Deke just grunted unintelligibly. This was both his affirmative answer and an indication he was slightly insulted Mr. T voiced those words.

“Of course,” Mr. T said to Deke then looked to me. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Can I get a hug?” I asked.

“If you must,” he sighed.

Deke grunted again and that one was just masking a chuckle.

He let me go and I moved into Mr. T, wrapping my arms around him tightly, but carefully, still holding coffee and phone.

“Safe trip,” I said into his ear. “Thanks for everything. And love you to pieces.”

He gave me a short squeeze and stepped out of my arms.

Then he gave me a look that made my heart squeeze.

“Good-bye, Justice.”

“Later, Mr. T.”

He nodded once, turned, opened the door and moved through it.

Deke claimed me again and moved us into it before Mr. T could close it.

He glanced back only once before he walked directly to his rental car, got in and drove away.

“I’m gonna miss him,” I muttered wistfully.

“Always tough to see the back of someone you love.”

I looked up at Deke.

Deke was watching my drive, but when he felt my gaze, he looked down at me.

“Even far, babe, think you get, they never really are,” he finished.

“Yeah,” I said softly.

“Get to Krys,” he ordered. “Her man’s back at work, she’s at home with a new baby, she’s gonna need her girls around her.”

I nodded and started to pull away.

“Kiss first, Jussy.”

I looked into his eyes and just saw Deke looking down at me. It was not distant. There were no boundaries. He was close, his arm around my shoulders, waiting for me to roll up to my toes and give him a kiss.

I didn’t know what this talk was going to be about that we’d have over Steph’s chicken.

What I knew looking in his eyes was that, if Deke said it wasn’t going to be bad, it wasn’t going to be bad.

So I rolled up on my toes.

The kiss was hard, closed-mouthed, and not short, but also not long.

Deke had his fingers in my hair, his hand cupping the back of my head when it was over and he didn’t let me roll back to my toes.

He commanded, “You’re gonna be texting me.”

“Yeah, I am,” I agreed.

He gave the back of my head a squeeze, filtered his fingers through my hair and stepped away.

I went to dump my coffee in a travel mug and get my purse and keys. I called my good-byes, walked out the front door and got in my granddad’s truck that someone somewhere along the way had driven back up to my place from the police station.

The last time I was in that truck, I was racing away, terrified of what had happened to me right along with being more terrified the guy was still around and could get to me.

I negotiated around Deke and Bubba’s trucks and didn’t give it more than a passing thought.

* * * * *

“Are you two boning?”

“Krystal!”

“What?”

“It’s kinda not any of your business.”

“Seein’ as I’m gonna be kickin’ some big white boy ass he doesn’t pull his finger out, it is my business.”

“Ladies,” I cut in and when I had two sets of eyes aimed at me, I shared, “He’s totally boning me. And it is seriously fine.”

Lauren, holding Breanne, grinned at me.

Krystal smiled huge and said, “Well, all right.”

Not all right.

Deke had tied my thighs together, fucked me hard, and through it, gave me three orgasms.

Totally not all right.

It was fine.

“Always wondered, he rough or can he be gentle?” Krystal asked.

“God, Krys!” Lauren snapped, cupping little Breanne’s head like she could understand a word we said even if she wasn’t right then fast asleep and all of about a day and a half old.

“Check and check,” I answered Krys before they could get into it.

“Best of both worlds,” Krystal muttered. “Surprising. Always figured Deke would fuck like a freight train.”

“And check,” I said, grinning at Krystal who grinned back at me.

“Lord,” Lauren whispered, her head bent to Breanne. “Don’t listen to your mommy. And you’ll be spending lots of time with Auntie Laurie so you can learn how to be appropriate. Though I’ll have to have a word with your Uncle Tate. He’s got a mouth on him. But I suspect he’ll curb it for baby girls.”

Krystal rolled her eyes at me, but otherwise she was apparently unoffended.

“So it’s good with you two?” she asked.

“Well, yeah, except he says we’re gonna have a talk tonight over Steph’s chicken.”

Lauren turned her attention to me. “Talk about what?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the fact that he wanted me at arm’s length then lost his mind when I got attacked and wouldn’t let me out of his sight, including us sleeping together every night since that night, though no nookie until Sunday night. And now we’re all, ‘what’s for dinner’ and ‘pick up sandwiches’ without us even having a date.”

“Deke doesn’t date. He claims then he fucks,” Krystal told me. “Though, not sure I know a single woman who spent more than one night in his trailer.”

“Me either,” Lauren muttered.