Wrong Side of the Tracks: a Hope Valley novel

by Prince, Jessica

  After pouring my heart out to the girls earlier that day, I’d gone back to work only to discover one of the other checkers had called in sick, so my double shift became a triple.

  I’d just spent the last twelve hours standing behind a register all day long. I was dead on my feet by the time I finally arrived home, physically and emotionally exhausted, and all I wanted was a hot shower and sleep. The only saving graces I had were that Odette was watching the kids until I got home, making sure dinner and homework was all sorted, and I wasn’t working at the club later, so I could hopefully get a full, uninterrupted eight hours.

  “Gypsy! You’re home!” Holly cried the second I walked through the door, hopping up from the floor and rushing me, wrapping her little arms around my waist.

  “Hey, doodlebug.” I smiled down at her and rubbed her soft blonde hair. I lifted my head to greet the rest of my family and found Marco sitting comfortable as could be in the big fluffy chair against the far-left wall of the living room, his feet kicked up on the coffee table. Odette was in the recliner to the right of the sofa with a dozing Lee in her arms. Ray was lying on his belly on the floor in front of the TV, Rhodes was sprawled out on the couch, and Sunny was curled up in the beanbag chair tucked in the corner.

  And just like that, my earlier plans to crash were tossed right out the window.

  “Hey, guys.”

  My brothers and sister mumbled hellos in return, keeping their eyes pinned to the television.

  “Hey, child,” Odette greeted.

  Marco looked up at me with a warm expression that made my belly melt. “Good day, girasol?”

  “Uh, yeah. Sure.”

  “Marco got us fried chicken for dinner!” Holly said, continuing to shout excitedly.

  I looked toward the kitchen to the white plastic bags with the forest-green Evergreen Diner logo stamped on the front, and my stomach immediately began to growl. This was the second time in less than a week that I didn’t have to cook dinner, and I was more grateful for it tonight than ever before.

  “And he rented The Avengers! Come on, come on!” She started jumping up and down, tugging on my hand. “Come watch it with us.”

  “Let me change outta my work clothes and grab a bite to eat, and I’ll be right with you.”

  Holly skipped back to the living room and belly flopped on Rhodes’s stomach, snuggling into him to resume watching the superheroes kick bad guy butt, and I turned and headed for my bedroom.

  The back of my neck tingled with awareness, and I knew without having to look that Marco was watching my every step until I shut the door behind me.

  Collapsing back against the wall, I blew a long string of air past my lips and closed my eyes, trying to regulate my heart rate. Every time I saw Marco, my blood sang, my body vibrated, and it took a minute to calm everything back down.

  Once I felt like I could breathe normally again, I went about changing out of my ugly Fresh Foods uniform and into a pair of wide-leg gray sweats and a faded black Supernatural tee that stated ‘Saving People, Hunting Things. The Family Business.’ I washed and moisturized my face, then threw my hair up into a ratty bun before heading back out.

  Marco was standing in the kitchen when I rounded the corner. “Hey, baby. Got your plate right here.”

  And just when I thought I’d shored up my defenses, he went and did something like that, making my knees weak and the need to jump him in front of innocent eyes almost too strong to ignore.

  I took the plate piled high with the best fried chicken and potato salad in the whole state. My mouth practically watered at the delicious smells. “Thank you so much. This looks fantastic. I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I saw those bags.”

  He smiled, and I swear I nearly melted. After the emotional upheaval with my friends earlier, the walls around my heart had been temporarily lowered, and I was still feeling too raw just then to fight Marco off. When he reached up to caress my cheek, instead of backing away from his touch like I should have, I found myself leaning deeper into it.

  “Come on, let’s get your feet up.”

  I followed without putting up a fight when he resumed his seat in my big cushy chair and tucked me in right next to him.

  I dug into my meal, trying—and failing miserably—to ignore the heat his body was giving off, the tantalizing smell of his cologne, and the way he was pressed into my side.

