Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88736 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
“What?”
“Told ’em you and the kids are mine, and the next time they’ve got questions, they can come to me.”
“Curtis, what the fuck?” she snapped, jumping to her feet. “What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking that I didn’t appreciate them fuckin’ interrogatin’ you,” I replied calmly, leaning up to look at her. “I was thinkin’ that you trusted me, and they fuckin’ implied that we’d leave you hangin’ if you’d worked for Granger, which isn’t even true.”
“They just needed to know what they were dealing with,” she replied in exasperation. “I’d want to know too if I were in their position. David’s a fucking menace.”
“Then they coulda come to you and fuckin’ asked instead of draggin’ you into church and tryin’ to intimidate you.”
“I wasn’t intimidated.”
“The fuck you weren’t.”
“I wasn’t.”
“Flat out, Teddy,” I said, rising. “You’re covered. You were covered even if you’d been in the middle of a job for Granger and skipped out. We owed your dad a marker, and he called it in. End of.”
“Then why did you feel the need to piss on me?”
“Because no matter how this shit plays out, they are never gonna do that to you again,” I roared. “They knew from the moment we walked into the room how it was, and they still fuckin’ pulled that shit. So I said it straight out so there was no misunderstandin’. You are mine, and with that comes the protection of the club and protection from the fuckin’ club.”
“We’ve been here a week!” She threw her hands in the air. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know that you include my kid in everythin’, even when he’s bein’ a whiny little asshole,” I countered. “I know that you packed up your whole life in less than a day so you could get your kids safe. I know that you pay attention when Finn’s ramblin’ on about some random shit for twenty minutes, even when you’re busy and tryin’ to get shit done. I know that Sunday is hair day, and yesterday you spent four fuckin’ hours braidin’ Jesse’s hair, and you didn’t say a word of complaint when your hands were killin’ you the rest of the night. I know that the kids have got everything they could possibly need, but you’ve got only two bras and about five pairs of socks. You all had the same number of boxes when you moved in, but by the way the kids have gone diggin’ in your boxes, my guess is that half of them are full of Jesse and Finn’s shit.”
Teddy crossed her arms over her chest with a scoff.
“I know you kissed me back the first time, even though I was a fuckin’ stranger—at first because you weren’t sure what was going on and then because you fuckin’ forgot what planet you were on,” I continued. “I know you like it when I put my hand on the small of your back, and you’ve got a sensitive spot on the right side of your neck where it meets your shoulder, and you shiver any time I kiss it. I know you wear shorts and a tank top to bed every night with nothin’ on under ’em, and you move toward me in your sleep because you won’t admit it when you’re awake, but you wanna be close.”
I reached out and slid my hand around the side of her neck, tilting her chin up with my thumb. “I know you take my cock any way I wanna give it, and you get off on it. I know that you’ll stay put when I tell you to even though you’d rather wrap me up when I’m fucking you, but either way, you come hard and seriously fuckin’ wet every time. Your nails are bitten down to the quick, but you can still dig those things into my back so hard I’m gonna end up with scars—”
“Enough,” she ordered hoarsely. “I get it.”
“We’re new as hell and shit started out seriously whacked,” I said, softening my voice. “But we got thrown into the deep end, and we’re treadin’ water just fine. This works. Me, you, the kids—it works.”
“It’s temporary,” she argued faintly, her hand coming up to grip my wrist. “That was the deal.”
“Fuck the deal and fuck temporary,” I shot back. “Why the hell would you wanna give this up? Who cares how it started? This works, baby. You know it does. Me, you, the kids. Why don’t we grab hold and see where this goes?”
“Seeing how this goes isn’t the same as claiming me at the club,” she argued. “That’s different. That’s permanent shit. Even I know that.”
“It is,” I agreed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “Doesn’t matter what the hell happens with us. As long as I’m alive, you and the kids have my protection. Always, Teddy.”