Irons 3 Read online

Her face drops and she shrugs, “Thought you were someone else.”

  One look at Laurie and she looks concerned and confused.

  “The guy from the playground?” Jax asks.

  Her head shoots up and she tilts her head. “Will.”

  “Real name’s Jaxson. Come have a seat with me. We can chat.”

  I am in awe of the man who said he would be of no help, who is now taking complete control over a very awkward situation.

  He sits down and she sits next to him.

  “You got hurt.”

  “I did, but I’m gonna be all better soon.”

  “Good.”

  “We only just learned about you. The day I saw you I had to see for myself if you were real.”

  “I’m real.”

  He smiles and nods, “You sure are.”

  “Now that I’m real,” she leans in and whispers, “are you gonna keep me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I had a dream you were gonna say that.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Yep. I dreamed you saved me.”

  I kneel on the floor next to Jax’s feet.

  Jax swallows hard and nods, “Wish I could’ve taken you that day.”

  “That’s okay.” She looks down at her bear. “It was a good day.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “See him?” she holds him up and looks at me and then at Jax, “He’s soft.”

  He reaches out and pets his foot. “Sure is.”

  “I named him Will. Because I knew you wanted to save me.”

  “Save you from what?” Jax asks.

  She shrugs.

  “Did they hurt you?” His voice shakes a bit.

  She shakes her head no.

  “Good, because if they did I would kill them.”

  “Jax,” I gasp and Lily laughs. “We shouldn’t say things like that, Lily. Jaxson-”

  “Like what? Things that we feel? I think Lily has lived a lifetime of not being able to say what she feels. Of trying to be perfect; people are not supposed to be perfect. So, I’m sorry killing people is wrong, but making people I love sad is wrong, too. I won’t stand for it.”

  “You love me?” her eyes immediately fill up. “Are you my real father?”

  My heart is breaking all over again.

  “No, I was your father’s best friend, he’s in heaven. Lily, do you know about heaven?”

  She shrugs as her tears fall.

  “Well, I do. I believe in heaven and I believe that your father, William Cruz, my best friend and Francesca’s brother, is there. He is happy and he loves you so much. So, although I can never be your father, if you want, I can be your Dad.”

  She looks at me, “You’re my aunt?”

  “I am,” I wipe her tears away. “I am whatever you want me to be.”

  She nods and then looks at Calee and smiles. “She talked about her Daddy named Will in heaven when we were playing. Does she have the same father and mother?”

  Lily looks at Laurie, questioning if she is her mother.

  “William and I are Calee’s parents. I didn’t know I was pregnant when he had his accident so he never knew about Calee, and I know he didn’t know about you because if he did, he would have come to get you.”

  “So who is my Mommy?”

  “Lily, your mother is in heaven, too.” Jax takes her hand. “I know this is a lot to worry about, to be sad about, to be confused about, but there is a woman who taught me what is really important in this world. And together, she and I are gonna teach you.” She looks at me and Jax takes my hand. “Before I met your father and his family, I was very much like you and I was that way for a long time. My parents didn’t use the word love; they were very rarely around. I hope, someday, you can talk to us about your feelings. Frankie is really good at helping you sort out those kinds of things. I also hope you’ll know that when we use the word love with you, it is meant with all of our hearts. You are not alone anymore.”

  “I have a sister, an aunt, and you?”

  “You have so much more than that, Firefly,” Jax stops when she looks at him with confusion.

  “That’s what Jax has been calling you, Lily; his little Firefly. He wants to see you shine. We have loved you since we found out about you. And by so much more, he means you have grandparents who are on their way here right now-”

  “We are here,” I look up and see my mom and dad standing in the doorway with Titan.

  “Mom, we have a lot to discuss.”

  “No, Frankie, we have a lot of lost time to make up for.” She walks towards us, “Lily, forgive me if this seems like too much, but if I don’t hug you now, I may explode.”

