***Pokey***

 

What the hell was she thinking? I thought I made it clear she wasn’t to go anywhere without backup, meaning me or one of my brothers should always be with her, at all times. It’s been relatively quiet for the last two or three weeks, so I get the slipup.

I know Everleigh is a tough babe and can handle herself, or a guy attacking for that matter. I’ve seen her during one of the workouts at the gym. She’s a challenge for Blue in the ring, and that says a lot since Blue is a former kick boxing champion. But all of this means shit to my head and nerves. Spiky is mine to protect.

Spiky walks past me and into the house where she drops her bags on the couch and goes to the crib in the corner where Austin is.

“Hey, little man. Daddy take good care of you?” she croons.

Just as I see her hands reach for him, I bark, “Leave him.”

Spinning around, her eyes are wide. “What? Why?”

“Because we need to talk and I can’t have you holding Austin, because quite frankly I’m a little pissed right now.” I’m growling, and barking for that matter. Dammit. I need to contain myself.

“You’re pissed?” she seethes.

Closing the distance between us, she jabs me in the chest. “You have no reason to be pissed. I’m a grown woman, allowed to go out to get and to do woman stuff.”

I wrap my hand around her delicate wrist. I add, “You’re allowed everything I can manage to give you in this world, but I will not have you put your own safety at risk. Am I clear?”

Her chest is rising and falling. I can feel her pulse spike in the wrist I’m holding. Her gaze drops to my mouth. Her little tongue sneaks out and traces her bottom lip. I am craving for a taste of her so fucking bad, I think I might die if I don’t get one.

Doorbell. Dammit, that was close.

Spiky rips her hand from mine and heads for the door. I’m one step in front of her when I glare at my ol’lady before I glance into the peephole to see who’s standing on the porch.

“Remember the fucking last time you opened the door? Fuck, Spiky.” I shake my head while I open the door.

Casey, my FBI contact, is standing there with his hands tucked in his slacks. “Hey, can I come in?”

I give the man a tight nod as I step back and let him inside before I close the door.

“Can I get you something to drink? Coffee maybe, I can make some?” Spiky asks while she fidgets with her hands.

Fuck it. I would have kissed her a moment ago if it wasn’t for Casey knocking at the door. Stepping closer to her, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close, placing a kiss on her soft, black hair. She sucks in a breath and freezes up for a moment before she slides her arms around my waist, plastering herself against me. Fuck, that feels so damn good.

“Yes, you should hold her, maybe even sit down for this.” Casey rubs his jaw.

Guiding Spiky to the couch, she waits for me to plant my ass down before she sits down next to me.

Casey doesn’t take a seat but starts to fire off his story. “I followed my nose to some of the shit that stank at the police office. Didn’t take long for me to find stuff out. The gang that assaulted your ol’lady has this mid-forties scumbag of a dirty cop, Dudley Rossfell, in their pocket. Trading pussy for info. Everything that flags their way, he picks up and rats it out. I have a list of all the members of the Cape Town crew. The leader is James Johnson but get this…word on the street is that his brother, Jack, seems to be missing. Not that there’s a missing person’s report, but I heard…”

“Fuck, man…you don’t do any half work, do you? How can you gather so much fucking information all on your own?” My hand slides to Spiky’s knee to give her a little squeeze.

I have to break the information flow so Spiky can get some breathing space. Casey is a good dude. He’s FBI, not a dirty one, but he does have a loyalty toward Ransom. Those two grew up together, practically brothers in every sense except by blood. He knows we keep our noses clean. Clean enough anyway.

Casey shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t like surprises so I try to be as thorough as possible. Anyway, Jack is known to stray for a few days but he’s been out of touch for a few weeks. James sent a signal to keep all eyes open. He’s on edge. I’ve seen three armed robbery, four assault, and two carjacking cases in two days and if I were on the case, I could link them all to the Cape Town crew. So, fair warning…I’m gonna need to take over because dipshit Dudley Rossfell is screwing everything including his job.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. And if there’s anything we can help with…” I stand up, ready to give him a hand and guide him out of the house.

“There is…you wouldn’t happen to know anything about why Jack is off the grid, do you?” The fucker looks me straight in the eye while he’s holding up a picture.

Spiky gasps behind me. “That’s…that’s him. You found him. Are you going to arrest him? You need to find him. He’s the one who hurt me, I almost lost Austin, you have to…”

“Calm down, ma’am. I had a hunch it had something to do with your case. The whole Jack missing might be a fluke, or someone offed him. Right now, I couldn’t care less that he’s missing because that’s one less Cape Town member to worry about. I need to tear that whole crew apart but I need time. But you’re one hundred percent sure this is the guy?”

