Epic adult fail, Rocco.

  Way to go.

  I slide to the side, almost falling to the floor before climbing to my feet. Rebel grabs my hand, pulling me from the bedroom.

  “Thirsty?” I ask her, not ready to say good night and finding my second wind.

  She nods, following me toward the kitchen. “Did she tell you one of her stories?”

  I laugh. “She did.”

  “She’s a pro.” Rebel slides onto the stool at the island and pulls the rubber band from her hair, letting the strands flow freely. “Don’t feel bad. She’s put me to sleep more than once.”

  In the dim overhead lighting of the kitchen, Rebel’s more beautiful than ever. Whatever bad shit has happened to her since the last time we saw each other, it hasn’t diminished her natural glow.

  My eyes linger a little too long on her cleavage that’s clearly visible from the V-neck of the T-shirt she’s wearing. “Water or something stronger?”

  “You got a beer?” she asks, peering over my shoulder toward the fridge. “I could use one after that hot shower.”

  I grab two beers, twisting off the caps, and place one in front of her. “I thought I told you to take a bath, babe.”

  She takes a swig and slouches. “I wanted a shower. I didn’t want to be in there all night.”

  “There’s no rush here. You want to lie in the bath for an hour, you lie in the bath for an hour.”

  “Rocco,” she says, shaking her head with a slight roll of her eyes. “When you have a child, you don’t get to do things like lie in the bath for an hour, no matter how much you may want to.”

  I lean over the counter, my elbow propped and holding the beer as I rest my other hand near hers. “You’re not the only adult here. I’m more than capable of watching the kid so you can take that hour-long bath.”

  Rebel glances down to where our hands are almost touching before bringing her gaze back to mine. “She’s not your problem or responsibility. I’d never ask you to do that.”

  Inching my hand over, I touch her pinkie finger with mine. “Babe.” I smile, cocking my head and staring her straight in the eyes. “You’re in my house. My kid or not, you want a bath, she becomes my responsibility. The kid is the furthest thing from a problem. And for that matter, you’re in my house, sleeping under my roof, you’re my responsibility too.”

  She blinks a few times, eyebrows drawn in. “Hardly.”

  I place my beer on the countertop and round the island until I’m next to her. She stays still, staring straight ahead, beer in her hand.

  “Rebel, look at me, sugar.” When she doesn’t do as I ask, I lift my hand to her face, touching her chin, and guide her gaze to mine.

  “What?” she asks defiantly, chin up but eyes not on me.

  “Eyes. I need your eyes.”

  I wait, not speaking, but I keep my fingers on her chin and our bodies connected. Slowly, she moves her pretty blue eyes to mine, and they’re filled with fire.

  Leaning forward, I bring my face within inches of hers but keep our eyes locked. “You ever let that tough shell fall away?”

  Her gaze searches mine, and her breathing is shallow and fast. When she turns her body toward me, I know there’s some hope.

  “I don’t have a shell anymore, Rocco. It was crushed a long time ago.”

  Flattening my palm, I slide my hand to her neck and pull her up and toward me until our lips are almost touching. “The shell’s there, babe. Harder than it’s ever been, but that’s fine. I’ll work around it and slowly crack it open.”

  “Why would you do that?” she whispers against my lips. “We’re not here to stay. We’re temporary. Nothing but a small bump in your daily life before you’re back where you were before you took us in off the street.”

  I tighten my fingers. “I didn’t take you in off the street. I know you’re tough as steel and could’ve made it on your own. But we had something once. Something great. Something hot. Something worth pursuing.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  “It was.” My thumb brushes the line of her jaw as I stare at her mouth, noticing the v on the top of her lip and wanting nothing more than to taste it. “But we never got to explore what it could be. It burned hot and bright before being snuffed out by what happened. We never got to explore what could’ve been, and I’m telling you now, with you sitting in my kitchen, drinking a beer, shooting the shit with me—I want to explore that.”

  She places her hand on my chest, the heat of her palm almost burning the skin underneath. “I have a child.”

