Highway Don't Care (Freebirds) (10 page)

  “My car is having a few more problems, and I wanted to see
if you could fix them for me.”  The Whore said.

  “I’ve got a huge project I’m working on right now, but Jack
here could fix you right up.”

  He was so getting a blowjob tonight.  He had totally
erased my prissiness with his earlier treatment.  The whore pouted when
Gabe told her he couldn’t help her.  Not that I understood why she was
turning her lip at Jack.  He was nothing to sneeze at either.  The
army seemed to hire hot men.  Every last one of the men I knew that were
in the army was unbearably hot.  Jack was tall, built, and handsome. 
The complete package.  That is if you didn’t take in the air of remoteness
that seemed to repel you if he didn’t want you anywhere near him.

  Gabe turned and regarded me.  I tried not to squirm or
look guilty, and must have succeeded, because he gave me a slow wet kiss and
left the garage.  I’m sure he was going to play that stupid game again,
but I didn’t mind as much now.

  Cheyenne and I watched and listened quietly while Jack
spoke with Story.  What the hell kind of name is that anyway?  A
stripper name?  Okay, if I was honest, it was somewhat cool, but she was a
whore in my book, so it made the name a stripper name by default.

  Story and Jack worked out a few details, and then an Audi
pulled up to the gate.  Story’s ride.  I wonder if she had a
man.  It would make me feel better if she did.  Jack opened the gate
for the Audi and it became clear that this was not a man, but a very rich
woman.  The woman got out of her car and helped Story transfer the
contents of Story’s car into the Audi.

  I wasn’t paying attention very closely until a car seat
caught my eye in the backseat.  There was a little girl.  A year and
a half at most.  She was beautiful.  Her hair fell to just about
armpit level in loose black ringlets.  Her complexion was the same bronze
that Gabe had.  The little girl was asleep with her head leaned to the
side on the car seat.  Something kicked in my heart.  Gabe’s baby
would look like this.

  I’ve always wanted babies, but I didn’t think they’d be in
my cards.  Losing my parents so young made me realize how suddenly life
could take a drastic turn for the worse.  My ovaries started crying out
for Gabe’s little soldiers to fertilize their eggs.

  So I could get a closer look at the little girl, I made my
way to the car to ask if they needed any help.  “Y’all need any help?”

  I wasn’t looking at them though; I was looking at the
little girl in the back seat.  Nor did I expect an answer since I didn’t
really want to help.  The girl was waking up now that she was hearing
voices.  She was turning her head from side to side in annoyance at being
woken before she wanted to.  Now that I was closer, I could tell that she
probably was one and a half.  It was eerie how much this baby looked like
Gabe.  If I’d seen her with Gabe, I would have said they were father and
daughter without any hesitation. 

  A body slid into my vision, blocking the baby.  The
mom of the girl had a look on her face that could kill.  Not that I understood
why.  I hadn’t done anything but admire her baby.

  “She’s beautiful.”  I said to her.

  Jesus.  This kid even had the same bone structure as
Gabe.

  “Thanks.”  She snorted.

  I didn’t see any of the mom in the baby.  The mom had
red hair that was styled in a do that probably cost hundreds of dollars to be
done.  She was wearing designer dark linen pants and a cream shirt. 
She didn’t look like she belonged in a garage, let alone in the freaking
parking lot.

  The woman was looking around, as if she was waiting for
someone to pop out and come after her.  Not that anyone here would ever
think about hurting her.  Just the opposite in fact.

  Story put the last of her stuff into the woman’s car and
got in without even saying a word to us.  Taking the hint it was, I nodded
and told the woman to have a good day.

  She acknowledged my statement with a nod, and then got back
into the car and slammed the door.

 Just as she was closing the door, I heard Story say “Thanks,
Sid.”

 I looked at Cheyenne questioningly, and then transferred my
gaze to Jack who had the same puzzled expression as me.  They both
wondered what was going on, but didn’t say anything.  Story gave her
number to Jack through a crack of the window, and then closed it immediately. 
The woman tore out of Free as if her ass was on fire, burning rubber even
smelled in her wake. 

