Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
BIG RED
“ D ad, do you think we could call Alice and invite her to the football game tonight?” Cindy asked.
Over the weekend, Alice came over every day and watched movies with the kids. I sat through a few with them, and surprisingly, I liked it. I knew I would enjoy Alice's company, but spending my weekend watching kid movies didn’t seem too satisfying.
By Sunday night, the kids were asking if she could come over the following weekend to watch a few more movies. Alice didn’t even hesitate, telling them yes. I’m looking forward to having her in my space again. Although she wouldn’t let me do anything when the kids were around, the second they had their heads turned, I would sneak a kiss here and there.
It’s honestly torture, but I’ll take whatever I can get from her. Her lips are so damn soft, not to mention those little whimpers she gives me when I twirl my tongue with hers. I’ve shown more strength over this weekend than I have in my entire life. Everything in me wants to get her in my bed and make her come so many times she begs me to stop.
Just imagining what she tastes like has driven me crazy. Once I get her in my bed, I’m going to get my fill, and I won’t stop until I’m deeply satisfied.
“Sure, baby girl.” I hand her my phone, and she puts it on speaker. Colton comes over and takes a seat right next to Cindy.
“Hello?” Alice answers.
“Hi, Alice. We just wanted to invite you to Marco’s football game tonight. Everyone’s going, and I uhm… I wanted you to go too…” Cindy trails off lightly, blushing.
A part of me wants to shut down what I know is already happening. Cindy and Colt have gravitated to every woman who has shown them attention since Chloe left. Not that I blame them. I just don’t want them getting hurt any more than they already have. But something tells me Alice would want a relationship with the kids even if we were to call it quits.
“Oh, I would love to go. What time is the game?” I can hear the smile in her voice. I love the fact that she genuinely enjoys my kids' company. Chloe always made it seem like a chore. There were many arguments over her lack of love and affection toward the kids.
“Umm….” Cindy looks at me for help.
“In a couple of hours. I can be around to pick you up in an hour and a half. Do you think you can be ready by then?”
“Yeah, I’ll be ready. See you guys soon!” She ends the call.
Cindy and Colt jump up and cheer before racing off to their rooms. I go to my room to take a quick shower and change. All the brothers, ol’ ladies, and kids will be wearing shirts with Marco’s jersey number.
It’s his first time playing, and the kid is crazy good. I guess Crystal didn’t like how much time Marco was spending on video games and told him to find another hobby to focus his energy on. Tonight marks his fifth game, and he’s already gained a bit of a spotlight.
His coach firmly believes he has the makings to go pro.
Once I’m changed, I shout for Cindy and Colt so we can head out. On the way to pick up Alice, I make a pit stop by Crystal’s to grab an extra shirt for Alice. When Alice opens her front door, I hold the shirt out for her.
“Everyone is going to be wearing these in support of Marco. I didn’t want you to feel left out.”
Alice breathes out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you. I was a little worried when I saw Will with his on. I didn’t want to look like the odd one out. Give me a few minutes to go change.”
She closes the door, and in no time, she’s back, followed by Will. “What are your plans for my bestie, Red?” Will folds his arms and stares me down like a father would do.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I smirk and Will returns it.
“Dammit, you got me. But all jokes aside. If you hurt her, you’ll see a side of me you’ve never seen.” Without another word, he saunters off to his car, completely unbothered.
I brush off his little threat because I have no intention of hurting Alice. And if Will ever did decide to step up to me, then he better make sure he’s ready to step toe-to-toe with me. I get he’s trying to protect Alice, but I’m a man first. I let him off easy. Normally, Will would have been taking a nap if he was anyone else.
“I can’t believe him.” Alice shakes her head with a grin before following me to my truck. As we’re headed to the game, she and the kids catch up a little bit. They act like they haven’t seen her in weeks when they saw her just this morning at breakfast.
“Dad, can I play some music?” Cindy interrupts my thoughts.
“Sure.” Grabbing my phone from the cupholder, I hand it over to her. I look through the rearview mirror and watch her and her brother whisper to each other in the back seat. Just as I’m about to ask what song she’s looking for, “Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio begins to play.
My mouth drops open, and Alice covers hers as she breaks into a fit of giggles. To my disbelief, my kids don’t just know the song. They know the song. Cindy starts rapping every word of the verse. And then Colt follows through, singing the chorus while nodding his head solemnly to the beat.
Just when I think this car ride can’t get any more bizarre, Alice unbuckles her seat belt, turns around, and sings the final bridge with Colton. Little man eats it up, too. He cheeses the entire time, like they are some kind of dynamic duo.
As the final beat of the song plays, I pull into the parking lot. After I’ve parked the truck, I turn to my kids. “Where did you two learn that song?”
