Boink helped me off the side-by-side and held my hand as we walked up the cabin.
A woman who was holding a light purple crock stepped forward. “Elle told us you guys were staying here, and we thought we would do the neighborly thing and welcome you.” She looked at her deadly casserole accomplices. “We figure a few home-cooked meals would be just the right thing to say welcome to Pines Peak.”
“How nice,” I said skeptically.
“I’m Agnes, that’s my husband Jim over there, and these other two are my daughters Carnie and Wendy.”
A chorus of “hellos” went up from the other three.
“Elle is on the way over with the cornbread. She got it into the oven late and told us just to come on over without her,” Agnes explained.
“Out exploring the property?” Jim asked.
Boink hitched a thumb over his shoulder. “Just went to check out the view on the cliff.”
“Momma, can we set these down? The meatloaf is burning through my hot pad.” The one Agnes had said was Carnie held up the white covered dish.
“Come in, come in,” I urged. I let go of Boink’s hand and climbed the steps of the porch. “You can put them in the kitchen.”
Boink followed behind me and pulled out a set of keys. “I’ll unlock it for you.”
I halted in my tracks. Of course, he had locked the door. I hadn’t even thought of that before we took off.
He opened the door and held it open for all of us to file through.
“No need to lock your doors around here,” Jim said as he walked past Boink. “The only thing you need to worry about around here are bears getting into the garbage.”
“I’ll keep the door locked just the same if Bertha and I aren’t here,” Boink muttered.
I helped the girls and Agnes set their dishes on the kitchen island and asked if they were thirsty.
“Wine?” Agnes asked. She wasn’t a shy one at all.
“Sure. I picked up a bottle when we were in town yesterday.” It wasn’t anything fancy seeing as it was a twist off, but it was good enough to hopefully give me a buzz.
“The girls just got off of work, and we told them to meet us here.” Agnes shrugged off her coat and tossed it on the back of the couch. “Hope that was okay.”
I grabbed the chilled bottle from the fridge. “No problem at all.” I glanced at Boink who had grabbed Agnes’ coat and was collecting the coats from Jim, Wendy, and Carnie.
Any thought of coming back to the cabin to have Boink warm me up were replaced with Agnes, Jim, Wendy, and Carnie sitting in my kitchen drinking wine with casseroles of death.
“Knock, knock.” And now Elle was here. She walked into the cabin with a large cast iron skillet in her hands and beelined straight over to the stove top. “Heavens above. I grabbed that sucker straight out of the oven and came right over.” She set it down with a thump and smiled at me. “Hello, dear.”
“Uh, hi, Elle.”
“Bertha, you don’t mind us stopping by. I know you guys stocked up on groceries yesterday, but I figured if we brought over a couple of meals, it would make unpacking and getting settled in a little bit less stressful.” She beamed at me, and I couldn’t be mad at her for interrupting us.
“It’s no problem at all. We were just out for a ride and were surprised to see the trucks in the driveway.” I wasn’t going to mention the fact that I had thought they were with the mafia that was trying to kill me. She sat down next to Agnes and straightened the placemat in the center of the island.
“Figured you guys could use some company living out here in the middle of nowhere,” Agnes added. “No one would know you were here if it weren’t for Elle letting us know.”
I grabbed three glasses down from the cabinet. “Uh, you’re right. Thank goodness for that.”
I knew Boink was not going to be happy about that. He was trying his damnedest to make sure no one knew about us being here, but it seemed we were the talk of Pines Peak.
“Got any beer, Melvin?” Jim asked Boink.
Crap, I had almost forgotten that we weren’t Boink and Mayra.
“Uh, I picked up a twelve-pack yesterday. I’ll grab ya a bottle.”
Jim sat down next on the other side of Agnes at the kitchen island. “I know it’s only quarter to four, but it’s been a hell of a day.”
Boink moved to the fridge, and I took two steps to the right to stand close to him. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, hoping that Boink was the only one who could hear.
“For what?” he asked lowly. He put his hand on my hip and pulled me a step closer.
“For them,” I smiled lamely. If I hadn’t started talking to Elle at the store, she never would have figured out where we were staying or invited herself over.
“Not your fault, M.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and his hand gave me a gentle squeeze. “Though if you want to try and make it up to me later, I’ll be good with that.”
I smacked him on the chest. “Is that so?” I giggled.
He grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “It is, M-baby,” he murmured. There was so much promise in the way he said “M-baby.”
“Well, you can sure as hell tell they are newlyweds,” Agnes boomed.
“Mom,” one of the girls chastised her. “You really need to announce that to everyone?”
“It’s what your mom is good at,” Elle laughed.
Boink let go of my hand with a wink and reached into the fridge. “You guys want to stay for dinner?” he asked.
“Oh no, we couldn’t impose like that,” Elle blustered.
It was too late for imposing seeing as they had already made their way into the cabin and were sitting at the kitchen island. Carnie and Wendy were camped out on the huge couch scrolling through Netflix and arguing about what to watch.
I filled the three glasses with wine. “It’s really not imposing. We would just eat some of the delicious food you guys brought over.” I grabbed a glass for each Agnes and Elle and set them in front of them. “Won’t take much at all to get dinner on the table.”