  I fell into silence with everyone else, trying my best to pay attention to the movie. Robert Downey Jr. was on screen saying something witty, but I could only focus on one thing—the imposing man beside me.

  I somehow managed to finish my dinner, and once my plate was empty, Marco took it from my lap and set it on the coffee table before relaxing back, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, and pulling me flush against him.

  Marco’s fingers started drawing light, indistinct patterns on my arm as Loki escaped his prison, and by the time the bad guys invaded New York, I was so comfortable, I was having trouble keeping my eyes open.

  “You good, girasol?” he whispered, leaning down so his lips brushed against my ear as he spoke.

  “Mmmhmm.” I snuggled in deeper.

  “You need anything? Something to drink?”

  “Nope,” I mumbled. “You’ve already done enough. Thank you so much.”

  I could have sworn I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head before squeezing me tighter.

  Nuzzling my cheek against his strong chest, I let myself get swept away in all the greatness that was Marco, and I fell asleep before the biggest fight scene in the movie.

  * * *

  Marco

  I wasn’t sure anything had ever felt as good as holding Gypsy against me while she slept. I was holding a dream in my arms, and I never wanted to let her go.

  As soon as the credits started to roll, Odette looked at me and stated, “I’ve got the little ones. You take care of our girl.”

  I nodded, prepared to do just that when Holly rushed over and leaned in, placing a kiss on my cheek before skipping off to her room. Sunny did the same with a small smile at Gypsy’s sleeping form before turning in for the night.

  Once the living room cleared, Rhodes stood from the couch, his earnest gaze fixing me to the chair. “You’ll take care of her?”

  “Of course.”

  The way he held himself made him seem so much older than his seventeen years. I’d noticed that about all of the older Bradburys. The three who had been around long enough to remember what it was like living with their parents all had the same shadows lurking behind their eyes, and I fucking hated that for them.

  Gypsy hadn’t confided in me yet, but I’d asked around enough to know that she’d been the only one any of these kids could count on. Her whole life she’d been worked to the bone and put to the test. She was hands down the strongest woman I’d ever met. I was in awe of her.

  “I don’t just mean right now,” Rhodes said, his voice cracking on the last two words. Gypsy meant everything to him, and I could see his desire to protect her reflected back at me, clear as day. In that moment, my respect for the young man more than tripled.

  “I know, son. And I give you my word, I’ll take care of her.”

  I could see his throat work as he swallowed down a thick lump of emotion. “She deserves it.” He nodded toward his big sister. “She deserves everything. If you’re not sure you can give her that, then just walk away now.”

  “I promise you, Rhodes, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I wasn’t sure.”

  He continued staring down at me, as if deep in thought, before finally nodding and disappearing into his bedroom.

  Gypsy stirred a moment later, and I could tell the instant she looked at me that she’d heard every word between me and her brother.

  Her voice was low and husky, full of meaning as she whispered my name.

  “Come on, baby. Let’s get you to bed.”

  We climbed out of the chair and were headed down the hall hand in hand just as Odette came out of
one of the bedrooms. Cupping Gypsy’s cheeks like a mother would, Odette pulled her down and placed a kiss on her forehead before moving to me and doing the same.

  “Love you, Detty,” Gypsy whispered.

  Odette smiled warmly. “Love you too, Gypsy girl.” Then she shuffled off, and the sound of the front door opening and closing announced her exit.

  The plan was to get Gypsy into her bed and maybe sneak a good-night kiss before heading home to my cold, lonely apartment. But when we stepped over the threshold into her room, she changed everything in an instant when she turned to face me fully, her eyes brimming with so much emotion I couldn’t possibly read everything that was going through her mind right then.

  “Hey,” I whispered, reaching up to rub my thumb along her jawline. “You okay?”

  And just like that, she closed the distance between us, stood on her tiptoes, and pressed her lips against mine.

  The kiss started off hesitant, almost nervous. But when her tongue darted out and trailed across my bottom lip, I lost all control.

