your job, but you do not plaster this baby's face all over tabloids and exploit him. Do you hear me? I catch a single magazine with his face on it I'll sue your asses so bad you'll be behind bars for life. I've put a couple of fuckers there already so unless you want to join that list, you spread the word around and stay in your goddamn lane."

I start going through the pictures in the camera, scoffing in disgust when I see most of them are Zack's face who's totally oblivious to what's happening. Red hot anger seizes me and I clutch the camera tightly in my hand as I delete all the pictures. Del would fucking lose her mind if her baby made it to the press, especially if Zack is being associated with me when I'm not even his father. Word will get around about mine and his relationship and people will have shit to say and then Del will get involved and she's too shy and reserved for that. I don't want their lives to become a nightmare because of me.

"Not a single picture of him makes it to the news without formal consent. Is that clear?" I shove the camera back in the reporter's chest and he grunts, nodding and clutching it tightly. "Good. If that happens again I'll break the camera and you."

He gulps and I leave him to ponder my words, all but storming away. A weight settles on my chest when I look down at Zack, whose lip is jutted out like he's about to cry. I force myself to relax and not scare the poor kid.

"Shit. I'm sorry, little man." I lean down to kiss his forehead and wrap my arms around the carry on so I can hug him to me. "I just want you to be safe. I didn't mean to lose it like that in front of you. I can just be overprotective sometimes."

Zack's scrunched up face gradually relaxes until he's blinking up at me again with that same curious expression. I run a hand over his hair and sigh. "I really love you, little man. I know you're not mine but I'd do anything for you."

I'm not sure if somehow he understood what I said but he leans forward until his cheek is pressed against me and his hands are resting on my chest. I swallow tightly.

"You giving me a hug? Hell." I rasp and settle my cheek on his head, closing my eyes and breathing in his baby scent. I've always felt an almost fatherly love for my little sisters but something about this, the way I love Zack, is different and scary. The need to protect him is so fierce I feel like I'm going out of my goddamn mind when I realize I can't save him from everything.

"I should tell your Mom what happened." I say reluctantly and he babbles a noise. I could swear he's protesting.

I call Delilah who immediately answers and recap what took place. Her voice wavers when she asks if Zack and I are okay and I explain that I deleted the photos myself so they wouldn't get out. She thanks me for that and listens while I apologize over and over again, feeling so goddamn guilty that they're getting sucked into the ugly parts of my life.

"It's okay, Nate." She says softly. "I'm not all that surprised. I kind of expected something like this to happen now that I'm...now that we're..."

She sounds hesitant about what to say so I smile and fill in the blanks for her. "You're my girlfriend, in case that wasn't clear. I know I didn't formally ask you but trust me when I say you're mine now, Angel."

"Alright." I can hear the smile in her voice and it broadens my own that she accepted my claim without a fight. "Anyways, I figured this would happen. Emily and Avery get hoarded by paparazzi too. Every time Em goes out with Lucas she takes him in a stroller with a plastic cover to shield him from reporters. That's part of the deal when you're involved with well-known professional boxers. I know what I'm getting into."

"And you're okay with it?" I ask tentatively. I feel vulnerable as fuck not knowing if she wants this—wants me.

"Of course I'm okay with it. It's scary sometimes but if this is the part of your life that I have to go through to have you then I'll do it in a heartbeat."

Fuck. The urge to tell her I love her is so fierce I have to press my lips tightly together so I don't blurt it out like a maniac.

"Thank you, baby." I tell her instead. "From now on, I'll take Zack out in strollers too for his privacy."

"Don't worry about that. I know you like having him practically glued to your body so we can just dress him in hats or hoodies to shield his face."

"You're the best." I murmur. "I'll see you in a bit and we can talk about this more, yeah?"

"Sounds good. Have fun today."

We say goodbye and then I end the call, blowing out a relieved breath. To know she's on my side and is willing to accept both the good and the ugly parts of me makes me feel like the luckiest fucker out there.

***

It's late by the time I get back home with Zack. We were out longer than I intended and the poor guy is knocked out cold from his play date with Lucas. All he did was stare at Luke while Luke watched him curiously and tried to get him to play. He's ten-months-old now and can crawl and babble like nobody's business. I had the kid rubbing up against my leg like a cat on more than one occasion. He's cute as fuck, too. Jaxon loves the shit out of him and already spoils him rotten. Not that Emily is any better, or Lizzie for that matter. All three of them look at that kid like he's the centre of their universe. Little Luke is definitely about to grow up spoiled with love and he's a lucky kid for it.

I open the door softly when I realize the lights in the house are closed. After I toe off my shoes I make my way down the hall to Del's room where I catch her fast asleep. The fact that she trusts me enough with Zack to sleep soundly while we were out of the house means more to me than she'll ever know. As quietly as I can, I change Zack and get him ready for bedtime. I feed him using his bottle of pumped milk that Del gave me earlier and burp him when he's all done. He's sound asleep by the time I lay him down in his crib and I smile at his innocent and peaceful expression. I can't help but feel pride over what a good kid he is.

