Vanishing Dreams: Vanishing Dreams (Devil's Bend #2) (22 page)

Dalton swallowed around the lump in his throat and pressed his hand
more firmly to her belly. “Oh, God, Katie.”

For the first time in as long as he could remember, Dalton actually
cried.

He broke down right there, and when Katie wrapped her arms around him,
holding him tight, he let it all out.

Dalton had no idea how long they sat like that, but the next thing he
knew, he was lowering Katie to the hay at their feet, his mouth pressed to
hers. She tasted so familiar, so sweet.

Without thinking, his emotions guiding his every movement, Dalton slid
his hand beneath Katie’s skirt, then slipped his finger beneath her panties,
finding her warm and wet. He continued to kiss her while Katie worked the
button and zipper of his jeans, releasing him from the denim confines before
wrapping her arms around his neck once again.

He tugged at her panties until they ripped, unable to take the time to
remove them properly before he was guiding himself into her.

“Oh, fuck, Katie. Oh, God, baby.” It was too good.

“I love you, Dalton,” Katie whispered against his mouth.

He pulled his head back slightly so he could look into her eyes.
Holding himself up with one forearm, Dalton lifted her leg, pulling it up
against his hip as he ground his hips against hers, driving deeper into her
welcoming body.

“I love you, darlin’. I’ve loved you this whole time.”

More tears fell from Katie’s eyes, and Dalton couldn’t contain his own
emotions. While he continued to slide deep into her, he pressed his face into
the crook of her neck. This was the only place in the world that he wanted to be.
Right here, with Katie, wrapped in her arms, buried in her body. He could spend
eternity right here and he’d never have one single complaint.

“Dalton. Oh, God, it’s … it’s been too long. I’m gonna…”

Katie’s body tensed as her sentence trailed off, and Dalton let go,
following her lead, coming deep inside of her.

Dalton didn’t pull out of her right away, didn’t want to move from
where he was, so he hovered over her, careful not to put his weight on her as
he did. He lifted his head and smiled down at her. “Have dinner with me
tonight,” he finally said, his thumb grazing her soft, smooth cheek. “You and
Lexi. Let me cook you dinner.”

“I don’t know…” Katie’s gaze slid away from his, but Dalton wasn’t finished.

“Look at me, Katie.” He waited until she did before he continued. “What
we started all those months ago … we’re right back there. I’m not letting you
walk away again. I know you thought you were doing what was best for me, but
you were wrong. What’s best for me is you. Wherever you are, that’s where I
want to be.”

Katie’s eyes narrowed on his face, but she didn’t respond.

“I love you, Katie. I’ve never said those three words to another woman
before. I’ve never felt anything for anyone like what I feel for you. I’ve
beaten myself up for letting you walk away. I should’ve come after you,
should’ve begged you to stay. Give me a chance to show you what you mean to
me.”

“I hurt you, Dalton.”

Dalton hadn’t expected that, but he nodded his head, unable to deny the
truth. “You did. More than you know. But that was the past. This is now. The
only thing we have is that. There’s no time for regrets.”

“I don’t want Lexi to get hurt,” she said softly. “She likes you,
Dalton. That might mean a lot to you, but for her, it’s a really big deal. She
doesn’t get close to many people. I don’t want her to get close to you just so
you can turn and walk away.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Katie.”

Katie pulled her eyes away, looking behind him. He could tell she was
considering his request.

Dalton tipped his head forward and pressed his forehead against hers.
“Darlin’, I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason. You and me.
Maybe then wasn’t the right time. But now is. I know that, and I hope you do,
too. As for Lexi, I’ll love her with my whole heart.”

Lifting his head, Dalton met her gaze once again.

He feared that he wasn’t going to win this battle. No matter how hard
he tried, they had too much history between them, and she was too protective to
let him back in. But he wanted in.

