“Blue.”
Her answer came as fast as the next question.
“Favorite food?” His question was followed by a thrust between her legs.
Somehow, Thea moaned her answer. “Pie.”
“Desert?” He thrust again. The friction from the caress over her panties and Lex’s hardening cock caused waves of pleasure to wash over her. “Your turn, baby.” Lex’s slow thrusts continued creating a fuzz in Thea’s brain. She thrust with him, chasing the orgasm that was sure to follow. Her little thin French panties were no match for his talented hips. She spread her legs wider giving him more access. “Your turn, baby,” he crooned again.
“Uh …” Hell, she didn’t care who Lex was now, she just needed him inside of her. “Favorite, um, color?” Thrusting again and harder, Thea reached around and grabbed his ass, pulling him closer.
“Lex, please,” she begged. They could get to know each other later. Her clit pulsed between them and in each thrust, Lex’s cock nudged the throbbing bundle of nerves. His mouth covered hers and she relished the taste of male and champagne that burst onto her tongue. His fingers travelled over her belly and into her panties. Throwing her head back, Thea moaned when Lex made small circles over her clit. Revved up from each fevered thrust, Thea couldn’t hold back. Her body tightened as her orgasm washed over her, stealing her breath. The erotic sound of his fingers sliding over her wet flesh, the clever fingers beneath her panties, and his dark eyes boring into her begging her spurned another orgasm. Hard and fast, Thea fell apart again. When she was able to breathe, and see, she looked up into Lex’s hooded eyes.
“You already asked that.” His hands roved over her body and made their way to the tie of her dress.
“Pass,” she whispered. With a tug, he pulled the dress open, revealing the pink lace bra, and his body wedged between her damp thighs. Thea glanced down between them and seductively whispered, “Your turn.”
Thea needed more date nights in her future. Though the night ended well, Lex had asked Thea one question that had her confused and ruminating on where her life would go after Earl passed. Also, Lex hadn't answered her question about moving to New York. He wanted to know if she really wanted to leave Blackwater. Years back, when her hometown had fallen to shambles after the fall of the economy, Thea couldn’t wait to leave. Now that she was older she realized that her hometown hadn't quite recovered for the very reason she left. Everyone wanted something more, they feared they’d be unable to thrive in a burned-out town, but what if they had all stayed? What if she stayed? She’d had plans to open a clinic in New York, but that idea dried up as soon as she went into the negative with her bank account. It was astounding the price the medical world had placed on a human’s life. Thea wondered the difference that accepting all insurances and creating payment plans for patients would create for those unable to pay medical bills. And this led her to the idea of staying in Blackwater and opening her own small practice. Now, as she lay cuddled on the couch with Lex waiting for Earl to awake, she threw numbers around in her head. The cost of rent, medical supplies and equipment, staffing, etc. It would eat a larger hole into her retirement plan, but perhaps it wouldn’t matter. Her reason for switching her major, doubling up on classes, and attending summer school was because she wanted to make a difference and fast. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Money, the root to all evil, was the key here, and without it, it didn’t matter. As long as Earl needed a day nurse while she was at work, his medicine and anything else, she’d gladly find a way to foot the bill.
Lex patted her on the bottom. “What’s up?” His voice rumbled through her. Thea released a contented sigh even as her brain quick fired questions and concerns at her. There was no denying the fact that she felt at home in Lex’s arms. The stress of the day slowly faded into the background and he held her tight.
“I’ll talk to you about it later,” she replied, unwilling to express her jumbled thoughts to him just yet. Though she was sure he’d support her, Thea needed to gather her ideas, and tie them in a neat little bow before she presented it to him. On where she stood with Lex and their relationship, she still wasn’t sure. It was hard for her to think of a happily ever after while she was so concerned about Earl. Speaking of the devil, his beckoning bell tinkled and Thea nearly knocked Lex over as she bounded up and into Earl’s room. Though she’d wanted to wake Earl up to make him spill his guts, Thea knew the medicine he took often left him lethargic or sicker than before.
