by Nina Levine
“You were right about everything.”
I blinked again. “About what?”
“That I wasn’t ready for sex yet. And that Sam’s a shit. He’s been trying to get me to have sex for ages, and then he told me there was no point in us dating if I wasn’t going to do it with him. So I did it, and then when I told him I didn’t want to do it again just yet, he broke up with me. So yeah, you were right, and I wish I’d listened to you.”
“That little fucking shit. I’ll fucking go and tell him what I think of him myself.” God, if I could wring his neck, I would. How dare he treat my daughter that way?
She grinned. “I like this new you.”
“What new me?”
“This you that just says it like it is.”
“I’ve always said it like it is.”
“Not this much. I don’t know, you just seem easier about things, not as tense all the time. I mean, you could stop harassing me about studying more and stuff, but mostly you seem happier these days. I like it.”
I squeezed her hand before letting it go. “So you aren’t in a hurry to have sex again?”
“I don’t know. I guess it depends who I date next.”
Oh God, please strike all the boys down in her school. Take them all out. Hit them with lightning or some shit.
I took a deep breath. “Promise me something.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “What?”
I reached out and pushed a stray hair off her face. My heart constricted at how beautiful she was. It was no wonder the boys were chasing her. I shuddered to think about the next few years. I would be fighting them off. No, King will be fighting them off for you. Remember he said he wouldn’t allow a daughter out on a date without his eyes on her. You can make him do that in exchange for sexual favours. “Promise me you’ll talk to me about it before you decide to have sex again.” When she pulled a face, I said, “I’m serious, Zara. We don’t need to discuss the physical stuff unless you want to, but I want you to talk to me about how you’re feeling in here”—I placed my hand to her heart—“because that’s mine to protect while you’re still growing and finding yourself. And I’ll be fucked if I’ll let any other little shit break it without me knowing to get the bandages out.”
Her breaths slowed as she took that in. Finally, she nodded and agreed. “Okay.” She then threw her arms around my neck and hugged me for the longest time. By the time she let me go, we were both crying. “I love you, Mum. But man, you swear a lot these days.”
I wiped my tears away and shrugged. “You’re nearly fifteen, and it’s the language you respond to.”
She grinned. “So I can start saying it in the house?”
“Let’s not get too excited. I don’t plan on saying it often. Just when I need to get my point across to you.”
“Trust me, Mum, you get your point across just fine.”
“Well, I would argue with that, because usually you’re arguing with me, not sitting on my bed talking to me.”
“Yeah,” she said softly, “but I’m always listening to you.”
I grabbed her face with both hands and planted a big smooshy kiss on her lips that she wouldn’t usually allow anywhere near her. “Maybe you could give me a heads-up every now and then that you’re paying attention, because honestly, I’m flailing over here some days thinking you hate me.”
She moved off the bed, grinning again. “Nah, I’d rather make you work for it.”
I watched her as she walked out of the room until I couldn’t see her anymore. I then face-planted into my bed, feeling all kinds of weird emotions. This parenting gig was freaking hard, and I really wasn’t convinced I was going to make it through in one piece.
“Lily, you in here? I’m here early to take the kids.” I sat up to find Linc standing in the doorway, watching me with a frown. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just had a talk with Zara about boys. I need a cask of wine now.” I paused. “Wait, why are you being nice to me?” While he’d been making an effort with the kids, he’d been icy to me ever since I’d told him we weren’t getting back together.
“Fuck, I’m not a bastard all the time, Lil.”
“Well, you have been lately.”
His face clouded with displeasure. “I had good reason. You chose that asshole over me when all I was trying to do was be there for you.”
I sighed. Would he ever understand? “Linc, it wasn’t a competition. You and I weren’t even on the cards. You made your choice years ago, and I’ve just been trying to figure out how to live with it since then. I finally have, and King came along at the right time. And while I appreciated all your help, don’t do stuff for me if you’re just looking for me to do stuff in return. I mean, I believe in give-and-take, but not for the sake of just getting shit out of people. I feel like after all these years, you and I should be there for each other out of respect and for the kids.”
He listened to what I had to say, but all he said in reply was, “Okay, well I’m going to round the kids up so we can make it to the movie on time. Are you good with me keeping them for two nights?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “I like this new thing we have going.”
“What?”
“Where you want to spend lots of time with them. They love it, too.”
“Yeah,” he said and then left me in peace.
I had no idea if he’d really listened to what I said, but a girl could hope. And pray. Maybe I should take that up.
I reached for my phone and sent King a text. I hadn’t sent him any today, and good God they were a good way to get him ready for me. He usually told me to stop sending him shit, but I had a sneaky suspicion he was starting to warm to them.
Me: Whatcha doing?
He took a good few minutes to come back.
King: Club shit
Me: Are you thinking about me?
King: Fuck, Lily I’m busy
Me: Well, for what it’s worth, I’m thinking about you. And I’m thinking it would be really freaking good if we played with some toys tonight. You don’t know this about me yet, but I have some. And while I know you’re a man who has all the goods, I think I have some you might like.
Three minutes passed.
