Chapter 4
Chapter Four
KIERRA
Sitting here having breakfast with Viper and his brothers is something we don’t do.
We just don’t! I’m uncomfortable since I don’t know how to act outside our usual arrangement.
With my head on Viper’s shoulder, I keep my focus on my nephew, and I can tell it’s aggravating Viper.
At this point, I’m damned if I do and damned if I don’t.
Luckily, I’m saved when Berta brings out all our food, and everyone is distracted by stuffing their faces.
“K.K., I gotta pee,” Nash urges, wiggling all over his chair.
“Come on. I’ll take you, Nash,” Draven offers, standing up, and motioning for my nephew to follow him. Nash looks to me for approval, and at my nod, he climbs down and races to catch up with Draven.
“I don’t usually pick up another man’s seconds, but for you darlin’, I’d make an exception.” I hear from my left, and looking over, I see the man next to the window is the one attempting to hit on me.
“Have you lost your fucking mind, Rock? She may not be Viper’s ol’ lady, but he will fuck you up if he hears you saying that shit,” the man named Legend hisses angrily.
“Aw, sweetie. I wouldn’t let you fuck me with his dick,” I sneer condescendingly while pointing at his brother.
I smirk at his frown of being rejected. This cocky son of a bitch must not be used to being turned down.
What a prick. I keep my focus on my plate but can feel when the temperature at our table turns frosty, but I make a point not to pay it any attention.
A few minutes later my nephew races back to the table, chattering on about the men’s bathroom and the “funny looking” potties.
“What?” Viper asks from behind me, and when I look up, I see that he’s looking at Legend, trying to get a read on what happened while he was gone.
“Just Rock being Rock, Prez,” another man says. After further inspection, I see that the name on his cut reads Knox. He doesn’t seem like he’s much of a fan of this Rock clown, which makes me immediately like him.
Viper brushes my hair off my shoulder again, drawing my attention to him so he can search my face for any sign that I’m uncomfortable as he asks, “You good, baby?”
“Perfect,” I assure him. I deal with creeps like this Rock prick on a nightly basis when I work. He’s going to have to try harder if he wants to piss me off by trying to come on to me.
“Yeah, you are,” he says quietly, so only I can hear as he takes his seat next to me. There’s the Draven I want more of.
“K.K., where’s momma?”
“She’s working, Dinoman,” I remind him, poking the dinosaur on his shirt and making him laugh. I don’t know what the heck I’m going to tell him if she’s really disappeared again. The last time, he was too little to notice that his mom was missing in action.
“Okay.” Just like that, he starts digging into his pancakes and making a mess. I can’t help but smile at how accepting he is and always willing to roll with the punches.
“Any word yet?” Viper asks, nodding at my nephew.
“Nothing,” I lean over and whisper.
“I have one of my guys looking into it. I’ll find her. Promise. Okay?”
“Yeah. She’s a slippery one though, babe. We learned early on how to stay off the radar when it mattered,” I admit. When he’s quiet for far too long, I look over and see a strange look on his face. “What?” I ask him.
“Nothing, baby. Just keep learning more and more shit about you that I should’ve already known is all.”
Sighing, I open my mouth to tell him we don’t do this, but he beats me to it.
“I know. We don’t do this. But if you hadn’t noticed, we seem to be doing this.”
“Yeah, and when we do, you get weird and make it a point to put me back in my place, and honestly, it hurts sometimes when you do. So, I’ve learned not to expect a damn thing from you, Draven,” I say, tossing two twenties on the table.
Smiling down at Nash, I ask, “Ready to go, buddy?” Thankfully he’s finished eating and jumps up, ready to get on with the next part of our day, which is a trip to the aquarium.
“Have a good one, boys,” I call over my shoulder, not even looking back.
Draven pisses me off when he pulls this shit.
He reels me in just to throw me away. Until the next time that is.
The yo-yo game is getting really tiring, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe I should be the one to end things.
It would break my heart to do it, but he’s slowly bending me until one day I’ll break anyway, so what does it matter on the timing.
That’s a problem to solve another day. Today, my nephew and I have a date with Nemo.
Or is it, Dory? I forget which one is his favorite.
“Ready to go see the fishies?”
“Yeah,” Nash shouts, clapping his hands excitedly. He is such a sweet boy.
