by Bijou Hunter
Thirty Three - Bonn
I guess I’m getting old. My dick eventually begs for a time out. Ignoring its complaints, I refuse to remove the limp flesh from Ruby’s still sucking pussy. My heart fears if my arms let her go again, even for a few hours to sleep, I might never have her in them again. Losing her nearly destroyed me, and I can’t go through the pain again.
Ruby eventually slides off the countertop and kneels to return my boxers to my hips. She finds her nightgown and slides it over her head. Taking my hand, she guides me to the room where Chevelle still snores.
Rather than climb into her bed, Ruby slides under the blankets of mine. I nearly dive next to her, ready to giggle like a fucking kid at having her with me longer.
“I don’t want Elle waking up with us like this,” Ruby whispers. “She’ll get ideas we don’t need her thinking.”
“I love you,” I say because no other words matter.
Ruby watches me in the darkness. Her eyelids are heavy, and she needs rest, but she doesn’t sleep. She only considers whether she can admit she loves me too.
“Tomorrow,” I murmur, kissing her forehead and providing an out for her dilemma.
Ruby caresses my jaw, running her fingers over my facial growth. She remains silent for so long that I don’t think she’ll speak.
“Loving you doesn’t fix anything,” she says, and I hear a hint of anger in her voice. “But I do love you, Bonn. I always have, and I always will.”
Kissing her cheek followed by her pouty lips, I replay her words in my head. Let her be angry for a million years as long as her heart only belongs to me.
“Tomorrow,” I say again. “I’ll fix things. And the next day and the next. I’ll make sure I make things better for the rest of our lives.”
Even in the mostly dark room, I catch Ruby smiling slightly. She nuzzles her lips against my bare chest before exhaling deeply and finally sleeping.
I remain awake for hours after she dozes off. My scrambled thoughts keep me wondering about our future. I’m also sweating the meeting at Johansson’s place. I suspect he’ll agree to my plan, which is only the first step in the long process to improve my family’s stock. I’ll juggle as many dangerous problems as necessary if Ruby and Chevelle’s happiness are my rewards.
Thirty Four - Ruby
I get lucky when Elle wakes up uncharacteristically late, leaving me enough time to crawl out of Bonn’s bed before she catches us. Sleepy-eyed and a little congested, my baby cuddles next to me in the same way she did as a toddler.
Back then, Elle didn’t handle switching homes well. Each time she returned from a weekend with Bonn, she clung to me and asked every ten minutes where he was.
Even now, Elle craves us in one place. I’d love to tell her we’ll be a family living together, but two days of fun in a hotel doesn’t translate to forever. I do love Bonn, and I always will, but truly trusting him is another matter.
As he sleeps, I take a shower and wash off my fatigue along with the stickiness left behind from our union. I’m relieved I trimmed back the hedges between my legs. Last night, Bonn devoured the flesh, leaving me tender. I even catch sight of a hickey on my upper thigh.
Smiling at how thoroughly pleasured my body feels; I can forget the little things waiting for me outside of this bathroom. Minor issues like having lunch with killers whose biggest question might be whether to give us separate graves or have us share.
Bonn is awake when I leave the bathroom. He and Elle sit on the edge of his bed, talking about who we’ll meet today. She’s nervous about new people. I don’t blame her. She’s spent her entire life in one tiny part of the world so that even this small town in Kentucky overwhelms her.
Seeing me out of the bathroom, Bonn stands and makes his way toward the toilet. I almost expect him to give me a morning kiss, but he only smiles and mumbles good morning.
I’m admittedly disappointed by his lack of trying to irritate me with a sloppy welcome. I’d have told him to stop since Elle doesn’t need to see us together, but I still wanted him to try.
Using my hand to cover my pouting mouth, I warn myself about acting like a bummed teenage girl. Bonn understands we can’t make-out in front of our daughter. He’s behaving maturely, so I need to do the same. Yes, that’s the truth bomb. Accept it and move on.
