Their Independent Submissive [Knights in Black Leather 5] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Marla Monroe

  “I don’t know. That’s really asking a lot of you on your only day off, Scope.” She knew Tommy would jump at the chance, and it would be good for him to spend time with a man for a change.

  “Look. I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other, but you know me. I’d never allow anything to hurt your son. I’ll protect him with my life, Darla,” he said, and the sincerity in his voice brought tears to her eyes.

  No one other than her parents had ever said anything like that about Tommy before. She trusted Chester and Scope wouldn’t be any different.

  “I trust you, Scope. I just hate for you to spend your only day off taking care of Tommy. He’s a good kid, but he’s still a handful,” she said.

  “After eight years in the Marines, I think I can handle one eight-year-old. After we play ball for a few hours, I’ll grab something to eat and we’ll go back to your place and watch a movie until you make it home.”

  She sighed. There was no way she could say no to something that would thrill her son and ease her mind that he wasn’t stuck inside on a pretty day.

  “Okay. I appreciate the offer. I know Tommy will love it and I won’t be able to settle him down the rest of the week once I tell him.” She couldn’t stop the smile that creased the corners of her mouth.

  “Super. What time do you go in to work on Sunday?” Scope asked her.

  “Noon. Is that too early? If it is, he can stay at the sitter until you can come get him.”

  “Noon is fine. I can’t stay in bed much past nine even if I’ve been up most of the night. Habits are hard to get rid of once you’ve made them. I’ll see you Sunday about 11:30. Be careful, Darla,” he said before hanging up.

  Darla pressed the end button on her phone and set it back in its stand. What had she ever done to deserve the attentions of Scope and Gunner? They were good men and seemed to genuinely like and care about her son. Tommy was going to be so thrilled that she’d never get him to bed. So much for having an early night of it.

  “Tommy! I’ve got a surprise for you,” she called down the short hall.

  * * * *

  Darla rubbed her eyes as she pulled up outside the house. She was so tired. Sundays at the store were always busy. She hated them, but the extra hours sure helped. She hoped Tommy had a good time with Scope while she was at work. He’d picked him up at 11:30 like he’d promised. Tommy had been over the moon, excited.

  She’d barely gotten out of the car before the front door opened and her son ran out to meet her. He threw his arms around her as if she’d been gone a week instead of a few hours. When she looked up to where Scope stood lounging against the doorway, relief washed over her that everything was okay from the relaxed smile on his face.

  “I had the best time in my life, Mom!” Tommy squeezed her so tightly she wasn’t sure she could breathe if he didn’t let go of her. “We played ball and then watched movies. It was awesome, Mom.”

  “Tommy, you might want to let your mom go so she can breathe or she’s going to pass out,” Scope called from the door.

  “Oh, sorry.” Tommy laughed then grabbed her hand to drag her toward the tiny porch. “We’ve got supper cooked for you.”

  “Supper?”

  “Yeah, we kind of cheated, but we did warm it all up,” Scope told her as she walked into the living room.

  “You didn’t have to do that. I was going to cook when I got home,” she said.

  “It wasn’t a big deal. Really. Frozen lasagna and garlic bread,” he said.

  “We forgot the salad, Mom. Sorry.” Tommy didn’t look the least bit sorry about that to her.

  “I’m sure you did.” Darla dropped her purse on the couch. “Scope, thank you so much for spending your afternoon with Tommy. I can tell he had a great time.”

  “I had a lot of fun as well. He’s a great ball player. Go get cleaned up. Dinner is going to be cold if we wait around much longer,” Scope told her.

  Darla nodded, trying to cover the surprise that he was staying. Not that she wouldn’t want him to, but she hadn’t expected it. She would have thought he’d be ready to get home and enjoy the last few hours of his day off.

