Rocco Read online

  “Hey, you know, you could always ask Brooke to rub you down.”

  “Fuck off,” I said, turning and stopping dead in my tracks. Cap, Cazzo, Jackson, and Lola were standing in the doorway, grinning like a bunch of fools.

  “Aww, look, Cap,” Lola said sweetly. “Our little Rocco is all grown up and in love.”

  “Why do you think I put them together? I knew ‘matchmaker’ would be perfect to add to my resume.”

  I pointed my finger at each of them as I spoke. “You all keep your mouths shut about what you just heard. If anyone comes up to me and says a goddamn thing, I’ll know exactly who to come after.”

  I shoved past them as best I could with my sore back, but heard Jackson call after me. “If you think you can beat us up, grandma.”

  I was gonna fucking kill them all.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Brooke

  Rocco came walking through the door about halfway through the day, bent over and in obvious pain. I rushed over and took his arm, guiding him over to the couch, but he groaned and shook his head.

  “Not the couch.”

  “Why?”

  He didn’t say anything for a minute, and that’s when it hit me. He hadn’t come to bed last night, so he must have slept on the couch. If I had known that he was going to end up like this, I never would have allowed him to sleep there. I would have left the fucking room and let him have his bed. I had just assumed that he would either come back to bed or sleep in my bed. Either one was a victory for me. But this? I couldn’t fuck him like this. It would delay my whole plan.

  I led him to his bedroom and lowered him to the bed. He grimaced when I pushed him back gently. I raced out of the room and rummaged through his medicine cabinet until I found a cream that was supposed to help relax muscles. Though, why he didn’t have someone do this at Reed Security, I didn’t know. They had to have this kind of stuff there. They worked out a lot and would need it on hand in case anyone was hurt.

  “Okay, roll over,” I said, helping him to his stomach. I pushed his shirt up and gasped. His muscles were so damn sexy and they were all mine. I squirt the liquid into my hands and slowly started massaging it into his back. My body thrummed in excitement and I found myself caressing his back instead of massaging it like I was supposed to be. I couldn’t help it. All those muscles were all mine and they were all just under my fingertips.

  “Brooke,” he said gruffly. “You’re making me more…tense.”

  “Shit, sorry.”

  I went back to work, making sure to work the knots out of his muscles. It didn’t take long for him to relax back into the bed and I was able to really rub out those knots. He was snoring softly below me within minutes. He must have had a rough night on the couch.

  After giving him a very long, very intense massage, I decided to go make him something to eat. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was injured or that it was my fault because I refused to abide by his rules. No, it was strictly part of my plan to pull him in and leave him wanting more. That’s what I told myself anyway. But I found myself looking up recipes online for the perfect lasagna recipe. After finding everything I needed, I called Reese and asked her to pick up the groceries for me. She did it grudgingly, complaining the whole time that I was only getting myself into trouble.

  I spent the next few hours making lasagna, and then remaking it several times when it didn’t turn out right. Reese must have known that I would need extra supplies because she had loaded me up with way more food than I needed. I pulled my final creation out just as Rocco walked out from the bedroom. He was still slightly hunched, but didn’t look like he was in as much pain as before.

  “What’s that smell?” he asked as he sniffed the air.

  “Oh, just something I whipped together.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Okay, it may have taken me three tries, but I think this one turned out right.”

  He walked over and looked at the lasagna, practically salivating as he looked at the melted cheese. “Is it ready?”

  “It needs to sit for fifteen minutes.”

  He reached for it and I smacked his hand. There was no way he was touching this lasagna until I knew that it was actually worth eating. Cara dropped Evie off while I set the table. I found myself feeling jealous of the little girl that had his undivided attention. But then he grimaced and had to set her down and I smiled, until he turned to me with a pleading look.

  “Could you put her in her highchair?”

  My eyes widened and I panicked. “You want me to hold her?”

  “No, I want you to pick her up and strap her in the seat.”

  I looked at the seat and then at the little girl that had her arms outstretched to me. I really didn’t want to, but how hard could it really be? I could do this. I could pick her up and strap her in. At least she wouldn’t pester me if she was in the chair.

  Taking a deep breath, I bent down and picked up the little girl, holding her at a distance from my body. Very carefully, I walked the two steps and lowered her down into the chair. I stared at the straps that seemed to come out of everywhere and then to Rocco.

  “How the hell do you work all these straps?”

  He chuckled and pointed to the buckle between Evie’s legs. “That buckle is the main buckle. You pull the straps over her arms and buckle that. Then you use the main buckle to harness it.”

  I stared down at the straps again, but nothing about what he just said made any sense. Finally, Rocco got up and finished strapping her in, mumbling under his breath, “It’s not that fucking hard.”

  “Excuse me, but I don’t have any kids. And I told you that I didn’t want to have anything to do with…this,” I said, waving my hand up and down at Evie.

  “This? This is my daughter. She’s a little human. You used to be one too. I can’t fucking believe that you can really be this hard on a kid.”

