by Harley Stone
“I mean it. I want you to call me when shit like that happens. You never know when someone’s gonna fly off the handle and turn violent.”
“You sound as if you’re speaking from experience.”
He nodded, a frown tugging at his lips. “I help vets, Carly. I’ve seen a lot of good men do stupid shit. That’s not a chance I want to take with you and Trent.”
His genuine concern about us was both sweet and unnerving and I shoveled more food in my mouth so I wouldn’t have to respond. I didn’t even know how to respond.
“You like it?” Wasp asked, gesturing at my plate.
“So much. I can’t even remember the last time I had Chinese, and this is great. These veggies taste super fresh. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m buttering you up to ask you for a favor.”
“Uh-oh.” I trapped a piece of broccoli and a bite of beef between my chopsticks. The guy had saved Father’s Day, brought me dinner, and wanted me to call whenever I was in trouble, but he seemed hesitant to ask me for this favor. “Must be a doozy.”
“Not really,” he replied, looking away as he played with his chopsticks like he was nervous. “My parents are coming to town this weekend and they want to take me out to dinner. I’m hoping you and Trent will join us.”
I about choked on a bite of rice. After coughing to clear my airways, I asked, “You want your parents to meet me and Trent?”
“Yeah.” He was still trying to sound nonchalant as he kept his gaze on his plate. “But not in a weird way. In a ‘hey, this is my friend and her kid’ sort of way.”
Meeting someone’s parents was always weird and uncomfortable, no matter the way. “Why?”
When his gaze found mine again, the confident pretty-boy joker I knew him to be was gone, replaced by something vulnerable. “Why not?”
He was always so cocky and confident that seeing him vulnerable made me want to wrap my arms around him and assure him that everything would be fine. Fighting back that urge, I said, “Because your parents are coming from out-of-town to see you. Trent and I will be intruding on your family time, and it’s weird that you’re okay with that. Tell me what’s really going on.”
He dropped his head. “Everyone in my family has their shit together. All four of my brothers are married with kids and animals and they wear suits to work and golf, just like the folks. I’m a grease monkey who’s never even had a steady girlfriend. I’m the black sheep, the odd ball. If my parents get me alone, it will be all awkward silence from my dad while my mom hounds me about leaving the club and settling down.”
“Oh.” I said between bites. He needed a buffer. “And you think having me and Trent there will make it less of an awkward nag-fest?”
“Yes. My parents are mid-western Catholic, all family values and good manners. They’d never ask about Trent’s dad or anything else that might make you uncomfortable, and they won’t point out all my failures in front of you. Hell, my mom will be so encouraged by your presence it might get her off my ass for a few weeks at least.”
“Your failures?” I asked, confused. “Wasp, you own your own house. You have a car and a bike. You have a good-paying job that you love, and you have enough disposable income to buy Chinese food or take me and my kid to explore a ship museum on a whim. You’re not a failure.”
The grateful smile he gave me made my chest squeeze tight. “Thanks, sweetheart, but I don’t think you understand how perfect my brothers are.”
“I’m a crap-lousy single mom juggling two jobs with no family, no car, and a tiny apartment that I share with the saint who took us in. My presence isn’t going to make you look any better.”
He bolted out of his chair so fast it hit the floor, then he marched over and pulled out my chair, turning me to face him. Weirded out by his bizarre behavior, I dropped my chopsticks on my plate and stood. “What?”
“Don’t say that shit about yourself,” he growled. “You’re an incredible mom in shitty circumstances, doing the best you can. I’ve seen grown men destroyed over less shit than you face daily, but you power through it like a boss. You work your ass off and you never complain and you’re sexy as fuck. Your presence makes me look like one lucky motherfucker.”
Before I could even begin to process his words, his lips were on mine. The connection brought a moment of confusion before sparks of desire ignited in my body. Wasp was kissing me, and it felt incredible. He snaked a hand around to the nape of my neck, and another to the small of my back, pressing me against him to deepen the kiss. His tongue danced around mine as the heat of his body set me on fire. Everywhere he touched me I felt branded, claimed. My nipples pebbled against his hard pectorals, sending jolts of need straight to my core.
