by Cole, Mila
His eyes softened. “Yeah. She’s one of a kind,” he replied. “Having a girl is no joke.”
I snickered. “I bet. I can’t even remember being that age, but I know I was a brat. I think all little girls are that way at some point in their lives. It’s in our DNA.”
“I believe it.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s the sweetest when she’s sleeping.”
We both laughed at that.
“Can I ask you something?”
He shrugged, letting me continue. “I’m being nosy.” I smiled. “But I was wondering why she calls you Uncle J.”
Slick’s eyes lost focus as he stared off to nowhere. For a second there, I thought he wasn’t going to answer me.
“My sister C.C. passed away from cancer when Chloe was four years old,” he explained. I looked around to see who else was around us, but we were outside alone. He continued. “She left me sole custody of her in the will. That was three years ago.”
“Wow.” That was a lot of responsibility to leave on someone. He’d really stepped up for his sister. That was a sweet thing to do.
“Yeah.” He nodded. “We struggled a lot in the beginning. I was naïve about the whole thing. I knew it’d be hard, but I had no idea. Things got better though. She’s my life. She’s not just my niece, she’s my daughter.” His lips brushed against the top of her head, and I swear I almost cried.
My heartstrings felt tight, like he was pulling them so hard I couldn’t breathe.
“You guys up for some cards?” Trim asked when he walked over to the table.
I blinked back the tears that I thought were going to fall. Thankfully, they didn’t.
“I don’t know how to play anything but Texas Hold’em’,” I admitted sheepishly. I wouldn’t even know how to play that if it weren’t for Landon’s online gambling. He used to sit up in my apartment playing until the early hours of the morning. I couldn’t understand his addiction with it, but he’d won a fortune.
“We only play Bullshit around here,” Knox claimed as he took a seat at the table.
I looked around the table, hoping to find a sign that he was full of shit, but it seemed he was serious. “Bullshit?” I shook my head.
Trim smiled as he ran a free hand down his long curly beard. “Yep.”
When I looked over at Slick, he just nodded.
“Okay.” I shook my head. “You’ll have to teach me how to play.”
“It’s easy,” Knox confirmed.
“Let me take Chloe in and lay her down while you explain the rules to Princess over here.” He flicked a thumb in my direction.
My eyes squinted at his nickname for me. He knew how much I hated it, yet he just couldn’t seem to help himself.
Knox shuffled the deck a couple of times before he started dealing out the cards. “I’m going to deal out the whole deck of cards,” he said. “Once we have them all, the youngest player starts the game.” I knew that was me, and I rolled my eyes at him. “The only way to win the game is to be the first player to run out of cards. We start with aces and go all the way through the deck. Aces, twos, threes, fours, and so on. If you start, then you will have aces. You’ll look through your hand and find all of your aces. You’ll lay them facedown in the center of the table and announce how many aces you have. You can’t skip your turn. If someone thinks that you’re bluffing, they’ll yell ‘bullshit’ and you have to flip those cards over. If you lied, you have to take all the cards that are in the pile in the middle. If you’re telling the truth, then the person who called you out has to pick them all up. Got it?”
I could feel my inner competitor coming to life already. “Sounds like fun.”
Slick came back out and joined the table. “Do you know what you’re doing now?” He eyed me with a conniving look in his eyes.
Mr. Know-It-All was going down.
“I think so,” I answered sweetly, but I was laughing hard on the inside.
“One ace,” I said as I laid my card facedown on the table.
Call bullshit, Slick, I dare you.
“Two twos,” Slick said.
The game was going to be harder than I thought. I couldn’t read him.
“One three,” Knox said.
No one had called bullshit yet.
Trim laid his cards on top of the pile. “Two fours.”
Knox yelled out, “Bullshit!” and Trim flipped over his cards. There was a king and a nine. “Little fucker,” he said to Knox.
We were all laughing.
“Two sixes,” I said, laying my cards on the table. I was lying through my teeth, but I hoped no one noticed. My mother used to say I wasn’t a very good liar. Slick was taking his sweet time and making me sweat.
He was just about to lay down his cards when he looked at me and said, “Bullshit, Princess.”
“Little fucker,” I cursed him, and the whole table erupted in laughter.
We were having the best time. I never wanted our night to end.
We continued playing Bullshit for the next couple of hours. Knox was on a winning streak. He won the first three games, but by game number four, I had it all figured out. I ended up winning that game. That wasn’t even the best part. Slick had half the deck still in his hands.
He was sore loser too. But both Knox and Trim thought it was the funniest thing ever. There were busting his balls about it for the rest of the evening.
When the day started to wind down, Slick said he was going to let Chloe stay with Trim and we’d get a cab back to the penthouse. I gave Trim and Knox a big hug, which I think freaked them out a little, and told them that I had the best time. I thanked them for having me over. I hoped that someday soon they’d invite me back.
A day of watersliding, steaks, and cards had worn me out. I didn’t even realize how tired I was until I slid into the seat of the cab. My eyes were heavy as the car pulled away from the curb.
What a wonderful day.