  I made a note of the license plate, and jotted it down into
my notes on my phone before I forgot it.  Something seemed very fishy
there.  Why was that woman so nervous? 

  Cheyenne joined me in the middle of the parking lot as we
watched the car pull away, practically burning rubber to get out of there.

  “Did you see the little girl in the back seat?”  I
asked them both.

  “She looked tiny, but I bet he was the same age as Pru and
Piper.”  Cheyenne stated.

  “I got her license plate.  I think we should run
it.  Will you run it, Jack?  That woman seemed like she was
jumpy.”  I said.

  “I got it already.  I was going to run it
anyway.  Woman seemed jumpy, so to be on the safe side I was going to run
the plates.  It would’ve been done anyhow though.  Just in case the
car owner doesn’t show for non-payment.  We have an alternative number and
contact just in case.”  He said.

  I felt better that I wasn’t the only one who sensed
something weird.  I said goodbye to them both, but that little girl never
strayed far from my thoughts.  Made me think of futures and shit.  I
headed to the house where I found Gabe at the stove, stirring something that
smelled heavenly.

  Grabbing the can of biscuits that was sitting next to a
cookie sheet, I tore the paper off and banged it on the counter.  After
two good thuds, it burst open in a flourish, scaring the bejesus out of me in
the process. 

  “Fuck!”  I said, hand going to my thundering heart.

  “You are such a dork.”  Gabe said to me.  “You
knew it was gonna happen, so why’d it surprise you?”

  “Name me one person who doesn’t jump when they open
biscuits!”  I grumped.

  “Me.”

  “You aren’t human.”  I said in rebuttal all while
throwing biscuits down one by one onto the cookie sheet.  (Maybe with a
little more force than was necessary.)  He stopped stirring the gravy and
came up behind me, wrapping me up tightly from behind.  He rested his chin
on the top of my head for a moment before diving in.

  “What is really bothering you, Em?”

    I really shouldn’t tell him that I saw a kid
today that looked exactly like him, and it made me want to have his
babies.  I really shouldn’t., but before I could stop myself, my mouth
opened and I started word vomiting all over the place.

  “When you left that girl at the shop, her friend showed up
and gave her a ride.  There was a baby in the back seat.  I swear to
God, she could have totally been your kid.  Do you want kids?”

  He froze behind me.

  Then I felt like a complete loser when I realized how
insensitive I sounded.  He’d just told me about his ex-girlfriend aborting
his child.  I knew it was still a painful subject, and I brought it up anyway
with my big mouth.

  “I haven’t had sex since Sidney.  I never really
wanted kids with her; she was just a person to pass the time with.  It got
to be routine.  I wasn’t in love with her, but having someone to come home
to made me keep her around longer than I should have.  I’ve always wanted
kids.  Just hadn’t found the right person who I wanted to have them
with.  What did this lady look like that had the baby?”

  “She was around my height.  She had dark red hair,
blue eyes, and expensive designer clothes.  The baby didn’t really look
like hers.  The dad must look kind of like you since she had the dark
tanned skin and deep black hair.”

  As I was describing the woman to him, a dark look came over
his face, and then passed in an instant.  If I wasn’t paying such close
attention, I would have missed it. 

  A timer pinged in the behind him, and the moment was
broken.  He finished his preparations and then set it all out on the
table.

  Dinner was amazing.  He cooked fried chicken, mashed
potatoes, and green beans.  I didn’t usually get the treat of eating a
nice meal unless I went over to Cheyenne’s or went out to dinner. 

  I stood to clear the dishes.  It’s amazing how a military
man can be so disorderly.  Seriously, it was as if he dropped trash wherever
he might have been at the time.  He could be standing next to the damn
trashcan as he opens his beer, but does he throw the cap in the trash? 
Fuck no.  He sits it on the counter, next to the trash.  Three
flippin’ feet and he would have had that in the trashcan instead of on the
counter.  The nightstand next to the bed has five half-filled water
glasses of water.  Does he take them out in the morning when he’s through
with them?  No.  He just brings a new glass to bed every night
instead.  As a result, I just started cleaning up after him, because there
was no way I could live in this filth.  He was almost as bad as Cheyenne.

