I willed my already-hard dick soft, though. She wasn’t up for more sex this morning, even if we had time.
I’d known she’d need pain, but I let her figure it out. And then, when she’d begged nicely, I’d given it to her, but I’d made sure not to make her so sore she’d need to change this morning.
I had a comb, toothbrush, underwear, socks, and shirt in a small bag. I could wear the same jeans I’d worn the day before.
Why had I awakened? Her security system would tell her if anything over twenty inches tall came onto her property, and if anything weighing more than twelve pounds got within twenty yards of the house. And no one was coming in — not even the kids who knew the code — without setting the whole thing off.
I’d found out the evening before that her ex-husband knows the codes to get into her house, too. I understood that they didn’t want to make the kids keep secrets, but on this one thing, I’d eventually have to insist. And really, it was only a matter of a family meeting where Gil told the kids it was okay for them to not tell him the codes. It wouldn’t be Cheyenne ordering the kids to keep a secret from their father, it would be their father telling them to.
I’d liked Gil when I met him, but he’d introduced himself as the owner of the company, and he’d clearly believed it, because it didn’t come off as an untruth. That sat wrong with me, now. From talking to Cheyenne, I understood he handled most of the negotiations and dealings with the general contractors. She gave him the window he could negotiate within, and he handled the face-to-face stuff.
Her alarm went off, and she moved to turn it off and returned to me.
She rolled into my arms and snuggled in, her back to me, so I couldn’t see her face.
“You knew.”
I didn’t have to ask what she was talking about. I’d known she’d need pain. I caressed her arm and kissed her forehead. “I did.”
“It’s probably good you let me figure it out on my own, but it didn’t feel like it at the time.” She sighed. “I have to get up.”
“But you don’t want to.”
“No. What does your day look like?”
“I have a nine o’clock meeting at the hospital, since it looks like we’ll finally be able to get started rebuilding the emergency areas, and then I need to help mediate an issue between a foreman and the bitch designer assigned to the new apartment complex site.”
“Ya’ll got the hospital job? That’s a big one.”
“Yeah. We weren’t the lowest bidder, but since we can supply our own security, we were apparently the best choice.”
“Since that portion of the hospital was completely trashed in a riot no one could bring under control, it makes sense.”
I popped her on the ass. “Up you go. Into the shower. I’ll use the other one and then get started on breakfast.”
“The other one? Are you feeling okay?”
“I am, and you don’t have time for morning sex.”
Her master bedroom had two bathrooms and two huge closets, which is why there was another shower close by. When she came down, I had everything ready but the eggs, and they were beaten and ready to dump into the skillet.
“I feel like I should apologize again about Nora,” she said as I poured the eggs in.
“Not necessary. I’m also not certain you should make her apologize to me. Just let me meet her as if it never happened. I want her to eventually like me. I realize it might be a while, but I’d like to give her a chance.” Possibly long after she reached adulthood, but I hoped I could win her over before then.
Chapter Eleven
Frost
The following days were packed full, and the weekend job proved to be a challenge, but I’d known it would be. We finished it at four in the morning, Monday morning. Five hours before the absolute deadline that would’ve cost us money. I don’t like cutting it that close.
I stopped long enough Saturday night to take Cheyenne to dinner, but then I’d gone back to the site and worked a good part of the night, along with my crew. I’d grabbed a few hours of sleep, gone to church, and returned to oversee the men and the work.
I slept until nearly noon Monday. It wasn’t enough, but it was all I could afford, since I had a one o’clock meeting I couldn’t miss. We had crews working overtime on a couple of jobs, so I worked late Monday, and then had to be at an early meeting at the retirement center Tuesday morning. The list of attendees included the owners, the architects, the design firm, and the plumbing, electrical, medical equipment supply, and painting subcontractors.
Yes, that meant Gil would be there. It would be the first time we’d been around each other since he found out I was fucking his ex-wife.
I led the architects and designers on a walkthrough of the building, and we ended up in the dining hall after the tour. I’d had our people put a piece of plywood on some sawhorses and secure it, and we’d brought folding chairs in for everyone. Blueprints were spread out on the temporary table, and a large battery pack underneath was available for anyone who needed to plug their device in.
The meeting went as one would expect. The designer bitched about the placement of a stripe in the main hallway, Gil backed up the placement by showing how it was rendered in the blueprints and elevation drawings. The medical equipment people worked with the electrician and plumbers to make sure they didn’t get in each other’s way. Lots of minutia was decided on.
And then everyone left except Gil and my foreman.
I nodded for my foreman to leave. He’s a tiger shifter, and I’m certain he picked up on Gil’s intentions, but I had this.
Gil was still seated, so I pulled a chair away from the table in case I needed to jump up. I casually sat, stretched my feet out, and leaned back.
He’d stayed when everyone else left. I’d let him get started.
“What are your intentions?” he asked. The muscles at his temples flexed. I could almost sense the hackles raised on the back of his neck, despite the fact he didn’t have them in human form.
I remained relaxed. Cool. Slow pulse. Steady breathing. “Sounds like I need to ask what yours are. Ex-husbands don’t usually get to grill the new man in their ex-wife’s bed.”