Entering the room, Thea made her way to the bed and perched by her grandpa’s feet. “You feeling better, Paw Paw?”
Lex sidled up next to her and took her hand in his.
Lazily smiling at the tender gesture, Earl pushed the button to adjust the bed. “I feel about as good as I am going to feel for the day.”
Good, Thea thought just before she pounced.
“Who is this Gator character and why are you dealing with a gang?” Before Earl had even begun to answer, Thea’s mouth quick-fired two more questions. “Why was Dowd scared of that name and where are they getting their money from?”
Lex gently gripped Thea’s shoulders. “Good Lord, woman. Calm.”
Thea reached up and tried to brush Lex’s hands away.
Refusing to release her, he gave her a light shake. He tugged her close to him, and whispered in her ear, “One question at a time, baby.”
Thea pulled back. The anticipation ate her up inside.
Earl fussed with his blanket. “Well, first Gator is my nephew and it ain’t in no gang like you’re thinking.”
Thea cocked a brow. “You’re talking about a motorcycle gang?”
Earl’s lip twitched. “He does ride a motorbike if that’s what you’re asking.”
Thea groaned. “All jokes aside, Earl.” If Earl were making deals with gang members, Thea and Lex needed to nip it in the bud … that is, if it wasn’t too late.
Earl sobered up. “Stop being so dramatic, Thea. Gator is my sister’s son. Calls himself Gator but his momma named him Jackson.” Earl reached into the nightstand by his bed and pulled out a brown leather-bound notebook. When he opened it up, Thea strained her neck, trying to get a peek at the writing inside. “Pass me something to write with, Lex.” The pencil was passed and Thea got a small looksee at Earl’s neat script scrolled across the page. On the paper were a list of names and dates, the majority crossed off with Earl’s initials printed beside them. While unable to read all the names, Thea read three: Abel Henry, Jackson Clay Jones, and Trent Reed. Earl’s hand shook as he crossed off Jackson’s name.
Bracing his hands on the foot of the bed, Lex leaned in. “So you’re saying we have nothing to worry about when it comes to the First Sons MC gang?”
“Men on bikes ain’t nothing to be afraid of.” The guileful glint in Earl’s eyes said otherwise. “At least not the First Sons …”
Lex made his way to the nightstand. “Men on bikes, huh?” He lifted a picture frame and eyed it before handing it to Thea.
She remembered the pic as one of many over the mantel in Earl’s old house. Thea pressed a finger to Earl’s face in the faded old photograph. He sat astride a vintage-style motorcycle, shades covered his eyes as his wide, white smile gleamed in the flash.
“You gonna tell us all your secrets, Paw Paw?” Glancing up at him, Thea turned the photo so he could see it. His clouded eyes bore into the photograph and a flicker of emotion flashed.
“Over my lifetime I’ve collected debts. The debts aren’t always given monetary value. You know, sometimes it’s something as small as a favor. But more times than not, it’s the promise of an act later on. Maybe I’ll need someone to mow my lawn and other times I’ll need someone to buy a house.”
Lex stepped closer. With his arms crossed over his chest, he propped his hip on the bed. “How? How can you guarantee a person will be able to afford something like that?”
Thea wondered the same.
He sighed. “Because, I put them in the position to someday b
e able to do just that, hence them owing me a favor. Take Trent Reed for instance. He needed something that would ensure he’d have a profitable future and I supplied him the means to do so.”
“Who is Trent Reed?” Thea asked. Other than a name marked in his ledger, it didn’t sound familiar.
“No one you know, sugar.” Earl rubbed her back. “This here,” he lifted the ledger, “has all my debts rolled up in it, and I intend to collect on the last three.”
Lex nodded. “Okay, so what now? You just go around making calls and demands?”
Earl shrugged. “We all know I don’t have much time left.”
Thea’s heart ached in her chest. She placed her hand over the broken muscle and rubbed.
“And I need to make sure Thea is taken care of,” he stated.
“I’ll be fine.” Closing her eyes to trap the tears threatening to escape, Thea realized she’d been telling herself that lie for months now. When Earl died, a piece of her would disappear.
