Page 14 of Sassy Pants
“Don’t tell me to calm down. Ugh.” She stomps her foot and turns to Jelissa. “Can you take me home please? I need to do laundry and take a shower.”
“I can take you.” I wink at Jelissa as she shakes her head at Gianna and me.
“No.”
“I can take you,” a soft familiar voice calls and Gianna goes stiff next to me. Fucking Maxi.
Jelissa gets a hard look on her face. “We got it covered.”
Chaser shoots her a look that says, ‘get the fuck gone.’ Maxi holds her palms up and out.
“Come on, Maxi. This here is a private party.” Dutch practically shoves her out the kitchen.
“I hate her,” Jelissa announces, but it isn’t any secret. When she was pregnant with Erik, Chaser cheated on her with Maxi’s sister, Trixie. Caught them in the act. Shit wasn’t pretty.
Jelissa ran Trixie out of town but Maxi stayed. Rebel should have sent her packing too, but the men have taken a shine to her, and she normally stays out of shit. I think she likes to remind Jelissa that Chaser stepped out on her. Shit ain’t cool. Prez won’t be thrilled when I tell him she’s stirring the pot with an Old Lady.
“You ready to eat, little man?” he grabs his son from his wife and trudges over to the mountain of food set up at the breakfast bar.
Jelissa flashes Gianna a weak smile that says, ‘we’ll talk later,’ and picks up a plate.
“You hungry?”
“Nope.”
I lean down to whisper in her ear so only she can hear me when I say, “Cut the attitude or I’m gonna take you over my knee in front of the whole club.”
Gianna scowls at me but keeps quiet.
“That’s my girl.”
“I’m not your girl.”
“Babe, don’t fight it. You and me—we’re happening. I want you in my bed, because this foreplay we got going, has me turned on, and I can only imagine how explosive it’s gonna bebetween us when you give it to me in the bedroom.”
Her cheeks bloom a bright shade of red.
I stroke her jaw with my knuckles. “That’ll be the color of your ass later if you keep throwing me that sass.” Before she can say something smart, I cut her off with a kiss.
“Fuck, man. Stop molesting my sister at breakfast.” Chaser shakes his head at me.
I let go of Gianna and she moves off to get a cup of coffee. I let her go for now and fill my plate with enough food for the two of us. When we go back out to grab a table Maxi is out of sight. Good thing too because Jelissa looks like she’s itching for a fight. Maxi would be wise to steer clear for a long while if not forever. One day she is going to catch her in the wrong mood and get her ass beat if she doesn’t watch it.
“Give him to me so you can eat.” Gianna takes her nephew and fuck me if the sight of herholding a baby doesn’t have my chest getting all tight. Sweat beads across my forehead.
“You okay?” Jelissa touches my arm lightly.
“Yup.” I suck in a breath and push away thoughts of marriage and babies, filing them away for later. The thoughts have never entered my mind until today. And yet as I cut into my stack of pancakes and while unable to tear my gaze from Gianna and Erik those thoughts keep battling their way to the surface. “You need to eat something.” I shovel the fork between her lips the moment she parts them. When Gianna smiles at me in return I know I’m completely fucked. This woman has me, and she doesn’t even know it yet. Not even fucked her, and I want to make her mine.
I must be crazy.
Chaser looks at me and laughs. “You’re fucked, brother.”
Don’t I fucking know it.
Gianna either doesn’t hear him or is choosing to ignore the conversation. She doesn’t refuse the forkfuls of pancakes and sausage I’m feeding her either.
“What time is your shift?”