King: Fucking hell woman
Me: You want pictures? Gimme a minute to get some for you.
He rang. “For fuck’s sake, I’m dealing with a fuckload of headaches today, and I don’t fucking need you to send me any pictures. And I really don’t fucking need to be thinking about you when I’m trying to sort this shit out. I’ll be over in about two hours, and I suggest you have a bag packed that contains whatever toys you want me to use on you tonight. We clear?”
Oh, man, we were crystal freaking clear.
But I was just like my daughter. I liked making him work for it.
“Just one question—would you prefer—”
“I have no fucking preference on any of this. So long as I have your cunt, I’m a happy fucking man.”
“Well, that was all you had to say,” I said with the biggest smile on my face. Who knew bossy men who liked filthy words would get me so damn hot?
“We done?”
Also, who knew a grumpy question like that would make me smile? King didn’t usually ask anyone if they were done with a conversation.
I had no idea where he was taking me, but I loved a good surprise, so I didn’t push him for more on that. “We’re done. I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”
He was moody when he arrived to pick me up. But I was horny as hell after our phone call, even two hours on. So he could stalk around the place throwing orders out like a general all he liked; I didn’t care. Nothing was ruining my horny buzz.
I’d stopped drinking wine because the responsible side of me decided sitting on the back of a motorcycle drunk wouldn’t be the best idea. But Brynn and I had spent a good part of the last two hours talking and laughing over stuff, which meant I wasn’t quite ready when he rocked up.
He stood watching
me in silence as I ran around my bedroom trying to locate clothes and stuff to pack. “Fuck, Lily, what have you been doing for the past two hours?”
I ignored his cranky tone and continued rifling through my underwear drawer for the exact right pair of panties that I really wanted to take with me. “Very important stuff, I’ll have you know.” I gave up on finding the underwear in that drawer and rushed out of the bedroom to the laundry where I did locate them. When I raced back to the bedroom, the glint in his eyes had shifted from pissed off to that intense look that got me excited. I slowed and placed my hand on his chest. “Why are you looking at me like that? Tell me what I did, because I need to file that information away for the next time you turn up here all moody and shit.”
He reached for the panties in my hand and took them off me. “How many pairs of these do you own?”
“One.”
“Buy more. In every fucking colour under the sun.”
I smiled and pressed my body against his, looping my hands around his neck. “You haven’t told me where you’re taking me tonight.”
His hand landed on my ass. He gripped it hard. “My place.”
That answer caused an explosion of butterflies in my tummy. Threading my fingers through his hair, I said, “I like that idea.”
His eyes searched mine, all the moodiness gone from them. “Yeah.” He then slapped my ass and said, “Now get this ass moving.”
I grabbed my panties from him and finished packing. Ten minutes later, we were on his bike heading towards his place. The level of anticipation I felt at seeing where King lived almost matched the level of need I had for him. Almost. Because nothing in this world matched that.
Traffic was a bitch, and it took us just under an hour to get to his place situated on the edge of the CBD that was, at most, thirty minutes from mine. As he pulled into the narrow lane, I glanced at the old converted warehouses lining it. Totally not what I was expecting. And that had to be one of the things about King I liked the most. I never knew what to expect. He was a constant surprise.
He pulled the bike into a garage that looked like a bike workshop with a wall of tools and parts. He also had some old couches and a bar fridge in here. An image of him kicking back with a beer and the guys filled my mind, and I wondered if he did that. So many things still to discover about this man.
Once we were safely inside, he switched the bike off, removed his helmet, and turned his face to mine. “Come here,” he bossed, his voice full of gravel. It hit me everywhere it should have, and I moved off the bike fast.
I took my helmet off, enjoying the way his eyes ran all over my body. Heat blazed from him, and I decided to give him a show guaranteed to get him hard. I slowly lifted my dress and slid my fingers down into my panties so I could lower them.
Our eyes locked as I kicked my panties to the side and moved closer to him. He held my gaze as I unzipped him and pulled his cock out. Wrapping my hand around it, I said, “You want my mouth on your dick?”
He gripped my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. Demanding and greedy as usual, he left me wanting more. When he ended it, he growled, “I want your fucking cunt around my dick.”
I wanted that, too, but first I needed my lips around it. I loved King’s cock. Couldn’t get enough of it. Or of that piercing he had. My core clenched just thinking about how good it made sex.
Bending, I slid my mouth down over his dick, swirling my tongue around it as I went. I reached for his balls and cupped them at the same time, loving the deep growl of satisfaction that came from him. A girl could die happy knowing she’d made her man happy.
I sucked him with a slow rhythm until his hand curled around my neck and he forced my head up. His eyes burned with desire, and I knew he’d reached breaking point. He wanted inside of me, and he wanted that now.
Moving swiftly off the bike, he positioned himself behind me, bent me over the bike, and yanked my dress up. “Fuck,” he growled as he thrust inside me.
I clutched the seat and held on tightly while he worked me hard. The vibrations of the bike had me wet for him, and judging by the way he slammed into me, this wasn’t going to take long. I didn’t care. This was just a warm-up for the real thing. If I knew King, he wouldn’t let me sleep much tonight.
