Rebel Custody

by Sarah Hawthorne

  “Fuck!” I let fly a string of curses. “Condom.”

  Sitting up on my knees, I grabbed my jeans off the floor and found the foil package in the pocket. As I slid the condom over my cock, I watched her. Curls tumbling everywhere, lips swollen from kissing, and breasts tight and wanting. She was mine. This was who I had been waiting for.

  I felt my balls tighten. Fuck. I wasn’t even inside yet. In my haze, I realized she was rubbing my dick on her clit.

  She smiled. “It feels good.”

  Trying to control my panting, I let her play. I wanted this night to be about her and about her fantasies, but Holy Mother of God, I was going to explode in her hands. “I won’t last much longer,” I warned.

  Grinning, she slid me down farther. “I want your bibitte in my pelote.”

  Sweeter words had never been spoken.

  I sank into her body with a growl. Propping myself up on my elbows, I slid out and then back in. She gasped and experimented with tilting her hips until we established a rhythm. She explored my chest and my back. Then we both started to pant. Fuck, I was trying so hard not to come that I broke out into a sweat, and we began sliding against each other.

  Her gasps became louder, and I felt her pussy tighten. As soon as she began to shake, I let out a yell of release, pumping into her. Over and over, until we both shuddered and held each other.

  When I finally regained my breath, I opened my mouth to say something. I wanted to tell her that this was more than a one-night stand, more than just a single evening together. But she had fallen asleep.

  I smiled and kissed her nose. I didn’t have to tell her those things now, because she’d be here in the morning. I wouldn’t wake up alone. There was plenty of time for words later. Now it was time for sleep.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Miri

  I rolled over and instantly realized I wasn’t in my own bed. I was in Jean Luc’s, and it was the middle of the night, but he wasn’t here. I tried scanning the dark to see him, but it was too hard to tell.

  “Jean Luc?” I asked into the blackness.

  There was no answer.

  Fumbling around on the floor, I found a discarded T-shirt of his and put it on. He was almost a head taller than me, so it covered all my necessary parts. I walked into the living room to find him. When he wasn’t there, I went to the kitchen. Eventually, I found him outside. He was standing on the back porch.

  “What are you doing out here?” I asked, stepping out to join him.

  He shook his head. “Nothing. Just couldn’t sleep.”

  “Oh.” I racked my brain. Was I a noisy bed partner? I didn’t know. “Did I wake you?”

  “No. Nothing like that,” he said. “Come here.”

  In the dim light, I could see he was wrapped up in the afghan from the couch, the one his mother had made. He opened up his arms, and I stepped into the cocoon with him. He was naked. I snuggled my back against his chest, enjoying his warmth while we both stared out at the open field behind his house.

  “I didn’t mean to worry you. I’m not used to sleeping with someone.” He paused and gave me a squeeze. “I think you’re the first person I’ve shared my bed with since I got back from Afghanistan.”

  “How long have you been back?” I asked.

  “Ten years.” He was silent for a minute. “That’s how come I didn’t know about Christophe. Delphie must have gotten pregnant the night before I shipped out. As soon as I hit the ground in country, she sent me a Dear John letter and never said a word. It might be for the best, though.” He sighed. “I did two tours, so when I got out, I had a hard time readjusting. Frankly, I wasn’t fit to be a father when I came home.”

  “What happened?” I asked. I knew soldiers returning from war had a difficult time re-acclimating themselves to society, but I had never met someone who had actually gone through it.

  He set his chin on my shoulder. “I felt like I had no purpose. Over there, it’s all about survival. When you get back home, you never think about survival, just paychecks. I tried working regular jobs, but I got fired a lot. Then one day I sold my truck, bought a Harley, and rode west. I had no money and had to rely on my wits and working odd jobs. When I hit the Pacific and couldn’t go any farther, I headed north.”

  “That’s when you met the Demon Horde?” I asked.

