Climbing Out (14 page)

I was forty-years-old, and I was going red from embarrassment. How in the hell had Wildcat survived growing up with her and not turned out strange? Although, Wildcat did have her moments.

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Deanna

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I
picked up Zara, who waddled out to the car with Talon following her. Blue and Stoke were standing out on the front porch looking on as the boss-man threatened me if I didn’t bring his woman home safely. Though, his threat was a mild one to what I’d seen in the past, because once he saw my tear-stained face, he knew something big had gone down and I needed my girl.

We drove on silently and picked up Julian. I’d asked Mattie to come, but he was already in bed asleep; he hadn’t been feeling well. Julian got in the car, looked at me and then Zara, and then back to me and asked, “Who do I have to hurt? I’ve never seen our girl like this—well, besides...nope, not even then.”

I snorted.

“I know. It’s even worse than when we found her with a department store in her house. Tonight, she let Talon rip her a new one—though he did it gently—and usually she’d bite back big...but nothing, and she hasn’t spoken, like, at all. I think she’d dead.”

Biting my lips, I mumbled, “No, but I do feel like it. And stop talking like I’m not in the fuckin’ car.”

“There she is.” Zara smiled as she grabbed my hand. “What’s the plan?”

“To talk about my feelings and shit,” I said with a snarl. I hated this crap, but I needed advice. Even if he didn’t like me talking—no,
opening my big trap and telling people—
he could go and get fucked by a donkey.

“Don’t worry, pumpkin. We’ll get you so drunk you won’t even know your name.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I started the car and drove to the nearest pub, which was two blocks away.

Zara and Julian chatted while I consumed five shots and two rum and cokes. I was on my third when it went down the wrong way and I started coughing.

“Maybe you need to burp her; get you some practice till the peanuts are out of you.”

Turning my head, I saw Zara shrug and move her arm to my back. “If you try it, I’ll post that picture you took when you were drunk and running around naked out in the backyard.”

She glared, uttered ‘Bitch’ and placed her hand back on the table. I had to laugh; her belly was just touching the table in the booth we’d sat in. Looking around the small, somewhat-clean pub, I found I liked it. It was loud and bustling with people. The jukebox was playing softly, there were two other guys at the bar and Blue was sitting in a booth three down from us. Apparently, Talon didn’t trust me all that much with his wife...or had it been Grady? If it was, did that mean he still cared?

I looked back at Zara, who sat next to me, and then to Julian, who sat across from us. They were the
bestest
friends anyone could have.

Okay, I may have been a bit drunk. It sure would have explained why I burst out with, “I fuckin’ love you two. I really do. I know I can be the biggest bitch, but you guys put up with me and I really appreciate it.” I sighed and leaned my head against the table.

“Um, hun, you could catch something from doing that,” Zara said.

“Why do I have the song, ‘Ding dong the witch is dead. Which old witch? The wicked witch,’ playing around in my head when I see her like this?” Julian asked.

“Screw you.” I laughed and sat back up. “My life ended tonight. I told Grady about takin’ Swan to see a specialist behind his back and he went ballistic. I’ve never seen him that mad, guys, and it was all because of me and my stupid, interfering, big trap. He hates me. He really does. He’s gonna move out now,” I whispered, and tears slipped outta my eyes and down my cheeks. “He’s gonna move out and take that gorgeous little girl with him. Then I will have nothing.” I took a breath and sighed. “Jason may as well come and kill me.”

“Don’t you dare say that, bitch,” Zara hissed. “He was just in the moment. I’m sure he’s gotten over it and feels really sorry for the way he’s spoken to you, hun. I’m sure of it. Men talk and rant before even thinking about the situation.”

“That they do. I know; I’m one of them...well, sort of. But Mattie does it all the time. One second he’s yelling at me for something, and then later, he sees I was right all along, because I am. Then he apologizes and we have make-up sex. You just watch—you’ll get home later and he’ll be all sorry, and the sex will be crazy mad.” He leaned over the table. “And I wanna hear about it all tomorrow. Don’t even think about leaving anything out.”

