Ruin’s Embattlement (Tenillo Guardians AIMC #19)

Desi Chapter 13

I had a blast tonight. Spending time with three of my favorite people in the world was wonderful. Even after Ruin had gotten uncomfortable with the women who came, I didn’t let it spoil our fun. We left the clubhouse, went to his place, and hung out longer. We didn’t have to mind ourselves there, so we held hands and kissed, even though Ty and Isaiah both moaned and grumbled good-naturedly about it.

The four of us didn’t break up the party until after midnight. Tyson said he had an early morning, and Isaiah agreed. He was going to visit his family. He went once a month to have Sunday dinner with them. It wasn’t because he wanted to see his parents. It was for his siblings. He was the big brother who loved his brothers and sister to pieces. I’d met his parents. They were cold people. How they ever created and raised Isaiah and the others was a mystery. His two brothers and sister were incredible, like Isaiah.

We walked the guys to the door and saw them out. They were barely out the door before Ruin had me in his arms, kissing me as if we hadn’t seen each other in years. I was just as eager for him. I had no idea it would be so difficult not to touch and kiss him too intimately. Being in the common room had been agony.

Ruin lifted me in his arms and carried me to the couch. Rather than setting me down, he lay me on my back and then lowered himself next to me. He plastered his body to mine. After the introduction last night to the pleasure sex could bring, even though we hadn’t gone all the way, I was yearning for more. I shoved my hands underneath his shirt and ran my nails lightly down his chest to his stomach. He groaned, then bit my bottom lip. I moaned. Abruptly, he tore his mouth from mine.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing other than you make me crazy, and I want to tear off your clothes and feast on you, then take this all the way. We’ve got to keep our heads.”

I’d talked to Mom and Skye earlier about us. They asked how I felt about having sex one day with him. I didn’t tell them what we did last night, but I did say I was excited and nervous at the same time and that I didn’t want to do anything to turn him off when the time came. They laughed and told me it was impossible to turn a guy off, especially one in love with you. They made me promise to take things at my own pace. They also advised me the key was to tell him what I wanted and didn’t want. I’d thought about very little since then and knew what I desired.

“I don’t want to keep my head. Tear whatever you want off and show me what it’s like to be with someone willingly and who loves me,” I said softly as butterflies fluttered in my stomach.

I watched as astonishment overtook his expression, and he closed his eyes. “Desi, God, you have to be sure. Please think this through. Don’t let hormones push you.”

“I’m not, Tanner. I’ve thought of little else today. You know I’m nervous, and nothing will change that until we have sex, as in going all the way. I’m ready. Unless you don’t want me tonight, then don’t stop.”

I jumped at the loud growling sound he made, and then he was on his feet. He swooped down, lifted me in his arms, and carried me down the hallway to his room. When we’d entered the trailer earlier, we’d removed our shoes and socks, and he hung up his cut. That would make it fewer things that we’d have to remove.

As we entered his room, I saw the lamp turned on beside his bed and the comforter folded neatly along the bottom of the bed. “I hoped you’d agree to stay the night since Shane is at Skye’s. Hence the bed being turned down. I wasn’t expecting anything beyond that. Tell me what you need. I’ll go at your pace.”

“All I need is you.”

“I know we have more to talk about when it comes to us, and I planned to ask this then, but it seems we should do it now. I have condoms. I’ve never not used them. However, at some point, would you be willing to get on birth control so we don’t need to use them for long? My tests are negative, and I’d love nothing more than not to have barriers between us, not even a thin one,” he said hoarsely. His tone throbbed with stark rawness.

“Tanner, I’ll go with your recommendation on this one because I have no preference. I hate to mention this, but I think in order for nothing to be overlooked or misunderstood between us, I need to say this. I have no point of reference for what it’ll be like. Yes, I’ve had sex, but you know it was never freely done by me, and it was about control and pain for my captors. Condoms were something that were used by most of them. However, as evidenced by Shane, not all, or I should say, not by one. There was no enjoyment for me whether a condom was involved or not.”

“Hey, I know, and I’m not pushing for us to go without or to make you remember awful things. It’s your choice. I know that no matter what, I’ll love what we do, and I’ll do everything I can to make it just as amazing for you. Let me ask you this. Do you want more children?”

His question stunned me. Whoa, not what I thought we’d be talking about or doing, but I answered him without hesitation. “Yes, I have always wanted more kids. Why are we discussing this now?”

