by Nina Levine
I took all that, letting it sit in me. She was right—that was what family did.
Reaching for her, I curved my hand around the back of her head and pulled her to me so I could press a kiss to her forehead. Letting her go, I said, “Yeah, Nik, that’s family.”
She shooed me away after that and I headed towards Skylar’s room to give her the good news. After that was Kree, but I knew I was in for an argument there, so I chose to visit her last.
Right before I made it to Skylar, another text hit my phone.
Lily: You didn’t let me know about the beer.
Me: There’s plenty still there. You don’t need to get more
She took a moment to reply.
Lily: Oh ok. I just thought I’d keep the fridge stocked for you, but that’s fine if you don’t want more.
In my experience, women only used the word fine when they were shitty about something.
Me: Are you pissed at me?
Lily: I’m fine.
Something was off here, so I called. Fucking texts did my head in.
“Hi,” she said, short with me.
“Have we got a problem?”
Silence for a beat. “No.”
“Lily, don’t fuck me around. What’s wrong?”
“I’m not fucking you around,” she said sharply. “There’s nothing wrong.”
I scrubbed my hand over my face. This was the shit I didn’t deal well with when it came to women. The not fucking understanding them or the bullshit that came out of their mouths. “You asked me if I wanted more beer. I didn’t. And then fuck me, you’re shitty about something. What gives?”
“I got the wrong impression, that’s all. Can we just drop this?”
“What fucking impression did you get that was wrong?”
She huffed out a breath. “God, King, why are you being so difficult? Just let it go. It doesn’t matter.”
“Something you need to learn about me right now is that I don’t ever let shit go. Start fucking talking so we can fix this.”
Silence again, and then she finally started talking. “Fine. I thought that you coming over last night and again tonight meant you’d be around more. That made me think you might like some beer in the fridge. And I know there are a few bottles still in there, but I wanted to stock up for you so you don’t run out.”
“Jesus, woman, I’m not seeing the fucking problem here.”
“Well clearly you don’t plan on coming over as often as I thought if you think there’s enough beer in the fridge, so now I feel like an idiot for even mentioning it, okay?”
Fucking hell, this woman.
“First, let’s get something very clear between us—I do plan on coming over a fucking lot. Do not read between lines or twist shit I say in your head or do any of that overthinking bullshit women do. I plan on being at your dinner table and on your couch and in your bed as often as possible. Second, I’ll bring my own fucking beer. I appreciate the fuck out of the shit you do for me, but I take care of you. You don’t take care of me. We clear?” When all I got was the sound of her breathing, I growled, “Lily, are we clear?”
“Yes, we’re clear, but just so you know, if I wanna buy you some beer, I’m gonna buy you some fucking beer.”
Jesus fuck.
“I’ll be over at six.”
“Okay.” This came out a lot fucking softer than everything else she’d said, and it hit me in the gut. Lily’s brand of sweet was everything I’d never had, but exactly what I fucking wanted.
14
Lily
It was funny how, in the blink of an eye, life changed, and then in another blink of an eye, it changed again, and although some bad stuff had happened in there, I was running around with a huge smile on my face. Even while ranting at my kids on a crazy Saturday morning. Only one week had passed since Brynn was shot, and yet, so much had happened.
“Why can’t you just let me make my own choices for once?” Zara yelled at me as we stood in my bedroom arguing over her spending the day with her boyfriend.
I was half-naked, wearing only my bra and panties since she’d barged in while I dressed. Story of my life. “Zara, you are fourteen and lately you haven’t been showing me you’re capable of making good decisions. On top of that, how do you expect me to handle the messages I read on your phone from Sam when you refuse to enter into a conversation with me about them? They don’t encourage me to allow you anywhere near him.”
She scowled. “I told you those were private. You shouldn’t have snooped.”
“Yeah well, I’m your mother, so expect me to snoop. And I don’t care what everyone else’s mother does, I’m not changing. I take parenting very seriously and will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“Ugh,” she groaned, “you are so annoying! I just wish you could remember what it’s like to be my age.” With that, she stomped out of my bedroom, her shoes thudding all the way to her room before the sound of her door slamming rang in my ears.
Frustration and anger ran through me. Why were teenagers so damn difficult to deal with? I wasn’t convinced I would make it through to see her become an adult. I would probably drink myself into an early grave before then at the rate we were going.
I rummaged in my suitcase for something to wear. Thank God we were going home today. Living out of a suitcase at your mother’s home was only good for a very short time.
The bedroom door closed, causing me to jump. I’d been lost in my own little world, and the sound snapped me out of it. Turning, I found King standing at the door, watching me with that intense stare of his I loved. It stirred butterflies in my tummy and made me go weak at the knees.
He’d come for dinner last night, charmed my mother, and engaged my kids, all before fucking me for the second time that day and exhausting me completely. I’d woken this morning wrapped in his arms and legs again. King could swear all he liked that he didn’t cuddle, but the man freaking cuddled.
