by J. C. Allen
Unfortunately, that all ended when I saw someone else. My heart clenched in my throat when I saw his Mom staring at me. She came over to us, having changed from her scrubs into jeans and a sweater. I went on the defensive as fast as I ever had in my life.
“I—I’m sorry about Simon,” I quickly said.
Michael stood in front of me, as if trying to protect me. I reached down to grip his shoulder, as if I needed his strength.
Thankfully, Momma Kinsmen didn’t seem as upset as I had feared.
“It’s not your fault, sweetie,” she said, crouching down to Michael and smoothing his hair down. “Your dad is fine, Michael.”
I smiled at her kind words for my son. She was his grandmother, so I supposed she was in the right to do that, but still—that was true in the technical sense, but not to the level that I felt comfortable realizing it all the time. She was still Momma Kinsmen to me, not grandma to Michael.
But then she rose back up and looked me in the eye, that intense gaze returning back in full force. All of the thoughts I had about her as a grandma vanished as I felt put on trial.
“You shouldn’t leave. If you left, everything would have happened for nothing.”
She hardened her gaze in a way I didn’t even know she could. She may have been on my side, but it felt like a very conditional way of being on my side—like if I didn’t act appropriately to her son, she would get back on me in a heartbeat. And who could blame her?
One of her sons was in the hospital room because of my actions, my family. If anything, she had probably let me off real easy compared to some of the things she could have said. She could have gotten really mean and ornery with me.
It left me utterly confused, honestly.
She then walked away and into Simon’s room. I took a deep breath and sat down, feeling like I was on display. I didn’t know how to feel about his Mom, given how quickly she seemed to swing from sympathy to warning. I couldn’t tell if she didn’t like me or was just looking out for her son—or both. I tried to put myself in her shoes, to imagine Michael years older and in the same position.
I sighed because, honestly, I wouldn’t like me either.
Finally, his mother left, and I got the chance to see Simon alone. It was a moment I had been waiting for for what felt like an hour, and I wasn’t about to waste another moment as soon as I had the chance.
Even in the hospital bed, his size was intimidating. He didn’t look any worse for wear than before, but I noticed his oxygen mask in his hand and sinked inside further. This was never supposed to happen. Simon was like Superman to me—he was the guy who made people wear oxygen masks; he wasn’t the guy who had to get one because he was the victim of a crime.
But I had left, so it had. And even still, he was still in danger. In fact, a part of me suspected that my uncle came for me and settled for him instead. Disturbing as the thought was, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that he was still here in this hospital, waiting for the perfect moment to take out both of us before taking off on his bike. Everyone would be able to pick him out in a line, but that wouldn’t do either of us much good when we were dead.
Though I was a nervous wreck, being there with Simon and Michael worked a little bit to calm me. He was able to calm me down to the point where I could spend the evening with him—embarrassing bathroom snafus and all. That man had a gift like no one else did—or maybe he was just so hot that I let it all go by.
Either way, he had me and it was for the best. Because at this point, I really wasn’t going anywhere else. I wasn’t leaving again.
“Did you get everything?”
Simon nodded at me calmly and confidently, almost with a smile.
“Everything I need.”
He slinked his arm around my waist, and it wasn’t for me to hold him up. He leaned down to kiss me, soft and sweet with a hint of his tongue against mine. I melted into him, my palms against his broad chest and body against his. He kissed me further until he knew it was best for us to stop.
I don’t think either of us would have the self-control to stop.
“I want you so fucking badly.”
I giggled and swatted him away before I changed my mind. The idea of having sex at my office was kind of enticing, and the thrill factor of the danger would be great. But… well, it was probably for the best that his mother also worked here; I didn’t want gossip to reach her ears that I had fucked her son in the hospital.
“I work here. Are you insane?”
“Clearly.”
He looked me head to toe as his eyes darkened. He truly was a delicious man and hard to resist. Fully healed besides some soreness, he stood before me in jeans and a black hoodie, something I grabbed from his house. Though his stay was only two days, it felt like an eternity.
The detectives, unfortunately, still had not seen my uncle or his huge SUV around town. He was probably in town until his next plan. I shivered at the thought, but I quickly felt some small measure of relief that many people were looking out for us.
Jaxson had guys from the club watching the town line and scattered out in the town. He was getting the club back going too after the fire; fortunately, the only damage was the back office and some of the pipes near it. I still felt horrible that it even had to happen, but at least it was limited in damage.
In any case, though, the most important news was that Simon could now finally leave. He volunteered to stay at my house so Michael wouldn’t have to leave his home because he wanted to look out for us. Such a small gesture was so wildly appreciated, more so than I could have ever guessed.
It had been simple here since I worked at the hospital and Michael was in day care. Now, though, I was beginning to develop a fear to even be around patients, becoming paranoid they’d somehow get caught in any kind of cross fire.
But nothing had happened since the strangulation attempt on Simon. Now, we could just go home and try to enjoy the time we have with each other.