And he was tired of backing down. Tired of letting the universe dictate
to him. He wanted to control his life; he wanted to choose what the outcome
would be. And if he got hurt in the process, so be it. Otherwise, he was still
hurt, and he knew without a doubt that having to be around Katie all the time
wasn’t going to help. He was going to spiral out of control until he couldn’t
take it anymore. And then he’d be gone. Back on the road, back on tour, burying
himself in work, and never enjoying a minute of it.

He was tired of being that guy.

Dalton began moving inside her again, his cock still hard, still eager
to be right there in her. Katie’s eyes closed briefly, her head tilting back.

“I want to make love to you for the rest of my life,” he said, his
voice raspy with emotion. He pushed in deep, pulling out slowly, her pussy
gripping him tightly. “I want to have plenty of babies with you. I want to
spend the rest of my life making you happy, helping you take care of your
sister.”

Katie’s arms came up around his neck, holding him tight as he continued
to rock against her.

“One chance, Katie. One chance. That’s all I’m asking for. I…” Dalton
sucked in a breath and pulled back to meet her eyes again. “I need you, Katie.
I love you.”

Tears formed in her eyes, but she didn’t look away. He considered that
a good sign.

She nodded, and Dalton pressed his lips to hers, his hips beginning to
move faster, thrusting harder, unable to resist the velvet grip of her pussy.
She was so tight, so hot. He’d missed her. He’d missed this.

“Come for me, Katie,” he whispered.

Katie’s head tilted back, the narrow column of her throat exposed to
him. Unable to resist, he pressed his lips there once before pulling back and
driving into her. Her legs came up to cradle his hips, holding him tightly.

“That’s it, baby. Love me, Katie.”

“Dalton.” Katie ground out his name as her body tightened, her pussy
milking him once again.

When she came down, he stopped moving. He wasn’t going to come again.
Not yet. But that hadn’t been about him. That was all for her.

Rolling off her so that he didn’t crush her, Dalton dropped to his back
and stared up at the ceiling.

“I’ll give us one more chance, Dalton,” Katie said softly, causing him
to turn his head to see her looking at him. “But we have to agree to
something.”

“Name it,” he replied.

“No more lies. You’ll have to accept me for who I really am, Dalton.
You can’t expect to change me, ’cause that’s not gonna happen.”

Dalton nodded. He would agree to wrangle the moon for her if that was
what she wanted. He had known from the first time he’d laid eyes on her that
Katie was going to be his. She was it for him.

Even after she’d driven him away, when he’d been with other women, the
only person he’d seen was Katie. Always Katie.

As much as he’d denied it all this time, Dalton knew without a doubt
that he would never be able to stay away from her.

Starting over.

That was a new concept for Katie, and she wasn’t quite sure how she
felt about the idea. She wasn’t opposed to it, she just wasn’t sure what to
think of it yet.

She feared that Dalton was making promises she wasn’t sure he could
keep. And for what reason? Because he felt sorry for her? Because he was
worried about Lexi? Or was it because he didn’t want her to shut him out of the
baby’s life?

Katie could’ve easily assured him that the last one wasn’t going to
happen. The baby deserved to know its father, and Dalton deserved to be in the
loop. That was the last thing she would ever want to do — keep the two of them
apart.

As for the other questions… She didn’t know the answers, but she knew
that the chemistry between them was unmistakable. There was no denying it, even
if she wanted to. She’d spent the last few months thinking of him, wishing she
could’ve done things differently. But those had been selfish thoughts at times.
She loved Dalton. She wanted to be with him, but in the same sense, she wanted
to spare him the hassle of what her day-to-day entailed.

Dalton was the only man who owned her heart. Hell, he owned her soul if
she really thought about it. But her heart … that was the fragile piece she was
worried about. Without even trying, he’d shattered it so easily, and Katie
wasn’t sure her heart had been repaired enough to endure something like that
again.

Although, she had to remind herself that the blame ultimately lay at
her feet. She’d been the one to make the decision. He had just gone along with
it, never fighting for her.

