“Okay,” she said hesitantly, giving me a slight smile.
I ruffled Evie’s hair and motioned for her to go to Brooke. “Daddy will come see you later, okay?”
“Kay, Daddy.” She smiled, but I could tell that she was sad. It wouldn’t always be like this. One day I would have more energy and I would be playing with her again. That day just wasn’t today. When Brooke shut the door I sank back down into the bed and fell back asleep.
“Wake up, fucker.” The covers were yanked from my body and the cool air had me curling up in a ball.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I grumbled as I tried to hide from Derek.
“I’m here to kick your ass.”
I glared at him. “You know, I just got out of the fucking hospital. I think I deserve a little time away from your face.”
“You didn’t just get out of the hospital,” Hunter said as he walked through the door carrying my workout bag. “You’ve been out of the hospital for two weeks and you’ve hardly left that bed. The doctor said that you were supposed to be setting goals for each week.”
“I have been,” I grumbled. “I’ve been getting up to go to the bathroom and…”
“Yeah, let’s start setting goals higher than making it to the shitter.”
“Up you go,” Derek said, yanking on my arm.
“Leave me the fuck alone. I’ll do it tomorrow.”
“Nope, we’ve left you alone long enough. You’ve had your time to sleep, but now you’re just pissing everyone off.”
I looked at him in confusion. “Like who? I haven’t actually seen anyone.”
“Brooke,” Hunter said, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
“Brooke’s not pissed at me. She’s been really great.”
“Yeah, she’s been really great at annoying the fuck out of me every five minutes of the day when she calls to complain about you.”
“She’s been calling about me?” I asked him.
“All the fucking time. Seriously, she told me that she can’t stand to even come in the room anymore.” He lifted his face and sniffed then grimaced at Derek. “Now I see why.”
“That’s not true. She was just in here earlier with Evie.”
“Yeah?” Derek asked. “How long did she stay?”
“I don’t know. I was tired and-”
“You went back to sleep,” Derek finished with a roll of his eyes. “We know. We heard all about it when Brooke called us over here.”
“But…she hasn’t said anything about this to me.”
“When was the last time that she slept in bed with you?” Hunter asked.
“Um…last week? But she said that she was worried about disturbing me.”
“Yeah,” Hunter grumbled, “it had nothing to do with the stench.”
“And when was the last time that she kissed you?” Derek asked.
“Um…” I ran my tongue over my teeth, noticing that they felt really fuzzy and disgusting.
“Yeah, that disgusting feeling in your mouth? That’s fungus growing from you not doing something as simple as brushing your fucking teeth.”
“Is it really that bad?”
“Why the fuck do you think we’re here?” Derek asked. “It’s certainly not because we want to smell you.”
“Get the fuck up and shower,” Hunter said, motioning for me to get my ass in the bathroom.
I sat up and shuffled my way into the bathroom. My whole body was fucking sore and standing in the shower was the last thing I wanted to do, but there was no way I was fucking soaking in the tub. Especially if it wasn’t after a hard workout. At least then I could claim sore muscles. Although…I stared at the tub longingly, but decided that sitting in my own filth right now wasn’t really an option.
The water pounded down on my sore body just minutes later and I started to question why I had waited so long to take a fucking shower. When I was done, I was exhausted and ready for a nap, but when I stepped out of the bathroom the guys were waiting with my gym bag.
“You can’t be fucking serious,” I said in disbelief.
“You’re going to the gym. I don’t care if you just walk around and look at shit. You’re getting out of this house so Brooke can clean the fucking room. And when you get home tonight, you’re gonna play with your fucking daughter and pretend to be part of the world.”
Hunter threw the bag at me, and I just barely caught it and stayed standing upright. This was really gonna suck.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Brooke
“I’m home!”
I ran toward the front door to kiss Rocco. He’d been going into work now for two weeks, though he wasn’t doing anything but building up his strength. When I called Hunter two weeks ago and threatened him with moving in if he didn’t get his ass over to Rocco’s, he’d laughed at me. But when I told him that Cap was perfectly fine with calling the courts and changing my location, he shut up real fast. He was over just a half hour later to drag Rocco out of the house. At first I’d felt bad. I mean, Rocco had been through a lot and his body did need the time to heal. But he wasn’t even trying, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. Neither could Evie. She was desperate to see her daddy and his glances weren’t enough to satisfy her.
“Sweets,” Rocco grinned. “How was your day?”
“Good. Evie actually kept her clothes on today and I didn’t lock her in the cocoon, so that’s always a plus.”
“Hey, as long as she lives to the end of the day, right?”
“That’s what I figured,” I said with a grin. “How was training?”
“Good.” He pulled me in for a kiss and I felt something push against me that I hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“That good, huh?”
“Amazing,” he said, licking at my neck and nipping at my ear. “I need you, Sweets.”
God, I was desperate for the man, but I knew that I had to wait until he was recovered. It seemed now that he was recovered and ready to go. His hand slipped around to my ass and squeezed lightly, just enough to make me really, really want to chuck Evie outside, but not actually go through with it.
