Chapter Fourteen
Over the next week, Ronnie tried to stay positive. She got the house back under control and showed up for work every day. Luc came through and got her a new court date for the next Wednesday, which she hoped would result in her little family being put back together.
Hope wasn’t something that came easy. After everything she’d been through, staying positive was difficult, but it was all she had left. If she didn’t believe things would turn out okay, then they never would.
She would be under closer scrutiny this time. When she’d originally gotten custody, they did a quick check in on her. They inspected the house, talked to the neighbors, and checked in on her job at the time. She’d been working in a cafe, which wasn’t her favorite job, but it was acceptable to the case worker, so they approved her as guardian. Little did they know, most of her income was coming from fights and her parents life insurance money. The cafe job just looked good on paper.
This time would be different.
She had been arrested for assault and attempted homicide. The cafe job was long gone, as was the life insurance, and she was working in a bar. The kids were left alone until the middle of the night when she was at work, and since Mae had been sneaking out, she clearly didn’t have a handle on things.
Ronnie met with the caseworker after the last visit and she’d told her that her job choice didn’t factor in favorably. It could be the reason the judge will decide to refuse her guardianship. If that happened, she didn’t know what she would do. It would destroy her.
“Hey,” Luc said, waving a hand in front of Ronnie’s face. “You with us, here?”
“Sorry. Just thinking about Wednesday.” Ronnie smoothed her shirt down, wishing the uniform didn’t have her boobs popping out like they were on display. She felt self-conscious, a rare feeling for her.
“It’s going to be fine. Stop worrying.” Luc slipped a hand up her shoulder and she relaxed into him. “And there is something I should tell you about tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Why? What’s going to happen tomorrow?” Her nerves came back full force and her eyes widened. “You can’t fuck with me like this, Luc. I swear to—”
“Calm down, love. It’s nothing bad. I got you an interview… the place you were coming from the day we met.”
“Wait, you talked to Jackoff?”
Luc laughed. “I don’t think that’s how you pronounce that, though from what I can tell, it is fitting.”
“He hated me the first time, and after the way I left, I don’t think he will be reconsidering.” Ronnie snorted at the memory of the asshole and the look on his face when she’d kicked over the chair.
“Actually, he already has. The interview is merely a formality. He and I came to an understanding.” Luc shot her his crooked smile once again. She wasn’t sure what he did, but he definitely deserved at least a hug for it. Ronnie threw her arms around Luc’s neck and squeezed him until he wrapped his arms around her and returned the sentiment.
“Okay, okay. That’s enough. I’m not a hugger.”
“Don’t let him lie to you,” Azrael said, meandering over like an alley cat. “He is all about the touchy-feely these days. Oh and if you need a ride to the interview,” his eyes grazed over her, leaving a scorched wake behind them. “I could so ride you.”
Az was hot. There was no doubt about it, but he wasn’t at all Ronnie’s type. Where Luc was dark and mysterious, Az was all blond and openly sexy. You knew exactly what you were getting with Az, but she didn’t want any of it.
“I can take the bus, but thank you.” Ronnie crossed her arms over her chest to stop Azrael’s eye-rape of her tits and grabbed her bag. “Can you text me the details for the interview?”
Luc nodded and stepped between Ronnie and Az. “Just get some sleep. Everything is going to be fine.”
Nothing ever turned out fine. Maybe in the short term, but overall, things never worked out for Ronnie. It was just one crap shoot after another. She had to hope for the best this time. Even if things turned to shit, she needed to do everything she could to get the kids back and make sure their lives didn’t turn out the same way.
She would sell her soul for that.
***
“Are you sure you have this under control?” Luc eyed Az sitting on the arm of his expensive Italian leather couch in shorts and flip flops. His shirt was tossed on the floor and there were empty pizza boxes and snack packages filling up the coffee table. Luc curled his lip as he looked over the mess.
