12.
Jewel is going to grow up to be that person who always drives in the left lane and leaves their grocery cart in the middle of the parking lot. I know this because she’s a child and already has the ability to make me so angry that I can feel my heartbeat in my eyeballs.
Atlas Charles
JEWEL
“How much wine did I drink?” I whispered, watching a man walk out of the empty house across the street. From this distance, he looked like Ziggy Romano, but that couldn’t be right. I doubted my eyesight until he lifted his hand and waved. “What the fuck?”
“Who is that?” Lazlo asked as Ursula growled low in her throat. The man wasn’t close enough to warrant her full, ferocious growl, but it was enough to annoy her, which apparently annoyed Lazlo because he glared down at her and ordered, “Stop it!”
I raised an eyebrow when the dog obeyed and glanced up to find my nephew scowling at the man. “Holy shit. I did have too much wine.”
“Why do you say that?”
“That guy over there looks like Nip, and you just morphed into your father,” I muttered, standing up. “It’s gotta be the wine. I’m going to bed.”
“You know a guy named Nip? He’s coming over here,” Lazlo said. We both watched the casually dressed man jog his porch steps and stride down the sidewalk toward the street. He didn’t bother looking for traffic before stepping off the curb and heading our way. “Do you know him or not?”
“Unless that’s his doppelg?nger, yes, I know him.”
“Who is he?” Lazlo asked.
I blamed the wine for my total inability to keep my thoughts inside my damn head, because I answered, “If I have my way, he’s gonna be your future uncle.”
“What?”
I snapped my head around to glare at my nephew. “If you repeat that to anyone, I will make it my mission to ruin every bit of happiness and joy in your life.”
“You already do that without even trying.”
“I’ll try harder.”
Lazlo made the motion to zip his lips, then tilted his head and ordered, “Tell Crow I’m your favorite youngling.
You don’t have to tell him why–just tell him I’m your favorite and leave it at that.
” When I narrowed my eyes in warning, Lazlo shrugged and kissed Ursula on the top of her head.
“Or don’t. Even if you don’t agree to my terms, I still won’t tell anyone about your little friend or what you said about him . . .”
“What did she say?” Ziggy asked from the bottom step.
Lazlo’s grin looked just like his father’s when he said, “She said I’m her favorite youngling because I made sure none of the evil women she runs with will bother her tonight, even though I think she looks a little . . . pale.”
“You little . . .”
“But then again, maybe I should call Em . . . and Lex . . . and Holly too. Oh! I can’t forget about Leia, and I bet Petra would like to come check on you to make sure you’re not under the weather.
” Lazlo pulled out his phone, opened the camera app, and held it up in front of me. “What did you say, Auntie Jewel?”
It hurt my soul, but I managed to growl, “You’re my favorite youngling, Lazarus Hamilton.”
“What about Ursula?” Lazlo asked.
“I’m going to teach her the command ‘Sic balls!’ and make you her first practice target.”
“But does she like me better than all the others?”
I knew what he was really asking, even though he didn’t know Crow had shared the terms of the challenge with me, so I finally agreed, “Yes, Lazlo, Ursula doesn’t hate you nearly as much as she hates everyone else.”
Lazlo stopped recording, shoved his phone into his pocket, and thrust his free hand toward Ziggy. “I’m her nephew, Lazlo. I think we met at Bella’s wedding.”
“I’m sure we did but there were so many . . .” Ziggy said, shaking Lazlo’s hand.
“Happens to everybody,” Lazlo assured him, turning to walk down the sidewalk toward his house. He didn’t seem to realize he was still carrying my dog, but maybe he did, since he called over his shoulder, “You kids have fun.”
“I feel like I missed something important.”
“No, you were here to witness your own downfall.”
“My downfall?”
“Because of you, I had to cave to the pressure my hellspawn nephew put on me to say he’s my favorite. Not only does that mean he wins the competition I wasn’t supposed to know about, but now I’ve lost four little minions to torture.”
“Want me to get you some more?”
“From where?”
“Shit, honey, you can buy anything online these days. For the right amount of money, I could find four adults willing to put up with your ass as long as I pay them by the hour.”
“It’s not the same when they’re strangers.”
“I’ve got nephews who are out of school for the summer. I can have them here by tomorrow if you want replacements.”
“You’d sacrifice your own family for me?” I asked.
Ziggy shrugged. “School starts in a month, so that’ll give me time to find their permanent replacements.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m talking to you?”
“You know what I mean, Nip. What are you doing here?”
“I live here.”
“Since when?”
“My flight arrived before lunch.”
“How long are you staying?”
“What part of live don’t you understand?” Ziggy asked. He motioned toward the house across the street. “That’s my house.” He pointed to the ones on either side. “So are those.” He pointed over my shoulder toward the back of the development. “And another one over there.”
“You’re the corporation giving Brighten so much trouble!”
“Not so much trouble that she didn’t have a basket of fruit and another of snacks waiting for me on the counter, thanking me for the sale and offering to help with any future real estate purchases.”
“Because she’s a good salesperson. If I were her, I would’ve poisoned the fruit.”
“She seems like a nice person, so it surprises me that she talks to you about business–or anything else, for that matter.”
“Does your ass get jealous about all the shit that comes out of your mouth?” I asked.
“Right now, my cock is jealous of my eyes, but we could take care of that if you’d stop blabbing and take off your clothes.”
“You have the survival instincts of a breadstick and the flight response of a carrot.”
“Now I’m hungry.”
“Talking to you is like eating pudding with a fork. It’s not impossible, but it’s a real pain in the ass.”
“There are times I wonder why I talk to you, but then I remember how well you suck my cock and I get over it.”
“The only thing saving you right now is that you fuck like the government.”
“Then why are you still dressed?”