“Well, if you don’t want to be on birth control, even if we use condoms, they can break, and you would be at risk of getting pregnant. With them, there’s always a tiny chance you can get pregnant even if you’re on something, regardless of whether I use a condom or not. I bring it up because I want a family with you. I’d love for there to be nothing between us. However, if you’re not ready to have more kids yet, going on the pill or the shots or the IUD is smart, though not foolproof. For me, I don’t care when we have a baby. We have plenty of time.”

His frank answer made me shiver. I knew I had time, and having a baby was a big decision, but if it were Tanner’s baby, I wouldn’t care—just not this minute. I wanted time to be with him.

“I’d adore having your babies. I’ll go with what fate brings, but I think we should try to hold off on a baby until we have more time together. But I’m warning you, Shane is almost six. I don’t want him to be ten or more years older than his siblings, so if possible, I’d want one in the next couple of years. Now, for the good news, you’re in luck. I’m protected. I get shots, so bare is fine if you want.”

“If I want? Hell yeah, I want. And know, I’m more than willing to have a baby in a couple of years. Now, enough talk about this. I need you naked, and I’ve got to get rid of these pants before they mangle an important part of my anatomy.” he grinned as he gestured to his zipper. The bulge there was straining the zipper and fabric. I wondered if it hurt. Reaching out, I ran a finger over his bulge. His groan was deep and prolonged.

“Christ, you’re gonna kill me,” he muttered.

Abruptly, he was impatiently jerking off his shirt and undoing his jeans. I wiggled and sat up so I could do the same. As he stripped, I removed my top and bra and then got to work on my jeans. It wasn’t fair. Without his cut or our shoes and socks, he had two pieces to remove. Again, he had no underwear on. I had four pieces. This meant he was done before me, and he stood there watching me continue to undress as he distracted me by stroking his hard cock. It was dark red, and he was leaking precum. His squeezing the head and bringing the precum down his length made my pussy throb with need. I also wanted to taste him.

I don’t know where my boldness came from, but I lay back and spread my legs. As soon as I did, I slipped my hand between them and rubbed a finger up and down my slit. I moaned as I bumped against my engorged clit. I was super wet, and the urgency to come was building fast. It seemed that he’d created a monster last night. I craved the releases he gave me.

“That’s my job. Move that hand,” he ordered.

“Well, it’s my job to touch you, and you’re doing it yourself. It’s only fair. Unless you’re saying I can take over,” I said coyly.

He growled lowly, and then he crawled onto the bed to join me. A thrill went through me. He was moving like a predator stalking his prey. God, where those thoughts came from, I don’t know, but I found the thought made me more needy. My nipples were hard beads. I wanted his hands and mouth on them, just like I wanted both all over my body and on my pussy. He got eye-to-eye with me. The intensity in his gaze held me frozen.

“Do you want your mouth on my cock, Desi?”

“Yes, please,” I whimpered.

“And I want mine on your pussy. I don’t know how long I can stand it, so we’re going to combine our efforts.”

“What do you mean?”

As soon as I asked, he moved. The next thing I knew, he was on his back but facing the opposite way than me. He gripped my leg. “I want you to come straddle me and present that beautiful feast to me while I give you what you want. We’re gonna try old-fashioned sixty-nine.”

I was more than willing to do as he said. I fumbled a bit, but I got to where I was above him. His hands grabbed my hips and gently yanked my bottom toward his face. There was no warning before he dove into action. A swipe of his tongue had me moaning. I wasn’t about to be outdone, so I gripped the base of his erection and sucked on the head firmly. His groan told me he liked it just as much.

It became a contest, a very enjoyable, hot one. As he used his tongue, lips, fingers, and teeth to drive me insane and closer to an orgasm, I did the same. I found, this time, that his balls were very sensitive, as well as this one spot on the underside of the head of his cock. I concentrated on them more. His breathing sped up, and he made more frequent noises that lasted longer. I was the same. I was so close that I thrust my pelvis back toward his mouth without conscious thought. It wasn’t until he tightened his hold on my ass cheeks that I realized what I did. Then he sent me soaring even though I was shocked. His tongue licked up the crack of my ass, and a wet finger rubbed around and across my asshole.

I had to scream with a mouth full of him. The vibrations had him swearing. I thought for sure he’d come too, but he didn’t. When I eventually began to relax, he rolled me off him. I was too weak to fight him, but I was worried about why. I shouldn’t have been. Next, he was standing beside the bed. He tugged my body over and around until my legs were over the side, and he was standing between them. He raked his eyes up and down my body. He appeared feverish, and his hand was gripping the base of his cock. I swear it looked even larger than before.

