Eighteen
Eighteen
GUNNER
?
It’s been a few weeks since Savvy and I had our come to jezzus moment and life has been fucking good. She has gone out on a few jobs, but mostly; she has been here with me, being mine. It’s been an adjustment in the best way. The one thing that is an adjustment, and I wish wasn’t a thing, is our daughter always being in our house. I love Bell and my grandbabies, but she is the queen of cockblocking. I swear she gets the brain tingles when she thinks her ma and I are busy. She finds it funny as shit, catching us in compromising positions. Of course, her visits are always under the guise of my grandbabies wanting to spend time with us. I call bullshit on that because all they want is to eat, shit and drool. They don’t give two shits about who”s supplying the goods. And they sure as shit ain’t asking for me or my woman. And then I feel like an asshole and spend time with them because they are too damn cute.
“Mommy,”
“Mom, mom, mother, mommy…”
My jaw clenches as Savvy’s body silently shakes beneath me. Our daughter’s loud ass voice echoes through the walls and I sigh, resting my forehead on Savvy’s shoulder, begging for the strength to not get up and strangle the fuck out of my kid. Fuck, here I thought my shit was soundproof. I was wrong because Bellamy’s voice seems to be louder and clearer the longer she hollers for her mother. I let out a groan, trying and failing to calm my shit down. Savvy’s laughter has me lifting my head to look into her eyes, which glitter with amusement, causing me to glare down at her mirthlessly. My fucking dick is ready to pound nails, not even the sound of my grandbaby giggling deflates the fucker.
“Cock-fucking-blocking ass kid,” I mumble.
Savvy knows I’m on the verge of losing my shit because it’s been too damn long and I need her fucking badly. Her amusement at my pain has my eyes narrowing on her.
“I swear I’m going to ban her ass from coming into our house. I swear to fuck.” Looking down at Savvy doesn’t even have the decency to hold back her laughter at my frustration. “This shit ain’t funny…” I grind my cock into Savvy’s jean-clad pussy, causing her smile to fall and a moan makes its way from her throat.
My smile satisfied, knowing that I have that effect on my woman and I’m able to wind her up. When I see lust and need in her eyes. Call me a prick, but it makes me fucking happy as shit, knowing she has to share in my fucking pain.
I push off of the bed listening as Bellamy continues to yell for her Ma. Straightening, I look at Savvy whose eyes watch me as she shifts in the bed pulling her shirt over her luscious tits. Damn, my woman is one hot fucking GILF.
“That’s what the fuck you get, woman. I need my pussy. And our cockblocking ass spawn is getting in the way of my good time. Fucking hell.”
Savvy’s eyes narrow on me, but I shrug because she knows damn well it’s a problem that this kid in particular refuses to call and text before coming.
“You can narrow your eyes all you want. You know you were ready for this dick.” I say, winking at her and leaving the room. My laughter is loud and I’m surely going to pay for that comment later.
Walking down the stairs, I can hear the click of Digger’s paws on my hardwood floors. I shake my head. He is never far from his babies, which is one reason I’ve warmed up to the little shit. Digger is protective as fuck with my grandbabies and will fuck anyone up who he deems unworthy to be in their presence. The damn club girls are afraid of him because he’s nipped a few of them for coming close. And I don’t blame him. I want to flip my shit myself when they try to cuddle up to my grandbabies, hoping to get in good with me and my boys. It won’t work, but those bitches are too ditzy to get that. I shake my head as I make my way into the living room. Walking into the room, Bellamy already has Aila on her blanket and is pulling Kwan out of his seat. Digger comes toward me, eyes narrowed like he has some shit to say. When he reaches me, I lift my hand, scratching behind his ear as he sniffs me. When he looks up as if trying to decide if I’m worthy to be in the baby”s presence, I glare down at him, showing him who”s boss. Which has him huffing at me and I swear the little fucker rolls his eyes and turns and heads toward his bed, near the back door. Fucker.
“Why are you getting comfortable, baby girl? I love you, but…”
“Oh shit,” she whirls around. With Kwan in her arms, the motion has him giggling and her glaring at me.
