“All the plugs are full on that side of the bed.”
“I could have unplugged the fucking lamp, Indy,” she snapped, throwing the covers off and stalking toward the bathroom in her T-shirt and thong.
“Bell!” I snapped.
“What?”
“You’re, like, naked.”
“It’s not my fault your man decided to barge in here, it’s also not my fault my best friend decided to be an idiot and turn off my alarm. Y’all get what you get when you fuck with my system.” She stepped into my bathroom, returning with a glass of water and a pain pill. “Take it.”
“You go take the couch, Bellamy,” Jekyll said, his eyes on me, avoiding Bellamy and her curvy as sin body. “I’m gonna stay in here.”
“I’m quite capable of taking care of my best friend,” she argued. “It’s not my fault she sabotaged me.”
“Not really up for argument,” he continued, his eyes still on me. “I’m staying in here.”
“Indy?”
I sighed. “It’s fine, Bell. If you’re okay.”
“Yeah, whatever,” she said, grabbing her pillow. “You touch her, you die,” she growled, before strutting out, closing the door behind her.
“You didn’t ogle her,” I whispered.
“Why would I?”
“Um…tits and ass on ten?” I hissed.
“There’s only one set of tits and ass I care about, GoGo, and they’re not on your best friend.”
I slid my fingers through his beard. “I like that, honey.”
He smiled, but his mirth didn’t meet his eyes. “That fact doesn’t get you off the hook.”
“In my defense, I thought I could go the whole night and didn’t want to burden anyone.”
Jekyll frowned. “I’m not dignifying that bullshit with a response.”
“Fine,” I said. “I need to pee. Will you get Bellamy, please?”
“Nope,” he said, shoving my covers aside, and wrapping his arms around my waist. “Up.”
“Hyde—”
“Swear to Christ, woman, you try to argue with me, I’m gonna lose my shit.”
I wrinkled my nose but looped my arms around his neck and let him lift me off the bed. He helped me to the bathroom, then tucked me back into bed, stretching out beside me after he turned off the lamp.
“I’m sorry I woke you,” I whispered.
“I wasn’t asleep.”
“Are you okay?”
He sighed. “Yeah.”
“You can talk to me, honey.”
“I know. Just not ready to bring up the shit with Scrappy, yeah?”
“Okay. But please don’t bottle it.”
“I’ll do my best.” He linked his fingers with mine and growled, “Don’t fuck with my alarm.”
I closed my eyes. “I won’t,” I promised, the meds kicking in and taking my pain away as I fell back to sleep.
* * *
I awoke to the sound of little girl giggles and rolled my neck to find Jekyll no longer next to me. He’d woken me at about six to take more meds, but I’d fallen back to sleep quickly, so I had no idea what time it was now.
“I’m awake,” I called out, only because Jekyll had threatened me with being tied to the bed if I tried to move without help.
“Indy!” Mina squealed, and little feet slapping on my hardwoods sounded before the blonde tornado rushed into my room.
“Careful,” Jekyll warned, right behind her.
“Belly made pancakes,” Mina said, excitedly making her way to my side and stroking my arm.
“She did?” I smiled. “She makes the best pancakes, huh?”
“Yes,” she hiss-pered. “And Grandpa made bacon.”
“My dad’s here?” I asked Jekyll.
“Yep,” he said, turning to Mina. “Why don’t you go hang with Bellamy and have more pancakes while I help Indigo?”
“Or you could get Bellam—”
“Nope,” he bit out, cutting me off. “Don’t even try.”
I sighed. “Fine.”
“Go hang with Bellamy, Mina.”
Mina walked away and Jekyll threw my covers off, helping me sit up.
“Do you want a pill now?” he asked. “You’re due.”
“I’m okay,” I said, but when he helped me off the mattress, I grabbed his arms, hissing in pain. “I’m not okay.”
“Right. Pill now,” he said, settling me back on the bed.
He helped me dress and then carried me into the living room, lowering me into my giant chair where I was able to join in the fun without danger of getting hurt.
Mina scooted her butt off the kitchen stool and came running to me. “Do you want a pancake?”
“I would love a pancake, thank you.”
“How many?” she continued.
“Two, please.”
She gave me a hug, then made her way back to the kitchen to give my dad the order while Jekyll set a cup of coffee on the table beside me. “Those meds kickin’ in yet?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
He stroked my cheek, then went back to the kitchen. I watched as he focused on Mina, chatting away, telling him all about the book she wanted him to read to her at bedtime, and he nodded, and chuckled at all the right times, solidifying his hero status in both Mina’s and my book.
I let the sweetness of the morning fill me up, and I couldn’t wait for more of this domestic bliss in the coming weeks.
Indigo
For the next two weeks, my life consisted of physical therapy and doctor follow-ups. I was never allowed to be alone, so either Jekyll, Bellamy, or my dad was with me at all times.
By day three, I was getting antsy.
By day four, I was over it all together.
