Reckless Temptations (The Tempted Series Book 4) (24 page)

“I don’t know why you’re insisting on living here,” my mother chastised.

For the millionth time.

After I explained to her that Riggs and I spoke and agreed to work together and co-parent, she started giving me shit. I can’t say I don’t totally agree with some of the things she’s said, like, when she warned me about keeping my guard up. Or when she told me fairytales don’t really exist and Riggs may say one thing now and do another later. I suppose she’s jaded by my father and the way he left us high and dry. I wonder if she wasn’t a woman scorned if she’d feel the same way.

“I don’t trust that scoundrel, why keep an apartment if you’re not going to live in it?” She asked, as she hung some of my clothes up in the closet.

I had Anthony take some of my things from the storage locker out this morning. There wasn’t much, but I had kept my bedroom set, and when Mia and I went our separate ways, I won the sofa in the split. Actually, she told me to take it all because she wasn’t planning on leaving her mom and dad’s house unless she had a ring on finger. Mia didn’t do adult very well. But hey, it works for me because I have a couch.

I plopped down on the couch and unpacked some of my clothes as my mother walked out of the bathroom.

“At least it’s clean,” she said, placing her hands on her hips as she fixed me with a look.

“You don’t think he has a wife or a bunch of kids he’s hiding and that’s why he has this place do you?” She questioned, raising an eyebrow in an attempt to really drive her point home.

I rolled my eyes. My mother really was supportive in a crisis. She could make me feel better with all her reassuring words.

Not.

I heard a commotion from the door and jumped to my feet, peering through the peep hole to see Riggs shouting at someone down the flight of stairs outside our apartment. Our apartment. Fucking weird.

“What’s going on?” My mother asked, nosily.

Shit.

“It’s Riggs,” I turned around and wagged my index finger at her. “Be nice!” I warned.

She scoffed.

Yeah, this was going to be fun.

Before I gave myself an anxiety attack thinking about the next eighteen years of my mother and Riggs interacting over Pea, I turned around and pulled the door open.

“Go left,” shouted Bones.

“We’re not going to clear the wall,” Riggs ground out.

“Well fuck you, next time pay for the goddamn delivery,” Bones growled.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, stepping into the hallway and closer to the stairwell, noticing the refrigerator they were trying to maneuver up the stairs.

Riggs glanced over his shoulder, turned around slightly and leaned against the fridge.

“Hi, Kitten,” he said with a smile, casually crossing his arms against his chest as he stared at me.

“Are you fucking kidding, man?” Bones called from down the stairs.

“Shit,” he muttered, turning toward the fridge and taking some of the weight of it from Bones. “Sorry,” he called down to Bones.

“Hi Bones,” I said, peaking over Riggs’ shoulder and down the stairs.

He lifted his hand and waved.

“Hiya, Kitten,” he greeted.

“I’ll drop the fucking refrigerator on you if you call her Kitten again,” Riggs hissed as he maneuvered the fridge. “Push,” he ordered, before glancing at me. “Make sure the door is open and step aside, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Sweet.

I hated when he was sweet.

It made me hopeful.

I stepped aside, getting out of the way and kicked the door open wide, just in case they got that monster of a fridge up the tiny stairwell.

Bones pushed. Riggs groaned. They both cursed their lives, the refrigerator and life in general, and by some miracle of God they managed to get it up the stairs with only clipping off a part of the bannister.

“Who’s the fucking man?” Riggs asked, grinning.

“Not you, asshole,” Bones replied as they moved into the apartment.

“Riggs,” I started, trying to warn him that his favorite person was sitting inside.

“Tell me I’m the man, Kitten,” he winked.

“You’re the man, but—” I was cut off.

“Well if it isn’t “Johnny Appleseed” himself,” my mother taunted.

“For fuck’s sake,” Riggs groaned.

“Mrs. Bianci, how are you?” Bones asked, wearing a shit eating grin.

My mother huffed as they pushed the fridge into its rightful spot in the kitchen, inspecting it for any damage.