  Once she’d washed up and changed her shirt to something that didn’t smell like the store, Darla joined her son and Scope at the little kitchen table to eat. Despite the meal coming from a frozen package, it was delicious. Tommy entertained her with what sounded like every second of his day with Scope. The man had made a huge impression on her little boy. She prayed she hadn’t made a mistake letting the guys into their life.

  “You look exhausted, ladybug. Why don’t you go soak in the tub or shower off and get ready for bed while we clean up?” Scope asked.

  “Oh. Thanks, but I can clean up. You guys cooked.”

  Scope shook his head. “You worked today and need some down time. We’ve got this covered. Right, champ?”

  Her son smiled and nodded. “We’ve got it, Mom.”

  She didn’t feel like arguing with them over something she desperately wanted anyway. Darla nodded and strolled down the hall, feeling better than she’d felt in a while. It was nice to have someone take care of things for a change. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get used to it much faster than she should.

  By the time she’d finished her shower and pulled on a pair of sweats, the kitchen had been tidied and her son disappeared into the bathroom to take his bath before bed. She could see that he was really tired and knew it was a good tired for him.

  “Thank you for spending the day with him. He obviously had a great time. I’ve rarely seen him this worn out and smiling at the same time,” she told Scope.

  “Believe me. I had just as much fun as he did. We threw the ball, then actually played a small game with a few other kids who were at the park. Tommy knew them so I took his word that they were okay to play with. I didn’t think he was one to lie.”

  “He wouldn’t. I’m sure they were fine,” she said.

  “He’s really good for someone who isn’t on a team, Darla. Is it because of the cost?” he asked, then looked as if he wished he hadn’t uttered the words the second they were out of his mouth.

  Darla swallowed and kept her expression as normal as possible. She hated that she wasn’t giving her son everything he needed in life. She was doing the best she could. To have Scope pick up on her failure hurt—a lot.

  “I’m hoping to be able to get him in next year. I make sure he gets lots of exercise and plays with other kids his age.”

  “Darla, I’m sorry. That came out wrong. I’m not criticizing at all. You’re doing a wonderful job of taking care of him. I just wanted to be sure there wasn’t another reason so I didn’t make a mistake with him.” Scope looked desperate. “You know, like asthma or some sort of allergy to bee stings or something.”

  Shaking her head she swallowed the ache and relaxed. She knew Scope would never judge her. It just stung. Her son shouldn’t have to suffer. It was all because she was partially Mexican. It didn’t matter that she was fully third-generation American. Her son’s sperm donor had labeled her and by doing so, deprived Tommy of all that he could have had in life. She had been good enough to screw, but she wasn’t good enough to marry, and that made her son not good enough to claim as well.

  “It’s okay. I understand. There just isn’t enough money for everything he needs. I’ve got to get him new shoes now because his are too small again. I can’t afford new shoes and cleats and a new glove. I’m sure you could tell his is too small and the stitching has been reworked a few times too many. That’s why I took a second job. I want to be able to give him more. He deserves it. He’s a great boy.” She hated that her words ended in a soft sob.

  “Shhh, Darla. It’s okay. You’ve raised an amazing son who knows how hard you work and appreciates it. He doesn’t feel deprived in the least,” Scope told her as he enfolded her in his arms.

  She sighed against his shirt, smelling the slight scent of male sweat and the soap he used. It smelled of leather and wood sm
oke. He’d spent time with her son, showing him a great time, then cooked dinner for her. How would she ever be able to forget this when he wasn’t there anymore?

  Darla was just about to back out of his embrace when he leaned in, closing the distance between their mouths. Before it could register what he was planning to do, his lips whispered across hers. A trail of warmth sizzled over her mouth much like a firefly would leave a trace of light behind it.

  He dipped again, only this time the kiss had more substance to it as he touched the corners of her mouth with his before licking across where her lips met. She wanted to open them but he retreated before she took the chance.

  “I’d love nothing more than to tuck you in, sweet pea, but you need to lock up behind me. If you need anything at all, call us. Do you still have our numbers?” Scope asked.