“I know you will, Lex is here to help you through and mend the hole he left when I sent him off.”
Thea risked a glance at Lex. What did the future hold for them, and when would she have the guts to tell him she loved him? He’d expressed his love for her both verbally and toe-curlingly physically. Maybe she didn’t know where she was headed in the long run, but she knew for damned sure that she wouldn’t be running away from Lex or her feelings for him. Thea got up and went to him, taking his hand in hers.
“I guess I’ll keep this old dog around when you’re gone.” She winked at his gruff laughter.
Earl pointed to the corner of his room where Lex had stored his things. “Get the box, Lex.”
Lex released Thea’s hand only after giving it a light, reassuring squeeze. She found it odd that Lex had stored his belongings in Earl’s room and not in hers, but she didn’t bother him about it. After his question about her future, Thea hadn't had the chance to think of anything other than where she and Lex were headed.
Lex came back to her—box in hand—and laid it on Earl’s lap. For some reason, Thea couldn’t take her eyes off the thing.
As if it held the cure to cancer, Earl clutched the box in his bony fingers. “I know you told her.” Earl met Thea’s gaze. “I can see it in her eyes.” Lex made to defend himself, but Earl raised a hand, stopping the words before they’d even formed. “I’d hoped you would. Because if you didn’t, it meant I made a mistake about you.”
“What do you mean, Earl?” Lex asked, and tangled their fingers together once he was settled back at her side. The confusion in his tone mirrored her confused expression.
Earl tapped the top of the box. “How far has that gone?”
“What?” Thea leaned in. “How far has what gone?”
Earl pointed to their joined hands. “That. How far has that gone?”
Thea glanced down at their entwined fingers. His hand held hers tight as if he were never willing to let her go. She thought back to the last time he’d held her hand some eight years ago. It’d been so very innocent as he helped her across an old dirt road and away from the bullies who hadn't let her play football with them. Dirty and with a tear-streaked face, Thea vowed to kick the asses of all three boys and would have, too, if Lex hadn't beat her to it. Smiling at the memory, she squeezed his hand.
Without looking away from Lex she replied, “Pretty damned far.”
Earl chuckled. “Good. Look here, child.” Thea pulled her gaze from Lex and watched as Earl pushed the box closer to her.
Tentatively, she reached for it. “What’s this?”
Earl caressed the box lovingly. “It’s what your momma left you.”
Thea couldn’t hold back the surprised gasp. “Momma?” The ache in her voice reminded Thea of the boulder-sized hole that had once existed inside of her. At first, it was Earl who helped her breathe again, and then came Lex. Thea held the box close to her chest, unwilling to put the memory of the past away. Squeezing her eyes shut she recalled the memory of her momma’s scent: sweet tea and roses. Laughter bubbled from her as she remembered joking her momma about swimming in sweet tea and drying off with rose petals. It was a silly inside joke, but Thea remembered it as if it were yesterday.
“Thea?” Lex’s soft voice called her back to the present. And when her eyes opened, there were no tears. Her momma’s memories had long since stopped being painful, and now brought her joy when she’d needed it most. Placing the box in front of her, she laid her hand on top of it, imagining her mother filling it to the brim with memories and things of the like. Was this what it would be like four, maybe ten years down the road after Earl’s passing? Thea couldn’t imagine laughter taking root in her soul if it meant Earl wasn’t there to share it with her, but what was her other option? To never think of him at all? Her momma’s memories were proof that it would get easier and with Lex at her side, Thea held on to that hope.
Earl cleared his throat. “There’s so much you need to know and a lot of it is in that box, but I want to start with what you won’t find in there.” Earl reached for Thea. She moved up the bed and took his hand. “I swore to your momma that I would see you through her death.” He patted her hand. “I told her I would make sure you had everything you need: love, support, and protection. But what she didn’t do was tell me the right way to do it.” Thea could tell by the laughter in his voice and the tenderness in his eyes that Earl was thinking back to good times with her momma, Ellie. “What did I know about raising a little girl? You came to me, with your thumb in your mouth and tears in her eyes and, baby girl,” Earl gripped her hand as best he could, “I swore from that moment on if it meant shedding my own tears, that you’d never cry again.”
