He shook his head. "Told you, you shoulda never been wearing that. You shoulda been wearin' mine."

Sheesh. I was going to cry again.

"f.u.c.kin' listen Eva and listen good. Words are s.h.i.t and I ain't good with them anyway. So here's the f.u.c.kin' truth for you, straight up, I'm forty eight years old, gonna be forty nine all too soon and I d.a.m.n well know a good thing when I see it and babe all I've ever been able to f.u.c.kin' see is you. Not many chances a man has in his lifetime to do right, to earn the love of a good woman, and to get a taste of true freedom. And babe, for me, you're all f.u.c.kin' three. Have been for a good while now."

He dropped my necklace, cupped my cheeks and tilted my head back.

"Whatever this s.h.i.t is between us it's always been there and it's always gonna be there. I'm s.h.i.t-f.u.c.kin'-tired tryin' to ignore it. I'll try to do right by you Eva, you'd be the first, but I'll f.u.c.kin' try my d.a.m.ndest. And baby, true freedom is the open road, the wind on your face and a good woman on the back of your bike holdin' you tight like you're her reason for breathin' because she sure as f.u.c.k is yours."

My mouth fell open. Hadn't he just told me he wasn't good with words and then he went and said all that to me? I was floored. Shocked to my core. I hadn't been wrong about him after all.

"Deuce," I whispered. "You love me."

He eyes went skyward and he snorted. "Babe. Yeah. Long time now."

Deuce watched her go liquid. Every part of her just went soft. f.u.c.k, he loved that look. That look told him that he was her whole f.u.c.king world.

"Okay," She whispered. "No more running."

He breathed in a ragged breath of relief.

"Jesus babe," He muttered as he ran his knuckles down her cheek. "'Bout f.u.c.kin' time. Now where's your f.u.c.kin' room?"

CHAPTER FOURTEEN:.

Deuce, accompanied by c.o.x, walked onto the 35th floor of Martello Tower and into the law offices of Henderson, Fredericks and Stonewall and stopped in front of a very pretty, very young, wide eyed receptionist.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked.

"Yeah," c.o.x muttered. He pulled an envelope out of his back pocket and slapped it down on the desk. "A thirty f.u.c.kin' thousand dollar appointment which buys us you keepin' your mouth shut and not callin' security. You feel me?"

Her mouth fell open and she stared down at the envelope. "Thirty thousand dollars?"

"Yup."

"Legal?"

"It's not tagged, darlin'."

She jumped out her chair and spun around. They both stared as her skirt-clad a.s.s went up the air as she bent down and rummaged through a file cabinet. She resurfaced with a purse and sweater and s.n.a.t.c.hed up the envelope.

"Thank you," She said breathlessly. "I hate Mr. Henderson! He is the worst boss I have ever had! I'm so going back to bartending!"

She let out an excited shriek, flashed them a killer grin and ran out of the office.

They looked at each other. "That was easy," c.o.x said.

"She forgot her photos," He said, pointing at her desk.

Shrugging, they headed pa.s.sed reception and straight into Chase's office.

He glanced up from his laptop.

Deuce stepped forward. "Eva Fox," He growled.

Chase glanced between him and c.o.x and stuck on c.o.x. His eyes went wide. "Jesus," He muttered. "It's about time you came and picked up your kid. Wasn't sure how much longer I could stomach pretending the little spick was mine."

c.o.x's fists clenched.

"Eva Fox," Deuce reminded him.

Chase glanced back at him. "I'm a little busy right now. Do you mind coming back another time? Maybe making an appointment?"

c.o.x sat down on a leather armchair and put his feet up on Chase's desk. "We'll wait."

"Yeah," He said, spotting a photograph of Eva. He picked it up off the desk. "You take your f.u.c.kin' time."

Her high school graduation. She was wearing her gown, holding her cap in her hand and grinning, looking like she didn't have a care in the world. His mouth went dry looking at it. That photo had been taken right before he'd had her in that alleyway and made her his forever.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Chase murmured.

Yeah, she f.u.c.king was but he wasn't going to mince words. He had come here for a reason and it wasn't to discuss how beautiful his woman was.

