Rock Chick Revolution
Page 53
Copiously.
“Sniff’s convinced he gives good lovin’,” Roam put in.
“That’s ‘cause I do,” Sniff’s deep pissed-off voice clipped. “No complaints so far.”
“And that’s because they’re faking,” I said.
“Cut the chatter on the line,” Luke butted in, ending our fun.
I pressed my lips together in a further (successful) effort to fight my smile and did a scan of the club. I was in an LBD, strappy sandals and had big hair.
In other words, I was a honey trap who would, eventually, withhold the honey.
The skin at the back of my neck prickled when I saw him.
“Got eyes on him. He just entered,” I muttered, the microphone in my cleavage picking up my voice.
“Copy,” Lee came through. “Positions?”
“Check,” Roam said.
“Check,” Sniff said.
“Affirmative,” Luke said.
“Roger that,” Lee said. “Brody, got eyes?”
“Do I ever not have eyes?” Brody asked, offended.
“Appropriate responses are check, affirmative or negative,” Lee growled.
Years of this, my brother still found Brody annoying.
I, on the other hand, found him hilarious.
“Whatevs,” Brody replied. “Affirmative.”
“Roger that. Ally, you’re a go,” Lee told me.
“Copy. Out,” I told him.
Lifting a hand and pulling out the ear bud, I dropped it in my purse, clamped it shut and slid off the barstool, eyes on my target.
Fun and games done.
Time to get to work.
* * * * *
I opened the front door to Ren’s and my house, entering and seeing the space dark except for the flickering light of the TV.
My husband.
Since I was kidnapped, he waited up for me.
Always.
I closed and locked the door, walked in, was assaulted by our brown and white Boxer, Payton, and stopped.
This was because I needed to give my dog some loving. It was also because it was way late and my man was flat out on his back on a couch, head turned, eyes to me and our two year old daughter was dead asleep, curled up on his chest.
“You do know she has a bedtime,” I noted quietly.
“What Katie and I do during father daughter nights is up to us, baby,” Ren replied, just as quietly.
I rolled my eyes on a, “Whatever,” and moved their way.
I bent low, touching my lips to his then putting my hands to my girl. Lifting and turning her, I held her to my chest and she snuggled deep.
Even asleep, she knew Momma was home.
Loved my girl.
Totally.
I looked down at Ren. “Putting her down.”
He looked up at me, and even with the flickering light I could see his eyes were warm and sweet. They got that way frequently, but they got the way they were right now when he was looking at his wife with his daughter.
And I loved my man.
Totally.
“Right,” he replied.
I moved to the stairs, Payton following me, seeing as he doted on his sweet Katie.
Halfway up, the flickering light went out.
I put her down. She shifted around a second and I stood by her with a hand on her back until she settled. But I didn’t leave her until I’d touched her ear, her dark hair and the soft fuzz of her cheek.
Only then did I leave, Payton settling with a groan in her room. He’d start there. He’d come to Ren and me later.
I entered Ren’s and my room, closing the door halfway behind me, and saw him walking out of the bathroom in chocolate brown pajama bottoms.
Delicious.
“She wake?” he asked.
“Not really,” I answered, moving to the bed and sitting on it.
I leaned down to unstrap my sandals.
“Unh-unh.”
That came from Ren.
My happy place spasmed as I bent my head back to look at him.
“What?”
“Fuckin’ you with those on,” he told me and continued, “You can lose the dress, though.”
Eyes never leaving him, I stood up and lifted one of my hands to the side zip.
Slowly, I pulled it down.
Ren’s eyes watched as his mouth asked about my night’s activities, “You get your man?”
“Yep,” I answered.
Zip down, I tugged up my dress and it was gone.
Strapless lacy black bra, high cut lacy black panties, and heels.
Ren’s eyes didn’t leave my body when his mouth noted, “You’re gonna do that twice tonight, baby.”
Righteous.
I grinned at my husband.
My husband lunged at me.
* * * * *
“Ren,” I breathed.
I was on my back in our bed, Ren over me, my legs spread, knees high. He had my hands held in his at the sides of my head, pressed into the pillow, our fingers laced, but he’d angled up so he could watch as he thrust into me.
But when I spoke his name, his eyes came to mine.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he ordered.
I complied.
He kept being the kind of bossy I didn’t mind (at all). “Move with me, baby.”
My hips complied.
“Fuck yeah,” he growled, going faster and doing it deep. “That’s it.”
It definitely was.
“Dig in, Ally.”
I dug the heels of my sandals in, gaining purchase to tip my hips.
He rammed in deeper.
“Baby,” I panted.
His head dropped so he could watch again and he groaned, “Fuckin’ beautiful.”
Oh yeah.
It totally was.
But I was close.
My hands clenched in his. “Ren.”
He drove in faster, harder.
“Ren,” I whispered, and suddenly I had his weight, his mouth, his tongue and that did it.
I came. Thighs squeezing, heels digging in, fingers clasping, moaning against his tongue, hard.
It took a while, but when it left me, he rolled so I was straddling him and lifted up, taking us from missionary to lotus.
My number one.