I groaned and took a step back. “Dinner first. Fucking later.”
“If you insist,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll just go take a shower.”
I grinned and started on dinner. Ever since the guys hauled him out of here, he’d been taking showers regularly, which I greatly appreciated. I was sleeping in the same bed with him and kissing him again, so I was living on cloud nine. I had even begun to look forward to my time with Evie when he left for work. We’d come to a kind of understanding ever since the day that I locked her in the baby cocoon. I would try and keep her alive and she would do her best to not make my day so difficult that it drove me to drink at the end of it. So far, it was really working out quite well for us, but I always kept a bottle of wine on hand just in case.
After dinner, Rocco played with Evie until bedtime and then took her into her bedroom for their bedtime story. I had missed hearing it, so I stood by the door, waiting until he was finished with The Tale Of The Badass Takes On The Farm Equipment. I was pretty sure he left out the worst of it since he knew I was listening in. I didn’t really want to hear about how he almost died.
“Hey,” he said, coming up to me and giving me a kiss. I hadn’t realized that the story was over. I was too lost in my own thoughts. He pulled the door closed and backed me up against the wall on the opposite side of the hall. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too.”
“Good,” he said with a grin, pulling me into the bedroom. I suddenly felt awkward and shy. After all this time of not having sex, you would think I would just jump him, but we had also told each other that we loved the other. That put a different spin on what would happen, though I didn’t want it to. What if he wanted slow and sexy? I always wanted hard and fast. I wasn’t into the whole ‘making love’ bit. I didn’t think it was real. It was sex; down and dirty fucking.
As I stood there f
iddling with my shirt, he stripped his and started prowling toward me, tossing his shirt on the floor as he came toward me.
“The bin is right there,” I pointed out, needing just a little reprieve from his intense stare.
“Fuck the clothes. I’ll get them later.”
He walked right up to me and pulled my shirt over my head, then flicked the back of my bra and pulled it off my arms. My body shivered in the cold and my nipples tightened as he looked down on them. I reached for his pants, but my hands were shaking and I was fumbling with everything. He grabbed my hands to steady them and then lifted my chin.
“What’s going on, Sweets?”
“Nothing,” I croaked. He quirked an eyebrow, giving me a sexy half grin. “Okay, I’m worried that everything’s going to change between us.”
“How?”
“You know, because you said…and I said…”
“Ah, so you think it’s going to get all intense.”
I nodded. “I just liked what we had going.”
“Sweets, look at me.” I did and almost melted at the smoldering look he gave me. “I do want to cherish you. I want to make sweet, slow love to you and worship your body with my tongue. I want to make you come so many times that your body gives out in my arms.”
I wasn’t gonna lie, I was a little disappointed in that. I did not want slow love making in any way. But it wasn’t like I could tell him that.
“But once I look at your body, the only think I can think about was how fast I can get inside you and how hard I can fuck you.” He grabbed me under the ass and tossed me onto the bed as I squealed. “So, if that’s what you want, you’re gonna have to fuck me all night long until I’m so spent that the only way I can get it up is if there’s a promise from you to not break my dick with your pussy.”
He crawled over me and yanked my pants down and then unbuttoned his own jeans. Shoving them down slightly, he pulled his cock out and then yanked my legs until I was right where he wanted me. His cock was inside me seconds later and the ride I got was so down and dirty that I was blushing by the time he was done fucking me.
“So, you want me to try the whole making love shit?”
✯✯✯✯✯
Rocco had been feisty since he came home last night. It seemed like every time he saw me, he was grabbing me or whispering what he wanted to do to me. It was making it a little hard to get Evie ready, and I knew that Rocco had to leave for work soon. He walked into the kitchen as I was preparing Evie’s breakfast and grabbed me around the waist, dipping me and kissing me hard. I was laughing so hard at his shenanigans that I barely heard the knock on the door. Rocco kissed me again before setting me upright and then leaned in for another kiss, but the knocking grew louder.
“I think I liked it better when they left us alone,” he grumbled as he made his way to the door. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face, and even bent down to give Evie a kiss on the cheek as I slipped her bowl in front of her. She was really growing on me, to the point that I wasn’t even worried about the future anymore. I knew Rocco and I would figure it out somehow.
“Brooke.”
I turned around to see Knight standing in the living room, his typical scowl on his face.
“Knight. Did you come to install more lasers? Maybe add in a moat outside with alligators?”
“You know why I’m here.” His voice was low and deadly and had me rethinking my snark. I glanced at Rocco, but he looked just as confused as I was. “You remember our deal.”
I took a step back in shock. I didn’t think he was serious about that. I mean, who interfered in someone else’s life like that? “You don’t get to come in here and tell me what to do.”
“I told you what would happen,” he warned.
“Sweets, what’s going on?”
I shook my head slightly, stunned that Knight was doing this. I needed more time. “Nothing. He’s just being Knight.”
