by Sam Crescent
“Hey,” he said, pulling Baker in for a hug.
“Hey yourself.” Baker hugged his brother, and pulled away. “Millie, this is Butch. Butch, this is the gorgeous Millie.”
“Ah, I remember you now. I couldn’t remember your name. I’m so sorry.”
Butch shook her hand and took a deep breath. “So, you’re heading toward the casino?”
“Yeah. Alex said I could use his penthouse room. It was kind of a last minute organizing. You know Charlotte and Gash have been able to find each other after everything they’ve been through. I’m hoping to do the same with Millie.”
“Is my dad coming?” Michael asked, drawing attention to him.
“Alex has said he’s going to head out with Candice and Sunshine.”
“I get to see my sister?”
“Yes,” Butch said, smiling. “Let’s get this show on the road. I don’t want your mom angry at me for missing dinner.”
Michael shook his head. “She’s making grilled cheese.”
“Oh, my favorite.”
They made their way out of the airport toward Butch’s car.
“We should all have dinner sometime.”
“Sure, we’d love to,” Baker said.
He chatted with Butch on the way to the casino, aware of Millie silent by his side. She was staring out of the window, and he was worried that he was making her feel left out.
Butch offered to help him with his bags, but seeing as they only had two, Baker didn’t see the point.
Within minutes they were inside Alex’s penthouse suite, and even Baker was a little shocked.
“Wow, this is Alex, club Alex?” Millie asked.
“Yeah. He has this big ranch house outside of Fort Wills. It’s like a mini mansion. I never knew it was like this.”
“This is amazing. My family would have loved something like this.”
“Your family?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“You’ve never spoken of your family.”
“It’s kind of hard to do when you don’t exactly speak to them.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. The ponytail she wore that morning was long gone, and he noticed she did look a little tired.
“They’re still alive then?”
“My family?” He nodded. “Of course. I mean, I never said they were dead. They’re just, I’m not exactly in their good graces at the moment.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s okay, but I don’t mind listening though.”
She groaned. “It’s complicated. Erm, this is supposed to be our time for each other.”
“I want to know everything about you. Absolutely everything.”
“How about we talk, and unpack? I don’t want wrinkled clothing.” Millie grabbed her case and headed toward one of the bedrooms.
“I was hoping we’d share a room.”
“Baker?”
“I know you’re a virgin, and this is all probably completely scary for you. I get it, babe, I do. I just want to hold you. Is that okay? I want to hold you.”
“No funny business?”
“Only if you beg me to.”
She chuckled. “I won’t ask.”
“We’ll see.”
Opening the door to the main master bedroom, he switched on the lights. The bed was fit for a damn orgy it was that big. Baker had some ideas of how to use it. Of course, he would never make Millie feel uncomfortable.
“Family, spill.”
“Ugh, my family are wealthy. They’re not this kind of wealthy, but in the town where I used to live, they were one of the top five wealthiest families. They owned a factory or something. Anyway, with it came the mindset that their daughters would marry well.”
“Daughters? You have a sister?”
Her cheeks heated. “Yeah, er, her name is Bethany.”
“I take it you weren’t close.”
Millie held a shirt and sat down. “Do you remember me telling you that on my wedding day that I walked into the guy that I was supposed to be marrying, and he was having sex with someone that really wasn’t me?”
“I wouldn’t forget that.”
“The woman was my sister. Bethany had been screwing Brian for a long time, and she enjoyed it.”
“Is she younger than you?”
“No, older in fact, by five years.”
“She was breaking the law?”
“Brian wasn’t exactly complaining. I doubt he’d have been complaining when my sister screwed his brains out. She’s the hot one. The one that all guys want to be with. She’s blonde, slim, beautiful.”
“And I bet mean.”
“Some would agree. Others, not so much.”
“She hurt you.”
Millie let out a breath, staring at the wall past his shoulder. “Bethany was brought up to believe she can have anything. Clicks her fingers, and ta-da, it’s done. A new pet, she could have it. My cat, she’d have it, the family dog wasn’t so nice to her, they sold it, and got another one, or worse, took it to the pet rescue center.”
“Wow.”
“Growing up, I learned not to get attached to anything, or anyone. Life is a hell of a lot easier when you’re not losing something you love.”
“Did you love Brian?”
“I thought I did. He was supposed to by my high school sweetheart. He came to me, said all the right things. It’s really humiliating when I think back to it.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“No? When I left, I cried so much that I would give myself migraines. I wasn’t crying for Brian. I was crying for myself. I wanted to make my parents proud, and to prove to everyone that the chubby, mousy, brown haired girl could get a good man. She could live happily ever after, and from the start, it was all a lie.” There were no tears, only acceptance.
“You can have that.”
“No, I can’t. It’s delusional for women like us to even think that way. Isn’t that what everyone says? If you’ve got curves, or a bit of weight. You’re unlovable? Undesirable? I’ve never known true passion, not really.”
Baker stepped right up close to her. Tugging the shirt out of her hands, he pulled her to her feet. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he pressed his lips to hers. “Passion? You don’t think you’ve ever experienced it? What about with me?”