  Tangling one hand in her hair, I wrapped my other arm around her waist and pulled her hard against me as I devoured her mouth. Her nails dug into my back as she held on for all she was worth. I trailed my hand down, grabbing her incredible ass and squeezing, using the hold to rock her hips into my throbbing erection. She gasped at the feel of me before letting out a whimper and tipping her head to the side to give me better access. I pressed my fingers harder to her scalp as I took the kiss from hungry to ravenous, and by the time we pulled apart, we were both completely out of breath.

  Lowering my forehead to hers, I closed my eyes and tried to get a hold of myself. Lust and need were clawing at my insides, desperate to get out and take her. But this wasn’t the time or the place. I’d told her before that we’d have our moment, and I fully intended on keeping that promise. But this wasn’t it. Tonight hadn’t been about getting her in bed and losing myself inside her. It had been about taking care of her, showing her how smooth and easy things could be.

  Scaling that protective wall of hers wasn’t going to be a quick, leisurely hike. It would be like climbing Everest. I needed to be cautious, take my time.

  “Get some sleep.” I placed one last quick peck on her lips and took a step back, my aching dick cursing me up one side and down the other as I turned and walked away from her.

  Patience, I kept chanting in my head as I exited the house.

  The Army might have drilled discipline and patience into me until they became second nature, but one kiss from Gypsy and all those years of training flew right out the window.

  Chapter Eleven

  Gypsy

  I was a wreck.

  After that kiss with Marco the night before, my body had been strung tight as a bow. It took ages for me to finally find sleep, but once I did, I dreamed of him. The most erotic, toe-curling dreams. I’d wake up in a sweat, gasping for air, only to doze back off and have it happen again and again.

  I’d spent the rest of the morning trying to get control of my thoughts, but the voices in my head refused to be quiet.

  “I think he knows what a wonderful person you are…”

  “You’re gonna have to lower that wall sometime, baby girl.”

  “You’re incredible and kind and loyal…”

  My friends’ words played on an endless loop, over and over. But there was one conversation in particular that stood out the most.

  “She deserves everything.”

  “I know.”

  “If you’re not sure you can give her that, then just walk away now.”

  “I promise you, Rhodes, I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I wasn’t sure.”

  God, I couldn’t stop thinking about how Marco sounded when he said those two little words.

  “She deserves everything.”

  “I know.”

  “I know.”

  “I know.”

  He’d said it with such fierceness it made my stomach flip. It was as if there hadn’t been a doubt in his mind that what my brother said was the absolute and undisputable truth.

  My footsteps sounded on those two words as I paced my living room, trying to drum up the courage to do what came next.

  “I.” Step. “Know.” Step. “I.” Step. “Know.” Step. “I.” Step. “Know.” Step.

  I was just about ready when a sharp bang on my front door made me stumble to a stop.

  I opened the door to find a brooding Marco standing on my porch, his hands braced on the doorframe like he was physically trying to hold himself back from lunging at me. My lungs deflated and a spark ignited in my body, causing my nipples to harden and my belly to dip before it centralized right between my thighs.

  “Marco,” I croaked. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

  The usual green and gold of his hazel eyes was dark and intense. His jaw was clenched tight as he looked me up and down before rasping, “Can I come in?”

  I stepped aside, making room for him to move past me, then closed the door with a soft click before turning to face him. Power and aggression rolled off him in waves, thickening the air around us.

  “Is, um… are you okay? Is something wrong?” I twisted my fingers together in front of me. I couldn’t remember ever being so nervous.

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he looked around the house before turning his attention back to me and asking, “Lee taking a nap?”

  “Oh. No. I asked Odette to watch him for a while.” He remained eerily quiet and perfectly still, as if he was waiting for me to say more. So I did. “I was actually just about to leave. To go see you.”

  “Why?”

  I got the odd sense that he knew exactly why. “Because….” I hesitated, searching deep for that stupid courage that had gone into hiding the moment I opened the door to him. “I wanted to see you. I-I can’t stop thinking about you.”