  “And?” I whisper, moving between her legs and leaving no room between our bodies.

  “I can’t just jump back into your bed for fun. My responsibilities outweigh my need for you.”

  “You need me?” I ask, moving my other hand to her other cheek, cradling her face in my palms. “You want me, don’t you? Say you want me as much as I want you.”

  She stares at me for a few seconds without blinking. Her eyes search mine like she’s trying to find something there. Some reason to say no, even if I can see that same burning ember hidden in her blue depths that I feel simmering deep in my soul. “I do,” she says with a swallow. “But…”

  “No buts.” I pull her face toward me. “I won’t hurt you,” I promise. “I’d never hurt you.”

  “Everyone hurts me,” she whispers. “At some point, everyone in my life has hurt me.”

  I’m included in that lot. She called, and I didn’t answer. She reached out, and I did nothing to extend a hand to her. I failed her like everyone else before.

  “Baby, you fell into my life again, and this time, I’m not going to let anything take you away.”

  Her fingers curl into the material of my T-shirt. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

  Her pulse quickens under my palm, matching my own. “I know exactly what I’m saying. Been years since I’ve kissed those lips. Years I’ve been tortured by what happened that weekend and what I lost. Not just how my heart broke, but the way we ended, snuffed out in an instant. You came back. You’re here. I want you here, and nothing’s going to change that. For the first time in a long time, my world doesn’t seem so lonely. Everything feels right for once.”

  “We shouldn’t,” she whispers, her blue eyes pinned to mine.

  “Tell me you don’t feel the burn, and I’ll stop.”

  “I…” She sucks in a breath, and for a second, I think she’s going to push me away, but she doesn’t. She tightens her fingers, twisting my shirt before she pulls me forward. “I need you.”

  I don’t waste another moment before crashing my lips down on hers, tasting the cool sweetness of her lips. The memories, the feelings, the familiar way our mouths fit together comes back in one single touch. Everything else falls away as I pull her to me, holding her face still to feast on the delicate lines of her mouth.

  She kisses me back, opening her lips as my tongue swipes across the bottom one. The softness of her moans isn’t lost on me as she wraps her arms over and around my shoulders, tipping her head back to give me more access.

  Diving deeper, I take everything Rebel’s offering. Her hands slide to my hair, running over the short strands in the back and holding my face to hers. But I’m not going anywhere. The same fire that burned bright ten years ago is no longer a flicker but a full-blown flame.

  “Put your legs around me,” I tell her between kisses when I finally come up for air.

  She doesn’t even hesitate before complying, wrapping those long legs around my waist. I slide my hands to her bottom, lifting her from the stool and depositing her on the countertop.

  Our hands roam freely as our kisses become frantic and erratic. Her hand slips underneath the hem of my T-shirt, her skin making contact with mine, lighting the fuse.

  My mouth leaves hers, gliding down her neck, relishing the softness of her skin against my lips until I find the swell of her breasts. She gasps as my mouth touches her sensitive flesh, and my hand finds its way under her shirt. My finger strokes the edge of her lacy bra as I kiss my way across her cleavage.

  Her legs tighten around me, her middle grinding against mine.

  Fuck.

  She feels so good in my arms. Like everything I remember, but better. The fantasy I’ve had for the last ten years is finally about to become reality.

  I stare into her eyes, panting from need. “You want it gentle?”

  “No,” she rasps, hunger flashing in her eyes. “Fuck me hard, baby. Own me,” she breathes.

  Trace’s eyes are the first ones on me as I step through the door at Inked. “Nice look.” He smirks.

  “Don’t be a shithead,” I growl, lifting my coffee to my lips, needing the caffeine.

  He sets down his pencil on top of his sketch and leans back in his chair, eyes on me. “Not being a shithead, asshole. You have a new decoration on your body you didn’t have the last time I saw you.”

  I narrow my eyes, and his smile only widens. “What decoration?”