“I wish I could wait and get you off again, but I can’t. I’ll do it afterward. Are you ready?” His voice was strained.

I gripped my boobs and tweaked my nipples. “Yes. God, yes. I want you inside of me. I need to know what you feel like,” I panted.

Last night, in my bed alone, I’d dreamed about this moment and what it would be like. What he’d feel like. The men who raped me had never brought me an ounce of pleasure. It was all pain, humiliation, and fear. I didn’t fear that with him.

He widened my thighs further and tugged me so my ass was on the edge of the bed, then he looked at me spread out, and I felt something hard yet soft touch my opening. I knew it was his cock. I waited.

He slowly pushed it inside of me. I was prepared for the stretch. I felt a slight burn, but it was nothing like I’d experienced before. Despite the stretch and burn, there was growing delight. I felt something akin to the release I got from oral sex waiting to overtake me. But it was so much deeper, and I knew without being told when I came next that it would be way more gratifying than oral.

Ruin was patient, even though I could tell he was fighting not to go wild. He worked his cock back and forth, sinking deeper with each forward thrust to bury more of himself inside of me. While he did, he wasn’t shy about talking to me.

“Desi, Jesus Christ, I can’t believe how good this feels. It’s…man…I’ve never felt this. We’re never putting a condom between us. You were made for this, for me,” he mumbled. He kept going until his pelvis met mine. We moaned together in relief.

Once he was fully buried, he slowly drew back his hips. We were staring into each other’s eyes. He mouthed I love you then snapped his hips or something like that. It drove his cock back into me in one hard stroke. I wasn’t sure what nerve endings he hit, but they flared to life, and I cried his name, “Tanner.”

My nails bit into his hands, which were holding my hips. He grunted and then did it again. Over and over, he thrust, but it was building in tempo. I could only moan and plead with him.

“Please, oh God, Tanner, I’m dying. You’ve got to stop. It’s too much.”

My words spurred him on. He hammered faster and stronger, but it wasn’t painful. It was beyond blissful, and my insides were coiling up, preparing to release. I didn’t want him to actually stop the way he was making me feel. It was so incredible. I was slightly afraid and didn’t know what else to say. It was going to be huge.

“Hang with me, baby. I swear, it’s going to be spectacular. I’m going to make you scream, and I know you’re going to make me do the same.”

His words made me clench around his erection. He groaned. “That’s it. Squeeze me. Everything I have is all yours. Fuck, so wet. You’re damn tight,” he panted.

I don’t know what made me do it, but I used my legs to hold him close, sank my nails into his hips, and clamped my inner muscles around him. His response, besides moaning, was to rub his thumb in circles on my clit and then give it a hard flick with his nail.

The dam broke inside of me. I screamed as I released. I felt wetness spill from me. Ruin thrust two more times, then froze deep, shouted my name hoarsely, and jerked as he came. He was grunting as he did. I felt his warmth inside of me as he flooded my pussy with his cum. I kept flexing my inner muscles. I wanted to prolong our orgasms and drain every drop of essence from him. If I wasn’t on birth control, I could so see this time getting pregnant. It felt special. It was the official start of us as a couple.

When we were both done coming, and I was floating in space or something, he slumped over me, but he didn’t pull out, and he used his arms to prevent himself from smashing me. He gave me a lazy, beyond-contented smirk.

“You know what?” he asked.

“What?”

“Not only was that the best fucking orgasm I’ve ever had, but if you weren’t protected, you’d be knocked up right now.”

I looked at him surprised, and then I giggled. “I thought the same thing. Lord, honey, I can’t describe it. Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow,” the last wow slurred.

Extreme exhaustion hit me out of nowhere. My eyes drooped. As they did, Ruin moved. He slipped out of me, and I rolled to curl up on my side. The bed dipped, and then his arms and legs enfolded me. He was so warm. I snuggled back against him and forgot about staying awake. Sleep was beckoning me. All I needed was a ten-minute nap. Then, I could have an intelligent conversation with the man I not only adored but who just proved to me that sex was worth the hype as long as it was with the right person.

???

I was ready to throw something. Usually, my work didn’t upset me. Numbers and accounting had rules, and those rules made sense. I loved it when things made sense and had order. You could trust numbers, and they told a story. I’d never had a problem getting the various businesses the club owned to tell their stories, so I understood them. Luckily for the club, it seemed they were always positive tales, even if sometimes there were bumps along the way. Those bumps made it interesting.

