Highway Don't Care (Freebirds) (23 page)

  “Look.”  I said.

  By this time, the rest of the group had caught up with us,
and then immediately caught on to what I was seeing.  There sitting in
front of us, one table over from the one we were about to sit at was Sidney,
her husband, and the baby.  Sidney looked up, and her eyes widened when
they connected with what I expected was Gabe’s over my shoulder.  I could
feel the fury vibrating at my back as he put his arm on my hip and pulled my
back to his front. 

  This hurt, but I dealt with it because I knew he needed
something to ground him at this moment.

 Getting tired of the staring match I made my way to the
table and sat at the far end.  Gabe sat at the head so he had a clear view
of the table where his baby-sat, eating beans and rice.  Both Sidney and
her husband were arguing.  Something likely heated if there body language
was any indication.

  It didn’t take long for the baby to notice the tension,
and she started to whimper.  Big huge tears welled in her eyes and started
spilling over her cheeks.  Gabe’s body went rigid when he saw the baby
start silently crying.  It was as if she knew crying would get her
nowhere, so she held it inside, crying silently all the while her parents
ignored her. 

  Gabe’s control snapped, and he was out of his seat, fists
clenched in unhappiness.  Max was nearly on his heels when I grabbed his
hand and refused to let him go.  Sidney and her husband noticed
instantaneously that this was going nowhere fast, so they yanked the baby out
of her high chair and headed out the door seconds later, tossing a $100 bill
down before they left.

  Gabe followed them out, and I gave Max a shove to make
him follow just in case Gabe needed a hand.  Yes, it was obvious that he
was going to go anyway, but what are little sisters for if not to annoy the
crap out of you?

“Sam.”  I said repeatedly until his eyes turned to
me.  “Go stand at the window and tell us what’s going on.”

  “No.  Just leave it.  They don’t need an
audience.  He’ll tell us or he won’t.  That’s that.”  Sam said
seriously.

  I looked at him and understood he wasn’t going to budge,
so I did the next best thing, which was turn to Cheyenne.  Cheyenne was
twelve steps ahead of me though, because she was already up and walking towards
the window.  Fortunately, we were the only ones on this side of the
restaurant because Cheyenne started yelling out the play by play.

  “Gabe is standing there all badass silent like.  The
husband is yelling at the wife, the wife is strapping the baby into the
car.  She doesn’t look happy at all.  Kinda like, she swallowed
something sour.  The baby’s still crying, aloud now.  Gabe just said
something that made both of their heads whip around as if he slapped
them.  Must have beens something to do with the baby because Sidney
slammed the door and is now standing in front of it, so is the husband. 
Uh oh.  Now they’re pissed.  Hubby is gesturing with his hands. 
Sidney’s face is turning purplish.  Uh-oh.  Now he’s done. 
Coming back to us now.  He has a look on his face that could strip paint
off a car.  Spit nails with his teeth.  Beat someone until he shit
his pants.  Until they are lying in their own puddle of tinkle.  Like
he could shove a longhorn up the guy’s a-“

  “Stop.  Come sit down, dammit.”  Sam scolded.

  “My name’s not dammit, it’s Cheyenne.”

  “Cheyenne, dammit, that’s not what I meant and you know
it.”

  “Name’s not Cheyenne Dammit either, by the way.”  I
pointed out.

   Annoyance registered on his face as he said, “Oh my
God.  Would you two quit?” 

  “Quit what?”  Gabe asked as he took his seat at the
table. 

  No Max yet though.  He was still outside.  That
or taking a piss, because he did that, too.

  Cheyenne ignored the question and asked, “Where’s Max?”

  Gabe knew a diversion when he heard one but let it go and
answered, “Either Sidney drove him to drink, or he needed to take a
piss.” 

  “I ordered you the enchiladas.”  I said, but what I
meant was tell me what happened.

  “Is that one of the girl ways of asking me what
happened?”  He asked.

  I fluttered my eyelashes at him and waited.

  Heaving a sigh he said, “Not much happened.  I wanted
to make sure my girl was all right.  They have to submit to a DNA test
tomorrow morning.  They said as much, or the husband did.  He flat
out said that he would prove it tomorrow morning.  I don’t know what the
fuck he’s thinking though, how a baby with that coloring comes from two blonde
haired blue-eyed people is beyond me.  She must have snowed him good.”

  The rest of the evening was spent at home with us
alone.  Gabe must have felt sorry for me because he let me watch Twilight
and didn’t complain one time.  Just sat there and occasionally rolled his
eyes.  One time I think he muttered something about ‘sparkling douches’
under his breath, but I could have been mistaken.  He must have known I
needed comforting though, because when I put on the third twilight he didn’t
mutter a sound.  Only took it like the man he was.

