Page 93 of Rome
The next few hours were spent on our normal nightly routine of dinner, kitchen cleanup, baths, and bedtime stories. Caleb slipped into the nursery in the middle of Everly’s feeding, his eyes tracking our every move.
We crept out of the room after I got her settled in her crib, heading downstairs to curl up on the couch together for a while.
We quietly talked about our day, and I shared some stories about my job and the students at the school that I knew Caleb would enjoy.
“You really like your job, don’t you?”
I nodded, tilting my head to look up at him. “I do. The kids are fun to be around, and most of the parents aren’t bad. We have a few that Michelle wants to strangle, and a couple of the teachers are bitchy, but for the most part, I really like everyone. It helps that Molly and Brad showed me the ropes when I first started, so I felt like I fit in right away.”
Caleb grumbled a bit at the mention of Brad, Molly’s best friend and the school’s gym teacher. He was hot, built, and completely in love with his boyfriend, Drew. Caleb still held a grudge because I’d once referred to him as the “hunky gym teacher.”
I poked him in the side and admonished him to be nice. “At least Brad wears clothes and doesn’t offer his ass to anyone but Drew,” I pointed out. Caleb barked out a laugh and agreed that yes, Brad wasn’t that bad compared to the club bunnies.
“I’m sorry you had to walk in on that scene today, Abs. You handled it well, but I know it had to bother you.”
“Yeah, it fucking bothered me, Caleb, especially when I know if happens all the damned time. What would you do if I got a job where I had to touch men’s bodies – in all kinds of personal places – for hours on end? What would you do if I had men coming on to me all day, the way some of your female clients do? You wouldn’t like it any more than I do,” I huffed. “I’ve never liked it, and I especially hate it now.”
He was quiet for a few minutes as he hugged me closer to him and ran his hand over my hair to soothe me. I heaved a sigh, then whispered an apology.
“I’m sorry for lashing out like that. Let me rephrase it. I feel insecure knowing that women are throwing themselves at you all day. I feel angry that they think it’s OK to make passes at you. I feel frustrated by the double-standard in our relationship sometimes. I feel that there’s a lack of respect for the club’s wives and Ol’ Ladies, because we’re expected to overlook the god-awful predatory behavior of women who have had sex with our men, women who are thrown in our faces time and again, women who get called cutesy names like bunnies when they should really be called what they are – club whores. I feel defeated, sometimes, because I know there’s nothing you can do about that part of the club culture, and I just have to live with it.”
It was his turn to sigh deeply, and I felt him press a kiss to the top of my head. He cleared his throat, then asked, “You’re right. I can’t do much except apologize for the club culture, as you put it. I hope it helps now that there isn’t a single woman in that clubhouse that I’ve touched. I know how hard it was for the first couple of years especially. I tried to show you respect by making it clear that I was off-limits and wanted to stay that way.” He was quiet for a few seconds before he admitted that it hadn’t done any good in the end.
“If that bitch knew I didn’t want to be approached then she ignored it, but ultimately, it was on me. I’m the one who made vows to you, and I’m the one who broke those vows, I’m the one who disrespected you by not listening to your concerns about my drinking.”
“I feel like if you ever do that again, I’m going to rip your balls off and beat you with them,” I whispered harshly, and Caleb laughed.
“I feel like I’ll let you,” he retorted, which made me laugh in turn.
I nuzzled my face against his chest, breathing in the scent of leather which always clung to his clothing. We were both quiet for several long minutes, and I was startled a bit when he spoke again, his low voice rumbling under my ear.
“I can make some changes at the shop. I can only take male clients, or females as long as they aren’t getting ink anywhere intimate, and they aren’t being flirty and shit. I can pretty much spot the ones who are going to be trouble, and I’ll direct them to the other guys from now on. I’ve been doing that a lot anyway because it gets on my fuckin’ nerves,” he declared. “Do you think that would help?”
I smiled, because yes, that would help. Just having him listen and actually hear me helped, and I told him just that.
“You keep finding your voice, baby girl, and I’ll listen. I’ll try to listen even when you don’t speak up, I promise you.”
“I feel like I want to kiss you,” I whispered, and within seconds, Caleb’s mouth was on mine.
Chapter 31
Rome/Caleb
We kissed for several long minutes, frenzied, feverish kisses that left me rock hard and leaking pre-cum inside my jeans.
I kissed my way down her neck, pausing to nibble on that sensitive spot just under her ear that always drove her wild. She moaned and arched her neck, giving me better access and I nuzzled her, inhaling the scent that I’d missed so goddamned much.
I skimmed my hand down her body, brushing over her tits and feeling her hard nipples even through the padding of her bra. She stiffened a little, and I remembered that she’d always been a little self-conscious about having her tits played with while she was nursing, although I always managed to make sure she got over that and enjoyed it in the end.
Not wanting to push her too far out of her comfort zone just yet, I slid my hand lower to toy with the button on her pants. Her body stiffened even more when I slipped my fingertips just under the waistband, gently rubbing over the soft skin of her belly. I thought at first the reaction was because her stomach had always been a ticklish spot, but she didn’t relax and a quick glance at her face showed that she was no longer into this.
I slowly withdrew my hand to rest it on her stomach, and she started to apologize. I shut that shit down quick.
“No, Abs. Don’t you ever apologize for not being ready, or not being in the mood for sex.”
“It’s not that. It’s just that there are things we need to talk about, and I’m not sure how to do it without it seeming like I’m throwing shit in your face.”
I cupped her face in my hands, needing her to understand that I wanted to know what she was thinking. “Throw whatever shit you need to throw my way, baby girl. Find your voice, tell me how you feel.”