His kiss was all passion and heat, and I clung to him, letting myself burn.
We eventually had to come up for air. Wasp leaned his forehead against mine as I tried to catch my breath. My heart and mind raced. I’d kissed a few guys before, but it had never felt so… consuming. I wanted more. I wanted everything he had to offer.
And that was dangerous.
Wasp had done so much for me and Trent. Now, he was asking for help, and I couldn’t turn him down. Especially not if there was a chance of getting another kiss like that. We were playing with a raging bonfire that neither of us could control. There was a chance it would burn us both to the ground, and I wouldn’t be able to pull myself out of the ashes again. Still, I couldn’t resist the flames. Squeezing my eyes closed, I accepted my fate and prepared to fan the fire.
“When’s dinner?”
Wasp
SATURDAY MORNING, I showed up at Carly’s place with a surprise for Trent in a brown paper bag tucked under my arm. Leaving the chain lock in place, a timid little brunette in glasses cracked open the door and greeted me with a hesitant, “Hi. Uh… can I help you?”
Biting back a laugh at her awkward greeting, I beamed her my most friendly smile and answered, “You must be Jessica, the roommate. I’m Wasp. I’m here to see Carly and Trent.”
“Wasp.” Her expression softened, telling me she’d heard about me. Her gaze gave me a good once-over before she realized my words required action on her part. “Oh. It’s nice to meet you. Uh… just a minute.”
She closed the door. I expected her to unlatch the chain and let me in, but she didn’t. Chuckling to myself, I stood in the hallway and waited, wondering what was going on in the apartment. I didn’t have to wait long before I heard the chain lock slide and Carly opened the door wearing a pair of ragged jean shorts and a faded Metallica T-shirt. Her hair was down, she had no makeup on, and she looked fucking edible.
“Hey, Wasp.” Her smile was hesitant, but her eyes were bright. She was surprised, but happy to see me. “Didn’t expect you today. Lunch with your parents is tomorrow, right?”
Because Carly worked only nights on weekends, I’d called Mom to set up a late lunch on Sunday after Dad got out of his seminar. Hearing I was bringing a girl along, Mom was all too willing to accommodate. I’d let her know what I could about Carly’s situation and Mom fell on the information like a goddamn piranha, gobbling it up. I’d explained that we were just friends numerous times, but wouldn’t be surprised if she had monogrammed wedding invitations made up for us by lunch tomorrow.
“Right. I uh… wanted to see you. And I have something for my little buddy.”
Her tongue snaked out and moistened her bottom lip, reminding me of the kiss we’d shared last night. Was she thinking about it, too? My dick instantly hardened, and my mind started spinning. Were we still just friends? We spoke on the phone daily, and last weekend I’d taken her and Trent to tour the USS Turner Joy. Watching his eyes light up as he fired off questions faster than I could answer had been the highlight of my life. Well, until last night’s kiss. Friends sure as hell didn’t kiss like that. I knew Carly and I had chemistry, but damn! The woman had caused a chemical reaction inside me that had me hurrying home to jack off in the shower after that kiss.
&n
bsp; I wanted more. I wanted to trap her body against the wall and dive back into that sweet mouth of hers. I wanted to hear her soft moans and feel her nipples hardening against me. If just kissing her had rocked my world, I couldn’t wait to see what fucking her would be like. I needed to bury my aching, neglected cock deep inside her and watch her eyes roll back in ecstasy as she screamed my name and begged me for release.
“You wanna come in?” Carly asked, her expression unreadable.
I wondered how many of my dirty thoughts she could read in my expression. Could she see all the nasty things I wanted to do to her? Her body had been so damn responsive last night, I knew she wanted to fuck me, too. It would be so easy to just…
“Wasp!” Trent shouted, flinging himself at me.
