Shrouded in Blackness

by Karlsson, Norma Jeanne

  I wake to the sounds of screaming and fly from my bed with my gun in my hand. I burst into the guest room and flip on the switch that controls the lamp in the corner. Jack’s in bed crying and rocking himself, alone. I set my gun on the dresser and quickly move to him.

  “Jack, it’s me, Kieran. You’re okay, bud,” I soothe, leaning close to his face. Jack’s eyes fly open and he hurls himself into my chest as Quinn flies into the room.

  “Baby?” she calls in an alert tone.

  “You left me,” he cries.

  She comes to the bedside and leans down near his face.

  “I didn’t leave you. I was feedin’ Ash. I’m sorry you were scared,” she coos. She turns her gaze to me and I understand she wants her son. I set him on the bed and take Ash from her arms. I stand up and leave the room to finish feeding the baby as Quinn pulls Jack into her lap on the bed. I snatch my gun on the way out and put it back in my room before heading out to the main room.

  There’s a bottle thrown on the floor dribbling formula onto the hardwood. I tag it one-handed and pop it in Ashling’s mouth while I sit on the couch. She’s so much bigger already. Her cheeks are a little chubby and her inky curly hair looks longer. The weight of her in my arms feels like heaven. If I could hold Jack and Quinn right now, my world would be perfect.

  As if on cue, Quinn comes in the room carrying Jack.

  “He wants you,” she whispers. I pat the cushion next to me and she flops down. Jack lays his head against my chest, but keeps his body on Quinn. I wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her tightly into my side. She tenses under my touch and I don’t care right now. They’re here, that’s all that matters. The three of them fall asleep in minutes and my cold, dead heart beats to life once again.

  Once they’ve been asleep for a while I carefully peel my body away from Quinn and Jack. I swiftly deposit Ash in my bed and come back for the other two. With Jack lying on Quinn, I scoop them up together, moving fast down the hall to my room. Once I’m in my room I place them in bed near Ash. I climb in behind them, wrapping them in my arms, securing them to my chest the same way I did weeks ago. I fall asleep in mere moments with a grin on my lips.

  I wake up to a firm ass wiggling against my crotch. My eyes fly open and I realize it wasn’t a dream, they’re actually here.

  “Mornin’,” I murmur into Quinn’s hair.

  “Sorry,” she whispers. “I’ll get them outta here in a minute.”

  I guess there’s no time like the present. I gently push Ash and Jack away from Quinn and then turn her in my arms to face me.

  “We need to talk and I’m takin’ advantage of the fact that you’re unarmed and your kids are asleep a few inches from us,” I whisper. She narrows her gaze at me but remains silent.

  “The men at the gym last night are part of a street gang that I know. They were there for the kids. I don’t know why. I beat the shit outta the guy runnin’ the show and blew his knee out for good measure. In order not to get shot by the room full of men that were with them, I told a lie. A lie that not only kept me safe, but that will keep you and your kids safe, too,” I explain quickly.

  “What lie?” she grumbles, still scowling at me.

  “That you and the kids are mine.”

  I just let the words hang in the air. A bevy of emotions pass through her eyes before she settles on confused. I can work with confused.

  “That information will have made it to every criminal organization in Chicago by now. No one will fuck with you or the kids. As long as they believe you’re with me and that those kids are mine, you won’t be in danger. But they have to believe it, Quinn. No more walkin’ the streets all day and avoiding people. You’ll have to be seen with me regularly, with the kids, too. Everything has to seem real. We can come up with a back story together. I told them you were stayin’ with Ian because I was in the dog house, which isn’t entirely untrue. Tell me what you’re thinkin’.”

  “I’m thinkin’ you’re a real prick most of the time. I’m thinkin’ no one has ever said more cruel things to me than you have. I’m thinkin’ Jack loves you and I hate that. I’m thinkin’ when you’re good to me there’s nothin’ better in this world. And I’m thinkin’ about whether I should stab you or kiss you,” she finishes emphatically.