Apparently, the asshole was just looking for a fight. I mean, sure, I was in-your-face with my response, but I didn’t say anything he didn’t already know, and I wasn’t personally insulting.
But he came over the table, a right hook rocketing towards my face as he landed.
I didn’t even stand. I caught his fist, kicked his knee as his weight landed on it, and then took us both to the floor with my knee in his gut. It knocked the wind out of him, and he started to change, but then recovered and stayed human.
“Don’t make me take those kids’ dad from them.” My hand went to his throat and I pressed against his trachea enough to get his attention. He gagged and choked. I let up so he could hear me, but kept enough pressure to control him. My inner sadist wanted to push until he turned colors, until the tiny blood vessels in his eyes burst and turned the white parts red, but I reined him in. Today was about showing a measured response. Cheyenne would be okay with me defending myself, but not with me torturing her business partner. Also, I didn’t want the kids to be afraid of me.
Still, he was hurting, and he was afraid, so I took a few seconds to breathe in the pain and fear. I’d had a lot more of this in jail than I’d managed on the outside, and it was so, so sweet. But I needed to move on.
I lowered my voice to a quiet snarl. “You can be dead the instant I decide you’re too much trouble to me alive. That tiger who just walked out will be more than happy to get a tarp for me to roll your body in, and then re-etch the floor with acid to make sure any evidence is destroyed while I dispose of your body. Trust me when I say, no one will ever find your corpse.”
Fear rolled off him in waves, and I breathed it in while I waited for him to decide how to react.
When he stopped fighting, I relaxed my hold on his neck a little more, and stopped digging my kn
ee in so deep. “This isn’t the way I wanted this to go. Would you like to stand up and start again?”
He nodded, I stood and stepped away, and he made it to his feet without too much trouble, though all of his weight was on one leg. He’d likely need to change to heal whatever I did to his gut, and to fix that knee, but it could wait.
“You’re a damned owl.”
Right. He’d expected to be able to kick my ass.
“I get that you and Cheyenne have a good working relationship, and that you’re working to give the kids some stability. If you respect my relationship with her, I’ll respect yours with her. That’s the best I can offer you.”
“I don’t want you around my kids.” He stood tall and proud. Didn’t matter I’d bested him, he wasn’t backing down on the important points.
“And that’s your right, but if you’re trying to make Cheyenne choose between me or the kids, I’m afraid that’s going to backfire on you. Do you love your kids more than you hate me? Do you want me out of Cheyenne’s life more than you want what’s best for your kids? Because watching their ex-stepmom stand up for herself and find happiness once again will be a healthy thing for them to see.”
His right hand formed a fist, but he didn’t come at me again. Instead of answering, he turned and left. His gait was off and that knee had to hurt like a bitch, but he walked with pride despite the limp.
I was certain I’d have to beat the shit out of him the next time he came at me. I also figured he’d bring some of the other Pack wolves with him to do it.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and texted Cheyenne. Your ex just attacked me. He walked out of here in one piece. You’re welcome.
My phone rang. “I heard about people paying you for protection in jail, so I figured you could hold your own.” She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry you’re having to deal with his shit. I’d hoped he’d stay professional.”
“But you thought he might not?”
“I told him it was important he did. He didn’t argue.”
“No problem on my end. I can handle him.”
“I’m sorry you have to.”
“So long as you and I keep communication open, it’ll be fine.”
I already had my phone back in my pocket when my foreman came in and eyed the makeshift table on its side. I shrugged. “We need to take it apart anyway. Meeting’s over. I’ll return the battery pack to the office.”
“You’re going to have more trouble from him.”
“Yep.”
“She worth it?”
“Yes.”
Chapter Twelve
Cheyenne
The motherfucking bastard had the nerve to try to tell me Frost started it, but I knew how he could twist things — he said it in a way so it seemed like that’s what he was saying, but he wasn’t actually lying. I’d long ago learned his tricks, though.
“So, he came at you for no reason? You didn’t try to throw the first punch?”
And the lying bastard turned around and walked away.
“Oh no you don’t. Get back here. Now.”
He stopped, but didn’t turn around. “He’s bad news, Shy.”
“Because he kicked your ass without trying? Don’t fuck with him and he won’t fuck with you.”
“I don’t want him around my kids, and if that means I have to keep you away from them too, then I guess that’s the way it’ll have to be.”
“You’ll change your mind on that, or we’ll have problems. Don’t do that to the kids. If you cut me out of their lives, I’ll buy you out of the business and hire someone to do your job so fast, it’ll make your head spin.”
He spun around and met my gaze. Pissed.
I shrugged. “And then they’ll turn eighteen and come back to me. You know they will. Nora, at least. You need help with her and you fucking know it. Don’t go to war with me just because I’m finally dating someone. Grow the fuck up or get out of my life. Those are your choices. Now, get off my land before I kick your ass, too.”
And no, I couldn’t beat him up in human form, but in our animal forms, my cat would tear him apart.
I turned my back on him, went in the house, slammed the door closed, and pulled my phone back out. Are you free this evening? I’m making pork and beef lasagna.
