by Vivian Gray
She strapped Izzy into her portable car seat and then followed Jacob out to the car. He’d replaced the club’s Camry with a Prius that actually had Laurie’s name on the title. She’d teased him mercilessly about how he’d bought the most fuel efficient car he could get his hands on. He shrugged and pointed out how often Laurie had to drive into the city with Izzy in tow, between doctors’ appointments and playgroups and more. “It was just economical,” he’d said. Nothing at all to do with him becoming a family man.
She tucked the bucket seat into its base in the back of the car, then slid into the passenger’s side. She and Jacob had mostly recovered from the incident that had led to her being trapped in Whip’s clutches a second time, but she still preferred not to drive if she didn’t have to. Jacob, staunch defender of her that he was, didn’t mind at all being put in the driver’s seat.
Laurie expected him to turn towards the city, but instead, he pulled onto the highway and drove further into the suburbs. Not that far, just another ten minutes or so before he turned off into a neighborhood of townhouses. Laurie watched the houses go by; a suspicion had started to stir somewhere deep inside of her, but she forced herself to stay calm. If he had some other surprise, like a nice restaurant or something, she didn’t want to be disappointed or act like a jerk because it wasn’t what she thought was going to happen. Still, her hands were clenched in her lap like she was trying to hold herself together with hope and baling twine. Because, of course, she was.
The little row house where he eventually parked looked like newer construction. The houses were all painted the same exterior color, but each one had different color shutters, some with matching paint on the front doors. Jacob pulled into one with a robin’s egg blue paint job and flowers planted by the front steps.
Even though she’d wondered, she couldn’t let herself believe, not yet. Even when he came around to her side of the car and opened the door, she had to pinch herself on the sly before she could stand up. Jacob reached into the back seat for Izzy’s bucket seat while Laurie stared.
So much had changed in so little time. A little less than two years ago, she’d been walking into a class that was supposed to change her life without the least idea of what she wanted it to change to. She’d known that what she’d come from was nothing she wanted, but the only answer she’d had was to run away. She’d never understood how to run towards anything. She’d never had anything to run towards. The brother she’d tried so hard to forget had shown up and then torn her carefully constructed life apart, sold her for drugs, and she’d been sold to a man for his use.
It was pure luck that Jacob was who he was. That he’d chosen to take care of her. That when she’d gotten pregnant, he’d been excited. He could have done things very differently, and she’d never quite forget that. But he’d never held it over her, either. He’d always been kind, and when she’d brought it up, tried to say thank you, he’d told her that she shouldn’t thank him for being decent.
Mostly, she’d put that trauma behind her. It was being in the warehouse with Whip watching her as she went through labor, one of the most terrifying experiences of her life, that she’d had a hard time putting aside. Seeing Jacob be the first one to touch Izzy was incredible, but she’d been so afraid, so alone, so out of control within her own body. She didn’t know if she’d ever be able to go through that again, but Jacob hadn’t said a single thing about another baby. With time, maybe the terror would pass, and she’d heal.
Jacob had hit Whip hard, very hard, and she hadn’t been in any shape to ask after his status. After Jacob had carried her out to the car, he’d driven them to the ER; the nurses and doctors there had looked her and Izzy over and kept them overnight mostly for observation. They decided Izzy was a little chilled, and Laurie was more than a little dehydrated. Jacob had glared until they dragged down one of the chair-couches from the labor and delivery floor for him to sleep on; he’d made it very clear that he was not moving five feet from Laurie and Izzy at any point that night.
It had been easier to sleep knowing that he was there to keep an eye on them both.
The following morning, she’d thought to ask after Whip. Jacob’s face had gone dark and said that the man would no longer be a problem. He wouldn’t say what that meant, exactly, but he was very clear. She would never have to worry about that monster again. George had looked hard this time, under every alias he could find connected to Whip. There was no family that was going to turn up seeking revenge. They were safe.
They were finally safe.
Brian was, maybe, still out in the world somewhere. Whip had clearly broken his nose, and he was already a mess; the additional trauma could have been enough to wear out his damaged body. They hadn’t ever found him in the warehouse, however. George was looking for him, too, but finding a junkie was hard work, especially one who appeared to mostly live on the street. He’d keep working on it, he assured them, but he didn’t hold out much hope.
George had learned a lot more about Brian’s life, however. In the years when he’d abandoned Laurie to whatever happened to her, he’d fallen hard into drugs. He’d barely surfaced for a few years, it seemed, but then he’d picked up a lot of the low-level cons that worked for low-level players. Purse snatching, double selling product, things like that. In the end, what had gotten him was that he started muling between several different gangs and their suppliers. He’d gone from having an occasional need to party to a solid need for a fix. The difference had put him under. As he got more intense, he was less able to complete his deliveries. He stole more product, people were less likely to trust him, he got fewer jobs, he got paid less and stole more. It was a familiar spiral; nothing new to anyone who’d lived on the street.
