Page 7 of Triple the Secrets
Rogue: You two fuckers better hurry the hell up. I’m heading back in an hour.
Surprisingly, Fury answered back within minutes.
Fury: Gonna need at least two more hours, brother. Esme me gave me the green light for a baby, and I’m not wasting it.
He rolled his eyes.
Rogue: Fine. I’ll take them for ice cream and then we’re coming back. So shoot your load quick or Gabe will be getting a whole new kind of education.
Fury texted back with a middle finger emoji and he smirked. It was clear Fury wanted a family with Esme, and as much as Rogue liked to fuck with him about it, he was happy for his friend.
“Are you ready now, Ronin?” Scarlett’s soft voice asked, pulling him from his thoughts. He looked over at where she was down on her knees beside Ronin’s bean bag, smiling at him. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from her, or stop his cock from hardening in his jeans. Her cinnamon hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and he had to fight back the image of grabbing a hold of it as he fucked her from behind.
He blamed the damn skirt she was wearing. It was a tight, black, pencil skirt, and it hugged her hips and the rounded curve of her ass like a second skin. He had to bite back a snarl when he realized she had no panty lines showing, which meant she was either wearing a thong underneath it, or nothing at all. He wanted to go over, haul her to her feet, and drag her into the stacks to find out.
“I’m ready,” Ronin said seriously, jolting him out of his heated thoughts. Shit, was he really getting a boner over a librarian when the kids were sitting not far away? That was certainly enough to cool him off. He glanced at Gabe, who was watching Ronin and Scarlett, as Ronin carefully read the book, stopping often to sound out the words.
Neither Scarlett nor Gabe jumped in to help him, letting him work it out on his own. Eventually he seemed to get it, but the odd time he really got stuck and couldn’t figure it out, Scarlett patiently helped him to figure out the proper sounds and put them together. She was definitely good with kids, and by the time Ronin finished, she was beaming at him. “Well done, Ronin,” she praised. “You did amazing. I think that earns you a sticker, doesn’t it?”
“Yes!” he cried excitedly, and loudly. He immediately clamped both hands over his mouth. “I’m sorry, Ms. Scarlett,” he mumbled around his hands.
She eased back on her heels and nodded at him. “That’s alright, Ronin. No one else is here so it’s okay to be a little louder than normal, but just remember we have to be quiet and considerate of other people when they are here. Right?”
“Right,” he said happily as he dropped his hands.
Scarlett moved to get up, but Rogue was already on his feet and moving towards her. He took her hand and helped her stand. “Thank you,” she said, pulling her hand away, looking flushed as she smoothed down her skirt. He nodded at her and stepped back. She glanced at Gabe. “Did you want one too, Gabe?”
Gabe shook his head. “No thank you, Ms. Scarlett. But you can give Ronin mine.”
Scarlett smiled and nodded. She took Ronin’s hand and they headed for the desk, Ronin chattering away happily at her side.
Rogue couldn’t look away, and he didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“Why do boys like girls so much?” Gabe asked in disgust, making him turn his head to look at the boy. He was eyeing him with distaste. “You're watching Ms. Scarlett like Papa watches Mama when she’s not looking. It’s gross.”
Rogue smirked at him. Hell, he had just been caught by an eight year old. Not that he was embarrassed. “You’ll understand in a few years,” he promised him. “Then you’ll be chasing after girls just like your Papa chases after your Mama.”
“Maybe I’ll be gay,” Gabe said seriously.
Rogue chuckled. “Boy, I don’t care if you’re chasing boys or girls, but you’ll be interested in someone at some point and you’ll understand it then.”
Gabe sighed. “Whatever. I don’t like either right now and don’t want to.”
He turned back and saw that Ronin was carefully considering the stickers in front of him. Scarlett stood beside him and watched him patiently. “You’ll change your mind soon enough,” he said absently.
The door to the library suddenly opened, and he immediately turned his body to look at the newcomers, moving in front of Gabe. He relaxed when he saw two teenage girls walk in. It was clear to him they were identical twins, and both gave him cool looks before they headed towards the counter. He watched as Scarlett waved to them before looking back at Ronin, who had picked one sticker and was trying to decide on his second.
“You know those two?” Rogue asked Gabe softly. He’d like to think they were just two kids hanging out at the library, but he’d seen enough in his time to know what people could make children do when they were desperate.
“I think Ms. Scarlett is their mom or aunt or something,” Gabe answered. “Wren and Winter are their names. They’re nice.”
There was something in the way he said that, that had Rogue glancing down at him. Gabe was watching the girls, and Rogue bit back a grin. Not interested in girls, his ass, he thought to himself. Looked like someone had a crush on the twins. He looked back at the girls.
He put them at about fifteen, both with honey brown eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and cherub faces. Though as cute as they were, he noticed they never stopped side-eyeing him. Not even when Scarlett moved to talk to them as Ronin came towards him, stickers in hand and a huge grin on his face. Hmm, either they didn’t trust him, or his instincts that they were on the run were correct. He was betting that it was a bit of both, and that didn’t sit well with him.
No, it wasn’t his business, he reminded himself. He didn’t need the headache anyway. Instead, he looked down at Ronin and asked, “You good, Ro?”
Ronin nodded excitedly. “Can I borrow these books before we go?” he asked, moving to pick up the few he had on the floor. “I want to show Mama and Daddy that I can read it all by myself.”