“Come on, Michael is waiting outside.”
I tugged him along, and he managed to stop looking at me like he wanted to fuck me in the hospital. He even managed to keep his hands to himself as we drove home, although the temptation in his eyes was mighty strong.
Grace was on the couch when we get back. I dropped the overnight bag I packed for Simon as Michael ran to her to say hi. I smiled at them and moved into the kitchen.
“I guess we’re ordering in.”
“I don’t mind.”
Simon leaned on the counter with a casual smirk. I found myself sighing at his good looks once again.
“Well, I wanted to make you something nice for when you got back.”
He walked toward me with a looming gaze. My breath caught immediately when he stopped in front of me.
“I don’t care. I just want you.”
His rough hands cupped my face, and he kissed me so deeply, it made my head swirl and my body tremble. Something awoke deep inside me that had been asleep for what felt like forever. Simon just does that to me.
“Simon—Grace and Michael are in the other room.”
I forced myself away, but he leaned back in anyways.
“Let them stay there.”
He backed me up into the open pantry and shut the door behind him, pressing us against it. I still cautioned him as he reached for my jeans.
“But—”
Simon pressed his hand over my mouth as he breathed heavily, our desire filling the room. His cock hardened against my thigh with every breath he took.
“Grace is smart. You don’t think she knows what we’re doing in here? She’ll keep Michael busy. Let us have what we haven’t had in days.”
He kissed me again.
If it wasn’t before, it’s case closed now.
I succumbed to his will, his hot, delicious will—the way he needs me so badly, the way I need him. We only got our bottoms off, but that was enough. He stroked my clit a few times as I pumped his cock, yearning to have him inside me.
And then, he was. He was so deep inside that I could hardly bear it.
He held my hips in suspension, probably ignoring any protest from his injuries, so we didn’t slam into the wall. I clutched at his shoulders, moaning as his cock was pounding inside me. I wished we were naked and writhing together, but this… this, I could definitely settle for. It didn’t take long before we came in unison as we shattered around each other, heavily breathing until we could compose ourselves.
He licked his lips and kissed me before we stepped out, finding the kitchen empty as he suspected. You’re a lucky man.
But you’re a fucking hot lucky man, so I guess I’m a lucky woman too.
And, as usual, he knew the perfect words for that moment.
“I love you.”
He leaned down and kissed my cheek, hugging me from the side.
“I love you too.”
It feels so right.
Together, we entered the living room again. Sure enough, Grace gave me a knowing look. I shook my head at her and patted Michael’s head. He barely paid me attention as he watched cartoons with Grace.
Grace got the picture, leaving shortly thereafter so it was just the three of us. Michael, though, ran off to play in his room, and even though I wanted to keep an eye on him at all times, I didn’t want to be the overbearing mom too much.
Simon was about to say something when my doorbell rang.
I frowned, my heart skipping a beat. What if…
My uncle wouldn’t have knocked. Right?
I opened it to find… Simon’s mom, holding a glass tray of food and smiling.
I had never felt so relieved to see her in my life.
“I brought shepherd’s pie.”
I will take that in a heartbeat.
I waved her inside and led her to the kitchen.
“Thank you. That’s very nice of you.”
I looked back at Simon, and he just nodded me forward. I whispered to him I didn’t think she had liked me before… to which he only laughed.
“No problem. How are you?”
I was caught off guard by her asking me the question instead of Simon.
“I’m fine…”
“I’m gonna go shower,” Simon said, suddenly excusing himself, leaving me alone with her.
I laughed once, watching her carefully. She gave me a curious look, and I decided that if Simon and I really were going to be together, if we really were going to be a family, I had to be fully honest with his mother and try and make things open and transparent.
“I’m sorry, I’m just… very intimidated by you.”
“What, why?” she said with a smile.
She looked so light and airy in her blue day dress with her hair in waves. She genuinely seemed surprised and shocked by what I said—which was a bit reassuring. Had it been negative, it would have confirmed my worst fears.
“I… I never thought you liked me. That’s… that’s all.”
I can’t remember the last time I was this nervous around anyone.
“Rosella, I think very highly of you. I know I have been standoffish but I’ve just been worried about Simon and a little bitter that I missed so much time with my grandson, and him with his son. But I know why it happened.”
She reached out for my hand, a gesture I gladly let her take.
“I want us to be friends, Rosella. A family.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that I had just been paranoid.
“I do too. Thank you.”
She pulled me into a tight hug that felt like a mother’s hug should. Mine never did.
I only hoped that we did get the chance to be a family and that this got to last as long as it could.
17
Simon
All I had wanted to do was get my hands on Ella.
All that time I had spent in the hospital, with her visiting me, killed me in not being able to touch her the way I wanted to. The way she came around, sexy as ever in her scrubs… I thought of a million different fantasies with her dressed like that but the real thing was much better.
I had spent two days laid up, sore, and fuming at the seams. Jaxson couldn’t get any more information on Nic, so we just became sitting ducks. There was no way to contact him since Ella said he changed his number any chance he got and was rumored to only have a burner phone anyway. Her dad was out of the question as well, since she didn’t want them bringing their fight here.