“Positive. Don’t you trust me, brother?” Az hopped up and grabbed his shirt off the floor. After a quick sniff, followed by a look of disgust, he tossed the shirt back to the floor and slipped into one of Luc’s dress shirts. The fit was awful and Luc was certain that the seams would burst any moment.
“Normally, I’d say yes, but right this moment I seem to be falling a bit short.” Luc made a mental note to change the alarm code. Maybe next time Az decided to break in and slop up his apartment, he could be rudely disturbed by the screeching of the alarm. Not that it would stop him. He was an angel after all, with supernatural abilities. But it would be nice to irritate him the way Az did to Luc.
With a little angel magic and the snap of his fingers, Azrael was transformed into the poster boy of professionalism. He was in a suit that rivaled Lucifer’s own style and fit Az’s muscular body perfectly. His unruly blond curls were slicked back into perfection and framed his face drawing out his crystal blue eyes.
He looked like an angel.
Which he was.
“Better?” Az flashed his dazzling white teeth and straightened his tie.
“Much. You are taking this seriously, right?”
“I can’t believe you’re actually asking me that.” Az slipped his thumbs into his pockets and stared at Luc with a blank expression.
“It’s just that I know how you feel about Ronnie and this whole situation. But this is important. It’s not just about her, but those kids too.”
“I got this, Luc. I’m aware of the stakes here, and by the way, your girl has been growing on me.” Az winked and Luc ignored the subtext.
“Okay then, I guess I trust you.”
“I can feel the confidence from here.”
“Well then, prove I should never have doubted you from the start. Seriously, Az. This means a lot to me.”
“Yeah, I can see that. I just wonder why. I mean, I get that these kids have been through so much and they deserve a stable home, but why do you care so much? I’ve never seen you give a crap about children… or those tiny human monsters as you’ve been known to refer to them as.”
“These ones aren’t so tiny. They’re practically grown.”
Az stared at Luc with his lips pressed into a straight line.
“Okay, fine. I’m deflecting. I know. I don’t have an answer. I just care. So make this work. I’m counting on you.”
Az smiled. “I got you, brother. You have nothing to worry about.”
Luc worried anyway. With his abilities, he could force the judge to make the decision he wanted, but that wasn’t something that came without consequences. Luc didn’t want Ronnie to pay for such favor. He wanted it to happen properly on its own.
There was a fine line between interfering and abusing his power. Luc learned long ago that it was better to allow humans to work things out on their own. And if occasionally, he tweaked a small thing or two, well then it wasn’t a big deal. Besides, if he went around taking away human free will, his father would step in. He didn’t appreciate anyone messing with his pets.
***
Ronnie looked around the courtroom and tried to keep her heart rate in check. She wiped her hands down the front of her pants and mentally called for Luc to show up, as if somehow, he could hear her thoughts from wherever he was. She’d looked at the time on her phone three times in the last two minutes. He should have been there already.
What the hell was she going to do if he didn’t show?
The case worker sat on the other side avoiding eye contact, while various people filed into the room, and rifled through a stack of papers. Ronnie had hoped the kids would be there, but she didn’t see them.
That had to be a bad sign.
Just when she’d come close to giving up hope, Azrael walked in the door, dressed in a suit, with his blond hair pulled back into a small bun. She almost didn’t recognize him all cleaned up. After an initial wave of relief, panic washed over her. It wasn’t Az she needed, it was Luc. He was her lawyer. What the hell was his brother going to do for her?
“Hey there, beautiful.” Azrael took the seat next to her and folded his hands on the table in front of him.
“Where’s Luc? Why are you here?” She dropped her head into her hands. “I’m screwed. Aren’t I? I’m just screwed.”
“I mean, if you want to be, we can work something out after court, but I think you should control yourself because the judge is coming in any minute. He doesn’t really appreciate that going on in his courtroom.” Az chuckled, amused with himself.
Ronnie jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow.
“Ow. Didn’t you learn your lesson about assault?”
“This isn’t funny,” she whispered, as they stood for the judge, then sat again. “This is my life. My brother and sisters lives. None of this is a joke.”
