Aria honestly thought she'd want to go out drinking after Neron punished us, but when he finished torturing us, Aria couldn't move and asked that I carry her up to our room. On the way to our room, she kept saying she's never drinking again, not until she decides to give up boxing. Which means I won the bet.

After we both soaked in our cold baths, Aria wanted to pay up on the bet she lost before she laid to rest and before getting Wyatt. I was only messing with her when I made the bet because she had no idea what Neron had in store for us, whereas I did. Neron's worked Aria hard before, and she's seen how he's punished me, but I saw it in his eyes and heard it in his voice when he warned us last night in the elevator how much trouble we were in. I knew he'd be the hardest on us yet, especially with Aria, since she's still an amateur boxer and how she has many upcoming matches.

Aria called him bluff and found out the hard way not to call him out the way she did—causing Neron to be harder on her than he was with me. I tried telling Aria to forget about paying her dues, but when she insisted on getting it over with, saying a bet is a bet and that she needs to pay up, I couldn't resist not doing what I said I wanted to do—titty fuck her.

I cupped Aria's beautiful breasts, and as I rocked my cock up and down between them, I pinched and pulled on her nipples. I was enjoying having my cock wrapped in between Aria's tits, but I saw she wasn't finding what I was doing all too exciting, or it was because she was sore. So I stopped, slid my body down hers, lowered my mouth, and slowly kissed her.

"You're not too enthused about me titty fucking you, are you?"

Her lips twisted, and then she sighed and huffed. "Why would I be? I'd rather have you moving inside me. I may be sore, tired, and drained, but I'm sorry to say, I find no excitement with you getting yourself off in between my tits."

"I thought you'd like to try something new. I heard it was an excellent feeling," I said lowly, brushing my lips against hers.

"Maybe it's exciting for all you men. But it isn't for us women," she scowled. "If you feel the need to torture me, then I suggest you get going on it before the anger inside me kicks in, and you find yourself naked and handcuffed to the bed, with me leaving you inside the room alone and for the housekeepers to witness your kinky ways."

I arched an eyebrow. "Really."

"Yes. Really."

I'd punish her for threatening me, but I won't. What Neron did to her and me was all my fault. I'm the one who suggested we go to the bar and drink to upset Neron. Not her. I looked down at my dark-haired beauty and smiled. "Don't worry, hun. I'm not going to punish or torture you. Instead, I plan on making love to you. But I still want to hear you screaming my name," I smirked, lowering my lips to her mouth and leaving her gasping for air when I broke from the kiss.

I slid my tongue from her neck along down her creamy, silky body and to the treasure chest that was patiently waiting for me to unlock while she got the air needed for her to breathe. Then my tongue slithered in between her moistened folds. It flicked and licked. And I sucked and tugged on her swollen nub, smiling while she panted and squirmed. I released her clit, gripped onto her thighs, and lowered my tongue further into the key opening, thrusting it inside and unlocking the endorphins that wanted their freedom.

Her hips moved like a roller coaster—up and down and side to side, but then it came to a screeching halt. Her fingers combed through my hair, and then she entwined her fingers in my hair and pulled—tugging my hair hard while screaming my name, and then her breathing hitched.

"Gunner, fuck me, please," Aria begged, moaning.

My eyes flickered up to see her expression, but I noticed her chest rising and falling fast first. And seeing her beautiful tits staring me in the face, my cock told me it wanted them wrapped around him again. Aria raised her head and looked down at me, furrowing her brows. "Please," she begged, her fingers letting go of my hair and moving her hands to either side of my cheeks, pressing and pulling me desperately up to her lips.

Tasting her sweet lips had my cock throbbing harder, wanting to be inside her. Then, just as I placed myself at Aria's opening, she decided she wanted to be the one in control and flipped me onto my back, straddling me. She lifted her hips, wrapped her hand around my cock, and slowly slid herself down the totem pole—riding me Texas-style.

Actually, Aria saved riding the horse and rode the cowboy—me. I'm her cowboy.

