Relent

by Nina Levine

  Eventually she pulled away and looked up at me through tear-soaked lashes. “I don’t hate him. I never could . . . I’m glad you told me, because it changes the way I feel about how we ended things.”

  My brows pulled together. “How?”

  She sucked in a breath and gave me a hesitant glance. “I thought you didn’t love me enough to fight for me, but now I can see you loved me so much that you walked away with unselfish motives. You’re such a good man, Kick, and you don’t even realise it.”

  Her words washed over me like a soothing shot of love. They weren’t accurate words but I fucking needed them and let a sliver of them in. I let them wash away some of the grime that covered my heart.

  “Fuck, all that wasted time,” I muttered.

  Her eyes searched mine. “What made you change your mind after all this time?” she asked softly.

  Moment of truth. I didn’t want to, but I had to speak honestly even if it hurt her. I’d decided that being completely open with her was the only way we’d survive this harsh world together. “You’ve got no clue how hard it was for me to stay away all these years. When you shut me out completely a year ago, it nearly fuckin’ destroyed me, baby. I’ve done a lot of things I never thought I would since then, not giving one shit about anything, because the only thing worth giving a shit about was lost to me. Some days I wake up disgusted with the person I’ve allowed myself to become. When Jeremy got in touch with me a couple of months ago, he told me he thought he was wrong. He said he’d watched you lose yourself over the last year and that he knew you and I should be together regardless of the club.”

  “Why didn’t you come to me then?” I hated the sadness in her voice. She was right, though. I should have fixed this back then.

  I looked at her with the regret that weighed me down. “I wasn’t convinced he was right. The person I’d become wasn’t someone I wanted you to know . . . but when he died . . . fuck, that fucked with my mind, Evie. I replayed everything over and over in my mind a million times, and then when I saw you at the funeral, I knew I had no choice.” I paused and gave her a small smile. “My mind had no choice because my heart had already made it.”

  I’d barely gotten the words out when her arms came up around my neck and her mouth took over mine in a kiss I’d have paid all the money I had in the world for. It was a kiss that told me I’d made the right decision to be open with her and that I’d made the absolute right choice to fight for her.

  It was a kiss that sealed my future.

  Evie would be mine forever.

  I’d make damn sure of it.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Evie

  I cracked an eye open and squinted to read the bedside clock.

  Seven am.

  Shit, it was too early to be awake on a Saturday morning. I closed my eyes, intent on getting at least another two hours of sleep. Kick had other ideas. His hand curled around my waist and made its way to my breast.

  His warm breath coasted over my neck a moment later when he murmured in my ear, “Morning, sweetheart.”

  When his hand left my breast and started moving lower, I grabbed it and halted its progress. “No fucking way, Kick,” I muttered, “you fucked me raw last night, and I can’t even contemplate your hand or your dick anywhere near me today.”

  He chuckled and rolled onto his back. “Well, fuck me,” he said, “you’ve never said no to me. Ever.”

  I rolled over to face him and raised my brows. “That’s probably because you’ve never worked me like you did last night.” I nodded in the direction of his crotch. “That dick of yours has worn my pussy out and she needs a break today. And my hands and mouth are out of action too, so you’re just gonna have to take care of yourself, buddy.”

  The rumble of laughter from his chest warmed me. “One day, Evie, that’s all I’m giving you. Tomorrow your pussy is back in the game. We clear?”

  I smacked his hands away, the hands that were doing their best to distract me by playing with my boobs. “You’re lucky I love you or else that ‘we clear’ bullshit you’ve got going on would put me out of bounds for at least another day.”

  He gave me another gorgeous, very distracting grin before leaving me to walk into the bathroom. “If you change your mind, I’ll be in here taking care of business but you’re more than fuckin’ welcome to come and give me a hand,” he yelled out as he moved out of sight.

  I shifted onto my back and relaxed into the bed. Maybe if I closed my eyes, I could catch some more sleep while Kick did his thing in the shower. A couple of minutes later, I sat up. Who the fuck was I kidding? Knowing what he was doing only served to distract me so I got out of bed and headed into the kitchen.

