Highway Don't Care (Freebirds)

by Vale, Lani Lynn

  “I ordered you the enchiladas.” I said, but what I meant was tell me what happened.

  “Is that one of the girl ways of asking me what happened?” He asked.

  I fluttered my eyelashes at him and waited.

  Heaving a sigh he said, “Not much happened. I wanted to make sure my girl was all right. They have to submit to a DNA test tomorrow morning. They said as much, or the husband did. He flat out said that he would prove it tomorrow morning. I don’t know what the fuck he’s thinking though, how a baby with that coloring comes from two blonde haired blue-eyed people is beyond me. She must have snowed him good.”

  The rest of the evening was spent at home with us alone. Gabe must have felt sorry for me because he let me watch Twilight and didn’t complain one time. Just sat there and occasionally rolled his eyes. One time I think he muttered something about ‘sparkling douches’ under his breath, but I could have been mistaken. He must have known I needed comforting though, because when I put on the third twilight he didn’t mutter a sound. Only took it like the man he was.

  It was going great until we were lying in bed. Gabe was on his side, I was on mine. Tonight wasn’t a cuddling night. Seems being stabbed didn’t allow that to happen easily. He brought up my plans for the next day.

  “Well after the doctor, I thought I would come back here and hang with Cheyenne since she’s off. What are you doing tomorrow?” I asked sleepily.

  “I’m going to finish the paint on the auction bike tomorrow. I’ll go with you to the appointment, and then bring you back. I want you to stay here. Clean the house. Fold the clothes. Watch TV on your ass all day. I want you to stay inside, away from the workers. If you go see Cheyenne, I want you to stay there. It would be better if you had her come here so nobody saw you. We’re going to have a crew out here tomorrow. They have to level the ground towards the back of the shop. We’re adding on a building for the custom bikes we plan to make in the future. Also more to the point it’s going to be a security hub. We’re going to start monitoring a few places, and we need something more secure to store our Freebirds documents, computer equipment, and security paraphernalia. Things are getting bigger than we originally intended, and having higher security will make it safer for all involved.”

  Vaguely I heard him finish his discussion, but I was stuck on ‘fold laundry’ and ‘clean the house.’ It wasn’t often that my feministic side came out, but when it did, I could be a right bitch. Whew, boy. Gird your loins. Getting up to my knees in bed, I reached over and turned on the light, and then turned to face Gabe.

  “Did you just tell me to clean the house? What am I, your maid?”

  Gabe’s brows lowered in confusion when my rant started.

  “I was just giving you ideas to-“

  “No. Just no. You can do your own laundry. You can pick up your coke cans. You can put your own socks into the laundry room. You can wash your own dishes.”

  He interrupted me by taking my mouth in a heated kiss. He stopped before it could get too far, because hey, I was injured.

  “Would you shut the fuck up? I wasn’t telling you to do anything. I was telling you that you needed to stay inside while the crew is here, that’s all. Turn the bitch off.”

  I might have been a tiny bit of a bitch, but I also didn’t need him to tell me I was. Glaring at him, I turned the light off and laid down on my uninjured side again. He gave me a soft kiss on the side of my head and went to his own side; I fumed for a whole 2.3 seconds and then promptly fell asleep.

  My last thought however was, doesn’t he know better by now than to tell me not to do something?

  Chapter 12

  I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast. You eat pieces of shit for breakfast?!

  -Happy Gilmore

  Ember

  “Do my thighs look like they touch in these pants?” I asked Gabe as he was walking out to the living room to start the coffee.

  He stopped and turned, regarding my cautiously. I was standing with my back to him in my new Rock Revival jeans. They were a little tight in the thighs since I’d ordered a size smaller than I normally wear, especially in the thighs. I’m sure he was trying to decide if he should answer honestly or not.

  He still had the streak marks from the pillow creased into his face, and I had to try hard not to laugh. He was wearing boxer briefs and a pair of socks. He did weird things like this. He said he didn’t like the feel of the sheets on his feet, so always wore socks to bed. His dog tags were dangling between his solid pecs. His hair was an absolute mess. My man could definitely pull off the sleepy look.