  He points at me, wagging his finger toward my neck. “Hickey.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’ve had a million.”

  “I was a kid then, but you’re a grown man and I remember you busting my balls a lot about it.”

  “That’s what brothers do,” I grumble.

  “Finally got yourself a piece of the sweet stuff again, and you’re still a miserable prick.”

  I take a deep breath, trying to relax, knowing I didn’t get nearly as much sleep as I needed. “I’m tired, kid. Just tired.”

  “You’re old, bro. Fuckin’ ain’t so easy at your age.”

  I glare at him. “You better watch yourself, kid.”

  He laughs. “Hey. At least your dick still works. That counts for something.”

  My brother Trace is a dick. He always has been a dick, and he’s spoiled as fuck. That shit came with being the youngest and never having to share anything in his life. Mello and I were born together, never knowing what it was like to be a single, but Trace reveled in it.

  I collapse into the chair next to his station, the rest of the place still empty. “You act like I’m ancient.”

  He cocks his head, lips flat, eyebrow raised. “Most of the time, you act like you have one foot in the grave. Like you said…fucking ancient.”

  I shake my head and put my feet up on my stool, ready to school my brother in the ways of life. “My life hasn’t been like yours—”

  “Save your tragedy, bro. You’re alive. You’re not too bad-looking. You are kind of young when you’re not acting old, which isn’t often, and you have the chick you’ve been pining over for years lying in your bed. Get your head out of your ass and put a smile on that face. Life is looking up.”

  I blink, staring at him, soaking in all the words he just vomited. He wasn’t wrong about some things. I do have what I wanted, but keeping it is going to be the problem.

  “You know nothing about love or women,” I tell him.

  He crosses his arms over his chest, smiling. “I get more pussy than you do. Trust me on that one. I know plenty about women, and I know all about you, big brother. If you’re not careful, you’re going to lose this one. She’ll be your greatest mistake.”

  I scrub my hand down my face. “I got this. I know what I’m doing. I let her go once. I’m not going to let it happen again.”

  He raises an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

  “Dead fucking serious.”

  He smiles. “Good. It’ll get Ma off my ass about settling down and having kids. I need you and Mello to get your shit together so I can enjoy the next decade or so.”

  “Sorry we’re late,” Gigi says, rushing through the front door, her hair a wild mess. “We were, uh…”

  “Fucking,” Trace finishes her sentence.

  She stops dead, glaring at him. “What? No. We weren’t fucking.”

  Trace points at her head. “Your hair says otherwise.”

  Gigi groans, lifting her hand to her hair and trying to smooth it. “Goddamn bike. I hate those freaking helmets.”

  “Helmet head is better than dead head, darlin’,” Pike says, coming in after her.

  “Whatever,” she mutters, dropping her purse next to her station like she always does. “I heard you had a nice time last night, Roc.”

  “It was okay,” I lie. It was the best.

  “Your mom seemed really happy.”

  “You talked to her?” I ask, sitting up a little straighter.

  “She called me this morning about the AC tech coming to check out the unit and told me you, Rebel, and her little girl were over for dinner. Aunt Izzy sounded over the moon.”

  “I’m sure,” I mumble.

  “She already has you married and preggers in her head.”

  “Fucking great.”

  Gigi bumps me with her hip. “It wouldn’t be so bad. You’d be a great dad and husband.”

  I peer up at her like she’s off her rocker. “You know me, right?”

  “Yes,” she says, slapping me on the shoulder. “You’re protective, loyal, and sweet when you want to be. A girl like Rebel needs that.”

  “A girl like Rebel?”

  “Dude.” Gigi shakes her head, rolling her eyes. “You told me all about her once when you were drunk. You went on and on about her shit life. I thought you’d cave in the last ten years and pick up the phone, going after that sweet pussy—your words, not mine—you couldn’t shake.”

  “She’s more than pussy, Gigi.”

  She smirks. “I know, fool. You’re hooked. Gone. Done for. Might as well buy the ring now and get it over with.”