I felt her insides pulsating against my shaft and knew she was coming close to orgasming and releasing. I, too, was nearing my excitement and gripped firmly onto her hips. I helped lift her, and in one hard thrust, I pulled her down, holding her firm and repeating the hard thrusts until we both completed our mission.

And we finished just in the knick of time. Someone was outside our door, knocking. "I'll go see who it is," I groaned, moving Aria off me.

I grabbed one of the hotel robes Aria had laid over the chair and hurried to the door—opening the door ajar and peeking my head through the crack. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry if I've interrupted something," Justin said, smirking as if he knew what Aria and I were up to. "By how you're undressed, I see that I have."

"You're fine; you're not interrupting anything," I lied. "What did you need?"

"Well, I'm here because nobody answered their phones, and the little guy is looking for his mommy. I think he's hungry for the tit instead of the bottle."

Oh shit.

I turned toward the bed, saw Aria hurrying to the bathroom, and then turned back to Justin. "Aria's in the shower. But I'll let her know, and I'll tell her to hurry," I said, closing the door, but stopped when Justin's arm blocked me from closing it.

"Wait," Justin said.

"What now?" I irritatedly asked, peeking my head back through the crack.

"We leave tonight, right?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Because our mother's doctor called me, informing me that our mother's been asking to see us. This morning, she apparently got upset with the hospital staff because we hadn't been there to see her, claiming they were the ones keeping us from seeing her. So I wondered if you could talk Aria into finally seeing her with me after we get back home."

This is excellent news!

I hope.

I nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

***

Since coming home from Texas, I've talked to Aria every night for the last week, urging her to visit her mother. But whenever I'd bring it up, it was like I was talking to a brick wall. She'd ignore me, or she'd come up with an excuse of why she shouldn't see her. And when I'd bring up how decisive she's been these last few months about seeing her mother, she'd get upset—adamantly saying she's not ready to see her, but that's a lie. I know that she's more than eager to see her by the look in her eyes.

Not only have I been trying to talk to her about it, but Walter also has. However, all that's done is upset her more. After laying Wyatt down at night, she'd immediately head down to the gym to work out and hit the bags. Instead of going down and working out with her, I let her be. I knew what she was doing. She contemplated what to do and took her frustrations out on the bags.

Walter was in the middle of watching one of his favorite shows when I sat down next to him—debating if I should interrupt. So instead, I sat and watched Gunsmoke with him until a commercial came on, and he finally broke the silence. "I know you didn't just come in here to sit and watch an old show with me. So what is it that you need to talk to me about?"

"I like Gunsmoke," I admitted. I remember watching it with my father when I was little and sitting next to Walter; watching the episode with him brought back some wonderful memories. "I always used to watch this show with my dad."

"You may like the show. But I'm no dummy. I know you came in here and sat next to me for another reason; I can feel it. So, spill," Walter pressed, studying my face.

"Well, there is something I've been curious about, and I was hoping you could fill me in on some things."

"Go on."

"A few weeks back, when you took Aria out to dinner. What did you tell her that night?"

He turned his head towards me, scrunched his eyebrows together, and rubbed the corner of his mouth as he studied me. "My discussion with Aria was only between her and me."

I nodded. That's understandable, but it still would be nice to know what was so crucial that Walter had to take Aria out and talk to her when he could have done that here. Gunsmoke came back on TV, so I looked away from Walter and leaned the back of my head against the couch, watching a very young Burt Reynolds get into a barroom brawl.

After another brief moment of silence, Walter sighed, "Ah, hell, since this involves you too, I might as well inform you of some things I talked to her about."

I sat forward, folding my hands together, and turned, curiously looking at Walter. "It involves me too?"

"Of course it does. So I'll get right down to it and tell you what I told Aria. I did a lot of thinking, and because I have no family and look at you and Aria as my family, I listed Aria as a beneficiary of my will back when I was still living in the nursing home. So once I leave this earth and go to my wife, you and Aria are to receive everything of mine. You two deserve it. I didn't tell Aria this since she was already overwhelmed with everything I told her that night, so I'll tell you. But I also opened an account for Wyatt that he won't be able to touch until he turns twenty-five."

Whoa...