  Turning around, I found myself face to chest with
Gabe.  One second I was staring at his t-shirt covered chest the next I
was licking his bare nipples after he whipped his shirt off.  His nipple
pebbled in my mouth, and I switched to the other.  Then I ran my tongue up
his chest and started following the tattoos.  He has a gorgeous one that
spans his entire back, shoulder to his waist.  It peeks around his front
above his shoulder, and under his left arm, curling around his pectoral. 
At first glance, it looked like your normal tribal tattoo.  However, once
I was able to examine it, I started finding words in the design.  I’d let that
be, but I needed a distraction tonight, and I was hoping he would give this to
me.

  “What does this mean?”  I asked quietly.

  I didn’t stop tracing the tattoo; I continued to follow it
with my tongue.

  Groaning in defeat, he snatched me up and tossed me over
his shoulder like a sack of grain.  He bypassed the living room, and
headed straight for his bed.  Once he reached the edge, he gave his
shoulder a little kick and threw me on the bed.  I bounced twice before
coming to a stop on my back.

  I looked up into his eyes and pleaded with him.  He
seemed to understand, and nodded his head once.  He stepped back from me
and turned around.  From this angle, I could see it all a lot better.

 “They’re a bunch of things my mom and dad used to say to
me.”  He started.  “From the first memory I can remember, my dad
started giving me words of wisdom.  When he stopped, my mom picked up the
slack.  The week of her funeral, I started on this.”

  I got up on my knees and started tracing the curves and
lines.

  “What language are they in?”

  “Portuguese.”  He said.  “My dad was from
Brazil.  He felt we should know both languages, so I grew up listening to
him tell stories in his native tongue.  When he died, my mother tried to
pick up the slack; she would tell me stories of my father in Portuguese. 
She really sucked, but it was the thought that counted.  Some of these
quotes are inked exactly the way she said them.  Whether they were right
or wrong.”

  “That’s the sweetest thing I think I’ve ever heard.” 
I whispered.

  That was the only other tattoo he had, other than the
Ranger emblem he had on his right forearm.  Although, the pure massiveness
of it should count as more than one.  Maybe like eight.  I started
tracing the tattoo again, but this time with kisses.  His back started to
break out in goose bumps, and he turned rapidly and pinned me to the bed with
his body.  My breathing turned harsh when I felt his erection press into
my core.  Neediness swamped me, and I came to the sudden realization that
if I didn’t have him right then, then I just might die.

  I broke contact with his body to shimmy my shirt up and
over my head.  I wasn’t wearing a bra, so that was to my advantage. 
My nipples puckered, and poked into Gabe’s chest.  His dog tags rested in
the middle of my breasts, and were a cool weight against my chest.  My
hands smoothed down his chest and found their way to his jeans.  He sucked
in his stomach to allow me access to his cock without unbuttoning his
jeans.  I slipped my hand in, and then went straight for the prize.

  His cock was a solid weight in my hand.  He was hard
as stone.  The vein that ran up the underside of his cock absolutely
fascinated me, and I ran the tip of my finger along the underside, following it
all the way down to the base and up again.  Smoothing my thumb over the
mushroom shaped head, he jerked in reaction.  He must have been closer to
the edge than I realized, because in the blink of an eye I found myself
divested of my jeans and panties.  He made short work of his jeans and underwear,
and then was back on top of me.  However, he didn’t stay that way for
long. 

  Ever so slowly, he made his way down to my core.  His
tongue snaked out and gave a long lick from my opening all the way up to my
clit.  My body bowed up off the bed as zings shot through my clit. 
He worked my clit with the ultimate precision, and I was just about to peak
when he thrust two fingers inside me.  I shot into orbit.