"Thought you only had to worry 'bout Frankie Deluva, yeah? And since Deluva's locked up tight you thought you had nothin' to worry 'bout."

Chase smirked. "I take it I was wrong?"

"Yeah a.s.shat," c.o.x said. "You were f.u.c.kin' wrong."

Chase pointed his index finger between him and c.o.x and grinned. "Are you both here defending Mrs. Fox-Deluva's honor? Because if that's the case, I'm sorry to tell you but I'm pretty certain I f.u.c.ked it all out of her."

"Sorry slick," He said to Chase. "Eva's got fire inside her you ain't never touched."

"Considering I've touched every possible part of her there is to touch, including her womb, I'm inclined to disagree with you."

His nostrils flared.

"Oh," Chase arrogantly continued. "Didn't you know? Funny thing about condoms. They don't work very well when you break them before hand. So as far as Eva's fire is concerned, I think I've cornered the market."

"Funny thing 'bout condoms," He growled. "They don't work very well when you don't use them at all."

He watched, satisfied, as Chase lost his grin and anger flickered in his eyes.

"Oh, dinchya know," He said. "Been cornerin' that f.u.c.kin' market 'bout twelve years now."

c.o.x leaned forward and plucked a framed photo off the desk. "G.o.d d.a.m.n Kami looks slammin' in a bikini," He drawled. "Like her better naked though. And ridin' my face screamin' my f.u.c.kin' name."

Chase shrugged. "You think Kami screams, you should hear Eva."

Holy s.h.i.t he wanted to kill this a.s.shole.

Chase folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his desk chair. "That baby is mine," He said evenly. "I made sure of it."

Gritting his teeth, he counted to ten before he did something that would land him a cell next to Frankie. While he was counting, he stared at the picture of Eva. Why did this a.s.shole have a picture of Eva from her high school graduation? Unless...

He looked back at Chase. f.u.c.ker was a cruel b.a.s.t.a.r.d but if he'd just wanted a taste of Eva he wouldn't have tried to get her pregnant, he wouldn't have her photo on his desk; a photo taken twelve years ago no less, and he wouldn't give a s.h.i.t who else she was f.u.c.king.

Jesus Christ...

"I know what Eva sounds like when she's screamin'," He said quietly, waiting for the reaction he knew would come.

"Know what it feels like to be buried deep inside her sweet p.u.s.s.y squeezin' my s.h.i.t so f.u.c.kin' hard it hurts."

Chase's face went tight.

"Best part -and you should know this since you're f.u.c.kin' her- is when she's comin' and screamin' she loves me and- Chase lunged forward in his chair and his fists came down on his desk. "Shut the f.u.c.k up!"

Yeah. Chase Henderson loved Eva Fox.

"Funny thing 'bout Eva," c.o.x said. "Prez don't ever shut up 'bout her. We quit tryin' to make him a long f.u.c.kin' time ago. Always talkin' 'bout her big t.i.tties and tight p.u.s.s.y- "Get out," Chase hissed. "Or I'm calling security."

"Don't worry, kid," He said. "We're gettin' the f.u.c.k out. Came up here to feel you out, see what the f.u.c.k your game was. See if I needed to take you to ground, but I get it now, know exactly what you're about. You ain't got no game. You just want my woman, plain and simple. Wanted her for long time now. Wanted her so bad you were desperate enough to settle for fee for service f.u.c.kin' instead of love."

Chase's jaw locked up tight.

"I ain't got s.h.i.t to worry 'bout. Eva's never gonna look at you as anything more than a ride she got off on."

"GET! OUT!".

Grinning, he lifted his chin at c.o.x and they headed for the door. Not a moment later, after they had closed his door behind them, something smashed against it, rattling the walls.

"We're not gonna kill 'em?" c.o.x asked.

"Trust me," He said. "This is much f.u.c.kin' worse. Boy is in a world of hurt. Been hurtin' for a long time now, we just sharpened the f.u.c.kin' blade a little. He'll bury himself in no time...that is if Frankie doesn't find out and do it first."

c.o.x nodded. "Sweet."

