Chapter Eleven
Peanut stomped his feet on the new mat that had appeared at the door a week ago after one of Phoebe’s shopping trips. She’d been living with them for a little over three weeks and already the changes in both the house and her were evident. He had always loved being at home but with Phoebe and Jasmine at the house he never wanted to leave. She cooked like a goddess and Jasmine loved her.
He kicked his boots again, not wanting to drag any of the mud in for her to clean up. Apparently, she liked things a bit cleaner than he was used to because she kept the place spotless. It was funny to see her and Jasmine going through the house with Jasmine trying to help her clean and Phoebe distracting her with small tasks that were more busy work than real cleaning.
He pulled the door open hearing the giggles from the living room. Jasmine had been spending less time on her Xbox with her uncles and the boys in favor of following Phoebe around. Laughter had welcomed him home just about every night this week. He typically found them in the kitchen cooking together but today he could hear Jazzy in the living room. Wondering what they were up to, he headed in that direction bypassing the kitchen without looking.
He entered, and his eyes narrowed on the two men in the room. One was sitting on his couch with his legs crossed and the other was in the middle of the room. What the fuck were Phoenix and Viking doing here? He didn’t care that they were friends, if Viking had frightened Phoebe again then he was going to rip his balls off. He still hadn’t forgiven him for accosting her in the mall the second day she’d been here. Phoenix was twirling Jasmine around and around in the middle of the room, that was where the giggling was coming from, but he didn’t see Phoebe and his jaw clenched.
“Where is Phoebe?” he demanded, his anger evident in his harsh question.
“She’s getting something from the kitchen,” Viking said from his place on the couch. He didn’t look at Peanut for more than a second, his face covered with a frown.
“She should be back in a minute,” Phoenix said, looking over his shoulder with confusion. He looked back and forth between him and Viking, likely wondering about the coldness between them. Peanut turned on his heel and headed into the kitchen without a word. He needed to reassure himself that Phoebe was alright. The last time she’d seen Viking she’d been terrified and Viking damned well knew it. Peanut had warned him to stay away from her, but he hadn’t listened apparently.
Entering the kitchen, he found Phoebe at the sink staring out the window into the back yard. She was washing her hands and it was obvious that her mind was a million miles away. Her blonde hair hung over her shoulders and he wanted to run his hands through its length before burying his face in it and inhaling the scent of her sweetness. Over the past few weeks his craving for her had become almost irresistible. His cock was hard more than it was soft, and he’d been jacking off so much he was afraid his dick was going to fall off.
“You okay?” he asked softly, trying not to startle her.
“Oh, Peanut,” she said whirling around in surprise with her hands still wet. “Sorry, I was a little dazed there for a second. Did you need something? Viking and Phoenix said they needed to talk with you, so I let them in. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine as long as you’re comfortable with it. I know Viking scared you a few weeks ago. If you don’t want to let him in when I’m not here, don’t. I want you to feel safe here,” Peanut told her, stepping into the room and walking towards her. His arms ached to wrap around her as he watched her face for any signs of fear.
“I don’t want to cause problems between you and your friends, Peanut. If I’m going to be here, then I’m going to have to get used to them dropping by sometimes.” Phoebe grabbed a plate of cookies and a jug of lemonade. Peanut reached out and stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm.
“No, Phoebe, you don’t. If someone makes you uncomfortable you tell them to fuck off until I can be here. I don’t want you worried because someone frightens you. I know what you’re already running from and I won’t have that same fear be a part of your life here,” he told her, taking the plate of cookies and the lemonade from her.
Phoebe looked up at him, her eyes softening as she smiled a little at him before surprising the hell out of him by reaching up to touch his cheek. He felt the jolt of her touch clear to his toes and his cock stiffened even further. He wasn’t sure how that was even possible. He was damned glad his hands were full or he’d likely have grabbed her and jerked her in for a long passionate kiss. He didn’t really know how well that would go over with her. Yes, she was becoming more at home here every day but that didn’t mean she wanted to stay because of him. For all he knew she thought of him as her boss and that was it.
“I do feel safe here, Peanut. These people are your family and I will not make them wait on the doorstep until you get home just because they make me a little nervous. I’m not going to run away because someone makes me jumpy,” she whispered.
“I would come after you, you know. Not in a bad way like whoever you’re running