Boink moved to grab the other glass of wine I had poured and handed it to me. He draped his arm over my shoulders and pulled me close. “I’m sure there’s a football game on we could watch,” he suggested.
Carnie and Wendy both groaned in protest.
“You know,” Jim perked up, “I think there is. Fork over the controller, girls.”
Boink gave my shoulders a squeeze, pressed a kiss to the side of my head, and headed into the living room to help Jim wrestle the TV controller away from the girls.
Elle and Agnes both stared at me.
“Uh, so…” I floundered for words to say. I hadn’t expected to have an actual conversation with anyone today other than Boink.
“He loves you,” Elle blurted.
Agnes nodded her head. “Sure does. I can see it the way he looks at you.”
The way he looked at me? Half the time, he looked at me like I was crazy or he wanted to strangle me. “I think you both started drinking before you came over,” I laughed.
“Nonsense,” Elle scoffed. “I see it in the same way Jim looks at Agnes.” She leaned forward and whispered loudly. “Though, to be honest, not sure what he’s seeing.”
Agnes smacked the back of her head. “You’re a bitch, Elle.”
My jaw dropped, and I wasn’t sure what the hell was going on.
Elle threw a wink at me and turned to Agnes. “Takes one to know one, big sis.”
“Well, I would say the same about your husband looking at you all in love but…” She put a hand to her mouth and looked around. “You ain’t got one.”
“Burn!” Jim called from the living room.
“Blow it out your butt, Jim,” Elle called.
Agnes turned to me and shook her head. “Don’t look so shocked, darlin’. We’re just joking.”
“Sister love and all that crap,” Elle muttered. She took a huge swig of her wine and nodded at the cornbread and othe
r food on the counter.
“The cornbread is warm enough, but if you want us to eat soon, you’re gonna have to stick those two in the oven,” Agnes advised. It was like these two had the same brain. Elle motioned at the food and Agnes explained what I needed to do. “The other one is cobbler that I pulled out of the oven before we left.”
“And you were giving me crap for not having my cornbread done right away,” Elle grumbled. She scooted back her stool and grabbed the bottle of wine off the back counter. “You warm up the food, and we’ll keep our chairs warm.”
I turned on the oven and opened the door with a big smile on my face.
Not at all what I had planned for the night, but I had to admit, I wasn’t having a bad time.
Boink and me spending the night in bed would have been better but spending the night with new friends wasn’t bad at all.
*
Boink
“Make sure you bring her to the potluck Wednesday. Everyone would love to meet you guys.”
I nodded and leaned against the doorframe. “I’m sure she won’t let me forget about it.”
“Agnes! Get your ass in the truck. It’s a half past ten,” Jim yelled through the open window the driver’s side of his truck.
She waved her hand at him to quiet down. “You keep yelling like that and you’re going to wake up Bertha.”
Nothing was going to wake up Mayra right now. After dinner, she had taken a pain pill, which mixed with the four glasses of wine she had, helped her to pass out half an hour ago.
“Mama, get in the truck,” Carnie called.
“Oh, all right,” she blustered. She patted me on the shoulder and stomped down the steps mumbling under her breath about finding a new family who let her have fun and do what she wanted.
I closed the door and locked it.
It had been a fun night with Elle and her family, but they had stayed an hour longer than they needed to.
After dinner, Wendy had mentioned she had a couple of board games in her truck and we had all wound up playing a game of Monopoly and then a trivia game that had Elle and Agnes bickering back and forth while we all laughed at them.
Mayra was passed out on the couch, and a light snore rumbling from her.
Any plans I had of having a little fun with Mayra after everyone left were out the window now.
Mayra was moving around much better, but I could tell that she was still sore. Taking the pain pill had helped but mixing it with wine totally knocked her out.
I cleaned up all of the empty glasses and bottles, turned on the dishwasher, and flipped off all of the lights. After I pried the remote to the TV out from under Mayra, I turned it off and looked down at her sleeping body.
The couch was comfortable enough that I could just leave her sleep, but I knew the bed would be better for her. She was going to be sore in the morning from all of the moving she did today so at least getting her into a comfortable bed would help.
I hoisted her up into my arms, careful not to hurt her back, and made the slow climb up the stairs to the loft.
“Where are you taking me, Melvin?” she whispered sleepily.
“Bed, M.”
She hummed under her breath and laid her head on my shoulder. “Bed sounds nice.”
I bumped the lights on and walked over to the bed. “Let’s get you tucked in.”
“Bathroom, first,” she whispered. I set her feet on the ground, and she padded over to the bathroom.
I turned on the bedside lamp and turned off the overhead light.
Mayra padded out of the bathroom and looked over at me. “Where are you going?”
“Bed, M.”
She looked over at the bed. “It’s right here. Why are you by the stairs?”
She was expecting me to sleep with her. “It’s been a long night. I was just gonna camp out in the spare bedroom.”
She rolled her eyes. “The bed isn’t made, Boink. The only reason this one is, is because I made it after I got out of the shower this morning.”
“Then I’ll just sleep on the couch.” That was where I had slept last night.