“Damnit, old man, make some damn noise next time. Your big ass should not be able to sneak up on me like that.” She looks at me and then down at a giggling baby with a smile on her face. Lifting Kwan and blowing raspberries on his belly “I blame you. Yes, I do… Yes, I do. You’ve turned your mother into a softy.” Peels of giggles tail her words.
As Kwan continues to giggle, my eyes trail down to Aila, who finds her shoe-clad feet the most interesting thing in the world and is trying to shove her entire foot in her mouth. I chuckle, walking towards her and picking up my little beauty. I sit on the couch and watch my daughter putter around, getting the kid’s things out of the bag. My eyes narrow on her because she has yet to answer me or look me in my eye. And my daughter is not an avoider.
“Bellamy?” I call her name.
Kneeling on the floor, she lays Kwan down. She doesn’t look up, causing my heckles to rise. What the fuck?
“Bellamy Dianne Church-Petrov. I know good and damn well you heard your father talking to your narrow ass. Them babies do a lot of things, but they don’t make you hard of hearing. Girl, what do you want?” Savvy says as leans against the door frame, eyes focused on our daughter.
Before Bellamy responds, the front door opens and closes. I groan at another damn visitor in my house and another damn person I have to get the fuck out of it. Looking over, Blaze walks into the living room, he looks around and when his eyes find his sisters, they narrow. Aww fucking hell, what the hell did she do? Blaze walks over to his mother, leans over, and kisses her on the cheek. He gives me a chin lift, one that I return. Bellamy remains occupied with Kwan and is making a pretty big effort not to look at anyone in the room.
“Is one of you going to tell me why my daughter is acting like no one else is in the room? Savvy says.
Savvy pushes off the door frame, walking over and sitting next to me on the couch. As she always does, she takes Aila from my arms and pulls her close, kissing her and nuzzling her and taking in her coconut and shea butter scent.
“Well…. Uh… So I….”
Still not looking up from Kwan, Bellamy shifts, worrying her bottom lip. Whatever it is she’s done, it’s bad enough to have her worrying about our reaction to it. And once again, before she can answer with a complete damn sentence, the front door opens again. I curse my woman for telling our kids they can come over whenever they hell they want because fuck if they can.
“Tornado, I swear to fuck. I’m going to spank your ass. I told you to wait for me. How many times, I tell your ass…” Taz’s words cut off when he stepped into the room.
Taz looks at me, then Savvy, and up to Blaze then down to his woman, who is in some shit, because even with him walking into the room, she doesn’t take her eyes or attention off the baby.
“She ain’t tell them?” Taz says, looking at Blaze.
Blaze’s normally stoic face is anything but. I see amusement in his eyes, and my brows furrow. I look at my VP, then to Blaze, and down to my daughter, who is now sitting stiffly on the floor.
“Nope. She’s over here stuttering and sputtering, trying to figure out how to get her ass out of trouble. Using them babies as a distraction. She knows they can’t resist.” Blaze says, angling his head toward his mother, who is looking down at the baby.
Taz tries to stifle his snort, but he can’t. I don’t know what part of this interaction pisses Savvy off, but the air in the room changes and ever so slowly she hands me the baby, her eyes narrowed on my VP. And me knowing my woman, and that she is as sexually frustrated as I am, she’s about to blow. I smirk, sitting back on the couch and placing my grandbaby girl on my knee, bouncing her as she continues to try and figure out how to eat her shoe. My eyes bounce between my woman, kids, and VP. Slowly, Savvy stands.
“Oh, shit.” Comes from Bellamy.
Savvy glares at everyone but me. “If one of you don’t start talking right, the fuck now we ‘bout to have some motherfucking problems.” Savvy growls.
Bellamy takes a deep breath and looks up at her mother. I can see the war in her eyes. She’s deciding whether to be her normal smart ass self or give the shit to her mother straight. When her eyes sweep over Taz, who is shaking his head at her, she looks at Blaze, who is eyeing her with concern.
“Okay, shit…. Okay. You…” She stands, leaving the baby playing on the floor. As she steps toward Blaze, who apparently is having the reaction she wants, she sputters a few more intelligible words. With her back to us, she says something that neither I nor Savvy hear.
“Girl, speak the fuck up. You”re pissing me off.” Savvy snips.