"You didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't. But I wanted to. It's my thanks to you and Aria for everything you both have done. And Aria is the greatest thing that ever came into my life after my wife passed away." He leaned closer to me. "She's also the greatest thing that's happened to you as well. We both received something special when we got to meet her. We got to experience her love, generosity, strength, and badass attitude. I'm not sure if you feel this way, but she's pissing me off."

I chuckled a little. Aria's pissing him off?

"How is she upsetting you? I didn't think you could ever get upset with her."

"Because..." he emphasized. "Aria's a much stronger person than what she's been showing all of us lately. That girl's allowing way too much to bother her, and there's no reason for it. She's letting them get to her. And that's not the Aria I know. So when I had my talk with her, I insisted that she go see her mother, telling her that she holds the answers to everything Aria has wanted to know."

Feeling confused, I scratched the back of my head and furrowed my brows, thinking about what he said. "You know something. Don't you? Why else would you tell her that?"

"I may," he admitted, looking away from me.

"If you know something that she's been waiting years to hear, why wouldn't you just tell her what you know?"

He looked back at me. "Because it's not my place to tell. Aria needs to hear it from her mother, not me."

Now he has me even more curious.

"What did you find, old man?"

Walter shook his head. "You're not going to get anything out of me, so I'll tell you what I told her. She needs to visit her mother and ask her about a woman named Stella."

"Aria mentioned that part of your conversation to me. But who is she? Can't you just tell me?"

He looked away from me and to the tv, watching the show he was watching. "Once Aria visits her mother and does what I ask that she do. You'll know."

Damn, he's tough.

"Can't you enlighten me, just a little?"

Walter shook his head like what a little child does that doesn't want to eat something getting shoved in their face. "Nope. And I'm not going to apologize for not telling you either. I'll take it to the damn grave if I have to. So I suggest you work harder on that hardheaded woman and get her to go see her mother before it's too late."

I slapped my back against the couch and crossed my arms. What the fuck is the ole man hiding?

Silence filled the room again, and it got me thinking about this Felicia woman, how she too is a fighter, and then I thought about Aria's confrontation with the woman in the ladies' room. "What's this Felicia's fighting name? Can you at least tell me that?"

He chuckled. "You're not going to quit bugging me about it, are you?"

"No, I'm not. It has to do with my wife, so I'll continue bugging you about what you know about her life until you finally tell me."

"If I tell you. Will you get me a fucking drink?"

Ah...

Aria would kill me if I gave Walter any alcohol. He's lucky she allowed him to have a couple of shots months ago after her first big win.

"I'm not so sure that would be a great idea. Aria would blow a gasket."

"Then you can forget it..." Walter turned his head and raised an eyebrow as high as the Missouri arch. "If you're that desperate to know, then let's exchange. You give me what I want. And I'll give you what you want in return. And that'll only happen if you get me a fucking beer, scotch, or bourbon. Preferably bourbon. But then again, I'll take whatever you give me," he devilishly smirked.

Damn, Walter's a tough negotiator.

I took a deep breath, then turned and looked around me before looking back at Walter.

"How much do you want to bet the moment I hand you a drink in exchange for what I want to know, I'll get busted?"

"I thought you're a risk-taker? I thought you like breaking the rules? Did you change your ways and turn into a chicken?" he dared, pushing me hard to get him that drink he desperately wanted. "Squawk. Squawk," he mocked, imitating a scared chicken.

He knows I never give up on a dare, and then for him to call me a chicken and mock their sounds?

Crap.

"You don't want to know, do you?" He dared again. "Pussy..."

All right, that's it.

Now, he's calling me a pussy.

I may enjoy pussy staring me in the face and my tongue pleasuring it, but I won't stand to be called one. So I stood fast, and as I left the room, I heard Walter chuckling. What a little shit. He knew he fucking had me when he called me a pussy.

I entered the kitchen and rushed to the cupboard to grab a glass. Then, I bent down, opened the bottom cabinet door, and reached behind everything to grab the bottle of bourbon I had hidden—a celebration gift Justin had given me after Wyatt was born. I never cracked it open, so after I popped the cork, I brought the bottle up to my nostrils and heavily breathed in, relishing the beautifully scented aromas of the oaky, toasted, vanilla-flavored bourbon.