  “I’m not hard on her. I’m not berating her or yelling at her. I just don’t have anything to do with her. You knew this about me, so why are you all the sudden acting like this is news to you?”

  He didn’t say anything, just stood there staring at me angrily. His jaw was clenched hard and his eye was twitching slightly. I wasn’t sure what he expected from me. I wasn’t a kid person and I never would be.

  The rest of dinner was once again silent. Even the lasagna that I made couldn’t bring any of us out of the funk of the night. And it was really good lasagna. It was the first time that I had made any attempt to make something so difficult, and if I was being honest with myself, I had done it to impress Rocco. But it seemed that nothing I did could compete with his kid. Not that I didn’t understand that. I appreciated that he was so devoted to his kid. I could only imagine how different my life would have been if my parents had been half as devoted as Rocco was to his daughter. It showed strength of character, and that made me want him even more. It was really a shame that it just wasn’t going to work out that way.

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I was sitting on my bed that night, listening to Rocco tell Evie another bedtime story. I had to laugh to myself, because the stories were so inappropriate. Even a person like me knew that you didn’t tell kids about battle scenes before bed. That little girl was going to have nightmares.

  I flipped through my magazine, reading the same thing I had read earlier today. I was so fucking bored, but I only had so many magazines to read and no books. I didn’t have any hobbies like crafting or scrapbooking. That stuff just wasn’t for me. But I was going to have to learn something if I was going to be cooped up in this house for the next year.

  “What are you reading?”

  I looked up to see Rocco standing in my doorway, his hands shoved in his pockets and his arm muscles bulging. I licked my lips and tried to focus on the question asked, but it was so damn hard. It wasn’t like he was someone I could easily ignore. He was so sexy, and all the men at Reed Security had that sexy alpha male appeal that I wanted. Why did I have to want the one that I cou
ld never tie down?

  “Huh?” I finally said, my brain coming online again.

  “I asked what you were reading, but I think you have something else on your mind.”

  “Well, can you blame me? You’re standing in my doorway, looking like a hot fudge sundae. How am I supposed to say no to that?”

  His eyes darkened slightly, but not the way I had hoped for. Sighing, he walked into my room and sat on the edge of the bed. Leaning over and resting his elbows on his knees, he looked like he was about to say something I wouldn’t like. My stomach sank. I never got attached to men. I tried. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be attached. In fact, I was quite jealous of Craig and Reese. That was why I had pushed things so hard with her. I’d seen how much Craig wanted her and I recognized instantly how devoted he would be. I wanted that so much myself, but I’d never met anyone that made me feel the way Reese felt with Craig. I wanted a man that craved me and needed me just as much as I needed him. But I got the distinct feeling that I would never have that with Rocco. Still, if he was up for continuing this as is, I could deal with having him for just this year.

  “You know, my daughter means everything to me,” he finally said.

  “I know,” I said grudgingly.

  “I need you to try.”

  “Try what?”

  “Just…try. You know, not pretend like she doesn’t exist.”

  “Oh, I’m well aware that she exists. I eat dinner with her every night.”

  “See, shit like that. Why do you have to do that?”

  I looked at him in confusion. “Shit like what?”

  “The way you said that you eat dinner with her every night, like it disgusts you.”

  Well, it sort of did. There was nothing precious about watching a toddler eat. However, that hadn’t been the way I meant it. “I was just saying that I eat dinner every night with her, so I see her and know that she’s there.”

  “You said it like you couldn’t believe that you had to eat with her. You know, I invited you into my home…Actually, I was forced to have you in my home. I left the home I already had so that you wouldn’t go to jail. I think the least you could do is be respectful of my daughter.”

  “Look, I’m not trying to be disrespectful, but I told you that I don’t like kids. What did you think would happen? I would come here and suddenly want to spend all this time with her?”

  “No, but maybe just pretend like she’s a human being and be nice to her. Look, if this is going to continue with us, you have to change your attitude. I can handle you disrespecting me and talking trash when you don’t get your way or you’re pissed off, but my daughter is off limits. I won’t tolerate anyone treating her like trash.”

  I was shocked. Like, well and truly shocked. I hadn’t thought I was treating her that way. And honestly, part of me was pissed, but Rocco was being nice enough to let me stay here, so I could pretend like I was okay with a kid being around me all the time.

  “Fine, if that’s what you need, I can give that to you.”

  “Good,” he nodded. “So, are we good now?”

  “Sure,” I said testily. I really wasn’t good. I was pissed at my situation, even if it was my own doing. I hated that I had gotten myself into all this.

  He nudged his shoulder into mine. “Don’t be like that. She’s not here with you all day.”

  “It’s not just that. I’m just pissed. I live my life free as a bird and now I’m stuck here, living by someone else’s rules. I hate it.”

  “Well, I have some advice for you.”

  “Really? Do tell.”

  “Next time you walk in on your boyfriend fucking another man, don’t get caught fucking up his shit.”

  I snorted. “You know, I thought you were going to make some grand gesture offer.”

  “Like what?”

  “I don’t know, next time you walk in on your boyfriend fucking another man, call me and I’ll take care of the body. That would have been a good one.”