But, here I sat, totally unable to do anything for myself. Mina had decided being with her friends would be okay as long as she could see Jekyll every day, so she was at Walker House for the time being while the authorities tried to find family members who could take her and the others. Bellamy was pretty much doing my job, with the occasional phone call when I needed to make a final decision, and my dad was hovering in the form of calling me every four hours to make sure I was doing okay.
“Babe,” Jekyll said, sounding irritated.
“What?” I snapped. I was currently stuck in my oversized cuddle chair, a blanket settled around me as some movie played on the television in front of me. The sound was on way low because I’d suddenly developed a headache that I could not seem to shake. Jekyll was in my kitchen making dinner, but I wasn’t hungry.
“You want fries?”
“No.”
“You sure? I’m making ’em fresh,” he said.
“When I say I don’t want something, Hyde, I mean I don’t want it,” I growled.
He frowned, setting the knife down and sliding out from behind my kitchen island, walking my way. “You in pain?” he asked, hunkering down in front of me.
“I’m always in pain,” I said pathetically.
“Talk to me.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I like my alone time.”
“Yep, I’m aware.”
“Have I had any alone time in the last million years?” I challenged.
“Nope.”
“Exactly.”
“And you know why you can’t be alone, so what’s the problem?” he asked.
“I have stated the problem. And, yes, I know I can’t be alone, but it pisses me off, and I’m feeling my feelings because of that,” I huffed out, pulling my blanket closer.
He smiled gently. “You need me to solve any of this, or do you just want to be mad?”
“I just want to be mad.”
“You wanna be mad while eating fresh fries, or do you wanna be mad and just eat steak?”
I narrowed my eyes. “I want to be mad and eat fries.”
“That’s what I thought,” he retorted, standing, but leaning down to kiss me gently. “This’ll all be over soon, GoGo.”
“This’ll all be over soon, GoGo,�
� I mimicked, and Jekyll grinned at me over his shoulder.
“You’re cute when you’re bein’ ornery.”
“You’re cute when you’re bein’ ornery.” I may have sassed him, but I could not stop a smile at his laugh.
He was proving he was good at joking me out of a bad mood, and I was finding I liked it when he did it.
I was a naturally happy person, and hated being blue, so avoided it at all costs. But when I was down, I tended to spiral, so finding someone who could manage that side of me was kind of surprising. Even Bellamy gave me a wide berth once a month.
But Jekyll was with me through all of it, and he didn’t seem to want to be anywhere else. It was nice. It was also scary.
Particularly because I was falling in love with him.
Fast.
Jekyll brought me a pain pill, pulling me from my thoughts and set it on the table beside me. “After you’ve put some food in your stomach,” he ordered.
“Okay, honey, thanks.”
He cupped my chin. “You got this.”
“We’ll see.”
“Love that spirit, GoGo,” he droned, heading back into the kitchen, and returning with a plate filled with more food than a linebacker could eat.
He pulled up a tray and set everything on my lap. “There’s no way.”
He chuckled, pulling up a tray of his own. “Eat what you can, baby.”
After grabbing another plate from the kitchen, he sat beside me and opened a beer.
“Have we reached the TV dinner stage of our relationship?” I asked, cutting into my steak.
“I’d say yes, but I haven’t farted in front of you yet.”
I made a mock barf sound and wrinkled my nose. “Small mercies.”
He laughed. “Take your pill.”
“I’ve had two bites,” I argued.
“Yeah, I know. Take it.”
I rolled my eyes, popping the pill into my mouth and swallowing it with water. “Happy?”
“All I care about is you bein’ happy, Indigo,” he said. “And you will be, as soon as that kicks in.”
“Thanks for taking care of me,” I said, shoving a fry into my mouth. Lord, the man could cook. “And adding to my daily calorie count.”
“Need your thighs a bit thicker when I eat you out.”
I almost choked on my fry. “What the hell?”
He grinned, taking swig of his beer. “You heard me.”
I recovered, focusing on him, and raising an eyebrow. “Are you any good at it?”
“No complaints.”
“That’s what all guys say.”
“How many guys have said that to you?”
“A few.”
“That doesn’t bode well,” he mused.
I wasn’t sure if it was the drugs, or the fact I was trusting him more and more each day, but I couldn’t stop myself from blurting my experience. “Honestly, I’ve only slept with three guys, but my last relationship… if you can call it that… ended because he thought the way to make me, um, come, was to say the alphabet out loud while he was feasting.”
“Fuck me,” he breathed out.
“And he had to sing the song, Hyde.”
“No fucking way,” he said, obviously trying not to laugh.
“Yep,” I said. “I didn’t end up sleeping with him.”
“Small mercies.”
I chuckled. “Giant mercies.”
“Yeah? How come?”
I shuddered. “I just couldn’t. What if he sang Row, Row, Row Your Boat while we fucked? Um, no.”
Jekyll dropped his head back and laughed. “I’m filing all that information away for future use.”
“That scares me a little.”