  It was going great until we were lying in bed.  Gabe
was on his side, I was on mine.  Tonight wasn’t a cuddling night. 
Seems being stabbed didn’t allow that to happen easily.  He brought up my
plans for the next day.

  “Well after the doctor, I thought I would come back here
and hang with Cheyenne since she’s off.  What are you doing
tomorrow?”  I asked sleepily.

  “I’m going to finish the paint on the auction bike
tomorrow.  I’ll go with you to the appointment, and then bring you
back.  I want you to stay here.  Clean the house.  Fold the
clothes.  Watch TV on your ass all day.  I want you to stay inside,
away from the workers.  If you go see Cheyenne, I want you to stay
there.  It would be better if you had her come here so nobody saw
you.  We’re going to have a crew out here tomorrow.  They have to
level the ground towards the back of the shop.  We’re adding on a building
for the custom bikes we plan to make in the future.  Also more to the
point it’s going to be a security hub.  We’re going to start monitoring a
few places, and we need something more secure to store our Freebirds documents,
computer equipment, and security paraphernalia.  Things are getting bigger
than we originally intended, and having higher security will make it safer for
all involved.”

  Vaguely I heard him finish his discussion, but I was
stuck on ‘fold laundry’ and ‘clean the house.’  It wasn’t often that my feministic
side came out, but when it did, I could be a right bitch.  Whew,
boy.  Gird your loins.  Getting up to my knees in bed, I reached over
and turned on the light, and then turned to face Gabe.

  “Did you just tell me to clean the house?  What am
I, your maid?”

  Gabe’s brows lowered in confusion when my rant started.

  “I was just giving you ideas to-“

  “No.  Just no.  You can do your own
laundry.  You can pick up your coke cans.  You can put your own socks
into the laundry room.  You can wash your own dishes.”

  He interrupted me by taking my mouth in a heated
kiss.  He stopped before it could get too far, because hey, I was
injured. 

  “Would you shut the fuck up?  I wasn’t telling you
to do anything.  I was telling you that you needed to stay inside while
the crew is here, that’s all.  Turn the bitch off.”

  I might have been a tiny bit of a bitch, but I also
didn’t need him to tell me I was.  Glaring at him, I turned the light off
and laid down on my uninjured side again.  He gave me a soft kiss on the
side of my head and went to his own side; I fumed for a whole 2.3 seconds and
then promptly fell asleep.

  My last thought however was, doesn’t he know better by
now than to tell me not to do something?

Chapter 12

I eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast.  You eat
pieces of shit for breakfast?!

-Happy Gilmore

Ember

  “Do my thighs look like they touch in these pants?” 
I asked Gabe as he was walking out to the living room to start the coffee.

  He stopped and turned, regarding my cautiously.  I
was standing with my back to him in my new Rock Revival jeans.  They were
a little tight in the thighs since I’d ordered a size smaller than I normally
wear, especially in the thighs.  I’m sure he was trying to decide if he
should answer honestly or not.

  He still had the streak marks from the pillow creased
into his face, and I had to try hard not to laugh.  He was wearing boxer
briefs and a pair of socks.  He did weird things like this.  He said
he didn’t like the feel of the sheets on his feet, so always wore socks to
bed.  His dog tags were dangling between his solid pecs.  His hair
was an absolute mess.  My man could definitely pull off the sleepy look.

  Reaching into my shirt, I pulled out my iPhone and
snapped a quick picture.  He didn’t say anything though.  He must be
thinking hard on what to say.

  “Honestly, I could give a fuck if your thighs touch or
not.  Mostly, I just care about your thighs when my head’s between them,
sucking you, or when my thighs are wedged between them and my cock is inside
you.” 

 
Holy.  Shit.

 
I think I just had a mini orgasm.

 
“Good answer, baby.”  I said to him.

  He smiled and exited the room, going for the coffee that
was his life force in the mornings.  I went ahead and finished getting
ready, putting on shoes a shirt, and throwing my hair up in a messy ponytail at
the top of my head.  That was about all I could expend today.  My
side was throbbing in tune with my heartbeats, and I really had no desire to
put any more effort in than jeans and a t-shirt.  It was a deodorant only
kind of day.

  “How’re you feeling?”  Gabe asked from directly
behind me making me jump and then cringe.

  “Sorry, baby.”  He said before kissing the side of
my head and heading to the bathroom.

  I followed him in and watched him strip.  His
backside looked like it was sculpted out of granite.  Smooth hard lines
ran down his back, ass, and thighs.  He bent over to take his underwear
off and I had a clear view of his balls hanging between his legs and his
half-hard cock.

  My mouth watered.  Damn the fact that I had such an
early appointment time.  I was running late as it was, otherwise I would
join him in the shower.