  “That can still be arranged. You’re stuck here under house arrest. It’s actually the perfect time to dispose of the prick.”

  “You’d do that for me?”

  “Well, I mean, you’d have to pay me in sexual favors for the next year, but I think we could come to some sort of agreement.”

  “Sexual favors, huh?”

  “Well, that and a stipulated number of blow jobs.”

  “Is that something you really like?” His eyes flicked down to my mouth and my hand slid across his leg to cup his package. “I could be persuaded to give in to your stipulated number for a different kind of favor.”

  He swallowed hard. “What’s that?” he croaked out.

  “Sleep with me.”

  His eyes flicked up to mine. “What do you mean?”

  “For the next year. You sleep in the same bed with me. I’m not even asking for you to share the same side of the bed with me. I just want to have someone in bed with me.”

  “Just sleeping,” he said gruffly. “No cuddling. No kissing or touching.”

  I shook my head. “Just sleeping.”

  “I think I can do that. But that’s as far as I’m willing to go. I’m not giving you full out bed rights.”

  “So, we have a deal.”

  “I believe we do.”

  ✯✯✯✯✯

  I giggled to myself as I laid in bed with Rocco. I had finally gotten my way with something. The thing was, I actually did want to sleep in bed with him, and it had nothing to do with manipulating him in any way. I just liked to be in bed with him. I liked knowing that a strong man was just within arms reach. I liked the comfort that it brought. And honestly, for all his cuddling rules, he was doing a really bad job of following those rules. Which was why I was practically giddy inside. He was currently wrapped around me, and we weren’t even asleep.

  “So, what was all that stuff that Knight was getting pissed about?”

  Rocco’s breath huffed against my neck. “We’ve just had a rough couple of years. When Craig met Reese, we had just returned from being on the run.”

  I turned and looked at him in confusion. “Wait, on the run from what?”

  “From a bunch of bad guys. It’s a very long story. We were gone for a year.”

  “Wait, if you were on the run, when did you have Evie?”

  “I didn’t know about her.” I narrowed my eyes, sure this was some kind of line. “It’s true. I came back and…this woman showed up one day. She dropped Evie off and that was that.”

  “She didn’t want her?”

  He huffed out a laugh. “No, she didn’t want her. I was in total shock. I had no fucking clue that I had a kid, and then I had a kid. It was the fucking weirdest feeling in the world.”

  “Wow. I mean, I know that I’m not a big fan of kids, but that’s just cold.”

  He nodded. “She wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box. She…she named Evie Syphilis.”

  I snorted and quickly slapped a hand over my face. “She named your kid after an STD?”

  He nodded again. “She didn’t even get it. The worst part, the woman’s last name was Clapp.”

  I burst out laughing. There was just no way you could make up this shit. “Oh my God, please tell me that you’re joking. Nobody can be that stupid.”

  “She was. I blame myself. I’m not usually that picky about who I sleep with.”

  “I thought you always wore a condom?” I challenged.

  “I did. She had a piercing,” he said with a grimace.

  “Wow….I just….wow. There are literally no words.”

  “I know. You don’t have to tell me.”

  “So, have you heard from her at all?”

  “No.”

  “Do you worry about her contacting you one day?”

  His eyes narrowed. “About what?”

  “About Evie. I mean, come on. If she didn’t legally give up her rights, if she just dropped her off, aren’t you afraid that she’ll come back and try and take her away?”
>
  He stiffened and rolled to his back. “No, I hadn’t considered that.”

  “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to make you-”

  “No,” he interrupted. “I should have thought about that.”

  It was quiet as we digested that information. I hadn’t meant to make him worry, but it was something he needed to consider and possibly take action on. If he didn’t, he could risk a lot of court battles.

  “What are you going to do?” I finally asked.

  “I can’t lose her,” he said quietly. “When I first got her, I actually considered giving her up for adoption.”

  “Really?”

  “It was just such a shock. I don’t think I would have actually done it, but it was a lot to take in. I always had this picture in my head, you know? I would have a wife and kids, but it would be with someone that I loved. That first night with her, I didn’t know how to take care of her. I felt like such a failure. But I got through it, and it was fucking rough, but she was part of me. I couldn’t see just letting her go.”

  I moved closer and placed my hand on his chest as I rested my head on his shoulder. I couldn’t imagine what that would be like, to let a baby go. I mean, sure I didn’t want them, but once they’re there, it’s not like there are a whole lot of options.

  “Well, I’m sure that she won’t come back,” I said, trying to comfort him. “If she just walked away, then she obviously doesn’t love Evie the way you do.”

  He turned to look at me, his eyes boring into mine. “How can you be so sure she won’t come back?”

  “Well, it’s been too long, first of all. I mean, if she really regretted giving her up, wouldn’t she have come back sooner? And I see the way you are with Evie. It’s so obvious that she’s the most important thing in your life. I mean, I don’t really know what that feels like because my parents always had more important things to do, but I would imagine if your ex felt even half of what you do for Evie, there’s no way that she could just walk away after having her for the first part of her life.”