Bellamy shuffles behind her brother and peeks over his shoulder, like whatever she has to say he will protect her from their mother”s wrath and the motion has Taz chuckling. When Savvy turns to glare at him, all amusement leaves his face as he clears his throat and tries to look at anything but my woman. I want to laugh, but I know better.
“Grandfatherisonhisway... here.”
Savvy’s head snaps toward our daughter. “I’m sorry. What did you just say?” She glares over at our children.
Blaze looks at his mother, then over to his shoulder at his sister, and back at his mother. Without saying a word, he steps away from Bellamy, leaving her on her own to face the wrath of her mother. I do not know why it’s a big deal that Victor Petrov is coming here. Before I knew who he was to Savvy and my kids, the man had been a mystery to me. When we were hashing out our deal, I had only met him once. And it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. Petrov had hard eyes and glares for me, only directly addressing my VP.
“Fuck you, brother,” Bellamy says, glaring at Blaze as he makes his way to the other side of the room.
With a shrug. “You’re the one that had to open your mouth. Now we ‘bout to have a whole Petrov reunion.” Blaze deadpans.
“What the fuck you mean… Bellamy Dianne Church-Petrov. What the hell did you do?”
The look Bellamy gives her mother has me laughing out loud, causing Aila to do the same, but she and I are the only ones laughing. Savvy looks like she wants to ring Bellamy’s neck. Taz looks like he ate a lemon because he remembers what dealing with the Pakhan of the Petrov Bratva was like. And Blaze looks exasperated at his sister, but there is a tiny glimmer in his eyes.
Whelp, it looks like it’s a night filled with blue balls for me.
After raining hell on Bellamy for her perceived fuck up. Our daughter looked wrecked knowing her mother’s pissed, and I felt bad for the kid because the two of them rarely butt heads. Their relationship is nothing like the one Princess had with her mother. Savvy and Bell are a team. They talk shit out even if they are annoyed or don’t agree with one another. Savvy has never been one to bulldoze over or try to manipulate our kids to get them to do what she wants or to agree with her. To see her dealing with them today was different. When Savvy spoke, it was like a flip had switched. She was no longer my Savvy. She was the right hand of the Organization, cold, calculating, and matter-of-fact. Did I want to question her and them about why they’re acting like Victor coming here is the end of the world? Hell yeah, I did. Deciding to be smart, I keep my mouth shut and take in whatever information I can.
Once the kids were gone, Savvy paced the length of the living room for a good long while. Now she is staring out the living room window. With a long breath, Savvy turns to me, her eyes assessing, and colder than I’ve seen in a long time, and I’m taken aback. I return her stare with questioning and cautious eyes. I know to be patient and wait her out. She will tell me what I need to know in her own time.
“He knows more about the situation than he’s letting on. That much is clear. He wouldn’t come here otherwise. His inserting himself in organization dealings is not something he does. Not since…” She shakes her head, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Being his right hand, the organization and its dealings sit squarely on my shoulder and have been for years. As you’ve probably figured out, my father prefers to focus on Petrov Bratva, and leave the witchy crazy shit to me.” She says the last part is a Russian accent and chuckles. “His insistence on coming here means… things may get bloody, and that is not something I want around you, the club, or our grandkids.”
That last statement alone makes her coldness and anger make a shit ton more sense. She wants nothing to touch our family. Fuck. She’s not wrong Victor Petrov is the worst of the worst and when he is involved shit gets national news type of bloody.
“Lockdown?” I question her.
“No, not yet. I don’t think things will get that far, but I would prepare the brothers and the club, just in case.” She says, releasing a shuttered breath.
“I know you say you got this, Sav, but…” I stand, walking over to her. “…come here woman” my words have her sending me an exasperated look, but I’m undeterred. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her to me.