Seventeen
Slick
Later that night when I was tucked away in my bed under the smooth black sheets, my mind wandered back to her. The way she looked in that wet see-through top. The way she loved Chloe and was so sweet to her. The way she called me a little fucker and didn’t bat an eyelash. It was almost like she was comfortable for the first time. In the weeks that I’d been watching her, I’d never seen her so carefree. Usually, she was stiff and uptight, even awkward at times. This side of her, the one that let loose and didn’t care, was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. Even better than when she was in that backless dress.
I’d been fighting my feelings around her, and for good reason. I was trying hard to pretend there were no feelings there to fight. She was only eighteen years old. Eighteen. That made me feel like some kind of sick bastard, preying on an innocent girl. A girl that still had her whole life ahead of her. Beyond that, she was my job. Because of her we were living a better life. One that I couldn’t risk for an amazing night of sex.
There was no denying that it would be amazing. It’d be mind-blowing. Her tight little pussy wrapped around me, squeezing me into submission…
My eyes rolled back in my head just imagining it.
I slid my hand down my bare chest and into my boxers, gripping my dick in my hands. My fingertips grazed over the wet tip, causing me to jerk with need. I could feel my balls clench when my grip tightened. The feeling was amazing. The muscles tightened as my fingers ran up and down my thick length, jerking harder each time. Her face flashed behind my closed eyelids.
“Oh yes, Lighter!” I called out, thinking about her mouth around my dick. My hands would grab the back of her head, pushing her harder and deeper until she gagged. “Fuck, yeah.”
My strokes grew eager, pumping hard and fast. Release was coming.
“Yes!” I screamed. My dick twitched in my hand before the warm release came barreling out of me.
Shit, I needed that.
Sex would’ve been better, but picturing her luscious lips around me was too much. Sooner or later the s
exual tension between us was going to give way, and the two of us were going to be powerless to stop it. I just hoped that when that day came, it wouldn’t cost me everything.
If I were being honest, I thought I was willing to take that risk.
* * *
The next morning, I spent a few hours with Chloe before I had to go to work. Tony dropped her off early so the two of us would get some time together before I had to leave. We had a bowl of cereal, then went to the CVS pharmacy to get her some new sunglasses and some sunscreen. Knox promised he’d come get her later to let her waterslide again. She was beyond excited.
Before leaving the house, I grabbed one of my Phillies hats for Lighter. It was mainly for me, since I never wanted to see that Yankees cap again. If she were a true Yankees fan, I would’ve let it slide, but she only wore the thing as a disguise. In that case, she could support my team instead.
Just as I was about to walk out the door, Chloe blew me a kiss.
“See you later tonight, Little Bear.”
“Bye, Uncle J. Tell Lighter I said hi, okay?”
“Sure thing, kiddo.”
I left a little early so I could walk to work instead of taking a cab. I hated not having a vehicle, but having one in the city wasn’t necessary. I could take a bus or cab anywhere I needed to go. Walking wouldn’t kill me though. I could use the exercise, and it would give me a little much-needed time to think. Plus, since I was in such a generous mood, I decided to stop and get Lighter and me some coffee.
When I stepped out of the elevator on their floor, it was pretty quiet. I relieved the staff from this morning and went in search of Lighter.
When I knocked lightly on her bedroom door, she told me to come in.
I opened it and found her lying on her bed reading a book, her head hidden behind the pages.
“Hey.”
“Hi,” she responded.
“You ready to go to the farmer’s market?” I asked. It was the only thing she had listed on the day’s agenda, and I was really looking forward to the idea of not being cooped up inside all day. Tomorrow she had a pretty full schedule, and then the day after was the benefit thing she’d been planning for weeks. I was going to take full advantage of a light day’s work. Chloe and I were planning a day of shopping the next day. We were going on the hunt to find me a nicer suit that wouldn’t cost me a fortune.
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
I tossed the hat in her direction. “Put that on.”
She reached out for it, smiling up at me. Her bright eyes glowed beneath her long eyelashes. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. Here.” I walked around the side of her bed, her bare legs catching my full attention. For someone so short, her legs seemed to stretch on for days. They were so tan too. And smooth—so smooth.
“For me?” She eyed my outstretched hand that held a fully loaded cup of coffee. I didn’t know what she liked, so I told the barista to make something good and to not hold back on the toppings. My black coffee looked naked next to it.
Her fingertips rested against my hand that was holding the cup. I didn’t let go. She didn’t move away. We were caught there, stuck in some force field. I wanted to touch all those bare spots that were peeking at me, begging to be caressed. But I couldn’t.
When her tongue moved between her two pink lips, I felt the sudden change. She wanted to kiss me. She wanted to touch me just as bad as I wanted to touch her. Neither of us cared that we were in her bedroom and that we could be spotted at any second. The attraction was too strong. I felt like I needed her as much as I needed my lungs.
My body inched forward, and her breathing became more erratic.
I’m going to eat you up, little girl.
Her free hand reached up and grabbed the front of my shirt, fisting it in her hands. This game of cat and mouse was ending right here.