I hear the shower start in the bathroom while I fix Elle’s hair. My mind instantly imagines the hot stream of water over Bonn’s hard body.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” Elle asks, touching my face.
“Huh?”
“Your face got red. Are you sick?”
“No,” I say, trying not to laugh at my ridiculous lust-based stupidity. “I’m hungry.”
Elle lets my lie go. The trip is wearing her out, and I’m certain she’s homesick. I slide on my shoes and brush my hair, all while struggling to keep from imagining Bonn naked. Though his shower only lasts a few minutes before he emerges from the steamed room, I feel as if I’ve waited hours to see him again.
I glance back at Bonn, feigning a casual smile I don’t feel. He walks to me and runs his hand down my back. Even startled by the affection, I still prepare to give him my disapproving frown. Then he plants a kiss on my lips, shutting down my urge to do more than melt.
If Elle weren't sitting a few feet away, watching us with childlike excitement, I’d shove Bonn onto the bed and ride him for an hour or two. The idea of having the comfort of a bed while we explore sounds too tempting, but I am very aware of our daughter’s presence.
Bonn likely is too because his passionate kiss proves to be a short one. Maybe too short since my fingers cling to his shirt, unwilling to let him go yet.
“Are you ready for breakfast?” Bonn asks Elle.
Our daughter takes his outstretched hand. They walk to the door and wait for me to get my head out of my crotch long enough to follow. I wish I could get rid of the lust clouding my brain and focus on whether I can forgive Bonn. Instead, I crave the blinded bliss that comes from pleasure after too long without.
Thirty Five - Bonn
Johansson has me drive out to his parents’ property. I don’t know why I expect the place to seem like one of those white power compounds with armed men at the entrances. I know the Brotherhood, but the Reapers Motorcycle Club is an entirely different beast.
Ruby is completely silent as soon as we enter the car. She people watches during the drive. In the back seat, Chevelle watches her tablet to keep her mind off meeting new people. We’re an SUV full of tension by the time I turn down a long road leading from the highway to the Johansson property.
“That’s a big house,” Chevelle says, leaning into the front. “Are they rich?”
“Maybe.”
Chevelle and Ruby share an awkward smile while I park the SUV in a large gravel lot near the main garage.
“I can smell the grilling meat,” I tell them when they stare at me.
“Do you think they’ll have a problem with us?” Ruby asks.
I frown, not understanding. She glances out at the people drinking nearby on a deck. Her gaze returns to me and gets wide as if hoping I’ll catch the hint. Of course, I don’t.
“People around here seem to like to tan, and we don’t,” she says slowly and pats her skin before gesturing toward a confused Chevelle.
“Oh, yeah,” I say, relieved she didn’t need to spell out her concern. “I don’t know, but I think it’ll be fine. If not, we leave. There are plenty of other places to eat lunch.”
Ruby smiles at the sound of my hard tone. She likes when I pull the protective man routine. For a woman normally in charge, she’s desperate for someone else to call the shots occasionally.
“We ready?” I ask, smiling at Chevelle.
“Do I have to talk to people?”
“You don’t have to do anything, baby,” Ruby says immediately.
Still nervous, Chevelle climbs out when I open her door. Her hand reaches for mine and then her mother’s. We walk to the front door like a fami
ly on a casual trip to the zoo rather than one meeting a biker club for barbecue.
Cooper answers the door with a pigtail-wearing toddler on his hip. A young woman stands next to him, cradling an infant girl.
“Didn’t know if you’d show,” Cooper says.
“Why would I say no to free food?”
Cooper gives me a smile and then glances at the kid he’s holding. He wants me to know my family is safe. After all, no one kills people with their kids in tow.
After I introduce Ruby and Chevelle, he shows off his wife, Farah, and their kids, Lily and Miranda. Then we enter the house and meet too many people to remember. I do pay special attention to his father, Kirk, who I study for signs about his feelings toward me and the deal.