I wanted to take back my words that jinxed everything. I’d made the mistake of saying that I was bored with the same old things every day regarding the books. Just like that, Fate or whatever decided to screw with me. It all started when I found the profit-and-loss statements for the past month weren’t balancing. And it wasn’t a tiny amount or a misplaced decimal point. It was a massive amount. I had to go back through all the businesses to see where it came from and why.

Each manager kept an eye on the books and ensured their staff logged things where needed, but they didn’t study them line-by-line or daily. That was Talon’s and my job. Occasionally, something got missed, but it was easily tracked down. New inventory was bought but not accounted for, or a sale wasn’t noted. Talon would check the books every week, and I’d help. Well, last month, he’d been preoccupied.

Gunne, his youngest son, was now at the terrible two stage, and he’d been a handful. Lorelei not only had him to care for, but their son, nine-and-a-half-year-old Zavier, was also having trouble at school with bullies. On top of that, Lorelei hadn’t been feeling well and was trying to work to keep up with her medical billing business. She’d recently gained several more customers and wanted to impress them.

In addition to his family taking some of his time, a large chunk of the rest had been sucked away from his treasurer role because of a patent. I’d learned that a few years back, he and Pitbull had been working on some revolutionary listening devices that had outstanding range, were undetectable, and more. They’d been fiddling with and perfecting them, and once they were where they wanted them, they applied for patents. Well, the good news was the patents went through not long ago. Now, they were being bombarded with requests for the devices. The US government was one of their customers, and a long line of other non-governmental people and companies were clamoring for them, too. They were scrambling to keep up.

They had set up production for the devices and had the manpower in place, but they wanted to dive deep into the background of those they were selling to. Pitbull and Talon didn’t just sell to everyone and anyone. They did everything they could to keep foreign governments and other undesirable people from purchasing their devices. That took time and extensive background checks. Phantom and Tamysin were doing those, and I heard Tyson helped when he could, but it caused a backlog.

This all combined to have Talon spending his time not buried in the books, which shouldn’t have been a problem, but I wasn’t focused on the accounts like I usually was, either. The club was making a new purchase. You’d think they had enough businesses, but that would be a no. The last one they added was to build a stable for Bella’s horses on the property next to the fenced-in compound. They expanded it so she had more horses to use to teach riding and for equine therapy. That was over two years ago. It was doing great. Her reputation was growing, and she had to hire more staff to keep up with the demand.

I wasn’t sure who brought it to the table during church, but I knew the old ladies had been talking about their newest endeavor. The spa in town, Lotus Spa, where we went if we wanted a massage, a facial, or a mani-pedi, was being sold. Kelli, the wonderful woman who owned it, was moving, and she had to sell. She had a great clientele, and she was looking for someone to buy the spa who would keep the high standards she had always had. Kelli wanted her staff and customers to be happy. Her husband got a once-in-a-lifetime job offer in Australia. They couldn’t say no, so she was selling Lotus.

I was talking to the old ladies about it one day, wondering who would buy it, and the next day, I was tasked by the club to do a deep dive into the Lotus’s financials and check out the setup and more. They wanted me to use my business degree to tell them if it was a sound investment. I think they tried to help me stretch my wings and use my whole degree, not just be an accountant. I loved the challenge of it, but it meant that both Talon and I hadn’t been reviewing the other businesses weekly. I wanted to kick myself.

Talon had been notified as soon as I began to see the discrepancies, and he promised he’d help me, but I wasn’t counting on it. He had more than enough on his plate. I only had this job since Lotus had proven to be as good of an investment as we’d hoped. The club had made Kelli an offer that she wasn’t able to say no to. All they were waiting on was for the sale to be finalized, and Lotus would belong to the MC.

The old ladies were debating on who could help run it and which guy would be tasked to oversee it unless the club went with an old lady. Adara, Piper, Londyn, and Bella all ran theirs. In Adara’s case, she had it before marrying Wrecker. The same was true of Bella and Piper, but the club bought into their businesses to help them expand. Londyn’s translation service was one hundred percent hers, or she’d be in the mix too.

I’ve been working on this since yesterday. It was barely noon, and I was ready to chuck my computer out the window or maybe bang my head off the desk or wall. How had things gotten out of whack in more than one business in a single month? It made no sense. The same members oversaw them, and they would’ve reported if anything significant had changed regarding sales, inventory, staff, and so on. They were more than competent people.