And that’s what she feared most. Didn’t matter that she’d pushed him
away, he had turned around and walked without looking back. That was something
she had a hard time dealing with. It hadn’t been an easy thing to deal with.

She knew without a doubt that Lexi wouldn’t be able to handle it if
things fell apart between them.

So why was she relenting? Why was she giving in to this man when she
knew she should just turn around and walk away from him? He could still be a
father to their baby even if they weren’t together.

But walking away again wasn’t that easy.

Her heart wouldn’t let her.

“No more lies,” Dalton finally agreed to her ultimatum. He rolled to
his side and pressed his palm against her belly, his eyes meeting hers.

Katie turned to her side, pressing her face against his neck, inhaling
his sexy, masculine scent. They were silent for a few moments before she pulled
back and looked directly into his brilliant brown eyes. “I missed you, too,
Dalton.”

The edges of his lips tipped up slowly until a full-blown smile
registered on his incredibly handsome face. The mischievous twinkle in his eyes
sent a tremor through her. This man was dangerous. To her sanity, for sure.

As though they’d just made the final decision for the rest of their
lives, Dalton began to right his clothes before standing up and holding out his
hand for her. Katie got to her feet and slipped her panties off her ankles.
He’d ruined another pair, and the thought made her smile.

“So what now?” she asked, handing the panties to Dalton when he held
out his hand.

As he tucked them into the pocket of his jeans, he smiled at her. “Now,
we go check on Lexi. Make sure she’d doing all right with Austin. I’d like to
work on getting her on a horse.”

Katie’s eyebrows rose. She wasn’t sure that was even possible. Dalton
seemed to know what she was thinking because he said, “She’ll get there.
Eventually. You should see her, Katie. She loves the horses.”

Katie nodded, agreeing. The way Lexi had lit up that morning when she’d
talked about the horses, and about Dalton, it was evident she’d found something
else to obsess over. And as much as she liked to see Lexi smile, Katie knew it
might not turn out the way anyone wanted it to. But that was something she’d
have to deal with if and when they got to that point.

“So, dinner? My house?” Dalton asked.

“Sounds like a plan.”

After they had climbed down from the hayloft, Katie had spent the next
couple of hours following Dalton and Lexi around the stables and the arena
while he introduced her little sister to the horses, explaining how they took
care of them. He had informed her that it was the same spiel they’d given on
Friday, when the day-care center brought her, but Dalton wanted to give Lexi a
more personal experience.

Needless to say, Lexi had been on cloud nine.

So when Katie informed Lexi that they would be going to Dalton’s for
dinner that night, she wasn’t met with much resistance.

Thank God for small miracles.

Now that it was six o’clock, Katie was pulling down the dirt drive that
led to Dalton’s house. The one he’d built months ago and recently moved into.
Until today, she hadn’t been back there since the morning she had snuck out of
his bed, a little more than four months ago. Hadn’t had a reason to come to the
ranch since then, either.

As they pulled up to the house, Katie’s eyes widened.

It was impressive. Even more so than the last time she’d been there.
The landscaping had been completed on the front of the house, making it look
more like a home and less like a construction zone.

Compared to Cooper’s old farmhouse that had been undergoing renovations
for the last year, the place Dalton now called home was brand new, although it
still had the same country charm as Cooper’s place.

The house was white with a deep porch that wrapped around it. Back when
she’d come there before, the porch had been empty. Now there were several
rocking chairs and a few boxes that held brightly colored flowers. There still
wasn’t a concrete drive; however, there were now stepping-stones that led from
the dirt driveway to the house, so Katie pulled up near them and put the car in
park.

“We’re here,” she told Lexi, who was sitting silently in the backseat.

“Is this Mr. Dalton’s house?” Lexi asked.

“It is. What do you think?”

“It’s pretty,” she offered before Katie grabbed her purse and slid out
of the car.

