by Freya Barker
“Yeah?”
“Are you home?”
“I am.”
“Do me a favor, get into your car, drive to a coffee shop or something, and wait for Luna’s call.”
“You’re making me nervous,” she whispers.
“Good, then you’ll be careful.”
With that I hang up, walk to the front door, shove my feet in my boots, and head outside.
I don’t even notice the snow coming down as I dial Luna’s number.
“What’s up?”
“Got a call from Kelsey’s friend, Sophia, just now. Apparently she got home last Saturday and found her house tossed. Only thing missing was her old laptop and external hard drive.”
“Shit, how come there’s no report?”
“She reported it to the cop that showed up.”
“Fuck. That should’ve been flagged for us.”
“I told her I’d have you call.”
“Good, I’ll do that right now.”
I take a deep breath in, wondering if I’m getting paranoid now. Fuck it, I’d rather be paranoid than stupid.
“Luna, I had this thought while I was on the phone with her. No one checked the house for bugs last Saturday, did they?”
“With bugs you mean listening devices? Not exactly standard procedure for burglary.”
“I get that, but they weren’t regular burglaries. We’re all in agreement they’re probably lookin’ for something, what if they’re listening in for the same reason?”
“Shit,” she whispers.
“Yeah. And there’s the clubhouse. Ouray’s gonna shit bricks if I’m right and they bugged his office.”
She lets another expletive fly.
“Where are you now?”
“I’m standing outside in the fuckin’ snow talking to you. Also, I told the girl to wait for your call in a coffee shop. Just in case.”
“Good. I’m gonna send Greene and Barnes over there.”
“I won’t be here. Dropping the kids at Yuma’s and I’ll be taking Lisa and the baby to a fuckin’ hotel tonight.”
“Good call. I’ll be in touch.”
I hear the door behind me open and turn to find Lisa standing in the doorway.
“What on earth are you doing standin’ out there without a coat?”
Instead of answering her, I grab her hand and pull her outside with me. She doesn’t object but scrutinizes my face.
“I need you to go inside and pack some clothes in an overnight bag for us. Finn too, and he’ll need bottles. I’ll explain later.”
“You’re scaring me.”
I cup her face in my hands and press my half-frozen lips to her warm ones.
“I’m sorry. I’ll tell you what’s going on as soon as we drop off the kids.”
She nods and I brush her lips again before letting her go.
Ten minutes later, we’re all in my truck heading away from the compound.
Lisa
I’ve been on eggshells since he told me to pack an overnight bag for us.
Lissie looks at me a little funny when I kiss the kids, say goodbye, and walk back to the truck where Brick is waiting with Finn. I clearly suck at acting. The moment I climb in the passenger seat and buckle up, he has the truck backing up.
“Tell me.”
And he does. He tells me Sophia’s place had been broken into the same day as ours. I agree that can’t be a coincidence and am glad he notified Luna, but it doesn’t really answer why our toothbrushes are in a bag in the back of the truck.
“Where are we going?”
He glances over and takes my hand, lacing our fingers.
“Ford dealership first. Found a car, secondhand,” he adds when he catches my frown. “2017, not a lot of mileage, plenty of room for all three kids in the back so they’re not squished together. That’s only gonna get worse as they get older.” He’s playing to my common sense and he knows I know it, that’s why the little smirk is under his beard. “Also, it’s winter. Roads ain’t gonna get any better, especially up the mountain. This car is safe.”
“Mm-hmm.” Man should’ve been a car salesman.
“We’ll take it for a test drive.”
“We?” I give him a look and he grins in response.
“Yeah, we.”
He looks way too satisfied with himself and I have to admit, I like this talk of ‘we,’ but I’m not about to let him gaslight me. I give him a few minutes before I circle back where I started.
“Still doesn’t explain the overnight bag.”
His sigh is loud in the cab of the truck.
“We’re staying at a hotel in town tonight. All three of us.”
I twist my body toward him.
“Why?”