  That seemed to snap the tether he had on his control. The next thing I knew, Marco was across the room, and I was in his arms. His hands on my ass lifted my feet off the ground, giving me no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist.

  His mouth crashed against mine in a brutal, drugging kiss that made my sex pulse with the need to be filled. He carried me effortlessly through the house and into my bedroom, never once removing his lips from mine.

  My back hit the bed, and his weight came down on me, pinning me in place as we fed from each other. Our hands were on a path of discovery, mine gripping tight to his shoulders as his slid up my hips and waist, finally coming to settle on my breasts. The rough, delicious touches had ignited a fire deep in my core, and when his thumb scraped across my nipple, I threw my head back on a sharp cry.

  “Christ,” he said with a grunt, trailing his mouth along my neck. “You’re sensitive, aren’t you, baby?”

  He had no idea.

  He pushed back onto his knees, and I watched the awesome show as he reached behind his neck and pulled his shirt over his head, exposing all that glorious caramel-colored skin to me. Every inch of his upper body flexed and rolled with powerful muscles, and my mouth watered with the need to trace every one of them with my tongue.

  “Need you to stop lookin’ at me like that, Gypsy,” he rasped, “or this is gonna be over a lot sooner than I’d like.”

  I couldn’t help the smug grin that tugged at my mouth. Knowing I drove him so wild that just a look from me could set him off was so insanely intoxicating, it made me giddy.

  “Pleased with yourself, are you?” he teased as he reached for the fly of his jeans. My smile instantly fell as anticipation for what was to come swamped me. “Lose the shirt and bra,” he commanded, slowly releasing the button and lowering the zipper. “I want to see you.”

  I quickly did as he said. The moment I tossed my bra to the side, Marco let loose a gravelly rumble and shot off the bed. Thanks to his quick efficiency, we were both stark naked only seconds later, and the sight of his long, thick cock rendered me speechless. He took his time looking his fill, his eyes drift
ing over every single inch of my body.

  When his knees hit the mattress, I propped my head on the pillows, my chest heaving with labored breaths as I watched him slowly start to crawl back over me. He slid his hands up my inner thighs, pressing in and forcing them wide.

  “Fuck me,” he growled at the sight of my bare sex. “Every goddamn part of you is beautiful.”

  He continued his trek up my body, coming to a stop at my breasts. His lips closed over my nipple, and I shouted out in ecstasy as he took a hard pull, drawing it deep into his mouth. A bolt of lust shot through me, making my pussy even slicker.

  My legs fell open wider, cradling his lean hips as he lavished the same delicious attention on both my breasts. When his hand came into play, slipping between my thighs and toying with my slit, I nearly bucked off the bed. “Oh God. Marco, yes.”

  “You like that?” he asked, his voice husky and deep with need. He rubbed hard circles around my clit before traveling lower. “You like it when I play with your pussy?”

  “Yes, Marco,” I panted, undulating against him. “Don’t stop.”

  At my demand, he thrust two fingers in deep. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ, you’re wet.” He groaned, lowering his forehead to my collarbone so he could watch what his hand was doing. “And so tight.”

  Tangling my fingers in his hair, I forced his face to mine, driving my tongue into his mouth as he continued sliding his fingers in and out of me. I tilted my hips, giving him better access as I pleaded into his mouth, “More. Marco, I need more.”

  When he stopped moving, my eyes flew open. “You’re sure about this?” he asked, refusing to give me that more I was begging for until I confirmed that I wanted this to happen just as badly as he did.

  “I’m sure. I need you.”

  That was apparently all he needed. Climbing from the bed, he grabbed his discarded jeans and pulled a condom from his wallet, then made quick work of sheathing himself before coming back to hover over me. I lifted my legs to hook them around the backs of his thighs just as the head of his cock nudged at my entrance. He pushed in slowly, coming to a stop when he met resistance, and I sucked in a sharp gasp.