“He’s right,” Zara started.

“See? Always right.” Julian smiled and winked. I snorted.

Zara rolled her eyes. “Well, this time he is. He’ll be begging for your forgiveness, and then you will do the deed in the hottest way yet, and then, yes, I also want to hear all about it. I’m not getting enough; Talon’s scared he’ll do damage to the babies with his ‘ginormous’—his words, not mine—‘perfect pecker’. I’ll never live that saying down.” She sighed, but grinned.

“You really think so?” I asked.

“Yes,” they both replied.

“Come on, cupcake from hell. I’ll drive you both home and you’ll see that tomorrow will be a brighter day.” Julian clapped.

I hoped to fuck so.

Griz

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I
don’t know how long I’d been sitting at the kitchen table after Nancy had left, but I’d keep sitting and waiting for my woman until she was home so I could crawl up her arse and tell her how sorry I was. The phone rang, and my heart jumped into my throat as panic settled in. Had something happened? A car accident?

I reached to the phone on the table. “Deanna?” I answered.

“What in the fuck did you do to her?” Talon growled down the line.

Shit.

Ignoring his question, I asked, “Where is she?”

“Probably out drinkin’ her sorrows away with Zara. Again, brother, what did you do? I’ve never seen her look so...fuckin’ defeated. Like her world had ended. Not even when she’d told us the story about her past. Fuck, man, I’m seriously thinkin’ I need to come over there and beat the livin’ shit outta you for putting that look on her face.”

Sighing, I rubbed at my temple with my free hand. “Maybe you should. Jesus, Talon, I really fucked things up.” I sighed. “Still, I did get a stern talking-to from Nancy when she dropped Swan off. Then she proceeded to tell me she was going home to pleasure her husband.”

Talon’s loud laughter filled the phone. “Goddamn, brother. I seriously don’t know about that woman’s sanity sometimes.”

“I know what you mean.”

Talon’s voice was back to the gruff, harder tone when he said, “So, what in the hell are you gonna do to fix this?”

“Christ, anything at all. Anything.”

“Good luck with that. And if my woman comes home pissed because of you, I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”

“Sure, but I guess I’ll be dead soon anyway when Deanna gets her fight back in her.” I heard a click at the front door. “I’ve gotta go. Talk soon.” I didn’t wait for a reply; I hung up the phone and listened closely to hear Deanna come inside.

What was takin’ her so long? Instead of waiting, I went to the front door and opened it. Deanna was standing there with a tear-stained face and worried eyes.

“Sorry if I woke you,” she said and brushed past me, heading for the stairs.

“Darlin’, we need to talk.”

“I smell like smoke and booze, Grady. I need a shower,” she said over her shoulder and continued on upstairs.

Fuck
.

I hated seeing her like this. Where was her fight? Why wasn’t she yelling in my face, calling me every name under the sun?

Making sure the house was locked up, I made my way upstairs. I could hear the shower running from the en-suite in our room. I quickly checked on Swan; she was sound asleep. I pulled her blanket up over her more, and gently rubbed her beautiful blonde hair out of her face.

“I’ll make this better, baby girl,” I said quietly.

Leaving her room, I made my way down the hall and walked into our room, shutting the door behind me. I pulled my tee over my head, and took off my jeans and boxers. The bathroom was misty when I entered, some of it slipping out the open door. I opened the door to the shower and stepped inside. Before she could say anything, I wrapped my arms around her waist and brought her naked, smooth, wet back against my chest and out of the hot spray of the water.

“I’m sorry, darlin’, so fuckin’ sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

“S’okay,” she uttered. “I shouldn’t have done it.”

“Don’t. You had every right. Fuck, princess, I was pissed, because I should have been the one to do it. I should have made it a priority, but I didn’t, and I was—I don’t know—jealous in a way. I never should have spoken to you like that, and you should have told me so. Turn around and hit me, swear at me, anything, and everything—just so I know we’re okay. I need us to be okay, darlin’.” I kissed her neck. “I love that you did this for us, for Swan, for
our
family, and I’ll never do or say anything otherwise ever again. Swan is as much yours as she is mine. I knew this when I went off, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m an arse, princess.”

