Fire & Brimstone: A Neighbor from Hell (30 page)

Chapter 57

              “So,” the small woman that was going to be the death of him said as she allowed his cock to slip out of her mouth with a
pop
, waking him up so that she could ask, “what should we talk about?”

              “I-” he started to answer, but the cruel woman apparently had no plans of letting him talk until she was ready, because she licked him from balls to tip, making it impossible for him to answer her.

              “Because I was thinking about what you said last night,” she said conversationally as she wrapped her hand around his cock and gave it a squeeze.

              “About getting married or the job?” he managed to get out as she continued to torment him.

              “Both,” she said with a shrug as she leaned back over him and took his cock into her warm, welcoming mouth.

             
“Fuck,”
he groaned when her lips wrapped around his shaft.

              “Afterwards,” she said when she pulled back after slowly letting his cock slip free from her mouth this time before adding, “if you’re good,” with a wink.

              “We’re getting married,” he bit out, deciding that this whole Bradford theory on marriage was definitely the way to go since it didn’t give her an option to tell him no.

              When she shrugged like it was fine and continued sucking on his cock, he decided to take that as a win and move on. “You’re also going to help me run the Fire & Brimstone,” he said, moaning as he placed his hand on her back, encouraging her to continue as he explained his plans.

              “You don’t need my help,” the stubborn pain in his ass said as she released his cock to argue with him.

              “Yes, I do,” he bit out, wondering why she was arguing with him now when she’d spent the last five years doing everything she could to prove that he couldn’t do it without her.

              She shook her head, which he had to admit sent a very interesting sensation down his cock and pulled back so that she could keep arguing with him. “The Fire & Brimstone is yours,” she said, pissing him off.

              “It’s
ours
,” he corrected her, deciding that maybe he should take over again if they had any hopes of getting through this conversation without killing each other.

              Sitting up, he took her by surprise, picked her up and laid her across his lap so that they could clear a few things up. “Okay, let’s talk about a few things, shall we?” he asked, resting his arms across the wiggling woman as she tried to climb off his lap.

              “Seriously? You’re going to manhandle me now?” she snapped, continuing with the squirming.

              He ignored her question and moved on, deciding that they’d wasted enough time arguing. “You’re going to have to turn down that asshole and tell him that you already have a job,” he said since that needed to be cleared up immediately.

              She stopped squirming on his lap to throw him a questioning look over her shoulder. “Who?”

              “That asshole from the bar,” he said while his hand found her ass and stayed there since it soothed him.

              When she continued to blink, he said, “The guy that talked your ear off for over an hour last night.”

              She blinked, again.

              “The guy that offered you a job!” he snapped, giving her ass a squeeze because he’d earned it for the bullshit that she put him through.

              “Nobody offered me a job,” she said with a sigh as she folded her arms beneath her head so that she could use them as a pillow.

              Frowning, he asked, “What the hell are you talking about?”

              She grumbled, “He wanted to talk about being gluten free, because his wife just found out that she has a gluten sensitivity and he wanted to know how to keep her safe.”

              “Oh,” he said, digesting that as he continued to kneed her bottom.

              “Yeah,” she said, sighing as she laid there.

              “So, then there’s no reason for you not to come back?” he asked, wondering if he’d missed anything that the stubborn woman might use to argue her away out of this one.

              “No,” she admitted, but he sensed a “
but”
in there.

              “But…” he said, deciding to help her along for the sake of his sanity.

              Sighing, she reached back and swatted his hand away so that she could climb off his lap, but she didn’t go far. Tearing a strangled groan from him, she threw her leg over his lap so that she was straddling him and in one move, slowly impaled herself on his cock that had been straining to get back to her since he’d pulled her mouth away.

              “Everything okay?” she asked with that damn innocent expression that had caused him to lose his fucking mind more times than he could count.

              Narrowing his eyes on her and trying not to think about just how fucking tight she was, he bit out,
“Fine.”

              “Good!” she said brightly as she shifted more than what was necessary in his opinion to get comfortable. “Now, where were we?” she asked, wiggling.

              “You were just about to tell me how you were going to piss me off,” he reminded her, cupping her hips to stop the damn woman from wiggling again.

              “Yes, yes I was,” she said with a firm nod and another fucking wiggle!

             
“Spit it out.”

