Page 8 of Owning Emma
Chapter 5
ROMAN
I couldn’t even standto be in the same room as Shaw at the moment. Every ounce of energy I had was spent restraining myself, so I didn’t stomp over and give him a black eye. He sure as fuck deserved one.
Volunteering my money, my home, my fucking property to entertain his new obsession with that little girl fucking infuriated me. Sure, I’d admit she was hot, but she wasn’t like the typical girls we brought home. She was too good to be hanging around the likes of any of us.
No, we needed the grit. The damaged souls, the lost wanderers searching for a moment of freedom, a second to forget, a sliver of escape, from the mundane life we are stuck living. Little girls who wear pink have absolutely no room in our life. She wasn’t even blonde, and I’d seen Shaw fuck enough girls to know his type.
Yet there he was, watching her like she was a fucking goddess while she batted down his charm any damn chance she got. The rest of the men? Fucking flirting saps were eating out of her palm. It didn’t even phase her, either.
Then, there was my mother. My damn mother was clinging to her like she hadn’t seen another female in her whole life. She doted on Emma like her new prized possession and fuck me; it made me feel like shit. Yeah, I probably should have gotten her extra help before now, but really, she seemed like she was doing fine. She always had every evening meal made, insisting that all her boys eat together. She was up early on Sundays for group breakfasts; she cleaned, did the shopping for Shaw and me . . . but this was all stuff she chose to do. I didn’t ask her. I was sure the boys would love a break from the lectures every time they spent a Saturday night away and skipped Sunday breakfast.
But now, she seemed happier than ever. She’d never looked unhappy, but the way she was now smiling at Emma caused pain in my heart for being a shitty son and not seeing to her needs. It was my job, and I fucking failed her.
“She’s quite a nice piece of ass, isn’t she?” I was so stuck on watching from my sulky corner of the room I hadn’t heard Jackson approach.
“She’s an employee now, Jack,” I replied, neither confirming nor denying his claim.
“She’s your employee, boss. Not mine, and let me tell you, I’ve never been more fucking thankful in my life.” He let out a slow breath, letting it whistle through his teeth. The sound of it grated my nerves, and I tried to focus on my inner calm.
“Krank’s already set her in his sights,” I confessed, knowing that we all knew what that meant.
“FUCK!’ He inhaled loudly and let it out. “So, that’s the real reason she’s here?”
“Partially. Honestly, it’s not my business. If Krank wants her, that’s no one’s fault but her fucking pussy of a father. But, Shaw has taken a liking to her.”
“A game of cat and mouse with that little body does seem appealing.” He was watching her talk to Donavan from across the room. His eyes roamed over her, causing a bit of anger to rise.
“That’s not what she’s here for, but while she’s here, for however long, it’s up to you boys to help keep her safe. Krank will want her more so now that he knows we have an interest in her. Any ties to me, and she becomes a sitting duck. You know that.”
“So, it’s all look and no touch?” He sounded disappointed, and it was so fucking satisfying.
“No touching,” I confirmed.
“Why do you have to be such a fucking killjoy, Roman? Why can’t we protect her and play?”
Because she’s not like us. She’s beautiful. Soft. Undamaged by horrors of our world. “Look at her, don’t you think she deserves more than to be dragged into a life like ours? All the fighting and blood and blue-collar jobs? She doesn’t seem like a blue-collar job type person, don’t you think?”
“There is nothing wrong with what we do. It’s work, honest work. You never had a problem with it before, man.” He took on an offended stance, and I decided I would already need another drink to get me through this fucking night.
“I don’t have a problem with it now. But think about it, what was the last girl you brought home like?” I watched as he formed a mental image in his head. “Get me now?”
“Fuck, you’re probably right. We are a bunch of dirty bastards, but her strolling around here in that tightly buttoned sweater thing is going to fucking kill me, man. Feel like going out tonight?” He took a swig of his beer while adjusting his jeans.
I watched her a moment longer, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She was so fucking pure and young. I felt like a dirty motherfucking old man even being in the same room as her. “Give me an hour, and I’m in.”
I said nothing else; I didn’t really need to. I walked away and headed in Shaw’s direction, making sure he was coming along tonight. I wanted to use this opportunity to set some ground rules because living in a place like this, we needed a whole lot of fucking ground rules.
* * *
“Absolutely,under no circumstances, are any of you fuckers allowed to touch her. Am I making myself clear?” I looked at each of the guys in front of me, trying to push my point home.
“It’s all in fun, that’s all, man,” Eric groaned.
“That’s what I’m fucking afraid of. All your fun knocking up the little goodie-two-shoes, then her father gets pissed and refuses further payment, my mother pissed because she loses her new pet, and I get pissed because I’m out nearly twenty grand.” I was damn near shouting by the end of my speech.
“Relax, man; we will just poke at her a bit. No one will sleep with her,” Ty answered, his hands up in a defensive pose. Good. Anytime a defensive pose came out, it meant I was getting my fucking point across.