Page 22 of Abigail
“The fuck!” T-dog growls. “You don’t seem ta understand. You movin’ in here or coming ‘round here to fuck one of the bitches who live here, you gotta pay, man. Nothing funny ‘bout it.” Straw can feel T-dog’s anger rolling off him in waves. Unfortunately for T-dog, he’s delaying Straw getting to his woman. Yes, he is going to make herhiswoman. So Straw’s patience is at a minimum. He glances over at Tank.
“Is this shit for real?” Straw asks incredulously. “This punk thinks he’s going to extort money outta us?” Tank shrugs his shoulders before replying.
“Apparently, though he’d be wise not to mess with six well trained Marines.” Straw and the others nod their agreement. Straw is ready to move these punks out of his way when movement from the entrance catches his eye.
“T-dog!” Abigail calls out. Her voice strong and clear yet angry. The man turns to look over his shoulder. “Clear out and let them pass. They’re my guests. I’ve been here over a year and never had guests so I’m more than covered.” She glares at T-dog. He stares back at her for a beat but then gives her a nod. The men move off the sidewalk and head back toward their hangout spot near the end of the building. Straw watches them intently making sure they clear out before he turns back to look at Abigail.
Beautiful!That thought is front and center in his mind as he drinks in the view of Abigail and Ellie walking hand and hand down the sidewalk. The daughter is the spitting image of her mother. They both have brown, wavy hair. Abigail is slender but not too skinny. Full tits press against her sundress. A true vision of loveliness. Straw struggles to get his emotions under control, keep his voice from cracking revealing to all just how this woman affects him.
“Abigail,” Straw speaks as she nears the men. “You shouldn’t be out here. I was coming inside to get you. It’s not safe out here.” He glances over at the gang hanging nearby. Straw’s unease at this situation is rolling off him in waves. He wants nothing more than to take her away from this rundown shithole. It tears him up inside to know that she’s been living in this place over a year. What all has she had to endure to have a place for her and Ellie to live? He determines, in that moment, she will never again have to figure things out on her own. She will never be alone, never have to worry about her safety or Ellie’s.I will make her mine!
CHAPTERNINETEEN
Abigail had been watching for Straw to arrive. The butterflies flitting around in her belly have kept her on edge. Every time Robert’s handsome face pops into her head, those butterflies go off on a tear. She is pacing in front of her living room window watching the parking lot. So when she sees three large black SUVs pull into the parking lot, she knows without a doubt that it’s Robert and his friends. Those vehicles are much too nice for this neighborhood. Not even the drug dealing gang that rules the complex has vehicles that nice. What in the world had she been thinking when she called Robert? He is entirely out of her league.
She watches as he steps out of the driver’s side of the first SUV. She sees Tank getting out of the passenger side of another vehicle just a few cars away, but she only has eyes for Robert. She loves the view. His tall frame is gorgeous. Watching him stroll confidently toward her building is a sight to behold. When she spots movement coming from below, she inwardly groans. Stupid ass T-dog and his cronies. Damn him. She hurries from the window to gather Ellie up to go down to head off T-dog getting murdered and Robert going to jail. That’s not how this day is going to go if she can help it.
Exiting the building, she notices the tense standoff before her. While she can’t hear what is being said, she can only imagine T-dog attempting to be a badass right before Robert and his teammates kick their asses. She isn’t sure that she can keep it from happening, but she has to attempt to stop the show down. Surprisingly T-dog gives up much easier than she is expecting, but she figures that is because he knows without doubt Robert and his friends would beat T-dog and his gang down. That would make T-dog look bad in the hood and his tenuous hold on the complex break. Backing off isn’t much better, but he can use the excuse that Abigail has always paid her protection money and never had any visitors so he is respecting her loyalty by giving in. It’s a stretch, but if it prevents a blood bath on her doorstep with Ellie nearby, she’ll take it.
Now that the crisis is averted, she returns her focus to the man who drives her to distraction. In the almost two weeks he’s been here, he’s managed to make her forget the fear of her past and her vow to never get involved with a man in service again. In the last week, she’s begun to daydream about a future with the sexy man. When he says her name in that growly voice that sends shivers down her spine, goosebumps across her skin sending her lady parts into a frenzy, she nearly melts onto the sidewalk. She draws her gaze to meet his. The intensity she sees in his eyes causes an even bigger reaction to her body. Another shiver hits her hard, and Robert notices. His eyes flare, and he gives her a smug smile as if he knows just how he affects her. She takes a deep breath and wills her body to behave itself.
“Hi Robert,” Abigail replies to his greeting. Her voice much steadier than she thought it would be. “Thank you for taking us to the park today. I know Ellie will enjoy spending the afternoon playing with the twins, little Lilly, and the other children.” He stares at her a beat as if he can tell she’s trying to distract herself from thoughts of them together with idle chit chat.
“As I said earlier,” Robert speaks not breaking his intense stare. “It’s my pleasure. The fresh air will do us all some good.” He then turns his attention to Ellie, who has stood quietly at Abigail’s side holding her mother’s hand. “Are you ready for some fun today?” He kneels down to Ellie’s level, and Abigail can’t keep from falling even harder for the man. His kindness and attention not only to her but for her daughter is too much to resist. She needs to remind herself that men can and will put on a good show until they feel like they have you where they want you, but she can’t seem to believe that about the man kneeling in front of her. She’s not seen one thing from him or his friends to indicate he is anything even remotely like Todd or her father. She knows that Robert could just be really good at the act, but she doesn’t think so. She hasn’t once gotten that knot in her gut telling her things aren’t what they seem. The knot that she chose to ignore over and over with Todd.
