The Slow Burn Page 29
“She didn’t tell you,” Margot murmured.
Toby turned back to the plates. “Shit got real when she got home. And then it was Christmas.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What’d you hear?” he asked.
“Well, Francine was parked two cars down. So . . . everything.”
Francine had the biggest mouth in Matlock. Nice lady. But she was like the Matlock AP wire.
“I’m sure she targeted Adeline as she’s a mother and thinks Adeline will have some pity on her,” Margot noted.
“I’m sure she did,” Toby bit out and handed her another plate.
“Though, it’s my understanding Adeline disabused her of that notion.”
“I’m sure she did,” Toby repeated, though that wasn’t angry. He suddenly wanted to laugh.
Christ, he would have liked to have been there for that.
He handed her another rinsed plate.
She shoved it in, saying, “You boys should listen to what she has to say.”
That got her Toby’s full attention. “Say what?”
Her gaze lifted to his. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“You hate her.”
She reached and gently took the plate Tobe was holding under the faucet and turned back to the dishwasher. “Perhaps I did, in the beginning, witnessing Lance’s pain, you boys’ confusion. Then I felt sorry for her, getting to watch you boys grow up and all she was missing.” She lifted her eyes to him again. “And now she sees it too.”
“I don’t want her a part of my life, Addie’s life, Brooklyn’s life. I want you a part of it.”
“I’m not saying you should forgive her, Tobias. I’m saying I know you. I know Johnathon. And I know if you boys don’t sit down and hear her out, you’ll regret it. If you do and what she has to say doesn’t move you,” she shrugged, “then that’s her lot. I’m not worried about her lot. I’m worried about your lots. And I don’t want my boys to regret anything.”
He shifted his attention back to rinsing plates, muttering, “You know, it’s always sucked, ever since I was a kid, that you knew everything.”
He heard her soft laughter.
“I’ll talk to Johnny,” he told her.
“Good.”
They got the plates out of the way and started on the silverware.
He was rinsing glasses when she said quietly, “You could decide to go to the ends of the earth, and she’d strap Brooks into his stroller and go with you.”
“I know,” he replied in her tone.
“I’m so pleased you two finally opened yourselves to one another. Pleased Johnathon stopped making it hard on you. So very pleased, Tobias, that you and Johnathon are both so happy.”
He turned his head again to her. “Me too, honey.”
She gave him a smile.
He smiled back.
They finished with the glasses and she started putting away food while he rinsed out the serving shit and shoved it in with the rest.
After that, he started the washer and they got down to hand washing wineglasses and pots and pans.
There was only one pan soaking in the sink when they left, the rest of the kitchen spic and span.
And Tobias was good.
Because that was how Margot needed to leave her kitchen.
And Tobias needed to give his girl what she needed.
For as long as he could.
Toby tossed his watch on the nightstand.
“Babe,” he called.
Addie was in the bathroom.
Brooks was down.
Barbarella was quarantined in the kitchen with food and a litter tray, safe from Dapper Dan, who was excited to have her but not used to her yet, and she wasn’t used to the house yet.
So Dapper Dan was crashed out at the foot of the bed.
“What?” she called back.
“We gotta talk,” he told her, pulling off his sweater.
“Out in a sec,” she said.
He yanked off his thin Henley and it caught on the leather bracelet at his wrist.
He looked at it.
And decided to leave it on.
He sat on the bed and tugged his boots off. Then his socks.
“Yo.”
At the word, he twisted to look toward the bathroom.
Then he froze.
That was, most of his body froze.
His cock came to attention.
Addie was standing there with her hands on her hips wearing a skintight black dress that barely covered her ass. It had short sleeves and a collar. The front came down low to expose serious cleavage at her pushed-together tits. A black belt hung low on her hips.
And there was a shiny silver badge tacked over her right breast.
She was also twirling a pair of handcuffs on a finger.
“Not sure how sweet Christmas is in the big house, felon,” she drawled, grinning.
Jesus.
His Addie.
Toby got up but only to crawl over the bed, swing his legs around and sit on the edge at her side.
“Come here, baby,” he murmured.
“Hands behind your back,” she retorted.
He grinned and repeated, “Come here.”
“Oh no you don’t, big guy. Assume the position.”
He lunged forward darting his arm out, and he nabbed the handcuffs.
“Dammit!” she snapped. “And I was even ready for that.”
He tossed the cuffs to the bed, lunged forward again and nabbed his Addie.
Arm around her waist, he pulled her with him as he sat on the bed, so she was straddling his lap.
He wrapped his hands around her hips and tipped his head back to look up at her.
“Is this my Christmas present?” he asked.
“Partially. I look dorky in the cap, so I nixed that. And I wanted some sexy boots, but they’re scheduled to arrive on December twenty-seventh, which was disappointing. But at least it’s something.”
“I like it,” he told her.
“Of course you do. I’m hot in this getup. And you haven’t even discovered I’m not wearing any panties yet.”