  She fought through the fog that clouded her mind from the simple kiss he’d given her. She nodded slowly.

  “I mean it, Darla. If you need anything at all. Call us. We’ll get our feelings hurt if you don’t.” He kissed her nose then took her hand and dragged her toward the front door. “Don’t forget. Lock up.”

  Darla stared at the door for several long seconds after he closed it behind himself. A sharp rap on the door jerked her attention back from the naughty haze it had been floating in. She grinned and snapped the locks in place. A minute later, the sound of his truck starting told her he was on his way home.

  “What have I gotten myself into?”

  “Mom? Are you okay?” Tommy asked from the hall doorway.

  Darla turned and smiled. “I’m fine, hon. Just locking up after Scope. Let’s get you tucked in. I’m beat. Can’t wait to dive under the covers, too.”

  “I really like Scope, Mom. He and Gunner are nice and they don’t treat me like a baby. Scope said that one of them will come see us or take me to play ball whatever day they are off each week. I think they really like you, Mom.”

  Her son’s words thrilled her and scared her all at the same time. She’d known the dangers of allowing them to be a part of her life, but it didn’t stop her from worrying. Tommy meant more to her than anything, and making sure he was protected as well as happy would always come first.

  I’ve loved Chester—Scope—since I was a teenager. It broke my heart when he joined up and left Perkins City. Can I handle going through that again? Can I handle two men with a son to raise and two jobs? Oh, God. What was I thinking?

  Chapter Ten

  Darla sighed as she finished restocking the candy shelf. It had been amazingly slow for a Saturday night. It had given her the time she needed to make sure all of the shelves were full and rotated for a change. It was the one thing she had the most trouble getting done on her shift at the convenience store.

  The other thing it allowed her to do was think, something she really didn’t need to be doing right then.

  The last few weeks had been wonderful for her and for Tommy. Though she’d worked so much of them, she’d still been able to see one or the other of the guys each week depending on which one was off. They would pick up Tommy and mess around with him all day, then have something to eat ready when she got home. It all seemed too good to be true. Tommy was the happiest she’d seen him since he’d been a baby. Part of her resented that she wasn’t the one putting the relaxed smile on his face, but another part of her knew it had more to do with them being men than it did her lack of good parenting skills.

  The first time Gunner had taken Tommy she had to admit she’d been nervous and worried. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, he was Scope’s friend and she knew he’d never allow anyone around her or Tommy he didn’t trust. It was that she was afraid his quiet, slightly cold personality or demeanor might scare her son or make him uncomfortable. Not surprisingly, Tommy didn’t seem to notice, and was just as excited about his time with Gunner as he’d been with Scope.

  Gunner’s romantic approach was much more straightforward than Scope’s as well. He wasn’t soft and gentle but quick and decisive. Their personality differences kept her guessing and wondering what to expect next. She loved, it and was sure she was coming more and more under their spell.

  Just thinking about the last time Gunner had held her in his arms sent shivers down her spine and a gush of arousal to wet her panties. She’d had no trouble telling he’d been aroused from the enormous bulge that pressed against her belly. He’d ground it against her, turning her around to lean against the door so that he could nip and kiss her neck while he pressed that hard, thick cock restrained by denim against her ass.

  She had moaned low but a little louder than she’d liked. When had she ever moaned like that? Even now she could almost feel his thick erection rubbing at the cleft of her ass cheeks. Once again her pussy dribbled into her panties to remind her that she was in over her head.

  She had to stop thinking about them. Instead of mooning over them like a lovesick schoolgirl, she needed to focus on her job. The guys wouldn’t be there to ease the ache she’d built into a hot, burning fire. It would be Scope’s turn to come on Sunday. She was actually off from both jobs and was planning to spend the time they were at the ball park cleaning house.

  Darla had just stepped back behind the counter when the door chimed, letting her know someone had come in. She needed to get her head out of the clouds and back onto work. She had another four hours to go.