  “I am a prick most of the time. I’ll spend every day I can tryin’ to make up for the awful things I said to you. I love your kids and I’m thrilled that they love me. I’m the best me I can be when I’m with you. And—” I smash my mouth against hers. She hesitates for a moment and then kisses me back, running her tiny arms around my neck, pressing her soft body against mine. I plunge my rough, scabbed hands into her hair and slant my mouth to allow more access. A small moan escapes Quinn’s throat and my dick twitches.

  Gently, I lick across the seam of her mouth and after a torturous few moments she allows me access. I massage my tongue against hers drinking in the taste of her soft sweet mouth. It’s better than I imagined. I nip her bottom lip and she growls, yanking my hair almost painfully. I trail my hand down her back and palm her ass roughly, rocking my hard dick into her stomach. I’m dry humping a girl in my bed like a teenager and it’s the best feeling in the world.

  We tangle our tongues until I can barely catch my breath. I move my mouth from hers and trail my teeth along her jaw up to her earlobe. I gently flick it with my tongue before pulling it with my teeth.

  “Oh,” Quinn moans quietly. I’m going to come in my pants.

  I roll her body beneath mine and sneak a quick glance at the kids. They’re both out cold.

  I kiss and suckle my way down her neck to her collarbone as I push my hand beneath her T-shirt. I cup her tit, a perfect handful, kneading the soft flesh. Her nipple is peaked as I run my thumb across it. I take the lace cup down and feel her smooth skin beneath mine for the first time and moan deep in my throat. I capture her mouth with mine again, pulling and pinching her nipple as I slide my body between her legs. She arches into me further as I grind my hips into hers.

  Her breath hitches and I know I’m hitting her clit. I increase the friction and roll her nipple harder. She begins to shake and writhe so I pick up my pace. I’m so close. Quinn scratches her nails down my back as I thrust my tongue in tandem with my hips. She arches so far off the bed it almost knocks me off. Quinn pants short, sharp breaths and then comes squealing in my mouth, shuddering from head to toe. Two more strokes and I blow the biggest load known to man.

  Panting and sucking in air, I collapse on top of her, burying my face in her neck. She giggles. That should be the soundtrack of my life. It’s the best fucking thing these ears have heard other than Jack’s laughter.

  My come is soaking through my boxer briefs onto her stomach and I love it. I have gone full caveman and feel like I’ve marked her as mine. I want to reach down and rub it in her skin, but that’s a bit much. So I just lay here and let it seep into her on its own.

  “I guess you decided on the kissing instead of stabbing,” she whispers, running her hands softly up and down the back of my head.

  “Uh huh,” I grunt. Oh God, I sound like a fucking caveman. She giggles again.

  “I’m gonna go clean up,” I murmur into her neck. I pull my hand out of her shirt and kiss her swollen lips twice before I push off of her. I hop in the shower, quickly washing off. In my dressing room I pull on a fresh pair of boxer briefs and black sweat pants before heading back to my little family.

  When I come back in the room, Jack and Quinn are sitting in the bed talking.

  “Hey, bud,” I call as I walk to him.

  “Hey, Kieran,” he says with a giant smile making his crystal blue eyes squint.

  “Can I talk to you about somethin’?” I ask him as I sit on the edge of the bed facing both of them.

  “Sure.”

  “Some things are gonna be different now and I want you to understand,” I start off. He nods and furrows his brow in concentration. Quinn looks much the same. I smile at both and continue. “You
’re momma and I are gonna be together now. And you’re all gonna live here with me. It’s my job to keep you safe. Part of keepin’ you all safe is people knowin’ I take care of you.”

  “Okay. You want me to tell ’em you take care of us?”

  “Kind of.” I pause for a moment. “I want you to call me Dad or Pop or whatever other word you wanna use,” I say softly.

  “Mommy?” Jack looks freaked.

  “Baby, it’s okay. Kieran’s helpin’ us. He’s gonna take care of us for a while and this is part of it. When we’re at home you can call him Kieran if you want. But when we’re out of the house we need you to call him somethin’ else,” she coos.

  I fucking hate that she just said I was going to take care of them a while, but I squash the irritation. She’s trying to help her son with a big change.

