With the notepad in my hand, I scribble down a list of must-haves for today. I don’t know how I’m going to pay for everything. I’ve been able to save quite a bit since Ginger never charged me rent, but Gracie isn’t free and having her watch Easton has cost a small fortune. I wouldn’t trade her for the world though, she loves my baby almost as much as I do I think.

“Hey baby, is Ginger coming soon?” Ward asks, his lips skimming my neck from behind me.

I nod as his hands slide around my waist and press against my stomach. The heat from his chest covers my back and my nipples tighten, my breasts ache for his touch. One of his hands slips up to cup my breast and he gently squeezes me, his tongue snaking out to taste my skin.

“I’m giving you money, buy whatever you need today,” he states.

I want to protest, to tell him no, but honestly, it’s a relief. He really shouldn’t give me anything, especially since he’s paying all of the household bills. He told me that my income was for, fun. I’m also not quite sure how I feel about that. I think I should be contributing, but he has been adamant about taking care of everything.

“Ward,” I warn.

He makes a tsking sound and turns me around, walking me backward until I hit the wall of our bedroom.

“Where’s Easton?” I breathe looking up into his eyes.

Ward growls, lowering his face to mine and brushes his lips across my mouth. “He’s napping,” he says.

In a flash, my panties are wrenched down my legs and Ward picks me up, his hips pressing against my center. I feel his hard length beneath his jeans and moan as the rough material rubs against my bare pussy.

“Free me, baby,” he growls.

His lips travel down my throat as his fingers grip the outsides of my thighs. Reaching between us, I unbutton his jeans, then unzip them before I shove them over his hips and ass. I gently tug his underwear down before I wrap my hand around his cock. His mouth doesn’t stop kissing my neck, and I shiver in his hands. I begin slowly stroking him, moaning at the feel of his mouth against my skin.

“Guide me home, baby,” he groans against my neck.

I do as he asks without delay. I want him inside of me, a feeling I knew I always wanted, yet, didn’t realize how much I would come to crave.

When he’s fully seated inside of me, I lift my hands and wrap my fingers around his shoulders for stability. Ward lifts his head and his gaze connects with mine. He pulls almost completely out, then slams back inside of me his fingers holding onto my thighs even tighter.

He grunts, repeating the motion at the same time I gasp. The wind is completely knocked out of me with each slam of his hips. His eyes never leave mine. I feel like he’s trying to tell me something, trying to show me something but he doesn’t say anything. His pelvis grinds against mine and my eyes slide closed.

Gone are thoughts of anything but his body and the way he makes my own feel.

Ward moves his hands around to the insides of my thighs and spreads me farther, stretching my legs and giving his hips more room. My eyes pop open at the new sensation. Once I’m positioned the way he likes, he tips his head down and he watches as he pulls out and slides back inside of me. His eyes stay glued to our connection, watching as he fucks me. Something about the look on his face makes my belly dip.

I whimper, my body heating and climbing closer toward another release. “Touch your clit, baby,” he growls, his head and eyes unmoving.

Releasing his shoulder with one of my hands, I move it to between us. Ward groans as soon as my fingers touch my clit.

“Fuck, yes, Hayden. Make yourself come, I want to see it,” he growls.

His hips start to move faster, his thrusts a little shallower than before. I do as requested, my head drops back against the wall with a thud and I rub quick, firm circles against my clit. It doesn’t take long for my breathing to turn into short pants, and I come, my pussy clamping down around him as I let out a long embarrassingly loud sob.

I move my hand out of the way just in time. Ward’s hips slam against me, over and over, his power unleashed, unlike anything I’ve felt from him before.

I accept the pain from his brutal thrusts, enjoying every satisfying second until he slams me against the wall one last time, throwing his head back with a roar as he fills me with his release.

That is the exact moment I realize he hasn’t used a condom, again. “Ward,” I gasp. He buries his face against my neck, his hips jerking as he continues to slide in and out of my body. “Condom,” I breathe.

“Fuck it, Hayden,” he grunts as he slowly steps away from me, helping me to stand on my own two feet.

I smooth my cotton dress down, my eyes wide from his words. “Fuck it?” I ask.

He tucks himself back into his pants and zips himself back up. “Yeah, baby. Fuck it. You’re mine, permanently marked. I’m not using a fucking condom anymore. I know you said you didn’t want a baby right now. You have a few weeks to get that shit handled while I’m gone, but your pussy is mine and I’m taking it wherever and whenever I want. That doesn’t really leave me many options for protection and I’ll be damned if I’m walking around with a pack of condoms in my wallet.”

My eyes narrow and I cross my arms over my chest, glaring, replaying his callous words. “Wherever and whenever you want?” I ask.

He doesn’t verbally respond, instead, he just stares at me, daring me to say something to him. This cockiness, I can’t stand, this dare to defy. It reminds me of the men of my past and I hate it.

“I’m not fucking you wherever you feel like, Ward. I’ve been men’s fuckdoll before and I didn’t think that’s what we were. I thought we were different than that,” I say. “I’m glad I’ve been educated, now I know.”

Turning away from him, I start to walk into the bathroom to clean up. Ginger is going to be here any minute to pick me up. Ward’s fingers wrap around my bicep and he grips me hard, twisting me around and shoving my back up against the wall. His face is full of fury and rage, but I look up at him impassively, just waiting for him to say whatever it is he wants to say.

“Goddammit, Hayden. I never said that’s what you were. Don’t put fucking words in my mouth,” he growls. “You are not my fuckdoll,” he states.

I press my lips together, refusing to speak. I know that if I do, right now, I’ll end up screaming and crying. I want so badly for us to be this image I have in my head. A family, a couple, a real relationship. I don’t want what I’ve had before. I don’t want him to use me and toss me aside when he’s done. Keep me locked up until he has an itch that needs scratching. This is not how I saw us going. I want what Ginger and Snake have, what Fish and Gracie have.

