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I WAS EARLY GETTING to the warehouse when I parked my car and stepped out to take a breath and get my head straight for the meeting with Roman when a cab comes up behind where I’m parked.

“Hey.”  The driver leans out his open window.  “You work here?”

“What do you need?” I return his question with a question.  He doesn’t need to know anything about me.

“I just dropped this fare off here, a girl.  She forgot this in the back seat.”  He turns and reaches over then dangles a small black case out the open door in his hand.  “There some beeping thing going off in there. That’s how I found it, opened it up, I think it’s a medical something. She may need it.”

Blind rage is a term I’ve just realized I never understood until today.

I grab the case from him and hit the door to the warehouse at a run until my hand is on the office door.

I see nothing else. 

All I see is his hands on my girl. I see the fear in her eyes.

The world evaporates around me as my vision is laser-focused on the fear darkening her face, my mind clouding with all the ways I’m going to hurt that motherfucker who dares to put a finger on my Mia.

“What the fuck, Walker, can’t you see we’re busy here?  I’ll meet with you when I’m done.”  Roman Hendrik spies me for a second before I’m on him.

I don’t bother with answering his question.  I’ve got tunnel vision.  Without any ceremony, I come at him swinging.

My first punch lands full force.  I hear the crack of his eye socket as he stumbles back into the desk.  Mia’s yelp, her words of surprise, are lost, blending with Roman’s pained groan as my next blow pummels him just below his sternum, dropping him to his knees.

Roman flails with a loose arm, trying to gain some defensive pride but adrenaline is already coursing through me.  I used to fight like a street animal, all bravado, and posturingbut that sort of fighting doesn’t get you very far in the pen.  In there, there’s no chance to retreat.  It’s winner takes all. 

I learned to fight like I meant it, and Roman’s finding out just what that means.  All I can see in my fire-seared brain is where his hands were on the back of her neck.  Entangled in her hair. 

“Walker!”  Mia’s trembling voice brings me back for a second, and I see my fists landing multiple blows on the huddled figure of the man in front of me.  A man who will be lucky to walk out of here alive.  “What are you doing here?”

“What the fuck am I doing here?”  I slam my open hand into my chest.  Her eyes don’t sway my disappointment.  “What are you doing here?  I told you to stay put at the house.”  I grunt out the last words.

“I was fine!  I didn’t need you!”  The forced snark in her tone tells me she knows full well she was far from fine.  “I’m taking care of some business, that’s all.”

“Uh huh.”  I stomp toward her and grab her by the arm before walking her a few feet away from where Roman is breathing heavily and groaning, trying to pull himself back to his feet.  I give him a halfhearted kick telling him to stay down before moving away.  “From now on, your business is my fucking business. Understood?  What the hell, Mia?”  I shake my head.  “Did I not tell you I would take care of you?”

“I’m not your responsibility, Walker.  And that’s what I’ve heard my whole life.  Just be quiet, let the men take care of things...well, where did that get me?  You have your own things to take care of, my problems are mine and for once in my life, I want to handle them on my own.”

I take a breath, ready to give her another tirade, but then stall.  I don’t begrudge her the honesty.  I’ve known her long enough, known her life but fuck if that’s an excuse for putting herself in danger.

“Listen, baby.” I cup her cheeks, feeling the heat there.  “I hear you.  I respect you and all of what you have done.  You are strong. You are fierce. But I am on your team.  Do you get that?”

“Yes.”  Her lip is quivering.  “But I can’t lay my problems on you.  Maybe you can’t fix this.”

In my mind, I’m laughing because I know in my heart anything that she needs, I’ll find a way.  But I can’t just make it so simple. She needs to hear more, and I’ll give her what she needs.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, what kind of deal you were trying to make with this piece of shit, but I do know it’s not necessary.  And I also know that if anything happened to you, Nana would tear me a new one.”  I widen my eyes, making sure I’ve got her attention.  She coughs out a laugh.  “When we get in the car, we’re going to lay all the cards on the table and find a solution to whatever is going on.  But right now,” I tip my head to the heap on the floor that is now sitting up, cupping his hands under the faucet of crimson running from his nose, “we need to leave.”

With that, I say a few corrective words to Roman, making sure he understands there is nothing more to discuss.  Any deal that we might have had is off.  I’ll find my money some other way or do without than dealing with this motherfucker.  I let him know I will not hesitate to return to make things more permanent if need be.

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MIA IS BUCKLED SAFELY into the car as we speed down the expressway back to Tensfield.  I’m still mad, but not with her.  I’m mad at myself.  I’m mad at Roman.  That fucker got off lightly.  But, finally, I’m calm enough to have a decent conversation.

