“Jesus, woman, I’m not seeing the fucking problem here.”
“Well clearly you don’t plan on coming over as often as I thought if you think there’s enough beer in the fridge, so now I feel like an idiot for even mentioning it, okay?”
Fucking hell, this woman.
“First, let’s get something very clear between us—I do plan on coming over a fucking lot. Do not read between lines or twist shit I say in your head or do any of that overthinking bullshit women do. I plan on being at your dinner table and on your couch and in your bed as often as possible. Second, I’ll bring my own fucking beer. I appreciate the fuck out of the shit you do for me, but I take care of you. You don’t take care of me. We clear?” When all I got was the sound of her breathing, I growled, “Lily, are we clear?”
“Yes, we’re clear, but just so you know, if I wanna buy you some beer, I’m gonna buy you some fucking beer.”
Jesus fuck.
“I’ll be over at six.”
“Okay.” This came out a lot fucking softer than everything else she’d said, and it hit me in the gut. Lily’s brand of sweet was everything I’d never had, but exactly what I fucking wanted.
14
Lily
It was funny how, in the blink of an eye, life changed, and then in another blink of an eye, it changed again, and although some bad stuff had happened in there, I was running around with a huge smile on my face. Even while ranting at my kids on a crazy Saturday morning. Only one week had passed since Brynn was shot, and yet, so much had happened.
“Why can’t you just let me make my own choices for once?” Zara yelled at me as we stood in my bedroom arguing over her spending the day with her boyfriend.
I was half-naked, wearing only my bra and panties since she’d barged in while I dressed. Story of my life. “Zara, you are fourteen and lately you haven’t been showing me you’re capable of making good decisions. On top of that, how do you expect me to handle the messages I read on your phone from Sam when you refuse to enter into a conversation with me about them? They don’t encourage me to allow you anywhere near him.”
She scowled. “I told you those were private. You shouldn’t have snooped.”
“Yeah well, I’m your mother, so expect me to snoop. And I don’t care what everyone else’s mother does, I’m not changing. I take parenting very seriously and will do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“Ugh,” she groaned, “you are so annoying! I just wish you could remember what it’s like to be my age.” With that, she stomped out of my bedroom, her shoes thudding all the way to her room before the sound of her door slamming rang in my ears.
Frustration and anger ran through me. Why were teenagers so damn difficult to deal with? I wasn’t convinced I would make it through to see her become an adult. I would probably drink myself into an early grave before then at the rate we were going.
I rummaged in my suitcase for something to wear. Thank God we were going home today. Living out of a suitcase at your mother’s home was only good for a very short time.
The bedroom door closed, causing me to jump. I’d been lost in my own little world, and the sound snapped me out of it. Turning, I found King standing at the door, watching me with that intense stare of his I loved. It stirred butterflies in my tummy and made me go weak at the knees.
He’d come for dinner last night, charmed my mother, and engaged my kids, all before fucking me for the second time that day and exhausting me completely. I’d woken this morning wrapped in his arms and legs again. King could swear all he liked that he didn’t cuddle, but the man freaking cuddled.
“I fixed the light in your mum’s bathroom, so you don’t need to worry about her falling over in there anymore. No fucking clue how she hasn’t fallen yet. That light was too dim for that room,” he said, making my heart speed up a little. He had no idea what it meant to me when he did little things like this for my family. Mum had made a casual remark over breakfast about the light and he’d taken it upon himself to go out and get a new bulb and change it.
I turned the T-shirt I held so it was the right way out to put on. As I lifted it to put it over my head, King closed the distance between us and stopped me. His nostrils flared as he dropped his eyes and ran them down my body. Holding my shirt in one hand, he placed his other one on my breast, sliding his thumb under the material of my bra, and stroking my skin. “You got the kids this afternoon?”
Staring down at his thumb, it struck me that King had never been this gentle with me. I liked his rough ways, but I really freaking liked his gentle.
When I took my time answering him, he growled, “Lily,” as his touch turned a whole lot less gentle. He then gave me his signature style of rough when he reached further into my bra and squeezed my nipple while adding, “I need your cunt again, and I want a plan for when that’s gonna happen.”
King was the crudest man I’d ever met, and I couldn’t get enough of his filthy ways. I wasn’t a fan of the c word, but coming from him? I was going to hell because of how much I liked it on his lips.
Putting my hands to his chest, I tried to push him away, because I needed a moment and the space to think. He got me all flustered when he bossed me while talking dirty. When he refused to move, I said, “King,” with the kind of tone that told him I wanted him to move.
As per usual, he took no notice, and instead, took it as a signal to move further into my personal space. His hand snaked around my waist and he forced our bodies together. “I’ve got some club shit to take care of this morning, and then I’m heading over to your place to clean it. I know you’re taking your mum to the hospital and Robbie to karate, but what else have yo
u got on?”
“Well, for one, I’m trying to keep my daughter from getting pregnant. But in answer to your question about the kids, Linc is picking them up from here at three. I’ve got the night to myself.”
The way his eyes flashed with heat told me he liked that answer. And when he bent to kiss me, as roughly as he usually did, I knew he really liked that answer. Letting me go, he moved out of my space and said, “Lock this afternoon in.”