  I watched as the muscles in his forearm, bicep, and
shoulder flex and relax with each forward and back motion as he brushed his
teeth.  His eyes watched me in the mirror as I watched him.  Spitting
and rinsing, he turned the shower on and stepped in without checking the
temperature.

  I shivered, but not because he didn’t check the
temperature, but because of the water running down his defined chest and
abs.  He was beautiful.

  “If you don’t knock it the fuck off, I’m gonna have you
on your knees with my cock in your mouth.”  Gabe ground out.

  My eyes went wide, but not in indignation.  I
actually wanted to do it. 

  He finished washing the soap out of his hair and off his
body, turned off the water, and then stepped out.  All the while, his eyes
were on me.  He was no longer half-hard.  No, he was completely
hard.  His skin stretched over his cock tightly.  The veins that ran
along his penis stood out starkly.  The head was slightly purple in color,
and I longed to have him in my mouth. 

  He stalked towards me and took my mouth in a rough
kiss.  His large hand curled around the bottom of my jaw, cupping my chin,
and held my face in place while he devoured my mouth.  He backed me up
against the wall, and I took that as my cue and dropped to my knees in front of
him. 

  Reaching up with my hand, I gently cupped his
balls.  His sharp indrawn breath made me smile right before I took him in
my mouth.  I went as deep as I could go before withdrawing.  I worked
him like an ice-cream cone.  Traced the veins on his cock with my
tongue.  He lost the struggle with his hands and one went to the ponytail
that gathered my hair, and the other went to the wall behind me. 

  Guiding his cock back into my mouth, he used his grip on
my hair to set the pace that would get him off the quickest.  In and out,
he thrust, trying to keep it shallow so he didn’t gag me.  I was having
none of that though.  Grabbing a hold of his thighs, I pulled him forward
harder until he hit the back of my throat.  I swallowed, and heard him
hiss.  This was turning me on beyond belief, so I unsnapped the buttons of
my jeans and snuck my hands into my panties.

  Finding my clit, I started rubbing it in circles.  I
looked up and caught Gabe watching my progress down below.  His eyes were
like blue fire as he watched me rub clit, as well as his cock tunneling into my
mouth.  His eyes made contact with mine and I lost it. 

  My orgasm burst forth and I moaned around his cock, which
set him off too.  Come splashed into my mouth, and I swallowed
convulsively.  He eased from my mouth with a soft pop, and I licked my
lips and smiled at him.

  “Fuck, that was hot.”  Gabe said.

  I smiled, and then buttoned my pants. 

  “I’ve got to go, I’m super late.  Max is taking me,
right?”  I asked him as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

  “Yeah, baby.  I’m sorry I’m not going, but we have a
small amount of time left to finish this bike and get it registered, or the
bike won’t make it to auction.  Call me when you are leaving, I love you,
Em.”  He said before letting me go.

  “Love you, more.”  I said and then walked fast out
the door.

  Max was on his cell phone, but quickly hung up when he
saw me.  Helping me into the truck, he started it up and then took off
towards the doctor’s office.  We parked in the parking garage and walked
at a fast clip to the office, all the while not saying a word.  He hooked an
arm around me once we reached the elevator doors and kissed me on the forehead.

  “We’re lucky you made all the lights or we would have
been late.”  I said idly.

  “That’s ‘cause I’m the man.”

  “I’m sure that’s it.”  I said dryly as I opened the
doors to the office.

  “I wasn’t here but a year ago with Cheyenne.  These
nurses probably think I get around a lot.”  Max whispered beside me.

  “Don’t you?”  I asked sweetly.

  “Well yea, but I don’t leave and evidence behind.”

  “Eww.  That’s just nasty.” 

  “You know what’s nasty?  Hearing your sister have
sex while you were innocently trying to play a war game.  That’s nasty.”

  My face flamed and the receptionist watched us with
curiosity after overhearing Max’s comment.

  Rolling my eyes at her, we went to sit down.  Max being
the ass he is sat two seats away from me.  He liked his elbowroom, and
we’d played this game before, many times.  There was a TLC program on
about giving birth, and I watched Max watch it with revulsion in his eyes.

 His horror-filled eyes turned to me and said, “Don’t
expect me to be in there with you.” 

  “Of course I do.  You are my only family.  I
need you.”  I said simply.

  I didn’t really, but there was no way I was letting him
know that.  Terrorizing him was my favorite past time.  When he was
in Iraq, I missed teasing him like crazy.  I felt empty without him. 
Very alone. 

  When he was hurt, I went to pieces.  I cried for
three days straight.  I couldn’t even go see him because they couldn’t
tell me where they took him.  They didn’t know if he was all right, they
only knew that the Humvee tripped an IED, and that Max sustained
injuries.  It was truly the worst experience of my life.

