Free Echo of Redemption by Roxy Harte

Kitten to, because I have traveled those paths with him, and thus far I have refused to push her as far as I know she can go. Partly, it is because I cherish her so much I could not bear to lose her should the depth of my inner depravity disgust her. But more, the loss of Tony has given me a greater reverence for life. Kitten is so fragile, mentally, physically, spiritually…
    Especially now that I know she is pregnant. Or maybe that is merely the way I see her, and Thomas sees her quite differently.
    I know she clings to him tighter every time they dance the wire between safe and sane and whatever lies on that other side, and until I am willing to challenge her in the same ways, he is winning. I know…I shouldn’t see it that way. Our relationships are not a competition.
    I want her to meet Lord Ice, the way I can be, the way I want to be with her but for some reason have held back. Now is not the time. Now is specifically the wrong time. She is pregnant after all, the proof of her expanding waistline more evident with each day. If anything happened to her baby because of me, I could never forgive myself…but that said. God. I want her.
    She’d been naked in my lap most of the night, eating from my fingers, drinking from my mouth. Her changing body left me crazed, and my blood was already boiling nicely just from running my hands over new curves. Then as we readied to leave, she pulled on some clothes from the staff closet, a tight white oxford shirt and a short plaid skirt. She’s never done schoolgirl for me and doesn’t know how it affects me. I reach over and pop the top button of her shirt, my fingers lingering between cloth and skin a moment before undoing a second button. I like that her breath catches and she goes still, already anticipating. I take my hand away, glancing over to see the opened shirt reveals the slightest peek of bare breast. Her breath is shallow, and she is trembling. Her pleasure has started already with the smallest change in me. I imagine the anticipatory tingle speeding through her veins.
    Rough and dirty . Her request would have sent Lewd Larry running, but Lord Ice stretched inside me and yawned…slightly bored, slightly intrigued…and as a result I race across town to the one place I know we can play awhile that might curb her desire for filth. I honestly don’t know that I can be rough and I am not out of control, far from it. If anything I am in supreme control of my every thought, my every action, but I will take her to the edge…
    Freddie is the mechanic downtown who services my cars. I’ve done business with him long enough that I know exactly when he arrives for the day. Six a.m. I also know he won’t mind if I “rent” his space for an hour, asking him to disappear, maybe get a cup of coffee to afford me some privacy. I pull into a full-service auto repair garage and drive into one of the open bays. Before I even climb out of my seat, I see he is already elbow deep in an engine. He glances up to see who has entered and smiles when he sees me.
    “Garrett Lawrence. It’s been awhile.”
    I’m wearing my work clothes, a tux and silk shirt, but have no qualms about reaching out and shaking his grime covered hand. “Freddie Martinez. Still keeping crazy long hours and refusing to pay anyone to help you?”
    He scratches the back of his neck, looking sheepish. “I’m a greedy S-O-B.”
    “If you worked a crew, you could have five times the business.”
    “And ten times the headaches.” He laughs but then seeing Celia in the front seat of my car asks, “So what brings you to my borough?”
    “Let me use one of your pits for about an hour?”
    He looks behind him at the engine he was working on, sucking his teeth as he contemplates if getting behind schedule is worth my good will. When his gaze collides again with mine, the look is one of greed. So, okay, this one is gonna cost me.
    “No blood.”
    I laugh at his only concession and pat him on the back. “Go have