“Because it occurred to me today, whoever broke in may not have taken anything but could’ve left something behind.”
It takes me a second to clue in and then I instantly feel cold.
“Listening in?”
“Luna is sending someone to check.”
Then another thought hits me.
“Watching?”
The moment I suggest it, the truck swerves and Brick swears under his breath.
“They better fuckin’ not have,” he growls.
Each lost to our own thoughts—mine mostly trailing to anything I might’ve said or done this past week—we don’t say another word until Brick pulls into the dealership across from Walmart.
We get out, Brick lifting the stroller from the back of the truck while I get Finn. Despite being creeped out, I smile to myself when the rather fierce-looking man confiscates the stroller and starts pushing it to the showroom. One of the things I’m learning to love about him is the fact he really doesn’t give a crap. He doesn’t apologize for who he is. Or who he’s with for that matter.
A guy—dressed in preppy clothes and late thirties, I’d guess—exits the showroom and walks toward us.
“Hey, man,” he greets Brick, giving me a nod. “Still have to get her detailed and topped up on fluids.”
“That’s fine. Need to take it for a run first anyway.”
“Sure. Let me grab the keys.”
The ‘car’ we’re walking up to is actually an SUV. A large, black, shiny one.
“You call this a car?”
I catch a glimpse of a large sticker on the windshield with a nauseating price tag.
“Car, SUV, same difference,” Brick says casually. “Hop in.”
I turn to the younger man. “Would you excuse us for a minute?”
“Sure.”
He starts walking away and as soon as he’s out of earshot, I turn to Brick.
“Twenty-two thousand dollars? No. Just no.”
His gray eyes lock on mine.
“Take a look at him, Sugar.” He points at Finn, who is just waking up. “What do you figure he’s worth to me? Or Ezrah and Kiara? You? Lost enough in my life, Lisa. You have too. I’m just trying to keep the most important people I have left safe.”
Oh no. Not fair. There isn’t even an argument I can offer to that. To accept is to disregard a lifetime of hard lessons, but I can’t refuse him. Not after those words.
“I see the struggle—”
“Okay,” I interrupt. “But I still wanna drive it first. It’s huge.”
Of course, Finn picks that moment to exercise his lungs.
“You go,” he says, waving the guy over. “I’ve got the baby.”
I take the keys and climb behind the wheel, trying not to let the luxurious interior freak me out. Behind me are two additional rows of seats. I’ll have to be careful parking this thing at the grocery store.
Starting the engine and hearing how smooth it is, my face breaks out in a smile.
It’s still there when an hour later Brick pushes open the door to the Homewood Suites across from the dealership. I can’t believe we’re picking up my beautiful new ride tomorrow. A Ford Explorer, Ezrah’s going to lose his shit. My grin gets even bigger at the thought.
&nb
sp; At the desk, Brick asks the hotel clerk for a travel bed, which she says they can provide, and is specific in his demands for a suite with a separate bedroom.
That’s when the smile I was wearing becomes a little nervous.
I follow him down the hall, my anticipation building with every step. It’s crazy; we’ve lived in the same house for two weeks. Heck, we’ve slept in the same bed for almost as long, but we’ve always had the baby in the room with us.
We’ve kissed, let our hands wander over our clothes, but that’s as far as it’s gone. Other than that one time when I tried to shove my hand down his shorts. Lordy, was that embarrassing. Still, I have a feeling if I did that now the outcome would be different, but this time I’ll let him take the lead.
He unlocks the door and wheels the baby’s stroller inside. I follow behind.
It’s nice but nothing special: a couch, two chairs, and a dresser with a TV, a coffee maker and a mini-fridge. The bathroom has a separate walk-in shower and a nice-sized tub. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a bath, definitely before the kids were left with me.
I must’ve been staring at it because Brick taps me on the shoulder.
“Why don’t you have a nice bath while I run to grab us something to eat. The baby’s sleeping again and I’ll ask the desk to leave the crib in the hallway.”
Oh, so tempting.