I make quick work of getting ready for bed after I've taken care of Zack. It's not even nine yet but between training and however I help out with the little man, I'm always ready to knock out before the sun has a chance to set. Del is on the same boat as I am. She's in deep sleep as she's splayed out on the bed. I watch her for a few moments, my eyes drifting over her soft hair that's fanned out around her and those sweet lips that are slightly parted as she takes deep breaths. My eyes linger on her body and I can't help the way my body heats up and comes alive. She's still self-conscious about her pregnancy weight but I never gave a fuck. As far as I'm concerned, she's fucking perfect even with the barely noticeable excess weight on her stomach and the stretch marks that take over her sides. To me, they're just reminders of what she went through to bring Zack into this life and I can't feel anything but pride and wild attraction at the thought of this amazing thing she did.

I'm tired as fuck but even so all I can think about is that night two weeks ago when I had her body all to myself. We haven't had another chance like that and I should probably call it a night already but then I remember that she was officially cleared by her doctor for sexual activity. I have no plans to fuck her just yet but I meant it when I said I would taste her until she lost her goddamn mind.

Which is why I settle one knee on the bed and then the other as I stealthily crawl over her body, careful not to wake her, and lower my mouth to her neck, gently sucking the soft skin. She stirs but doesn't wake and I continue my assault all over her neck and along her jawline and then finally, her lips. I feel her suck in a harsh breath and then watch as her eyes blink open, surprised at first but then it transforms into something else entirely. Something that makes me want to rip her clothes off and fuck her until we're both drained and satisfied.

Delilah wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me closer as she kisses me back. Her soft mouth closes over my bottom lip and she sucks it into her mouth before pulling on it with her teeth. It's so fucking hot that I immediately groan and thrust my hips against her, letting her feel what she's doing to me. She gasps when my cock nudges her between her legs and they spread, making more room. I take it greedily, the warmth of her pussy and the wetness I can feel even through our clothing driving me so fucking insane that I start raving her mouth. My tongue slides inside to tease hers as they tangle and clash in a way that can only be described as dirty. I didn't expect it but Delilah likes it when my kisses are filthy and it makes me wonder how else I can bring out her wild side. Wanting to test the waters, I place my hand on her stomach and slide it down into her shorts. I cup her above her underwear first and wait for her permission to take it a step further. There's no hesitation on her end as she lifts her hips up and invites me. I almost pump my fist in victory.

I move her now-soaked panties to the side and when my fingers finally make contact with her wet flesh, we both moan quietly in relief. I run my finger up and down her folds, revelling in the feel of the warm skin and the way it dampens my hand. I take the wetness gathered at her entrance and slide it up, rubbing it in circles and spreading it all over her. She pants against my mouth and I do it again, this time bringing the wetness up to her clit and pressing down on the swollen bud tightly. She cries against my lips and I press them harder to her to muffle the sounds she's making.

"Nate." She pulls away and stares up at me through hazy eyes, the normally grey colour darkened like a storm that's about to strike. "Please."

"Please, what? Tell me." I tease and continue moving my middle finger in lazy circles around her clit.

Her head digs into the pillow as she throws it back, swallowing and looking up at the ceiling. I'm aware that I'm pushing her. I know that she's not used to being vocal in bed but I want to drag her out of her comfort zone. I want her to completely let go with me. She moves her stare back down to meet mine and visibly inhales before softly pleading, "I need your fingers inside of me. I need your mouth on me. Please."

My cock is so fucking hard I have to grit my teeth painfully to distract myself. Holy fucking shit. Hearing those dirty words come from my Angel's mouth is like every fantasy I've ever had come alive. I'm not sure if I'm going to last through everything I want to do to her but I'm sure as hell going to try.

Keeping my gaze locked on hers, I remove my hand from inside her shorts and bring my fingers up to my mouth. I wrap my lips around them and suck, my eyes falling shut at the taste of her. Fuck. I knew it. So fucking sweet. But it's not enough. I growl low in my throat and when I open my eyes, Delilah is watching me with unreserved desire. Her chest is heaving, her mouth is parted, and her eyes are glazed over.

"You like seeing that? You like seeing how much I love your taste?" I murmur.

She licks her lips and I watch them as I start to drag her shorts down her legs.

"Yes." She admits breathlessly. "That...that was really hot."

"It's only about to get better, Angel." I promise and I swear her eyes flash with excitement.

When her shorts are finally off, I bring my gaze to the part of her I've been dreaming about for so fucking long now. Something animalistic comes out of my throat when I get a good look at her pussy, slick and swollen with desire and so fucking ready for me. I place my hands underneath her knees and spread her legs as far as they'll go, opening her up to me. Del resists for a moment and my eyes snap back to hers in question. She's blushing harder than I've ever seen her.

"That's just...I mean...you're seeing a lot." She tumbles over her words nervously.

"Don't be scared, baby." I smile at her. "Believe me when I say you're so fucking pretty, every single part of you. There isn't an inch on this body that doesn't make me lose my mind."

"Yeah but, I don't know, you've probably seen better." She mumbles and tries to close her legs again. I let her this time, wanting her to be comfortable until she's ready for me.

"Hey." I say softly and curve my hand around her cheek. "There is no such thing as better when it comes to you. You're the best it gets for me and it's been that way since the day I met you. I have no fucking desire to even remotely compare you to anyone else because you're it for me. All I see is you, remember?"

"Even now?" She asks with a hint of vulnerability.

I lean down and kiss her slowly, my lips molding to hers and coaxing her open until she melts against me and meets me halfway. When I pull away, she seems less afraid and hesitant. "Then, now, you name it, baby. I'm not going anywhere."