Still smiling, Colt says, “Aunt Cara.”
I groan, palming my face. I swear that woman wants to corrupt everyone around her.
“Well, at least she has taste.” Alice shrugs and gets out of the truck. The kids follow suit. As we approach the bleachers, I notice most of the club is already here. We’re taking up a hefty number of seats. Cindy and Colt run over and take a seat next to Hannah. Grabbing Alice's hand, I lead her over where all the brothers with ol’ ladies are seated.
I’m not in the mood for the single guys’ teasing antics tonight. Chains has almost lost his life on many occasions by flirting with Alice, and he doesn’t even know it. So, I’d rather sit somewhere I don’t have to contemplate stabbing someone. After I’ve taken my seat, I tap Cara on the shoulder. She’s seated right in front of us.
“What’s up?” she asks once she turns around.
“Gangsta’s Paradise, Cara, really?”
Throwing her head back, she howls with laughter. “Old school rap is good for the soul, Red. Hey, Alice, I feel like although I’ve seen you, I haven’t spoken to you in a minute. How’s everything been going?”
“Umm, e-everything has be-been great,” she says awkwardly.
Cara squints her eyes, looking between Alice and me. Alice doesn’t realize that by not making eye contact and wiping her sweaty palms, she’s putting Cara in full interrogation mode.
“We heard you and Viper the other night when I was walking her home.”
“Red!” Alice exclaims.
“She was going to keep prying until she figured out why you couldn’t look her in the eye.” I shrug my shoulders.
“Oh, that’s it. I thought it was something serious.” Cara snorts and turns back around.
Alice looks at me with a bewildered expression. I mouth to her told you . Alice lets out a shaky laugh and shakes her head.
“There is never a dull moment in this group,” she mutters.
ALICE
The game is finally underway. It’s only the second quarter, but I must say, Marco is really good. He’s already scored a touchdown for his team and just made another first down. His position is running back. His speed gives him the advantage every time he has the ball. He looks like that little boy from the Incredibles compared to how the other boys are running. They simply cannot keep up with him.
Throughout the game, the club has been very boisterous, cheering for him. After his first touchdown, he ran over to the bleachers to dap up a few of the brothers while a group of girls screamed his name. He was eating up the attention with winks and smiles. I noticed that it didn’t sit well with little miss Hannah.
Red explained that those two have been in a puppy-love saga since the day Bear brought Hannah home a couple of years ago. I looked at him like he had grown two heads because I thought they were related. He then broke down the family tree for me. Although Hannah calls Sara and Bear mom and dad, she’s only related to Bear as his sister.
“Dad, can Hannah and I get some snacks from the concession stand?” Cindy asks, walking up to us.
“Yeah, sure. Ask Colt if he wants anything.” He reaches into his wallet and pulls out a twenty-dollar bill. “Bring me the change, Cindy.” He squints his eyes at her before handing over the money.
“Keep the change? No problem. Thanks, Dad.”
Cindy is gone faster than lightning, giving Red no room to deny her statement. Red smirks, shaking his head.
A round of ooohs goes around the crowd, making Red and me look to the field. Marco is dancing in the end zone while another boy is getting up from the ground, dusting off his pants. The replay is shown on the screen. As Marco was nearing a touchdown, another player attempted to tackle him. Marco shot his arm out and pushed the player away, knocking him to the ground.
“That’s right, baby bro! Stiff arm his strong-neck ass!” Torch hollers.
The entire MC erupts in laughter, including me. Crystal removes her sandal, slapping Torch on the shoulder repeatedly. “That’s. Some. Body’s. Child!” she hisses.
“What? It’s the truth. That boy looks like his mama gives him roid juice in her titty milk.” I’m laughing so hard I clutch my stomach. This group of bikers has no filter.
When Crystal raises her sandal again, Torch moves out of her reach before getting up and moving away from her.
I notice Cindy and Hannah have been gone for quite a while, so I decide to make sure everything is okay. “I’m going to go check on Cindy and Hannah to make sure they don’t need help or anything,” I tell Red.
I get up before he can say anything and walk down the bleachers. Halfway down the steps, I notice Sara and Cara right behind me.
“I figured we would walk down with you. I want to get something to snack on,” Sara tells me once we’re walking to the stand.
As we round the corner, I can hear a bit of bickering and immediately recognize one of the voices.
“Leave her alone!” Hannah shouts.
Laughter is followed before someone responds. “What are you going to do? You’re both losers. You had a crackhead for a mama, and Cindy, your mama couldn’t stand the sight of you, so she left.”
My heart rips open when I hear a sniffle followed by that statement. I know how it feels to not have a mom. I struggled my entire childhood, wondering if it was something I had done or didn’t do. Sad to say, I was an adult when I figured out that my mother was just a selfish woman.