  He nodded and kissed my neck. “Yeah. They were the Storm Kings back then. Helped me fix my bike. I was in a pretty dark place, but they felt like my old platoon, ya know? Like a family. So I stuck around.”

  “I’m glad you stuck around,” I said.

  “Mmmmm, me too.” He kissed my neck again. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  He found his way under the T-shirt, and his hands swirled over my hips. He pulled me closer to him and settled his dick between my butt cheeks. It was comfortable somehow, not a sensation I would have ever thought of, but here it felt natural. Then he felt his way up my ribs. I smiled to myself. Even with my limited experience, I knew where this was going.

  “Why me?” I asked. “Why did you choose me?”

  He stopped his exploring and nuzzled my neck. “I could ask you the same thing,” he whispered. “But I waited because there was no one special enough. No one that I could trust with my life.”

  He resumed his exploration of my body and cupped my breasts. I leaned back against him and sighed. “Why did you wait so long?” he whispered.

  “I never met anyone that I wanted to share it with.” I shrugged. “Until you.”

  I shivered when he pinched a nipple. I was glad I had waited for him.

  “Come on—you’re cold. Let’s go inside,” he said.

  We crawled back into bed and snuggled like we had out on the porch. My back fit into his front. I fell asleep feeling so secure—surely something this good would never end.

  * * *

  “Cher?” Jean Luc whispered and pulled me closer to him.

  I smiled against the pillow. He sounded half asleep. I stretched against him, rubbing my butt against his dick. His hard dick. What a fantastic way to wake up.

  “Cher?” he said again, more awake.

  “Mmmm?” I mumbled, but it was a question.

  “I really hate your phone,” he said, laughing.

  Lifting my head off the pillow, I heard it too. My ringtone. Where had I left my phone? Jumping out of bed, I ran to the living room and searched through my purse.

  Lizzy flashed on the caller id. I cringed and answered.

  “Where the hell have you been?” she demanded. “I’ve called every hospital in fifty miles.”

  I hadn’t told her that I’d be gone the whole night, and I’d never slept over at anyone else’s house before. It was no wonder she was worried.

  “Sorry. I’m not sure when I’ll be back,” I replied.

  She gasped. “Oh my god. Did you sleep with him?”

  When I didn’t reply, she assumed that was a yes.

  “Oh no.” Her voice sounded flat. “I called your mom. Your parents are on their way. They think you’re missing.”

  “I’ll be home soon. Stall, okay?” I racked my brain. “Tell them I was with Sheena all night.”

  I hung up and called Sheena to explain my predicament.

  “Hell yeah, I’ll totally lie for you.” She laughed. “So was he any good?”

  With the corroboration for my lie in place, I told Sheena I’d fill her in later and hung up.

  “So, you’re leaving?” Jean Luc asked. He was propped against the wall, wearing boxers, watching me. He must have heard everything.

  “Yeah. I kinda didn’t tell anyone I’d be gone, and now my parents are on their way over to my apartment.” I cringed. I sounded like I was fifteen years old and had gotten in trouble for breaking curfew. “I’m sorry, I
need to get going.”

  He walked over and put his arms around me in a hug. “I knew the real world would invade eventually, but I was hoping we could at least have breakfast first.”

  I shook my head. “I need to get home before they get there.”

  “So you’re not going to tell them about me?” he asked, searching my face.

  If I told my father I was dating a client—one of the cash-only clients—he would have a coronary.

  “What are we, Jean Luc?” I asked. “Are we dating?”

  “Dating?” he repeated. Then he smiled. “I don’t want anyone else but you. You can tell your daddy or not, but that’s how it stands. You’re mine.”

  After a toe-curling kiss, I got dressed, and he walked me to my car. Then we shared one more kiss, and I drove off, smiling the entire way.

  * * *

  I groaned as I pulled into the parking lot at my complex. My father’s Cadillac was already in the visitor area. Damn. My mother’s voice was the first thing I heard when I opened the front door.