If his cock wasn’t already hard, that would have done it.
But it was already hard, so it just made it harder.
He removed her belt.
She warned, “I think assaulting an officer is a felony.”
He laughed softly, dropped the belt and slid his hands over her ass.
She put hers to his neck.
“Sierra cornered you in the parking lot of the Mart?” he asked.
“Fuck,” she muttered, settling in on his thighs. “Who told you?”
“Margot heard.”
She looked to his ear and kept muttering. “Fabulous.”
“Babe—”
Her eyes came to his. “More important things were happening. And then I didn’t want to ruin Christmas by telling you. Or, say, ruin it more than it already was. She could wait.”
“Christmas wasn’t ruined.”
She slid one hand to his jaw and her eyes got soft. “Honey.”
“It was the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
She studied him.
Then she said shortly, “That sucks.”
“It doesn’t. It was awesome. I had you and Brooks and Eliza. It was awesome that Margot had all her family around her. And it was awesome to know that Margot knew Johnny and me had you, Eliza and Brooks.” He slid his hands up her back. “It was perfect.”
She relaxed into him. “Okay.”
“I’m gonna talk to Johnny, and if she approaches us again, we’re gonna sit down and talk to her,” he shared.
Her eyes got round. “What?”
“Margot wants us to.”
Her eyes went normal. “Oh.”
“So we can go over what you two talked about later,” he told her, smoothing his hands back down, hooking his fingers into the hem of her dress and starting to shift the stretchy skirt over her ass. “And I’ll handcuff you another time—”
He grinned and pulled the dress to her waist.
Her eyes got lazy.
“Now I’m just gonna do you,” he whispered, the dress now up to her ribs.
“Good, since I wanna do you too,” she whispered back.
It caught under her tits and he stopped there.
“Oh no, Addie. It’s just gonna be me doin’ you.”
“Toby—”
He wrapped his fingers tight around her ribs.
“She’s mine,” he said.
She slid her hands back and up into his hair and put her mouth to his. “Okay, baby.”
He dragged the dress up, she went up, her arms went up, and the dress was gone.
Then he curved an arm around her waist, surged to his feet, turned, planted a knee in the bed then his woman in it.
He covered her and kissed her.
Addie kissed him back.
Toby broke the kiss, angled away and looked down at her.
Naked.
Beautiful.
He shifted down and tugged one of her nipples in his mouth.
It budded immediately.
She liked his taste.
He liked hers too.
But he fucking loved how her body responded to him.
Immediately.
Her fingers slid back into his hair and she arched up into his draw.
He lifted his head and looked up at her.
“Arms over your head.”
She looked down at him. “Tobe.”
“Arms over your head, Addie.”
They held each other’s eyes.
Slowly, she lifted her arms over her head.
Fuck yeah.
He bent back to her nipple.
He gave them both attention and had her squirming before he traced a hand down her side, over her belly, down to the curls between her legs and glided light over her clit.
Her hips twitched, and she sighed, opening her legs wider.
He liked that invitation, but he didn’t take it.
He went up, taking her mouth, kissing her deep, before he pulled away, took his feet and got rid of his jeans.
He wanted to jack his cock, seeing her spread out for him, her hair everywhere, her arms over a head that was up, her gaze hungry and roaming over his chest down to his dick.
So he did and made her watch.
“Can I move?” she asked breathily.
“No,” he answered.
“Ugh,” she grunted, her eyes now glued to his dick.
He grinned, tortured her a little while then stopped stroking and moved back into the bed, covering her and kissing her, trailing a hand up her arm, to her wrist, her hand . . . then he pulled it down to her hip, over, and in.
With two of his fingers guiding two of hers, he slid them inside.
She sucked hard at his tongue.
He drew it away, ran it along her lower lip, and gently thrusting with both their fingers, ordered, “Keep them there,” before he pulled his out.
“Toby,” she breathed, face flushed, eyelids heavy.
“You hot?” he asked unnecessarily.
He saw it in her eyes.
He also felt it with her wet.
“Yeah,” she answered.
He took hold of his cock and rubbed the head against her clit.
Her neck arced.
“Hotter?” he pushed.
She righted her head and her fiery eyes caught his with difficulty, her hips moving to press against his touch. “Yeah, baby. Don’t stop.”
He stopped.
“Baby,” she begged.
“Is she mine?” he asked.
“Oh God,” she moaned, rocking desperately against the head of his dick.
“Is she mine, Adeline?”
“Yes, Toby. Yes.”
He moved up over her, positioned, his neck bowed, and with his hand he skimmed the head of his cock across her lips as he watched.
The tip of her tongue appeared.
He put pressure on, her lips opened, and she took him.
Christ, Addie’s mouth.
“Fuck yeah,” he groaned, moving, watching his cock sink into her mouth, and again, again, again, her cheeks sculpting in, her suction forcing him from slow to faster and faster.