Before he gave her time to answer, he claimed her lips, tightening his hold on the back of her head, to keep her in place. Making love to her mouth took on a whole new meaning. He didn’t want her to feel like she didn’t deserve love or passion. She did. He’d been a complete asshole for holding out so long. He’d been so consumed with his own mourning that he’d never considered Millie dealing with her own kind of pain, and she was. She was in a lot of it, and he’d been so selfish with his own.
He was determined to rectify that situation.
Millie was never going to feel that way again.
It was not only a promise he was going to make to himself, it was a damn vow.
****
The kiss was completely different from everything she’d ever experienced. The passion, the lust, the need, all combined together to leave her breathless. Millie never intended to speak the truth, to release her feelings out for him to know.
Baker broke the kiss, pressing a quick peck to her nose. “That was just a taster, baby.”
She loved it when he called her babe or baby. She loved all the sweet little names that he’d called her. They were a nice change from fatty, fatso, ugly, or useless. That was the one she hated the most, useless. She always accepted the other comments, or criticism. She was fat, and she wasn’t beautiful. The opposite of beauty is ugliness, so that was her. She accepted it, and like Bethany had told her many times, she needed to learn her station. The fats and the ugly people, stayed out of the way.
Bethany was one of the worst sisters, and of the most horrible people Millie had ever known. Not all people were like her sister. The past six years, since she’d known The Skulls, had taught her that the most
amazing people came in all different sizes, slim or not.
“What’s going on inside that head of yours?”
“Nothing. I’m just shocked by the kiss.” Her lips tingled.
“Your lips look nice, red, and puffy. Exactly how well kissed lips should look. Tell me about the rest of your family?”
“Nothing much to tell. My mom and dad spoiled Bethany, and myself. We were both spoiled girls.”
“Why are you nice, and your sister sounds like a dragon?”
Millie laughed. “Even though we were spoilt, Bethany and I had always been different. She was the oldest so she had our parents’ attention straight away. When I came along, they were too busy, and Bethany fit into their world perfectly. At the time I was just a baby. I could do nothing more than scream, eat, barf, and poop. So I got left with my grandma. She was a lovely woman.”
“Really?”
“On my father’s side.” Millie giggled. “She started out as my granddad’s mistress, and when he grew tired of convention, he divorced the woman he was with who he hated, and married my grandma. They lived happily, and had my dad. Anyway, it was the talk of the town, and from what I remember, my dad hated it. He decided he’d put the respect and honor back into the name. Seeing as my granddad left all of the fortune to my grandma, he couldn’t just toss her out on the street.”
“His own mother?” Baker asked.
“Oh yes. The Levy family is quite scandalous, or it was immediately after my grandfather’s death, and his will.”
“You’ve got to tell me more.”
Millie sighed. “You really want to know this?”
“I want to know the woman that helped to raise the woman I’m with.”
They finished putting their clothes away and headed into the kitchen. “Alex really thought of everything didn’t he? A kitchen, a bedroom. The only thing I don’t see is a way to do laundry.”
“He always had it dry cleaned.”
“Oh, that’s why.” Millie smiled. “It’s a really beautiful penthouse.”
“Stop changing the subject. Come on, I want to know some more.”
She rolled her eyes and took a seat beside him on the long sofa. “Fine, fine. I was dumped with my grandparents, and when I was twelve, my grandfather passed away. I loved spending time with them. My sister believed they were too old and boring. Me, I loved it. Grandma knew how to bake the most delicious, tender chocolate chip cookies. I loved them. I’d spend hours in the kitchen with her, baking, cooking, and on occasion, canning. Anyway, from what I recall, Dad hated the reputation she had. A slut, a home-wrecker, and some other horrible things. If Granddad ever heard stuff said, he would handle it.” She smiled. “He was a true gentleman, and I’d always hoped to have a guy like him. Someone who wasn’t afraid to stand up for who he loved.”
“He sounds like a good guy.”
“He really was.”
“Get back to the juicy story.”
She chuckled. “Okay, I spent all my time with them. When I was twelve Granddad had a heart attack. A big one, and he didn’t make it. Died within hours of it.” She took a breath. It had been years ago, but it still hurt. “The day after, Dad kicked Grandma out of the house. Told her she wasn’t welcome with them anymore, and that he wasn’t going to have riffraff plaguing the Levy name. This was his mother, and yet he acted like she was nothing but the hired help. It was so horrible to see. Anyway, a week later at Grandfather’s will, everything changed. Dad had believed that he’d inherit everything. Why not? He was the legal heir to the Levy fortune. He’d been trained to take over, and with it, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.” Millie smiled. “I think my granddad knew what would happen, and he changed his will, or he always had his will so that Grandma would inherit absolutely everything.”
“She did?” Baker asked.
“Yeah. The fortune was hers, the business was hers, the houses, the cars, the furniture. Every single thing belonged to her, and if my dad kicked her out, then in the will it was decreed my father would have nothing, would own nothing, and it would be time for him to take his own place in the world.”