Thea fought the sudden urge to burst into tears. Her Paw Paw had done his best, and while she cried after her mother’s death, Earl had always been there, with open arms and soothing words.
“So I had me a little brown-skinned girl in the dirty South and I didn’t know what the hell to do. Hoping to keep my promise, I hit every extreme I knew. No playing in the dirt, no cussing, and no boyfriends until you died and went to heaven, ’cause wasn’t a man on this earthly plane good enough for you in my eyes.”
Lex let loose a bark of laughter. “I sure hope that last part got nixed.” Thea kicked out a foot and gently connected with his shin. He grabbed her toe and tugged.
“You were Ellie’s little girl and pride and joy, I had to live up to what she would have done if God would have let her raise you.”
Thea cussed herself out nine ways to Sunday for all the times she’d been an ungrateful brat.
As if sensing where her thoughts were going, Earl shushed her apology right up. “You were a child in a world of chaos for a while. I didn’t expect you to understand, but I expected you to behave, and you did. I think … no, I know your momma would be proud of you and I’d like to think she entrusted the right person to raise you in her stead.”
Tears flowed and sniffles abound. “She did, Paw Paw, she did.” One of Thea’s greatest fears was death. Not her own, but those of the ones she loved. Living was always harder than dying. If you believed in a greater power, and had lived your life right, your suffering was over the second you took your final breath. The ones who would continue to suffer were the ones you left behind. All these years she studied the art of saving a life and in turn really hadn't lived her own. Too busy forging a path ahead to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Lex asked her what she wanted from this life and Thea had found the answer in not only herself, but here in Earl and her momma’s memory as well.
“Good, Thea- bear.” Earl settled back onto the bed. “The second I knew this cancer was going to take me to see the Lord, I sent word for Lex.” A bit of anger simmered below the surface at Earl’s underhanded attempt to have Lex babysit her. “Calm down, child. I didn’t get him here for the reasons you think I did.”
“Well, if you didn’t call him to be my keeper, then why did you?” Thea could not keep the petulance from her vo
ice. However, her cheeks heated at Earl’s next words.
“I called him for exactly what you two did in that bathroom.”
“Jesus, Earl.” Lex finally had the decency to be embarrassed.
However, Thea didn’t say a word. Sex was not something she would converse with her grandfather about even if he’d played matchmaker between her and Lex. And on that subject …
“How’d you even know there was something between us?” She stuck her tongue out at Lex. “For all you know, I could very well hate him.”
Lex puffed out his chest. “You do not.” Lex waggled his brows at her, a nod to all the dirty things she enjoyed doing with him.
She turned away, embarrassed that this was being brought up now of all times and with present company.
“Unfortunately, from what I heard I’ll have to agree.” Stern eyes met hers as her grandpa spoke.
Thea threw her hands up in the air, signaling her frustration. “Ugh, are you both trying to get under my skin? ’Cause it’s working and I’m thinking about skinning both of y’all alive.” She pointed at Earl. “Don’t think because you’re sick I’ll take it easy on you.” Lifting her fist, she jokingly waved it menacingly at him.
“Just calling it fixing my mistakes before I leave.”
“Paw—”
“Nah, child. While it was a smart idea to get this boy,” he motioned to Lex, “on the straight and narrow, it wasn’t the best choice to send him away. You changed after that, darling. You weren’t the same child I knew you to be and I knew it was because you loved him.”
Thea placed the box at the foot of the bed and scooted next to Earl. She listened to him as he spoke of regrets and a broken promise to her momma. Ten years ago, both Thea and Lex were two young fools ill-equipped to handle matters of the heart, but as Thea forgave Earl sending Lex away, she thanked him for it, too. It’d given them both the time they needed to grow only to find their way back to each other again.
Rogue In Love: Thea and Lex: Love Against the Odds Page 10
