Chapter Four

Mama Jo

Mike and I spent the better part of the day traveling to the Eastern part of the state. Not the most common place for a black man to live in Kentucky, but not unheard of either. Also, it couldn't have been easy. Alex's father owned a garage with an impeccable reputation. The person we talked to when trying to find the place had told us, "Don't hold it against the garage for having a colored owner. He does top-notch work."

We got a hotel room. I wanted to get two, but Mike insisted we only needed one. I was pretty sure he intended to make some kind of move on me and couldn't say I was too broken up about it. Still, I put up what I thought was an appropriate protest. He just grinned and got one room.

The next day, we found Alex's father. Job Brown had been distressed but resigned to learn what had happened to his son. And no, the Army hadn't notified him in any way. A transplant from Jackson, Mississippi, Job was a hard-working man just looking to make a living. He and his wife had nine kids with Alex being the oldest. "I was afraid somethin' like this'd happen. He OK?" Job gave me a concerned, anguished look.

"Got a little roughed up in the city jail, but he's back at the barracks now. Fort Knox. Colonel Gill is getting him a good lawyer. I know both men personally. They'll do everything they can for your son, but you have to understand there's gonna be no way for him to avoid prison time and a dishonorable discharge."

"Yeah. Figured." He scrubbed the back of his neck. "Least they ain't sendin' him off to Nam. Alex has a good heart, but he's not real good at followin' orders. Not ‘cause he don't want to. Just gets mixed up sometimes if it's more than something real easy. Gets nervous. Bit… simple."

"He's a good kid, Mr. Brown. Just scared. I think learning he was getting deployed pushed him past his breaking point. From talking to him, it sounded like he had a lot on his plate even before that."

"Yeah." He frowned. "I told him not to get mixed up with no white girl. Her daddy had it in for him from the first day he found out. Now he done went and knocked her up."

"I take it you're not happy about it either?" Mike stepped in, probably figuring I was getting ready to give the guy a piece of my mind. But I got it. It couldn't be easy for any of them to have a son involved with a white girl whose parents didn't approve. Not in the current environment.

"Of course, I ain't happy," Job barked. "You think I want to see my son havin' to fight every single day to defend his wife's honor? It ain't as bad in Kentucky as it was in Mississippi, but they still get harassed. And now they got a baby they bringin' into it? No. I ain't happy. I'm just tryin' to look out for my son, is all."

I sighed. "Ain't we all. Look. Alex has been giving Gracie his pay to keep a roof over her head and food in the house. He's not gonna have that much longer. I ain't talked to the girl yet, but Alex said she can't go back to her parents." I had a habit of falling back into my southern accent when I was agitated or talking to someone with a similar accent. I inwardly cringed but decided to just roll with it. Besides, Job Brown would be more inclined to cooperate fully if he didn't think of me as a white woman with a silver spoon up her ass.

"Nah. She got throwed out. The whole town was talkin' ‘bout it. Said he don't want no nigger baby runnin' ‘round his house. Called her white trash and said she could damned well get her stud to take care of her. He was done. Girl's mama tried to talk sense to him, but the man's as mean as they come. Next time anyone saw his wife, Luellen was havin' to explain how she'd run into a door that got her face all bruised up."

A woman stepped out of the little house. Her sundress had roses crawling over it with green leaves and a white background. She smiled but had a concerned look on her face. "Job don't mean anything by that. But that Danny Braxton's a mean man. He hits on his wife all the time, and I'm pretty sure Gracie wasn't spared. I'd take her in, but I ain't got room for my eight other kids as it is. Gracie's a good girl. Works hard and she loves my Alex." The woman -- obviously Alex's mother -- smiled sadly. "We'll help where we can, but her situation could be trouble for my other kids."

"I understand," I said. "We're headed to find Gracie now. If you see her, tell her Josephine Peyton and Michael Wilbanks are looking for her on behalf of Alex. We're staying across town. I promised him we'd talk to her. We intend to do our best to see she's taken care of."

"Do you know when Alex will get to come home?" His mother looked hopeful but resigned.