She sniffed.
Damn, is she crying?

“You
are
an arse.” She shifted in my arms and turned to face me. “It’s why I walked away. I knew you needed time to get your anger under control, and I was proven to be right.” She smiled. “But, Grady, if you ever fucking speak to me like that again, I will castrate you.” One of her hands wound around my cock and balls, squeezing hard, drawing a gasp from my mouth.

“Fuck, darlin’.” I closed my eyes, only to open them seconds later. “Does this mean you forgive me?”

“For now.” She smiled, got up on her toes and kissed me. Her tongue slipping over my bottom lip, I opened and our kiss deepened. My hands ran over her amazing body. I moved my mouth from hers and kissed down her neck, surprised to find her breath already heavy. I made my way with my mouth down to her left nipple, sucked it in between my lips and gently bit. She gripped my hair and the base of my neck. It was painful, but goddamn enjoyable.

After paying attention to her left breast, I moved to the right, causing a moan to fall from her lips.

Damn, my woman was hot. I gripped my dick in one hand and started to stroke, while the other hand slid between her thighs, fondling her trimmed, course hair there. She spread her legs wider and I slipped two fingers in; she was wet and ready.

“Grady,” she hissed as my finger fucked her in and out. “Grady, I want you. Please.”

I took a step back, my hand still around my dick, and I continued rubbing it up and down its length. She licked her lips as she watched me. A growl left my throat from the look in her eyes. She fuckin’ loved to watch me, and I loved to please her.

“Darlin’, I’m so damn hard for you.”

“Yeah?” She smirked.

“Yes.”

“I want you to fuck me, Grady. Now.” She glared.

“Anything...God, fuckin’ anything for you.” Letting go of my dick, I gripped her wrist and pulled her against me, claiming her mouth with mine. She held me tightly, her hand fisting my hair as both my hands went to the backs of her thighs and I lifted. She wrapped her legs around me and continued our kiss.

Turning, I put her back to the wall. She gasped around my mouth from the cold, but as soon as I reached between us and placed my cock at her entrance, she moaned and then cried out when I slammed into her willing pussy.

She tore her mouth from mine, her head falling back against the tiles.

“Grady, God, yes! That feels so good.”

“Damn, darlin’,” I growled as my cock drove in and out of her hard and fast. This was what we needed—to dominate one another, to let our bodies say this was how it was supposed to be.

I was so fuckin’ happy she’d forgiven me, and all I could do was show her my appreciation with my words and body. She drove me crazy, but I fuckin’ loved it.

Her head fell to my shoulder, her arms encircling my neck more tightly and she hissed out, “Fuck, you make me feel so good, you arse.”

I chuckled. “That I am, but one who will always fight for your forgiveness.”

“Oh, Grady...just don’t piss me off; though this was worth it...oh, God,” she groaned as I shifted and tilted myself up more to touch that sweet spot inside of her.

“Yes, babe, right there.”

“Darlin’, hell, I’m gonna come soon.”

“Me too. Keep going, please...d-don’t stop. Yes!”

Two pumps later, she was gone, crying out and raking her nails down my back. A loud groan fell from my mouth as I released my seed inside of her.

“Wow,” she mumbled against my neck.

“You got that right.” I smiled and kissed her temple. “Maybe I should yell at you more often.”

“Don’t even fuckin’ think about it.” She pinched my back.

“I hope when I say never I can mean it,” I said as I slip out of her, making sure she was steady on her feet. “But I know I can be bad-tempered. Just remember, I’ll always be sorry, and eventually, I’ll tell you that, once I’ve cooled down.”

“I know, babe. It’s why I’ll keep you around a bit longer.”

I grinned down at her and wondered if it was too soon to talk about babies.