  “My dear! You gave us quite the scare!” She rushed over and hugged me.

  Dad looked up from his New York Times and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t disappear like that ever again.”

  After the obligatory hugs, I looked around. “Where’s Lizzy?” I asked. She usually made herself scarce when my parents were around.

  I found her in her room and left my parents in the living room for a minute. “Well?” she asked, looking from the door and back to me. “How was it?”

  “Amazing!” I squealed. Then I checked myself. Lowering my voice, I said, “He was the Rick to my Ilsa!”

  Someone banged on the door. “Girls!” my dad called, like we were fourteen. “We’re going out for lox and bagels. Get dressed.”

  After breakfast, we dropped Lizzie off at the apartment, and my parents insisted that I spend the weekend in Seattle with them. I tried to get out of it, but when my mother was determined, she always got what she wanted.

  Mom and I went shopping. She wanted some new curtains in the guest room, but she also wanted some information.

  “So did you really spend the evening with your assistant?” she asked, flipping through fabric swatches at the interior design shop. “Because I didn’t think you two were that close.”

  Mom had worked as a receptionist and bookkeeper at dad’s firm for over thirty years. It was how they met. Even though she was retired now, she tried to keep abreast of the office gossip—and my love life.

  “Sheena and I are good friends, Mom.” I needed something believable. “We went to a bar after work, and we just shared a cab to her place.”

  “Oh.” Mom watched me as she looked at more designs. “I was thinking that maybe you and Sheena were lovers.”

  I dropped the gigantic book of samples, and it made a loud thud. Two of the assistants got up to help, but I picked it up on my own.

  “Mom!” I laughed. “I’m not a lesbian.”

  “It’s okay if you are, sweetie.” She pursed her lips. “Your father and I are thoroughly modern, and we love you no matter what. You just should really think twice about sleeping with your assistant.”

  I rolled my eyes. My parents were not thoroughly modern. “Is it better to sleep with your receptionist?” I asked. “Like Dad did?”

  “That was different.” She sat up straighter on her stool. “We were in love. So did you meet someone? Is that where you were? Because Vivien and Cassie said you and Sheena left separately last night.”

  “You called Viv and Cassie?” My mother’s two best friends were also the office gossips in accounting.

  “Well, you were missing,” she said, frowning. “I was trying to find you.”

  I sighed. She had been legitimately worried about me. I had never before spent the night away from home, and I didn’t tell anyone I was going to be away. I owed my mom an explanation.

  “Okay, I met someone.” I smiled, thinking of my night with him. “He’s a sculptor.”

  “Oh!” Mom clapped her hands. “A sculptor. I’ll bet he’s very attractive. Is he attractive? Tell me all about him. Is he Jewish?”

  “He’s from Louisiana but has been living here for ten years or so. He’s definitely not Jewish,” I explained. “We’re just dating. I don’t know if it will turn into anything serious.”

  Mom closed all of the sample books she had been looking at and got up. Apparently, she was no longer interested in guest room drapes. “We should have him over for dinner next weekend. I want to meet my daughter’s newest love.” She put her purse on her shoulder.

  “We’re not in love.” I sighed. When she got her teeth around an idea, she ran off with it. “It was just a date, and I stayed at his place. I’m not really sure what we’re doing.”

  “Oh.” Her smile disappeared as we walked out of the interior design shop. “So no grandkids yet?”

  I shook my head. “I don’t know yet. Just don’t tell Dad, okay?” I pleaded.

  “I won’t,” she promised. “You know, we had high hopes for Pete. Why did you drop him?”

  “Pete just wasn’t the man I wanted, Mom.” When I thought back on his behavior in the cab, I shivered. “It was time to move on.”

  “Well, is this new guy just a boy-toy or whatever they call them these days?” she asked. “You sent Pete packing just a couple of weeks ago.”