She walked over to me and tilted her head back. “Get in the bed.”
“Mayra, I don’t ne—”
She grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the bed. “It’s a big bed, Boink, and I don’t want to sleep alone.” She climbed into the bed and fluffed the pillow under her head. She laid on her side and smiled sleepily. “Besides, it’s a big bed. You don’t even have to touch me if you don’t want to.”
It wasn’t about not wanting to touch her. That was the one thing I knew I wanted to do. I didn’t want to rush her into anything she didn’t want to do.
We had kissed today, and if Elle and her family wouldn’t have shown up, we might have taken things further, but we hadn’t.
“M, I can just sleep downstairs.”
“You can, but then how can you know I’m safe when you’re down there, and I’m up here?”
“You’re safe, Mayra.” Nothing and no one were going to get to her.
She yawned. “I’m not sleeping until you get in this bed with me.”
That was a lie. She was likely to fall asleep in thirty seconds if we stopped talking. “Why do you want me to sleep with you so badly?”
“I just do.”
Well, at least she didn’t try to feed me a line of crap again.
“Pwease,” she pleaded.
Well, hell. I was trying to be a gentleman and not pressure her into anything, but she wasn’t having it. “Let me hit the bathroom.”
She closed her eyes, and a sly smile spread across her lips. “I’ll be here, waiting.”
After I walked out of the bathroom, I moved to the opposite side of the bed from Mayra and slid in under the covers. She rolled her body into me and draped a leg and an arm over me. “Goodnight,” she whispered.
“Night, M-baby.”
She snuggled into me and laid her head on my chest.
Tonight ended with Mayra in my arms, and tomorrow was going to start with her in my bed.
Tomorrow was going to be a fucking awesome day.
*
Chapter Fifteen
Mayra
“Did the cabin come with a maid or butler?”
Boink’s body rumbled beneath me. “I think Wrecker might have skimped on the maid.”
“Figures,” I grumbled.
“I’ll let Clash know you request maid service.”
I smacked his chest and snuggled into his warmth. “Don’t do that. I know everyone at the club hates me already. They don’t need to think I’m a diva or something.”
“What do you mean they all hate you?”
I rolled my eyes and laid my hand on his bare chest.
It was half past nine, and Boink and I were still lying in bed where I was enjoying the feel of his bare chest with colorful tattoos all over it.
“Uh, did you forget I have the mafia trying to find me? I put the whole clubhouse in danger.”
“You’re not the first chick to do that,” he chuckled.
I lifted my head and looked up at him. “Say what?”
“Well, you’re first to mess with the mafia, but each of the other girls have brought shit along with them that messed with the club. Nikki had some crazy guy stalking her, Karmen had a guy trying to hurt her and her dad.”
“What about Wren and Alice?” I asked. At least I was in good company with having trouble follow me.
“Uh, Wren was Cora’s friend who got in with the wrong guys.”
“I’m assuming there is a lot more to that story than that,” I whispered.
“Maniac saved her, M. That’s all I can say.”
If Boink didn’t want to tell me about what happened to Wren, I had to imagine that it was pretty awful. “So what about Alice?” I couldn’t imagine her getting into much serious trouble.
“She was more of a distraction for Wrecker while he was trying to deal with club stuff. Though I do hear talk about her locking a gu
y in her trunk, but that was before she met Wrecker.”
“A guy locked in her trunk?” I couldn’t help but giggle. That sounded like something Alice would do. “And now you’re stuck with the mafia chick.”
He put his fingers under my chin and tipped my head back further. “Not stuck with you, M. Not in the way you’re thinking.”
“Admit it, you were super pissed at me before.”
“I was but being pissed at you isn’t going to fix anything. You should have done shit a hell of a lot differently, but we’ll get it fixed. Though I still don’t get why you went to work for Oakley. You went from one bad thing to the other.”
I twisted my head out of his hold and laid it back down on his chest.
“Mayra,” he called. “Why does it feel like there is more you need to tell me?”
Because there was more. “Since we don’t have a maid, I guess that means I better get up and make coffee.” I tried to scoot out of bed, but Boink wrapped his arm around me and rolled me onto my back. He covered me with his body and caged me in with his arms.
“Don’t move,” he growled low.
Shit.
Shit shit shit.
I didn’t want to talk about this. I didn’t want to ruin the moment we were having just being a regular couple lying in bed together. “Boink, please. I don’t want to talk about it. Not now.”
“And when do you want to talk about it? When the Banachi’s find you and either kill you or sell you? I don’t think you understand what you are dealing with, Mayra. I told you I was going to help you get out of trouble, but I can’t help or protect you when I don’t know what’s coming at us.”
“I…I don’t…”
“Mayra,” he growled.
“I don’t think it’s anything that can hurt me. It’s just the reason why I went to work for Oakley.”
“And what was that reason?” he demanded.
I closed my eyes and willed myself to sleep. If I wasn’t conscious, I didn’t need to have this conversation with Boink. “I’m feeling kind of sleepy.”
“Mayra, so help me, if you don’t tell me what the hell your reason was for working for Oakley, I’m going to paddle your ass until you tell me.”
Fallen Lords MC: Books 4-6 Page 24