Page 41 of Rough Daddy
“Yep. It’s supposed to. I’ll never harm you though, baby. Never.”
It’s like the sky heard it all and starts crying happy tears.
The rain cools the heat on our skin as I draw out of her, spin her around, sweep her against my chest and lock my lips on hers.
She’s gonna be a pain in my ass, but she’ll never be too much for me.
Fourteen
Beau
"Dolores, I need you to call my brothers."
The radio crackles with static before her voice cuts through, sharp as a chainsaw. "Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What'd you do now, Beau Boone?"
I stare out at the mountain road we'll be taking in twenty minutes. Tessa is upstairs, throwing clothes into a bag. After I fucked the attitude out of her, I put her in the bathtub for some quiet time while I moved all twenty-fucking-eight of her suitcases and garbage bags into my house.
Her shit’s damn near taking over the entire upstairs, but fuck, just seeing it there makes my dick hard and I want to beat my fucking chest.
She’s here. Her stuff’s here. I’ve moved her in. She might not quite grasp the permanence of it all, but in time, she will. I’m making sure she never gets away. Rooting a baby in that sweet little belly is one way, but I’ll also get a ring on her finger and make her a Boone before she can rethink anything.
My truck's gassed up and ready, and Tessa sent her brother a message telling him we’d be there today.
"I'm leaving town. Need Jack and Cade to cover the shop for a few days."
"A few DAYS?" Her voice hits a pitch that could crack concrete. "Beau Boone, you haven't missed a day of work since Clinton was getting his dick sucked in the Oval Office. What the hell—"
"Dolores, what did I tell you about bringing up Clinton getting his dick sucked?"
"Don't you 'Dolores' me, boy. This is about that girl, isn't it? The one who's got you acting like you swallowed a canary?"
Despite everything, my mouth twitches. Seventy years old and still sharp as a tack. "Yeah. It's about her."
"She in trouble?"
"Her brother is. We're going to get him."
A pause. Then her voice goes softer, the drill sergeant routine dropping away. "How bad?"
"Bad enough that she was ready to drive off this mountain alone to handle it." The memory of her trying to leave, the desperation in her voice, makes my jaw clench.
"And now you're going with her."
"Damn right, I am."
Another pause. Longer this time.
"About time you found something worth fighting for besides carburetors." Her voice turns brisk again. "I'll call your brothers."
"Dolores—"
"You bring that girl and her brother home safe, you hear me? And Beau?" Her voice goes fierce. "Don't you dare come back without them. I didn't spend twenty years watching you turn into a hermit just to let you fuck this up now."
The radio goes dead.
But I swear I hear my mother giggling down from heaven.
Two hours later, I'm watching Tessa fidget in the passenger seat as New York countryside blurs past. My hands are steady on the wheel, but I can feel the tension radiating off her in waves.