“I know you got this. Whatever the fuck this is. I never doubt that about you. But Savvy, you need to know something. I will burn this motherfucking world to ashes before I let anyone hurt you or this family. I’ve lived without you once and I’ll be damned if I ever do that shit again. I know you think you need to keep the organization and the club separate…” My words trail off and she stiffens because this isn’t the first time I’ve suggested this. But with who we are, we can’t keep going on the way we have. Her leaving to handle her business and me being here handling mine. We’re both important in our perspective roles being the heads of two of the largest underworld organizations. And at some point, people will recognize that even if we aren’t technically working together, we are together. And that can lead to shit at either of our doorsteps. Case in point, this shit Savvy is dealing with now and her father coming here because of it. So my suggestion shouldn’t be so off the mark or easily brushed off.
“Gunner,” she says, slight annoyance in her voice.
“No, Savvy. You are my woman. Mine. And I fucking hate that you live this double life. It scares the fuck out of me every time you and our kids leave on missions. Dealing with the organization and being the club’s first lady is a lot and with this new shit...” I release a breath and shake my head. “You’ve got to learn to share the burden, baby. We’ve had this conversation when Blaze and the boys patched into the club. You shut it down, then, and I let you because I understood where you were coming from. Since then, Blaze has come to me telling me that some of your teams have been asking questions. They are wondering if it is a possibility to do the same as he and his sister have. They like what the club is all about and...”
Fuck. Probably not the time to bring this up. Blaze and I’ve been trying to figure out how to broach the subject with Savvy and get her to see our side of things. When Savvy’s breath hitches, and not in a good way. I know I may have fucked up a little. This is not the way I wanted her to find out about those conversations, but fuck it. I continue, knowing this will not end well, especially with her already being pissed at our kid.
“It makes sense. You know it does. Going back and forth from here to the New York base is wearing on you and the kids, even though none of them want to say shit about it. I’m not saying the club has to be involved or that your people have to patch in. Call me selfish, but I need you here...”
“I’m here.” She says it is a way that makes me feel like I’ve accused her of some heinous crime.
“Yeah, baby, you’re here, but not every day and not every night, and that shit doesn’t work for me.”
When her eyes narrow, I know she is going to spew some bullshit. So when she shoves at my chest, I take a step back, preparing myself for the inevitable. That’s something I’ve had to learn quickly about my woman. Her and my relationship has a tainted past, which is why she responds differently to and with me. With anyone else, she hears what they have to say and thinks before she speaks. With me, not so fucking much. Mostly, I’m a patient man when she flips her shit. Most times I feel like I deserve her wrath even if in a particular situation I may not deserve it.
Savvy’s eyes are cold when she glares and narrows as she pulls her full lips into a thin line.
“First, let’s not pretend that you aren’t suggesting this shit because I’m not in your bed every night. Seriously, Gunner? My work, the organization, its location, and my teams aren’t any of your fucking business. I handle shit the way I do for a reason. There is so much more to my world than you could ever understand. Which is why I don’t need Mr. Big Strong MC president telling me what I should and shouldn’t do with my organizations and those who work for me. You and our son are out of your rabid ass minds if you think you are going to force my hand by involving my teams. I told him when he came to me why I didn’t feel it was a good idea. And his ass should have left it at that, not go run to Daddy because he didn’t get the answer he wanted. And when did that become a fucking thing? When did you become fucking father of the year who can fix shit and handle me? Huh? Because we both know you are far from it…” She must feel the change in the air because her eyes flash.
Oh fuck no.
“You fucking done, Svetlana?” I say, my eyes cold, taking a step away from her. Because what the actual fuck?
I don’t know what she sees in my eyes or hears in my voice. Whatever it is, it has her face softening and her taking a step toward me. I raise my hand and shake my head. Fuck that. This isn’t the first time she’s thrown shit in my face about our past. And mostly, I get it. She knows how I feel about my relationship with our kids, especially Blaze. She knows how hard I fucking worked to have a better relationship with him. That he even talks to me, deems me worthy enough of discussing his family business and how he feels about shit is a fucking miracle. And Savvy throwing shit in my face, pisses me the fuck off.
With a shake of my head. I don’t stop when I hear her calling out for me. Naw, she can fuck off with that bullshit. I stride to my bike and straddle it. Ignore her as I put my keys in the ignition, reeve the engine, and ride away from my home and my woman. I know myself well enough to know I will say some shit that will have us going at it in all the wrong ways. She can’t keep doing this shit. I sure as shit can’t keep feeling like a piece of shit that abandoned his family.