“Relax. Luc had some things to attend to. He asked me to handle things in his absence. I can handle it.” He smiled, the first sincere emotion he’d shown her since they’d met. “Seriously, I got this.”
Azrael put his hand over Ronnie’s and looked into her eyes. She wanted to immediately pull away, tell him to get lost, but something about the way he looked at her calmed her just a bit. She wasn’t happy it was him there instead of Luc, but what could she do about it?
Ronnie looked over Az as the case got started. She doubted he could handle much more than bedroom games and drinking his weight in alcohol.
But she was wrong.
Every question the judge or social worker had, Azrael answered eloquently. He cited statutes, cases, and showed evidence why Ronnie had made an excellent parent for the last seven months. Listening to Az, Ronnie didn’t recognize herself, or her life, but the judge seemed to be buying every word he said.
If only she was as good as he’d made her sound.
The judge was impressed by her new employment at the law firm and even addressed her personally to tell her he was impressed with the sacrifice she’d made after their parents death, how most young people would not have been able to do as well as she had.
It all felt like one big lie to Ronnie. She knew she’d done a shitty job with the kids. But she also knew this was her second chance and she would be damned to hell if she fucked it up again.
Luc came in halfway through the case and took a seat next to his brother. Az had things under control, and by the time everything was over, she was granted full custody of her siblings and the courtroom was emptying, leaving her standing there in shock for several long moments.
“Congratulations.” Luc beamed, as if he’d been the one to win the case and deserved some credit.
“Where the hell were you?” Ronnie glared at Luc, though she had no reason to. He’d sent Azrael in his place, and he’d done a great job. The kids were coming home. Everything was going to be okay. But she was still angry with him for making her worry like that.
“Sorry, I had something to take care of. Everything worked out though.” He smiled, despite her death glares. “How did everything go with the interview? Jackoff give you any trouble?”
“No. He was so nice that it was suspicious. What exactly did you say to him?” Ronnie gathered her stuff and walked out of the courtroom between Az and Luc.
“I only helped him see what a mistake he’d made not giving you a chance and how lucky he’d be to have you as an employee.” Luc shrugged. “Just a normal conversation.”
Ronnie imagined Luc holding Jackoff upside down, by his feet, over the roof of the building, until he promised to hire her, and laughed to herself. That probably wasn’t how it went, but she knew Luc had an intimidating side, a side that he never showed to her, but she could tell was strong in him.
“Well, thank you, whatever you did. I won’t make as much as I did at the bar, or fighting, but it’s steady, and the benefits are great. I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“Well then, make it up to me by celebrating with me tonight.”
She knew he didn’t mean dinner and drinks by the look in his eye, and she had no problem with that at all.
“I’d love to.”
***
“Everyone home safe and sound?” Luc answered the door barefooted, wearing only his pants.
“Yes. Lizzie is with them and they’re all asleep.” Ronnie walked past Luc into the apartment. “She actually decided to move in to help me. So I never have to worry about leaving them alone again. Not that I’ll be working nights anymore, but still.”
Luc’s apartment was basically one large room, with a king sized bed the main focus and an elaborate bar setup off to the side, with a sofa and giant television. It was all he really needed, other than the master bedroom sized bathroom, that had a shower big enough for five, and an over-sized whirlpool tub. Luc only had a few interests. Sex and drinking were high on the list, so his apartment was perfect for him.
“So you’re not in a hurry to get back?” Luc took her jacket and soaked in the sight of her.
She was dressed in a tight black top that showed off just enough of her cleavage, but promised so much more, and dark jeans that hugged her ample curves in exactly the right way. Luc knew what she had under the clothes, but something about the hint of mystery, the anticipation of what was to come, got him every time.
“Not in a hurry at all.” Her eyes fell on the waistband of his pants and her mouth curved into a smile. “Okay, maybe a little bit of a hurry.”