“It’s been a while,” I admit.
“Then go for it. I’ll pick us something up to drink too. What would you like? Wine? Beer?”
I never really drink these days, but one won’t hurt.
“I like moscato. They have those little bottles. If you don’t mind?”
He turns me and wraps his arms around me. His face is inches from mine and his eyes are smiling.
“Not in the least.”
He lowers his mouth to mine and doesn’t hesitate slipping his tongue between my lips, kissing me deeply. This kiss isn’t like the others, I can feel the hunger
CHAPTER 12
Brick
SOMEONE LEFT A folding crib just outside the door.
I already have my hands full with bags and walk in with those first. I set them on the coffee table, sneak a peek at Finn who’s still sleeping, and try to ignore the sounds of water splashing in the bathroom. If I think of Lisa’s body, water sluicing down her curves, I won’t be able to hold myself back.
In the hallway I grab the travel crib, which I set up in between the two chairs. I leave one of the small bottles of wine and a beer on the coffee table and am tucking the rest in the mini-fridge when I hear the bathroom door open.
She walks out wearing a T-shirt, her lounge pants, and her hair up in a towel, showing off her graceful neck. It’s not like I haven’t seen her this way before, unguarded and relaxed, it’s the promise hanging heavy in the air.
“How was your bath?” I ask, my voice a tad gruff.
“Bliss.” She moves into the room and goes straight to Finn’s stroller, pulling down the blanket still covering him and unbuckling the harness. “We should put him in the crib.”
“Let’s eat first, before he wakes up.”
I duck into the bathroom to grab one of the glasses I spotted on the vanity for Lisa’s wine. She’s already pulling the food out of the bag, as well as a paper bag I forgot I dropped in there.
She holds up the box of condoms, pressing her lips together.
Fuck. Smooth, Paver, you’re losing your touch.
I force myself to walk to the table, unscrew her wine bottle, and pour a glass for her.
“Dinner?” she asks, setting the box smack in the middle of the table and challenging me with a look.
“Dessert,” I return, holding her gaze until she looks away.
I stopped at Serious Texas BBQ across the street and picked us up stuffed taters with pulled pork and a couple of small garden salads. Sitting down at one end of the couch, I pull one of the containers my way before twisting the top off my beer, taking a deep swig.
Lisa moves to the other side of the table and for a moment I think she’s going to settle in one of the chairs, but she grabs the remote lying under the TV and flicks it on. Then she rounds the table and sits beside me on the couch.
The tension is so thick in the room, I barely taste my meal, but I eat it anyway. I have a sneaky suspicion I’ll need my energy later. I watch the news on the channel Lisa found with half an eye, suddenly eager for Finn to wake up so we can feed him and get him ready for the night. As if he read my mind, a small cry sounds from the stroller.
Lisa is on her feet first, lifting him from the stroller. She has an easy, confident way of handling Finn, like she’s done nothing else her whole life. Occasionally, I’ll catch her humming at him under her breath, something he seems to be fascinated with as his curious eyes focus on her face.
With the baby in a football hold under her arm and a bottle from the fridge in the other hand, she disappears into the bathroom and turns the faucet on, while I clear away the remnants of dinner.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I pull it out. It’s the lawyer. A little odd that she’s calling on a Saturday night, but then again, Mel Morgan doesn’t seem like a conventional lawyer anyway. It’s that she came highly recommended, or I might’ve beelined it out of her office when the woman greeted me wearing bib-overalls that were half done up and on bare feet. Who goes around in bare feet when snow is piling up outside?
She didn’t waste time either; while I was explaining the situation she had her assistant draw up a bunch of legal paperwork she had me sign on the spot.
“Mel,” I answer.
“Had to chase the damn judge down, but I finally cornered him at a fundraiser this afternoon,” she jumps right in. “Arm wrestled him into signing off on the order for allocation of parental responsibilities. That should get the caseworker off your back, but like I said before, CPS will still need to check out any complaints they get.”