Farah takes Ruby and Chevelle outside to where more women wait with more kids. I sense my woman isn’t thrilled to leave me, but she plays along.
“They’ll be fine,” Cooper says, patting me hard on the back. “Let’s talk business before we eat.”
I take heart in how he expects me to be alive and hungry after the business conversation. Following him outside, we pass a dozen tattooed men who watch me intently. I’d feel more on the spot if I hadn’t spent the last year shaking my ass for women drunk off their asses.
Cooper and I sit on a quiet side deck where he hands me a beer.
“Three million is too low,” Cooper says. “Your numbers are off by a few million.”
“What’s a few?”
“Two.”
Nodding, I study Cooper as if considering his words, but I already knew he’d want more. That’s why I got Hayes to agree to seven.
“If he says yes to five million, you’ll hand over Common Bend and walk away?”
“You aren’t wrong that I have plans that don’t involve that shithole. If my pop hadn’t fought to keep Common Bend, I’d let the assholes in the Brotherhood take it. This way works for me.”
“Let me make a call and get your answer.”
Once Cooper gives me a curt nod, I stand up and walk to where I can make a private call.
“It’s the weekend,” Candy says, answering.
“Tell Hayes five million.”
“I don’t know who that is.”
“Cookie, we should set up a playdate between your twins and my daughter. Spending time with them will help her self-esteem.”
“Classy, stripper boy. So, you having fun in Hickland USA?”
“It’s nice here. The blondes know how to keep their big mouths shut.”
“Nothing sadder than a whipped woman.”
“Well, we’ve been on the phone for long enough to make this look real. Tell your boss what I said whenever it suits you and I wasn’t kidding about the playdate. Chevelle needs to meet people outside of Hickory Creek.”
“I’m sure your kid is a cutie. Though I’d bet Ruby ought to take the credit for that.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“You do that and good luck not getting killed.”
Hanging up, I walk back to Cooper.
“Well?” Cooper asks, looking bored.
“After saying fuck a few million times, he agreed to your price.”
“You’re not going to negotiate?”
“He doesn’t want to waste more time on Common Bend than he has to.”
“Sounds about right.”
Cooper stands up and scratches his jaw. “You got a pretty daughter. She seems shy.”
I follow him to where men stand at a line of grills. I spot burgers, hot dogs, steak, and even fat pork chops. Even tense and relieved and wondering about Ruby and Chevelle, I’m too much of a man not to be impressed with so much meat.
“She is,” I say, forcing my gaze from the food. “Chevelle gets nervous in new situations.”
“Then she must be freaking today.”
“Probably. Do you know where they went?”
“She’s cool, man,” he says, patting my back again. “Let the girls talk while we eat and talk shit about the Brotherhood.”
Cooper hands me a plate full of meat and another beer even though I haven’t finished the first one. I get the distinct impression he’s trying to get me drunk so he can pump me for info on his rivals. What he doesn’t realize is I don’t know shit, but I’m not going to say no to free steak and beer.
Thirty Six - Ruby
Farah and her friends are obnoxious in the same way I am with my sisters. They speak about people I’ll never meet and share lots of inside jokes. Their conversations feel hyphenated because they don’t need to spell things out to people who know them so well. I stand there, listening to them and resenting them and mentally apologizing to all the people who listened to me with Daisy and Harmony. Oh, and I preemptively apologize to all the people I’ll do it to in the future since I know I won’t be able to help myself. Having a clique is too damn tempting to give up.
Farah’s sister, Tawny, brings me food and drink. She’s helpful but wary. I’m an outsider surrounded by a tight-knit community of people. I smile and make chit chat about kids and the difference between Kentucky and Tennessee weather. I’m friendly, but I can’t break through their protective shells any more than they could with the people of Lush Gardens and me.
Chevelle left earlier to play with Cooper’s little sister, his niece, and a family friend. I watch them walking around the grassy area near a trampoline and pathways. At some point during my conversation about the weather, Chevelle leaves the other kids and returns to me.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
Uneasy with so many eyes on her, Elle lowers her gaze.