He came first, his fingers digging into my hips. I followed fast with an orgasm that shattered through me so completely that my legs threatened to give way. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stand, and remained bent over the bike after he pulled out.
He placed his hand on my lower back and asked, “You good?”
I shook my head. “No. You just killed me. I’m not sure I can walk.”
Before I knew what was happening, he lifted me into his arms and carried me inside. The garage opened into an expansive living area that was bare except for a lone couch sitting on a large rug, overlooking a glass door that stretched the length of the room.
He placed me down on the couch, and I immediately stood, and said, “I need to use the bathroom.” Glancing up at the mezzanine level above us, I asked, “Is it up there?”
He nodded. “Yeah.”
I headed upstairs, taking in the exposed brick walls, polished concrete floors, and industrial-type fixtures and fittings. King’s home was masculine to the nth degree, not only with all those things but also with the dark greys and browns throughout. The only thing that surprised me was the lack of furniture. He had the couch downstairs, and upstairs he had a king-size bed and another rug, but so far, that was all I could see. The bathroom had a handful of toiletries, but not many belongings. It was almost like he didn’t actually live here.
I used the bathroom and made my way back downstairs, finding him in the kitchen. This room appeared more lived in, and I wondered if perhaps he was just in the middle of renovating the place, because it was amazing. I took a good look, loving what I saw. The high ceiling and large windows lent space and light to the room and allowed his use of black for the cupboards and black granite for the kitchen counters to work well. The splash of colour coming from the brick walls accented the black beautifully.
Meeting his gaze, I said, “Your home is not at all what I was expecting.”
He rested his ass against the counter and crossed his arms. “What were you expecting?”
“Well for one, a lot more furniture. Other than that, I guess I just wasn’t expecting a home that looked like an architect or designer had been in recently. I wouldn’t have picked you for a guy who would hire either of those. Are you renovating at the moment?”
He considered that question for a beat. He then moved to where I stood and said, “I bought this place eight years ago, but I don’t live here. I’d intended to renovate it and have a family here. Those plans got fucked up, and I walked away and just let it sit. I came back about a year ago to finish the work so I could sell the place, but for some fucking reason couldn’t bring myself to sell it, and never did finish the renovations.”
“It looks pretty good to me. You mustn’t have much left to do.” It looked better than pretty good; the perfection in what I’d seen showed he clearly valued attention to detail.
He looked out through the doorway to the living area. “There’s still a fuckload of shit to do.” Settling his eyes back on me, he added, “Figure I might get started on that soon.”
The way he said that made me feel he meant something deeper by his words, but I couldn’t be sure. “By the looks of what you’ve done so far, you’ve put your heart into this place, King. I can’t wait to see it when you’re finished.”
He studied me intently, causing flutters in my tummy. I didn’t know why, but there was something in the way he watched me. He didn’t say anything further about it, though. Instead, he finally dropped his gaze to my breasts and said, “You see that bed upstairs?”
I smiled and nodded. Was this a trick question?
“Get your ass up there and get naked. I’ll be up in a minute.”
I didn’t wait for any further orders.
I did as he said.
But as I went, I grabbed my bag he’d brought in and left on the couch, because I had toys and I’d be making him use them.
25
King
“Ghost isn’t giving us any hell,” Nitro said after church early Monday morning. “He’s staying with his sister still, and his brother has thrown him some work. I’ll keep an eye on him, but from what he’s told me so far, he doesn’t seem interested in stirring up any hell.”
It had been two weeks since Ghost had been released, and I hadn’t seen him or heard from him. And that was exactly the way I liked it. I’d had Nitro and Hyde lay down the law with him, making it clear Storm wouldn’t hesitate to deal with him if he was even seen looking at the feds.
“Good,” I said, turning my attention to Kick. “Where are we at with D’Amato?” The last he’d told me, there was nothing happening there, but my gut told me that if the feds knew about Moses, it was only a matter of time before D’Amato got wind of it, too.
“There’s nothing to report. He has a routine that’s more anal than any I’ve ever seen, and he doesn’t seem to deviate from it. Monday through Thursday is work and family. Friday is work and then boxing with his Pulp Fiction friend.” He stopped talking for a moment, grinned, and then said, “It’s the craziest shit, the guy looks like that actor from Pulp Fiction. And the weekends are mostly with his family. I got Zane to tap into his phone, and there hasn’t been any talk about us or the feds or anything that would lead me to think he knows.”
Hyde leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “So where the fuck are the feds directing their attention? And how fucking long are they gonna drag their feet on this? I’m tired of sitting around waiting for the shit to hit the fan.”
He wasn’t the only one. Axe’s guy had advised me that regardless of what Detective Stark had told us, the case wasn’t as tight as they’d thought. Eliminating Romano had helped with that, but also the information he’d given them had proved not as useful as they thought, because after all our visits around Melbourne and Sydney, no one was willing to talk about Storm to the feds. Also, their new witness looked likely to walk. At this point, I was more concerned about the fallout from D’Amato if they talked to him about Moses to confirm that information. And that all circled my thinking back to Stark and the fact I hadn’t dealt with her like I should have.