              Sighing, she tried to wiggle again, but he’d been ready for it and stopped her. “You don’t need to let me help run the Fire & Brimstone, Christopher,” she said, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned in until her forehead touched his. “I miss the Fire & Brimstone and I miss you.”

              “You see me every day,” he reminded her before adding, “and we both know that you’ve been running the Fire & Brimstone with me since the moment that you set your eyes on it. So, let’s not play this game. We’re getting married today, Rebecca, and then we’re going to run the Fire & Brimstone together, making it the best restaurant in the state.”

              Smiling, she leaned in and quickly kissed him. “It already is the best restaurant in the state and seeing you after work isn’t the same and you know it,” she informed him in a teasing tone.

              “It can always get better,” he reminded her, returning the kiss that had him struggling to focus on what mattered.

              Getting this woman in front of a Justice of the Peace.

              “I suppose it can,” she said, sounding a little distracted as she slid her fingers through his hair and raised herself up on her knees.

              “It definitely can,” he said, using his hold on her hips to help guide her back down and making them both moan.

              “Then should we discuss the terms of my return?” the frustrating woman asked as she tore a groan from him.

              “Marrying me isn’t enough?” he asked, tilting his head so that he could kiss her better.

              “No,” she said, chuckling as she slowly kissed him, “Not really.”

              “You are a mean woman,” he said, smiling as he kissed her chin.

              “But you adore me,” she reminded him.

              “I love you,” he corrected her before adding, “and you fucking adore me.”

              Smiling, she said, “Well, I might be in love with you, too.”

              Chuckling, he cupped her beautiful face in his hands and leaned back so that he could look into her eyes. “Might be?”

              She shrugged. “It’s a possibility.”

              “So, then what’s the problem?” he asked, leaning in so that he could kiss her stubborn little chin simply because he couldn’t help himself.

              “There’s really no problem, but I just think that we should discuss bonuses, raises, vacation time, my own office, an assistant, a few minions to be at my beck and call and-”

              “You’re pushing it,” he said, chuckling as he leaned in to shut her up with a kiss.

              “Yes, but you knew that I would,” the little demon proudly said.

              “Yes, I did,” he said, keeping an arm wrapped around her so that he could lower them both back onto the bed. “And I expect that you’re going to do it for the rest of our lives.”

              Threading her fingers through his hair, she gave him that grin that absolutely terrified him and said, “You can count on it.”

Epilogue

Two Months later…

              “He’s going to kill you.”

              “You think so?” Rebecca asked as a group of Lucifer’s cousins walked past them, all of them shooting her winks as they headed for her old section.

              “There’s a good chance,” Melanie said, nodding as she placed her hands on the swell of her belly.

              Rebecca considered asking Melanie when she was finally going to tell Aidan, but she really didn’t feel like hiding in bathroom, texting Lucifer for help as the crazed, hormonal woman tried to break in and slap her silly as she sobbed hysterically, again. So, instead she decided that she would continue sitting there, sipping her Coke and periodically glancing towards all the exits, looking out for the man that might have take issue with the fact that she’d allowed his relatives back inside or the fact that she’d cleared the dance floor and had inadvertently turned the Fire & Brimstone into a nightclub for the night.

              Then again…

              If he hadn’t banned her poor, sweet baby from their bedroom this morning over a little misunderstanding involving a puddle of drool on his pillow, she wouldn’t have been forced to do this. That and she enjoyed the fact that when it was her nights to run the Fire & Brimstone she was able to triple the profits, something that she was able to do thanks to all his relatives. Not only did they order an insane amount of food, but they were also incredibly hot, which drew a surprisingly large amount of women, which in turn drew a lot of single men, filling the restaurant to capacity for the night.

              “Don’t you have a paper due tomorrow?” Melanie asked, sipping her glass of apple juice since she’d given up soda while pregnant.

              “Already done,” she said, still shocked at how well she was doing in school.

              It had only been a month since she’d started and it was only part time, but she loved it. She was taking a course on management and introduction to business and so far she was doing really well. Of course, that probably had something to do with her self-appointed tutor. 

              Her husband hadn’t been excited when she’d announced that she wanted to go back to school, but that all changed after she’d enrolled in college and had to pick her classes. After he found her course catalog lying on the bed and decided to have a look, he’d decided to offer his services.

