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I pull out slightly then push back in. I don’t need to fuck her, not right now. I need her to feel me, all of me, so I stroke my dick in and out, slow and steady. Covering her body with mine, I place soft kisses behind her ear as I continue to lazily slide in and out. “I was afraid of my feelings for you,” I whisper my confession. “But I never feared that you would use your power to destroy me.” I nip at her ear. “That’s how I knew that I could love you without thinking of myself as weak because you give me more strength than I could ever have on my own.”

Pulling back, I build up the courage to look her in the face. Feeling vulnerable isn’t an emotion I’m used to, but I’m not worried that she’ll use it to take what she wants. She doesn’t need to take anything because I’ll willingly give her anything she ever wants.

“I love you,” she tells me with tears in her eyes. “I love you so much.”

And I fucking believe her.

“Lick?” Savannah calls me from the front of the store.

Sin took off a little while ago to meet Hawk for some shit, so I’m holding down the shop with the assistance of Savannah. Lately, it seems this is the only spot in the club that I’m needed, and even though it still jerks my chain, Cut assures me he’ll call if he needs me.

Jenni’s at home, trying to finish her online finals. Hopefully, once these last classes are done, she’ll be able to get into a classroom and finally be able to do some student teaching. She says she’s eligible for substitute status right now and plans on getting her name down at the kids’ school. I know if I were the kids, I’d be pissed as fuck to have my parental figure lurking around my school and my friends, but they like her and like having her around, so who am I to say shit.

“Okay, Rox, very good. Now I want you to continue to write your numbers past one hundred.”

Walking into the kitchen, I find both Roxy and Ryder at the table. Workbooks near Roxy, text books near Ryder. Even little man takes a seat under the table the entire time the kids are working. This whole situation has become routine in the house. Jenni makes sure her stuff is taken care of before the kids get home so she can focus her attention on them and their needs.

It fucking twists my heart to see her put so much effort into these kids. It’s proof of how much my sister and I missed out on. I always did my homework in the confines of my own room, and when she needed help, she came to me. There was never any help at the kitchen table. Even the few times when I’d ask my father for help, it was usually late in the evening once I was ready for bed and he’d made his way home from work.

“Everything okay?” I ask as I pull open the refrigerator. Meat is marinating on the shelf, telling me that I get to BBQ tonight.

“Yeah. We’re good.” Jenni walks about the table, peering over Ryder’s shoulder. “Use your notes, baby, if you can’t remember the answers. Here’s the study guide. That’s what it’s there for.” She pushes a piece of paper over to him.

“I hate history,” he grumbles as he takes the paper into his hands.

“History’s a piece of cake,” I tell him before I take a pull of my beer. “All you gotta do is read the shit until you memorize it. Besides, teachers now a days practically give away the answers. Wasn’t like that when I was younger. You read the chapters, took the section quizzes and the final test, or you failed. I’m fucking shocked the teachers don’t stand in front of the classroom calling out the answers.”

“I don’t really need any of this in life.”

“Sure as fuck you do.”

Ryder eyes me. “No, I don’t. Not where I’m going.”

“And where the fuck are you going, boy?”

“I’m enlisting in the Marines. Just like Sin.”

Wiping my hands of grease, I throw down my rag. I glance behind Savannah, through the window, and see some fucking tweaked out looking motherfucker standing at the counter. His shirt is dirty as shit, and his dark, greasy hair is sticking out everywhere.

“Who the fuck is this?” I ask in a low tone.

“Um…” Her eyes dart about, and her inability to look me in the eye pisses me off. I thought she and I were past this shit. “He says he’s the kids’ father.”

Her words stop me in my tracks.

No fucking way.

I watch him as he continues to pace back and forth. His hands move up and down his arms, fingers picking at non-existent bugs. This fucker is high as fuck. “I’ve got this. You need to stay the fuck back here. Got it?”

She nods as I push through the double doors. Once I’m in the store, almost directly in front of him, he finally realizes that I’m there. “Fuck,” he says. “You came outta nowhere, man.” Yeah, he’s a jumpy motherfucker.

“No, shit bag, I really didn’t.” He’s a short fuck, not even sure if he’s taller than Jenni. This tells me that Ryder definitely gets his height from my dad and me because his ‘father’ is a short shit. “Who the fuck are you?”

Shifty eyes are still bouncing around the room, waiting for something or someone to come out and jump him or some shit. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he suddenly stops and extends his hand out for me to shake, but there’s no way in hell that I’ll be touching this motherfucker in any other way than kicking his ass.

“I’m Rob. Rob Masters.” He’s rocking from side to side on the balls of his feet, still with his hand out.

“What the fuck do you want, Rob Masters? I’m fucking working.”