She was impatient, needy, and he liked that about her. There was a small part of him that wanted to take his time, savor her for what would likely be the last time they were together in that way, but he knew better. Sex was never lazy, or exploratory, with Ronnie. It was hard and fast. Two bodies taking what they needed from one another and giving back in return.
He half expected her to start pulling off her clothes at any second. Not that he would complain. He certainly wouldn’t. She had a great body and he couldn’t get enough of it.
“Would you like a drink?” He raised a brow and motioned for her to join him at the bar. It was the one way he might be able to slow her down, keep her his for a bit longer.
She nodded and followed him, sat on one of the stools, and crossed one leg over the other. He poured them both bourbon. It was his choice, not hers. She wasn’t picky. Ronnie would drink just about anything given to her and could knock them back with the big boys.
Another thing he liked about her.
“Nice tattoo.” She pushed his barstool around to take a better look at the wings on his back. “That must have taken a long time.” She ran her fingers over the intricate design, exploring each feather down his back.
“Not as long as you might think.” Luc smiled as he spun back around to face her. The wings on his back weren’t exactly made of ink, but he wasn’t about to explain it to her. If she’d been the one, his true love, they’d have to have that conversation eventually. But she wasn’t, so she never needed to know the truth.
At least, he didn’t think she was. There was still something different about the way he felt about her, but their time was up, and he would move on to the next sin soon.
“I start the new job on Monday.”
“I heard. You will be missed here.” Luc meant it and it surprised him more than he would have thought it would. Since she wasn’t his true love, he thought he’d have no trouble saying goodbye, but he was wrong.
“So I guess this is goodbye?” Ronnie asked and took a sip of her bourbon.
“No. This is us having a drink. Goodbye will be a little more… naked.” The corner of Luc’s mouth came up into a smile and she matched it.
“I like naked goodbyes.”
“As do I.” Luc hooked his foot into the bottom of her stool and dragged her closer. Her eyes settled on his mouth, leaving him to wonder all the wicked things her mind could come up with.
“Then why are we sitting here drinking and not over there in your bed?” She motioned behind them with her head and brought her eyes up to peer at him through her lashes.
“Maybe I want to take you right here, on the bar.”
“Okay, let’s do that.” Ronnie gulped down the last of her drink and turned to face Luc.
He hadn’t really wanted to jump right into the sex, but with her looking at him like that, how could he do anything else?
Luc stood and pulled her up with him. He tugged her shirt out from where it was tucked into her jeans and pulled it over her head. She skipped the bra, which he approved of, and stood before him in her jeans, with her tits rising and falling in quick succession with her breath. She was magnificent. That much couldn’t be denied. A small part of him was disappointed that she wasn’t his true love, because he could get used to waking up to that rack every morning.
“You really are beautiful.”
“You just like my boobs.” Ronnie snorted.
“True. I do like them, but regardless, the rest of you competes just fine.”
“Well then, let’s get to the rest.” Ronnie reached down to undo her jeans, but Luc stopped her. He wanted to be the one to take them off her. For one last night, her body was his, and he wanted to strip her, fuck her, and leave her with the best memory of her life.
Before going to work on the rest of her clothes, he reached over the side of the bar for a remote, clicked a few buttons, and loud music filled the room. Ronnie wasn’t the kind of girl for soft, romantic tunes. She liked her music the way she liked sex, hard, fast, and angry.
She smiled at his choice and leaned one hand on the bar while he went about undoing her jeans. Luc pushed the thick denim over her hips one slow millimeter at a time. He squatted, so his face was level with her pussy as he slipped the jeans past it. The scent of her arousal was enough to get him hard, but whether she liked it or not, he was going to take a little time with her. At least for as long as he could.
With her usual impatience, Ronnie tried to wriggle free of the jeans, but Luc stayed on course, inching them past her knees, and down to her ankles. Before allowing her to step out of them, he leaned in and dipped his tongue into her, swiping it over her swollen clit. She grabbed his hair, yanking hard to pull him into her, but he pulled back and helped her out of the rest of her clothes.
