by Terry Towers
Opening my eyes I stared down at him, the presence of his thick, throbbing cock sending a surge of yearning through me again, reigniting my arousal. God, I needed him again.
Constantine cupped the side of my face in his large hand. “Make me come, baby.”
My heart rate accelerated and my body was set into motion, slowly moving up and down on him, my hips rotating in a circular motion with each downward movement. Sitting up fully on him with my hair cascading down my back, I didn’t think, I just felt. As I developed a rhythm, Constantine moving with me, bucking up as I slammed down onto him, he slowly slid his hands up my torso until he was palming my breasts, rolling my nipples between his fingertips. His fingers tightened on my nipples, pinching them almost painfully tight, but the shot of pain only increased the pleasure within me, making my body tremble and sending me over the edge once more.
“Oh sweet Jesus, baby!” he groaned, his hands dropping from my breasts to grab onto my hips, pulling me down onto him just as his dick thickened and then released, filling my quivering core with his seed.
Exhausted, yet more satisfied than I think I’ve ever been in my life, I fell forward, catching myself with a hand on either side of his head to keep from winding him from the fall. I lay still on him, my head on his chest, listening to his rapid heartbeat, enjoying the feeling of his depleted dick resting deep within me.
When I looked up at Constantine, it felt like time was being rewound and it was prom night again and all the feels I’d felt for him back then came crashing down on me. “Constantine –”
“Mommy!” Austin’s voice cut into what I was about to say, even though I really didn’t know what I was going to say myself. When neither of us answered straight away, Austin’s voice called out again, this time a little closer.
Reality shattered the fantasy I’d allowed myself to indulge in. “I gotta go.”
He smiled. “Sure.”
Chapter 15
Constantine
Wow. I puffed out a loud huff of air as I watched Robyn leap from the bed and frantically grab her clothes and pull them on. Her red hair was a beautiful mess and her cheeks glowed, giving off an oh-baby-so-sexy, just-fucked look. My dick twitched and started to grow again. If it weren’t for Austin calling for her, I’d grab her, bend her over the bed and take her again and again until my dick was too sore to fuck her any longer.
The pitfall of having a kid, I supposed.
Boy, wasn’t I just falling into the role of daddy dearest. Like being domesticated with rug rats running around would ever be my life. Though looking down at my semi-erect dick gleaming from her juices and cum, I realized I may have just made mistake number two with her. I was always so damned careful. What was it about Robyn that made me so damned sloppy? I wasn’t a fucking teenager anymore.
“Dammit,” she grumbled as Austin called out again and she fumbled with the front clasp of her bra. “I’ll be right there, honey,” she called out through the closed door. Once her clothing was on, she heaved a sigh and raked a hand through her hair. She looked at me and it appeared that she was going to say something, then her eyes dropped to my cock, she blushed and then spun and ran for the bedroom door without another word to me, disappearing through it and shutting it after her.
I chuckled at how flustered she was, but in truth I was as rattled as she was, I was just better at hiding it. Making love to her had been a mistake.
Suddenly I sat up in the bed, mulling over my choice in words. Making love? Is that what we’d done? Could I possibly still in love with the woman who broke my young, fragile heart? But had I been that fragile? I’d killed a man and had killed countless others since then – was I even capable of love or was I just delusional?
Sliding off the bed, I grabbed my underwear and pulled them on, followed by my jeans. Grabbing my shirt from the floor, I wandered into my walk-in closet and tossed it into the laundry hamper. Pulling open my t-shirt drawer I grabbed the first shirt and was about to close it, but stopped and stared at the inside of the drawer. Something wasn’t right…
But what?
I was about to dismiss the feeling when it came to me. My shirts were placed in the drawer slightly messily. There were six stacks and all fit nice and neatly, but these shirts looked like they’d been placed in the drawer quickly and without care. Someone had been in here.
I gave my head a shake; it was crazy. Would Robyn really go through my drawers? I didn’t want to think so, I wanted to believe that she’d trust me unconditionally, but that was wishful thinking and not the reality. Picking up the shirts, I pried up the false bottom and looked inside. Everything looked to be where I’d set it, but it had been so long since I’d been in this drawer so hard to say.
My gaze landed on the ring box. The ring. That one small item in that little velvet box had had the power to change my life. For better or worse I would have been a seriously different man had that ring found its way to the intended person. Picking up the case, I opened it.
It was empty. Can’t say I was overly surprised. I’d discovered that Robyn had been snooping and she’d been acting a little funny when I came home. But why in the fuck did she take the ring?
What was she up to? One thing I’d learned in life was that you could only trust one person, yourself. That’s why I worked alone.
~* ~ TT ~*~
Robyn
“What would you like, honey?”
“Dunno, a snack.” He shrugged.
Looking down at my watch I discovered it was past suppertime. God, where had the day gone? “Perhaps dinner would be more in order.” Hustling him down the staircase and toward the kitchen, the fact that the ring was still somewhere in Constantine’s room was not lost on me. I’d glanced around when I was gathering my clothing and getting dressed, but couldn’t see it; no doubt it was under a dresser or bed. I just prayed I could find it and put it in its proper place before Constantine noticed it gone.