“The hell did you just say?” Cara growls. Her face is filled with a deep scowl.
The three little girls take a few steps away from Hannah and Cindy. Sara places a hand on Cara’s chest, halting her steps. “Calm down, sis. These are kids.”
Cara nods, taking a deep breath. She turns her gaze to the group of girls. “Where are your mothers?”
The girls’ eyes widen before they start looking everywhere but at her. Cara turns her attention to Cindy and Hannah. “Do you know where their mothers are?”
Hannah breaks into a beaming smile. “Sure do. They’re right over there.” She points to two women standing on the edge of the field. “The blonde is Hazel and Ellie’s mom, and the brunette is Lia’s mom.”
“Okay. You two head back to the group with Alice.”
Hannah and Cindy begin walking our way, but before Cindy can pass Cara, she stops her. Cindy keeps her head trained to the ground. Cara grips her chin and raises her head. When I see the fallen look on Cindy’s face, I just want to whisk her away and give her some much-needed TLC. “If I beat up her mama, will that make you feel better?”
My eyes widen, and Cindy bursts into a fit of giggles. “No, Aunt Cara,” she snorts.
“Okay. Just checking. You know I got an ass whooping for anybody when it comes to you.”
Cindy smiles harder before nodding. She skips off with Hannah, and I watch as Cara and Sara storm across the field.
Uh-oh.
My feet move on their own accord as I race back to the bleachers. I run up to Red, breathing like I had just run a marathon. “Cara. Sara. Code Red!” I get out in between breaths.
Red stares at me, confused. “What?”
“Some girls were picking on Cindy and me. Mom and Aunt Cara overheard, and now they're confronting their mothers,” Hannah informs the group.
Bear and Viper shoot up faster than I can blink. As they run away, Hannah calls out their names. “You better hurry. They had the look. ” Hannah continues to munch on her nachos.
By the time Bear and Viper got to them, Sara had the blonde wrapped in a tight hug, and Cara had the brunette’s hand in a firm grip with their bodies practically plastered together. They both whispered in the women’s ears. Judging by their faces, they were scared for their lives.
Bear and Viper drag their women away. As they walk, Cara turns around to face the women again and drags her thumb across her neck. The women gulp before collecting their daughters and leaving.
As they walk up the bleachers, Crystal holds a hand up, high-fiving both daughters. “That’s what I’m talking about. Don’t nobody mess with my grandbabies.”
I look over at Red to see his beaming smile as he watches Cindy. She no longer looks sad. She’s laughing with her brother and Hannah as if the altercation never took place. She has so many women standing in her corner, and I guess she just needed that little reminder.
The rest of the game goes by with no drama and plenty of laughs. Marco scored two more touchdowns, winning the game for his team. Afterward, we all left and went to a restaurant called Joe’s Phillys. This was the best Philly cheesesteak I’ve ever had.
Apparently, this is a new tradition for the club. After each game, they come here and pig out. The owner shuts the store down so the club can come here and eat in peace. Plus, they leave him a hefty tip in the end.
By the time Red pulls up to his house, the kids are snoring in the back seat. I offer to carry Colt in since he isn’t as heavy as Cindy. Once I lay him in his bed, he rolls over, not even waking up from his sleep for a second.
As I’m walking down the hallway, I run right into Red as he leaves Cindy's room. His arms come around my waist, holding me to him.
We get stuck staring into each other’s eyes for a moment. Then, his lips are on mine. This kiss is hot in every way. I can’t keep my hands off him and vice versa. I don’t know what's happening to me, but I’m far too gone to care.
I thrust my fingers into the nape of his hair, rubbing my body against his. He groans and picks me up. I wrap my legs around his waist as he walks up to his bedroom.
He gently lays me on the bed, never releasing my body. He kisses and sucks on my neck, making my center throb. I grind against the bulge in his jeans, and he hisses.
“Fuck, kitten. Tell me to stop. Tell me,” he begs.
My only response is a moan when he pinches my nipple through my bra. He continues to drive me crazy as he bites down on my bottom lip. Soon, his tongue is back in my mouth, and he kisses me like I’m the air he needs to breathe.
He grips the hem of my shirt, and to my surprise, I don’t even flinch. Red eyes me, lifting it slowly.
“Tell me, kitten. Tell me now. Because if you don’t, I am going to devour this sweet little body.”
I stare back at him, panting. I want this. I don’t care anymore. All I know is this pull I have toward this man isn’t something I want to keep resisting. I want to explore it. My life has been on hold since the day Declan Langley walked into my life. So, from here on out, I’m going to do what the hell I want to do.
Raising up off the bed, I pull my shirt off before gripping the waistband of his jeans.
“Don’t stop.”