I caught him one-handed mid-air, his presence serving as a reminder of why I couldn’t have more with Carly. Sex would only complicate the fuck out of this thing between us. Carly wasn’t a one-time-bang type woman, and I didn’t want to hurt her. She’d already been hurt enough. Besides, there was Trent to think about, and he was way more important than getting my dick wet. If I fucked her, it would have to be the start of something bigger—something long lasting—and I wasn’t sure we were ready for that yet.
“Hey buddy.” I mussed up Trent’s hair and handed him his gift.
He peeked into the bag. “Spiderman?” he asked, his face glowing like a goddamn flashlight. “Mom! Wasp bought me the Spiderman movie! And popcorn!”
Realizing I probably should have asked her first, I looked to Carly. “He was telling me about it at school. All the other kids have seen it. I hope it’s okay.”
“It’s not super violent is it?” she asked, plucking the movie from Trent’s hand to read the back. “It’s rated PG thirteen.”
“Comic book violence, dove. He knows it’s not the same as real violence, right, T-man?”
Trent bobbed his head up and down enthusiastically. “Yep. It’s not real, Mom.”
She still didn’t look convinced.
“I figured we could hang out today and watch it with him, so if it gets too bad, we can turn it off.”
“I…” Her gaze flickered to the apartment. “I have a doctor’s appointment. We were just getting ready to leave.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just a checkup.”
“Do you need a ride?”
She shook her head. “No, thanks. Jess is taking me.”
“Well, why don’t I hang out here and watch the movie with Trent while you’re gone so he doesn’t have to hang out in a boring ole’ doctor’s office?”
She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip as she glanced at Trent.
“Yes!” he shouted. “Please, Mom? I’ll be good for Wasp. I don’t want to go to the doctor. They have baby toys.”
Knowing we had her, I joined Trent in his pleading. “Yeah, who wants to play with baby toys?”
“Not me! I wanna watch Spiderman with Wasp!”
“Sometimes they’re slow,” Carly said, still seemingly uncertain. “It could take up to two or three hours.”
I shrugged. “All the more reason for Trent to stay here.”
She worried at her bottom lip some more. “Come in and have a seat. I’ll go make sure it’s cool with Jess.” She started walking toward the hall.
“I have references.” I called out after her. “And I passed the background check and took the training necessary to volunteer at Helping Hands. Man, that was brutal. Also, I can give you my license to hold until I return the kayak… err kid. I mean kid.”
Trent laughed. “I’m not a kayak.”
Lugging him to the couch, I tickled him to elicit more laughter. As I sat, he squirmed out of my arms and started showing me his toys.
While I was getting the backstory on one of his cars, Carly returned, still looking skeptical. “Jess says it’s okay, but give me your license.”
The offer had been mostly a joke, but I didn’t hesitate to pull out my wallet and hand it to her. She snapped a picture with her phone and returned it.
“Andrew, huh? Doesn’t really fit you.”
“I know. Tried to tell my mom that when I asked her to change my name to Bumblebee in grade school.”
Carly cracked up. “Bumble bee? Trent used to sing a song about that. How’d that go, kiddo?”
“I’m bringing home a baby bumble bee, won’t my mommy be so proud of me,” Trent sang, grinning at me.
“You got jokes, kid,” I ruffled his hair. “Not bumble bee. Bumblebee. Like the Transformer. I wanted to be a kid who changed into a car.” I shrugged. “Turns out I’m more of a Wasp.”
“Because you sting?” she asked.
And man, I would love to sting her. “Something like that,” I replied with a wink.
Carly rolled her eyes.
“We should get going,” Jessica said, joining us.
“Before you head out,” I opened the movie case and plucked the disk from it, “Wanna show me how to put this in?”
“That’s what she said,” Trent blurted out.
Shocked, I stared at him. There was no way he could possibly know how dead-on his comedic timing was, but a proud grin stretched across his face as he watched our stunned reactions.
Jessica’s eyes were wide as fucking saucers. She bit her lip and turned away.