Once they were inside the elevator, he grabbed c.o.x by his neck and slammed him into the wall. "You ever f.u.c.kin' talk 'bout Eva's t.i.ts or p.u.s.s.y again I will f.u.c.kin'- "Prez!" c.o.x said, laughing. "That was all for show. Chill the f.u.c.k out."

Freshly showered and sipping a tall gla.s.s of gingerale, I was sitting in my beanbag chair, watching Kami and Devin curled up in my bed, sleeping, hoping like h.e.l.l Devin wasn't going to need counseling from the events of the day.

Because I sure did.

My bedroom door clicked and opened slowly. c.o.x walked in first, followed by Deuce. c.o.x's gaze flickered over me before landing on Kami and Devin. There was possession in his eyes. He wasn't giving up his kid. No way in h.e.l.l. I wasn't sure what that meant for Kami but I was going to find out.

"c.o.x," I whispered. He turned.

"I'm not sure what your plans are but Kami and Devin is a packaged deal. You try to f.u.c.k that up and you're going to go up against a wall of Demon's? We clear?"

Deuce's lips twitched but c.o.x remained impa.s.sive. "Yeah, Foxy," He whispered. "We're clear. You don't gotta worry 'bout your girl. Had some time to cool off. Figure some s.h.i.t out."

c.o.x walked over to my bed and sat down beside Kami. "b.i.t.c.h," He whispered in her ear. "Wake the f.u.c.k up."

Kami blinked sleepily, saw c.o.x looming over her, and let out a shriek.

c.o.x slapped his hand over her mouth. "You crazy? My kid is sleepin'."

Kami's pretty blue eyes narrowed and she mumbled something nasty sounding against c.o.x's hand.

"Just met your f.u.c.kin' husband and sure as f.u.c.k don't want my kid near that a.s.shole ever again, 'specially don't want him callin' that mother f.u.c.ker daddy." He gently pushed a lock of hair out of Kami's eyes. "And b.i.t.c.h, you're not goin' back to him. Not ever."

Kami visibly relaxed and sunk back into my pillow. c.o.x removed his hand.

"Gonna lay it out for you babe," He said. "Not 'bout to take my boy away from his mama. So we can work somethin' out. I gotta get to know him first, want him to feel safe with me then we can talk 'bout him goin' back and forth, yeah?

"Or you can pack up your f.u.c.kin' s.h.i.t and haul your bony a.s.s down to Montana and I'll help you get a place. Maybe s.h.i.t could happen between us, maybe not cuz you're f.u.c.kin' crazy, but no way in h.e.l.l you ever goin' near Ripper. Basically b.i.t.c.h, you will promise me right the f.u.c.k now that you will be stayin' away from Ripper from now til' f.u.c.kin' forever."

Shocked, I glanced at Deuce. He was looking to the ceiling, praying for patience maybe?

"What about your wife?" Kami hissed. "Will you be staying away from her?"

"I'll take care of it," c.o.x hissed back.

She snorted. "And how will you be taking care of that?"

"Not your concern."

Kami jackknifed into a sitting position. "You expect me to pack up my life, uproot my son, move to a town where "Super s.l.u.ts" is the only salon in sight, just so some s.h.i.t may or may not happen between us? You might be fine as h.e.l.l and f.u.c.k like a G.o.d but sorry, I don't think so."

c.o.x grabbed Kami's upper arms and jerked her forward. Nose to nose, they glared at one another.

"I'm gonna be brutally honest with you. Not one woman has ever worked me like you do. Not one and I've f.u.c.ked a lot of women. p.i.s.sed me off every time you split when I still wanted more. Now you got my kid and you still look slammin' and I still want more. You come to Montana we'll see if this s.h.i.t works, it does, I'll leave my wife, it doesn't, I'm not f.u.c.kin' leavin' her. Don't wanna do my own laundry and sure as s.h.i.t don't wanna be payin' alimony."

"Oh my G.o.d," Kami breathed. "You are the biggest a.s.shole I have ever met."

"And you're a d.a.m.n crazy, seriously spoiled b.i.t.c.h."

I'm still not sure who moved first, maybe they moved at the same time. One second they were glaring and the next they were kissing. And wrestling. Wrestle kissing?