  She sits down and holds her so tight I worry she may hurt her, “Mom, easy.”

  “It feels good,” I hear Lily’s muffled voice say.

  “It’s love, nieta,” Mom laughs.

  “That means…”

  “Granddaughter,” Lily says as she wraps her arms around Mom. “It’s Spanish.”

  “It certainly is. I have so much to teach you.”

  When she finally releases her, Lily is smiling, “I think I have a lot to learn.”

  I laugh and so does Jax.

  “Calee?” Mom asks.

  Lily points to my father, who is holding her, “Right there. Abuelo?” Mom laughs and nods, “You should squeeze her, too.”

  “Can I squeeze you both at the same time?”

  “Yes, please.”

  IT IS ELEVEN O’CLOCK AT night before Rosa finally lets the girls fall asleep. Calee wasn’t as attentive as Lily, who can’t seem to get enough stories about Will. Rosa, the girls and Frankie are all awake and the house is still hopping. As exhausted as I am, the excitement in the air, after the past few months, is welcomed, so very welcomed.

  Frankie walks out of Will’s old room and quietly closes the door behind herself. She turns and looks around. She’s looking for me. When she sees me, she smiles. I take in a deep breath and watch her walk toward me.

  “You’re tired,” she says as she stands in front of me.

  “I’m good. They asleep?”

  “Everyone except Mom. She just keeps staring at them.”

  “She has a part of Will back now. We all do.”

  “It’s gonna be a lot of work. Lily is-”

  “Gonna be fine.”

  She sits on the floor in front of me and sighs. “What happened with Mimi?”

  “Bitch forgot her happy pills,” Shadows says and sits down.

  “A little respect,” Frankie scolds him softly.

  “It’s earned, not given.” Shadows looks at me, “I’m gonna roll out. You okay with that?”

  “Shadows, I -” Frankie begins.

  “All good, Frankie, see you tomorrow.” He walks out the door in a hurry.

  William Sr. kisses Frankie’s head, “Goodnight you two.”

  “Night,” Frankie stands and gives him a hug. “Love you.”

  “I love you, Francesca.”

  When William leaves, Frankie looks at me, “I hurt his feelings.”

  “He’ll be fine. He knows you didn’t mean to, Francesca.”

  I grab the crutch next to me. “Too tired to hop tonight,” I tell Frankie when she looks concerned.

  I follow her and she walks into the bathroom. I stand in the doorway and watch her fill the bathtub. She pulls the clip out of her hair and shakes her thick black locks free with her finger. The light from the vanity reflects on the ring she wears. The one I gave her.

  She turns around and starts towards me. She stops and looks into my eyes. Exhausted, I don’t even try to hide the fact that I am admiring the woman in front of me.

  She looks slowly from my eyes and down my body. Her eyes stop on my erection. She licks her lips and looks up at me, “Not tired anymore?”

  I don’t respond and she walks slowly towards me as she pulls her shirt over her head. Her breasts heavy, she’s almost coming out of the red lace bra she’s wearing. She reaches behind her ba
ck and unhooks it, then allows it to slide down her arms and drop to the floor. She pushes her pants down to her sexy hips and turns her back to me slowly as she bends over and pulls them off, one foot at a time.

  Her red thong may as well not even be there, it’s so tiny. She starts to turn. I don’t want her to.

  “Stop right there and don’t move.”

  She does as I ask and I stand, admiring her from behind. “I can see every beautiful part of you, Frankie.”

  She looks in front of her and sees her reflection in the mirror. Her hands travel slowly up her stomach and she cups her breasts. I pull my shirt over my head and then down my cast arm.

  “Jax,” she whimpers and squeezes her breasts.

  I pull off my pants and step out of one leg and hop to the edge of the tub and pull them the rest of the way off. I get in and lay my cast over the edge.

  I settle in and stare at her, “Fucking beautiful, Angel.”

  “I’m glad you think so.”

  “Come here.”

