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"Basketball. Since he doesn't play, he'll help manage the team, run practices, clean the locker rooms, do whatever I need doing." I lean against the wall, my arms crossed. "We'll set a little cash aside for him each week to ensure he's earning while he's paying off his debt. The rest can go toward repairs if that's what you really want."
"It's what I want," she says without hesitation. "I don't need charity."
"Taking care of you isn't charity," I say softly. "It's an honor. Don't ever let yourself believe otherwise."
"It's my job to take care of myself and Todd." She stubbornly clings to the argument, refusing to relent. "I won't let him end up in foster care because I couldn't do it."
Well, shit. Is that why she works herself so fucking hard? She's afraid she's going to lose the only family she has left? She's afraid she'll let him down and he'll end up in foster care? I will never let that happen.
"Hell will freeze over before I let that happen," I growl, striding toward her.
She throws up a hand to halt me, taking a quick step back. "I appreciate that you care so much about him, but he's my responsibility, not yours."
I stop walking, staring at her. She has no idea, does she? Fuck, she doesn't. She thinks I'm doing all of this for Todd. Even after I almost kissed her on the porch, she has no idea how far I'd go for her.
She will soon enough.
"How many people does Leone employ?" I ask.
"There are eleven of us. Why?"
"I've got a job lined up for you at the Park Avenue Bar," I explain quietly. "Razor Montgomery is part owner. He's also my brother-in-law. He'll pay double what Bellotti was paying, and you'll keep your tips. He'll talk to anyone interested in finding more suitable employment. If he can't use them, he'll help get them set up somewhere else."
"What?Why?" She gapes at me as if I've grown two heads.
"Because what Leone Bellotti is doing to all of you is illegal. The money he's taking from you every night is your money. And the way he treated you tonight is unacceptable. He's lucky I didn't plant my fist in his face."
She stares at me for a full five-count and then sighs. "I don't understand you at all, Garrett. Why do you care so much? Football is just a game, and he's just one kid."
I stalk toward her. This time, I don't stop when she takes a step back. I crowd her up against the far wall, getting up in her personal space. I want her to see me. I want her to feel me. And I want her to hear me.
I tip her head back, cupping her cheek to keep her eyes focused on me. She's so damn beautiful. Even exhausted, she's pretty enough to tempt a saint. I'm far from one of those.
I've been fucking my hand to memories of her for the last year.
"I'm not just doing it for Todd, Cherry. I'm doing it for you. You’re mine. You just don’t know it yet," I murmur, tipping my head down to brush my lips across hers. I linger for a moment, just long enough to ensure she feels me, and then I back off. "Come on, let me feed you, and then I'll get you home."
FOUR
CIARA
“That’s it,Cherry, touch yourself. Show me exactly what you like.”
I can’t resist his order. Calling on every single ounce of courage I possess, I slowly slide my finger between my dripping wet folds. Somehow, pleasuring myself feels so much better knowing his icy blue eyes are following my movements. A groan bursts from my lips as I spread my legs wider, giving him a better view of what my fingers are doing. I arch my back and groan his name and…
The freaking alarm blares, dragging me awake. My eyes blink open, and I glance around my room, looking to see if maybe the football coach snuck through my window. Of course, I find the room empty except for my girlish white wicker furniture. Freaking heck. That was the most vivid dream of Garrett I’ve had. And I’ve had some really, really intense fantasies.
I throw back the covers and hop out of bed, hoping a long, icy shower helps relieve the pressure dreaming of Garrett caused and wakes me the heck up. Getting only four hours of sleep each night is starting to wear me down, but I have to make sure my brother has breakfast before school.
I step into our small kitchen and come to a dead stop when I find Todd washing the dishes. “Good morning, CeCe.” He smiles sheepishly, and my heart melts at him using the nickname he gave me years ago.
“What’s all this?” I point at the scrambled eggs cooking on the stove. At least, I think the yellow mush bubbling in the nonstick pot is eggs.
“I wanted to cook breakfast for you.” Todd bites his lip and I’m thrust back in time. When we were young, he always had the exact expression on his face every time he got caught being naughty. “To help apologize for what I did.” He shrugs and pours the gooey mess onto a plate. When he sets it in front of me, I force myself to eat the runny eggs while my brother watches.
“This is one mistake I can’t fix for you.” I hate that I can’t fix everything for him. “You’re going to have to deal with the consequences on your own.”
Last night, Garrett fed us and then brought us straight home. It might be stupid, but I was a little disappointed when he gave me a quick kiss and left. I was too done in by the day’s events to even contemplate cleaning the kitchen. Plus, I needed time to come to terms with everything that had happened. I lay awake most of the night, running through my conversation with Garrett over and over. My knight in shining armor is offering me a lifeline, and I’m still terrified to take it. But Todd’s mistake has left me with few options.