  Watching him now, you would never know he was ever
hurt.  He looked perfect.  Although, he did go into his zones where
he would draw into himself.  Those times were hard because he would never
tell me what was wrong.  We told each other everything, and it was tough
when he didn’t trust me with those aspects of his life. 

  “I really do need you, you know.”  I whispered so
just only he could hear.

  His eyes went soft, and he moved to the seat beside
me.  “I owe you an apology.  I know you’ve had it hard since mom and
dad died.  I wanted to apologize for leaving you, and then for making you
feel like shit after I came home.”

  His words made my heart swell.  I hadn’t let myself
contemplate it, but I needed to hear that he was sorry.  Sorry for leaving
me alone when I our parents died.  Sorry for making me grow up so fast
when I needed him so much.  He’d left me broken, and I’d never healed.

  “That was a shitty thing to do.  Why’d you leave me
when I needed you so much?”

  “I was hurting, too.  I didn’t even think about you,
to be honest.  I was in so much pain myself, that I buried myself in my
career.  Took all that pain out on the enemies.  I should have come
back, but I couldn’t forgive myself after I’d realized what I’d done. 
Gabe succeeded where I couldn’t.  It was only after I got hurt in that
Humvee that I let myself think about what I was doing.  I love you,
Emmie.  Please forgive me.”

  Everything he said was true, and who was I to judge for
how he coped with losing our parents?  Everyone grieves a different
way. 

  Tears pricked my eyes, and I blinked rapidly to dislodge
them.  “I know, Maxie.  I never held it against you.  I forgive
you.  Will you buy me a new car to make up for it?”

  He laughed, and the spell of sadness was broken. 

  Thirty minutes later, I found myself on the scale. 
I was two pounds lighter since just yesterday.  Which didn’t surprise me
since I ran on adrenaline and a prayer for a few hours yesterday.  The
nurse showed us to a room, and I sat on the table while Max took the only
available chair.  He surveyed the room, and quickly turned away from the
model that showed a baby passing through a birth canal.

  “I can’t wait for you to have a kid of your own. 
You’re gonna end up having to deliver the baby all by yourself.  You’ll
have to watch your wife’s vag stretch to the size of a melon.  It’s gonna
be awesome.  I’ll video your reaction.”

  “That’s absolutely disgusting.”

  The appointment went about as expected.  We talked
about risks, can-dos and can’t-dos.  He told me I wasn’t allowed to have
sex in water.  No more than two cokes a day (this was one of the worsts),
and limited amounts of mercury.  While I listened with half an ear, Max
looked like he was taking everything the doctor said to heart, memorizing it,
and then storing it in the vault he called a mind.  Some of the things
were so obvious that I wondered what type of person wouldn’t know that you
shouldn’t chain smoke or drink whiskey.  Um, duh?

  “Any questions?”  Dr.  Robinson asked.

  “Nope.”  I answered.

  We were out the door by ten o’clock, which meant I could
still make it to McDonald’s before they stopped serving breakfast.

  Score!

  “I want an Egg McMuffin.”  I informed Max.

  He nodded but didn’t answer, just pulled up into the
nearest McDonald’s.  He ordered me a number one with a sweet tea, and himself
a number one with two extra sandwiches.  The boy probably could down about
two more, but he had a rule that he didn’t eat unhealthy if he could help
it.  I on the other hand had a rule that I didn’t eat healthy if I could
help it.

  We’d just pulled up in front of the car when I noticed
the Audi.  It seemed vaguely familiar, but didn’t register who exactly it
was until I heard her obnoxious voice.  It reminded me of nails on a
chalkboard.  Just one of those voices that made you want to cringe. 
She was standing toe to toe with Gabe while Sam, James, and Elliott looked
on.  It was apparent she’d been going at it for a while because all of the
guys had beers in their hands that were half full.

  “You need to withdraw the suit.  Cora may be yours
by blood, but you’re not her father.  Never were.”

  Uh-oh.  Them’s fighting words.

  Gabe’s face remained blank, but his words were anything
but because they shot out of him like a whip.

  “You better pray that your lawyer’s good.  I
guaran-damn-tee you I’ll get her.  If you’re nice, you’ll still get to see
her.  Have a nice day, Mrs. Moran.”  Gabe said coldly.

   Her face paled, and I was glad he’d never spoken to
me like that or I would have broken down and cried.  Pulling my Egg McMuffin
out of the bag, I sat down at Sam’s desk, propped my feet up, and started
eating my food.  I watched, head turning back and forth like a cartoon
listening to Gabe and Sidney argue.

  “You can’t do this!”  She screeched.

  “I can and will.  You cost me a year and a half of
her life.  I don’t even know her fucking birthday.  I missed her
first steps. Her first tooth.  Her first time to crawl.  I’ve missed
all of her firsts thanks to you.  How do you even live with yourself?” 
He seethed.