“Hmm, night Mitch.”
“Night, Sparky.”
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Chapter 25
Mitch
“No, no way, no how. We are not going in there, Mitch.”
We were standing outside of Burt’s Bargain Furniture, and Scarlett was freaking out. Levi was jumping up and down, basically bouncing off the walls, ready to get in the store.
“Come on, Mama. Maybe they have this race car bed I saw on TV.”
“No, we can’t go in there. I can’t afford this right now, Mitch. I’ve barely had enough money to buy groceries and rent. Let’s just go to Wal-Mart.” Scarlett grabbed my hand and tried pulling me to the truck.
“No,” I said, standing my ground. “You and Levi both need a bed, and I’m not going to let you sleep on a shitty air mattress.”
“It’s not up to you, Mitch.”
“It’s either this or you stay at my place, Scar.”
She folded her arms over her chest and tapped her foot. “You’re not playing fair, Mitch. You know how much I hate taking help from you.”
“Yeah.” I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. “But you don’t have a choice. So, a new bed or you move in with me.”
“Come on, mama.” Levi grabbed Scarlett’s hand and tugged her toward the store.
“I hate you,” she whispered over her shoulder to me, but she followed Levi into the store.
She may hate me, but there was no way in hell she was going to sleep on an air mattress one more night.
_______________
Mitch
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Scarlett, yes. There is no reason for you and Levi to sleep in the same bed.”
She crossed her arms over her chest for the tenth time since we came into the store and shook her head. “It’s a queen bed, Levi and I can sleep in that bed without even touching. It’s huge.”
“First off, a queen bed is not huge, Scar. My bed, a California King, is a huge bed. This bed,” I pointed to the bed in front of us. “Is just big enough for when I stay the night.”
“Oh, that’s what you think, that you’re staying the night again?”
“It’s not what I think, it’s what I know. And second off, Levi needs to have his own room and bed. He’s a boy.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It makes perfect sense.” I turned to the sales guy who was standing off to the side trying to act like he wasn’t listening to Scarlett and I argue. “We’ll take this one and the race car bed over there.” The guy wrote something down on a little pad of paper and headed off to the front desk.
“I hate you.” She stalked over to Levi, who was laying on the race car bed and sat down next to him.
That seemed to be the running theme for the day, but she’d thank me when these beds got delivered to her house. I pulled my phone out of my pocket seeing I had missed a call from Luke and swiped left, connecting the call.
“You called?” I asked as I kept my eye on Scarlett and Levi. Levi was the opposite of his mama. He was beyond excited to get his new bed and couldn’t stop thanking me.
“Violet wants to have a cookout tonight, and she wants Scarlett and Levi to come.”
“What about me?”
“Well, she figured if Scarlett came you wouldn’t be far behind.”
“She’s told me twice today that she hates me. I’ll have to see if I can talk her into coming.”
“Hell. You two have only been together for a couple of weeks, and you’re already pissing her off?” Luke laughed.
“I like to keep her on her toes.”
“I’m sure you’re doing that. Be here at three, bring potato salad and whatever the hell else you want.” I hung the phone up and shoved it back in my pocket.
Scarlett was laying down on the car bed next to Levi, her hands tickling Levi and he was laughing up a storm next to her. I knew right then and there the way to get Scarlett to go to the cookout with me tonight.
Levi.
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Chapter 26
Scarlett
I hated him. I absolutely hated him.
I had somehow been talked into making potato salad and chocolate chip cookies for a BBQ Luke and Violet were having tonight. I had been duped by a four-year-old and Mitch.
“He passed out halfway through some monster truck movie he put on.” Mitch walked down the hallway and leaned against the kitchen counter.
After Mr. Pushy had bought a bed not only for me but for Levi too, we had headed to the store where he insisted on me telling him everything I needed to make potato salad and cookies and then he filled the cart up with a bunch of other food he said my fridge needed. It was hard to say no to Mitch, but when you add in Levi begging and pleading for everything, I couldn’t say no.
“He probably didn’t sleep well last night and all that running around we did today wore him out.” I started scooping the cookie dough onto the sheet pan and turned down the water that the potatoes were boiling in. I had the dressing all made, and all I was waiting on was the potatoes to be done.
Mitch grabbed the bowl of cookie dough out from under me and swiped his finger through it. “I haven’t seen real, homemade cookie dough since my mama died.” He stuck the gob in his mouth and licked his finger. “Now that’s good.”
“Um, what happened to your mom?” I finished scooping the first tray and stuck it in the oven.
“Car accident. Neither of them made it.” Mitch wiped his hands on his jeans, and I walked into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Losing your parents was horrible, losing them at the same time seemed unbearable to me.
“Where are your parents, Scar?”
“Oh, um, I don’t have any. I was in foster care until I was eighteen.” I’ve never known my parents. I was told growing up that they couldn’t keep me, and that was all I knew.
“Really?” He asked.
I tilted my head back and looked him in the eye. “Yeah. I did OK, though. I mean, besides the whole Manny thing, I was fine. The foster homes I was in weren’t bad.”