  Reaching into my shirt, I pulled out my iPhone and snapped a quick picture. He didn’t say anything though. He must be thinking hard on what to say.

  “Honestly, I could give a fuck if your thighs touch or not. Mostly, I just care about your thighs when my head’s between them, sucking you, or when my thighs are wedged between them and my cock is inside you.”

  Holy. Shit.

  I think I just had a mini orgasm.

  “Good answer, baby.” I said to him.

  He smiled and exited the room, going for the coffee that was his life force in the mornings. I went ahead and finished getting ready, putting on shoes a shirt, and throwing my hair up in a messy ponytail at the top of my head. That was about all I could expend today. My side was throbbing in tune with my heartbeats, and I really had no desire to put any more effort in than jeans and a t-shirt. It was a deodorant only kind of day.

  “How’re you feeling?” Gabe asked from directly behind me making me jump and then cringe.

  “Sorry, baby.” He said before kissing the side of my head and heading to the bathroom.

  I followed him in and watched him strip. His backside looked like it was sculpted out of granite. Smooth hard lines ran down his back, ass, and thighs. He bent over to take his underwear off and I had a clear view of his balls hanging between his legs and his half-hard cock.

  My mouth watered. Damn the fact that I had such an early appointment time. I was running late as it was, otherwise I would join him in the shower.

  I watched as the muscles in his forearm, bicep, and shoulder flex and relax with each forward and back motion as he brushed his teeth. His eyes watched me in the mirror as I watched him. Spitting and rinsing, he turned the shower on and stepped in without checking the temperature.

  I shivered, but not because he didn’t check the temperature, but because of the water running down his defined chest and abs. He was beautiful.

  “If you don’t knock it the fuck off, I’m gonna have you on your knees with my cock in your mouth.” Gabe ground out.

  My eyes went wide, but not in indignation. I actually wanted to do it.

  He finished washing the soap out of his hair and off his body, turned off the water, and then stepped out. All the while, his eyes were on me. He was no longer half-hard. No, he was completely hard. His skin stretched over his cock tightly. The veins that ran along his penis stood out starkly. The head was slightly purple in color, and I longed to have him in my mouth.

  He stalked towards me and took my mouth in a rough kiss. His large hand curled around the bottom of my jaw, cupping my chin, and held my face in place while he devoured my mouth. He backed me up against the wall, and I took that as my cue and dropped to my knees in front of him.

  Reaching up with my hand, I gently cupped his balls. His sharp indrawn breath made me smile right before I took him in my mouth. I went as deep as I could go before withdrawing. I worked him like an ice-cream cone. Traced the veins on his cock with my tongue. He lost the struggle with his hands and one went to the ponytail that gathered my hair, and the other went to the wall behind me.

  Guiding his cock back into my mouth, he used his grip on my hair to set the pace that would get him off the quickest. In and out, he thrust, trying to keep it shallow so he didn’t gag me. I was having none of that though. Grabbing a hold of his thighs, I pulled him forward harder until he hit the back of my throat. I swallowed, and hea
rd him hiss. This was turning me on beyond belief, so I unsnapped the buttons of my jeans and snuck my hands into my panties.

  Finding my clit, I started rubbing it in circles. I looked up and caught Gabe watching my progress down below. His eyes were like blue fire as he watched me rub clit, as well as his cock tunneling into my mouth. His eyes made contact with mine and I lost it.

  My orgasm burst forth and I moaned around his cock, which set him off too. Come splashed into my mouth, and I swallowed convulsively. He eased from my mouth with a soft pop, and I licked my lips and smiled at him.

  “Fuck, that was hot.” Gabe said.

  I smiled, and then buttoned my pants.

  “I’ve got to go, I’m super late. Max is taking me, right?” I asked him as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “Yeah, baby. I’m sorry I’m not going, but we have a small amount of time left to finish this bike and get it registered, or the bike won’t make it to auction. Call me when you are leaving, I love you, Em.” He said before letting me go.

