Page 19 of Loving Vincent

Fourteen

Vince had spent his entire day thinking about Jenna. He’d texted Jared more times than a drunk sorority chick texting an ex-boyfriend. It was embarrassing. But it was what it was. He was falling fast and hard for the woman and for her adorable daughter. He’d never seen himself as a family man. Why would he? The only family he knew was Jared. He didn’t know much about women, except how to fuck them. And he sure as shit didn’t know anything about kids. The little beasts had never been on his radar. Until now.

But thinking about the happy, giggly, messy child that came with the woman Vince decided to claim filled him with a sense of… warmth. She was a part of Jenna. They would be inseparable now that they were out of Zach’s control. And Vince wanted to be part of that inseparable unit.

He left work early, after delegating a few duties he would normally not pass on to anyone with less experience than himself and made his way home. Eager for the sight of his new family, he opened the door and walked in. He frowned as he looked around, his eyes landing on Jared who was dozing on the couch. Ignoring his buddy he stalked down the hall, planning the hell there would be to pay if Jenna had somehow escaped the house and gone to work. Her shift at the prison was due to start in a few hours and he didn’t trust her not to try and go, despite his denial. He’d used his connection inside the jail to terminate her position. Even if she managed to make her way to work she would be turned away with a final farewell.

Vince hadn’t needed to worry though, as he rounded the doorway into the guest room he immediately caught sight of both mother and daughter. An imaginary punch to the chest stole his breath as his entire focus, his entire being landed on the two people laying side by side on the bed. Jenna was curled on her side, her body curved around Lola’s. She was still wearing his T-shirt and sweats, which send a shaft of possessive pride straight through him. As much as he’d love to see her decked out in brand new, high-end clothes, he loved seeing her in his stuff. Her mouth was slightly open in a sexy little gasp, and her head was twisted awkwardly because Lola had somehow reached up in her sleep and twined her fingers in the shiny red curls.

Vince backed out of the room and softly closed the door. He retraced his steps back down the hall toward the living room where Jared was now sitting up and rubbing a hand over his face.

“Hey man,” Jared said when he caught sight of Vince. There was no alarm on his face at having been caught unawares. Men surrounded the house and would continue to do so until there was no more risk too Jenna.

“How was shopping?” Vince dropped his body into a comfortable armchair, which creaked under his weight.

“Good,” Jared grunted. “They should have enough stuff to last awhile.”

“Thanks man.”

“We went to her place,” Jared said.

“You what?” Vince sat up straighter a deadly tone entering his voice. He specifically did not want Jenna going back to her place. Her ex knew where she lived and she didn’t need to be reminded of the poverty she’d been forced to endure over the past few years. But before he could explode at the man he’d entrusted with Jenna’s care, Jared interrupted.

“The place was trashed. Zach got there before us. Probably last night, after we left his place. Didn’t leave a single thing untouched. The whole place is gone.” Vince was about to say that he was glad there was nothing left of her to go back to, but then Jared checked him. “Should’ve seen her face, man. She was devastated. Tried not to cry, but I could tell she wanted to. She gathered some of the pieces, put them in a little box and left without a word.”

“The fucker,” Vince snarled. “I’ll fucking kill him.”

“Language,” Jared reminded him.

Vince was about to tell his friend to fuck off, but then remembered that he really should be putting in effort to watch his language. If he planned on having a child in his home, then it was his responsibility to adjust to her needs. Though he may need to invest in a swear jar to keep himself on track. He wondered if swear jars came with a credit card option? He rarely kept change in his wallet.

“Besides, I doubt Jenna’ll want you to kill her ex-husband. Seems like the type to think killing is bad.”

They looked at each other as that comment sunk in. Jenna wasn’t part of their world. The dark underworld where business deals were often steeped in illegal practices and only the toughest survived. She would have to be protected; from them, from their world, from herself. Because the more time she spent with them the more she would see. The more she would understand. And for some reason Vince cared that she not see or experience more than she already had. He hated that he’d put her in a position to have to experience Buffalo’s death, up close and personal. He’d done that to her. Now he vowed, he would never do that to her again.

“You’re home,” Jenna’s voice interrupted them quietly. She looked sleep-mussed and beautiful. A multitude of feelings shot through Vince. Lust was on top, followed closely by guilt, and the powerful need to protect. And then another powerful hit of lust made the decision for him.

“Get out,” he growled at Jared pushing himself out of the armchair.

“Sure, boss.” There was a hint of amusement as the other man stood and made his way to the door.

Jenna intercepted him with a warm hug and a smile. “Thank you for taking us shopping and out lunch. You were very patient.”

Vince thought about growling at them, telling them touching wasn’t allowed, but he reminded himself Jared would never betray him and he should be happy his best friend seemed to like his new girlfriend.

Jared grinned at Jenna and opened the door. “Any time.”

An awkward silence filled the room as Jenna and Vince stood looking at each other. Then the awkward slowly turned into tension as they realized they were essentially alone. Lola was napping, Jared was gone and they were two adults with a powerful lust for one another. Or at least Vince hoped Jenna felt the way he felt, or things were about to get real awkward again.

“Fuck it,” he mumbled and lunged forward, reaching for her. Fuck, at the rate he was going, he’d fill that swear jar with enough to put Lola through college.

Jenna didn’t hesitate, she went into his arms as though it was the most natural thing in the world. At first Vince was shocked, didn’t know what to do with the cute, curvy redhead filling his arms. Then instinct took over and he dropped his head to hers, capturing her upturned lips in a kiss that would leave her in no doubt as to exactly what he wanted. Thank the fucking gods, she seemed to want the same thing. She returned his kiss with equal fervor, standing on her toes and touching every part of him she could. A shiver, an actual goddamned shiver ran through him as she raked her nails down his back over top of his shirt, sending a cascade of pleasurable sensations through him. If his dick hadn’t been hard as stone a minute ago, it sure as fuck was now.

Without breaking the kiss they stumbled down the hall together, hands touching every part of each other they could reach. She tugged at the buttons on his shirt, first trying to undo them with gentle fingers, then tearing at them like a tigress. Vince shoved her fingers aside impatiently and tore the shirt right down the front. He couldn’t remember if it was a favourite. Didn’t care. The only thing he wanted draped over him was Jenna.

He shoved his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, drowning in her as he pulled the clothes from her body. They went easily since they belonged to him and were several sizes too big for the petite woman. The clothes were left in a messy pile in the hallway as Vince dragged her into his bedroom, closing the door behind them. He checked himself at the last minute and managed to close the door softly instead of slamming it. He didn’t need a three-year-old child cock blocking him. He suspected there would be enough of that in their future.

Jenna tore her lips from Vince’s and sucked air into her lungs, her chest heaving with the effort. She looked at him with sparkling lust fogged velvet blue eyes. The prettiest eyes Vince had ever seen. In fact, he couldn’t remember ever looking at a woman’s eyes before. Or if he had, he hadn’t cared enough to retain the knowledge of their colour. Somehow, Jenna was different. He knew without a doubt, that the exact shade of those eyes were now burned in his memory until the end of time. He reached for her, intending to steal more of those incredible drugging kisses from her bee-stung lips.

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