by Jayne Blue
And for the first time in a long time, I fell asleep.
I’d come here, on Brogan’s orders, to watch over her, to protect her, to make sure nothing bad happened to her. I knew I was the bad that was happening to her, and yet, I was calm now, tired as hell, and passed out.
It was dark when she woke me up with a kiss.
She smelled like flowered soap and there was something else. There was something cooking. What the fuck time was it?
She kissed me again, kissed me awake. I needed to be awake. Fully awake. I kissed her back, but shit, we needed to talk this out.
“I have to head to work in about an hour. I’ve got breakfast going, there’s a clean towel in the bathroom. Meet you in the kitchen?” She was so damn sweet and innocent. And I had totally taken advantage of that. And yet, the innocent part...she was just as into the crazy sex we’d had last night. This was a two-way street. I had a million warnings to issue, but they stayed in my head.
“Thanks, yeah, give me ten minutes.”
She popped up. Her footsteps were light and quick as she went back down to the kitchen. I shook off the sleep. Man, it had been several hours. And it was deep. I needed it. But I hadn’t planned it. What the fuck was I going to say to her? Guilt was waking up along with my brain.
I showered and came down. For a second she didn’t see me. She was dressed for work. A modest khaki skirt and sleeveless blouse. Em managed to look wholesome and sexy at the same time. Maybe it was the wholesomeness that I found so sexy.
Who was I kidding? It was the whole package of her that had me turned on and turned inside out at the same time.
“We have to talk.”
“I suppose we do,” she said and put a plate on the table for me and indicated I sit. She flounced back and forth and poured us coffee. Shit, every move made this tougher.
“Brogan is my best friend.”
“Yeah, you mean my BROTHER Brogan, who would literally lose his shit if he had a clue.”
“Yeah, that Brogan.” I put my head in my hands and tried to rub a solution out of my skull that didn’t include keeping my hands off her.
“He made me promise never, ever, to date someone in the M.C. Literally, the only thing he’s ever said to me about men or relationships, was that.”
“I vowed to keep you safe during this club war, which has turned ugly. Like vowed. I would rather die than break that trust.”
“Are you being a little dramatic about this club war stuff? I mean, maybe your friend Tracks and A.C. were mugged. That happens.”
“What has Brogan told you?”
“Nothing, he keeps M.C. stuff as far away from me as possible.”
“Fuck. He should have kept me as far away from you as possible.”
“So, this was all a big mistake.” She looked stung by the idea I might view what happened as a mistake.
“It wasn’t a mistake. It was the best five hours of my fucking life.” I said it seriously, with no trace of humor, because it had been amazing. It was so amazing that I didn’t want to let it end or let her go.
“Mine too.” Our eyes locked and I flashed on how we’d looked at each other when she was on top of me when she was naked when she was—agh. Stop.
“I have to keep you safe, that’s my priority.”
“I can keep myself safe, but maybe that priority, that vow of yours, is our window to find some things out.”
“What?”
“I think we’ve got something, uh, unique here, and I want more,” Emlyn said. She was direct, no bullshit, and there it was.
“We should lie to Brogan?”
“Are you ready to walk out of here and never touch me again?” She was challenging me; I was going to lose this challenge.
“I want to kiss you right now, so no, I am not ready to do that. I’ve also never lied to Brogan. He’s my best friend.”
“I’ve never lied to him either, but we deserve a chance just to see. Maybe this is something that flames out. Maybe we get this out of our systems and he never needs to know.”
“You think?” Maybe she was right. Maybe this shit was a brief fling. Maybe the little preschool teacher would get boring. Deep down, I knew that was total bullshit. She’d stirred something in me, but I wasn’t going to lay it out now.
“You walk me to work or stalk around outside the house while this club war stuff or whatever is going down. And we use that as our cover. We find out more about each other.”
“Brogan can never find out, ever.”
“Ever.”
I pushed my chair back and put out my hand. She stood up and put hers inside it.
I drew her to my lap and kissed her. Her lips were soft, and she yielded to me, her body had mine on fire, again.
“I have to go to work,” she said as I untucked the blouse she’d so neatly tucked.
“I have to take you to work,” I said between kisses. I pushed up her skirt and she wriggled on top of me. I slid my hands up her thigh and found her sweet center and also made an amazing discovery.
“No panties?” I bit her earlobe.
“I didn’t say I was totally ready for work yet.”
“What are you ready for?”
“You, Kase, I’m ready for you.” Her voice was breathy in my ear.
I was going to lie to Brogan. I was going to lie through my teeth. If it meant even one more minute with Emlyn Tierney.
I wasn’t hungry for breakfast; I was hungry for her. And I devoured her.
All before the sun rose.
If this was going to flame out, let it flame out fast.
The hell of it was, I didn’t want it to flame out at all.
I’d agreed to lie to Brogan.
Fuck. I slid the cups of her bra to the side and I pulled her nipples into my mouth again.
This was all so wrong. But I wasn’t going to stop.
I just hope I didn’t torch my closest friend in the process.
Eight
Emlyn
I rode on his bike to work. We figured no one was awake yet, and he was supposed to take me to work. It seemed low risk.