“I’m sorry, Scar.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead and wrapped his arms tight around me.
“Nothing to be sorry about. I have to believe they gave me up to give me a better life. As of right now, I can’t complain.” A smile spread across my lips. “Although, you’re mighty pushy, and you don’t fight fair. Pitting my son against me is as low as you can go, Mitch.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes, Sparky. That might be something you should remember.” He brushed his lips against my mouth, and I couldn’t help but moan at his touch.
“I have cookies in the oven and potatoes boiling, Mitch,” I mumbled against his lips.
“How long until they’re done?”
“Hmm,” I hummed as his lips traveled down my neck. “Um, eight minutes or so, but then I have at least five more batches to do.”
“After this pan comes out, you’re mine for at least ten minutes.” He grabbed me around the waist and pressed me against the counter.
“This is you being pushy again.”
“No, this is me finding a way to give us both what we want. Levi is asleep so that means it’s Mitch and Scarlett time.”
“Stop,” I whimpered. “I forgot to set a timer and with you distracting me I’ll never remember to take the cookies out.” I pushed him away and ran my fingers through my hair. “Seven minutes.” I pointed my finger at him and walked to the other side of the kitchen. My kitchen wasn’t very big, but there were at least five feet in between us now.
“I’m counting the minutes, Scar,” he growled. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “You better make sure you have everything done when those cookies come out of the oven, because as soon as they hit that counter, you’re mine.”
I blushed from head to toe, knowing that his words were more than just an idle threat. I checked the potatoes, pok
ing them to see if they were done as Mitch’s gaze followed my every move.
“So, what exactly do you win at the end of all of these races?” I was trying to distract Mitch, but I was also curious.
“We all put $1,000 in at the beginning of the season. Winner of the most races takes all.”
“Holy hell. That’s what, five grand?”
“More like ten.” He swiped his finger through the cookie dough again and licked it off. “Not everyone makes it to each race. The more you make it to, the better your odds are of winning.”
“That seems fair, but then it doesn’t,” I laughed.
“It all comes down to how bad you want it. If you want that money, you’ll make it to all of the races.”
I grabbed the colander from under the cabinet and put it in the sink. I dumped the huge pot of potatoes into it, and the steam billowed up, giving me a facial. “How many races do you make it to?”
“At least three-quarters of them, if not more.”
“How many times have you won the whole thing?” I peeked into the oven, checking the cookies, seeing they only had a couple of minutes left until they were done.
“Three times I’ve won it, and Kurt has won it twice.”
“Three times,” I gasped. “That’s thirty thousand dollars you’ve won!”
“Yeah, except in street racing, it’s not hard to blow ten grand on a new engine or blower.”
“Really? The way I spend money, it would take me six months to spend that much money.”
“Street racing isn’t cheap, Scarlett. You gotta spend big to win big.”
I thought about Mitch’s words, and I guess that rang true in everything. You really didn’t get anything in life for free.
I pulled the sheet of cookies out of the oven and set it on the stove. The second I slipped the oven mitt off of my hand, Mitch wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. “Time's up,” he growled in my ear.
“Ten minutes is all you need?”
“No, but I know that’s all you’re going to give me.” He swung me up into his arms, spun around and set me on the counter. His mouth assaulted my lips as his hands tugged up my shirt and pulled it over my head.
“Mitch, what if Levi wakes up?” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down the hallway.
“This is the exact reason why you need your own bed, but for now, we’re going to have to improvise.” His hands went to the zipper on his jeans and tugged it down.
I licked my lips as he pulled his jeans down, and his tented boxers came into view. “I don’t think ten minutes is enough,” I whimpered. He pulled his boxers off and stroked his hard cock.
“It’s all we have, and I need to be inside of you again. Pants off.”
I didn’t need to be told twice. I jumped down from the counter, slipped my pants off and wrapped my arms around Mitch’s neck. “I’m assuming you have a plan,” I mumbled into his neck.
“I’ve always got a plan.” He lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist, He walked into the living room, pinning me against the wall. “Just hold on, Sparky.” He lowered me down onto his cock, and I tossed my head back. I bounced up and down on his dick, biting my lips to keep from moaning too loud.
“Fuck, Scar,” he growled into my ear. He thrust into me, his lips on my neck and his hands roaming all over my body. His hand snaked down my body, and his finger zeroed in on my clit. He circled around it, teasing me with each touch.
“Mitch,” I whimpered. “More.”
His finger flicked my clit, giving me exactly what I wanted. “I want you to come all over my dick.” His teeth bit down on my earlobe, and I couldn’t believe that I was ready to come.
“What the hell are you doing to me?” I moaned as his finger sped up.
“Reminding you that you’re mine.” He flicked my clit one last time, and my release washed over me. I held onto Mitch, feeling every tremor and wave of pleasure wash over me. “Give it to me, Scar.”
He pounded into me, and he reared his head back, teeth clench and finally let go. I ran my fingers over his head and tilted his head down to me. I sealed my lips with him, and he moaned into my mouth, thrusting one last time.