  She looked around but didn’t see whoever had come in. Then she heard one of the cooler doors open and close. About that time, the person came into view as he walked down the chips aisle and grabbed a bag of Fritos without even looking at them. Darla’s stomach churned. She’d never seen this particular person before that she could remember. He didn’t seem the least bit worried about what he’d chosen and looked directly at her as he walked slowly but purposely toward her.

  When he stopped at the counter and set the bottle of beer on the counter, tossing the chips next to them, she forced a smile she didn’t feel.

  “Did you find everything you were looking for?” she asked, proud that her voice didn’t tremble.

  “Yeah. Found just what I wanted.” His whiney voice took her by surprise.

  Darla expected a much stronger voice to come out of someone who looked like he did, with scraggly, rough-cut hair, a slightly crooked nose, and the tats up and down his arms. She tried not to stare yet look confident at the same time. Staring at someone posed a challenge, just like in the animal world. Completely avoiding their eyes put you into prey category, so she had to look at him without meeting his eyes.

  “Good. That’s four seventy-five, please.” She bagged the beer in a small bag, then put it and the chips in a slightly larger one.

  The guy handed over a five and grabbed the bag. “Keep the change.”

  Darla watched him saunter out and noticed that he had on boots with a good one-inch heel, and hit the height marker on the door right at five foot eight. It had become habit to check those things out and something told her to make note of the man. She grabbed a piece of cash register tape and quickly jotted down everything she could remember about the creepy guy. Then she stuck it in the register and forgot about it when the next group of teens came in to drive her insane with their antics.

  * * * *

  Gunner stretched, working out the kinks from contorting his big body to reach the different parts of a big diesel rig. It felt good to be doing something he didn’t have to really think about, but it played hell on the body. The hot shower had helped to loosen him up, but an ice cold beer would be even better.

  Pulling on a pair of cut-off sweats and a wife beater, Gunner jogged down the stairs and into the kitchen where Scope already had one open and waiting on him.

  “Feel better?” his friend asked.

  “Hell, yeah. Nothing like a hot shower and this.” He lifted the bottle then took a long, deep pull from it. “Can’t get much better than this.”

  “Oh yeah it can. The house is straight and clean now. It’s time to bring Darla here to look at i
t. I want to see her reaction and find out if there’s anything she might like different,” Scope said.

  “How the hell are you going to figure that out without asking her? She’ll know something’s going on if you push on that, man.” Sometimes Scope didn’t think things through when he was passionate about them, and he was fucking overboard on passionate about Della.

  “Just watch her expressions. Ask general questions. I’m not stupid, Gunner,” Scope made a face at him. “You can tell a lot about how a woman feels just watching the way her eyes widen or narrow.”

  “I’ll leave that to you then. I’ll stick to making sure the house is safe and that the grounds are safe for Tommy.” He could do that.

  He’d already checked for signs of poisonous snakes and any tracks of dangerous animals. He hadn’t been able to find any holes he could get hurt in or dangerous plants. Next he was going to look at putting up motion detectors farther into the trees set high enough to catch a man sneaking around or maybe a deer with a nice spread. He really didn’t expect mountain lions but he’d watch for tracks just the same.

  “Are you listening to me?” Scope’s annoyed voice broke in to his planning.

  “No, sorry. What were you saying?”

  His friend sighed and shook his head before downing the rest of his beer. “I said that it looked like we were going to be caught up at work in the next week or so. We should both be getting Sundays off and maybe a two-day weekend now and then soon. We can spend more time with Darla and Tommy.”

  “I hope we can get her to let someone watch him soon so we can spend some time alone with her, too. I like Tommy and wouldn’t take anything for him, but we need to have some adult time with her, as well,” he told Scope.

  “I agree. We want her to bond with us on an emotional level and eventually a physical level. It’s hard to do that with Tommy there,” Scope agreed. “I really like Tommy, Gunner. He’s a good kid.”