I pull off the freeway and run us down the road a few miles into a park.  I put the Camaro into the park under a large Maple tree next to a little river.

“Now, I want to hear every detail of what’s going on. Why do you need money from Roman?  That’s not an overdue credit card you’re paying off.”

Rain begins to pelt the windshield.  With the rain, no one is around and I need to breathe and have a little discussion with my girl.

I glance over to find her looking straight ahead.  The deep blue dress she’s wearing wraps around her curves and lands just up over her knees.  She’s holding her breath and I reach over to brush her cheek with my thumb, breaking the tension, before lowering my hand to rest on her knee with a soft grip, letting her know I’m right here and she’s safe.

After another long moment of silence, my irritation is too much to bear, and I increase the tightness of my grip on her knee, adding, “I’m waiting, babe.”

She releases her breath, and I squeeze again which seems to open the floodgates. 

“Tensfield,” she starts in an accusatory tone “My fuc—my father didn’t bother with the place once we were gone.  The taxes are so far behind.  If we hadn’t arrived home when we did, it would have gone into foreclosure with the county.  But the taxes are a fortune and I’m left with barely any money.  I have no way of paying it.  And, don’t take this the wrong way...”  She finally looks over and I glance away from the road for a second to see the distress in her eyes.  Whatever’s coming, she doesn’t think I’m going to take it lightly.  “You just got out of prison.  I couldn’t ask you to help.  I mean, yes, I want to handle it.  But also, even if you had that sort of money, you need it to start your life over. And I was afraid that if you knew what I needed you’d do something that could land you right back in jail.”

When I look over, a flash of the little girl I knew that first day twinkles in her eyes.  I pick up on the bit of pride she has that she stood up and tried to take care of things for herself.  I do not wish to take that away from her.  She needs it.  She needs to feel like she’s in control.  I get that.

I always and only want what is good for her.

With a nod, I encourage her and she spills the specifics.  Amounts, due dates, general cost of keeping the estate going month to month. It’s no joke, but neither am I.

“You were brave as hell, baby, trying to manage all this on your own,,”  I assure her. “But from now on, you come to me, okay?  No matter what.  Doesn’t mean I don’t think you can handle your shit, clearly you can.  But together we are better than the sum of our parts, you get that?  And...”  My throat tightens at the truth of what’s about to come.  “If I ever lose you again...if anything happens to you...I’m done.  I will lay waste to whatever hurt you, then I won’t care about anything else.  So, if you care about me too, we have to be in this together. Everything, you and me against the world.  But I’ll be honest.”  I raise my hand to brush under her chin.  “I’m always going to walk through the doors first, you’re going to have to accept that.  Because my nature is to protect you at all costs.”

“What about me protecting you?  Isn’t it a two-way street?” 

I consider that for a moment and pride swells along with my cock that my precious Mia is thinking of protecting me. 

“You can protect me. But if I’m doing my job, it will be from perhaps your cooking and nothing more.”

The wipers splash the rain back and forth as Mia shakes her head and swats my shoulder. 

“I can cook.”

“Oh no, you can’t.”  I enunciate each word as I palm the wheel with my left hand, guiding the Camaro off the exit toward Tensfield.  As I do so, I gently move my right hand up her leg, pulling the hem of her dress higher as I squeeze her upper thigh.  “How are you feeling?  That was a lot of stress, you feeling okay?”

I nod.  “Yes.  I ate right before I left. Took my blood sugar, made sure I brought my kit with me, just in case.” 

“Yeah, I know. It was your kit that saved your ass.”  I quickly tell her how I knew she was in the office because I hadn’t cleared that up yet.

“Funny how things work sometimes.” She dips her chin quickly then gives me a contrite grin.

“Look at you. Keeping yourself safe and putting yourself in danger all at the same time.  But you do anything like that again I’ll tan that ass.” 

“Is that a punishment?”  She huffs playfully her mood quickly shifting, but when both her hands come down to cover mine my thoughts turn to what I really want. “You know...”  She snickers. “I’ve never parked before.  Never made out in a car before.”

“You wanna play do you?”  I ask slipping my fingers down under her thigh and she bites her lip and winks at me.  “Take your panties off,” I order.  Suddenly, my need for her to comply with my every wish outweighs any other concern.

“What?”  Her cheeks brighten. “How do you know I have pant—"

I cut her off. “I know you heard me.”  I flash her a grin and give her a moment to digest what’s happening.  I know her.  I know what she wants. What she needs.  I know just how far I can push.  “I saw those panty lines through your dress.  And I know you know better.”

“I didn’t want to go see him without panties on.”