  “Can I call you Daddy?” he asks sheepishly. I know he’s a little old to call me that, but he’s never been able to call anyone Daddy. He deserves that experience.

  “Yes,” I say emphatically. He looks back and forth between Quinn and me a few times, thinking everything through.

  “Okay, Daddy,” he whispers with a grin on his lips and my heart skips a beat. I’ll never forget this moment as long as I live.

  “Okay, bud. You hungry?”

  “Yes. Do you have pancakes?”

  “No, but what if we go out for pancakes? How about that?” I ask, peering at Quinn. I can see the tension in her face so I pull her to me and kiss her forehead. She melts against my chest.

  “Cool. Do I have to wear my snowsuit?”

  “Nah, we’ll take the car.”

  “Mommy, we get to go in Daddy’s car!” he squeals and jumps off the bed.

  “Thank you,” Quinn murmurs in my neck.

  “No. Thank you.” I tip her head back and kiss her lips long and sweet.

  “Gross,” Jack says, making us laugh against each other’s mouths.

  We pull away from each other as Ash starts to wake up. Once we’re all dressed and Ash has eaten her bottle, we climb in the Camaro and head to The Original Pancake House.

  Kieran

  I’ve never done this before. Yes, I’ve eaten pancakes in public, maybe even with a woman once or twice, but never this. My woman under my arm, Jack on my shoulders and Ash in her car seat, clutched in my grip, walking into a restaurant to have breakfast with my family feels fucking amazing.

  Once we get a table, I see a few guys from the neighborhood eyeing me cautiously. I offer their table a chin lift like I would any other day and turn back to my menu.

  “Daddy,” Jack whispers.

  “Yeah, bud.”

  “That man’s starin’ at me,” he murmurs, hiding under my arm. I look up, ready to pound someone’s head in, to see my father striding toward my table. Fuck me!

  Carrick “Rick” Delaney has spent his life as a thief. He’s a good thief, only busted once. I get my criminal interests from his genes. He’s shorter than me and starting to thicken in the middle. His hair is more grey than dark brown these days, his hair line pushing back more every year. I’ve got his eyes, in color and in observation abilities, and his are working me overtime as he saddles up to the table.

  “Son,” his gravelly smoker’s voice reverberates a little too loud for the venue.

  “Pop,” I say with a hint of warning.

  I shift my gaze to Quinn, who’s piercing me with her icy blues. Her hand is grasping her knife beneath the table. I can’t see it, but I can tell by her posture.

  Pop pulls up a chair to the end of the table, acting the part of comfortable family member. I’m thankful for his ability to go with anything right now, but Quinn and the kids are unnerved by his presence.

  “I’ve had an interesting morning,” he says, eyeing Jack beneath my arm.

  “I’m guessin’ that’s true. This isn’t the place to talk it through, Pop. I’ll call,” I growl under my breath. The table of neighborhood boys is now gawking in our direction.

  “Your mother wants you over for dinner tonight.”

  “No problem,” I huff.

  “I’ll let you get back to breakfast. Six o’clock, she’s makin’ shepherd’s pie.”

  With that, he stands, nods at the gawkers and leaves.

  Jack uncurls slightly from my side as Quinn lets out a shaky breath.

  Our waitress comes to the table for our order before I can calm everyone down. After we order I can feel their tension easing a bit so I don’t say anything. We can talk at home.

  “I need to get some groceries,” Quinn breaks the silence. “Your kitchen is empty.”

  “Not much of a cook, Quinn,” I snort.

  “Neither am I,” she admits sheepishly. It’s not a surprise because she hasn’t had a kitchen in eight years.

  “I like grilled cheese sandwiches,” Jack announces.

  “Me too. I like ’em with tomato soup,” I say through a grin.

  “Mommy says she’ll cook me anything I ask her for, but I don’t know a lot of different food.”

  My heart sinks a bit, but I brush it off.

  “Well I know lots.”

  “You do?” he asks with a bit of glee in his voice.

  “Sure do. Your momma and I’ll figure out some new stuff for you to try this week. It’ll be an adventure.”

  “Cool.”