  I’d made us both toast and coffee by the time he joined me ten minutes later. I eyed him with a smirk. “You all good, now?”

  He shook his head playfully at me and grabbed me around the waist, pulling me to him. “You do realise when I take care of business it’s nowhere near as satisfying as when you do it, right? Which means I’m gonna be so frustrated by tomorrow, and that means I’m gonna have to bang the absolute fuck out of you to relieve my frustrations.”

  I laughed, and with all the innocence I could feign, I asked, “Is that one of those ‘we clear’ statements?”

  “Fuckin’ hell,” he growled, his eyes flashing his need for me, “your smart mouth is going to get you into trouble one day, baby. But fuck, if I don’t love it.”

  I kissed him and then slapped his hands away from my waist. “I made you breakfast so you have to be nice to me.”

  He stepped away from me and reached for his coffee. Taking a sip, he muttered, “I’m always nice to you. I’m not sure the same can be said about you.”

  I rolled my eyes and chose to ignore his grumbling. “What are your plans for today?” I asked as I carried our plates to the table.

  He followed with the coffees. “I’ve gotta head over to a friend’s place and help him with a bike engine he’s rebuilding.”

  “Is that one of the guys from the club?” I asked, loving the fact he was being so open.

  “Yeah, Nitro. I’ll probably be there most of the day. What are you up to?”

  “I’m catching up with Maree. Shopping and lunch.”

  He leant forward in his seat and caught my lips in a kiss. “Can I have you tonight?” he asked, his eyes staring intently at me.

  “You can have me every night, Kick,” I said, holding his gaze, “but remember, no sex. I wasn’t kidding when I said I needed a break. It’s been months since I’ve had sex, and you’re seriously wearing me out.”

  “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t just want you for sex, sweetheart. I want a date with you tonight.”

  His words caused butterflies in my stomach. “I’d like that,” I said softly, my heart swelling with love.

  Heat continued to flash in his eyes. “Good,” he said with a nod, “and baby, I never want to hear another word out of that pretty little mouth of yours about the fact you’ve had sex with anyone but me.”

  I grinned. “Okay, I can manage that,” I agreed, fucking loving his jealousy. It was probably not something I should love and definitely something I would never encourage by flirting with another man, but it told me how much he adored me.

  And I loved that.

  ***

  “Oh my god, Maree, you’re too much!”

  She grinned at me and drank the remainder of her coffee. Shrugging, she said, “How am I supposed to say no when a man tells me he wants to fuck me into next week? Hell, I’m not passing this opportunity up.”

  She’d just filled me in on her plans for tonight and tomorrow. A guy she’d met at the gym this morning had flirted with her and talked her into a date that would obviously last them until Monday morning. I finished my coffee and agreed. “I don’t blame you, I would have said hell yes, too.”

  “Yeah, except you have no need for first dates or one night stands anymore. Now you’ve got Kick to service you,” she said wi
th a wink.

  I groaned. “Oh god, that man . . .”

  She quirked a brow. “What’s he done now? Please tell me he’s got the stamina of an elite athlete.”

  I laughed. “He really does. My vagina is so damn sore today, like it’s never been sore before.”

  It was her turn to groan now. “Fuck, don’t tell me that. You can’t tell a woman who isn’t getting regular sex that your vagina has been worked into exhaustion. That shit isn’t fair.”

  “Sorry, babe, but you asked,” I said as I stood and put my sunglasses on.

  She stood as well and said, “Yeah, I guess I did. I’m happy for you, Evie, you deserve happiness.” I heard her genuine happiness for me in her words.

  I smiled and gave her a hug. “Thank you, I’m happy for me, too.”

  “Okay, I’ve gotta go and have a pedicure and wax to get ready for my sex marathon. I’ll call you on Monday and let you know if he matches your man’s skills.”

  I laughed and watched her go. She’d done what I’d asked her to do after Jeremy’s funeral – she’d given me space to work through my grief without constantly checking in with me. I loved her for it, but it was good to get out and spend time with her again.