"No, Mrs. Brown. I'm afraid it might not be for a while. I'll do my best to keep you informed, but I want you to have this." I handed her an envelope. It had Ian McGregor's office phone number and address along with my full name. "This has his lawyer's contact information. When you get in touch with him, you tell him Josephine Peyton is your friend. My name's in there too. Don't have a phone yet, but I'll let you know when I do. Until then, you get in touch with Ian." I pointed to the envelope I'd given her. "Do exactly what he says. Once he's gotten better acquainted with the case, he'll tell you what you can expect. He's a good man. He'll do right by your son, I promise."

We said our goodbyes and left. Once we climbed back on Mike's bike, he started it and took off but didn't go far. He stopped at a little diner in the middle of town. We sat there for a long time, not saying anything. He was likely as deep in thought as I was.

The delicious smell coming from the diner finally got my attention. "I'm hungry."

"Figured." Mike turned to look at me over his shoulder. I gripped his arm as I climbed off, bracing myself so I didn't fall. The man had some serious muscle going on. Made me wonder what he'd look like naked. Feel like, his skin pressed against mine. I shook my head. Now wasn't the time to go there.

How long had it been since I'd been seriously attracted to a man? In the past, any man I'd thought about getting with had ruined any attraction I had the first time he opened his big fucking mouth to tell me I was a woman and needed to know my place. Mike hadn't done that. In fact, the man had followed me all on his own. Until we'd actually talked in the airport, I'd never seen the man before.

Shaking myself mentally to focus on the problem at hand, I approached the diner. Before I could open the door, Mike reached for the handle and pulled, stepping aside to let me enter. I swallowed as I looked up at him. At five feet ten inches tall, there weren't many men I couldn't look in the eyes without craning my neck. Mike was a good six-six, at least. He met my gaze with a steady one of his own. Yeah. I was in trouble.

I put my shoulders back and did my best to blank my expression. The smirk on Mike's face told me I hadn't done it fast enough. The bastard knew the effect he was having on me and was biding his time.

Once we were seated, I scanned the menu, ordering a burger, fries, and sweet tea before handing the menu back to the waitress. Mike ordered the same, never taking his eyes off me. I was sorely afraid the man saw more than I wanted him to. He certainly had my number so far.

"If we're gonna go find that girl, we're gonna need more than a bike." He watched me carefully. "Unless you plan on leavin' her here?"

"She ain't got no future here," I found myself saying softly. Shit. I'd let my hillbilly out again. I seemed to do that a lot around Mike. "Not if she wants to make a life for herself."

"What do you want to do, Jo?"

"Don't know. First, we find Gracie, then we'll figure out what to do next."

The waitress brought our drinks. Mike took a sip of his tea. "Good. If she's willin', you think we should take her back to Somerset with us? It's in a better part of the state. Still ain't great for a white girl raisin' a black baby, but with us there to help…"

"Yeah. If she's willing, that's the best choice." I raised my head and frowned. "Not sure I agreed to stay in Somerset with you."

He grinned. "Not sure you didn't either."

"Asshole." I took a sip of my tea.

The food was wonderful. Or maybe I was just hungry. I ate everything on my plate and drank another two glasses of tea. By the time we were finished, I was feeling every hour we'd spent on Mike's bike.

"We gonna try to find Gracie tonight?" Mike wiped his mouth and snagged the check before I could. I frowned at him.

"No. I need rest before we face this. Got a feeling it ain't gonna be pretty."

Mike shrugged. "Not sure why. Girl's dad kicked her out. She has no idea she's not gonna have income from Alex so she'll have trouble keeping a place to stay."

"I need to think," I muttered. "To do that I need rest."

"I know exactly what you need, Josephine." Mike stood and slapped a few bills on the table before snagging my hand and pulling me to my feet. "Come on."

I wanted to argue with him just because he was trying to take charge. Thing was, I found I was OK with that. I was exhausted. Mentally and physically. And more than a little heartsick. For some reason, Alex Brown had wormed his way inside my heart and I couldn't let this go until I was certain I'd taken care of the kid as much as I could.

Once we got back to the hotel, Mike shut the door and hung the security chain. When he turned around, there was hunger in his gaze. Hunger, and a knowing so deep I was sure he could read my mind.

"While we're in here, in this room, you're gonna let me worry about everything. You're gonna rest and recharge, and I'm gonna take over. You're also gonna let me comfort you."