I can be there in about two hours.
Perfect. See you then.
I was pissed, and hurt. Gil had no right to try to control my life. However, he could legally keep me from seeing the kids, and it rankled.
But I wasn’t going to fucking heel for him. He didn’t own me anymore. Dammit.
I stomped to the alarm control panel and changed the code on the doors and the alarm. He’d be able to guess every number combination I could come up with, and I finally decided to use the Fibonacci sequence, but not from the beginning — 581321. There, figure that one out, you son of a bitch.
For good measure, I closed the gate coming into my driveway. I texted Frost again. Give me a 4 to 7 digit number you can remember.
35813
I stared at it. The fucking Fibonacci sequence, but he’d started one number sooner.
Fibonacci? Really?
Is that a problem?
No. You’ll know when to use it.
Was someone trying to tell me this was supposed to be? I didn’t know, but I suddenly felt better.
I also felt like being outside. It didn’t take long to fry the meat and put the lasagna together. I put it in the oven, programmed it to cook for an hour and then warm until I told it to stop, and I took the camping supplies to the backyard. It felt good to be doing something. This was my new life, and I could make of it what I wanted.
By the time Frost arrived, I had everything ready to take outside for a meal under the stars. Including the whiskey. I’d opened all the windows on the tent, as well as the skylight — we’d have a breeze and a view, but no bugs.
And so, we ate on a picnic blanket in front of the tent while we took turns pouring shots of whiskey, and then stretched out and talked about the stars and the universe.
“What’s up with the gate being closed? It was open when I came before.”
“I keep it closed when I’m not home, and at night. Gil’s being an ass, so it felt better to close it. I changed all the codes, too. He’s threatening to keep the kids from me. If they can’t come, there’s no need for him to know the codes to my damned house.”
“Not many people recognize the Fibonacci sequence.”
“I’m an artist. Math is the language of the universe. You can’t draw nature without understanding it.”
“Flowers. Seashells. Greek architecture.”
“Right. I’m kind of surprised you know it, though.”
“Engineering degree. I helped my parents run their contracting business for years.”
I smiled. “Also, owls are rumored to be of above average intelligence.”
“Most of us, yes.”
“Do you want to sleep out here, or would you prefer my air-conditioned bedroom?”
“This is nice. I like your land. We’re in a neighborhood, but it feels like the forest.”
“Well, a mosquito just bit me, so we either go into the tent or into the house. There’s plenty of airflow, and we can see outside through the mesh — there’s even a skylight.” I looked around. “But, it’s hot.”
“Hot’s okay every once in a while. Let’s move into the tent and see how it goes. We can go inside later if we want.”
I’d put a fitted sheet on the mattress, and another sheet to go on top of us, but neither of us would want a blanket in the heat of the summer. I took my nine millimeter out of the bellyband and settled the weapon and extra magazines to the side of the mattress. Frost chuckled and did the same, though his gun was bigger than mine.
I leaned across and looked at it, and the side of the barrel proclaimed Custom by Ed Brown.
“Damn. Is that the Special Forces forty-five?”
He lifted a brow. “It is.”
Th
at was a twenty-five-hundred-dollar gun, and from what I understood, worth every penny. I had the newest Sig nine millimeter, specially designed with no edges to catch on anything. I thought I’d spent too much on a gun, and it hadn’t cost half that.
He leaned across and looked at mine. “That’s the new snag-free Sig? How do you like the sights?”
“You have to use it to understand. I love them. Where do you shoot?”
“We had a range at the old clubhouse, and I miss it. Mad Dog arranged for a membership for all of us at the gun store down the street from the apartment complex. We’ve moved into the new clubhouse, but we still need to install the range in the basement. The containment trap for the backstop’s been ordered, but it’s a few months out before they can deliver it.”
I took my t-shirt and bra off, but left my shorts and undies on, and slid between the sheets. He pulled everything off except his boxer briefs and joined me.
We talked long into the night. Snuggled together. This was my home, my land, and yet, somehow, Frost’s arms made it feel even more like home.
I’m pretty sure the last thing I said before I fell asleep was, “I like having you here.”
I was sleeping so soundly, the phone ringing didn’t register as mine. Frost answered it, and my subconscious finally roused when I heard Gil.
“I need Shy.”
“She’s sleeping. You have me.”
“Tell her Nora’s gone. Her phone’s here, so I can’t track her.”
I sat up. “Put it on speakerphone.”
“Shy?”
“Yeah. Did ya’ll have another fight?”
“Yes.” It sounded like he didn’t even open his mouth to say it. It was killing him to have to call me, but he knew I’d have a better chance of finding her.
I told him the pattern to unlock her phone, and then told him who to go to in her contacts.
“Text those three people. Tell them she’s missing, and you’re going to call the Alpha if you can’t find her in fifteen minutes. If you don’t hear from them in five minutes, call them and make sure they saw the text. If they know where she is, they’ll let her know, and she’ll call you because she does not want to have to deal with the Alpha again.”
Frost (Rolling Thunder MC Birmingham Book 3) Page 8