“Wow!”
Millie giggled. “For the first time in my life, I got to see the fear in my parents’ eyes. They lived on my grandparents’ good graces. Grandma came back home, and everything changed. I mean everything. My parents tried to spend every moment with her, I even think they tried to have it decreed that my grandfather wasn’t mentally fit to do such a will.”
“There was no way they could change it?”
“None. Grandma is and will always be the sole owner until she picks someone to take over, and it may not be my dad.”
“Do you still talk to her?”
“All the time. After I moved out, she went to Italy, and lives there most of the year, only returning when she needs to.”
“When the shop closes for random weeks, is that where you go?”
“Yes, I go to see her. She’s seventy-nine now, but is still so damn healthy. I love her. My family hated me for that. They thought I’d turned her against them.”
“I do not like your family.”
“You’re not the only ones that feel that way. That’s my family, Baker. Now you know everything about me. Every little detail.”
“Why do I feel there’s so much to know about you?”
“I don’t know. I’m just me.” Her stomach rumbled. “And now it’s time for dinner. I’m starving.”
“Come on, let’s go and get some food.”
She made her way into the kitchen, wondering what she’d find. Opening up the fridge, she was shocked to see it was fully stocked. “Wow.”
“You say that a lot.”
“I mean it. How did this happen?”
“Did I mention that Alex is the shit? I mean he’s big business, or at least he used to be when he was here. His name still brings fear to a lot of people. If you want, we can eat out.”
Millie scrunched up her face. “I’m kind of tired. Can we just stay here, eat, talk, and relax?”
“You’re a girl after my own heart.”
“Ah, it doesn’t take much.”
“It never usually does.” He winked at her.
A warm fuzzy feeling wrapped around Millie’s heart. She loved being with Baker. Leaving him had been so hard for her, but again, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to love a man who still loved his wife. Brian had taught her a lot about what she actually wanted out of life. Talking about her family, it only served to remind her exactly what she wanted. She wanted a love like her grandparents’.
Staring at Baker, she wondered if he truly was the one.
Chapter Six
Lash sat at the bar, sipping on his coffee, and staring at the figures in front of him. The gym was running at a profit, which was good. Last year when they finally opened it, the losses had been huge. Now, they were becoming comfortable again, which for him was a relief. Looking through the figures, all of their businesses were turning profits. The warehouse they owned outside of Fort Wills was still just a training ground for them. They had so many different ideas for it, but Lash just wasn’t sure. He liked it to still be their safe house. There had been many changes, and modifications along the way. Even after three years of no bad shit, he wasn’t willing to give up a potential place that could save their damn lives.
“Guess what I found,” Whizz said, dropping a file onto the mountain that Lash already had to go through.
“You’re a girl, and Lacey’s bi,” Lash said.
“Ha, ha, very funny. Nope, what I found out is that our girl Millie could be due to inherit a shitload of cash.”
“So? Baker asked you not to dig.”
“My curious brain made me.”
Lash looked over the figures he was looking at. “You’re going to try and justify your snooping?”
“Yep, every single hacker does. Anyway, I got into her background. Her family is a piece of work. I’m shocked she’s even remotely nice.”
/> “How can you even make an assessment on someone by just looking at a bunch of facts and figures?”
“Hello, master hacker here. I don’t just look at all random files or databases. I also do a mass check on all social media. Let’s just say her family is not well liked.” Whizz shrugged. “Grandma likes Millie though. Woman knows her security. She made it a little tough for me to get into her system, but I got it. It would seem that in the event of Grandma passing, the entire Levy fortune, in the town where she lives, that’s big news, everything will go to Millie. Bypasses everyone, and goes to the youngest daughter. Do you think Baker knows?”
“I think if he wants to know everything about Millie, he’ll ask. He didn’t want this,” Lash said, pointing at the file.
“I know. I just like to know everything about everyone. Oh, your latest health checkup is clean.”
“Why the fuck are you looking at my medical records?” Lash asked.
“I was curious, and seeing as you’re my Prez, I wanted to make sure you’re in the peak of health.”
“Whizz—”
“I’m a darling, I know. I started checking everyone’s when Sally became a regular visitor. I like to make sure my girl is looked after. Also, Lacey’s latest checkup was fine, no cause for concern. I worry about it. You know with all the possible cancer scares, and everything that can go wrong with a woman’s body. Vagina and tits aside, I’m scared.”
“I don’t even want to think about shit that may never happen,” Lash said. He didn’t want to think of all the potential health crap that could happen to his girl, and that he couldn’t fight.
“Speaking of, have you told her about your planned vasectomy?” Whizz asked.
Lash stared at his friend. Whizz had been through a lot. A great deal more than a lot of the brothers. He’d been taken by Alan, one of their former enemies, who was now dead. Raped, beaten, tortured, and on the brink of death. The only person strong enough to help Whizz had been Lacey.
“You shouldn’t go nosing around in other people’s business, Whizz.”
“I know, but seeing as Angel is one of the sweetest women I know, and I happened to find that, I was curious about how much you’ve told her.”