After an hour and a half of playing, I lay Jye down for a nap. He falls asleep the second I put him down, tired from all the running around we did outside. I don’t think I need to work out either, having gotten more than enough exercise chasing Jye around. I make coffee and walk over to the answering machine when I see there's a message left on there. It wasn’t new so Sasha must have checked it. I cringe when I hear Nancy’s voice, instantly deleting the message. Fuck. What if she asks me who Nancy is? I don’t have it in me to lie. Evade, yes, straight out lie, no.
I call Nancy back and talk to her for about ten minutes, before heading into my office to do some business. I check on Jye at twenty minute intervals, just to make sure he’s okay. I’m on the phone with my accountant, when I hear a noise coming from Jye’s room. I quickly tell Keith I'll call him back, rushing to his room. I can’t help the curse that slips out of my mouth when I see what he’s doing.
“Jye, you’re not supposed to draw on the wall,” I tell him, taking the black marker from his small hands. I stand there and stare at his artwork, black scribbles covering the wall at around his height.
“Come on, let’s have some lunch,” I tell him as I lift him in the air, putting him so he’s sitting on my shoulders.
The day passes quickly, and I feel exhausted. I have a newfound respect for stay at home mothers, that’s for sure, and I didn’t even do any cleaning. Although I probably should have. I cringe as I glance around the messy kitchen.
“Come on, buddy, let’s tidy up before your mum gets home.”
I load the dishwasher, wipe down the counters, and sweep, all the while wishing that today was the day that Jillian, the lady that comes to clean the house, was in. Unfortunately it wasn’t. After all that is done, Jye and I lie down in my bed and watch Aladdin.
***
Chapter Fourteen
Sasha
I stare at my clock. Six PM. Both James and Jye are fast asleep, cuddling each other. I take out my phone and take a quick picture. They must have tired each other out. I smirk and head for the shower. I make a mental note to never wear these shoes again, because my feet are killing me. After I shower and change I call up and order some dinner for us all, since there's no way I have time to whip something up. There's a knock on the door and I run to answer it.
“Chase, hey, come on in.” I look down at Cole and smile, bending low to give him a kiss on his cheek which he instantly wipes away.
“Where’s Layla?” I ask. I thought she said she was gonna drop Cole off.
Chase’s lip twitches. “She is otherwise occupied.”
“That’s my cousin, you know,” I say without emotion. Chase smiles, and when his dimples come out I can’t help but sigh a little. Even though he can be scary, the man is sexy as hell.
“Where’s James?” he asks, his eyes darting around the house.
“He’s having a nanna nap with Jye,” I snicker. Chase chuckles.
‘Hey, where’s the pole?” he asks as we pass the living room.
“The pole is history,” I say smugly.
“How did you manage that?” he asks with a shake of his head.
“Well, James agreed, of course. And I told Kade I would let Grace dance on there if he didn’t take it down.”
Chase barks out another laugh. “I think you fit in with this family fine.”
“I’m glad you think so,” I reply. Cole runs into Jye’s room and starts pulling out some toys.
“Okay, you go enjoy. Cole will be fine. I ordered in some food, and he can sleep with Jye in his room,” I say.
“Alright then. I better get home or Layla is gonna kill me,” he says, not looking repentant at all.
“What did you do to her?” I can’t help but ask.
“She may be a little tied up right now,” he says softly.
“Okay, then. Goodbye, Chase,” I say, my eyes going wide. He kisses Cole on the forehead, telling him to be good before he heads off. As soon as he leaves I take Cole into the living room where we play some PS3 together, until James and Jye wake up.
“Tired, were you?” I ask him when he walks up to me.
“Extremely,” he laughs, bending down and kissing me on my lips. There’s a knock on the door.
“Can you get the door, James? It’s dinner,” I tell him.
“Okay.”
“The money’s on the table!” I call out to him. Jye walks over to give me a kiss on the cheek before taking a seat next to Cole. He adores his big cousin. We all have dinner together, and then spend the rest of the evening in the games room playing air hockey. By eight o’clock both boys are fast asleep, and I drop into the bed, completely drained.
***
“I’m surprised you can even walk,” I tell Layla when I open the door. She blushes and ignores my comment.
“How was he?” she asks, changing the subject.
“He was an angel. How was Chase?” I ask nosily.
“Not an angel, that’s for sure,” she boasts. We both burst out laughing.
“We should go out this weekend,” she suggests.
“We should. How about Friday night?”
“Sounds good,” she agrees as she spots Cole.
“Hello, my baby! I missed you,” she croons as she hugs him.
“Let the kid breathe, Layla,” I tease.
“Like you can talk,” she huffs.
“Truth,” I agree.
“Okay we gotta head off. Cole has his karate class. I’ll see you on Friday then. Thanks again, Sasha,” she says.
“Anytime, you know that.” We say bye at the door, hugging like we aren’t going to see each other again for a long time. After Layla’s car has pulled out, I scowl when I see a cop car pull in. I roll my eyes when I hear ‘Mrs. Officer’ by Lil Wayne blasting from her stereo. What kind of cop is she? A few words come to mind, none of them pleasant. She struts up to the front door, and her confidence pisses me off.