“Well, guess that should have been a little clue you shouldn’t have been going there at all. Now take your fucking panties off.”

With a blush, her hands shift and sweep under her skirt, a moment later she’s squirming out of a pair of lacy black panties and my cock is painful against the front of my pants. 

“How do you do that?” she perplexes as I glance around us making sure no other cars have snuck in nearby.  The dusk is just hushing the last daylight from the sky and the rain is masking any other possibility that we could be seen.

“Do what?”  I ask, my voice deepening as my need for her ramps up, thickening in every part of me.

“Be so bossy like that, and it doesn’t make me want to tell you to go jump off a bridge... instead, it makes me...”

Looking over and seeing that need written all over her face is too muchand in an instant, the fire that burns inside of me explodes.

“Makes you what?”  I demand as my hands find her.  One grip tight on her leg, while the other settles at the base of her throat, feeling her quickening pulse beneath my fingers.

As I tighten my grip, her eyelids flutter and her lips fall open on a stuttered breath before she answers.  “Make my insides turn up and over and I’m dripping wet.  How do you do that?”

“That’s our own brand of magic, Cricket.  I don’t know how I do it for you, all I can tell you is you’ve done something like that to me for so long.  Well,” I chuckle, “not the wet part...but all I have to do is think of you and I’m lost.  My dick is hard.  My heart hammers.  I forget how to fucking breathe.  So, welcome to my world, baby.  Now put one foot on the dash and the other one right here...”  I point to the console between us. “Get that skirt up and show me what’s mine.”

With hesitation in her eyes, she follows my orders.  As she hikes up her skirt, I see the shimmering wetness on her plump outer lips.  My mouth waters at the sight and the musky scent drifts to my nose.

I hold a deep breath as I shift sideways in my seat to get a better view.  “Lean back against the door and put those legs where I told you.”  I point to the console and eye the dash as she quickly does as I say.

“Your cunt’s wet isn’t it?”  I bark.

“Yes.”  Her soft answer has my heart settling.  She made a mistake, we’ve covered that issue and I need to let it go. 

“Okay then.  Good girl.  You want me to get you off, don’t you?  You want my fingers? Or my mouth?”

“I want whatever you’ll give me.”

“Good answer.”

I reach over and run my fingers through her folds, enjoying the sensation as her pussy weeps onto my hand.  I curl my fingers around and let the backs of them drift up, separating the silky flesh, then back down, watching her face go slack. 

“That feels so good...” Her voice trembles as she moves her cunt upward to give me better access.  I rub her gently up and down for a while, watching her face, listening to the soft sounds escaping those perfect lips.  Her eyes flutter open and closed as I brush and toy with her.  I take my time, building her up until her hips are twitching and her sounds become more desperate.

“Bring your hand down here.  Put it on top of mine.  Show me what you like.”  A moment of hesitation and the blush that had been creeping up her cheeks explodes into a red bloom that covers her face and neck.  “Do as I say.”  My voice deepens and she brings a trembling hand down to cover mine.

“Like this?”  she asks as she begins to guide the movement of my fingers against her sex.

“Just like that, Cricket.  Show me what you like.  I want to give it all to you, remember?”

She bites her bottom lip as my cock jerks and twitches.  But he will wait for his.  Right now, I need this to be all about her.

“Open up your top, take your tits out, I want to see them.”  She begins to pull the hand on top of mine away.  “No,” I order.  “Keep that one there.  Use your other hand, you can do it.”

In a moment, she’s pulled the top of the blue dress apart and the soft flesh of her tits are out of her bra, the deep pink circles drawn together.

“Good.”  I let her see me admiring the sight, then meet her gaze.  “Play with your nipples.  Back and forth, while you keep your hand on mine.”

Soon her mouth is gaping open, her hand firm on top of mine, moving it in grinding circles against her clit.  Her body is soaking us and she’s pinching one nipple then the other until her body begins to still.

“Put your fingers inside me, please,” she begs and I can’t resist my girl. She guides my hand down lower to her opening and my own lust is nearly blinding me. Taking two fingers, I slip them into her drenched cunt.

“This cunt needs me doesn’t it, Mia?  This cunt is mine.”  I jab in and out while her hand moves upward and continues to work her clit.

She nods, opening her mouth but unable to form words to answer, and I curl my long fingers inside her, feeling for that magic dot.  When I find it, I go full force. I slam my curled fingers in and out of her until she starts to screech my name and her body clenches, squirting, soaking the console and halfway up the dark fabric of the arm of my suit.

I keep going until her body is wrung out and she’s panting, one hand gripping her breast so tightly it’s leaving red circles around her fingertips.