Righteous.
One of his hands went between my legs as his other one gripped my hip encouragingly. “Ride me, honey.”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. My arms sliding around his shoulders, I rode him and did it fast, taking him deep, my lips to his, eyes locked, breath mixing.
His thumb pressed in and circled.
I whimpered.
“You’re goin’ again,” he demanded.
I hoped so.
“Okay,” I breathed, moving faster.
“Fuck,” he muttered, his hand sliding up my hip, side, in over my ribs to cup my breast, his thumb dragging over my rock-hard nipple. “Get there, Ally.”
Too late.
I was there.
My head flew back, but Ren drove a hand into my hair and tipped it forward.
I gasped. I bucked. I gave him a show he liked and I knew it when his arm wound around me and ground me down. He shoved my face in his neck and I took his groan in mine.
My whole body shivered.
Sweet, God, my man, so sweet, after he came down, his lips and tongue worked my neck as his hands slid lightly over my skin. His mouth ended at the guitar pendant dangling at the base of my throat and I felt his tongue sweep it inside. I knew he sucked it deeper when I felt the gentle tug at the chain around my neck.
Another whole body shiver.
While he did this and after I felt him release the pendant, I returned the favor with lips and tongue and hands (without the pendant part, of course) and we did this for a while.
Finally, I lifted my head, put my hands to either side of his neck and announced, “If it’s a boy, he and I get mother son time.”
Ren went still.
; “And we’re naming him Darius.”
Ren stared up at me.
“He, or she, depending, will be here in seven and a half months, give or take a few days.”
Ren didn’t move nor speak.
“I’ll be clearing certain cases. I’ll tell Daisy she needs to refer out now inappropriate ones. And I’ll talk to Lee about agreed limitations. But after Katie, they know the drill.”
Ren kept staring at me.
By the way, I wasn’t alarmed at his reaction. When I told him I was carrying Katie, he behaved the same way.
He liked the news he was going to be a daddy (even part two), and liked it so much it made him speechless.
“I like to think it happened during that time on the stairs. But according to the doctors, I think it’s that time in the sauna.” My eyes wandered away. “Or on the landing.” I tipped my head to the side. “Or the dining room table.”
“Baby, look at me.”
I looked at my husband.
“You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Oh my God.
I stopped breathing.
He wasn’t done.
“And you keep getting better.”
God.
Seriously?
I.
Loved.
My.
Man.
I loved him for many reasons. One of them was because he said shit like that to me all the time.
And I never got used to Ren Zano taking my breath away.
I dipped my head so my lips were to his and only then did I grin and whisper, “You happy?”
Ren didn’t whisper back. “Fuck yeah, I’m happy.”
That was when I smiled, and right before I kissed him, I said softly, “Righteous.”
* * * * *
The next morning, Ren walked into the bedroom just as a tater tot went flying past him.
Katie was in a “feed Payton” mood, which occurred daily, three times and was, I suspected, why Payton doted on Katie.
I lounged next to my daughter in our bed, phone to my ear, lips curled up as I watched my husband watch the potato treat fly and land on the floor in the landing.
He then ignored it, and Payton chasing after it, and continued into the room with two fresh mugs of coffee.
I bit back laughter as Indy asked, “So can you pick it up?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“The cake’s kinda important,” she told me.
“Uh… duh,” I told her.
“You forget things,” she informed me.
My back snapped straight.
“I totally don’t forget things,” I informed her.
“Lee’s birthday that year,” she said.
“Uh… I was kinda in the middle of pushin’ out my kid two days before Lee’s birthday that year,” I reminded her. “I think Lee gets I had my mind on other things.”
She was not deterred. “The balloons you were supposed to pick up for that thing for Sam.”
“I didn’t forget. I just didn’t do it because Vance told me not to. He said at the thing for Max, Jules had so many balloons, he was running into them for days and stepping on them for days after.”
“Ally, you’re a Rock Chick,” Indy snapped. “You don’t do what the Hot Bunch says.”
“Indy, I work with Vance. I was around when he was balloon cranky. You do not wanna be around when he’s got a newborn, two hellions, otherwise known as male species toddlers, and balloons all over his house. Trust me.”
“You’re always picking the Hot Bunch over the Rock Chicks,” she complained.
“That’s because they keep me from getting shot at,” I retorted.
I felt eyes and looked to Ren who was now lounging on his side across the bottom of our bed, keeping an eye on Katie feeding Payton. I caught his expression and made an, I’m lying to make a point face with a shake of my head even though I wasn’t and, instead, was silently lying to Ren.
He sighed and turned to Katie.
He knew I was lying.
I returned my attention to Indy when she murmured. “Crap, Tod and Stevie are here. They’re early and I haven’t done my hair.”
They were early because Tod and Stevie completely doted on Indy and Lee’s kids, Callum and Suki (never fear, that was just my niece’s nickname, used so we wouldn’t have confusion; my big bro and BFF named their daughter after me, which… was… righteous).
And Indy shouldn’t be surprised. Tod and Stevie took every opportunity to “pop by” or “come early” and usually ended up essentially kidnapping the kids until Indy had to call and beg them to bring them back (or Lee had to call and threaten them; Lee’s tactic worked better).