  She grabs a washcloth and squirts soap on it. She starts at my chest and then works her way down.

  “Mind coming in?”

  “I want to take care of you, just for a minute.”

  “Can’t say as if I mind at all, but when you’re done, I’m gonna take care of you.”

  She wets my hair and rubs shampoo on it. She massages my scalp with her fingernails and I groan, “Feels good.”

  “I’m glad.”

  After she rinses my hair, she steps out of the thong and into the bathtub. She turns her back to me and sits down. I reach up and pull her between my legs and use my hand to rub soap on her tits, her stomach, and her round little ass. I reach back in front and rub her hot little pussy. I push a finger inside of her and her head falls back against my shoulder.

  “Give me those lips,” I tell her and she stretches up and kisses me. I want to hold her face still, but with this cast on my fucking arm, I can’t.

  I push another finger inside of her and curl them, hitting her spot and she moans into my mouth as I push them in and out of her. She’s panting into my neck when she tightens around my fingers, a slow steady build to orgasm, and I bring her down just as gently.

  “Turn around, I need to be inside my wife.”

  She turns around and takes me in her hand, then straddles me and descends. “Give it to me slow, Angel.”

  She rises up and I catch her nipple in my mouth. I lean forward and suck it, lick it, and then do the same to the other side as she rocks in a nice, slow, and steady pace on my cock.

  When I release her from my mouth, she leans back, holding herself up with her hands behind her back. She moves a little faster, and I reach up and rub her clit in soft, slow circles until she is moaning.

  “You wanna come again, Angel?”

  “Yes, oh yes.”

  “Can you wait?”

  “No,” she whines and I laugh and pull her against my body.

  “We go off together.”

  “We do,” she whimpers.

  “Yeah, Frankie, we do.”

  I pump in and out of her harder, faster, and as fucking tired as I am, I need her, I need us.

  “Fuck,” I groan as I come.

  She wraps her arms around me and holds tight around my neck. “I love you, Jax.”

  “I know, Angel. You, too.”

  When the water starts to chill and her naked body is covered with goose bumps, I kiss her again, “Let’s go to bed.”

  “I wanna stay like this,” she yawns.

  “I wish I could get up holding you, still inside of you and carry you to bed, but I can’t. Not right now, anyway.”

  She sits up and grabs my face between her hands and kisses me, “Soon.”

  “Real soon, I’m fucking sick of being a damn gimp.”

  “You’re alive, you could stay like this forever and I would love you just the same.”

  “You aren’t getting sick of riding me? You don’t want me-”

  She laughs and stands up, “I love riding you.”

  “Good damn thing,” I grumble as I get out of the tub.

  “You’ve been on top a few times,” she says, handing me a towel.

  “I should be every time.”

  She wraps the towel around her and smiles at me. “Come on, let’s get you ready for bed.”

  “I’m good.”

  “Jax, we have Lily now. If she comes into our room-”

  “Your mother isn’t going to let that happen,” I laugh. “She’s pretty much held them captive since she got here. Can’t blame her, though.”

  “Well, maybe not tonight; Laurie, Mom and the girls are all in that room, but it would be a good habit to get into.”

  “There is nothing good about clothes in bed with you next to me.”

  I come out into the room and she throws a pair of shorts at me, “Start with these and we’ll work you up to those PJ’s my dad wears.”

  “Over my dead body,” I warn her.

  She stops and looks at me, “I overstepped with Shadows.”

  “He’s the one who was with Mimi. She locked herself in the bathroom and took an entire bottle of my father’s nitro pills and blood thinners. He kicked the door in and brought her to the main house. We tried to revive her.”

  “She was there?”

  I look up and realize she didn’t know, “Frankie, it was-”

  “No, no I’m not trying to. Jax, I’m sorry.”

  “If she hadn’t set me up. If her father hadn’t-”

  “Jaxson, tell me everything.”