  “She said she isn’t sticking around.”

  “She wants you to chase, Rocco. She needs to know you’re going to stick. She’s had enough bad. She wants to know the good is going to be there always before she’ll let her guard down. You give her all of yourself, and she’ll be yours forever.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Fuck her yet?” Gigi asks, waiting at my side.

  “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  She laughs. “Cousin, you do. You so fucking do. Want me to start naming all the pussy you’ve had and how you had it?”

  “Nope.”

  “You lock that shit down, and you lock it down tight,” Pike tells me, adding his two cents to this incredibly awkward conversation.

  “Working on it.”

  “What are we talking about?” That question comes from Lily as she strolls into the room, looking fresh and sweet.

  I don’t know how she does it. The woman is put together, put together. Kids didn’t change that either.

  “Rocco and Rebel.”

  “Just the combo is sexy and meant to be.”

  I shake my head. “You’re all nuts.”

  Lily gets closer, leaning over into my space. “Do you have a hickey?”

  My hand moves to my neck, covering the spot I remember Rebel sucking on last night. “Shut it,” I tell her.

  She smiles, giving me a wink. “Good job, big guy. You moved on her faster than I thought you would.” Her long, thin finger pokes my chest. “Glad to know there’s still a heart in there somewhere.”

  I growl, but man, I love my cousin. She’s everything sweet and good. It’s almost impossible to be mean to her because she’s just that nice. “I’m doing what I can, Lily. I’ll try not to fuck it up.”

  “Good.” Her smile widens. “Your ma has a lot riding on this one.”

  “You too?” I groan.

  “She called early while I was making breakfast. We chatted. She told me what happened and how happy she was for you.”

  “We all need to back up a little,” I say those words to everyone. “It’s been a decade since Rebel and I were together. We’re still feeling each other out.”

  “And from the looks of it, that’s going well,” Lily teases me.

  “I’ve got shit to do,” I say, standing and heading toward the stock room.

  “Add Rebel to that list,” Trace calls out, earning a middle finger high in the air and over my shoulder.

  “He’s so done and doesn’t even know it,” Gigi says to them. “About fucking time.”

  I can’t even be mad.

  They’ve been through it all with me.

  They know my bullshit.

  They also know I have, indeed, been pining for the girl who’s haunted my dreams for years.

  After Rebel and Adaline are safe, I’ll do whatever I have to do to make them mine.

  14

  Rebel

  I stand in the middle of the kitchen, staring at what feels like an endless sea of people. They welcomed Adaline and me, saying hello, and each and every one of them hugged me.

  They hugged me…

  We were strangers to them, and yet they opened their arms to us, doing everything possible to make us feel wanted.

  Is this what it is like to have a family? Unconditional love and acceptance, something I never knew or believed with the way I grew up.

  A small woman with gray hair grabs on to Rocco’s arm, studying me. “Welcome to my home,” she says to me. “I hope you brought your appetite, honey. We eat in this household.”

  I give her a smile, knowing I could gain a few pounds, but food isn’t a priority when your life is falling apart around you. “I love to eat, ma’am, and from what I hear, you make the best food in town.”

  A little girl runs up to Adaline and grabs on to her hand. “Want to play?” she asks her, not even questioning who she is or why she’s here.

  Adaline tips her head back, peering up at me. “Mommy, can I? Please.”

  I give her a quick nod, and she takes off with the little girl without a moment’s hesitation.

  “That’s Avery, my cousin Nick’s little girl, and Adaline will be fine,” Rocco tells me, giving my hand a light squeeze as I watch them disappear. “Let her go. She’ll have more fun with her and can meet everyone later.”

  I tip my head up, staring into his dark-brown eyes, feeling the butterflies that took up residence inside my belly yesterday fluttering once again. “I’m okay,” I reassure him.

  He leans over, placing his mouth next to my ear. “Breathe, sugar. I know this is a lot for you, but everyone here is family, and they’re going to treat you as such. Don’t get freaked out.”