“You’ve been in an outlaw club too long,” she breathed in his ear, gently biting his earlobe.
“And you’ve got a real mouth on you, especially for being a damn submissive.”
“You’ve liberated me.”
“So you’re blaming it on me?” He sounded stern, but the merriment in his eyes gave away that he was teasing her. “Give me your lips.” And she did. He cupped her ass cheeks and slammed her against him so they were pressed together as one. Then he kissed her and she kissed him back, and they stood in Isa’s sunlit kitchen kissing as though it would be the last time they’d taste and feel each other.
“Uncle Rock,” a small voice said. He reluctantly pulled away from Clotille and looked at Michael. “Do you wanna go swimming with me, Aline, and Mom tomorrow? She told me to ask you.”
He bent down on his haunches and looked the boy in the eyes. “You can count me in.” He lowered his voice and asked, “Can Clotille come along?”
Michael looked her over and then nodded. “Sure, but you have to go down the slide with us. It’s really fun, and Dad does it all the time.”
“I wouldn’t want to miss the slide. I’m a killer dunker, so I’m just warning you.”
Michael chortled. “It’s gonna be fun. I’m going to the day camp now. The bus picks me up. It’s so fun. We play, swim, and eat our lunches.”
“That does sound like fun. Does Aline go too?”
“She’s too little for my camp, but she goes to one for little girls.”
“Michael, the bus is here,” Isa called out from the living room.
The boy whirled around and dashed out of the room. “See you later, Uncle Rock.”
“He’s such a darling little boy. You’re so good with him,” Clotille said as she sat down.
Rock shrugged. “I still can’t believe Isa was the first one to have kids, and she’s the youngest.”
“Are you talking about me?” Isa walked into the kitchen, a wide smile on her lips. “Everything good now?”
Clotille nodded and Rock tilted his head.For now. Damn, chérie… I wish I could trust you.“Have you been to the bayou sinceMaman’sland was sold?”
Isa pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. “Charlie and I went out there a couple years ago. It was so disgusting it made me cry. The oil companies are destroying the natural landscape. It’s horrible. A big sign has replaced the shack onMaman’sland. It’s everywhere—Elite Power Inc. I’ll never forget the name. The oil and gas companies are destroying the bayou.”
“That’s Frederick’s company,” Clotille said softly.
Rock jerked around. “That fucker is raping my mother’s land?”
“Who’s Frederick?” Isa asked.
Clotille and Rock exchanged glances. “Someone I knew in Aspen,” she said.
“Well he must be pretty wealthy because his signs are everywhere in that part of the bayou.”
“Did you know he bought my mother’s land?” Rock said.
“I wasn’t sure. I knew he was doing explorations in the bayou in the Lafayette area. That’s how we met when I was still living here. I didn’t know exactly where your mother’s land was.”
“The company is all over the bayou. They own most of St. Martin.” Isa brought her leg up under her buttocks.
“I knew he was heavily involved in the St. Martin project, so I guess if I’d thought of it, I’d have realized it was where your mother once had land.”
Is this what she’s been hiding from me, that she knew that rich fuck had decimated our family’s land?“Did you ever go to see what he was doing?”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t deeply involved in his business.”
Silence fell on the trio until Rock broke through the barrier. “When are you going to visit Pa?”