  As I turned to walk to my car, I caught a glimpse of Kick’s sister. I hadn’t seen Lina in over a year and I’d missed her. My heart hurt to see how much her two kids had grown. She had two little girls – Becca, the oldest, was four, and Candace, the little one, was two. It looked like they were giving their mother a hard time so I wandered over to her to see if I could give her a hand.

  “Oh my goodness, Evie!” she exclaimed when she saw me, pulling me in for a hug.

  My smile beamed at her. We’d grown up together and knew so much about each other. In that moment, I wished I’d never cut contact with her. “How are you, Lina?”

  She frowned. “I’m actually not feeling very well, hon. I feel like I might vomit,” she answered, clutching her stomach.

  “Shit, are you okay to drive home or do you want me to drive you?” Looking closely at her, I could see how pale her face was. She really didn’t look well at all.

  “Really? You wouldn’t mind driving us home?”

  “Not at all,” I said and took charge.

  I managed to get everyone in the car and back to her place without her vomiting. Once we were through her front door, I said, “You go to bed. I’ll look after the kids.”

  She gave me a grateful look. “Thank you,” she whispered, and did as I’d said.

  I turned to Becca. She was a gorgeous little red haired beauty and she gave me a smile that would melt anyone’s heart. Shit, I bet she had her Uncle Kick wrapped around her finger. “Are you hungry, sweetheart?” I asked as I lifted Candace up, resting her on my hip.

  Becca nodded and said, “Yes. Mummy promised us cake if we were good at the shop.” She stared at me expectantly and I figured I needed to either find cake or make it.

  I gave her a smile and held out my hand for her. “Okay then, let’s go find cake,” I said as I led her towards the kitchen. Candace babbled words I could hardly discern but I figured so long as she wasn’t crying we were good.

  We had the batter made and ready to pour into the cake tin when loud banging came from the front of the house. I turned in that direction and my heart skipped a beat when I heard a thunderous, “Lina, open the fucking door!”

  Shit, that sounded like Lina’s ex, and he seemed to be in a mood. I gave my attention to Becca and with forced calmness, said, “If you take Candace into her bedroom and play with her for a little while, I’ll let you have two pieces of cake when it’s ready.”

  Her eyes widened with glee and she clapped her hands together. “Yes!” she exclaimed, and I felt relief as I watched her lead her sister out of the kitchen.

  I pulled my phone out of my handbag and dialled Kick’s number, willing him to answer fast.

  He took what felt like ages to answer, and in that time the banging on the front door got louder. “Evie. What’s up, baby?” he asked.

  “Kick, can you come to Lina’s house now?” I practically begged him, my voice shaking with fear.

  “Fuck, what’s wrong? And why are you at Lina’s house?”

  “Long story, and I’ll fill you in later, but her ex is banging on the front door and he doesn’t sound happy.”

  “Fuck,” he swore again, “hold tight, I’ll be there in about ten minutes. And whatever the fuck you do, don’t let the motherfucker in.”

  “Okay,” I promised, relieved he was on his way, but unsure I’d be able to keep Dave out because at the rate he was going, he’d have the door smashed open soon.

  I shouldn’t have worried, though. Kick arrived quicker than he said he would. Dave had continued to pound on the door but that was as far as he’d gotten. When I’d heard Kick’s bike pull up outside, I’d finally expelled the breath I’d been holding, and rushed to Candace’s room to make sure the girls were okay.

  Relief surged through me at the sight of them playing quietly, unaware of what was happening out the front between their dad and their uncle. It killed me to know they’d grow up with a father like Dave. Unless he got his shit together, he was useless to them. Thank God they had their uncles.

  I sat on the floor with them and asked, “Would you like me to read you a story?”

  Becca gave me a huge smile and nodded emphatically. “Yes!”

  I grabbed a book from the bookshelf behind me and after pulling Cadence onto my lap, began reading, trying hard to block out thoughts of what Kick was taking care of. We read for about fifteen minutes until Becca looked up towards the bedroom door and squealed with delight. “Uncle Kick!” she exclaimed, and ran to him.