“Your girl is hiding something from you.”
Rocco’s gaze swung to mine and the intensity of his stare nearly crippled me. “Rocco, if you trust me, then trust me to tell you in my own time.”
“No,” Knight barked. “That’s not the deal.”
“What does it matter to you?” I snapped. “It’s none of your goddamn business.”
“It’s my business because it’s his business. It affects him and his daughter. I told you I would tell him.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Rocco said to Knight. “If you know something that affects me and my daughter, you shouldn’t have kept it a secret.”
“I made a deal with Brooke.” My heart pounded and my whole body shook with fear and rage. How dare he take this out of my hands and make the decision for me. I wasn’t ready. Truth be told, I would never be ready. “I told her when I installed the systems in your house that if this thing with the two of you grew into something serious, then she would tell you her secret. If not, I would tell you.”
Rocco looked at me again, but I could barely hold his gaze. I felt like I was going to throw up.
“Brooke,” Rocco said, not using my nickname. “Whatever it is, just tell me. We can figure it out.”
I looked at him and hardened myself. I may be pushed into this, but I wasn’t about to go all soft just because of Knight. “I told you that I would tell you when I was ready. That’s going to have to be good enough for you. Tell your guard dog to stand down. This isn’t something he needs to be involved in.”
He didn’t look too happy at that comment, but turned to Knight anyway. “Whatever it is, we’ll work it out. I think we need some time to talk.”
But Knight didn’t move.
Shit. He was going to say something. I could tell by the way his eyes were boring into me, skewering me like I was a traitor. I could take my chance and tell Rocco right now. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was really nothing at all, but it was still my secret to tell. I just had to open my mouth and say something.
Just do. Just open your mouth and tell him.
“Her mother has Huntington’s Disease,” Knight said without any remorse.
My eyes slid closed and tightness gathered in my chest. I didn’t want to open my eyes and look at Rocco, but I needed to. Now that he knew, he would have questions, and what I told him would probably be the end of us.
“Sweets,” he said quietly. I opened my eyes and looked at him, swallowing hard and trying to get myself under control. “I’m sorry.”
I nodded, not knowing what else to say.
“Did you get tested?”
I shook my head.
“Well, it’s that simple then. We’ll just go get the test done. It’s a fifty-fifty chance, right?”
I couldn’t look at him, so I dropped my eyes to the floor.
“She has no intention of ever getting tested. She spoke with a geneticist, but told him flat out that she didn’t want to know and there was no reason to ever find out,” Knight informed him.
“But that’s changed, right?” Rocco asked me. “Because of Evie and me. That’s all changed, right?”
I shook my head slowly. “I don’t want to know.”
“Brooke-”
“What good would it do? There’s nothing that can be done,” I said without feeling. I was slipping into that cold demeanor that I remembered encasing myself in when I first found out.
“What good would it do? Sweets, you’ve got to be kidding me. It would let us know what we’re up against. It would let us know if we need to watch out for anything. And there are treatments-”
“That don’t do a damn thing to extend my life,” I snapped. I noticed Knight had slipped out the front door and I felt like chasing him down and pummeling him.
“We’re not just talking about you anymore. Maybe that was fine when you were alone, but you’re not alone anymore. How could you be okay with putting me through that? Putting Evie through that?”
“Putting you through that?” I asked incredulously. “Up until now, I never thought ab
out it. I go about my life and I live it for me. I do things the way I want and it never even fazes me that my life could turn out differently. And now you want me to change all that?”
“But your life could be different,” he insisted. “What if you don’t have the gene? There would be nothing to worry about.”
“And what if I do have the gene? Then I get to spend the rest of my life thinking about what’s up ahead for me? I get to question everything that happens from this point on? Wondering if I stumbled because I was clumsy or if the symptoms are starting to show? Why would anyone want to live like that?”
“So, instead, you’re going to shove your head in the sand and pretend that none of this is happening?”
“It’s my choice to make!”
He took a step back and shook his head, glancing over at Evie. “You’re wrong. It was your choice. But if you want any part in my life, in Evie’s life, you have to think about us too, and what this would do to us. We deserve to know, and so do you.”
“So, if I decide not to get tested, you don’t want to be with me? Is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m saying that you’re either in or you’re out. You’re either with us as a family or you’re not. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t say that you want to build something with us, and then keep something so fucking important hidden. That’s not the way a family works. We want you no matter what those fucking tests say, but we need to know. We need to be prepared.”
“Why does it have to be your way? Why can’t you see that I just can’t do this? I need this for my own sanity, and if you push me into doing something that I really don’t want to do, I’ll never forgive you or myself.”
“I’m just looking out for you. I want to be there no matter what happens. I want to plan our future together, but I can’t fucking do that without knowing what might happen.”
“So, you don’t fucking plan,” I shouted. “Why does everything have to have a plan?”
“So that we can do everything possible to squeeze in every ounce of happiness while we can.”
Rocco Page 27