Lawless by Jane Anthony

Author:Jane Anthony
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jane Anthony
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Hank

Flour dots the landscape of the black stone countertop. Kira sits on the edge, a metal whisk lodged in her teensy fist, stirring the batter inside a metal mixing bowl next to her.

“What do you think? Is it smooth enough?” I ask, jostling up the bowl.

“Hmmm. Maybe a few more stirs.”

The savory scent of sizzling butter floats around us. Kira got up at the butt crack of dawn. Today is her first day of preschool, and she’s excited. Hope, on the other hand, is a basket case. To say it’s been tense in the house is an understatement. As the last days of summer ticked by, Hope skated closer to the edge of panic. The day has ultimately arrived, and I want to make it as pleasant a transition as possible for them.

Kira looks up with her saucer-sized eyes, batter dripping from the whisk as she pulls it from the bowl. “It’s ready!” she announces with a wide grin.

“Okay, let’s do it!”

I lift the bowl and drop three blobs of batter onto the hot, greased pan. We watch them ooze together into the vague shape of Mickey Mouse. Pancakes are my specialty. Sunday breakfast was a big deal in my house. All my father ever did was work. He spent his days in a local garage rotating tires, and at night, he worked the graveyard shift as a security guard at a big hotel chain in Birmingham. He barely had time to sleep and wash the sweat off after one job before heading to another. But Sunday was “the Lord’s day”—the one day he had off, and the one day a week I remember spending any time with him.

Bubbles pop and the edges turn golden. I shimmy the spatula—with Kira’s help, of course—under the pancake and flip. A chocolate chip smile completes the face, and breakfast is served.

“All right, darlin’. Hop down.” I lift her from the counter and set her on her feet. She jaunts to the table and climbs onto her seat just in time for Hope to stroll through the kitchen.

“Mornin’, sleepy head,” I say with a grin.

Fuck, she’s sexy in the morning. Her hair is pulled off her face in a messy pile on her head, showing off her long, creamy neck. A neck I’d love to sample with my teeth and my tongue as I take her any way I want. The tawdry imagery rolling through my overactive brain makes my body react. I have to remind myself to be cool. There’s a kid in the house.

Hope’s gaze darts around the room. “What’s going on in here?” She brushes a messy lock of hair from Kira’s eyes.

“We made pancakes!” Kira announces.

“I can see that! Looks yummy,” she replies. “Why didn’t you wake me?” Curious brown eyes land on me as I sit at the table cutting Kira’s breakfast. Even without a drop of makeup on, Hope’s lashes are thick and dark.

“Wanted to let you sleep,” I tell her, reaching for the bottle of syrup on the table.

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