And honestly, I had only suggested that she reach out to her father as a sort of olive branch offering since she had discussed it before. In no way did I want to see her father here; for as much as he had talked about her, even if he didn’t kill me today, he might do it another day. And if he didn’t kill me, there was still going to be tension between the Kinsmen and his club.
And even if none of that transpired and I was still hyping it up in my head, well, fuck it. I wanted to deal with Nic myself, or at least have the Kinsmen deal with him. I didn’t want any third parties getting involved—not the police, not a different MC, not a judge. No one. This was my fight, and it was one that I was going to take on.
So I paid my dues until the sweet day I was discharged. I was so horny for Ella that I didn’t even wait until we had privacy—I forced privacy by taking her to a pantry at her place and fucking her until we simultaneously came. That release was one of the sweetest I had ever had.
The only downside to semi-public sex was that there was no barrier to dissolve, and so when my mother showed up just moments later, I felt the huge urge to go and shower, to get this sexual vibe off of me. Thankfully, it also gave my mother and Ella a chance to bond a bit as well, a necessary development for the sake of our relationship. I returned from my shower to find Ella and Michael in the living room, watching one of his cartoons. My mother had left, but Ella seemed to be in a chipper, good mood, so I was left assuming that all had gone well in their meeting.
“Hey.” Ella said to me.
I leaned down and gave her a chaste kiss before I lifted her to sit on my lap while Michael sat next to me. I was glad that Michael never said anything, because he was perhaps the only person who could have made me self-conscious about my behavior around Ella. I think that was certainly fair to say given that I was willing to finger her at my club and fuck her in the pantry while Grace was less than twenty feet away.
What could I say? I was so attracted to Ella that I couldn’t help it.
“Your side doesn’t hurt anymore? Is there any tenderness?”
Her small hand explored my side. I could only grin at her in response. She had her most adorable moments when she was at her cutest, and her being in her nurse mode just happened to be one of them for me. It was like I was getting to see her most tender, sweetest side of all—a side that just so happened to make me stiff and hard.
“Not on my side.”
She giggled and swatted me away playfully. I put my other arm around Michael before he wiggled himself away. Perhaps, after all, he was getting a little fed up with our PDA and wanted nothing to do with it.
He was a smart kid, though. I knew he’d say something if it was bothering him.
“Your mom brought a lasagna. It’s warming in the oven.”
I supposed that we needed to get to dinner at some point, and it was kind of nice that it was just the three of us here. Still, I had to admit I wasn’t in a huge rush to get things taken care of. I really just wanted to have Ella on my lap for a long time.
I also really wanted a drink.
“You got beer here?”
She giggled, as if I had made a great joke. What she didn’t realize—or didn’t care to realize—was that I was being serious. I wasn’t an alcoholic, but I enjoyed my evening beer as much as anyone else in the club. I just tended to have much better self-control than they did, especially considering that I was an introvert and thus far less prone to partying than they were.
“No, and you can’t drink alcohol while you are on your meds anyway.”
I gave her a lo
ok that she only returned with a blank expression. It was pretty apparent I wasn’t going to win this particular argument.
After Michael was content with his cartoons and ready for dinner, we moved into the dining room, where Ella mixed a salad and I helped Michael set the table. He went off into a very animated story about how he learned how to do table-setting from one of their old house maids.
Then we had dinner, and it was perhaps no surprise that my mom’s cooking absolutely crushed it.
“That was good, Mom, thanks.”
Michael slid his second plate of lasagna away. I warned him not to eat too much, but he must have thought I was joking. Little did he know I was a little pudgy until I was fifteen—apparently it was a Kinsmen curse of sorts.
“Your grandma made it, remember?”
“Why don’t you cook like this then?”
Ella laughed against me. I ate dinner holding onto her thigh with my left hand as if I could not let her go—which I couldn’t.
“I do, when I have time.”
Ella smiled at him. He gave her one of his funny looks, a warning that something was about to come out of his mouth.
“Or when Uncle Nic isn’t psycho anymore.”
I nearly spat out my water.
“Where did you even learn that word?” Ella said.
“At daycare. Tanya said some of the other kids are psycho.”
“Okay then.”
Ella cleared her throat, and I just kept laughing. She softly glared at me, but what was I supposed to do? Defend her crazy uncle?
“That’s not a nice word.”
“Well Uncle Nic isn’t nice either,” Michael said.
Ella sighed and shook her head before leaning in close.
“That’s different. And you shouldn’t argue. But this time… you’re right.”
Michael nodded slowly before cracking a small grin.
“So I can only call Uncle Nic a psycho then?”
I asked Ella what was taking her so long.
I was growing impatient as I waited for her. I lounged on her bed in just my sweats, inhaling her lilac scent all around me. The bathroom door opened and more of it comes billowing out with the steam. She walked over and locked the door.