"You've lost your Goddamned mind." He was delusional. "Don't think you know me or what I need," I spat, though I had the feeling my outrage stemmed from the fact that he did seem to know me. "Comfort is for the weak, and I'm not weak."

He raised his eyebrows. "For the weak, eh? You think you don't need someone to comfort you?"

"Absolutely not." I scowled at him as I backed across the room. He moved toward me like a predator stalking his prey. "Why would I need comfort? These people are nothing to me."

"Right. That's why you went toe to toe with a colonel in his own territory. That's why you threatened to cut off that cop's balls. That's why we're on our way to find a white girl pregnant with a colored boy's baby. Because these people are nothing to you." He looked angrier than I'd ever seen him, even out front of Fort Knox. "You, Josephine, are a mama tiger. You see this kid as someone who needs your help, and you're takin' care of him in the only way you can. I got no problem with that. Admit it. Own it. But do not lie to me, Josephine. Ever."

I'd backed up until I was against the opposite wall. Mike caged me in with his superior height and muscle. I placed my hand on his chest, unable to drag my gaze back to his face. His T-shirt molded that wide, muscular chest to perfection. I'd never felt threatened by Mike, no matter his size. Not even now. Oh no. Definitely not now. What I did feel was an intense lust threatening to swamp me and have me throwing myself into Mike's strong arms to see what he could offer me.

"Oh yeah, Jo. Mama Tiger. I see you. You're a hair's breadth from takin' what you want from me."

"You sayin' I couldn't?"

"I'm sayin' all you have to do is tell me what you want."

"Ain't beggin', bastard. Not for any reason."

"Did I say you needed to beg? No, Jo. I said to tell me what you want . Tell me. I'll give you the fuckin' moon ."

Before I could stop myself, I nodded. "Kiss me then. Kiss me like you mean it."

Mike covered my mouth with his almost before I got the last word out. The first kiss we'd shared was spontaneous. I think it'd shocked us both. But this one… Mike completely dominated me. His body pressed me close against the wall, mashing me against his chest in the most dangerous and delicious way. Tongue sweeping inside my mouth, he invaded my senses, consuming me. And I didn't put up a fucking fight.

His hand came around my throat, holding me steady while he continued to kiss me. I arched my neck, giving him better access. Why, I have no idea. I wasn't the submissive type.

"That's it, Mama Tiger. Let yourself go."

The embarrassing whimper that escaped barely registered as I did exactly what he told me to do. I surrendered myself to him. Let him take control. Mike grunted his approval before squatting and lifting me into his arms, urging my legs around his waist.

Next thing I knew, Mike was laying me on the bed and following me down. He covered my body with his bigger one and the weight of him was… sublime !

Moaning and rubbing myself against him wasn't even something I tried to prevent. At this point, there was no use denying either of us. He wanted me and I Goddamned sure wanted him.

With a resigned sigh, I pulled his shirt from his pants and found his skin with my fingertips. The hollows and valleys that played over his skin were sexy as fuck. I wasn't certain I'd ever seen a man as muscular and strong as Mike. He moved with fluid grace but had raw strength and power in his body that was ambrosia to a woman like me. He was powerful without smothering me. I could quickly tell this was going to be a relationship where I might control things in the real world, but in the bedroom, Mike would be firmly in charge. The surprising thing was, I found not only didn't mind, I might even prefer it.

It wasn't long before we'd managed to rid each other of our shirts. My bra followed, and Mike cupped one breast in his hand, his thumb feathering over my nipple in maddening caresses.

"You're beautiful, Mama Tiger. So fucking beautiful and responsive." As if to punctuate his statement, he twisted my nipple in a teasing caress and I cried out. Not in pain, but the most exquisite pleasure. "Let me have you." His growl sent shivers through my body. As I clung to him, I panted, trying to get my mind straight when his scent muddled any coherent thought I might have tried to hang on to. All I wanted was what Mike was doing to me. Giving me pleasure I'd never imagined existed.

When he kissed his way down my neck to my chest and took a nipple between his lips, I was gone. With a sharp cry, I wrapped my legs around his waist and ground my pussy against his very hard cock. Our jeans might have separated us, but I took what I wanted just the same.