“Is James in?” she asks, getting straight to the point.
“Nope,” I reply popping the P.
“His car is here,” she says, gesturing to his Land Rover.
“He went for a run,” I answer with reluctance, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Oh,” is all she says.
“Are you here for a work related reason?” I ask straight out.
“Not exactly-”
“Right, well then I think you should go,” I say frankly.
“James and I have unfinished business. You wouldn’t understand,” she says a little snidely.
“Unless you need to talk to him about work, you need to back the fuck off,” I snap.
“Threatened?” she purrs.
“I’m the one here living with him, why should I be threatened about yesterday’s news?” I bite back.
“Yeah, only because you trapped him with a child,” she hisses. I’m about to assault a police officer when James comes home, just in the nick of time.
“What are you doing here, Tatiana?” he asks. I frown at him, standing there in nothing but a pair of low slung shorts, sweat dripping down his delectable toned chest. And the bitch is checking him out, too. Well, she can look, because she’s never going to touch again, that’s for damn sure.
“I came to see you,” she says sweetly.
“I thought I told you last time you came here not to do it again,” James growls, wincing when he realises what he said.
“I’m sorry, what?” I snap.
“Oh, he didn’t tell you, he was dressed a lot like he is now when I had my hands on him,” she coos.
“You fucking b-”
“Sasha!” he rebukes.
“Tatiana, go home,” he commands, his tone deadly.
“If you’re so happy together, why hasn’t he asked you to marry him?” she sneers before walking to her car. I hate that her parting shot hurts me. I fucking hate it. ‘Mrs Officer’ sounds as she drives off, the damage she caused left behind.
“Sasha,” James starts. I ignore him and storm into
the house to check on Jye, who luckily is still fast asleep. James follows me every step of the way as I head into our bedroom.
“Sasha-”
“She had her hands on you. You didn’t think that’s something you should mention?” I say in a tone so cold, I’m surprised ice didn’t come out of my mouth.
“She walked into the house. I was on the treadmill with my earphones in, she put her arms around me. I took them off and told her to leave, end of story,” he explains.
“How did she get in?” I ask suspiciously.
“She still had her key I gave her a while ago for emergencies,” he says softly.
“How fucking convenient!” I snap. I sit down on the bed, my fingers gripping into the bed sheet.
“I don’t want her. Okay? Yes, at one point I was with her, but she wasn’t you. I'd never commit to her because I always held out hope that I'd get you back. You don’t have anything to worry about,” he says sincerely, taking a seat next to me on the bed. He avoids her marriage comment, and I don’t bring it up. Does he even want to marry me eventually? I’m not saying right now, but in the future?
“Hey, what’s going through that head of yours, pretty girl?” he asks, pulling me so I’m sitting on his lap.
“Tell her to stop coming here, James. Or the mother of your son is going to go to jail for assaulting an officer. By the way, what kind of cop listens to ‘Mrs. Officer?’ Tell her to fucking get over herself!” I say with vehemence infused in my voice.
When James starts laughing, I'm not amused.
***
James
You think you know a woman. I had no idea Tatiana could be such a bitch. She’d been nothing but sweet the entire time we were dating. Now her claws are out, I’m not liking this side of her. Looks like I got out in the nick of time. I almost sigh in relief.
Sasha heads off to her parents’ house with Jye. Her father wants to spend some time with him, so I decide to catch up on some paperwork. An hour or so passes when my phone rings. An unknown number.
“James?” a soft voice croons. It makes me shudder involuntarily.
“Nancy, did you get the forms?” I ask her, trying to keep the panic out of my tone.
“I did. I'll handle it, don’t worry,” she assures me.
“I need it done ASAP, okay?” I tell her sternly.
“No problem, James. You can relax.”
We both hang up and I grin. Looks like everything is going according to my plan. I pull the black velvet box out of my pocket and open it, staring at the white gold princess cut ring. I hope Sasha loves it, and I hope she says yes. I stand up and get my wallet and keys, ready to head out. Chase, Kade and I are meeting up at a bar for some brotherly bonding.
***
“What is so good about this bar again?” I ask for what must be the hundredth time over the years.
“It has a homey feeling, don’t you think?” Kade smirks. I look around at the bikers and half dressed women, still not seeing it.
“Was our childhood that bad?” I joke.
“It’s his old hunting grounds. Maybe he’s reminiscing,” Chase adds.
I take a swig of my beer and avoid eye contact with the blonde that keeps staring at me. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t even blinked once.
“The women aren’t subtle, that’s for sure,” I say as I see her walk over.
“Hi, Kade, who’s your friend?” she purrs, licking her bright pink lips.
“He’s not interested,” I pipe up.
“How about you then, handsome?” she says as she runs her hand down Chase’s chest. Chase removes her hand, distaste evident on his face.
“Sorry, we’re all taken,” he says in a no-nonsense tone. She scowls, makes a comment about how we must be gay, and then saunters off to her next victim. We all take a huge gulp of our drinks. How our lives have changed. I think we are all thinking the same thing, because the next minute we're all laughing.
