“This is who we are,” he replied. I tried to argue, but he didn’t give me the chance, taking my mouth in a kiss so heated I forgot to think. Then his hands cupped my ass, lifting me and carrying me over to his workbench.
“The kids are outside,” I whispered. “They could walk in . . .”
“They’re playing with the hose,” he replied. “I can hear them around the house. We’ve got at least ten minutes.”
I considered the situation. Danielle still waited at the table, but she was a big girl. And he was right about the kids.
“Okay,” I whispered. Puck slid his fingers into my jeans, jerking them down around my knees. I balanced awkwardly, reaching down to take off a shoe. He caught me and spun me around, pushing me down across the bench as I started laughing.
“You should be taking this seriously, Ms. Redhouse.” His fingers reached between my legs, smoothing up and down along my opening. Then he replaced them with his dick.
“Fuck . . .” I sighed as he pushed deep inside.
“That’s the general idea. Christ, those Kegels should be mandatory for every woman on earth,” he muttered. “Your cunt’s tighter than it was before the kids, shit you not.”
I squeezed down on him hard, because there’s nothing like flattery to inspire a girl.
“Danielle’s scared she’ll ruin her baby’s life.”
Puck laughed. “You tell her that ship’s already sailed?”
I opened my mouth to reply, but he thrust into me particularly hard and my brain stopped working. Oh wow. I heard the kids shouting outside. Was Katy trying to shoot her brother again? I decided I didn’t care.
“You’re so fucking hot,” Puck whispered, fingers digging into my hips. He paused and I pushed back at him, not wanting him to stop. He reached around my body to find my clit.
“Oh crap!” I moaned, arching my back. “That’s really good, babe.”
Kissing the back of my neck, Puck started moving more quickly. Every stroke filled me and I wiggled, wanting more. I wasn’t in the mood to play around or tease—I just wanted him to fuck me. Hard.
Not a problem.
Then again, it never was. Puck knew exactly what I liked, and all too soon he had me hovering at the edge.
“Say you want it.”
“I want it.”
“What?”
“Your cock.”
“You got it, babe.”
Letting himself go, Puck pounded deep inside as I whimpered, exploding around him. Seconds later he joined me, shuddering heavily. Finally he pulled free, and I managed to stand up unsteadily, legs like spaghetti. The fact that my jeans were still bunched around my thighs didn’t help.
“You okay?”
“Great,” I replied, tugging them upward. “You think you distracted me, but you didn’t. We should talk about your daughter’s love of violence.”
“Mom!” Katy shouted. Scrambling to fasten my pants, I stumbled toward the door.
“Yeah?”
“Mail is here! Can I go check it?”
“Sure thing, baby.”
Puck had just come up behind me—wrapping his arms around my waist—when Katy tore into the garage, waving a purple envelope.
“Look!” she said. “I bet it’s a birthday party invitation.”
Reaching out, I took the card and studied it. No return address, but it had a Chicago postmark. Frowning, I slipped a finger inside and tore it open.
It was a Mother’s Day card, which seemed strange considering it was June already.
Dear Becca—I learned recently that you had another baby. Okay, so it’s been three years, but I didn’t know until now. I just want you to know that I’m happy for you and proud of all you’ve accomplished. I wish I could have been a better mother. Take care and kiss those little ones for me sometime. Love, Mom
Tucked into the card was a twenty-dollar bill.
“Damn,” Puck said, reading over my shoulder.
“Damn,” Katy echoed gravely. I folded the card closed and stuck it back in the envelope, along with the money. This marked the fourth time she’d written to me over the years, although it had been so long since the last message that I’d wondered if something had happened to her. Last time she’d sent a ten, along with a pressed daisy.
“Can I have a popsicle?” Gunnar asked, peeking his head through the door.
“Sure thing, kiddo,” Puck said. He pulled away from me to walk over to an old fridge he’d put out here. I heard the freezer drawer slide open, and then he was handing treats out to both the kids. “You want one, Becs?”
Stuffing the envelope into my back pocket, I shook my head.
“No, I’m good,” I told him. “I should go help Danielle.”
He held my gaze for a second, then shrugged.
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Leaving them, I headed back to the house, considering my mom’s note. Six years, four cards . . . Maybe a total of a couple hundred words.
So much for that relationship.
When I’d first gotten pregnant with Katy, I’d spent months worrying about all the things I might do wrong. In the end, it turned out to be pretty simple—feed them, kiss their boo-boos. Make sure their clothes were clean, or at least cleanish.
Oh, and fucking stick around.
No matter what else happened, I had that part covered. Guess I wasn’t my mother’s daughter after all.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This bonus scene takes place at the Northwoods Academy the same night as the raid on the Vegas Belles Gentleman’s Club in Silver Bastard.