              Since then he’d outlined all the course that she needed to take over the next four years, had decided that she was going to attend the summer term to catch up with the rest of the freshmen class and then starting next year he wanted her to switch to full-time. At first she’d argued with him, because she hadn’t been sure that she could handle it, but once she realized that Lucifer’s questionable OCD demanded that he organize her notes, make her flashcards and proofread all her papers she’d agreed to at least try to do things his way.

              “What do you think he’s going to do when he sees this?” Melanie asked gesturing to the crowded restaurant.

              “Thank me?” she said with a hopeful smile.

              “You mean with more yelling?” the betraying bitch said, reminding her about her first week co-managing the Fire & Brimstone with Lucifer.

              “He wasn’t yelling,” she said, trying not to think about all that yelling and God, there had been so much yelling, but thankfully Lucifer was partially to her ass and blowjobs so it hadn’t been that bad.

              “Really? Then what would you call it?” Melanie asked, stealing a bite out of Rebecca’s gluten free cheeseburger, one of the many new gluten-free menu items that Lucifer had created for her.

              “Expressing his undying love for me in a tone that would ensure that I didn’t miss the extent of his feelings for me?”

              “Or,” the incredibly sexy voice that she loved to hear whispering her name drawled, alerting her to the fact that she’d lost the element of surprise, “he probably yells because you drive him out of his fucking mind.”

              “There is that,” she admitted with a smile when she felt him turn her barstool around so that she was facing him.

              “What have you done now?” he asked, cupping her face in his hands as he leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.

              “Probably violating several fire codes,” Melanie said around another bite of her burger.

              “Probably,” Lucifer murmured in agreement as he gazed down at her.

              “Are you mad?” she asked, hooking her fingers in his belt loops so that she could pull him closer. 

              “Furious,” he said with a smile as he picked her up and set her down on her feet.

              “You seem it,” she said, going up on her toes so that she could give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

              “I am,” he promised her, taking her hand into his and gave it a gentle tug that had her following him as he led her to the dance floor.

              “Where are you taking me, sir?” she asked, loving that sexy grin of his as he continued to walk backwards, taking her with him.

              “Are you scared?” he asked in a teasing tone as he pulled her into his arms.

              “Petrified,” she returned with a laugh as she moved in close to her husband so that she could wrap her arms around his shoulders and lose herself in his arms.

              “You do seem to scare easily,” he noted as he wrapped his arms around her and began moving them around in their own little space on the crowded dance floor.

              “What can I say,” she said with a forlorn sigh as she moved in closer to him, “you are a frightening man.”

              “I know,” he said, chuckling as he leaned down and kissed her.

              “So,” she said against his lips, “where have you been all day?”

              “Did you miss me?” he asked, pulling back far enough so that he could look at her while they talked.

              “A little,” she said with a heartfelt sigh.

              “Only a little?” he asked, maneuvering them around a few of his cousins who were dancing with their wives.

              “Mmmhmm,” she murmured, leaning up to kiss him again. “So, where were you?”

              “Talking to a realtor with my Uncle Jared about buying the back lot so that we can expand the bar and dinning area,” he said, taking her by surprise.

              “We’re expanding?” she asked, more than a little surprised.

              “Mmmhmm, we’re going to need a bigger kitchen and then of course since you keep filling the place to capacity with a long line waiting around the block we figured that it would probably be for the best if we expanded,” he said, looking pleased as he rewarded her with another kiss.

              “Is this what you want?” she asked, worried that she might have rushed him into something that he wasn’t ready for.

              He nodded, leaning in to kiss her just as the first few chords of her favorite song began to play. But, instead of kissing her he leaned in close so that his lips were next to her ear as he began singing along with Sam Hunt. His voice was deeper, but God, could he sing.

              She closed her eyes and held onto him as he continued to sing along with
“Take Your Time,”
loving this man more than she ever thought possible. He continued to sing for her ears only as he moved them around to the music as she lost herself in his arms, deciding that after this song they were going to have to go have a “Meeting,” about this renovation and maybe if he was lucky, she’d pull out her clipboard.

*-*-*-*

              “How far along are you?” the middle-aged woman currently wrestling with a toddler, asked with a warm smile that helped calm her down a bit.

              Well, it really didn’t, but she was willing to pretend that it did if it helped her get through this. Forcing a smile on her face, she said, “Six months,” still wondering why she’d taken so long to tell him.