Except for the fact that I didn’t count on how hot it was to hold on to him as we rode.
This was going to be harder than I thought, keeping myself together, when I was head over heels in, what? Lust? It felt like more than lust.
My plan was solid, though. No reason to tell Brogan, make a big scene if it was just a fling. If it was something that wouldn’t last.
We got to the preschool and he walked me to the door.
“Really? You don’t have to do that,” I said as he looked around the block like there were monsters hiding in every alley or bad guys ready to snipe from the top of the buildings.
“I do, and you need to take your safety more seriously.”
“Jeez, you’re actually a lot like Brogan. Total Drama Queen.”
“You not knowing anything about the M.C. is going to get you hurt.”
“Not with you around.” I put the key in the lock and opened the door.
“Do not head home until I’m here. Got it?”
“Got it. I want to kiss you.”
“Yeah, well, I want to rip your clothes off again for the third time in less than eight hours. But I think that might blow our fucking cover.”
“Yeah, I think so, or get me fired.”
He smiled at me. Shit, that was almost worse than his sexy stare. That smile could have me naked, fast. Wow.
“Behave yourself, teacher. Text me when you’re ready.” He took my phone and put his number in.
“Okay, Kase.”
I stepped inside the building and started turning on lights. I heard his bike roar away in the distance. I had a lot of work to do today. Thank goodness. I needed a distraction from the X-rated thoughts that had invaded my brain and refused to leave!
Fortunately, the cure for that was my insanely busy day.
I got the breakfasts ready for my early arrivals. I set up the baskets of crayons so they
could entertain themselves before the day’s programming began. And in between, I made inroads to the big picture idea I had.
There was an enormous need in Stickney Forest for exactly the kind of childcare I knew I could provide. The building was huge, and we only used the first floor, so space wasn’t an issue. There was room to expand, if we could renovate it, fast.
Hiring quality educators wasn’t an issue either. I knew so many classmates who graduated with me who were looking for opportunities. I knew I could find great teachers and caregivers. Heck, I could think of six, off the top of my head, that I’d graduated with that were so good with littles.
I wasn’t a business major, but I did know demand was key. There was about to be a huge demand for childcare in Stickney Forest, the whole South Side. The closing of the Head Start locations was going to change the neighborhood for the worse. There just had to be a way.
Unfortunately, Wanda didn’t see it. Or what she saw was more work at a time when her joints were aching, and her Type 2 Diabetes was threatening to get out of control.
“Honey, you’re a ball of energy and ideas. But the amount of money that would take, and how fast it would need to happen? It’s not possible. Let’s just take care of the littles we’ve got.” She dismissed my ideas and I didn’t hold it against her.
We were overwhelmed with work, dealing with the kids we had. But I couldn’t let it go.
“Miss Emlyn?”
“Yes, Troy?” Troy is a superstar colorer in the three-year-olds group.
“We are out of red. We need red.”
“Well, let’s just see about that!” I sat down at the table and helped Troy on a mission to find more red crayons.
I had about thirty minutes that day for lunch. Instead of lunch, I went in search of financing.
Stickney Forest Bank was the only option locally, so I pitched my idea to Charlene Kapowski first. She was a friend of Frankie’s and at least she would listen to me without laughing.
“Look, I’m one who needs it, childcare that is. But I’m not in charge of business loans. We got a new guy, just started here, he’s the one who does this. He’s got an opening right now, let’s go in, give him your idea.”
I walked in, took a deep breath, and put my hand out. I did not expect who I found behind the desk.
“Emlyn!”
“Wait, uh, Robbie? Robbie Kwiatkowski?”
“Ha, that’s me? Though Rob to these folks here.”
Charlene laughed. “Robbie, I’m for sure spreading that around the branch.” Charlene said and I blinked again to be sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me.
Robbie Kwiatkowski and I went to high school together. I hadn’t seen him since then. Last I remembered he was a gawky mathlete who helped me get through the worst of calculus in high school. Now, he was a handsome banker, with a fancy business suit and a charming smile.
“Who! You’re all grown up! And in charge of the bank?”
“What’s it been, five, six years?” he said and seemed just as surprised by me as I was by him.
“Since high school for sure.”
“You look more beautiful now, how’s that possible?” I felt a blush heat up my cheeks. Robbie had been a friend, not a boyfriend, but his compliment had me flustered.
“Stop, you’re the success story! Tell me!”
“Well, I left high school and had that ride to Notre Dame. I finished early with a finance degree. I’ve been working for the bank since college and they sent me here, right back home, when they bought this branch.”
“You’ve got to be one of the youngest managers in their company, I’m very impressed.”
“Thank you. So, how can First United Bank, Stickney Forest Branch help?”
He pulled out a chair. I looked at my phone as I sat. I had exactly ten more minutes on my break.
“I only have a few more minutes, I’m on my lunch break, but I want to expand the daycare and preschool I work for, into something three times the size, and maybe more branches and then—”
He put up a hand. “That sounds like a more than ten-minute conversation.”
“Maybe.”