Yeah.
She was his.
When her other hand went from above her head to his back, her nails scoring down his spine and digging into his ass, Toby looked beyond Addie taking his face fucking to see her hips writhing.
“You at your clit?” he asked gruffly.
She nodded, still sucking.
He pulled out, moved down, grasped hold, rolled over, and tugged her on his face.
She bore down like a champ.
He gave up her reward and ate her.
Yeah.
He liked her taste too.
She leaned back, planting both hands in his abs and rode his face.
“God, God, God, God,” she chanted, rocking against him.
Using her hips, he pulsed her into his mouth, and when the noises she was making made his throbbing cock start to twitch, his heavy balls draw up, and he knew she was almost there, he yanked her off.
She landed on her back.
He covered her, opened her legs with his hands at the backs of her thighs and drove in.
Her mouth, awesome.
Addie’s pussy, fucking heaven.
He’d been right.
She was there.
He knew this when she instantly rounded him with her limbs, arched into his body, fisted her hands in his hair and cried out with her orgasm.
Fuck yeah, she was his.
“Is she mine?” he asked.
“She’s yours,” she panted.
“Look at me.”
“Tobe,” she pleaded, her pussy clamped around his dick, her fingers tugging his hair, her body lurching with his thrusts.
“Look at me, Adeline.”
She forced her gaze to him.
“Is she mine?”
“Yes, honey.”
“Good.” He put his lips to hers. “Because he’s hers.”
“Tobias,” she whispered.
He kissed her.
The second he tasted her, Toby blew up her pussy and groaned down her throat.
Right.
Heaven.
He wasn’t even down yet when he put his mouth to her ear. “I wanna take your ass.”
“You got lube, it’s yours.”
Yeah it was.
“Want my cum down your throat, in your cunt, up your ass.”
She held him tight. “Whenever you want, that’s yours.”
“This bracelet, I wanna know where you got it. You need one too.”
“I’ll show you tomorrow.”
“I love you, Addie.”
“I love you too, Toby.”
He pulled out.
She gasped.
She did it again when he angled off, rolled her to her belly, nabbed the handcuffs that were still on the bed and dragged her around, capturing her wrists and cuffing her to the iron headboard.
“Oh shit,” she whispered, head back, staring at her restrained wrists.
He settled with his body on her back, weight in a forearm, beard to her neck, lips to her ear.
“She’s mine,” he whispered.
She turned her head, caught his eyes. “I get my turn.”
He grinned at her. “We’ll see.”
She opened her mouth to say something.
Toby kissed her.
An hour and a half later, the fingers of one hand wrapped around the fingers of both of hers that were holding onto the headboard, his other hand between her legs, her head pressed back into his shoulder, Addie had come about thirty seconds before, greased with lube to the hilt, Toby arched into his woman and filled her hot, tight ass with his cock and his cum.
It went without saying, she was officially his before.
But now the initiation was
complete.
And she knew it.
This was why she didn’t let him clean her up after he uncuffed her.
She just snuggled into him after he rolled them back and forth until he got the covers over them and the lamps out.
The Christmas lights were illuminating the room and Dapper Dan could be heard softly snoring when Addie mumbled, “It actually was a merry Christmas.”
He pulled her closer. “Yeah.”
She melted into him but only for a few beats before her body started shaking.
“What?” he asked.
Her body started shaking more.
So he repeated, “Adeline, what?”
She lifted her head and looked at him through the glow of outside lights.
“Face fucking, normal fucking, ass fucking. Christmas Toby and Addie style,” she forced out, then shoved her face in his chest and started giggling.
He sifted his fingers in her hair and smiled at the ceiling.
By noon the next day, her bracelet was ordered.
He paid for expedited shipping.
This meant his woman was wearing it before the new year.
So really it was then the initiation was complete.
She was his.
And he was hers.
Soft Leather and Smooth Whiskey
Toby
HE WAS SURPRISED, after Addie told him about what happened in the parking lot at the Mart, when three days after Christmas he heard Johnny’s quiet whistle.
Toby pulled his head out from under the hood of the car he was working on and looked to his brother, who was staring out their bay at the Gamble Garage in town.
He moved to Johnny’s side and saw their mother strolling toward them, a cautious look on her face.
She was sixty-one.
Watching her approach, if he had to call it, he’d say tops, fifty, but only because she hadn’t dyed her hair.
Whatever life she’d lived, she hadn’t done without moisturizer.
He got close to his brother because, until right then, Johnny hadn’t seen her yet.
“You good, brother?” he asked under his breath.
“Yeah,” Johnny replied.
“Boys,” she lifted both her hands when she was almost to them, “please, hear me out.”
“Tomorrow,” Johnny grunted, and she stopped dead. “The mill. Five thirty.”
Her face brightened.
Right.
He could see it.
He could see Lance Gamble being drowned by that light.
“Is your fiancée going to be there?” she asked Johnny eagerly.