It wasn’t the first time he’d had her standing in front of him naked, but it was the first that she looked vulnerable. Normally comfortable in her body, she swayed, avoiding eye contact. When he tried to lift her chin to look at him, she reached for his pants, to even the playing field. He allowed it, but getting him naked would be as far as he would permit her to rush them.
Once she had his pants in a heap on the floor, she stepped back to look over him in his boxer briefs. His cock strained to be free of the barrier, but it amused him to watch her taking the moment to enjoy the view. But that was all it lasted. She stepped forward and pushed them down, motioning for him to step out of them.
Luc did as instructed, then pulled her to him. With their bodies pressed against one another, he slipped his hand behind her head, and pulled her mouth to his. The kiss was rough and demanding, typical for her, and he enjoyed every moment of it. When their lips broke, he lifted her up and laid her down on the bar. She didn’t resist, but she shot him a curious look.
“Mmm. Better than an aged whiskey, or the finest bourbon.” Luc ran his fingers over her, from her neck, across her shoulder, down past her nipples, and over her belly. He stopped just after crossing her pubic bone and hovered over her clit. His fingers tingled with the need to touch her, to feel her slippery wetness, and spread it over her.
Ronnie shifted and wiggled, as her impatience grew. But Luc wasn’t about to give in. He would enjoy her first this time. After one more moment of anticipation, he slipped one finger over her, gliding over her clit, and dipped inside her. She was so wet, so ready for him, and he groaned in response.
With her naked and laid out before him, Luc tumbled through the options in his head. She would only put up with waiting for so long. He had to keep her attention. And he had to taste her, one last time. Luc climbed onto the bar with her, positioning himself between her legs, and hooked her legs over his shoulders. She squirmed under him, trying to force his face down into her pussy. He grabbed her wrists, pinning them at her sides, and took a deep breath of her delicious scent.
Ronnie arched her back, trying to bring them together, but he refused her the contact. Not until she begged would he give her what she ached for.
“Luc, please. I need your mouth on me.” Her voice was rough and desperate. It was all he needed to hear.
Luc buried his face into her, sucking her clit into his mouth, and swirled his tongue over the swollen nub. Her sweet cream coated his face and drove his need. He released one wrist and pushed two fingers into her. When she grabbed his hair and pulled him harder against her, he added a third finger, stretching her wide as he worked her clit with his tongue.
It didn’t take much to get her close, and he considered holding her off, just so he could enjoy her longer. Instead, he relented, flicking his tongue over her clit in quick succession, until she tensed and screamed his name with her release.
Luc pulled back, but kept his fingers inside her, thrusting slowly, and milking every last bit of her orgasm from her. Her head was back and her eyes closed, with a small smile on her lips. The sight of her like that made Luc want to dive back in for round two, make her come until she passed out from the pleasure. His cock jumped in response, asking politely for its turn.
Ronnie lifted her head and looked at him through her lashes. “That was… amazing.”
Luc flashed her his crooked smile and let it speak for him. He knew from the month with her, that even though they were compatible, Ronnie probably wasn’t his soul mate. But he was going to miss her. It was a strange feeling for him, something he wasn’t used to, and he wasn’t sure how to process it.
“Are you going to fuck me now, or what?” Ronnie’s words pulled Luc back to reality and he nodded.
“I most definitely am going to fuck you.” He climbed up her body, lifting her legs with him so he could enter her at the deepest angle possible.
With her ankles around his neck, Luc positioned himself against her scorching hot pussy. He circled her clit with his thumb a few times, making her twitch and squirm from the sensitivity of her recent orgasm, then slammed into her with full force. A shot glass down further on the bar fell and shattered on the floor from the force of it, but neither paid much attention to it.
One hard thrust after another, Luc fucked her with everything he had. He timed his rhythm with the song that thumped out over the expensive stereo system. It would be the last time he was inside her, the last time he felt her clench around him, and the last time he heard her scream out his name as she exploded around him.
And he would never forget a single moment of it.