“How about this. I’ll meet you at your daycare or preschool, you said? You can show me around and explain your big idea when your shift is over.”
“I couldn’t ask you to go out of your way. And I don’t own it. I want to convince the owner that we can do this. I kind of just started.”
“Give me a break. We’ve got six years to catch up on, and we can’t help you figure out a financial plan without knowing more anyway. It seems like the perfect solution in my book.”
“Okay, well, I get off at three. Is that too early for you?”
“Heck, no, I’m going to block that time off, just for you.”
“I really appreciate it, Robbie. What luck, finding you here.”
“Ah, I think I’m the lucky one. See you at three?”
“See you at three.”
I turned and left the Mr. Fancy Banker, former high school mathlete, to his work. I had to get back fast. There were littles depending on me. But maybe, just maybe, it was a great sign that I had a bank officer interested in my plan before he even heard it!
The afternoon went quickly, and before I knew it, Robbie was there, ready for a tour, and to hear my story.
“I think you have a lot of potential here, truly.”
“Right? I mean, thank you! Did you hear that, Wanda?” Wanda shook her head like I was nuts for continuing to try it.
“Your boss isn’t into the idea?”
“She’s older and wants to retire.”
“So, maybe you could do a buyout plan for her. That way, you don’t need to take on the burden of buying her out and expanding. To be honest, you’re going to have an uphill climb on a lot of this because...” He stopped then, and I knew what was coming.
“Money, I don’t have any. But that’s what I was hoping the bank could help with, a small business loan. Isn’t that something they do?”
“It is, but, well, I have to do some research. Run some numbers. How does that sound?”
“It sounds good.” I couldn’t keep the fear of disappointment out of my voice as I walked Robbie to the front door. He stood a moment on the sidewalk in front of Friendly Forest.
“Hey, don’t get discouraged. I haven’t even started really looking at it.” Robbie put his hands on my shoulders.
I looked up and tried to tap into the optimism that fueled my initial excitement for this idea.
“More than anything else, it’s a need here. If people can’t get good quality childcare, how do they stay? If they stay without it, what will happen to the little ones?” I was really on the edge of crying. It was out of nowhere, or out of desperation.
“Hey, it’s okay, we’re just starting.” And Robbie, my old friend from school, produced a tissue and dabbed my cheek.
“I know, sorry, I’m just so excited about this.”
“I’m on your side!” He pulled me into a hug.
“It was so good to see you today,” I said, and he stood back to look at me.
“You too.”
As we finished up, a roar of a motorcycle cut through the conversation like a chainsaw on metal.
Shit.
Kase road up next to us and practically murdered Robbie with his stare. Oh, brother, he was too much!
“Uh, Robbie Kwiatkowski, this is my, uh, my brother’s friend, Kase.”
“Pleased to meet you, Kase.” Robbie put out a hand and Kase ignored it. Neanderthal 101, honestly. Robbie dropped his hand and turned back to me. Robbie bravely gave my shoulder a squeeze.
“How long do you think? I mean, the clock is ticking on this,” I asked Robbie, ignoring Kase’s aggressive hovering.
“Give me a day or two, I promise, no longer. I’ll call you right away.”
“Thank you again.” Robbie nodded toward Kase and Kase shot a nasty stare back at him.
As Robbie walked off, I turned my considerable annoy
ance toward Kase.
“You don’t need to be so rude, do you?”
“Maybe I do.”
“He’s trying to help me fund my dream here.”
“He’s touching your arm and your face and looking at your boobs.”
“No, he’s not.” Except he had touched me. A lot. “He’s a high school friend who now works at the bank. I’m not sure you have a single clue what you’re talking about, Kase.” I started walking away. I was not going to get on his bike.
“What are you doing?”
“Walking home.”
“You’re fucking not.”
“I am.”
“Do you want me to explain to your brother that we had a lover’s quarrel outside of the daycare and you decided to walk, and then got mugged by Bane because you refused protection?”
“That’s a long and complicated hypothetical,” I said and turned around to send an evil eye in his direction.
“Get on, we’ll grab dinner and take it to your place. And you can yell at me the entire time about what an asshole I am.”
I thought about Kase’s little scenario. He was right. If I was fighting Kase, it was just as bad as kissing him in public or something. Brogan would see my emotions were more than his kid sister getting a ride. And damn if Kase didn’t look good enough to bite on that bike, possessive bull crap aside.
“Fine, swing by Anton’s. We can get a pizza. And try not to be ridiculous.” I got on the bike. And tried to keep my annoyance at Kase in check.
It was not easy, but I managed to barely speak to him while we picked up the pizza. By the time we got back to my house, I had essentially driven him insane. Yay me.
I was putting the food on the table and he reached out.
“Okay, I apologize. I am an ass.”
I continued to ignore him as I made a show of searching for napkins.
“Jesus, what more do you want from me?”
Now, I was feeling a little guilty. His pleading had taken a decidedly more emotional turn.
I stopped my display of annoyance and punishment. I put the pizza cutter down and walked over to him. His hands were hanging at his sides. He was totally out of place in my kitchen, and yet, I loved him in my kitchen.