  “My mother is fucking crazy, Frankie; she believes Arthur would do anything for her. The man is a loose cannon. They have this whole conspiracy theory, the men behind the politicians, the small percentage that run the world, the-”

  “Do you believe her?” Frankie pulls back the blanket, slides into bed and I follow.

  “Money runs the world, Francesca. Politicians are people, people want power and money. Some fold, some don’t.”

  “Did your father-”

  “No. I don’t think he did, not willingly.”

  “Then how did this all happen?” She yawns.

  “It’s a long story and you’re tired.”

  “I won’t sleep until you tell me.”

  I tell her everything that went down. The shit with Arthur, the matters my mother spoke about, all of it.

  “Are you afraid?”

  “Fear, Francesca, is one of those emotions that messes shit up. Contrary to what civilians think-”

  “Civilians?” she pushes her hand against my chest.

  I kiss it and then hold it flat against me, “If everyone had the mentality that there was nothing that could be done against every little-dicked asshole, we’d all be speaking German right now. I believe her paranoia has truth behind it. But I think it’s a piss poor excuse for a man to hide behind the promise of power because he doesn’t have the balls or wherewithal to fucking make it on his own.”

  “Do you have any idea how incredibly hot you are?”

  “I know I like it when you say that.”

  “Keep going.”

  “There are threats against my family, me, you, and everyone. My grandfather and father have been in bed with them for some time. My guess is this pissant from New York, who stole our marriage license, was given the backing promised to my father if he took him out. He’s a problem. A problem that will be handled.”

  “What do you plan on doing?”

  “Me? I plan on making my father and my grandfather’s lifelong dream become a reality.”

  “But you said-”

  I hold my finger over her mouth, “Shh,” I take it and run it down my stomach and under my waistband. With her hand under mine, I cup my balls. “What do you feel, Angel?”

  She smiles and then giggles.

  “Come on, tell me. I need to hear it.”

  “Big balls,” she says, giving me a tug.

  “You can do better than that.”

/>   “Enormous balls.”

  “And that’s just one of ‘em.”

  “You’re really gonna do this? Run for President?”

  “I have to be forty-years old. So in ten years I will, if it’s what I still want. For now, I’ll just run for Governor.”

  “Like your dad.”

  “No, Francesca, the bitches backing him can go to hell. His true allies will be discovered, the ones behind his death will be brought to justice, by whatever means necessary, and I will do whatever I can to let the motherfuckers waiting in the wings to stir shit up again, know that regardless of what the point five, or the five percent think, this country is still we, the fucking people, backed by the baddest military in the world.”

  “I know that’s truly how you feel. There is one problem, though: you are the five percent, Jaxson, and we, the fucking people, well that’s just not a smart political move.”

  I laugh and pull her tighter, “And that’s where you come in.”

  “And how is that? You can say shit like that to me, no one else can.”

  We lay quietly for a moment and she looks up at me. “I want to be by your side for everything.”

  “Perfect. Not all of those times are gonna be fun, Angel.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I would follow you anywhere.”

  “Two days from now is Father’s funeral, I want you by my side.”

  “And my parents can stay with Lily.”

  “Then I wanna head to the cabin. I also want you to talk your folks into moving here.”

  “And leave the house they raised William in, Jaxson? I don’t think-”

  “To help raise Lily, they may change their minds.”

  “Okay. Hey, Jax, aren’t you supposed to be with her until the funeral?”

  “She is fine, I’m sure she is helping Arthur through Mimi’s loss. Can we sleep now? I’m so fucking exhausted.”

  “Of course.”

  WRAPPED AROUND MY HUSBAND’S WARM, hard body is my favorite place to be. His arm is wrapped around me and the cast arm rests above his head. I am almost sick of the thoughts running through my head every time I look at Jaxson. He is the embodiment of what all pure, raw, and alpha men wish to be, in looks and mannerisms.

  Right now, he is sleeping safe, holding me, and the overwhelming emotions I feel swell in my chest. I look up when I hear the door and I see Lily.