  After we polish off breakfast, where Jack ate the exact same thing as me again, we head to the grocery store and buy enough food to feed a small army. Jack giggles and laughs the whole time as I point things out to him in the store. It’s like he’s seeing the world for the first time. I hate it and love it at the same time. Quinn grins and shakes her head at us, but never comments.

  Once we’re back home and all the food is put away I take Jack and Quinn into his room. I push the door open and Jack squeals with delight. Quinn falls against my side as she gasps. I did this the week after Quinn told me to leave. I don’t know why I did it, but I needed to.

  The walls are covered in huge removable stickers of every comic hero I could find. The single bed has Avengers bedding. There’s a large circular rug in the middle of the room with a Marvel Comics collage. He has a pine dresser and bedside table with a Thor lamp. One wall has a storage unit filled with toys, books, games, puzzles and anything else I could find that I thought he’d like. It’s a perfect room for him.

  “I get to stay in here?” Jack whispers, his eyes darting to every surface.

  “It’s all yours, bud.”

  Jack walks around the room, running his hand across the walls, toys, dresser and finally his bed. He turns his gaze to me with tears streaming down his cheeks and I feel tears prick the back of my eyes. He flies across the room, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist. I pull my arm off Quinn’s shoulder and pick Jack up under his arms. He wraps around my front like a monkey, squeezing the life out of me. Finally, after a few calming breaths, he pulls his face from my neck and looks into my eyes.

  “You won’t leave me, right?”

  “I won’t leave you, Jack,” I state emphatically.

  “You won’t let anyone hurt me?”

  “No one will ever hurt you again.”

  “You won’t make Mommy cry anymore?”

  “I’ll do my best not to make your momma cry,” I say, knowing I’ll make Quinn cry again at some point. I’m still an ass, but I’m trying.

  “You’re the best daddy ever,” he whispers and lays his head on my shoulder. Trying to avoid turning into a blubbering idiot, I glance down at Quinn who’s apparently fighting the same urge. I kiss Jack’s hair and set him down.

  “You play in here for a while. I’m gonna talk to your momma out in the living room.”

  “Okay.”

  Jack scampers away, pulling puzzles off the shelves. I pull Quinn from the room by her elbow, leading her to the living room. I flop on the couch and yank her down next to me. Ash is on the floor sleeping in her car seat. All is well.

  “So you met my dad,” I start off with a chu
ckle.

  “Kieran what you did for Jack…I’ll never be able to thank you enough. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted for him,” Quinn whispers, gazing up at me.

  I brush my thumb across her cheek, placing a soft kiss on her plump lips. She still can’t weigh more than a hundred pounds, but there’s more weight on her. She’s softer against my side than she was weeks ago.

  “I have everything for a nursery for Ash in the basement. I couldn’t do pink so I did yellow. If you don’t like it we can take it back. I’ll have to clear out the guest room to fit everything I got. If you don’t want that I’ll just set up the bassinet in there and you can take the guest room. It’s whatever you’re comfortable with,” I say encouragingly. I’m not forcing her into my bed. If she wants to be there it’ll make my fucking day, but if she doesn’t I’ll understand and be patient.

  “Let’s start with the bassinet,” she whispers, pulling her face away from me.

  “Quinn, there’s no pressure. I’m not gonna force you to do something you’re uncomfortable with. As long as you three are here, I’m happy.”

  I tip her chin up and capture her mouth with mine, teasing her lips with my tongue. She threads her fingers through my hair, pressing her mouth to mine. A growl thunders in my chest as she parts her lips and whispers her tongue across my bottom lip. I slant my mouth and take the advantage, plundering her mouth with my tongue. Quinn moans and arches her back with pleasure vibrating over her skin. I run my hand down her rib cage when a squeal breaks the mood.

  “Someone’s awake,” I mumble against her lips.

  Quinn smiles and pulls out of my arms. While she unhooks Ash from the car seat I go to the kitchen and make a bottle. I bring the bottle back to Quinn as she’s bouncing Ash in her lap, making goofy faces at the baby. Ash is staring with her bright blue eyes in wonder at the crazy woman.

  I get to the couch and take Ash from Quinn and pop the nipple in her mouth.