He sucked and licked her skin slowly, sensually. Madison licked her lips and dropped her head back against his shoulder. “What are you doing, Ephraim?” Her voice sounded dreamy.

“There’s some sap on your neck. I’m cleaning it.” He used his hold on her br**sts to pull her firmly against him. “I think there’s one other spot that I’ve neglected.”

She gulped nervously. “There is?”

“Mmhmmm.”

He kept one breast firmly in hand as his other hand smoothly made its way between her legs. Ephraim used his foot to push her legs open for his intrusion. A long finger ran across her slit teasing her until she moved her legs further apart to give him more room. He slid his finger in, teasing her little swollen nub.

Madison moaned softly as he ran his finger over the nub, teasing it until it was swollen almost painfully. She gasped as his finger slid inside of her, slowly. His tongue traced a line to her earlobe and then flicked it making her groan and move against him.

As he worked a second finger into her, Madison reached up and grabbed his hair yanking his mouth down to hers. He eagerly took it. While their tongues wrestled for control his fingers thrust inside of her, hard. Ephraim ground his erection against her ass, forcing her to move against his fingers.

The sensation of his hand on her breast, tongue in her mouth, fingers inside of her and his large hard shaft sliding against her bottom was too much. Madison screamed into his mouth as her body gripped his fingers. He moaned along with her.

“That’s it, baby, come for me,” he whispered against her mouth. She screamed again as another orgasm hit her harder than the last one. “Tell me you miss me…tell me that you love me….”

“No,” her voice cracked.

“Tell me!” He began thrusting harder against her, sending her towards another orgasm.

Her pride found its way to the surface. She was not going to give in no matter what he did. He’d been wrong not her. This was not the way this was going to end. Even as he had her on the verge of another mind blowing orgasm she set her heels into the ground. “No! I hate you!”

She stumbled forward and had to put her hands out to stop from falling. Confusion set in. The absence of his touch from her body was so sudden. She looked back, expecting to see him ready for another argument, but he was gone. The bathroom door slammed shut making her jump. Dread filled her.

*******

“Too far,” he mumbled as he walked down the hall towards the front stairs. She’d pushed him too far this time. He rounded the corner, never relenting in his fast stride.

Chris was in the hallway wrestling with Joshua. He stood up with Joshua hanging over his bare shoulder and whirled around. Joshua laughed gleefully. “I’m getting dizzy!”

“Body slam!” Chris roared playfully.

Joshua yelped in alarm. “No!”

Chris pretended to break the giggling child over his leg. The boys noticed Ephraim’s presence and sobered immediately.

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Chris placed Joshua gently on his feet. Joshua staggered drunkenly around until Chris placed a hand on his head and held him still. The little boy’s thin bare chest was heaving from exertion. The men of the house seemed to go around half na**d all the time now. He never could have pulled it off when Eleanor owned the house, but now that his name was on the deed she didn’t say a word. Soon Chris and Joshua joined him. The only time Eleanor put her foot down was at the table. The boys were expected to come to meals fully dressed.

“Nothing, do you feel like a work out?” He was full of rage and needed to work it out.

“Er, normally yes I would love to, but you look like you’re ready to tear something apart and no offense, Dad, but I don’t want to be the rag doll.”

Nothing was going his way today. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want a workout.”

“I’ll workout with you, Ephraim!” Joshua said cheerfully. They let him come down to the basement just to appease him now and then so he would feel like one of the guys, but he was not allowed down there during serious workouts.

“I don’t know, little man. You’re brutal. I’m afraid you’d hurt me.” Ephraim cowered back from the boy.

Joshua grinned hugely and charged at him. Ephraim caught him around the waist and hung him upside down. He swung him gently from side to side like a pendulum. “If I take most of it out on the weights and bag first will you come down for a workout?” he asked Chris.

Chris tapped his chin thoughtfully. “You know what I’m thinking, don’t you?”

He was almost afraid to ask. “What?”

“If I had some tattoos I could go down there and not have to worry about any bruises showing from the ass whooping you’re bound to give me.”

“So, you’re willing to go one on one right now if I bring you to get a tattoo?” he asked, chuckling.

“It does seem fair.”

“You know what else sounds fair?”

“No, what?” Chris asked warily.

“That we stick to the original deal and I take you next November when you turn seventeen. I’ll even pay for the tats.”

Chris seemed to think it over. “Can I get two?”

“If you don’t cry like a girl after the first one you can have a second one. That will be your birthday gift.” Chris was turning seventeen and would need a car, especially for patrol. “Well, one of your gifts anyway.”

“Okay.” He nodded his agreement.

“Ephraim, can I get a tattoo, too?” Joshua asked between giggles.

“When you’re seventeen.”

“Oh man! That’s like seven years away!”

“If Chris doesn’t mind, you can come with us, but you can’t tell any of the women, okay?”

“I won’t tell, but you just did,” Chris said.

Madison’s scent drifted towards him. He turned around to see Madison watching them with an amused expression. “Why don’t you boys go downstairs and get a snack. I need to talk to Ephraim.”

“Come here, squirt.” Chris took Joshua by the ankles and carried him down the stairs that way. They could hear Joshua giggling and pleading with Chris to put him down all the way to the kitchen.

“Eph-“

He held up his hand, still listening. “It sounds like the boys have just found your stash of candy bars.”

She waved the comment off. “I don’t care about th- they’re touching my chocolate?” She was momentarily distracted. She’d been looking forward to her collection of Mounds bars and peanut butter cups.

He pointed to his ear indicating that she should listen. “You hear that?”

“Yes, those little punks. They should know better than to come between a woman and her chocolate.”

“I’ll buy you more.”

She stomped her foot. “I don’t care about the chocolate. I want to talk to you!”

He turned his back on her and headed down the stairs. “So you can tell me you hate me again? I can never get enough of that,” he said dryly.

“Would you please stop?”

“No, just say what you need to say and get it over with. I’m warning you I will snap if you tell me you hate me one more time.”