  “He’s not a boy-toy.” I laughed. “I care about him, Mom. It’s just a new relationship. Give it some time.”

  Later on that night, Sylvia—the housekeeper—made brisket for dinner. Afterward, I was catching up on some work in Dad’s office when my phone buzzed. A text.

  Thinking of you. It was from Jean Luc, and I shivered. What should I say? I wanted to see him again.

  Lunch on Monday? Maybe I would take the afternoon off, and we could do naughty things. I grinned and waited for the next text.

  See you then.

  * * *

  I had never looked forward to a Monday before that day. I would see Jean Luc for lunch, which seemed more like a business appointment than something romantic. I needed to get better at this dating stuff.

  At least I had worn cute underwear. Sitting in my office chair, I shifted my hips back and forth and felt the rub of my thong. It was bright pink—not at all like the virginal white panties I had worn on Friday. I hoped he would like it.

  Sheena handed me a letter when she walked in the door. “I think this is what you’ve been waiting for!” She grinned. “TrueGene. These are the DNA results for your biker, right?”

  “Thanks.” I stared at the envelope. Should I wait for Jean Luc, or open it on my own? I put it on the corner of my desk. I’d let Jean Luc do the honors. We were both reasonably sure that Christophe was his—the resemblance between the two of them was too hard to deny.

  Eventually I was able to concentrate and get to work. After a while, I glanced at the clock. It was eleven thirty. He would be here soon. I’d already cleared my calendar in case he wanted to spend the rest of the day together, because I definitely did.

  Sheena’s voice came over the intercom. “Miri? Prosecutor Avebury is here to see you.”

  My stomach twisted. Of all the days, he had to show up today. I groaned. Sheena used his last name, which meant he was standing at her desk. If I declined to see him, he might make a scene. Maybe I could get him out of my office before Jean Luc showed up.

  “Send him in,” I said, fully aware that he could probably hear me. We did date for a year. Despite his awful behavior in the cab that night, I didn’t think he would try anything in my office.

  Pete walked in with a huge floral arrangement. Red and pink roses and lilies and all sorts of flowers packed into a gigantic basket. He set it on my desk and sat in one of the visitor’s chairs.

  “I just want
ed to say I’m sorry.” He smiled. “I’ve missed you so much these last three weeks, Miri. I just got drunk and said some things I shouldn’t have. It’s just that after a year of dating, you should be ready.”

  He reached for my hand, and I pulled back. “You tried to yank me out of a taxi to have sex,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “That’s completely inexcusable.”

  Pete nodded in agreement. “It is. That’ll never happen again. Let me make it up to you.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a brochure. It was for a cabin in the woods. The glossy pictures billed it as a lovers’ retreat.

  “I’d make it all romantic.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Your first time will be perfect.”

  I shook my head. “It was perfect, Pete. It just wasn’t with you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Skeeter

  I wandered the floral department of the grocery store for something for Miri. I had never done this before. It was really hard to find a bouquet that said “We should have moved to the bedroom sooner. But let’s do it again sometime!”

  I bought the classic, a dozen red roses, and walked over to her office. I entered the building through the parking garage and took the back hallway to Miri’s office. That way I could avoid any uncomfortable teasing from Miri’s assistant. Things were still new between Miri and me, and I didn’t want to suffer through any knowing grins from Sheena when I showed up with flowers.

  I debated knocking on Miri’s door, but in the end just opened it. I wanted to surprise her with the flowers. But as soon as I opened the door, I realized I should have knocked. She wasn’t alone. I didn’t recognize the man in Miri’s office, but based on how close he was standing, they knew each other. Well.

  The suit looked me up and down. He eyed my vest and patches and scowled. He was blond and had an inch over me, but his shoulders were soft underneath his tailored suit. He’d be no problem after the first punch.

  “Him?” the suit demanded. He glared at Miri. “You slept with this thug? He’s a criminal, but maybe you like it dirty. I hope the sex was worth it.”