Page 74 of Keys

“He’s one of the guys we hired to do security for concerts.”

“And you fucked him?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I know, it’s unprofessional, but we rarely see one another since he travels a lot, so I thought the one time wouldn’t matter.” Quickshot took the phone from my hands and typed too.

Keys: This is her man, fucker! Start looking for a new job.

I laughed when I saw what he typed, though he was probably right. If that’s the type of message Mike was going to send after getting back from a job, then we wouldn’t be able to work together anymore. That sucked because it was hard to find people willing to give up months of their time to go on tour with rock bands. Well, it was hard to find uniquely qualified people to do so anyway.

Mike: Sorry, didn’t realize. Thought you were the type who never got serious. Do I really need to look for another job?

Keys: Come in and debrief with Tash. No further contact with me, and you keep your job.

Mike: That’s harsh. I get it though. And for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.

“You unfired him?” Quickshot asked as he shamelessly read over my shoulder.

“I set the precent that he could speak to me like that. I’m not going to fire him because I showed poor judgment first. If it’s ever a problem after this, then he’ll be looking for a new job.” I waited to see how Quickshot would react to that, because truthfully, it would determine whether we could be a successful couple or not.

“I trust you.”

Those three little words were everything. I reached up, grabbed his face, and pulled it down to mine. Our lips met and what started as a quick kiss to show my appreciation, quickly turned steamy and had my legs shifting restlessly back and forth, looking for relief.

Quickshot’s hand slid down my body until his fingers were pressed right at the apex of my thighs, pushing the seam of my denim pants down into my clit, giving me the friction that I longed for. I was about to demand that we lose the clothing that stood between me and what I really wanted, but there was a knock at the door interrupting any further efforts.

“Your parents are here.” Tash said through the door. Then there was a mumbled, “Shit!” And finally, she apologized for the confusion that she hadn’t actually caused. “Sorry, I meant your mom and stepdad.”

“Be right there,” I called out as Quickshot and I silently giggled at her. “Will you stay with me for this?”

“You didn’t even have to ask.” He leaned over and placed another sweet kiss on my lips but pulled away before either of us could take it too far.

When I left my mom at her house after everything went down, I thought it would be the last time I saw her. Understanding that she had been through some serious shit, and that it had a powerful amount to do with the life she led, didn’t change things for me. I could understand all day long, and still it didn’t change the level of hurt that had been heaped on me as a result of her decisions.

Sensing my mood, Quickshot put his arm around me and stopped us from the leaving the room. He eased me closer until I was wrapped up in his warmth and enveloped by the spicey, leather scent that clung to him. “You aren’t alone, and there’s not a single person here judging you for whatever decisions you want to make. If you don’t want to interact with your mother, we’ll find somewhere safe for her to stay where you don’t have to interact. If you don’t want to turn her away, but want to leave her here because it’s safest, then you will come stay with me until she doesn’t have to be here any longer. There are options, okay?”

I sniffled into his shirt, though I refused to let tears drop over either of my parents again. “You mean it, don’t you?”

“Sarah, you’ve had me wrapped around your beautiful little finger since we first met.” I gave him a look that spoke volumes about our time apart and the reason behind it. He nodded his head once and then kissed my forehead. “I fucked up. You will never know how pissed I was at myself that I fucked up with the only woman on this Earth who was made just for me.”

I rolled my eyes at his cheesiness, but inside, wow. Inside, I melted into a gooey version of myself that I didn’t recognize. He really did have my back, not that there was any doubt after the way he was there for me through everything already. Any other person would have run for the hills after hearing my family’s incredibly fucked up history.

My maternal grandparents were murdered thanks to my grandfather’s addiction. My mother was an orphan and ended up my father’s sex slave. Then there’s my paternal family, the awful men who were into all kinds of shady shit, but the worst of it all was a decade’s-long sex trafficking ring. One that was responsible for me being alive, for one of my friends having been through far too much trauma for one person to face, and for creating more orphans.

I tipped my head back and stared into Quickshot’s eyes, but the only thing I found there was understanding and what looked a whole lot like complete devotion. It was time to face my fears, to really face them, and take a leap of faith with the man who was waiting on me to do just that.

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him to show him exactly how I felt. The only problem with doing that was that the jerk blew a raspberry right on my lips and spun around out of reach instead. “Come on, my little keyboard warrior, you have parental units to see, and I can’t have your back with an out-of-control hard-on scaring people. I mean, I could poke your back with it, I guess.” He continued to ramble as I laughed at the insanity that was Quickshot.

Chapter 27

I put on a show for my woman so that she wouldn’t even think about the fact that we were going upstairs to hang out with her mother and new stepdad. As much as I wanted her to be able to repair the relationship they had, for her sake, it was too soon.

“Oh Sarah!” Her mother called out the moment we both stepped off the elevator. Keys shrank back by half a step, but I wouldn’t let anyone see her nervousness. Instead, I pushed forward and with my back to hers, allowed her a moment to lean in and take whatever strength she needed in order to face her mother again so soon after all the revelations and truths about her life and that of her family’s finally surfaced.

“June,” Her husband placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder, staying her from the path she was about to take. I don’t think anyone missed the angry side-glare she threw over her shoulder at him, but to Jack’s credit, he didn’t relent.

“That’s not really your name though, is it?” Keys asked her mother who shook her head, unable to respond to her daughter in any other way. “We need to set some ground rules while you’re here.”

June gasped, obviously not expecting that Keys wouldn’t be happy to see her again.

---