“I fixed the light in your mum’s bathroom, so you don’t need to worry about her falling over in there anymore. No fucking clue how she hasn’t fallen yet. That light was too dim for that room,” he said, making my heart speed up a little. He had no idea what it meant to me when he did little things like this for my family. Mum had made a casual remark over breakfast about the light and he’d taken it upon himself to go out and get a new bulb and change it.
I turned the T-shirt I held so it was the right way out to put on. As I lifted it to put it over my head, King closed the distance between us and stopped me. His nostrils flared as he dropped his eyes and ran them down my body. Holding my shirt in one hand, he placed his other one on my breast, sliding his thumb under the material of my bra, and stroking my skin. “You got the kids this afternoon?”
Staring down at his thumb, it struck me that King had never been this gentle with me. I liked his rough ways, but I really freaking liked his gentle.
When I took my time answering him, he growled, “Lily,” as his touch turned a whole lot less gentle. He then gave me his signature style of rough when he reached further into my bra and squeezed my nipple while adding, “I need your cunt again, and I want a plan for when that’s gonna happen.”
King was the crudest man I’d ever met, and I couldn’t get enough of his filthy ways. I wasn’t a fan of the c word, but coming from him? I was going to hell because of how much I liked it on his lips.
Putting my hands to his chest, I tried to push him away, because I needed a moment and the space to think. He got me all flustered when he bossed me while talking dirty. When he refused to move, I said, “King,” with the kind of tone that told him I wanted him to move.
As per usual, he took no notice, and instead, took it as a signal to move further into my personal space. His hand snaked around my waist and he forced our bodies together. “I’ve got some club shit to take care of this morning, and then I’m heading over to your place to clean it. I know you’re taking your mum to the hospital and Robbie to karate, but what else have yo
u got on?”
“Well, for one, I’m trying to keep my daughter from getting pregnant. But in answer to your question about the kids, Linc is picking them up from here at three. I’ve got the night to myself.”
The way his eyes flashed with heat told me he liked that answer. And when he bent to kiss me, as roughly as he usually did, I knew he really liked that answer. Letting me go, he moved out of my space and said, “Lock this afternoon in.”
I took my T-shirt when he passed it, and put it on. I then found a pair of jeans to wear, and my boots. King stood silently and watched me as I dressed and brushed my hair, his eyes greedy for my every movement. By the time I was ready to walk out of the bedroom, I was actually more ready to lock the door, strip, and beg him to fuck me. Good God, this man only had to look at me and I was a mess. I wasn’t sure how I would get through life now he was in it. And yet, I did know, because having him by my side was a whole lot better than not having him there.
King called me at one and told me my place was clean and ready for me and the kids to move back in, so I bundled them up and moved us back home, arranging for Linc to pick the kids up from there instead of Mum’s. I’d spent the morning at the hospital with Mum and Brynn. She was starting on her road to recovery, much less confused than two days ago, but still not completely herself. I knew it would take time. I was just relieved and happy she was still with us.
Robbie wasn’t feeling well, so he hadn’t gone to karate, and I was concerned about sending him to his father’s while sick. Linc wasn’t the best at coping with the kids when they were like this. Zara was still mad at me, refusing to talk to me. Holly had thankfully moved past the stress she’d felt earlier in the week and had given me no hell today. She’d tried to talk her sister around, but had no luck. I was resigned to the situation with Zara getting worse before it got better. I based that on the way I’d acted at her age. Turned out karma was a bitch.
By the time King showed back up at my place, it was almost three. That concerned me. It meant he was around for Linc’s imminent arrival. I was already stressed about seeing Linc for the first time since our fight the other day; King being here only added to my worry.
He entered the house, beer in hand, and dropped a kiss to my mouth as his hand slid down and around my waist. It was a quick kiss and then he continued on his way to the kitchen. I smiled as warmth filled my belly. This felt good. And right. Like it was meant to be.
I listened while he and Holly had a conversation about motorbikes. She’d taken to him in a way I’d never imagined she would, and loved hearing about the rides he’d been on. They’d talked over dinner last night for a good twenty minutes about his trip across Australia to Perth. I’d found her later, searching the Internet for the places he’d mentioned. When I’d jokingly said, “You gonna get a bike, Hols?” she’d shrugged and said, “Maybe.” That had completely surprised me, but when I’d mentioned it to King, he’d shrugged, too and said, “Better prepare yourself now. When bikes get in your blood, there’s no getting them out.”
I lingered, listening to them for a while before going in search of Robbie. I found him lying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. Entering the room, I sat next to him and asked, “You okay, baby?”
Turning to face me, he said, “I don’t know.”
I frowned. “What’s going on? Is your tummy still not feeling well?”
“It’s okay.” He paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his eyes shimmered with tears. “I miss Dad.”
With those words, my heart cracked a little more than it already had every other time we went through this. Robbie had been five when Linc and I split, and he’d struggled a great deal with the break-up. He’d been okay for the last six months, though, so I thought things were better for him. But as I sat watching him, I knew deep in my gut where these emotions were coming from.