Nash and I spend the afternoon checking out everything there is to see at the aquarium, and admittedly, I really enjoyed getting to see the fish.
By the time I get us back to the apartment I’m dragging, but I still have to be at work in a few hours so I’m just going to have to push through it.
I get him bathed and put him in front of the TV in my room so I can get my own shower and primping routine out of the way.
This is as good as it’s going to get tonight, I think to myself as I look at my half-assed hair and makeup in the mirror.
I’m just about to text Nash’s old babysitter when there’s a knock on my door.
Hurrying over, I swing it open, and what I’m not expecting to find is a scantily clad pixie with long blonde hair standing on my doorstep.
“Hey! You must be Kierra. I’m G. Prez sent me to pick up the little guy. He’ll be hanging out with me tonight at the clubhouse until you get off work,” she chirps, much too happily. Who is this girl?
“Uh, what?” I ask, confused.
“You’re Kierra. I’m G. I’m watching Nash so you can go to work. Viper sent me. You can call him if you want,” she says, handing me her phone.
“No. No, I believe you. I just wasn’t aware he was doing any of this.”
“You know the Prez. He isn’t all that forthcoming with his plans.” He sure as hell isn’t. He does whatever suits him.
“Let me get his bag,” I tell her, opening the door wider so she can come inside.
Ten minutes later, I’m watching as a bubbly and talkative G chatters my nephew’s head off as they make their way down the apartment steps.
After they’ve gone, it takes me an hour to get ready for work and make sure everything has been situated so the next day with Nash will flow easier.
With the radio blaring, I make my way across town and park in my spot behind Heaven’s Door.
Pulling down my visor, I apply a fresh coat of red lipstick in a desperate attempt to look somewhat put together.
My whole routine is thrown off with having Nash around.
He’s great, but I’m just not used to juggling him on top of everything else.
As I’m fluffing my hair, trying to tame the wavy locks, a scream is ripped from my throat when there’s a sharp knock on my window that scares the absolute shit out of me.
Clutching my chest, I try to calm my racing heart that is threatening to beat out of my body.
When I finally gain my composure and look up, I realize it’s only Viper.
Jesus, where did he come from? He rattles the handle, trying to open my door, and starts to get impatient when it takes me a second to get it unlocked.
Rolling my eyes, I hit the button on the door so I can get out, but before I can even make a move, he yanks it open and slams his lips onto mine.
The leather of his cut feels warm under my palms when I try to push him away, desperately needing air.
Slowly, he pulls away from my lips, releases my seatbelt, and tugs me out of the car.
Without a word, he reaches around me, grabs my bag, hits the locks, and slams my door behind him.
Before I can clear my head and ask him what the hell he thinks he’s doing, his rough hand laces through mine as he drags me along behind him.
As we’re striding through the parking lot and into the office inside of Heaven’s Door, I decide to wait him out because he’s clearly on a mission of some sort.
With quick movements, he tosses my bag onto the couch, kicks the door closed, grips my hips, and hoists me onto the desk.
I gasp when he shoves my thighs apart and swiftly wedges his hips in between.
His strong fingers thread through my hair as he tugs my head back and rests his forehead against my own.
Wild eyes lock onto mine, searching for something that only he ever seems to find, and revealing the monster that’s unstable with how I left things earlier.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he rasps, his breathing quick and heavy.
“I’m doing the best that I fucking can. Yeah?
You’re right, we don’t do this shit and for the record, I’ve never done this shit.
As in, at all. I know I’m an asshole, baby, and that probably won’t ever change.
You’re going to have to get the fuck over it.
But I didn’t mean to hurt you, and I’m fucking sorry that I did.
I don’t know if I can give you more than what we’re doing now, but I do know that I ain’t ever letting you go.
I’m here, and I ain’t going anywhere and you ain’t fucking going nowhere either.
If you do, I’ll drag your ass back, and if you fuck around with someone else, I’ll slit their fucking throat,” he growls, tightening his hold on my hair.
He goes from Draven to Viper in a split second, but I love them both.
“Okay,” I concede, giving him what he needs. This thing between us is toxic, but it’s all either of us has ever known, and I don’t think it will ever be anything but what it is. It would take something monumental for things to be different. But I accept him for who he is, and he accepts me too.