“Why didn’t she hit on you Kade?” I ask him, genuinely curious.
Kade looks sheepish. “I took her home once, and let’s just say we aren’t into the same shit.”
Chase and I lean closer. “She’s into pain, and yeah, not my thing,” Kade says, downing a shot as if remembering what had happened. When I see Tenielle stroll in, I grin.
“I thought this was a male only event?” I drawl.
Tee rolls her eyes and takes a seat next to me. “I thought I’d liven the place up a little. Besides if I were a man, we all know I’d have the biggest penis.”
“Where are you going, all dolled up?” Kade asks her.
“What, this old thing?” she asks sweetly, gesturing to her tight black dress that leaves nothing to the imagination. I notice she’s still wearing combat boots though. She orders three tequila shots. All for her, not us. When a guy notices her and smiles her way, Chase hovers around her.
“Chase, you need to relax. You look like a dragon about to breathe fire.” She laughs.
“You’re my sister,” he says.
“In law!” she corrects him.
“If you don’t wanna be over protected, don’t come out with us,” he fires back.
Tee laughs. The woman is nuts.
“Layla told me Derek moved to Melbourne,” she says to Kade.
“Yeah, he did.” I notice Chase smile at the news.
“Perth is way better than Melbourne,” she declares. We all nod in agreement. She downs her last shot and then stands up.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Chase demands.
“I’m meeting some friends at a club. There is this sexy DJ playing tonight, pale green eyes, body to die for. Oh and he’s pretty talented, too,” she says with a devilish grin.
“I’ll drive you,” Chase says.
“How does Layla put up with you?” she mutters under her breath, as she grabs her thick hair and ties it in a messy bun on the top of her head. Her twinkling brown eyes show that she just likes to annoy Chase.
“Hey, do you guys wanna come?” she asks, picking up her bag from the bar table.
“I always wanna cum,” Kade adds, being his usual self.
We all glance at each other and shrug.
“Why not?”
***
Chapter Fifteen
Sasha
Last night must have really been wild because Kade and Chase are fast asleep in the living room. James was up, early as ever, and took Jye out for lunch with his mother and father. He didn’t drink much last night, unlike the other two. I had calls from both Layla and Nikki this morning, wanting to know exactly what went on last night. They also told me to wake their men up so they can get their asses home.
I walk into the room and clear my throat, loudly. I poke Kade in the chest and he doesn’t even move. They're seriously passed out. I grin and head into the study. I pull out a black marker from the drawer, and then tip toe back into the living room. Once my artwork is done, I head out to work, laughing the entire ride.
***
“Did you draw penises on my brother’s faces?” he asks as soon as I walk through the front door.
“Why would you ask that?” I ask nonchalantly.
“Sasha,” he says, chuckling.
“They could've come home like that from the club, you know, they would have been too drunk to remember,” I point out. James gives me a full belly laugh, Jye getting bounced around by his chest moving up and down with the effort.
“Sasha.”
“Yes?” I ask, batting my eyelashes.
“Did you?” he asks, already knowing the answer by the twist of his lips.
“I might have. Did they get it off?” I ask with a smirk.
“Yeah, they did. I’d avoid Chase for a while, though,” James says, his eyes crinkling.
“Why?”
“He’s a little more uptight than Kade,” he says, biting his lip ring in thought.
“That’s true.”
“Plus, you did something to his picture that you didn’t do to Ka
de’s,” he says with a raised eyebrow. I laugh, remembering the droplet tear drops I drew on his chin. Oops.
“Hello, my baby,” I say to Jye, pulling him from James and into my arms. I peck James on the lips and then walk into the kitchen. My mouth drops open when I see beautiful dinner all set out, with candles and wine.
“What’s the occasion?” I ask in shock.
“You don’t need an occasion to get spoilt, Sasha. You had a long day at work, and I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you,” he says sincerely, his eyes taking in my reaction.
“It’s perfect, and it smells so good. Did you cook?” I ask warily, my brows furrowing.
“In fact, I did,” he says, looking proud of himself. I put Jye in his feeding chair and spin around, pulling James in for a quick, yet passionate kiss.
“I’m a lucky girl, thank you” I tell him, meaning every word.
“You’re welcome,” he says, pulling out my chair for me. I sit down and sigh in contentment when he kisses me on my head. I look down at my steak, mash potato, salad and garlic bread and smile. It looks delicious. James serves Jye’s dinner and helps him eat while I enjoy my meal.
“A girl could get used to this,” I say around a bite of succulent steak.
“How was your day?” he asks. We make idle chat, enjoying each other’s company. James puts Jye to bed while I have a shower. I decide to dress sexy, in a black bra and panties, and sit on my knees in the centre of the bed. As soon as James walks in, he nibbles on the bottom of his lip, his eyes touching every inch of me.
“What do we have here?” he asks, his lip curling.
“Jye asleep?”
“Fast,” he says as he pulls his shirt off and over his head. I watch his muscles ripple with the movement, his toned chest and defined six pack causing my breath to catch.
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