Damn him.

Walter knows I'm going to get caught. And I'm pretty sure he's making me do this, so we do get caught. I just know it. So, before I got in trouble with Aria, and because this bottle of bourbon was a gift from Justin. And since I didn't want Walter enjoying this bourbon before me, I reached for another glass, poured a tiny sample into the glass, then looked around me before bringing it to my lips and drinking what I poured. I closed my eyes and savored the tasty treat. Then I quickly poured Walter and myself a glass, hid the bottle back where I had it, and headed back to Walter.

I sat down on the couch next to Walter, staring at the two drinks in my hands. If I'm going to give him this glass of bourbon, he better tell me everything I want to know. Preferably, I'd like to know who this Felicia is. Because something in my gut has been telling me she was the one who approached Aria in the ladies' room when we were in Texas.

And if it was Felicia, I want to learn more about her and her intentions with Aria. I don't need another repeat of what happened with Shelby, The Tormentor, Cole, and the others that tried ruining our lives.

Walter turned towards me and groaned. "Are you just going to sit there like a stiff morning cock and stare at my drink? Or are you going to hand it to me to get what you want in return?"

I looked at him, sternly saying, "If I give you this, you better tell me, Walter. I'm risking my gonads, and you know as well as I that I'll get my ass kicked if she catches you and me drinking what we're not supposed to be, especially you."

He extended his hand toward me, chuckling. "You enjoy getting a beating from Aria. You never cared before, so why now?" He looked away from the glass and at me, studying my face before saying, "Yep. I was right. You turned into a pussy." He looked away, shaking his head. "Such a shame."

"I'm not a pussy, Walter. I like having my cock beaten by Aria, not my face. Big difference. Plus, I enjoy having sex with my wife, and I'd be pissed if she cut me off because I gave into you."

Walter reached for the glass, groaning, "Give me that before we're both caught."

I handed the drink over to him, then lifted my glass to my nose. Ahhh. "Smells divine, doesn't it?" I asked in awe, lowering it to my lips and tilting my head back as I took a sip.

"That it does," Walter happily replied. "Now, the question is, does it taste as good as it looks and smells?"

Ahem...

Busted.

I choked on my drink, my eyes widened, and I lowered the glass to my lap.

Shit...

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Walter snap his head my way. "Oh shit," he said quickly. He looked down at his drink, then raised his drink to his lips, and in one swallow, he drank the entire glass of bourbon. All while keeping his eyes on the one woman who looked like she was about to kill us both.

"What on earth are you two doing? Gunner! Walter!" Aria squealed, walking to us with her hands gripping her hips.

I looked at Walter nervously, smiling. "Well, it's been nice knowing you."

Walter looked from me to Aria, then back to me, grinning. "It sure was; say hello to my wife for me. Just do me a favor and let her know that I haven't forgotten about her and that I'm still coming."

"Walter, you're joking, right?" I whispered.

His grin widened, and then he looked down at the drink in my hand. "You better drink up before your lights go out."

"Walter," I whispered louder.

"If you're not going to drink it, hand it over. I'll drink it before Aria wastes it."

He's not helping the situation any, so that's telling me he was hoping we'd get caught... Walter's eyes roamed up, letting me know that Aria was standing beside me. Well, I'm in trouble anyway, so before she takes my drink away, instead of sipping and enjoying my glass of bourbon as I wanted to, I need to do what Walter did and slam my drink.

But now I'm pissed that Walter got what he wanted, and I didn't get what I wanted in return.

Walter knew it too. He looked away from Aria and down at me, laughing. "You better say your prayers before you think about drinking that."

Asshole.

Walter knows he just got away with keeping his secret buried inside him even longer. Walter extended his arm across me with a shit-eating grin and held his glass up at Aria. "That was damn good. Can you please get me a refill before you kill Gunner and me? And while you're at it, refill Gunner's glass, too. We both need something delicious to enjoy before the lights go out."

Smartass.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.😊😊