Page 34 of Devil's Work: Dark

Ty is getting very attached to Dark. It’s good, I think. But at the same time, is it a betrayal to Jim? His father. I know it’s not fair to put that on a kid. When Jim died, Ty was so little, his father is more of a concept, an idea of a person he sees in pictures rather than a living, breathing man in memories.

I’m sure he has some. If I remind Ty of Jim, will that hurt Dark? I seriously don’t know what to do in this situation. Distractedly, I leave my son’s room and walk to the living room to shut down the rest of the house. Dark has already locked everything up and it’s not like we took the time to turn on lights when we got home. We were rather preoccupied.

His arms wrap around me from the back. “Come to bed,” he whispers, his thick, gritty voice teases me as its filled with the promise of the night to come. My breath hitches. I melt back into him. “Fuck,” he says and I feel his nose pressed against the back of my neck. His hot breath heavy against my skin. “I was going crazy, trying to keep this professional.”

“You were?” My voice squeaks.

“I never wanted this, Rae. I never wanted this type of family.”

His words hurt, but he’s being honest. I force myself to wait out his pause rather than fill the space with a reply of my own.

“Living with you, day in, day out, helping with the kids, it did something to me. The moment I laid eyes on you at Dusty’s office, I wanted you. I wanted to bury my cock so deep inside you that people would be hearing your cries of pleasure all the way over in Bowling Green.”

My eyes go unfocused as my knees start to buckle. Dark keeps me standing.

“Fucking wanted you, baby. Wouldn’t let myself have you. Too much baggage from the both of us. But you grew on me. The kids are sweet. Hearing that fuckwad tried to nab you did my head in. Then, I got to the club to talk with the brothers about the situation and they told me that Bible Belt Killer struck outside Nicholasville.”

“What?” I gasp. His arms tighten even harder around me.

“It hit me in that moment. Green couldn’t take care of you the way I could. You, the kids, you’re mine to keep safe.” Dark bites at the skin of my neck. I’m sure it’s going to bruise. “Now, let’s go to bed.”

Falling asleep next to Dark after he gave me yet another pounding was better than I dreamed possible. Waking up wrapped in his arms is a revelation, although I’m going to need a good soak in Epsom salt to ease the soreness in my lady bits. But during the night, he sought me out. He initiated the contact. I know because his body is wrapped around mine. Not the other way around.

He’s beautiful in sleep. His face looks so serene, the man’s hard face appears innocent, like a little boy. A man wouldn’t look so peaceful if he weren’t comfortable. Growing up the way Dela and I grew up, I’ve seen people sleep hard, angry, or worried. When I got with Jim, I saw what contented looked like. Dark is sharing a gift with me that he doesn’t even realize he’s giving, because I highly doubt he’s shared this with anyone else.

As his eyes crack open, he smiles, tipping his lip up in the far corner. “Hey, baby,” he says. His gravelly morning voice sounds way too similar to his sex voice for my own good. I don’t think I can go back for another round yet. I went from nothing for two years to coming five times in one long, glorious night.

“Hi,” I reply to the man who simply takes my breath away.

“Come’ere,” he orders me, but he doesn’t give me the chance to comply because he rolls to pin me underneath him and kisses me deeper than he’s kissed me thus far. I wrap my legs around his narrow hips, totally forgetting my earlier declaration to keep his dick from aligning with my opening. His morning wood rubs me through my panties. I squeeze my limbs tighter, tilting my pelvis up for him to touch me in the right spot.

God,god… It’s beautiful, feeling him there between my thighs. I’m wet and so majorly turned on that I’m ready to tell him to just shift the gusset of my panties and take me already when the door to the bedroom bursts open and Ty runs in shouting.

“Mumma, Mumma… Dark is gone.”

I shove him off me, mortified. At least I had the foresight last night to slip on my tank and panties before passing out.

Ty stops abruptly at the foot of the bed. “What are you doing in here with my mumma?” he asks Dark. “Why were you kissing her, Dark?”

I look to Dark, horrified. “Your mom’s my girlfriend now, bud. This is where I’m supposed to sleep from now on, and boyfriends kiss their girlfriends. It’s how they show they care.”

My little guy squishes his face up as if he’s really considering Dark’s words, then he lifts his stare to Dark specifically, like he’s come to a decision. “Okay,” he says. “My mumma’s a great mumma and you’re a good guarder man. I bet you’ll be a good boyfriend man, too.”

“Gonna try my hardest,” Dark mumbles.

It’s at this point that Lacy decides to join the conversation from her bedroom by yelling, “Muh… Muh… Dark…” She chants it over and over.

“I got her,” Dark says, not looking me in the eyes. Did Ty’s praise embarrass him? He whips the cover off and thank goodness his erection is nowhere to be seen. Dark had the foresight to pull his boxer briefs on last night, too. I’m okay with Ty seeing Dark sleep in his underwear. Plenty of people sleep in their underwear. But before he leaves to go get Lacy, he slips his sweats on. He’d thrown them on the floor once we’d gotten back in here and he’d gotten me naked again. “Come on, bud. Come get your sister with me.”

This gives me the chance to pull a bra on and slip back on my shorts. When I get out to the kitchen, Dark sits at the table with Ty, both eating a bowl of cereal and milk, and Lacy in the highchair eating her cheerios.

“You want something more substantial than that?” I point to Dark’s bowl.

“Nah.” He shakes his head. “Gonna fill up on pizza, salad, and shit for lunch.”

“I’d avoid the shit,” I tease.

“Woman.” Dark tries to sound hard, but there’s a smile to his voice. Too much of a smile. “Get yourself something.”

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