I think my heart was on pause the whole fucking time. Shit, that could have gone very wrong. Although this might be the right way to go. Still…we don’t need him digging around, trying to find the fucker we buried. Like I said, Casey is a good guy, but he’s also FBI.

Spiky steps closer and looks at the headshot. She shivers. Reaching out, I tuck her back underneath my arm. “That’s enough for now.” It took months for her to process that shit. I don’t need memories coming back to haunt her, she still has nightmares. “I hope he shows up soon so you can bring him to justice.”

“Will you keep us posted?” Spiky asks in a timid voice.

“Yes, ma’am. And if there’s anything I can do, please, don’t hesitate to call.” Casey finds my eyes. “You know how to get a hold of me, right?”

Lifting my chin, I let him know. “Yeah, Ransom.”

With a tight nod, he strolls off to the door, throwing a goodbye over his shoulder as he closes the door behind him.

“Well…that went well,” Spiky mutters.

She wants to pull away except I dig my fingers into her waist. Her head flashes up, eyes searching mine.

“Not so fast, sweetheart. We weren’t finished yet.” My voice comes out husky.

Her cheeks turn red and somehow that thickens my dick in response. Leaning in, I’m just a whisper away from tasting her when Austin starts to wail. Dammit. What the actual fuck? Is it karma or something? The universe turning against me now that I finally eased the elements inside me that needed to fade before I could let her back in?

Spiky rushes over and takes our son in her arms. “Did you give him his…”

“Yeah, I gave him a bottle just before you got home. I think he wants his mommy. That, or a new diaper.” I brush my knuckles along Austin’s cheek. “He’s been such a good boy with daddy.”

Spiky beams a smile at me that warms my heart the way only she can.

“Why don’t you go sit down? I’ll be in the kitchen. I’ve picked up everything to make chicken parmesan.”

Her eyebrows lower and I know exactly what she’s thinking.

“Don’t give me that, you haven’t even tasted my version. Besides, I’ve been here for the last few weeks and since you switched to bottles, I can handle the nights and the cramps and you damn well know it. No more excuses that you can’t eat anything you like. He needs to get used to everything so he can enjoy it later, it’s natural. And he’s mine, so he’ll like eating what daddy makes, even if his mom translates that food into milk. Whatever. We’re eating.”

Shit. I have to get out of here before I ramble out other weird stuff. Backing up, I spin on my heel and find my way into the kitchen. Rambling around to find what I need, I start with the chicken breasts.

A few hours later I’m staring at a content, sleeping Austin tucked into his crib. I gave him a bath earlier and then his bottle. I’m happy to say Spiky loved the chicken parmesan, except after dinner, she went up to her bedroom and was upset when she came down again.

I’ve asked her twice if something was up but I have no fucking clue what it is because she brushes it off with a ‘it’s nothing’. I have a sister and a mom. When they say ‘it’s nothing’…either get on your knees and plea or run like hell. I didn’t have to choose because she asked if I could take care of Austin so she could go to bed early. Who was I to disagree?

I’m debating if I should sit in a corner and read a book...yes, I read. Spiky has this huge bookcase with different genres. The top shelf is a row of collectible editions, hardcovers, bound in durable bonded leather. That caught my eye and I’ve been going through them. I just started a volume that contains two of Gregory Maguire’s modern classics; Wicked, and Son of a Witch.

Reaching for it, I hear soft pleas coming from across the hall. Backing out of Austin’s room where I was planning to sit and read, I push Spiky’s bedroom door open and find her thrashing on the bed. Her tiny fists are gripping the blanket so hard her knuckles are as white as the sheets beneath it.

She lets go and screams before her arms covers her face, curling herself into a ball. Fucking hell. I feel like someone took a knife to my chest. The things she had to endure and is reliving again in her nightmares tears me inside out.

“Spiky, come on, sweetheart, wake up.” I don’t want to fire up the panic she’s already in by touching her.

Although it pains me not to. All I want to do is pick her up and hold her tight but right now she needs to come out of the nightmare first. Dammit. She’s still not waking up. Moving as fast as I can without any noise, I close Austin’s door and then Spiky’s before I hover over her again.

“Spiky,” I snap, my voice hard enough to fill the room.

She awakes with a loud gasp, jolting upright in the bed, her knuckles yet again gripping the sheets in a tight grip. Dazed, she looks around the room, clearly disorientated, before her gaze lands on me. I don’t have the time to brace myself, so I’m fucking lucky I’m built like a tank and she’s damn tiny because she launches herself at me as if she needs me to live.

