Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
ALICE
A s soon as the kids closed the door after pushing Red out, I became filled with nerves. I’ve never been left alone with kids before. I mean, I’ve been around them, of course, but never left alone with them. The only thing that comforts me is that they’re not babies or toddlers.
How hard could it be?
Cindy and Colt turn to me with beaming smiles, easing my mind. Yeah, this isn’t going to be hard at all. They already like me.
“So, who’s ready for the most awesome movie night?” I ask them.
“Yes!” Colt shouts as he pumps a fist in the air. “What do you have planned?” he asks excitedly.
“Well, step one, you can't have a proper movie night without building a fort.”
They both light up and speed out of the living room as fast as lightning. I patiently wait for their return, not knowing if that’s a good or bad thing. When they come back, I can't even see the upper part of their bodies because they both are carrying multiple blankets and pillows.
“I’m guessing you two aren’t strangers to forts?”
“Nope. Gigi lets us build them all the time at her house,” Cindy says.
“Okay, well, let's get to work on this fort.”
It takes us no time to build one spacious enough for us all. We took all the cushions off the couch to create the base. We also used the dining room chairs to make a canopy. Once our handy work is done, I go to the kitchen to pop two bags of kettle corn. After I’m finished, I split the two bags into two big mixing bowls. Grabbing the rest of the snacks, I head back to the living room.
“So, how do two feel about watching a classic Disney movie? If you don’t like the sound of that, we can watch whatever you want. I’m not picky.”
“Classic Disney movie?” Cindy tilts her head.
“Yeah, you know, like The Lion King, Little Mermaid, Mulan, Hercules, Tarzan, Pocahontas, Alla ? —”
“We’ve never seen any of those.” Colton frowns.
“What?” I gasped. “You’ve never seen The Lion King ?” I ask, taken aback. I mean, to me, you haven’t had a proper childhood without seeing some of these movies. They’re classics for a reason!
When they shake their heads no, I grab the remote for the television. Not on my watch. I don’t care if I have to come over every weekend until they’ve seen them all. As long as Red is okay with it, of course. I pull up the Disney app on the television and quickly create a new account.
I quickly pull up The Lion King and we settle into the fort. When Cindy takes a bite of the kettle corn, she stares at it spellbound. “W-what kind…of…popcorn is this?” She puts one kettle after another into her mouth.
“Slow down, Cindy.” I giggle. “It’s kettle corn. It’s sweeter than popcorn. I personally prefer it over plain ol’ popcorn.” I fake a shiver with an eye roll, and the kids snort.
“Dad doesn’t let us have too many sweets. Every time we ask for candy or anything, all he says is, ‘All that junk isn’t good for your teeth and body.’ Like, dude, I just want a lollipop.” Colton rolls his eyes and stuffs more kettle corn in his mouth.
I throw my head back, laughing at his grown self. I swear, if you want honesty, kids will serve it up for you unapologetically.
The movie starts and we settle in. Throughout the movie, the kids eat the snacks in silence. These kids are completely honed in. When the scene of Mufasa’s death is approaching, my eyes are already filling with tears.
This scene gets me every time!
Colton almost jumps out of his skin when Scar sinks his claws into Mufasa. Hearing a sniffle beside me, I turn to see Cindy wiping her eyes.
“Why would he do that to his own brother? I mean, don’t get me wrong, sometimes Colton gets on my last nerve, but I would never kill him.” She wipes another tear. “Maybe just choke him a tad bit.” She nods as if that’s the most logical and reasonable thing to do.
Colt sits up to stare at her, his face blank of any emotion. “Yeah, and sometimes I just want to cut Cindy’s hair in her sleep. She’ll go from Malibu Barbie to Cynthia from Rugrats ,” he spits.
On the inside, I am dying with laughter. Colton's comebacks are hilarious. But I have to be an adult and keep it together. I don’t want to escalate things by laughing.
They stare at each other in silence for a moment. Then, they both burst into laughter.
“That was a good one, Colt. Cynthia from Rugrats, ” she mocks before falling out laughing again.
After we settle down, we finish the movie. By the time the credits roll, both of them are out like a light. I ease out of the fort and begin to clean up the snacks.
