For a few seconds, I almost wondered if the ghost would show up. My anxiety and stress were so high I was wound up and probably wouldn’t sleep for days. I nearly stumbled as headlights suddenly appeared and a vehicle rolled forward. A car window lowered, and a deep male voice uttered the only phrase that I would trust.
“Is the sparrow ready to fly?”
“She su-sure is!” I stuttered, reaching for the handle of the passenger rear left side. The door didn’t make a sound as it opened and I lowered Noah to the seat and scooted him over, hopping inside and closing the door at the same time. The vehicle lurched forward as I gathered my son into my arms, brushing his hair back from his face as my lower lip trembled. He was still sleeping and none the wiser. He didn’t know his mother had just ran away from the only life he’d ever known and at the same time angered one of the most dangerous men in Texas.
“You okay, sparrow?”
“I will be now.”
He nodded and the moonlight caught the sympathy in his dark eyes. “You’ll always have a ghost at each point of contact. I’ll be taking you to your next stop. For now, you can relax. We’ll be driving for the remainder of the night.”
My gaze caught the house I had just fled in the rearview mirror and it didn’t look any differently than it had for the last year. The same plain stucco exterior, white floodlights, perfectly groomed bushes, and trees. The picture-perfect frame that hid the nightmares within.
I never thought I’d be successful in my escape. Plotting and planning for so long, I nearly lost sight of the prize. Sighing, I swiped at my cheeks and realized silent tears had slipped down my cheeks. Noah shifted and I tucked him in on the seat, shrugging out of my coat and draping it over his small frame. A small hand rose, and his thumb went into his mouth. The act had my heart lurching inside my chest.
Noah was far too old to suck on his thumb. Most children outgrew these acts of comfort before age five. My son had continued to do so, and I knew it was because some nights Chet yelling was so loud there was no way Noah didn’t hear it. When I appeared with bruises and scrapes, he always started sucking his thumb. His anxiety was obvious. I could only hope this move finally provided the stability and safety he needed.
Leaning my head back against the seat, I watched the stars flying by in a blur and hoped one day I could snatch my own happiness. We both deserved a better life.
I was more than ready to begin.
“Harder!”
Blonde hair bounced around slender shoulders as I pumped my hips, my fingers digging into the soft flesh of the muffler bunny’s ass. I watched the sexy woman on all fours on the bed as she made noises of approval deep in her throat and the back of her thighs smacked repeatedly against me. I was pounding her hard into the mattress while she gripped the sheets and shouted out everything from Oh God to don’t stop. Her cheek met the mattress as her thighs shook and I reached around to strum her clit at the same time I slammed my cock hard into her eager pussy.
“That’s it! Right there. Yes!”
She sure was a vocal one. Kind of liked how she stroked my ego like her wet cunt gripped my dick. Firm and eager. I may even fuck her again some time but only if that meant she didn’t grow attached. I sure as hell wasn’t going to stick around if that happened.
When her orgasm hit half a minute later, I drove into her faster, shouting out my own release as she clamped down hard. Quivering flesh kept clutching at my cock like a fist in a warm glove and I lowered my head, pressing a kiss to the smooth flushed skin on her back. We separated as I withdrew and tugged off the condom, tossing it in the trashcan by the bed. There were several more and none from the same woman. Damn prospects needed to empty my trash.
“That
was great, honey. Just what I needed.”
I received a snort of derision as the female beneath me turned and flopped onto her back. She had a nice ass and generous tits and wasn’t hard on the eyes, but I felt nothing as I picked up her clothes and tossed them on the bed in her direction.
“Better get dressed.”
“What? No cuddles?”
I gave a light chuckle. “Told you when we met that I wasn’t the cuddling kind.”
She shrugged. “Yep. Me either if you want the truth. Both of us got what we wanted.”
We did.
“Then we understand one another. See ya around, sweet butt.”
She laughed and picked up her clothes. A minute later she was pressing a kiss to my bearded cheek before she left my room. When the door closed behind her, I glanced at the sheets and knew I wouldn’t be staying the night. I never did.
Once I grabbed my wallet, keys, smokes, and cut I was out of there. The room was locked before I strolled down the hall of the Crossroads. Club whores and ol’ ladies were wrapped around my brothers in the common room and I ticked my chin upward, greeting a few of them with a grin before I ventured outside.
The night was cool and crisp, sharp as a bitch’s nipples in December when the wind hit them just right, and I snorted with my own humor as I caught Shadow kicking at a few rocks along the ground. Rael was his sponsor, and he loved the kid. Tall, lanky, and with big brown eyes that always betrayed his feelings Shadow was the prospect that I personally liked the most. He had a big heart, and he was smarter than a lot of us old fuckers. Didn’t like his limp or the story behind it but wasn’t mine to tell.
I gripped his shoulder as he lifted his head and the rage within surprised me. Never saw this kid pissed about much. He was quiet often, but he wasn’t a hothead. Far from it.
“What’s eatin’ you, prospect?”