When her head tilted to the side, I moved in for the kiss I knew would bring me to my fucking knees.
“Miss Derosa,” we heard, and we jumped apart like we were two kids getting caught having sex in school.
A few seconds later, Mrs. Wright knocked on the door. Lighter cleared her throat and told her to come in. I wanted to call her a cockblock, but to be honest, that kiss would’ve led to some bad things. Some very dirty and bad things. She was like a drug to me. I hadn’t even kissed her lips yet and I was already contemplating my next fix.
Fuck me.
Mrs. Wright’s unexpected entrance probably just saved us a buttload of trouble.
“Norman is here, miss.”
“Thank you,” Lighter said as she stood up. “Tell him I’ll be right down.”
“Yes. Of course.” She walked away and left the two of us standing there.
“That can’t happen again,” I told her.
She scoffed and then shook her head. “Again?” Her voice was snippy. “Something can’t happen again if it didn’t actually happen in the first place. Let’s go.” She started for the door. “Thanks for the coffee.”
She was getting a taste of blue balls at its finest.
Guess she’ll be rubbing one off later too.
On the ride through town, Norman kept glancing in his rearview mirror. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to worry Lighter, but I had a feeling we were being followed. I kept looking at him to give me some kind of clue, but after a few blocks, he stopped. We were going to have to talk about it later. There needed to be some sort of protocol about those types of situations, especially when Derosa made a point to tighten up security. These situations could be a real threat, and I didn’t want something happening to that girl on my watch.
When we pulled up outside the street market, I leaned up between the seat. “Everything good, Norman?”
I wasn’t exiting the vehicle until I knew for sure.
“I believe so. Things changed around Fourth and Callum. All good now.”
“We can talk more later,” I told him.
He nodded in agreement.
With the go-ahead, I held the door open for Lighter. She stepped outside the car, looked up at me, and said, “Can you walk beside me today?”
Those blue eyes under the rim of that Phillies hat only needed to look at me once. Sadly, I would’ve agreed to anything. “Sure.”
We walked side by side into the street market. Vendors filled the large area. They were selling things like fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, and handmade goods. We had been there once before but hadn’t stayed long.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Chloe asked me to tell you hi,” I said.
“Really?” Her bad mood seemed to have lifted. “She is so adorable. Tell her I said hi back, please.” I nodded. “It was nice to meet her. She’s such a sweet little girl. What grade is she in?”
“She’s actually starting at a new school this year. We just moved here after I started this job. I thought it was going to be a big adjustment for her, but our new place is bigger. She seems to really like it here. The new school session starts in August, and she’ll be going into the third grade. I think she’s looking forward to it. She loves school.”
We stopped next to a table full of flowers. “I would’ve never guessed you were a father.”
“It wasn’t by choice.”
She whipped her head around at me.
“That didn’t come out right,” I continued. “I meant that the life I was leading before she came along was different. I couldn’t see myself as a dad. I didn’t want to be one, and there are still days when I think I’m not cut out for it. But if I think of my life without her… Well.” I paused. “I guess I couldn’t picture a life without her in it. She’s my world now.”
She picked up a bouquet of different flowers and slipped the older lady behind the table a twenty. “I think that’s beautiful, Slick. Sounds like you need her as much as she needs you.”
I smiled, thinking of the words that my sister had said. She had said that I’d love her endlessly no matter how bad I screwed up. She was right. Not
hing I did mattered except that sweet girl. She was my life and the keeper of my heart.
“I think you’re right. There’s no telling where I’d be if she wasn’t in my life.”
She was about to say something else when her phone rang. She groaned when she saw the screen. “It’s Landon.” Her hand swiped the screen and she said hello.
I listened a little too intently to her conversation. I wasn’t ashamed either. That little prick was on my radar. He was after Lighter, whether she knew it or not, and I wanted to break his neck just thinking about it.
They discussed Lighter’s event and talked a few more minutes before she ended the call. Her tone with him was always indifferent. She didn’t seem to share the same feelings, but I could have been wrong. I was no pro at reading women.
“Lover boy, huh?” I asked sarcastically. “You forgot to tell him you love him.”
“Fuck off,” she teased.
Eighteen
Lighter
He could tease me all he wanted, but Landon wasn’t my lover boy. Lately, he was barely a friend. He was clingy. He wanted more from our friendship than I was willing to give.
Slick walked with me through the entire market, even carried my bags back to the car. I wound up getting some flowers, four new books, and some fresh strawberries, and I found Chloe a cute little handmade bracelet. Slick kept saying not to get her anything, but I loved it. I thought she’d love it too.
It was nice day, but just as we were leaving, I started feeling bad. There was a small ache in my neck and up around my temple. By the time we were loaded in the SUV, it was a full-blown headache.
Fine time to get a migraine.
I swayed on my feet, and Slick caught my elbow.
“You all right?”
I looked up at him. “My head.”
“Migraine?”
I shook my head.
“Okay. We’ll go straight home.”
He climbed in the back seat next to me and told Norman to get us home quickly. Thank goodness for that. I’d likely have motion sickness once those wheels started rolling.