“That was the best ten minutes of my life.”
“Better get used to it.”
“I really don’t feel like finishing those cookies now,” I sighed, leaning my head against the wall.
“Finish those cookies, and I might just reward you.”
“Is that bribery, Mitch?”
“No, that’s me wanting homemade cookies from my smoking hot girlfriend.”
Mitch let go of my legs, and I slid down the wall. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can oblige you.” I winked at Mitch and sauntered over to my pile of clothes in the kitchen.
“How long does Levi usually take a nap for?” Mitch asked.
“Um, typically an hour. Why?” I shimmied into my underwear and hooked my bra on.
“I was hoping maybe you could also finish up those cookies naked.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“So a naked Betty Crocker is your ultimate fantasy?” I pulled my shirt over my head and grabbed the bowl of cookie dough. I really needed to get the next batch of cookies in the oven, or we would never make it over to Luke’s in time.
“I think anything that involves you is my new fantasy, Sparky.”
“Well, naked Betty Crocker is going to have to wait for another time. Levi typically takes an hour nap, but sometimes it’s crap shoot on how long he’ll be down for.”
“I guess I’ll just have to make a list for the next time we’re alone.” He pulled his pants on, zipping the fly but leaving the button undone. He walked over to me, hugging me from behind and brushed my hair off of my neck. “I think Frankie is going to earn that pair of shoes she’s been wanting in no time.” I shivered at his words, knowing where Levi was going to be spending more time with Frankie in the weeks to come.
“Whatever you want, Mitch,” I purred. I scooped more cookies on the pan while Mitch kissed my neck, reminding me why I didn’t mind his pushy ways or his help.
Things were finally looking up, and I had Mitch to thank for everything.
______________
Chapter 27
Mitch
“Did Leelee actually bring a date?”
“Yeah, Vi said she’s been seeing the guy for a bit.” Luke flipped the burgers on the grill and shut the lid. We were all gathered in the front of the shop where Luke and I had dragged out the picnic table and camping chairs. Kurt was at the store right now picking up a fire pit for the bonfire later. Luke and Kurt had struck some kind of truce, although with Leelee bringing a date, I felt that truce was going to explode.
“Did you look at that guy? He sure doesn’t look like a guy Leelee would date.” The guy who was standing next to Leelee was a prep with a capital P. “Where the hell did she find this guy?”
“He came into the shop a couple of weeks ago and apparently they hit it off.”
“Kurt know she’s got a boyfriend?” I grabbed a beer out of the cooler next to the grill and popped the top.
“Not sure. If he doesn’t know, I’m not sure how this is going to go when he comes back. He insists he hates her, but Violet doesn’t think so.”
“Honestly, I think I’d have to agree with Violet. You don’t hate a person that much without a damn good reason.”
“Hey, Luke!” Levi came running up to us, his Optimus Prime toy in one hand and a soda in the other. “How long until I can eat. Mama and I are starving.”
“Levi, you’re the one who said you were starving, not me.” Scarlett walked up behind Levi and put her hand on his shoulder.
“But I’m so hungry,” he moaned.
“Only five more minutes, bud,” Luke laughed. “Why don’t you get your plate ready and by the time you’re done, the burgers will be ready.”
“Yes.” He pumped his fist in the air and headed over to the tab
le that was filled with every possible thing you would want to eat.
“I better go help him.” Scarlett turned to follow Levi, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her into my arms.
“Not so fast,” I whispered. “I haven’t seen you since we got here.”
“Between chasing Levi and talking to Leelee and Violet, I haven’t been able to stand still.”
I reached up and brushed her hair out of her face. “Why don’t you let me take care of Levi, and you go sit with your girls.”
“My girls?”
“Violet and Leelee.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “I’ve never had ‘girls’ before.”
“You do now, Sparky.”
“I guess you’re right. I have a lot of things now that I never had before.”
“So, you stay here, and I’ll take care of Levi.” I pressed a quick kiss to her lips, then jogged over to Levi and grabbed his plate that was piled full of chips before it fell to the ground.
I glanced over my shoulder at Scarlett, who was standing right where I had left her, and she was watching Levi and me. “Mama always watches you.”
“Huh?” I looked at Levi, and he was looking up at me.
“Mama watches you like she watches me. Like she doesn’t want to lose you. Don’t let her lose you. Otherwise, she’ll be sad. That’s what she always tells me.” He grabbed the spoon that was in the potato salad and dropped a big glob on his plate. “She said bad men will grab me if I wander away from her.”
I glanced over my shoulder again. Scarlett was talking to Luke, but she kept glancing at us. “She’s right, bud. You always need to stay by your mama.”
“You, too, Mitch. Don’t let the bad man get you. Mama will be sad.” He grabbed his plate out of my hand and headed back over to Luke.
I grabbed a bun out of the bag, knowing Levi hadn’t grabbed one and followed him. So, Levi noticed Scarlett watching me, and he wasn’t upset about it. Hell, the kid had told me to stay by his mom.
“What were you two talking about?” Scarlett asked, her hands propped on her hips.
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