Big City Little Rebel

She reached over and brushed her palm up the inside leg of his pants. “Sizable,” she purred.

“Seductive,” he growled.

“Swagger.” She raised her brows in question.

“Working on it.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“You broke the sexy S chain.” She leaned back and patted her flat stomach. “Stuffed.”

He dropped his fork and picked her up. “Not yet, but soon. I’m going to show you my sexy, seductive, sizable swag in the sack.”

Bobbie laughed all the way to his bed. He tossed her on the comforter and stripped. When he had her naked, he lay down beside her and held her close.

“I haven’t been this happy and settled in a long time. Thank you for grounding me, giving me a future to look forward to, and for a reason to be a better man.”

“I’m glad, but I think I can make you happier.” They made each other happier for the next hour. He wanted her to feel his emotions with every kiss, every touch, and every thrust. When she trembled and her head fell to the side, she called out his name, and he spilled his heat inside her. There was never a more perfect moment.

They lay quietly in each other’s arms until she broke the silence. “Tell me about your day.”

“You first. You said you had something to share.”

“I met with a lawyer today to start up a nonprofit. I’m not positive where I want to take it, but I’m moving in a positive direction. I’m thinking about calling it Mama’s World after my mom.”

He sat up and leaned against the headboard. “That’s amazing. I’m proud of you for moving forward.”

“You put a fire under my ass when you did the same with your mom. That was a tremendous step for you. This is a baby step for me.” She wrapped her hands around his waist and leaned against his chest.

“What did you have in mind for your nonprofit?” He was happy she was looking at turning a negative into a positive. After working for years on the 9/11 Memorial, he had taken an awful situation and given it beauty and meaning.

“I have a few ideas, but nothing solid at this point. What I want to do is to invest the money from the settlement so it can make money for the future. Sticking millions in an account is a waste if it does nothing but dwindle. I want my mom’s legacy to live on forever. I want to set up a victim’s fund, but I need to decide how it will be funded in the long term.”

“It sounds like you’ve been giving it a lot of thought.”

“Yes, but enough about my news. Tell me yours.” She sat up and leaned against him.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Being with her was so easy. Most relationships started with two people pretending to be someone they weren’t, but they were light years ahead by starting their relationship without pretense. They’d seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in one another, and they were still embracing and loving each other.

“I got the results this afternoon, and it looks like Pete has the testing company in his pocket.” He stilled and waited for Bobbie to react, but she didn’t. Deep inside, he knew what the results would show, and he imagined his news didn’t surprise her.

Several minutes later, she replied, “What now?” She pushed herself away from him, wrapped the sheet around her waist, and sat cross-legged beside him.

“I’ve been thinking a lot too, and the best solution is to bring in an abatement team, put the crew on paid leave, and get the job done right.”

“No!”

Bobbie’s body tensed, and she pulled away when he tried to grab her hand. The air chilled around them.

“What? What the hell did I do?”

“You let me down.”

She brushed at a tear that ran down her face. He wanted to wipe it away, but if he reached out to her now, she’d push him away, and he couldn’t deal with that. He rolled out of bed and pulled on his jeans. He refused to fight with her in a place that should be all about love. “I don’t want to argue in our bed. This is a neutral zone.” He walked toward the door. “I’ll be in the living room.”

He did his homework and put his job on the line. He created an option where his crew kept their jobs, and he forced Pete to do what was right. He’d done everything he could to create a positive outcome. He’d promised himself he’d never let her down, but he couldn’t process her anger. What the hell did I do?

* * *

Bobbie