Page 84 of Bear
“I’m sure he has. He doesn’t know what kind of fight though.” I rested my ankle on my knee and stared beyond Lane. “I know you tried to be as close to me as possible while I was growing up but you didn’t see everything. You didn’t see the monster my father morphed me into.
I don’t know if he did it on purpose or not but he molded me into him. Now he knows he has to come home and fight the man in the mirror only I’ve never stopped growing. He has. He has no idea what’s been going on in the streets. I’m his only connection. He’s stepping on to my playing field and it’s rigged in my favor.”
Lane’s eyes were sad. I hated that look. It did something to my chest. The same thing happened when I saw Cecily get sad. It was like seeing stars cry.
“Bear, you might be like him but you’re not him. I’ll tell you that as many times as you need to hear it. The only way to stop Griff is to put him in the ground. To do that, you need to be better than him and you are. I see it. I’ve always seen it. I might not have been around for most of your life but I’ve seen your heart. No matter how much your father tried to erase me…I’m still in there.” She tapped my chest then smiled at me. It was a smile full of so much love that it made me hurt for my past-self. It was all the love I should have gotten as a child.
“I’m glad we can move forward with the truth out there,” I told her. “We can’t mention it to Dad though.”
“I understand.”
“Good. Oh, and Lane? Thank you for putting Luanne in my life. I know how hard that must have been for you.”
“It was. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else around you while you were growing up though. Now we have to take care of her because I swear this entire situation has stolen her mind and I’ll never forgive myself for it.” She shook her head solemnly and sighed.
“We’ll take care of Luanne. I already told her she works for me and she’s only to do as I ask once my father comes home. If he finds out she’s been losing her memory, he’ll kill her.” My muscles stiffened at the thought.
Lane’s eyes went wide but she nodded her understanding. I knew it was harsh to spell everything out that way but it was imperative. Everyone around me had to know what was at stake dealing with my father or they’d fall into a false sense of security. I couldn’t have that. Everyone needed to be on their toes.
It made me even happier that I started teaching Cecily how to shoot a few days ago. She wasn’t the best shot in the world but she knew how to handle the recoil and she knew how to properly aim. Now, hitting her target was an entirely different story.
“Hey, Lane. I didn’t know you were coming by.” Cecily’s voice was sleepy as she greeted Lane with a smile and a hug. I didn’t even hear her get out of bed.
“Hi, sweetheart. I came to help Lu get ready for Griffon’s welcome home party. I’ll be around today and tomorrow.”
Cecily’s gaze snapped to me and I held her hand in mine before tugging her down on my lap. “She knows I know. Luanne doesn’t. Let’s keep it that way,” I spoke against her ear and she nodded.
“So this is really a thing? You two?” Lane asked pointing between Cecily and me.
“Yeah. It is.” Cecily draped her arms around my neck and I breathed in her sugary, Fruity Pebble scent.
“I don’t even know why I asked. I can tell by looking at you.” She stared at us for a few moments then stood up. “Keep her safe, Bear. We’ll talk later.”
“Okay. Hey, the cleaning supplies Luanne uses are in the hall closet beside the bathroom,” I told her. Once she was out of the room, Cecily kissed my forehead and inhaled long and deep.
“How are you feeling now that Lane knows?”
“I don’t know. I’m floating between feelings right now. I’m just relieved to know that my mother is in my life now and she has been keeping an eye on me ever since I was born. All these emotions and shit are new to me so you have to bear with me.”
“Pun intended?” She asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Nah,” I chuckled. I touched her bear paw necklace and sighed a little. “You’re gonna have to take that off, baby doll.”
“I don’t want to.” Her brows bunched together and her lips poked out in a cute-as-fuck pout that made me want to bite her.
“If Dad sees that shit he’s going to know how serious I am about you and right now we want to keep things low-key. I promise as soon as everything is said and done you can put it back on and never take it off again.” I nipped at her bottom lip and couldn’t resist the urge to slip my tongue in her mouth, teasing her. I angled her body so that she was straddling me then I deepened our kiss. Every time I tasted Cecily on my tongue, I became ravenous. She was my favorite meal.
She let a soft moan slip out and my cock stiffed beneath her. “Bear, we can’t.” Her cognac eyes darted over to the doorway letting me know she didn’t want either of us to get caught by our respective mothers. The thought made me laugh. We were grown as fuck but trying to avoid being walked in on.
“I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you upstairs caveman-style and fuck you in our room,” I offered.
“Ourroom?” She purred, sliding her warm hands up and down my chest.
“Ours.”
“That’s very tempting since I didn’t get my usual good morning dick.” She rolled her hips and my cock throbbed with the need to be inside of her. I gripped her slender waist in my hands and she whimpered but she still flashed that gorgeous smile. She knew damn well what that smile did to me.
“You need your fix, huh baby doll?”