“Does it meet your approval?” Riggs questioned, brushing his hands on his jeans before he plugged it in.

“You should’ve bought a Maytag,” she snarled, grabbing her purse off the counter. She walked over and kissed my cheek. “If you need me, call,” she said, glancing over her shoulder at Riggs. “And don’t forget, you don’t need this guy to do what you have to do,” she turned her eyes back to me. “You’ve got your family,” she said, giving me one more kiss and pressing her hand against my flat stomach. “I can’t believe my baby’s having a baby,” she whispered, before she dropped her hand and started for the door.

“Always a pleasure,” Riggs called out as she reached the door.

My mother paused at the door, lifting her middle finger to him before she walked out.

“I think she’s warming up to me,” Riggs said.

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Bones said, dropping onto the couch. “Looks good Lauren,” he commented, glancing around the bare apartment.

“It does?” I asked, my eyes following Riggs as he inspected the changes to his apartment. I waited for his face to change, for the anxiety to set into his features but he remained indifferent.

“Still doesn’t look lived in,” Riggs added.

“She just moved in,” Bones argued.

Riggs turned around. “You’re going to need more furniture and I’ve got a few televisions I’ll hang up,” he rattled off, pulling off his hat and running his fingers through his hair.

“It’s fine. There’s no hurry to get anything,” I started.

“I want you to be comfortable,” he argued. “And when the kid comes, I want him to have a normal home,” he declared, reaching into his pocket.

I wanted to ask him what his definition of a normal home was, because normal was what you made of it. Pea needed a loving home, not one stocked with flat-screen televisions.

He produced his credit card from his wallet and handed it to me.

“What’s this?” I shook my head. “I mean, I know what it is but why are you giving it to me?”

“I want you to fix this place up however you want,” he said.

I saw Bones shake his head out of the corner of my eye.

“That’s very nice of you, Riggs. So is offering your home to me and Pea but that’s where it ends. I’m not your charity case,” I said, ignoring the card he handed me and stepping around him.

“What just happened?” He asked, turning around so he faced my back. “Kitten, I don’t think you’re my charity case,” he argued.

I turned around.

“So what am I then?”

“Pea’s Mom,” he said simply, stepping closer. “Take the card Lauren, make this place look nice,” he coaxed, taking my hand and opening my palm before dropping the card into it and closing it. He squeezed my closed palm and leaned down to press his lips to my forehead. “Let me do this,” he whispered against my skin. “Make me feel useful,” he added. “And not just like some asshole who turned your life upside down,” he said, pulling back so he could glance into my eyes.

“I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow,” I began, lifting my eyes to his. “You want to do something useful? Be there,” I explained. “Adrianna says we’ll probably get to hear the heartbeat,” I added, smiling slightly.

I don’t know what kind of childhood Riggs had but our child would not be bought. A dollar wasn’t going to make up for a broken promise. He wanted to step up and do the right thing—that’s great but I wouldn’t allow him to throw money at a situation and think he’s doing his share. Pea deserved better than that. Pea deserved a daddy.

He nodded quickly.

“Yeah, sure. I can do that,” he said. “Shit,” he sighed. “What time tomorrow? I’ve got Jack’s brother’s funeral and…” His words trailed off as Bones cleared his throat, causing him to look over his shoulder at his friend.

Bones coughed and muttered something that sounded like, ‘own it’, before Riggs turned back to me.

“What time is the appointment?” He repeated.

“Two in the afternoon. Dr. Heltzer is my doctor, his office is across the street from the hospital,” I told him, looking down at the credit card. “I just want to remind you I don’t want you to feel obligated,” I said, cocking my head to the side as I stared at him. “I can do it without you,” I paused. “I just don’t want to,” I whispered. “But I will if I have too.”

He took my face in his hands, stepping closer, so I felt his breath against my lips.

“I’ll be there,” he vowed.

I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine and be reminded of what kissing Riggs felt like. But the last time we did something reckless it resulted in two pink lines. He leaned down and kissed my cheek before dropping his hands from my face.