Ward lowers his face, his lips touching mine before he whispers against my mouth. “You are not my fuckdoll, baby. You’re my woman.” He presses his lips to my own, his tongue sneaking out to taste.

Opening my mouth, I let him inside without even thinking. I’ll always let him inside of me, it’s where he belongs, even when I’m angry with him.

The doorbell rings and we both freeze. Ward takes a step back and I watch him bend over to pick something up off of the floor. He presses the item against my chest. “Put your panties on, I’ll get the door,” he offers.

He walks away from me, his feet stomping with each step. I close my eyes, trying to keep from crying, then I quickly shimmy my panties up my legs before running to the bathroom to clean up. Once I’m freshened up a bit, I hurry out to the bare living room.

Ward is standing in the middle of the room, a sleepy Easton with his face nuzzled in his neck, talking to Ginger. “There she is,” Ginger squeals.

“Hey,” I wave with a smile.

I have my notepad from earlier in my other hand, gripping it tightly, I walk up to Ward and Easton. Ward ignores me, refuses to look at me and it pisses me off. I reach for Easton, but he doesn’t hand him to me.

“I’ll keep him today, you just do whatever you need to do.”

I shake my head, rolling my lips together. “No, I got him, it’s okay.”

“Let Crooner hang with the little man today. You’ll get a lot more done without him, trust me,” Ginger announces with a smile, oblivious to our current awkwardness.

“Are you sure?” I ask him.

Ward’s eyes finally meet mine and his glare is an icy one. It actually sends a shiver up my spine. “Yeah. I’m fucking sure,” he growls. I watch as he shoves his hand into his pocket and brings out an envelope, pressing it against the center of my chest.

I take it in my hand and peek inside. It’s full of cash. My eyes lift to his and I know they’re big and round with surprise. “Get what you need. We’ll outfit the rest of the place later,” he shrugs.

“Come on,” Ginger cries, taking my arm and tugging me toward the door.

Looking back at Ward, I silently plead for him to say or do something, to give me a smile—something. I don’t want to leave this house angry and fighting.

“Babe?” he calls out just as I step through the threshold. I spin around as fast as I can. His blue eyes meet mine and he gives me a smirk. “Love you,” he rasps.

My heart swells at his words. Two words and they undo everything painful I’d been feeling. “I love you too, Ward,” I say.

His lips twitch under his beard and I leave him standing in the living room holding my son. The two men that hold my heart in the palms of their hands. Even when I’m pissed off at Ward, I still love him more than I’ve ever loved another man.

I hurry toward Ginger’s car and slip inside, buckling myself in before her engine roars to life, and she backs out of the driveway and heads toward out first shopping destination.

I feel like a fucking asshole. Setting Easton down on the living room floor, I join him, reaching for my guitar. I need to play, to get my frustrations out some way. I can’t fuck, and I can’t fight right now, so I decide that I’ll play. I pick a country melody, something haunting and gentle so that it doesn’t rile up Easton who has just woken up from his nap.

Easton takes his cars out of the small basket that holds them, dumping them directly onto the tile flooring and begins to play with them. The two of us spend an hour together. Him playing quietly with his cars, and me strumming my guitar. It’s the most peaceful morning I’ve ever had in my life.

Once I’m finished, I set my instrument down, and frown. I was a dick to Hayden. I can’t seem to remember her past is horrific, the way she was used and abused is something I’ve never had to deal with before.

I need to choose my words and my actions more wisely. She’s incredibly strong, and it’s easy for me to forget the tragedies she’s suffered. She doesn’t mention them often, usually when she’s angry with me, or hurt by me.

“Dada, Dada,” Easton chants walking over to me. He reaches up and grabs my beard with both of his fists. “Hunry,” he announces.

I chuckle at his obvious demand for food. Luckily, Hayden went to the store yesterday after we moved our meager belongings into the house. It’s evident that we have to fill this place up with furniture and decorative shit. This isn’t a home, and that’s exactly what it needs to be. I know she’ll make it one, and I can’t fucking wait.

There’s a knock on the door just as I’m scooping Easton into my arms to start his lunch. I frown as I walk over. Wrenching the door open, I look down into the face of a sandy blond-haired man. He’s shorter than me, standing at probably only five-foot-ten-inches. He’s slimmer too, obviously not holding much bulk or muscle on his slight frame. What has me on edge is the way he’s looking directly at Easton, and not at me.

“Help you?” I ask.

His eyes shift to mine, but I don’t miss how they linger on my cut for a moment, first. “I’m looking for a Connie Parrish. I’m from her church, we were supposed to get together for a prayer group this afternoon,” he says.

His voice is gentle, almost too gentle as if he’s forcing it to appear less threatening. He doesn’t threaten me, though, I could squish him like a damn bug.

“Sorry, we just moved in this weekend. I don’t know where the previous tenants went off to,” I shrug, keeping my eyes glued to his.

I watch as he glances back at Easton, then me again. “Oh, I’m sorry to be a bother. Please excuse me,” he mumbles, taking a step back. “Your son is beautiful,” he adds before he turns around.

“Thanks,” I say eyeing him warily.

“Dada,” Easton shouts in my face. The man’s spine straightens and his steps falter, but he continues walking away, albeit fucking slowly.

“Yeah, buddy?”

“Hunry,” Easton shouts, grabbing ahold of my beard and yanking on it again.

I chuckle. “Okay, let’s get you some lunch.” Turning around, I walk back inside of the house, locking the door behind me.

I’m not scared, but whoever that Bible thumper was, he was a goddamn freakshow and with Easton home, I’d rather be safe than sorry. Although he saw my cut, and I highly doubt he’ll be back.