"That's it, Mama Tiger. Take what you need. Take it from me and come." He hissed the command as he looked up at me from my breasts. His dark eyes and intense gaze pushed me over the edge from reality to some place I'd never been. It felt like a detonation inside me. A bomb searing me from the inside out in immeasurable pleasure. And still, I needed more.

"Mike!" I screamed his name as he unwound my legs from his waist and quickly moved down my body. He sat back and unfastened my pants before tugging them down my hips and thighs in snappish movements until he flung them and my panties to the floor.

"You want to take me inside you?" He lifted an eyebrow as he shoved his pants over his own hips and fisted his cock. "You want me to fuck you?"

"Yes! Oh, God! Please Mike! Please!"

With a grunt and a shove of his hips, Mike sank inside me in one smooth stroke. Again, I screamed, another orgasm overtaking me almost immediately. He was thick and pulsing inside me, and I thought he cried out with me.

It took several seconds to realize he was holding himself deep inside me but not moving. I shook my head, trying to think. Shouldn't he be moving? I was pretty sure…

"Mike?"

"Hush, Mama Tiger. Hush…" He kissed my lips. It was then I realized he was sweating, his breath sawing in and out of his lungs in a ragged pant. "Just hold still a moment, honey."

Hold still? What the fuck was he talking about? I didn't want to hold still. "Fuck me!" My demand was like steel. I met his gaze with my own, hoping he could see the determination and need to have him give me what I wanted.

"Is that what you need?"

"Yes!"

The next instant, he rode me hard, looking straight into my eyes as he took me ruthlessly. Breath exploded out of my lungs with each surge forward. I hung on tightly, gasping with each time his cock slammed home.

"Come, Josephine." His hoarse whisper was a harsh command I was helpless to resist. The second the words were out of his mouth, I obeyed. My screams were as loud as his shouts. As I clamped down around him, I felt his hot seed shooting inside me and something settled in my chest. My breathing was fast and deep, like I'd run a race, but I felt at peace. Like the interlude we'd just shared was an integral part of my life. I felt… complete.

"You good, Mama Tiger?"

"Why do you call me that?" I was good, but I wasn't ready to admit it to him yet.

"Because that's what you are. A mama tiger protecting the cubs she sees as hers."

"Cubs?"

"Yeah. Alex. His girl. Their child."

"No one said I was protecting them. And I've not met the girl yet."

He smirked at me. "But we'll be taking her to Somerset with us to our new home."

I scowled and shoved him off me. Immediately I felt the loss of his warmth and had to fight myself to keep from whimpering and pulling him back. The smirk on his face said he noticed, though. "I've not got any intention of keeping Gracie with me. God knows I've got enough on my plate just adjusting back to civilian life. And who says I'm going to make Somerset my home? Our home? You've lost your mind."

Mike rolled over on his back with a groan. His cock was still high and proud, ready for another round.

"That thing ever go down?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Only when there's not a desirable woman in the vicinity."

"Guess you're up all the time then, huh." I gave him a disgusted look. It wasn't that I wanted to think I was special or anything, but it still hurt to know I was just one in a long line of women this guy had had. I likely wouldn't be the last.

"Nope. Ain't been this hard this long in my life. Not even sure I was this horny even as a fuckin' teenager. Not to mention the fact I just came a flood for you."

That surprised me. On many levels. But I wasn't about to say so. Of course, Mike glanced my way and winked at me.

"Look," I said as I snagged my clothes and started dressing with jerky movements. I needed to clean myself up but didn't want to look like I was running away. Also didn't want to stand there naked while he looked his fill. "I don't care if we're fuck buddies. We can both scratch an itch when necessary. But you demanded I not lie to you, so I want the same. I don't need your flattery or pretty words. Just your dick."

Instantly, his gaze grew hard. "I never say anything I don't mean, Josephine. Not for you. Not for anyone." With that, Mike sat up slowly before retrieving his own clothes.

Yeah. I might have overreacted. But Goddamnit, the man appealed to me on more levels than I could count. He ticked every single motherfucking box I had. Michael Wilbanks was not only my match in every way, he complemented me like no partner I'd ever had. Who was I kidding? I'd never really had a partner. Not like I thought of Mike. He got me. And that scared the fuck outta me.