While I’m washing out the bowl from the kettle corn, I hear the front door open. Grabbing a paper towel, I dry off the bowl and place it where I found it. When I turn around, Red is standing there with a smile.
“Looks like y’all had a good time.”
“We did. Can I just say, your kids are hilarious? They had me laughing more than the movie.” I giggle.
Red wraps his arms around me, bringing my body against his. “I don’t even want to know.” He shakes his head and pulls back just enough to stare into my eyes with a playful smile. When he dips his head to kiss me, I dodge the kiss. His brows scrunch in confusion.
“That kiss would have been our third, and I don’t even know your name.”
Red sighs and looks at the ceiling. “Babe, I’ll tell you my name, but don’t expect me to answer you if you use it.”
“Why not?”
“I hate my name. I haven’t been called my given name in over a decade.”
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I stand on my tip toes and kiss his chin. “It can’t be that bad.”
“Clifford.”
“Huh?” I frown.
“That’s my name.” He looks away in embarrassment.
I try. I really, really try not to laugh, but this is a battle I’m not strong enough to win. Burying my face in his chest, my shoulders shake as I try my darnedest to keep my giggles inside.
“Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, kitten.” He tries to pull away, but I tighten my arms around his neck.
“I’m sooorryy,” I whine. “It just took me off guard. Wait… Is that why?—”
“Yes, those bastards named me Big Red as a reference to Clifford the Big Red Dog!” he growls.
I’m losing the battle all over again as laughter rips through me. Red tries to pull away again. “I promise no more laughing.” I press my thumb and forefinger together, dragging them across my lips.
“Give me a kiss and make me feel better.”
I lift my head, and he brings his lips down on me. The kiss starts off slowly but quickly heats up. When his tongue enters my mouth, I have to tighten my legs together. I feel like I’m going to burst at any moment. This man has the power to take me go from zero to a hundred in seconds.
He pulls a moan out of me when he thrusts his fingers into my hair, slightly pulling it. My hands find their way to his chest as he devours me right there in his kitchen.
Red dips his body while planting both hands on my ass, preparing to lift me when one of the kids snores loud enough to break the lustful trance we are in. I pull away from Red, panting. His eyes are locked on me, and I know if I stay here any longer, this is going to go somewhere I’m not quite sure I’m ready for. Clearing my throat, I smooth my clothes down. “U-uh, I think I should head home. It’s pretty late.”
Red reluctantly nods. “I’ll walk you home.”
“But the kids ar?—”
“Are sleeping. It’s a two-minute walk. Come on.”
I grab my purse and follow him out. We walk in silence. I can feel every time he looks my way. I’m too turned on and stunned by what just happened in his kitchen to meet his gaze. As we approach Viper and Cara’s home, a consistent thud against one of their windows can be heard, along with moaning and groaning. As we get closer, we get an earful of their late-night antics.
“Stop playing with me, Cara. Arch that fuckin’ back,” Viper grunts, followed by a loud smack.
“Ooohhh. Fuck me, baby,” Cara cries.
My eyes widen to the size of saucers.
Oh. My. God.
Viper laughs, followed by another loud smack. “Look at you. Already coming. You couldn’t wait for me to fill you up, could you?”
I quicken my pace, trying to walk as fast as possible. Red booms with laughter. “You don’t seem the least bit shocked at what we just heard,” I tell him.
“That’s because this isn’t my first time hearing those two.”
My eyebrows raise to my hairline. “No?”
Red shakes his head, shrugging his shoulders. “When those two first got together, we would hear them morning, noon, and night.”
My mouth forms an “O” as we approach my porch. I make a move to the stairs, but Red swiftly turns me around, pulling my body to his. “No goodnight kiss, kitten?”
“Goodnight, Red,” I breathe out.
He places a gentle kiss on my lips before turning me around. As I open the front door, I turn around to get one final look at him. He winks, making my panties melt. Hurriedly, I walk in and make a beeline to my room. After I change into my pajamas and settle into bed, my center still aches with need. This man ignites me in a way I’ve never experienced. Although I was married for years, I’m inexperienced with sex. Declan wasn’t the best lover. A few pumps and he was done.
If things keep going this way, I may have to take Will’s advice and get a toy. I gotta do what I gotta do.