Unfazed, they kept doing it.
“Like they’ll care,” I replied. “Anyway, ask Tod to do your hair. He’d love that.”
“He’s already claimed Suki,” she said swiftly. “And I want the kids here today, and Tod’s got that look in his eye that says ice cream, mall, extreme spoiling and me with two children who don’t understand why everything he or she points at isn’t at their command.”
This was true. I’d witnessed it. Repeatedly.
“There are worse things,” I pointed out.
This got silence before a soft, “Yeah, there are.”
I grinned and said, “Cake.”
“Don’t forget,” she repeated.
“Cake and catfight if you keep saying that,” I returned.
“Whatever,” she muttered then, “Later.”
“Later, chickie,” I replied and we disconnected.
“So I take it we’re picking up the cake,” Ren asked, and I looked to him.
“Yeah,” I answered.
Katie threw another tater tot. Ren looked to his girl and poked her gently in her rounded belly.
“You’re supposed to eat them, baby,” he told her.
She giggled.
She also threw another one.
That was when I giggled.
Ren just smiled.
Then he leaned in and kissed his daughter.
After that, he leaned further and kissed me.
It was Sunday breakfast in bed at the Zano house.
Yeah.
You guessed it.
Righteous.
* * * * *
“Yo!”
That was Lee.
We were in the kitchen at Indy and his house: Lee, Indy, Tex, Nancy, Jet (with her latest son, Cesar, or son number three, attached to her hip), Eddie, Ada and me.
The Kevster and Leo, Stella’s bassist, were wandering through, heading toward the back door.
Lee was scowling at Leo and Kevin.
“What?” The Kevster asked.
“Keep it in your pocket or give it to me,” Lee ordered.
“What?” The Kevster repeated, trying to look innocent.
And failing.
“You say ‘what’ one more time, I’ll pat you down, confiscate it and it’ll be in the garbage disposal,” Lee warned.
Kevin gave up the ghost and cried, “But it’s a party!”
“You don’t smoke that shit at my house,” Lee informed him.
“We weren’t gonna,” The Kevster replied. “We were gonna smoke it in your backyard.”
I could swear I heard Lee growl.
“Kevin, just abstain, all right?” Indy waded in.
The Kevster looked at Indy then looked at Leo. “You’re famous, right?” he asked.
“Yup,” Leo answered, and he was.
The Blue Moon Gypsies had hit the big time. Totally. Red carpets. Their frequent brawls splashed all over the tabloids. Pong even had a sex tape that was still circulating the internet.
Totally rock ‘n’ roll.
“So, do you have, like, a limo or something?” Kevin asked.
“We ride around in Escalades,” Leo shared. “That doesn’t say rock ‘n’ roll. But they’re roomy.”
“Do you have one here?” Kevin asked.
“Yup,” Leo answered.
“Are you two young men going to smoke a doobie?” she asked.
Leo just stared at her.
The Kevster tipped his head to the side and hedged, “Maybe.”
“I’ve never smoked marijuana,” she informed them excitedly, her meaning clear to everybody. Including Kevin and Leo, who were unclear about most everything.
“Jesus. Someone shoot me,” Lee muttered.
“Live large, mama,” Leo said to Ada, an invitation coupled with an arm going out, leading the way.
Ada sent a happy grin to Nancy and shuffled out, followed by one famous and one infamous pothead.
I shared a smile with Indy and Jet before I looked to Tex because he was booming.
“I was wrong,” he stated. “Shit never gets boring. It just gets more and more freaky.”
He was not wrong.
“And just now, that old woman gettin’ stoned with the stoner to end all stoners and a rock star, just plain crazy,” he went on.
He was not wrong about that, either.
And Tex, being all kinds of crazy calling something crazy, said a lot.
But we were used to crazy.
And, none of us, not a single one (okay, maybe the Hot Bunch were exempted), would have it any other way.
“You have chocolate crumbs in your beard, honey,” Nancy told him, lifting a hand and brushing away crumbs and Tex (yes, Tex) let her. “And what’s that?” she asked. “Caramel?”
“Loopy Loo’s brownies,” he shared.
“Tex, you’re not supposed to eat anything until the special guests arrive,” Indy snapped.
His brows shot up. “Woman, you think I’m gonna wait for a brownie?”
“Yes,” Indy answered.
“Well, you’re wrong,” Tex stated the obvious.
My mom walked in, Katie on her hip, her eyes going to Lee. “Sweetheart, do you know where Luke or Ava are? Ralphie’s got Maisie and he says she needs changing, but we can’t find either of them or their diaper bag.”
Lee looked to his boots.
That meant that likely somewhere in Indy and Lee’s five bedroom house, Luke was giving Ava the business.
I gave wide eyes to Jet. She gave them back to me.
Indy advised, “Talk to Sadie or Jules. They may have spares.”
“Right,” Mom muttered and moved out.
Shirleen walked in right after Mom disappeared.
“Got the call,” she lifted up her phone, her eyes happy and dancing, “they’re close.”