Though really, what were the chances he’d check that drawer anyhow? Unless I didn’t put things back properly. Oh God. My stomach churned at the thought of him discovering I’d not only snooped, but lost the ring.
“You okay, Mommy?”
“Huh.” I looked down to see him staring up at me. “Umm.”
“You look sick.”
“Oh. I’m fine. Hungry.” Entering the kitchen, I motioned for him to take a seat at the table and then went to the massive double fridge. What was the point in a single man having such a humongous fridge? It seemed excessive.
Looking inside the fridge, I evaluated the contents.
“Are you making supper?”
I yelped at the sound of Constantine’s voice at the entryway.
“I was thinking about it.”
“There’s ribs in the freezer compartment. Or we could do pasta. You used to make delicious spaghetti and meatballs.”
I laughed, closing the fridge and spinning to face him as he entered the kitchen, my cheeks reddening as I watched him walk toward me. A shiver ran down my spine as thoughts of what had just transpired between us came to the forefront of my mind. “It was Ragu with some ground beef, not exactly fine dining.”
“From what I remember it was my favourite dish of yours.”
“Doesn’t say much about my cooking skills,” I said, shrugging, “but as long as you have Ragu and ground beef I can certainly whip some up.”
He began pulling ingredients out of the cupboards. “I have some planning to do over the next couple of days in order to fix the situation we’re in.”
“I’m in,” I corrected. Technically, it was my problem. I was just lucky enough that he was willing to throw himself into the fire with me.
He straightened up, a large pot in one hand and a box of spaghetti in the other, and gave me a no-nonsense look. “After today, we’re in it together.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“When it comes right down to it, it became my problem the moment I took the job.”
“Delivering me
a message hardly made my problem yours.”
He opened his mouth as if to correct me and then seemed to think better of it and snapped it shut again. Placing the pot and spaghetti on the countertop, he reached up into the overhead and pulled down some Ragu and spices. “There’s more to it than that.”
“Like?”
His eyes locked with mine and I knew there was more, but he wasn’t about to tell me what it was. “Like, I have to finish what I started and then it’ll be over.” I frowned. I wanted to push him but knew it was pointless. Besides, little ears were within hearing distance and hanging on every word between us.
“Maybe we’ll discuss it later.” Constantine jerked his head in the direction of Austin. “I still haven’t gotten it all figured out in my head yet. This isn’t an easy situation.”
“I know.” Taking the pot, I filled it three-quarters of the way full with hot water from the tap and placed it on the stovetop, turning the heat to high. By the time I was done with the water, Constantine had a frying pan out and was placing a large portion of ground beef in the pan along with a sliver of butter.
As we prepared supper together, spaghetti and meatballs along with Caesar salad, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt very easy and familiar being with him; this wasn’t the first time we’d prepared supper together.
“What are you grinning about?” he asked as he turned off the burner cooking the spaghetti and began to drain it.
“Nothing.” I was slightly embarrassed. I really didn’t want him to see me mentally wandering down memory lane. Just because we’d fucked didn’t mean he still loved me, as much as a secret drawer of stuff from our past said otherwise.
“So, you’re grinning like an idiot in the middle of my kitchen for nothing?” His lips formed into a lazy grin and he cocked a brow up at me.
Giving him an exasperated sigh I shrugged, feeing outright silly now. “I was just thinking about all the times we made supper together in the past. Your father and mother would be so busy with the bar that we basically had the house to ourselves every evening.”
“Yeah. It was simpler times then.”
“How are your parents anyhow?”
“Good. Working hard as usual.”
“The bar is doing well?”
He laughed, but it was a hollow laugh. “Not so much anymore. Father refuses to evolve with the times and it’s hurting him. But he’s so damned pigheaded he just won’t face the truth. What about your folks?”
My folks, that was a tough issue. “I haven’t spoken to them in a while.” That was an understatement, but I didn’t comment further on it and prayed he wouldn’t question me. He didn’t. I was grateful.
Chapter 16
Robyn
It’s gotta be here. It’s gotta. It took me all evening, but I’d finally found a moment while Constantine was watching a movie with Austin to sneak into his room and search for the ring I’d lost. After the movie, Constantine wanted to put Austin to bed so I should hear him coming up the stairs and down the hallway.
I pulled my hand back from under the bed and peered under again. Nothing. His room was very clean and tidy so if it was on the floor I would have it by now. Tears filled my eyes and I batted them away with the back of my hand. What would I do if I couldn’t find it? Eventually he’d find out it was gone and the only person who could have taken it would be me.
Maybe I should just come clean?
Oh yea, good call. By the way Constantine, I was rummaging through your stuff and decided to pry up a false bottom of your drawer and wear the ring I assume you bought for me, I mocked myself.
I groaned out loud. I was royally and truly fucked!
“Lose something?” I heard Constantine ask. I swear to God my heart stopped and fell to my stomach hearing Constantine’s voice. The man was insanely stealthy, I hadn’t heard him coming in. Popping up from behind the bed, I blew a lock of hair from my face that had fallen over my eyes.