Laurie was not, it seemed, the only woman he’d turned over to Whip and his bastard crew that night for drugs.
Laurie found herself thinking about him sometimes, daydreaming about the life where he’d been able to get clean, where he showed up to see his niece, not to try and find another chance to score. Sometimes she had nightmares where he somehow got his hands on Izzy and held her hostage to whatever sick dream he had this time. But more and more, she trusted that between her resourcefulness and Jacob’s fierceness, they’d get through. They’d keep Izzy safe. She was a treasure, and you protected treasures. That was what you did. Simple as that.
Whip’s crew had, as Jacob hoped, stopped calling themselves the Devil’s Weapons and dispersed. Whip’s passion had been driving them; the rest of the men had just been there for the money. No money, no crew. They faded away into the night, just glad that Jacob and the Black Talons were not interested in claiming a vendetta against them.
With the two biggest threats out of their lives, it had become easier and easier to move on. To find a way to build their own little family of three. Jacob was right, the club would always be part of their lives, and that was good and right by her. Izzy would grow up with two dozen overprotective uncles and more than a dozen aunties who wanted to coo over her and take her for her first manicure. That had to be better than cowering in a house, afraid of who was knocking on the door.
“This is yours,” Jacob said. The words still didn’t resonate properly. Laurie stared at him, just a little confused, trying to understand what she could possibly be misunderstanding. He said the house was hers, but what could that possibly mean? “Do you want to see?” Now his face was wearing an expression of nervousness. She wanted to take that away. He couldn’t think she was unhappy when all that she felt was stunned.
“Yes,” she said. “Please, show me.”
He grinned and reached out, taking her hand. He carried Izzy’s carrier in one hand and held hers in the other until they got to the front door. He passed off the baby then and dug in his pocket for a key ring. It was a new key, but it was still on the molded jelly keyrings that all realtors seemed to use. He must have just bought the place.
And then he pushed open the door, and she reconsidered.
The house was – wel
l, it was beautiful. From the entryway, she could see into a living room on one side and a dining room on the other. The living room was luxurious, with overstuffed couches and dark wood; the dining room was more casual, unfinished wood tables and lower backed chairs. Both rooms had rugs underneath, covering hardwood floors in a warm pine.
It was all familiar, and it took her a moment to realize. She spun towards him.
“All those decorating magazines that were suddenly in the clubhouse. The girls, especially Delilah, kept asking me what my favorite things were.”
He laughed and nodded, and she couldn’t help swatting him on the arm. He made a big gesture like she’d hurt him, although that was total nonsense. She wasn’t sure she could hurt him if she tried. At least, not with her fists. “I wanted it to be set up for you, but I wanted you to be able to choose what you wanted. If there’s anything you don’t like, we’ll return it or fix it or whatever you want. But I wanted you to walk in and have it be a home right away.”
“Show me the rest?”
He led her into the kitchen. Laurie hadn’t ever been much of a cook, but this room made her want to learn. The cabinets were finished in a light wood with brushed silver pulls and knobs. The appliances looked brand-new, and when she opened the cupboards, there were dishes and glasses, all neatly washed and put away. There was a small table in the corner, the kind of little nook that would be perfect for eating a quick meal or having a cup of coffee. The colors were bright and warm, and she felt so loved here.
Maybe she’d never learned to cook because she’d never really been in a kitchen. Maybe she could change that for Izzy. Maybe that could be her gift.
“There’s an upstairs,” Jacob said. “This way.”
It felt incredible. Unbelievable. Jacob led her up a hallway that was already decorated with framed pictures of the two of them, of Izzy, of the three of them together. Laurie didn’t remember when many of the photos had been snapped, but she suspected Delilah had been behind the camera. She made a note to talk to Delilah about moving towards more professional photography; her eye was excellent.
Upstairs there were three rooms. The first was a small office. Laurie stepped inside and spun in a slow circle. There was a desk already set up with a monitor already in place. “That’s the one thing I didn’t buy,” Jacob said. “I wanted you to be able to choose your own.”
There were bookshelves on the walls, waiting to be filled. There was a table where she could spread out if she needed to. There was a mini fridge, of all the things. A comfy couch where she could ostensibly stretch out to work, but really stretch out to nap. It was perfect.
“There’s more.”
What more could there be? But, of course, she knew.
He showed her the nursery next. He’d been able to draw from her wish list for Izzy’s room more directly; he knew about the wish list she kept on her favorite online shopping site, and he’d gone directly from that. The room was covered in rainbows and stars, but without the kind of bubblegum colors that sometimes came along with that. Izzy’s room was colored like someone who was staring up at the night sky.
There was a small bookshelf in the corner, bins for toys, and a small dresser. They weren’t full yet, which was fine with Laurie; she wanted to be the one who put away her baby’s things. There was, however, a crib all set up in the corner, more light-colored wood with the mattress already down at the lowest level. Sheets were in place on the mattress. She looked down at Izzy in her carrier; the baby’s head was lolling, and she was nearly asleep as it was. It was close enough to naptime.