              Granted, the fact that she really couldn’t stand him probably had something to do with it, but there was also the fact that she was in way over her head on this one. Maybe she should have let Rebecca come with her. At least if Rebecca was here she wouldn’t have to worry about Aidan’s reaction, because her best friend would be there for her, ready to slap the crap out of him if he made her cry.

              Oh, God…

              What if she cried?

              She couldn’t do this. No, definitely not today. Maybe tomorrow would be better, she thought as she grabbed her bag and decided that an email should suffice. She’d use a friendly font, double spaces and a casual tone and let him know that in three months he was going to be the proud daddy of a bouncing baby boy that was causing her to eat everything in sight.

              Worrying her bottom lip, she shot a glance at the door and wondered if she had time to grab a burger before she met Rebecca for lunch. She could always ask Lucifer to whip her up one while she waited for Rebecca to finish her paper, she decided as she threw her bag over her shoulder and started to make her way to the door, wondering if he’d be willing to whip up a fried egg and bacon to go along with her burger.

              If he was willing to do that and had the eggs out anyway, maybe he’d be willing to make her pancakes as well. God, she could really go for some pancakes right about-

              “Melanie?” a very friendly looking nurse said as she stepped into the waiting room, “Dr. Bradford is ready to see you now.”

The Arrival of Darrin and Marybeth’s Babies

An R.L. Mathewson Chronicle

              “Oh my God!” Zoe gasped in pain as she slapped her hand down hard on the kitchen island, leaned over and groaned as the contraction that she was pretending wasn’t happening nearly knocked her on her beautiful ass.

              “Everything okay, sweetheart?” Trevor asked casually as he leaned back in his chair, glad the kids were at their Uncle Jared’s so that they wouldn’t have to witness this sad display of bullshit.

              Slapping a smile on her face, Zoe said, “Yes, yes of course it is.”

              “Uh huh,” he said with a heavy sigh as he watched the stubborn woman take a deep breath, try to stand up only to lean back down, all while throwing him that tightlipped smile that really said it all.

              “Do you want to eat now or wait until the barbeque?” she asked, clearly hoping to distract him with the promise of food.

              “We can grab something at the hospital,” he said, deciding that this little charade of hers had gone on long enough.

              “Why…” she started to say only to let her words trail off with a gasp as she grabbed onto the edge of the counter and tried to breathe through the next contraction.

              “Fucking unbelievable,” he muttered as he stood up and pulled his phone out of his back pocket so that he could send Darrin a text message, letting him know that it was time.

              “I’m fine!” the adorable little liar that was practically falling over thanks to that large belly that he swore was bigger than her, snapped, apparently dead set on pissing him off today.

              “Let’s go,” he said, wrapping his arm around her body so that he could hold onto her as he helped her to the car.

              “No, I’m fine,” she argued even as she settled against him and allowed him to guide her towards the garage door.

              Thank God Marybeth had insisted on taking care of Zoe’s bag. It was normally something that he handled when Zoe was pregnant and usually ended up screwing up when it came time to go to the hospital. This time she was carrying his cousin’s children and the only thing he had to focus on was his wife.

              It was a relief, but it was also pure hell, because for the past few months he’d been struggling not to grow attached to the babies that she was carrying. They weren’t his and he knew that, but it was difficult to feel that way when he held her at night and could feel the babies move against his arm or when he simply looked at her. He loved being a father and would give anything to fall asleep with a baby curled up in his arms one more time.

              Then again, with three babies that would mean three times the feedings, changing more diapers, chasing after them as well as three times as many nervous breakdowns. He didn’t miss sleepless nights, going into work in the morning only to realize that he was covered in spit-up, or realizing that he’d accidentally grabbed a bottle of breast milk instead of his thermos.

              He sighed as he helped her through the garage door and into his SUV. This time, he was going to be able to enjoy all the fun stuff with the babies and none of the soul crushing duties that came with being the parents of triplets. This really might not be so bad after all, he realized as he carefully closed her door.

              “I’m fine. Really,” the little fibber said as he climbed in the car.

              “And the contractions?” he asked, cocking a brow as he waited for her latest line of bullshit that she was going to use to try getting out to of going to the hospital, because she was determined to put off pushing three babies from her body until it was absolutely necessary.