Without a word, I launched myself at him.
He grunted at the impact, catching me easily as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He walked up the steps, kissing me like his life depended on it.
I felt his hand leave my ass to grab the door, but I left him to it.
I was too focused on kissing him to care where we ended up.
Front porch? Sure. Okay, maybe not. Way too many kids lived in the neighborhood for that, and I wasn’t an exhibitionist by any means.
But the rest of my house was fair game. Ziggy seemed to understand that, and the second we cleared the threshold, he kicked the door shut and pressed me against the wall.
Using the leverage of his body against mine, I let go of him and yanked my shirt off, followed quickly by my bra. Ziggy moaned as soon as my breasts spilled free.
“You’re fantastic,” he muttered, pulling me away from the wall and walking us forward.
I put my lips on his again, but panicked for a second when I felt myself falling backward.
The panic vanished when I felt the leather of my couch on my back.
As I laid down, Ziggy pulled away, his hands gripping my waist. He yanked my pants down, lifted me, flipped me over, and thrust deep before I even had a chance to brace myself against the couch cushions.
“Fuck, yes. You feel so good.”
I groaned as he filled me in one thrust. Before I could adjust to the size, he pulled out and drove back in. I braced one hand against the back of the couch and reached down with the other, touching my clit for a second before reaching further to feel where his cock joined my body.
Ziggy groaned loudly.
“Stop making noise and fuck me already, Nip,” I goaded.
I thought I might have pushed him too far when he hissed and stopped moving. But then I squealed as he lifted me while we were still connected and shifted to the left. Once he laid me across the arm of the couch, he started moving again, but this time his thrusts were steadier and somehow deeper.
“Why are you still bitching?” Ziggy asked. Each word landed with a hard push deep inside me, pressing my clit against the leather beneath us and making me gasp.
He realized what was happening and kept up a steady pace, driving me closer and closer to the edge. But, as usual, his filthy words threw me over into the abyss.
Between satisfied grunts, he told me everything he was going to do with me, to me, and for me. It didn’t take long before my first orgasm started in earnest. Pushing up with my arms, knowing he had a firm grip on my hips, I howled with pleasure as my whole body shook with the release.
I was limp and sated, but Ziggy wasn’t finished.
Instead of chasing his own climax, he wrapped one arm around my waist and lifted me while we were still joined.
Being filled with his cock as he carried me through my home was an unfamiliar sensation, but when he stopped at the dining room table and leaned forward, I realized he’d simply wanted a change of scenery.
I was right, just not the way I expected. Instead of fucking me, he pulled out, flipped me over, and bent down to bury his face between my legs.
I’d spent hours thinking about our time together, remembering every touch and every orgasm he’d given me, but those memories didn’t measure up to reality at all. No, this reality was absolutely fantastic, and it would be on repeat in my head for years to come.
◆◆◆
“Today is your lucky day, Nip.”
“In more ways than one, obviously.”
“I’m serious. The only reason you’re here is because my boys aren’t. They’re in Colorado Springs staying with Parker until Sunday.”
“That gives us a few days to blow off the steam that’s been building since we last saw each other. Surely by then I’ll be able to look at you without getting hard.”
“Does that really happen?” I asked before I could stop myself.
“Fuck yes, it does. Every time I think of you, my cock does a dance and yells, ‘Please, sir, may I have some more?’”
I hooted with laughter and pushed up onto my elbow to look at Ziggy’s face. “As horrible as that is, knowing that thinking of me brings you discomfort makes me smile.”
“I didn’t beat off this much during puberty, Kitten. I don’t know what spell you put on me, but it makes me horny as hell and urges me to find you wherever you are to prove it.”
“We can’t keep doing this, Nip.”
“Why the hell not? I know you had a good time.”
“I have responsibilities and a reputation to uphold.”
Ziggy cackled. “How is fucking me going to ruin your ballbusting, take-no-prisoners image?”
“How am I supposed to teach my sons never to treat women like a side piece when I’m one myself?”
Ziggy frowned, pulled me closer for a kiss, then pressed me to his bare chest. “Is that what you think you are?”
“Isn’t it? And now we have even more reasons not to do this again, because we’re going to be working with each other and seeing each other around town–especially since you moved in across the street!”
“Out of all the houses in this town, don’t you wonder how I ended up directly across from you?
” Ziggy asked. I hadn’t thought about it, but the odds were astronomical unless he’d done it on purpose.
I realized he had when he said, "I'm not gonna lie, Kitten. I semi-stalked you to find out where you live, bought the house across from yours on purpose, and planned to move in and wow you with my sparkling personality and quick wit until you finally gave in and let me take you on a date.”
“And then what?” I asked. Before he could answer, I said, “You’ll get bored now that the chase is over, we’ll end up hating each other, and then I’ll have to make your life a living hell until you sell your house and move back to New York.”
Ziggy’s laughter shook my entire body as I lay sprawled across his chest. I maneuvered until I was straddling his hips, propping my chin in my hands to look at him directly.
His laughter quickly faded, and I felt his cock start to stiffen at the contact, but he didn’t move. Instead, he reached up, brushed my hair behind my ear, and said, “I could never get bored with you in my life, Kitten, and I don’t run at the first sign of challenge.”
“I’m still not sure why you’re here, other than your crazy notion to bring rugby to Rojo.”
“Out of all the places we could have taken the team, why do you think I chose your hometown?” He didn’t give me a chance to reply–probably because he knew I’d either insult him or give him a sarcastic answer.
“Because you’re here, Kitten. After our time together in the city, I knew I’d go wherever I needed to just to have you in my arms again. ”
“You’re serious,” I whispered.
“Damn right I am, Kitten. I’m in this for the long haul. Now I’ve just got to convince you to take the ride with me.”