“Why don’t we put her down for a nap in her new room while we explore the spaces.” She made her voice sultry, and he responded right away. They’d managed sex a few times since Izzy was born, but it was always in the clubhouse with one of the girls keeping track of her. They’d become adept at quickies, and while quickies were fun, they weren’t the exciting and satisfying experience of their lives before. Granted, both of them were more exhausted than they’d been before – but that hadn’t stopped Laurie from wanting it just as much. And based on the way Jacob had to reach down and adjust himself inside his jeans, that wasn’t just her.
“Yeah,” he said. “Let’s do that.”
He reached down and gently unbuckled Izzy. This was a skill that Laurie absolutely envied; Jacob could transfer the baby from any surface to another. If Laurie tried it, she got an earful of an indignant baby.
Izzy didn’t make so much as a peep as she was laid down on the mattress, and Laurie gave a sigh of relief. Jacob set the carrier out of the way where it wouldn’t get knocked over if Izzy woke up and they needed to rush back into the room, and then he turned to her.
There was a dark look in his eyes that Laurie hadn’t seen since before Izzy was born. “Hey gorgeous,” he said, moving in closer with a grin on his face.
“Hey, handsome.” She opened her arms, and he pulled her in tight, pressing down on her lips with a bruising kiss that left her gasping and pulling herself up to him for more. He was rock-hard against her, and he backed them up slowly – and then not so slowly. They made it out the door to the nursery, and then he spun her hard, pressing her up against the wall.
“I want to see the bedroom,” she teased.
“You’ll see it when I say. And right now, I say you’re coming on my hand in the hallway.”
He unbuttoned her jeans and shoved them just far enough down that he could press his fingers between her lips and stroke her pussy. She sighed happily and reached up to put her arms around his neck, but he caught her wrists and pressed them hard into the wall. She didn’t need another word; she kept her hands just where he’d put them.
“My pretty girl,” he said. His fingers pressed her cunt open, stroking her wet folds and grinning softly. And then there wasn’t anything soft. Two fingers pressed into her, faster and harder than she was used to, and she loved it. He pressed his fingers wide, stretching her, and the fullness was incredible. How long had it been since she’d had his cock? Days at least, maybe weeks. She couldn’t remember right now, not when he was pressing his fingers deep inside of her, stroking her inner walls and curling his fingers just so. She was keening, rocking on his hand. He was being generous; he let her move with him instead of taking her somewhere else and tying her down.
Her orgasm was on the horizon faster than she’d expected. It was the motion of his fingers, or the pressure of the heel of his hand slapping her clit, or both at once, or something else entirely. Either way, she was clawing at the wall behind her, trying to keep her hands still instead of raking down his back while she screamed. The orgasm shattered over her hard and fast, and while it was big, it was nothing like as satisfying as she could have. That had been the problem with all the quickies they’d had since Izzy was born; they were quick. Without that long, torturous build up, it just wasn’t as good to come. Even if it were on a handsome man’s hand, in a hallway of the house he’d apparently just bought you.
“God,” she managed to say. “God, that’s gorgeous.” She reached between them to fondle his cock, having every intention of dropping to her knees right there and making him a very happy man. He laughed and dodged her hand.
“I’m not done with you yet,” he said. He shoved her jeans down so she could step out of them, then took her hand and led her down the hallway.
Their room was on the other side of the hall from Izzy’s. They could get to it quickly, but there wasn’t a shared wall. That made Laurie smile; more freedom was good. She still wouldn’t get to scream like she used to, but it was a definite start.
He opened the door, and Laurie gasped. The room was gorgeous, and she’d never dreamed of it being like this. He must have been paying such close attention. Every item was one she’d pointed out in a catalog, or commented on in passing, or had shown him when they were out and about for something else. He’d assembled her perfect room from offhand comments.
She totally forgot that she was bare from the waist down; she needed to wal
k in a slow circle, touching the bureau with the dark cherry wood, the full-length mirror on a floor stand like the women always had in movies, the matching nightstands in the same cherry wood. The bed looked like something out of a magazine, dark blue with light purple flowers in an irregular pattern. There were throw pillows and shams and regular pillows, and she was almost afraid of touching it in case it all came toppling down.
“This is mine.” It was the only thing she could think to say.
Jacob smiled again, a softer smile than she’d seen him wear – except for when he was looking at Izzy. “It’s yours. And, if you want to share it, it could be mine too. But that’s your choice.”
She spun back to him; his expression was entirely sincere. “What are you talking about? Of course it’s ours.”
“No, Laurie. There’s no of course. I’m so glad you’ve been willing to share your life with me, to make a family with me, to share Izzy with me. None of those things are things you had to do, not really. You chose to make every one of those things happen. And I’m glad you did, but you made those choices. If you’re not ready to live together like this, then we don’t have to do that. I can stay at the club, or get an apartment nearby. Whatever you want me to do.”