“Great,” I grumble. “So some asshole can still mess with our life.”
“Yeah, except the CPS doesn’t take kindly getting sent out on false claims either. You should be fine. It helps your club has a good reputation for the work they do with those kids. Goes a long way.”
I watch Lisa walk in, sit down in a chair, and settle Finn on her lap as she gives him his bottle. Her eyes are on mine the entire time, concerned.
“I appreciate your help,” I tell Mel, keeping my gaze locked on Lisa. “You don’t mess around.”
Mel snorts. “Got nothing better to do anyway. I’ll swing by on Monday, drop off a copy for ya.”
I’m about to thank her again, but she’s already hung up. Odd woman.
“Everything all right?” Lisa asks anxiously.
“Judge signed off on the order.” I get up and lean over her chair, bracing my hands on the armrests. “We’re all good. I’m gonna hop in the shower while you finish feeding him.”
I bend down to kiss Finn’s head, before turning my face to her and capturing her mouth with mine for an all too brief but potent taste.
“I won’t be long,” I promise.
The heat of her eyes follows me into the bathroom where I quickly strip out of my clothes and jump in the shower.
I’m primed. Years of waiting, weeks of building anticipation, have me close my fist around my almost painfully engorged cock and lazily stroke myself to relieve some of the pressure. It doesn’t fucking help. Afraid I’ll blow my load too soon—recovery time is a far cry from my twenties or even thirties—I focus instead on washing up quickly. I’m in a rush to feel her under me.
I dry myself in front of the mirror, looking at my reflection with a critical eye. I don’t usually, only to trim my beard or check my nose for the odd stray hair. For fifty I’m in decent shape, at least I think so. A little softer than I used to be, hairier for sure, but nothing to scare her off. My ugly mug she’s already used to.
Instead of putting today’s clothes back on—I didn’t grab clean ones—I wrap a towel around my hips,
which does dick all to hide my hard-on. A little late for that anyway.
When I walk out of the bathroom, I’m greeted by Lisa’s round ass in the air as she lays Finn down in the travel bed. My cock twitches at the fine view.
“He sleeping?”
She straightens up and turns around, her gaze hot as she scans my body. She focuses on the obvious bulge behind the towel, but when I growl deep in my throat her eyes shoot up to my face.
I snatch the box off the table, grab her hand and pull her behind me into the bedroom. Sinking down on the side of the bed, I tug her between my legs, and hold her there while I pull a string of condoms from the box and toss them behind me on the mattress.
Then I look up in her face.
“Let me see you.”
Lisa
Finally.
Hard to believe I’ve never seen the man naked before—that little towel leaves nothing to the imagination. There’s a lot to look at, including the tight flex of his ass as he drags me into the bedroom.
“Let me see you.” His hoarse voice tells me he’s as turned on as I am, and I haven’t even taken my clothes off.
I lift my hands to my head, unwrapping the towel from my hair, and shaking the last droplets out.
“Love your hair like that,” he mutters, easing up the hem of my shirt.
I’m a little rusty when it comes to seduction, having spent too many years downplaying any attributes I may have had, but that doesn’t appear to still the hunger in his eyes as I take over and whip my shirt over my head. They fixate on the deep cleavage my sturdy bra facilitates. Not once does he seem distracted by the belly pouch I’ve developed over the years.
I reach behind me and unclip my bra, letting it fall off my arms. He hisses sharply when my heavy breasts drop an inch or two, the deep brown areolas right at his eye level. There’s no hesitation in the way his hands come up, cupping both and brushing the pad of his thumbs over my distended nipples.
“Fuck, Lisa,” he mumbles, his lips already fitting over one, pulling it deep into the heat of his mouth. His beard brushes the skin of my stomach when he moves to the other side, giving it the same attention.
Arousal floods my core and my hands clumsily shove down the lounge pants I pulled on commando after my bath. Releasing my breasts, he slides his hands around to my ass, groaning as he digs his fingers into my bare cheeks.