Carly’s mouth dropped open. She was trying to say something but couldn’t seem to pull herself together.
That left me, and I was too damn proud of the kid to chastise him. He’d cracked a joke that left all three of us speechless. I had to admire that.
“Trent.” Carly held up a finger, still trying to compose herself. “You have gotta stop saying that. It’s not… It’s… Just please, don’t say that anymore.”
“But it’s funny,” he replied.
Carly’s cheeks were turning red. “I cannot even handle you right now. We’ll talk about this when I get home.” She took the movie from me and put it in the player, turning on the television and passing me the remote. She kissed Trent on the forehead, and then paused inches in front of mine. Her mind was so frazzled, she’d almost kissed my forehead, but had stopped herself.
“I don’t get a kiss goodbye?” I asked, too amused to let that shit slide.
The look she gave me was either pissed or horny. I couldn’t tell whether she was recalling our last kiss or stabbing me in her mind. “No, Bumblebee, I’m a little too worried about getting pollinated.” Trying not to smile, she pulled back and stood up straight.
She’d cracked another joke! I’d known Carly had a sense of humor somewhere, and I felt a rush of pride at bringing it out of her. “Ah, you got jokes, too. All right. You two get out of here and let us men do Spidermanly stuff.”
They left, and I went to the kitchen to throw the bag of popcorn in the microwave. Then my little jokester curled up next to me and snacked on popcorn as we watched the webslinger.
***
I must have told Carly a dozen times that lunch with my parents was no big deal, but when I stopped by to pick her and Trent up Sunday, she was a raving lunatic.
“Too slutty?” she asked, wincing as she opened the door to reveal her outfit.
She wore a button-down sleeveless jean summer dress that showed a tiny bit of cleavage and stopped just above her knees, and her red cowboy boots. Her hair was down in big curls that made me want to run my fingers through it, and her makeup was lighter than what she usually wore at the bar.
“You don’t look slutty at all. You look beautiful.”
She didn’t seem to hear me. “The dress is too short, but I don’t have anything longer. Maybe I should see if I can borrow something from Jess.”
She turned away, but I grabbed her wrist, forcing her to hear me. “Don’t change a thing. Not for them, not for me, not for anyone. I want you to be comfortable in your own clothes, sweetheart. Besides, you could walk in there wearing a string bikini and my mom would love you and invite you for the holidays. Of course, we pr
obably wouldn’t make it to the restaurant because I would be ravaging the fuck out of you, but if we did show, Mom would love you.”
She cracked a smile. “You’re such a perv. Always angling.”
I glanced down at the front of my jeans. “Are you checking out the angle of my dangle?”
“Ohmigod.” She threw her head back, swearing at the ceiling as she went back into the apartment. “Come in. I gotta grab Trent.”
Patting myself on the back for distracting her and putting her at ease, I leaned against the wall and waited. Seconds later, Trent came barreling around the corner, shouting my name. The kid was like a puppy, so damn excited to see me that it made me feel like I must be doing something right. I held out my hands and he leaped right into them.
“Stop running in the house,” Carly said as she joined us. “I swear, one of these days you’re going to fall and break something.”
Probably, but which boy didn’t? “You two ready to go?” I asked.
At her nod, we took the elevator to the parking garage and headed out. Carly was wringing her hands as she stared out the window. I reached for the hand closest to me and intertwined our fingers to get her to stop. Her hand fit perfectly in mine, and the warmth of the connection was helping my nerves, too. She looked at our laced fingers but didn’t pull away, and after a few minutes, her shoulders relaxed.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I found a steakhouse that’s recommended for kids. They have burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and all that. I’m sure we can find something Trent will eat.”
Her eyes softened, and she looked away. “You’re always doing that… always including him. Making sure he’s taken care of.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I asked, confused. “He’s with us.”
“Most people don’t pay attention to what he needs or wants. They don’t plan including him, they just plan and expect him to fit into what they do.”
“Who are these people?”
Carly clamped her mouth closed.