  “Love you, more.” I said and then walked fast out the door.

  Max was on his cell phone, but quickly hung up when he saw me. Helping me into the truck, he started it up and then took off towards the doctor’s office. We parked in the parking garage and walked at a fast clip to the office, all the while not saying a word. He hooked an arm around me once we reached the elevator doors and kissed me on the forehead.

  “We’re lucky you made all the lights or we would have been late.” I said idly.

  “That’s ‘cause I’m the man.”

  “I’m sure that’s it.” I said dryly as I opened the doors to the office.

  “I wasn’t here but a year ago with Cheyenne. These nurses probably think I get around a lot.” Max whispered beside me.

  “Don’t you?” I asked sweetly.

  “Well yea, but I don’t leave and evidence behind.”

  “Eww. That’s just nasty.”

  “You know what’s nasty? Hearing your sister have sex while you were innocently trying to play a war game. That’s nasty.”

  My face flamed and the receptionist watched us with curiosity after overhearing Max’s comment.

  Rolling my eyes at her, we went to sit down. Max being the ass he is sat two seats away from me. He liked his elbowroom, and we’d played this game before, many times. There was a TLC program on about giving birth, and I watched Max watch it with revulsion in his eyes.

  His horror-filled eyes turned to me and said, “Don’t expect me to be in there with you.”

  “Of course I do. You are my only family. I need you.” I said simply.

  I didn’t really, but there was no way I was letting him know that. Terrorizing him was my favorite past time. When he was in Iraq, I missed teasing him like crazy. I felt empty without him. Very alone.

  When he was hurt, I went to pieces. I cried for three days straight. I couldn’t even go see him because they couldn’t tell me where they took him. They didn’t know if he was all right, they only knew that the Humvee tripped an IED, and that Max sustained injuries. It was truly the worst experience of my life.

  Watching him now, you would never know he was ever hurt. He looked perfect. Although, he did go into his zones where he would draw into himself. Those times were hard because he would never tell me what was wrong. We told each other everything, and it was tough when he didn’t trust me with those aspects of his life.

  “I really do need you, you know.” I whispered so just only he could hear.

  His eyes went soft, and he moved to the seat beside me. “I owe you an apology. I know you’ve had it hard since mom and dad died. I wanted to apologize for leaving you, and then for making you feel like shit after I came home.”

  His words made my heart swell. I hadn’t let myself contemplate it, but I needed to hear that he was sorry. Sorry for leaving me alone when I our parents died. Sorry for making me grow up so fast when I needed him so much. He’d left me broken, and I’d never healed.

  “That was a shitty thing to do. Why’d you leave me when I needed you so much?”

  “I was hurting, too. I didn’t even think about you, to be honest. I was in so much pain myself, that I buried myself in my career. Took all that pain out on the enemies. I should have come back, but I couldn’t forgive myself after I’d realized what I’d done. Gabe succeeded where I couldn’t. It was only after I got hurt in that Humvee that I let myself think about what I was doing. I love you, Emmie. Please forgive me.”

  Everything he said was true, and who was I to judge for how he coped with losing our parents? Everyone grieves a different way.

  Tears pricked my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to dislodge them. “I know, Maxie. I never held it against you. I forgive you. Will you buy me a new car to make up for it?”

  He laughed, and the spell of sadness was broken.

  Thirty minutes later, I found myself on the scale. I was two pounds lighter since just yesterday. Which didn’t surprise me since I ran on adrenaline and a prayer for a few hours yesterday. The nurse showed us to a room, and I sat on the table while Max took the only available chair. He surveyed the room, and quickly turned away from the model that showed a baby passing through a birth canal.

  “I can’t wait for you to have a kid of your own. You’re gonna end up having to deliver the baby all by yourself. You’ll have to watch your wife’s vag stretch to the size of a melon. It’s gonna be awesome. I’ll video your reaction.”

  “That’s absolutely disgusting.”

