CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
TRIXIE
“Is Pippa okay?” I ask Freak anxiously when he returns from the club.
“Hello to you too,” he grins, pulling me in and taking my mouth. As I melt into him, I realise I’ll never get tired of the way this man can kiss. Like every time my knees grow weak, and I almost forget what I was asking, or that Ace, who he’d collected from his ma’s and brought home with him, is watching us, and laughing.
Eventually he lets me go. “Pippa’s fine. It takes a lot to faze her. She’ll just stay close to the club for a while.”
“She was so on the ball, Freak. She’d noticed the man and I hadn’t even seen him.”
“It’s her training, babe. She’s always on the lookout for trouble. Immediately after she came back, she hacked into the café’s CCTV and got a picture of the man. When I left, she was running him through facial recognition. If we can id him, we’ll know whether he’s a local or just passing through and happened to notice two pretty women. And if it’s the latter, then hopefullywe’ll all be able to relax and if the former, well, we might need to have words. But Pippa’s got it handled.”
“I want to be Pippa when I grow up.”
He chuckles loudly.
“Hey, Mom,” I turn to Ace, that thrill still inside me when he calls me that, “is dinner ready or can I go play my game?” Freak had moved his gaming consoles from the clubhouse to here.
“Dinner will be about thirty minutes, so don’t get too involved.” He scampers away before I finish speaking.
Freak’s looking at me curiously. “Is that thirty minutes when you have to bustle around in the kitchen, or…”
“It’s half an hour while the lasagne finishes cooking.” Oh, yeah, I can read that gleam in my man’s eyes. I remind him. “But I’m on my period.”
He barks another laugh. “I’m the enforcer, babe. You think I’m afraid of a little blood?” Then he grows serious. “But are you still hurting?”
Surprisingly, I’m not. Whether it’s the painkillers or the stress of the day, my cramps have subsided. Now I want nothing more than to feel him inside me. I do place a towel down to protect the bedclothes, and then let my man have his wicked way with me. A couple of orgasms later, and I’m feeling relaxed. As Freak cuddles me close, I begin to reflect.
“Are we sure that man was watching Pippa? Or could it have been me?”
“Pippa, for sure,” he answers, his voice rumbling into my ear. “Unless you recognised him as one of Alongi’s men?”
“I wouldn’t know, I only knew a few of hissoldato. And of course, there could be new faces now.”
He kisses the top of my head. “I really don’t think he was there for you. There’s no fuckin’ way that motherfucker would think of looking for you in Arizona, let alone here.”
That was my way of thinking. I’m glad he confirmed it. Enjoying the feeling of being in his arms, I close my eyes, thinking I could drift off to sleep… “Oh fuck! The lasagna!”
He chuckles as I leap out of bed, rush into the ensuite to mop up the leakage, then return and quickly pull on my clothes.
“You’re a bad man, Freak,” I point at him.
“But you love me anyway.”
I wait for a beat, just long enough for his eyes to narrow, then admit, “I sure do.”
It’s the kind of evening I’m getting used to, and already love. We sit down as a family to eat. Then most nights Freak has to leave to get go to Royals, and when he does, I read or watch television, or when Ace is here, attempt to beat him at his games. Spoiler, I never win. But it’s times like tonight, when Freak doesn’t need to rush off and when we’re all together, that I like the best. We joke, laugh, then Ace goes to bed, and we stay up just long enough to make sure he’s asleep. Then Freak makes slow lazy love to me. Oh yeah, they’re the very top of my list of favourite things.
Tonight when we’re both fully satisfied, Freak leans over, switches off the light, and pulls me into his arms. Encircled by him, I rest my head on his chest and close my eyes. I know nothing more until the light seeping through the curtains tells me it’s morning. It also shows me I’m alone.
Wearily, I get out of bed, and fasten my robe around me. Voices reach me from the kitchen, along with the joint aromas of coffee and bacon, enticing me that way. When I walk in, Freak steps away from the stove and comes over to take my mouth in a not-PG kiss. Not to be outdone, when he releases me, Ace steps up and briefly lets his lips touch my cheek.
“Morning, Mom,” he says, with a cheeky grin.
“Good morning to you too, kid.” I ruffle his hair.
He steps away, putting distance between us and moans, “Please stop. I’m almost sixteen. I’m not a kid.”