“Ummm. I…” Then my eyes spotted it as he raised his hand, the back of his hand facing me, the ring on the tip of his pinkie finger. My mouth fell open. “What? Ummm…” Boy, was my vocabulary stellar right now. But he had me, hands in the cookie jar so to speak and I had no idea how to deal with this situation.
His expression was blank; even his eyes refused to give away what he was thinking or feeling. Staring at him, I didn’t know how to play it. Obviously the gig was up.
“Instead of trying to come up with a lie that I’ll see through in a second, you might as well try the truth on me. Were you attempting to gather stuff to sell and make a run for it?”
Anger flooded me, washing away the embarrassment and guilt I’d been feeling. Planting my hands on my hips, I glared at him from across the room. “First off, I would never steal from you! Second, if I needed money to the point where I need to sell something then I’d sell one of my handbags or some of my own jewelry!” Had Constantine not come along when he had I would have – it had been on my to-do list – but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
“Then why were you going through my things? You had to have done some hardcore digging to find this. We both know where this came from.”
I didn’t answer and his expression continued to be unreadable. What if he threw me and Austin out on our ears? We’d be dead within 48 hours. At least I would be, Gabriel would give mercy to Austin and raise him as his own. The thought of my child getting mixed up in the shady life that Gabriel lived made me sick. Fuck, I was a stupid, stupid woman.
“So, my question to you is why were you nosing through my stuff?”
The anger within me deflated as quickly as it came on. I was the one at fault here, not him. Might as well lay the truth onto him. “Look, I’ve been a pretty bad judge of character in the past. Considering the circumstances, I felt I needed to make sure that we were safe here.”
“So then why did you take the ring?”
“I didn’t – exactly.” I sighed and came around the bed, plunking myself down on the edge. “I was being nosy. I just happened to notice the fake bottom in the drawer and my curiosity got the better of me, if someone tries to hide something that badly then it’s something important, so I opened it and found –”
“Its contents,” he said for me.
“Yeah, and then the ring case. I don’t know what came over me. I saw the ring and tried it on and the damned thing wouldn’t come off…”
A hint of a grin touched his lips, though I could tell he was doing his damnedest to hold it back. “So that’s what all the grunts and groans were about in the bathroom, and here I was thinking you were constipated.”
“No, I wasn’t constipated, Jesus that’s crude.” I scowled at him. “I was trying to pry it off my chunky-assed finger.”
A roar of laughter erupted from him. “Your fingers aren’t that chunky.”
“But they are chunky.” I held my hands up in front of my eyes and examined them.
“My God, you’re as impossible as you were back then.” He turned from me and entered the walk-in closet. “Fucking impossible.”
It took me a moment, but I slowly slid from the bed and followed him into the closet. I wasn’t sure if he really wanted me to join him and I was still under the umbrella of my embarrassment, but I gathered myself and followed him. I still had questions and considering he’d laughed instead of thrown me out on my ear, or worse, I took the chance that he may be willing to give me some of the answers I sought.
He was in the process of replacing the ring in its case when I entered. “Why did you keep all this stuff?” Might as well just cut to the chase.
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, it might.” I leaned against the doorjamb and thrust my hands into my jeans pockets. “That ring, was it meant for me?”
He looked up from the ring, which was now snug in it’s case, and at me. “What do you think?”
“I think it may have been. Where did you get the money for that?”
He chuckled, but there was irony in that
laugh. “Give it some thought and you should be able to figure it out.”
Looking down, I stared at a random spot on the floor. I wasn’t stupid, I knew. “The robbery – it was to buy the ring.”
“Among other things. We were starting a life together. We needed more money than I could come up with honestly. I thought that if I could get us the money to give us a start then we’d be okay.”
“But we weren’t okay. The reason I left was because of what you’d done.”
“Then why didn’t you turn me in?”
“Because I loved you. And then I found out I was pregnant and I just had to get away from the craziness that you seemed to thrive on. I was able to handle the fights and the occasional run-ins you had with the cops, but that was an entirely different level of wrong. I had to protect my baby.”
“Our baby,” he growled, his jaw clenching.
“Our baby,” I corrected myself. “But have things gotten better, Constantine? Have they really? You’re mixed up with Gabriel somehow and that tells me right there you’re hardly living an honest lifestyle.” I spread out my hands and took a step forward, slowly turning in a circle. “All of this. Are you a lottery winner or something, Constantine? Because I don’t even want to think about what you do to make this kind of money.”
We stared at each other a moment and I knew I was right. The shit that he was involved in was not something we should be around. “Am I safe with you?”
“There’s no one in this world you’d be safer with, Robyn.” He took a step toward me and then another. A part of me wanted to run away from him, but another part, the stronger part, believed him and needed to be in his embrace.
“Why keep all those memories?” I asked, taking a step toward him. I couldn’t resist the comfort of him if I tried and I was tired of fighting. I was tired of being with someone who only had me as a trophy that he’d take out and play with when he desired and then shut me away when he didn’t. That’s how life had been with Gabriel. I’d thought he was simply a hard-working businessman when I’d first met him. I suppose he was, but it wasn’t the type of business I’d imagined and there was a monster behind the smile and charm.