  He caught her and scooped her up into his arms. “Hey darlin’, are you being good for Evie?” he asked, his full attention on her as if she was the most important person in the world.

  Oh my.

  My tummy fluttered. I’d forgotten how good Kick was with kids. There was something extremely sexy to me about a man who had the time of day for the kids in his life.

  I stood, taking Cadence with me, and my eyes met Kick’s a moment later. Surprisingly, he didn’t appear as if he’d just been in a fight, which I’d been expecting. I’d imagined blood smeared on his clothes or at least a much more dishevelled appearance, but he looked almost like he had when I’d left him that morning.

  His concerned gaze assessed me. “You okay?” he asked softly.

  I nodded. “Yes. Thank you so much for coming. Is everything sorted?”

  “Yeah, he’s gone, and I don’t think he’ll show up here like that again, but the asshole doesn’t seem to learn his lessons very fast, so who knows?”

  Becca smacked her uncle on the shoulder. “You said a bad word, Uncle Kick,” she chastised him, a stern look written on her face.

  I suppressed a laugh, and watched with interest as he handled the situation. “I’m sorry, darlin’. I’ll try not to say it again, yeah?”

  She pressed her lips together, trying hard to emulate her mother. I’d seen Lina give her that very look. “You’re always saying bad words. I’ll have to tell Mummy on you.”

  Laughter bubbled up, and I managed to hold it in, but I had to walk away to stop Becca from seeing my body shake with it. I took Candace into the kitchen, catching snippets of Becca telling Kick off.

  When they joined us a couple of minutes later, he gave me a dirty look and said, “Thanks for that.”

  “For what?” I asked as I checked the cake I’d placed in the oven. The girls had scampered off to the lounge room to the television.

  He grabbed me around the waist. “For leaving me alone with a four-year-old I had to defend myself to,” he said, pressing a kiss to my lips.

  “Well, you shouldn’t use that language around her.”

  He groaned. “Do you know how fuckin’ hard it is to stop myself from swearing around them?”

  “What does Lina say?” I asked, loving seeing Kick squirm, b
ut mostly just loving the fact he cared about it.

  Lina’s voice came from behind me. “Lina tells him not to do it, but do you think anyone can tell Kick what to do?”

  I laughed and turned out of Kick’s embrace to face her. She looked a little better. “How are you feeling?”

  “A little better,” she said, walking towards us. “What word did you say?” she asked Kick, giving him a dirty look.

  He held up his hands in a defensive gesture. “I didn’t say fuck, that’s for fuckin’ sure,” he muttered.

  She shook her head and smacked his chest. “Well, don’t say it now, for goodness’ sake!”

  “All I said was asshole,” he admitted.

  Pointing a finger at him, she bossed him, “Don’t say it again. I’m gonna start charging you, I think.” Giving me her attention, she said, “Thank you for this afternoon. I really appreciate it.”

  I grimaced. “We had a visitor while you were asleep,” I admitted, not wanting to have to tell her.

  At her frown, Kick stepped in with an explanation. “Dave came over. He was drunk again and bashing on the front door to be let in, so Evie called me and I came and took care of him.”

  “Thank you,” she said, her voice full of exhaustion. “How did you get him to leave?”

  “Let’s just say we had words.” Kick’s face had that closed-off look I knew well; he had no intention of telling her what those words had been.

  “Did you guys get in a fight?” Lina asked, knowing her brother well.

  “No, but I’m telling you, Lina, that if he keeps turning up like he did today, we will be having more than words.”

  She opened her mouth to say something but a knock at the door interrupted us.

  Shit, who was it now?

  “Wait here,” Kick said as he strode to the front door and opened it. “Fuck,” he muttered, and I wondered who the hell it was, “what are you doing here?”

  A voice I hadn’t heard in years sounded, and my stomach dropped. “Well, that’s a lovely way to greet your mother, Kick.”