  The appointment went about as expected. We talked about risks, can-dos and can’t-dos. He told me I wasn’t allowed to have sex in water. No more than two cokes a day (this was one of the worsts), and limited amounts of mercury. While I listened with half an ear, Max looked like he was taking everything the doctor said to heart, memorizing it, and then storing it in the vault he called a mind. Some of the things were so obvious that I wondered what type of person wouldn’t know that you shouldn’t chain smoke or drink whiskey. Um, duh?

  “Any questions?” Dr. Robinson asked.

  “Nope.” I answered.

  We were out the door by ten o’clock, which meant I could still make it to McDonald’s before they stopped serving breakfast.

  Score!

  “I want an Egg McMuffin.” I informed Max.

  He nodded but didn’t answer, just pulled up into the nearest McDonald’s. He ordered me a number one with a sweet tea, and himself a number one with two extra sandwiches. The boy probably could down about two more, but he had a rule that he didn’t eat unhealthy if he could help it. I on the other hand had a rule that I didn’t eat healthy if I could help it.

  We’d just pulled up in front of the car when I noticed the Audi. It seemed vaguely familiar, but didn’t register who exactly it was until I heard her obnoxious voice. It reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. Just one of those voices that made you want to cringe. She was standing toe to toe with Gabe while Sam, James, and Elliott looked on. It was apparent she’d been going at it for a while because all of the guys had beers in their hands that were half full.

  “You need to withdraw the suit. Cora may be yours by blood, but you’re not her father. Never were.”

  Uh-oh. Them’s fighting words.

  Gabe’s face remained blank, but his words were anything but because they shot out of him like a whip.

  “You better pray that your lawyer’s good. I guaran-damn-tee you I’ll get her. If you’re nice, you’ll still get to see her. Have a nice day, Mrs. Moran.” Gabe said coldly.

  Her face paled, and I was glad he’d never spoken to me like that or I would have broken down and cried. Pulling my Egg McMuffin out of the bag, I sat down at Sam’s desk, propped my feet up, and started eating my food. I watched, head turning back and forth like a cartoon listening to Gabe and Sidney argue.

  “You can’t do this!” She screeched.

  “I can and will. You cost me a year and a half of her life. I don’t even know her fucking birthday. I mis
sed her first steps. Her first tooth. Her first time to crawl. I’ve missed all of her firsts thanks to you. How do you even live with yourself?” He seethed.

  “You were never even home. How was I supposed to know you’d want her?”

  “I didn’t want her? I bought a fucking cradle for her before I even deployed the last time! How does that say that I’m not interested?” He yelled.

  “You’re going to ruin everything if you pursue this. He’ll leave me, and I won’t have any way to put a roof over your baby’s head.” She sneered.

  “Good, because I have a roof. She won’t even need you anymore. She’s gonna have my wife. You’re gonna be nothing to her. Do you hear me? Nothing.”

  “You can’t take her away from me! I’ll leave the country before I allow you to have her.”

  “Try it. I dare you.”

  Chills slithered like a snake down my spine when I heard Gabe’s tone of voice. He was one scary motherfucker when he wanted to be. She took two large steps back, so she was closer to my chair, and I heard what she probably meant for nobody to hear.

  “I fucking told him this wouldn’t work. You have ways of ruining everything. That stupid prick.” Sidney muttered under her breath.

  My brows slashed down in question. What they heck did she mean that? Who was this, her husband, or someone else?

  “I think it’s time for you to leave. We’re supposed to have the results from the DNA test in a few hours. My lawyer’s drawn up papers to put into motion my visitation rights. I’ll be having Cora with me by the weekend.”

  That was news to me, but it also excited me. I did feel that maybe he needed to spend some alone time with her, and I went through my plans for the weekend in my head. I didn’t have anything planned. Maybe Max and I could go and stay at the cabin.

  The cabin was my parent’s favorite getaway. When they needed some time to unwind, they would all go up to Hainseville, and stay in the cabin. It was primitive. There was no running water, nor working lights unless you had the generator running. There were some 4-wheelers there last time I checked, but I hadn’t been on them in well over eight years. The weekend before my parents died.