“I’ve got to get going,” he said. “Text me the information and I’ll be there,” he reiterated as his thumb grazed my jaw.

I nodded, holding my breath as I stared into his eyes and saw the unmistakable flicker of desire. He turned around and snapped his fingers at Bones.

“Did you just snap at me?”

“Let’s go,” he exasperated.

“Don’t you ever snap at me again,” Bones warned, glancing at me. “See ya, Kitten,” he winked.

“What’d I fucking tell you about calling her that?”

“You snapped your fingers at me like I was your fucking dog,” Bones argued, as he followed Riggs out of the apartment, closing the door behind him. I heard them bicker back and forth for a few moments before I heard nothing at all. I walked toward the window and glanced down, watching Riggs straddle his bike. He fitted his helmet to his head, tilting his head back as he secured the chin strap. I would’ve sworn he was staring at me but I couldn’t be sure as his sunglasses shielded his eyes and his facial expression was blank.

Hope.

It was going to break my heart.

It was strange seeing Jack with a woman. Well, not really, the dude had a lot of bitches at his beck and call but it was strange seeing him claim one. The sucker even put a ring on it. Not that Reina was a bitch or that Jack really was a sucker. He was a lucky prick, and she was a goddess. The pie goddess. That woman could throw down in the kitchen.

I wonder if Kitten can cook.

Jack wrapped his arms around Reina as he made his way down the hill from where his brother was freshly buried, back to where our bikes lined the road. Reina smiled, and I overheard her go on about stopping at the grocery store to get ingredients.

Because I was pissed.

Because I was due a pie.

And I wanted to collect.

Jack protested, and I started to argue when Pipe made his way over to us. He was grinning as he held the phone in the air and delivered us the sweet news that Blackie had finally pulled his ass out of the coma.

There was no question about it—the pie could wait.

We hustled out of the cemetery and drove our asses to the hospital, eager to see the brother we almost lost. The hospital tried to give us some shit about all of us not being able to visit him in the ICU but that didn’t last very long and we did what we did best, disobeyed the rules and strode into Blackie’s little cubical.

“There he is,” Wolf cheered.

Jack was the first to make his way to Blackie, ignoring the tubes and pushing aside the machines they were attached to. He bent down, taking Blackie’s head in his hand and kissed the top of his head.

“My man,” Jack said, kissing his head again before he leaned back and stared at our vice president. “Left side of the table’s been empty, brother,” he explained hoarsely.

“I’m sorry,” Blackie stammered.

“You got nothing to be sorry for,” Jack replied. “I owe you everything,” he reiterated. “You saved Lacey, and you kept Reina sane,” he continued. “You sacrificed yourself for the club and that shit deserves a whole lot more than a thank you. Need you well, Black, need you to reverse this shit Jimmy has you strung out on, knocking on death’s door,” he growled. “Whatever it takes, we’ve got you,” he insisted.

“Ay!” Pipe agreed.

“Did we get him? Gold is he…” Blackie asked.

“Oh, we fucking got him,” Jack assured. “Lit that motherfucker up,” he added.

“How?” Blackie asked.

Jack turned around and pointed his thumb over his shoulder at me.

“This son of a bitch right here, saved the day, your life and my sanity,” he declared.

“And still no fucking pie,” I added.

Blackie stared at me for a moment before looking back at Jack.

“What about the deal?”

“We made a new deal,” he explained.

“You got the drugs?” Blackie asked, trying to sit up.

“C’mon man, don’t worry ‘bout that shit. You need to concentrate on getting off this shit and getting yourself good,” Jack said, as he helped Blackie adjust himself in the bed

“I want to know,” he insisted.

“We took the drugs from The Red Dragons,” I offered. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because Bones elbowed me in the gut and all eyes turned to me, glaring at me. I forgot that Blackie knew about the war with The Dragons, that he saw that shit, lived it and lost his wife in the middle of it. The guy wakes up from a coma to be reminded of the darkest time of his life.