“Oh my God!” she finally gasps the words in a heady breath.  “What was that?”  She glances down and sees the way her body has drenched the car, the way it’s drenched me.

“That was beautiful.”  I lean over close to her, pulling my fingers from her and putting them between our lips.  “I’ll share.”  I slide them into her mouth, let her taste, then withdraw them and take them into my own before finally bringing our lips together to share the flavor of her cum.

My dick is screaming at me but I don’t care.  This was perfect.  I’ll have my own needs met in time, but I’m patient.

Her pleasure means more to me than she will ever know.

As we work out way back toward Tensfield, my ever-present lust is magnified a hundred-fold by the scent of her pleasure swirling around us. Her head is on my shoulder, her heart is in my care, and our life together permeates my every thought.

She’s holding both new iPhones in her right hand I gave her a few minutes ago and her left is curled around my forearm.

“So, from now on...”  I roll down my window and punch in the code to the massive iron gate.  Mia makes a small squeak as she twists her head to look up at me with pursed lips. The rain has abated but it’s dark out and she’s worried about Nana, I know that.  “No secrets.  You have issues—of any kind at all—you tell me. I’ve got enough to take care of us for now, and I’ve got more coming.  You will trust me.  You will be honest with me. You will not keep things from me.  We clear?”

She nods slowly.  “Clear.  But you also have to let me try to work things out too. You can’t just swoop in like Superman and take care of everything, leaving me sitting there doing my needlework.  Are we clear?”

Her snippy tone is forgiven in an instant.  I understand her intent. I’m also happy as hell she’s finally allowing herself to let that cute little pain-in-the-ass out.  I always knew it was in her.  “We’re clear then, Cricket.  Let’s get inside and give Nana her phone.  I’m cooking...”  I raise my eyebrows and pat her inner thigh.  “You can do the dishes.  I’ll let you.”

Her wry chuckles make my cock jerk.  Seems nearly everything she does gives me that reaction and after thinking I would never find her again, he’s making up for lost time.

Her ripe, round ass wiggles in the seat as I shift and get out of my door, hunching against the rain as I come around to open hers.  Once I’ve helped her out of the car, I shelter her under the edge of my jacket as we cross the driveway to the house and give that fantastic butt a solid squeeze as we enter the front door and she scurries up the stairs calling for Nana.  As happy as I am right now, there is a tug in my chest.

My duty to follow through and take care of Tensfield, as well as my efforts to put this first deal together, weigh me down more than before.  Especially now that I’m not going to get Roman’s cash.  If I don’t pull this off, not only will I fuck up my potential future at any other deals...but more important...I’ll let my girl down and that is completely unacceptable.

As I work my way down the hall and into the kitchen, my phone rings.

It’s Charlie.

“Hey,” I answer, flattening the palm of my hand on the swinging door to the kitchen. 

“Fucking hell.”  His voice is tense. “Man, what the fuck?  You lose some brain cells while you were in the joint?  You used to be the smart one.”

I snap my tongue in my cheek.  Before he even continues, I’m pretty sure what he’s about to say.  “Smarter than your punk ass,” I spit back, pissed because he’s about to throw shade on my mood. 

“You do know Roman Hendrik is not going to just lay down, right?  He’s already talking smack about you, going to shut down whatever deal you have cooking.”

“Fuck him.  I’ve still got my own credibility.  He’s dirty money.  I’ve already got my shit lined up.  I’ve got things moving.  He can go shove his dick up his own ass.”

Charlie chuckles into the phone as I pull open the refrigerator to inspect the potential dinner menu options.

“I’m just relaying the info as I’ve received it.”

“Spare me the details on how it was received because I don’t give a shit.  Is that all?” 

“No.  One more thing...”  Another of his dramatic pauses.  I roll my eyes and count to five before he adds, “That other thing you texted me about earlier today?”

My heart ticks in my chest.  “Yeah.  You got it?”

“What are friends for.”

“Thanks, man, I just didn’t have time today and I wanted to give it to her. Where are you?”

“Back at my office. But, I’ll put it in the mailbox on my way home.  Give me about forty-five minutes.”

“Awesome. She’s going to love it.”

“You’re such a softie.”

“Fuck off.”

“See?”  Charlie is still laughing when I end the call and I’m as excited as a little kid.

Pressure rises from my toes upward as I line up the necessary ingredients for a decent dinner. Even I’m surprised by how much feeding my girls matters to me.  And, yes, Nana is one of my girls now as well.

What a difference a day makes.

I lower my voice as Mia’s own drifts down to the kitchen.  She and Nana are fussing at each other as they make their way toward the kitchen.