We just stand there, holding on to each other while I let her sob against me. All I can do is draw slow circles on her back, giving her the comfort she seeks. When she calms down, she wipes her face against my chest.

“You making sure I get all the snot and tears there, sweetheart? Or did you miss a spot that needed some more?”

She pokes me in the side as a response, making me grunt. Spiky steps away from me and heads for the bathroom. Hearing the tap run, I glance in that direction. She’s splashing water on her face. I wait patiently for her to clean up.

She’s wearing these soft flannel white PJs with elephants printed in different colors on them. They look cute as fuck on her, but it does make me wonder.

“What’s with you and elephants, huh? They are everywhere. Austin’s room, the walls, his toys, clothes, blankets. There isn’t a space here in this house that doesn’t have an elephant in its presence.” Hell, she even manages to make curse words involve elephants.

Her head comes up just as she kills the light in the bathroom and stalks to her bed. Crawling into it, she snuggles underneath the blanket and taps on the space beside her, inviting me without words. Like fuck will I pass on that one.

Not caring for one second that she doesn’t answer my question, I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head.

Reaching for my belt next, I feel the need to warn her. “No underwear, sweetheart.”

Her cheeks pink and her gaze hits the mattress. Thought so. My jeans hit the floor and I slide beneath the covers. Settling in, I feel her tiny hand snake over my chest as she snuggles against me. I lift my arm to give her room and pull her close.

“It’s you,” she mumbles.

Confused, I brush my hand over her silky bed hair. “What’s that, Spiky?”

“The elephants, they remind me of you.” Her voice sounds like she’s ashamed of her admission.

Tucking her head tighter against my chest, I’m guessing she’s bracing for impact, because seriously…

“Big flappy ears, a tank of weight and rough gray skin due to all my ink?” I fail to keep my laughter inside.

She lifts off me and I’m not sure if it’s from my chest shaking from the way I’m laughing or that she’s…

“Hey.” I grab her tiny wrist before she can smack me in the chest again. “Stop, that….you gotta admit, it’s funny.”

“No,” she growls. “It’s not. Elephants are smart, caring, and protective. They never forget. You never forget. The girls kept me up to speed about everything about you. But with each day it got harder and harder to reach out to you. So that was the only thing I allowed myself because it hurt to think about you or have a picture. I didn’t even have that, you know. Dammit. It was a few minutes in a bathroom, for crying out loud, and for me it felt like I found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.” Her voice cracks and her eyes widen, clearly shocked she admitted her thoughts to me so openly.

Before she can say something else, I roll her over and press some of my weight on her. “Good thing I feel the same way. The past is the past, sweetheart. We’re in this bed together, right? It doesn’t fucking matter how we got to where we are now. You’re mine, as I am yours.”

I don’t give her an option to respond and crash my mouth against hers. Tiny arms surround my neck as her fingers run over my head. Biting down on her bottom lip she gasps, giving me the option to slide my tongue against hers, truly tasting her after all this time.

It’s like we’re both starving and have the best meal right in front of us. Hands roam, tongues battle, lips smash, and my dick is rubbing flannel pants. They need to go. Moving over them, my fingers wrap around the band to pull them down.

“No, no, no…” She breathes while she stops me and makes a frustrated groan.

Shit. I really am an elephant, barging all over her. Leaning my forehead against her, I close my eyes to catch my breath. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’m going too fast, aren’t I?”

“No,” she fumes. “Not at all, dammit.” She pushes against me, catching me off guard, so I stumble back, falling to my side.

“Too slow actually. So I got advice from the girls. They made me go to this woman from hell to get waxed and I bought this sexy lace chemise but I just had to get my period. Now, after all this time, now is the time for me to get it, so in fact…I get nothing. No action at all. So instead of wearing a lace thong, I’m wearing my shark week period boy shorts. And here you are, finally wanting to rip my clothes off and…and…” There are some other words that might slide into screams of frustration.

I feel like laughing again but I’m sure that won’t go well. I need to take a different approach.

“Hey.” Reaching out, I grab her around the waist and pull her close, settling her yet again over my chest.

“Like I said, we’re in this bed together. We’ve got a lifetime. So let me hold you for now. Maybe we need to be careful with the kissing because that will blind me with the lust to have you sliding that tight pussy over my cock.”

“Stop talking…” she adds with a singsong voice.

Now I do chuckle. “You got it, sweetheart, you got it. Close your eyes and get some sleep. We need nights to pass before we can…”

“Stop talking…” Again with the fucking singsong voice, leaving us both roaring with laughter.