“Sawyer was probably a jerk,” mutters Cooper’s other blonde sister, Bailey. “She’s awful. We all hate her.”
“I don’t hate her,” Farah immediately says.
“Yeah, but you’re brain-dead from popping out two babies in a year.”
“Bailey,” Tawny growls, stepping protectively in front of her sister.
Ignoring their mostly mock-tiff, I kneel next to Elle. “Are you okay?”
“She was bossy,” Elle whispers. “I don’t want to play with them anymore.”
“That’s okay. You can play with me. Oh, wait, I’m bossy too.”
Elle giggles. “You are not.”
“Liar.”
I look at the women who are now having the happiest argument since Daisy accused Harmony of getting pregnant by Big Foot.
“Could we use your trampoline?” I ask Farah.
“Of course,” she says, bouncing her infant before leaning toward Elle. “Sawyer doesn’t mean any harm. She’s just… Umm, what’s a nice way to say bossy?”
“She’s a brat,” Bailey clarifies. “Just a horrible demon.”
Farah frowns at Bailey who laughs and runs off to torment her much younger sister.
“Don’t ask,” Farah says. “You can jump or swim or whatever you guys want. Just have fun.”
I leave the teasing women to walk down the long line of steps to the yard. Elle holds my hand like we’re in danger and I think she might break a finger.
“What if we fall?” Elle asks, standing in front of the trampoline.
I run my fingers over the protective netting. “That’s what this is for.” Kicking off my shoes, I look at the ladder. “I want to jump.”
Climbing onto the trampoline, I hold a hand out for Elle. She’s slower than molasses about removing her shoes and climbing, but eventually, we stand together.
“Let’s bounce,” I say, holding both of her hands.
Elle looks ready to cry. I don’t know why she gets so overwhelmed, but the last few days have worn her down.
“Baby,” I softly say while beginning to bounce us. “I’m glad your dad asked us to come on this trip.”
A smile warms her face, and I jump a little higher. Elle grips my hands even while helping me get more lift to our jumps. By the time our ponytails are flying high, we were both crazy laughing. I never realized how much fun jumping could be. No wonder my baby is always bouncing.
While in the air, I catch sight of Bonn watching us from an upper deck. Even with the distance, I know he’s smiling at us. Our joy is his. Bonn loves so easily, and I want to be more like him. I want to let go of the painful past and embrace the happiness he offers now. Now I just need to make it happen.
Thirty Seven - Bonn
Cooper quickly figures out I don’t have any important information about the Brotherhood. I’m three beers and two steaks into dinner when the realization hits him. I watch his dark eyes shift from wary friendliness to normal guy bullshitting. I’m now a guest at his parents’ place rather than someone he can squeeze for juicy details.
Soon, he and his brother, Tucker, start wrestling on the deck and end up on the ground below. I’d be worried if their mother wasn’t chanting her approval. I watch them playfully beat on each other and feel good about never having a brother I loved enough to abuse like these two do.
“You’re Howler’s kid,” Kirk says, joining me at the railing.
Nodding, I glance down at where Cooper now shoves Tucker’s face into a puddle. Nearby, dogs bark excitedly. Farther off in the yard, I see Ruby and Chevelle jumping on the trampoline. I don’t think they’ve ever looked as beautiful to me.
“I knew your dad back in the day.”
“If you’ve spoken to him more than twice, you’ve got one up on me.”
Kirk smirks and lights a cigarette. “He’s shit for sure. Reminded me of my dad. The life of the fucking party, but an asshole the rest of the damn time. Does that sound about right?”
“Yeah. I don’t think about him much.”
“You thought about him enough to want to piss him off.”
“He’s one of the reasons I got involved, but not the main one. That would be the two beauties jumping on your trampoline.”
Kirk glances at where Ruby and Chevelle now do splits during every jump. He smiles and exhales cigarette smoke into the hot day.