I was working at the clubhouse. Shane was off school today for a teacher’s prep day. He’d been playing and having a blast at home, and I couldn’t concentrate, even though he knew not to bother me while I was working, and he kept the noise down. Mom was watching him. She was great. On the days I couldn’t watch him myself as I worked, which lots of the time I could, she’d have one of her staff cover for her at Blossoms and keep an eye on him. I don’t know what I’d do without her or the others who were good about helping when they could.

I needed to get up, stretch out my stiff muscles, and get something to drink before I snapped. I stood and did the stretching thing, then left the room I was in and went to the common room. There were drinks behind the bar, and not just alcoholic ones either, although it would be preferable with the day I was having. There should be more in the clubhouse’s kitchen if they were all out at the bar. Everyone was at work, so the room was empty. I went behind the bar and opened the fridge that was kept there. I was crouched down, rummaging for a Coke in the back, when I was startled into letting out a scream when Niam came out of nowhere. He was frowning when he saw me,

“God, you scared me to death, Niam. We need to put a bell or something on you. Don’t sneak up on people,” I said with a smile, making sure to sound as if I was joking.

“What’re you doing back here?” he snapped.

“I was getting a drink. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Don’t you have them at home?”

“I do, but since I wasn’t working from home, walking all the way there and back would be a waste of time.”

“Why’re you working here?”

I was over his twenty questions, and treating me as if I’d done something wrong. “It’s not any of your business. Now, excuse me. I have work to do.” I snatched the drink I wanted from the back, stood up, and nudged the door closed with my knee. I skirted around him. He kept staring at me.

I felt his stare between my shoulder blades until I was out of sight. He was weird. Ruin had mentioned he wasn’t warming up to him, and he was giving him a month. If it didn’t improve, he was going to suggest to the other members that they eliminate Niam. I wouldn’t be sad if they did. He gave me a vibe that told me he wasn’t Infidels’ material.

I was passing Sin’s closed office door when it swung open, and he popped his head out. I smiled as I moved to the other side of the hallway to give him room to get out.

“Hey, Desi, what’re you doing in here, hon?” he asked with a smile, totally different from Niam.

“I needed the quiet, so I came over here to work. Have you been busy today?” I asked, guessing that the president of a successful MC like Ares was rarely not busy.

“Always. I’ve been chasing those damn funding people at the bank about closing escrow on Lotus ASAP. They don’t seem to be in a hurry. You?”

“Super busy and frustrated, so I took a break to get a drink before I launched my computer. I thought this would be a better move,” I joked.

He laughed. “Yeah, especially when you want to go back to work and can’t because you destroyed your computer. I’ve gotta tell you, you’ve been doing excellent work these past few years, and Talon told me how much it helps to have you working with him full-time.”

“He might change his tune after this,” I muttered.

“Why’s that? Come in here and sit for a minute. Tell me why you said that.”

He backed up and waved for me to enter his office. I did so, but I wasn’t overjoyed to be telling Sin about my lack of monitoring. However, if I weren’t able to figure out what the cause was and fix it, he’d have to be told, along with the rest of the guys. Taking a seat, I didn’t gloss over the details, but I kept it simple. When I was done, he was frowning and leaning back in his chair with a look of concentration.

“I’m sorry, Sin. I know I should’ve still kept an eye on things, even if I had to do it late at night. It won’t happen again.”

“Desi, no one expects you to work day and night. You were doing what you were told to do, and Talon wasn’t doing it, either. Hell, all the managers could’ve spotted a problem, but they didn’t. Look at me. I periodically check into things myself, so why didn’t I?”

“Maybe because you have this entire club to run. You’re the president who makes, I don’t know how many decisions a day, and you seem to take responsibility for all the businesses. I don’t know how you do it or have time to sleep.”

“Thank you for making me sound like a superhero, but I’m not. I have a ton of great brothers, sisters, and employees. Things happen. I have no doubt you’ll figure it out. When you do, it’ll get corrected. Let’s forget that for a minute. You need to de-stress. Let’s talk about something else. I know. How’s the move going? Shouldn’t you and Shane be moving soon? Not that I’m rushing you.”

“Well, see, there’s been a change in plans. I’ve decided not to move. It just happened, so only a few people have been told, but not Shane.”

“And would a certain new member be the reason for this change of heart?” he asked with a wink.

I didn’t know what he knew or had guessed. Ruin said some people had suspicions about us. We’d been talking about breaking it to the rest, but our free time together had us occupied in other ways. It wasn’t all about sex. The past two nights, we’d had time for just the three of us. We didn’t want to make Shane feel excluded. There’d been no kissing sessions or more. We were trying to decide how to tell Shane about us.