“Oh yes!” Ellie exclaims excitedly in response to Robert’s question. It pulls Abigail out of her memories and back into the present, into reality. The one where she has to go face her past and pray that she hasn’t made the worse mistake of her life by not packing up and running as far away as possible when she first thought she saw the Admiral. She’d managed to convince herself that she’d been mistaken and put it out of her mind.Please God, don’t let that decision be what ruins my life and takes Ellie away from me.
Suddenly Robert is right there, a breath away from her. His hands come to her face and cups it gently. Startled she looks up into his beautiful eyes. She’s lost in the moment as he looks back at her as if he is looking deep into her soul.
“Where’d your thoughts go, sweetheart?” Robert asks softly. A frown crosses her face as she tries to reason out why he would ask her that. He answers her unspoken question as if he’s a mind reader. “You were relaxed and smiling despite the interaction with a gang just moments ago. Then you went somewhere in your mind. Your body got all tense, and your pretty face was marred with a fierce scowl. So, I’ll ask again. What’s wrong? What has you all worked up?”
She desperately wants to lie and tell him everything is just fine, but with him looking at her, into her soul, she knows it’s futile. He’ll see right through her lies. With a heavy sigh, she closes her eyes to give herself a moment to compose herself before she launches into the heavy conversation. She jerks her eyes open when she feels Ellie tug her hand out of Abigail’s grasp. Tank’s deep voice draws her attention.
“Hey little lady,” Tank rumbles. “How about we get your car-seat settled into our vehicle while your momma and Straw have a talk? That be all right with you?” His stretches out his big hand toward the child. Ellie’s big round eyes swing to Abigail in question. Abigail gives her a nod of encouragement and waits. Ellie’s not shy once she knows you, but she’s never really been around men other than Brent at the hotel and certainly not a huge burly man like Tank. Abigail is shocked when Ellie smiles at the big man and eagerly grabs his hand. Tank looks up at Abigail and holds out his other hand. She frowns in response.
“I need your car keys, darlin’, to get Ellie’s seat,” Tank answers.
“Oh!” she cries. “Yes, of course. Let me see if I can find them. They always seem to go to the bottom.” Abigail begins to dig through her purse. Once she locates them, she hands them over with a smile. “Thank you, Tank.”
“Not a problem, Abigail,” Tank says as he glances down at the little girl. “Ellie’s precious cargo, gotta make sure she’s safely transported.” There’s a sadness but also a fierceness to Tank’s statement. Abigail has the feeling the big man has some secret influencing his actions, but she doesn’t have time to focus on that at the moment. Straw hands over his keys to the SUV, too.
As Tank and Ellie walk away, her focus returns to the man in front of her. The man she needs to be brave enough to trust with her life, her future. She’s about to face her past in a few short minutes. She’s terrified this will be the beginning of the end of her life, because if she loses Ellie, life won’t be worth living. However, there’s something about Robert that makes her feel like this is just the beginning and not the end. He makes her feel safe in a way she hasn’t felt since she was a very little girl in a run-down shithole in the middle of a police shoot out with a boy not much older than herself, but yet he’d taken on the role of protector from the moment she’d arrived. He hadn’t left her side, not even when bullets were flying, when her mother fell in front of them and bled out on the rough wooden floor. Robert reminded her so much of that little boy from so long ago. She feels it into her bones that if she can find her way to trust him, he will help her keep Ellie safe, protected from Abigail’s past and the fallout from that past.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Straw can feel Abigail’s unease. He fears she’s going to avoid answering his questions again. He wants to kick Tank’s ass for the interruption but having Ellie away from hearing while they are talking is a good thing, so he’ll cut Tank some slack. It’s not like he could kick Tank’s ass anyway. Straw focuses back on Abigail as she watches Tank, Ellie, and the rest of the guys, head off to put Ellie’s car seat into Straw’s SUV. Her focus lands on him and he reaches out to cup her face. He can’t seem to help himself. She to his delight leans into his touch.
“I know you are nervous about this meeting with the admiral,” Straw says softly as he looks into her eyes. To her credit, she doesn’t deny it or try to hide the fear in her eyes. Instead she steps a little closer to him, so he continues, “But I hope you know you can depend on me. Whatever happens today, I’m on your side.” His thumb gently strokes her cheek. She stares back at him for a beat, but nods her understanding. He drops his hand before he pulls her closer and kisses the hell out of her.
“Why?” she asks softly. “We don’t know each other that well so why are you on my side? I’m sure you’ve known the admiral much longer.”
“It’s true I’ve known the Admiral a number of years now,” Straw confirms. “I’ve always known him to be honest, fair, and just. I don’t fully understand this connection we seem to have, Abigail, but I feel like I’ve been looking for you my whole life. I have an intense need to shelter and protect you even if you don’t need it.” She smiles at him, and it warms him from the inside out.
“I’m happy to hear that you feel it too,” she whispers as if she’s afraid to say it out loud. “I’ve been drawn to you from the moment our eyes met in the lobby the day you arrived. It frightened me more than you can understand at the moment, but when I explain everything, why the admiral wants to talk to me, perhaps you will understand why I didn’t want to feel that way about you.”
“How do you feel about me, Abigail?” Straw asks, fearful of the answer, but he desperately needs to know, all the same. She continues to look deep into his eyes. He can see her warring with herself over her answer. He decides to cut her some lack, give her a little more time to gather her thoughts.
“How about we table this discussion for the moment,” Straw holds out his hand to her, and she quickly places her smaller hand into his much larger one. “Let’s go see the admiral and then we can talk about us.” Straw secretly smiles to himself as he thinks about them being an us. She doesn’t argue with him. She simply falls into step with him as they walk the short distance to his SUV. He opens her door and helps her into the tall vehicle.