She opened Lexi’s door and waited for her sister to climb out.
Expecting Lexi to take her hand, she was completely shocked when her sister
bolted for the front porch. That was when Katie looked up to see Dalton
standing there, leaning against the porch rail and smiling at them both.

“Hello, ladies,” he greeted with that sexy drawl.

“Mr. Dalton!” Lexi exclaimed, running up onto the porch to stand beside
him.

“Miss Lexi,” he said in turn. “How are you tonight?”

“Good.”

Katie approached slowly, a butterfly circus erupting in her belly as
she did. Seeing Dalton, being this close to him again, made her heart pound and
her palms sweat. She had missed him so much. Missed seeing his gorgeous smile.

“Come on in,” he instructed, motioning to them both before turning
toward the door.

Katie watched as Lexi latched on to Dalton’s hand, the little girl
looking up at him as though he were some sort of miracle.

And maybe he was.

Katie followed the pair into the house, taking everything in. She could
smell food, a delicious aroma that had her stomach growling, a reminder that
she hadn’t eaten that day. Then again, for the last few months, she hadn’t been
eating much. Only enough to ensure the baby was getting the nourishment it
needed. Some sort of self-punishment, she assumed.

Not that she questioned it. Too much guilt had been resting firmly on
her shoulders.

Glancing around, Katie admired the house now that it was complete. The
floors were a gleaming dark hardwood, the cream-colored walls bare, still
lacking any sort of decoration. She knew he’d been on tour, unable to
completely move in, but considering how nice the outside looked, she’d assumed
the inside would’ve been more complete. She’d been wrong. That or he just
wasn’t into decorating.

The furniture looked expensive and new. An oversized table that seated
eight stood alone in the formal dining area; a single couch and a small end
table resided in what Katie assumed was the living room.

She continued through the house, following Dalton’s voice until she
reached the kitchen. It was open to the family room, and not much had changed
in there, either. Although there was considerably more furniture. No longer was
there just a lone recliner and a television. There were now two brown leather
couches that matched the recliner, filling the space. Unlike the recliner, the
couches were a little more worn, probably having made the trek from Dalton’s
previous house. Clearly, Dalton spent time in that room.

“Mr. Dalton said I could set the table,” Lexi declared as she rounded
the bar with three plates and silverware in her hands. Her sister didn’t slow
on her way to the small breakfast nook. With a clatter, she put everything in
its place before returning to the kitchen.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Dalton offered when Katie moved
closer to the bar.

“Water?” she asked. She was trying to lay off the caffeine as much as
possible. It wasn’t an easy feat, but she was managing.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Katie watched Dalton navigate the kitchen. He alternated between
stirring something on the stove and putting ice in three glasses, then pouring
tea in two of them and using the dispenser in the refrigerator door to add
water to one.

“Would you mind taking the glasses to the table?” Dalton asked Lexi,
who beamed up at him, clearly excited about the task.

He was good with kids. That she noticed immediately.

Dalton didn’t treat Lexi as though she were breakable, and Katie
appreciated that. So many people looked at Lexi as though she might shatter
into a million pieces from a look. What they didn’t know was that Lexi was
strong. Stronger than anyone gave her credit for.

Having been through more shit in her eight years than most people had
their entire lives, Lexi continued to move forward, never looking back. Katie
admired her sister. Sometimes she wished she was as resilient.

“You okay?” Dalton asked as he passed her, carrying a pan to the table.

Katie nodded, realizing she’d gotten lost in her own head.

Time to snap out of it. Time to enjoy the moment, she told herself.

Tonight was supposed to be a fresh start. She knew she should be
thankful, but there was still a small amount of fear that resided in the far
recesses of her mind, spurred on by her heart. She wanted to believe that
everything would work out for them, but thanks to her past and the decisions
she’d made, Katie was weary.

But as she turned to look at Dalton, watching him interact with Lexi,
she made a promise to herself.

It was time to stop punishing herself. She was a survivor. And it was
time that she let go. Time to move forward.