King.
I’d dated since Linc, but not one of the men had meant as much to me as King did. Robbie was a sensitive soul; I figured he’d picked up on my feelings for King. And while he appeared to like King, I understood how confused he must be about everything.
Running my hand over his forehead, I said, “I know you do.”
I felt out of my depth with this, but that was a recurring feeling in my life. Marriage and parenting didn’t come with a how-to manual, and it sure as heck wasn’t easy to navigate a family break-up. I’d stumbled and fumbled my way through it all. Some days I felt invincible, like I could take on the world. Most days, I felt how I felt right now—completely lost and desperate for the answers that told me how to not screw my kids up any more than I already had.
“I want him to move back home.”
Oh man.
I should never have allowed Linc to stay with us at Mum’s this week. I could see that it had confused Robbie, and now we’d have to go through another round of him coming to terms with the fact his parents would never be together again.
“Robbie, we’ve talked about this before. You know that Dad has his own home.”
His face crumpled. “Why does he have to? Why can’t he live with us?”
“Sometimes mummies and daddies can’t live together anymore, buddy. Do you know how Dad and I fight a lot?” At his nod, I continued, “Well, we just aren’t very good at living in the same house. It makes us just as sad as it makes you, but at the same time, we are happier when Dad lives at his house. That doesn’t mean we don’t love you. We love you very much, and will always make sure you get lots of time with both of us.”
He listened to everything I said, and then he rolled over and faced the wall. That was his sign he was done with the conversation, and previous experience told me it was best not to push him to talk more. Robbie was a deep thinker; he just needed time to process it all.
With a heavy heart, I left him and made my way to the kitchen looking for King. I had the overwhelming need for his arms crushed around me in a hug. When I didn’t find him there, I kept searching until I found him on the couch in the lounge room watching television.
His eyes came to mine the second I stepped foot in the room, and his shoulders tensed as he watched me walk to him. He reached out his arm, grabbed my shirt at the waist, and pulled me onto the couch next to him. As his lips brushed my cheek, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
I curled my legs up under me and snuggled against his warm body. God, he felt good. Like home. Wrapping one arm across his chest, I looked up at him and said, “Robbie’s all confused over his father again.”
“Over what?”
I sighed. “He doesn’t understand why Linc doesn’t live with us. He goes through these phases, but it’s been a good six months since the last one. I guess having his dad stay with us for a couple of nights this week messed him up.”
King was silent for a few moments while he thought about what I said. “And having me around would be confusing to him, too.”
“Yeah,” I said softly, not wanting to admit that, but having to.
“You want me to go? Give you guys the night?”
That he put himself last and did so without hesitation meant the world to me. I moved my hand to his face, placing it against his cheek. Shaking my head, I said, “No. Don’t you dare leave. I need you.”
Heat flared in his eyes, and with a growl, he bent his face to mine and kissed me. When he was done, he said, “Fuck, there’s nothing like a woman telling you she needs you.”
My tummy practically somersaulted out of my body at his honesty and the way he willingly shared it with me. Gripping his face hard, I said, “And there’s nothing like a man who speaks the truth.”
His eyes searched mine for a good few moments before he tightened his hold on me while simultaneously shifting his hand to rest on my ass. He then turned his attention back to the television and continued watching the sport.
My man wasn’t one for a lot of words, but the ones he did give were worth every breath he took to say them.
15
King
“The
fucking feds are back on us,” Kick said as he took the barstool next to me late Monday afternoon. “Devil and I were just tailed by two of the assholes on our way back from Brian’s.”
I threw some beer down my throat and scowled. “Yeah, I had a tail today, too.” The motherfuckers hadn’t let me out of their sight for the three hours I was out on club business. It had made it fucking difficult to get shit done.
Kick eyed me, concern etched into his face. “They aren’t the least of our problems, though, are they?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Fucking hell,” he muttered, shoving his fingers through his hair. “You want me to do anything? Start putting some precautions in place?”
“Get eyes on him, but don’t do anything yet. We’ll see how this plays out first. Hell, if we weren’t able to find Moses, I’d like to fucking see the feds find him. And the link to D’Amato isn’t obvious so they may not have even connected it.” The fact the link between Storm and D’Amato existed pissed me off. He had his fingers in a lot of shit in Sydney, and we didn’t need a problem with him. This fucking Moses bullshit meant that was possible, so all we could do at this point was watch and wait. Because if he didn’t know anything about Moses, I sure as fuck wasn’t gonna bring it to his attention.
A cheer erupted from the back corner of the bar, drawing Kick’s attention. “They’re celebrating hard.”
I glanced over at them. “Yeah, brother. You gonna stick around?”
The club had been celebrating since Friday—since they’d been told they could move their families home. Devil had organised a get together for tonight to bring everyone together, and members had started rolling in an hour ago. It was getting rowdy in here.