“I, umm,” I babbled. I was scrambling to come up with an answer without blurting out that Ruin had everything to do with it and so much more.

“Desi, no worries. You don’t need to say anything. All I want to know is if the two of you have sat down and worked things out. I know you’ve been hanging out lately, which I’m damn happy to see. Are you back to being friends?”

Deciding Sin should know and praying Ruin wouldn’t get upset with me for telling him, I did. “We are definitely back to being friends, and he’s why we’re not moving. But there’s more to it. Don’t be mad. We’ve been waiting to tell the club. We needed time to get our minds wrapped around it and are trying to determine how to tell Shane, Josh, and Jasmine. See, Ruin and I are together, like as a couple.”

A massive smile broke out. His hand slapped the desk. “About damn time! Christ, I was about to lock the two of you in a room together and not let you out until you came to your senses and acknowledged what the problem was. You’re in love with each other.”

“You sound like Mom, Dad, Tyson, Executioner, and Skye. I’m sorry. We told them first, although they seemed to know.”

“I admit, I’ve suspected for a couple of years. Until you were both ready to face it and talk to each other, I wasn’t getting involved. It was hard not to, though. I take it that the family is happy for you. Are you and Shane moving in with Ruin once Shane has been told?”

“He and I talked about it last night. If Shane takes it alright, then probably.”

“He’ll love it. He idolizes Ruin. So, you know what that means?”

“What, other than we need to get a move on telling my son?”

“The two of you need to get it in gear and start building a house.”

Ruin and I had talked about living in his trailer but not building anything. While I’d love to have our own house, it would be awhile until we could afford one.

“We’ll be more than fine in his trailer, Sin. It’s plenty big enough for the three of us, and if we need more room, Ruin said there is a three-bedroom one we can use.”

“True, but Shane is used to a lot of room, and you and Ruin need some privacy. Trailers, even with three bedrooms, don’t provide much of that. Why not a house? I even have the ideal spot open.”

“Sin, we can’t.”

“Let me get Ruin on the phone. We can talk this out.”

I sat there dazed as he picked up the phone and called Ruin. Sin put him on speaker. I didn’t know what to do other than sit there. I didn’t feel I could tell the president to put the phone down.

“Hi, Sin. What can I do for you?” Ruin asked nicely.

“Hello, Ruin. Sorry to bother you at work, but Desi is here with me.”

“Is she okay?” Ruin asked worriedly.

“She’s great. We were chatting, and I asked her something that she didn’t know how to answer. It’s a question for both of you, so I called you. Can you talk for a few minutes, or did we catch you in the middle of painting?”

“I can talk. Am I on speaker?”

“You are.”

“Hi, Des. What was the question you couldn’t answer?” He kept his voice friendly.

“Come now, give the poor woman a proper greeting. No need to hide. I know the two of you are together.” The way Sin was smirking, I guessed he was enjoying this.

There were several seconds of silence before Ruin responded. “You do? Well then, hello, babe. Can’t wait to see you when I get off work.”

“I can’t wait to see you, too.”

“Ahh, that’s sweet. Now, to the next important shit. I asked Desi if you guys would be moving in together, and she said you’ve talked about it, but you discussed the trailer. Why aren’t you building? A house would be more private, especially with a kid in the house, trust me.”

“Pres, we’ve just talked once. As for a house, that’ll come, but starting out, we can’t afford to build. Give us a few years to save up, and I promise, we’ll build one there like the rest have.”

Sin’s smile turned into a scowl. He didn’t like that answer. “This is a conversation we need to have in person. I want you and Desi to stop by the house when you get home. We’ll talk. Alright, I’ve taken enough of your time, and I know you both need to get back to work. No worries. See you later,” he concluded cheerfully yet abruptly.

“After work, then. See you,” was all Ruin said before he hung up.

I sat there, uncertain of what I should say or do. Sin helped me. He was back to smiling. “Sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to ambush you. I mean it. Come to the house. We’ll talk. I hate to cut our chat short, but you have work to do, and I do as well. Bring Shane with you. He can play with Olivia, and Kycen can drive him crazy like he does Olivia.” He laughed. His son was two, and his daughter was five.

I got up and thanked him, then got out of there. I beat a hasty retreat to where I was working and got back to it. Concentrating was challenging since I kept thinking about the meeting at Sin’s house tonight and what he would have to say. I hoped Ruin wasn’t mad at me for opening my mouth. I sent him a text apologizing, but he didn’t respond.