All I Need: Rod & Daisy (All Of Me Duet Book 2) by A.D. Justice (electric book reader txt) 📕

your disturbed soul a little peace. Only you can give me a name and location of one of your old frat brothers.”

“You know damn well anyone who was in a fraternity hates the word ‘frat.’ You say shit like that on purpose, just to piss me off.”

“No, truly, I don’t. It’s a habit to shorten the word. You know my education didn’t follow the normal route, so I was never part of that scene. I need to find one of your fraternity brothers.”

He glares at me for a minute before ignoring my request. “How are Juliana and my daughter? You know, the ones whose lives you ran me out of?”

“Gabe, you ran yourself out of their lives. I tried to help you, but you wouldn’t have it.”

“I love them.” He roars and drops his fists to his sides.

“If you really loved them, the heroin wouldn’t have come first, Gabriel. You would’ve gotten clean at the facility I got you into, and you would’ve stayed sober for them. They needed you to be the man of the house and you abandoned them. I told you to choose between them and your next high, and you made your choice. Don’t blame me for the selfish choices you’ve made. Just admit to yourself you can’t face what you did back then, and you’re taking out your anger on me.” I step forward with my own challenge. “Will you be a man now or will you tuck your tail and run again?”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Daisy

Over the last two weeks since we’ve been back from Florida, Rod has been quieter than usual. Though I know his change in demeanor has nothing to do with us as a couple, I can’t help but question what’s going on in his mind. He makes up for the mental distance by closing the physical gap between us—frequently and in every way imaginable.

Touching. Loving. Caressing. Pleasing. Taking me to heights I’ve never even dreamed of reaching and gently guiding me back to the ground, over and over again. He uses our physical contact as a distraction, to avoid whatever pain he’s facing or difficult decision he doesn’t want to make. He loses himself in me, and I’m irrevocably bound to him.

“Isa, it’s time to get up, sweetheart.” I tickle her ear and a smile crawls across her little face. “You’d better stop playing opossum with me.”

This is a game we started since we’ve been back. I help Rod get her ready for school and bring her back to him in the afternoon. Juliana held out as long as she could, but her condition landed her back in the hospital soon after we returned home. She and I have had frequent long discussions on the phone, but she’s adamant to keep Rod in the dark about our options. To her, there’s only one choice—wait until the baby is born to begin the donation process.

I’d planned to tell Rod about the pregnancy as soon as we returned from Christmas in Florida. That was my intention and the promise I made with myself. The secret was only meant to get us through the holiday, not to continue for weeks afterward. But my luck has held true to form, and I haven’t found the right time to break the news to him yet. With Juliana in the hospital and his moods swinging wildly from one extreme to another, I’ve put it off every time I thought I’d worked up the nerve to tell him.

At some point in the very near future, I have to break down and tell Rod the news. If I wait until I’m showing, it’ll just make the conversation awkward.

“Miss Daisy, can’t we stay home today? It’s too cold to go outside.” Isa rolls onto her back and rubs the sleep from her eyes.

“I’m afraid not, sweet girl. We have school today. No playing hooky allowed.”

When she’s dressed and I’ve fixed her hair, we head to the kitchen to join Landen for breakfast. Louise takes such good care of us, cooking all morning to provide a smorgasbord of anything we could possibly want. Isa and Landen each grab a plate and start piling it with food. I follow behind them and soon feel a pair of strong arms encircle my waist.

“Thought I told you already I don’t like waking up alone anymore. The bed is too big and too cold.” His lips are against the shell of my ear. His deep voice, low and sultry, sends waves of goosebumps down my arms.

“Good morning, and I missed you too.”

“Then stop leaving me. We can easily fix that problem.” He kisses my cheek, his lips are warm, and his stubble rubs against my skin, eliciting all sorts of thoughts that are inappropriate for our company.

“Oh, if only life were that simple. We both have to work, Rod, so we have to get out of bed at some point.” I chuckle then turn my head to reciprocate the kiss.

“What if you didn’t have to work? Would you quit your job?”

His question is one I’ve thought about every time I’ve bought lottery tickets—a pipe dream if lighting struck and changed my life forever. Short of that, quitting my job was never a possibility, so I haven’t given the topic much legitimate thought.

“That’s an interesting question, but I really don’t know the answer. If I didn’t work in a school system, I’d still find something to do. It’s not in me to sit idly by while others work.”

“I could hire you to be my sex slave. Then you’d never sit idly by while others work, I’d make sure of that. You’d be paid very well for your round-the-clock services. Luxury accommodations. Excellent views. Your every wish would be my command. In fact, it’d basically be as though I worked for you.”

“What an attractive offer. That’s very hard to turn down. How long do I have to think it over?”

“The position isn’t going anywhere. Take as long as you need. In fact, I’ll even let you