He grinned, leaning over, and gripping my chin gently. “Once I get you under me, baby, you’ll be ruined for anyone else.”
“You ruin me for anyone else, and you’re stuck with me. Forever.”
He grinned wide, his already beautiful face spectacular. “That’s the plan.”
I almost lost my breath. “Hyde,” I whispered.
“You freakin’?”
“Not even a little,” I admitted.
“You in this with me, then?”
“You installed butt washers on my toilets without me asking,” I whispered.
This fact was true. He’d had one of his biker friends (Scooby was his name, I think) install outlets in the areas just behind my toilets in order to accommodate bidets. Jekyll had installed them the same day and I honestly don’t know how I ever lived without them.
“Yeah, I did,” he confirmed.
“You took care of me. Again.”
“Yeah, I did. Always will, baby.”
I smiled. “I know. So, I’m in this with you,” I said, eating another fry.
“Love that, GoGo.”
I blushed. “Me too, honey.”
He set his tray aside, standing so he could lean over and kiss me. “Never had this, baby.”
“Never had what?”
“A relationship not built on sex first.”
“I haven’t had a relationship that’s gone this deep,” I said. “I’ve never known the real deal before. I may have thought I had at some point, but there’s been nothing like this.”
He kissed me again. “Love that too.”
“Me too, honey.” I cocked my head. “I would really like you to share a little about you next time, okay?”
He closed his eyes briefly, but nodded and I smiled.
One more kiss and he was back on the sofa with his food in front of him again. I fell asleep shortly after I’d finished eating a quarter of what was on my plate, awakening to the sound of Jekyll’s low voice.
“Yeah, Hugh, she’s good. She’s sleeping.”
“No, she’s not,” I countered, and Jekyll stepped out of the kitchen, walking toward me and handing me my phone.
“It’s your dad.”
“Yeah, I picked up on that.” I put the phone to my ear. “Hi, Daddy.”
“Hey, love. How are you feeling?”
“Better every day,” I said. “How are you?”
“I’ll be better when you’re all healed up.”
“I know.” I smiled. “But my babysitters are all doing an exemplary job.”
He chuckled. “I see that.”
“I’m okay, Dad. Promise.”
“I’ll swing by tomorrow, mo stoirín.”
“I have PT.”
“After PT,” he stressed.
I sighed. “Okay. I’ll text you.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Sweet dreams, my darling girl,” he said, and I smiled.
“You too, Daddy.”
He hung up and I set my phone on the side table.
“Bedtime,” Jekyll announced.
Before I could grumble, my phone buzzed again. Seeing it was Bellamy, I picked it up. “Hey, bestie.”
“Hey, bitch. You feeling better?”
“Meh. Why? Do you need me?” I asked hopefully. I was desperate for a distraction.
“We’re officially full,” she said. “Like, over, full. If they don’t expand the girls’ dorms soon, we’ll be in violation.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I knew we were close for sure.”
“Kendall and JoJo are officially over eighteen,” I said. “But I hate to make them move right now.”
The beauty of Walker House was we strived to help the older kids transition into adulthood when the foster system pretty much kicked them to the curb the second they turned eighteen. We gave everyone at least a year to find a full-time job, finish school, or whatever. Then we helped them find a place to live, usually with other kids who’d graduated from Walker House, and we kept an eye on them for as long as they wanted us too. We were always a resource.
“We’re going to figure it out, Bell. We have a few weeks.”
“Yeah, that’s true. And we’ve been in more precarious situations in the past.”
“Exact
ly.”
“It’s weird to have the money to do everything we need to do, but still unable to do it in time.”
“I know. I’ll do some internet sleuthing and see if we can’t find a contractor.”
“You sure you’re up to that?” she asked.
“Absolutely. I need something to do and this will be a good distraction.”
“Okay, honey, good plan,” she said. “I’ll be there tomorrow so Jekyll can go to his little boy scout meeting or whatever.”
I chuckled. “Church.”
“I bet there’s absolutely no fucking prayer happening at those things. Why the hell do they call it ‘church’?”
“I’ll let you ask him that.”
I glanced at Jekyll who rose an eyebrow but didn’t ask.
“Yeah, I’ll pass,” she retorted.
“Your choice.”
“I’ll meet you at your place at five,” she said.
“Okay. See you then.”
I hung up and set my phone on the side table as Jekyll sauntered over to me. Lordy, he was sexy.
“Stop,” he growled.
I blinked up at him. “Stop what?”
“Looking at me like you want to lick every inch of me.”
I shrugged. “I do want to lick every inch of you.”
He narrowed his eyes, settling his hands on either side of the chair and kissing me gently. “Not sure you’re that mobile just yet.”
“I’m horny as hell, Hyde.”
“I can take care of that, Indigo.”
I bit my lip. “Even if I can’t return the fav—”
His mouth was on mine before I was able to finish the sentence. Then, he was lifting me gently from the chair and guiding me back to my bedroom. He gently stripped me, kissing each area he revealed. By the time I was naked before him, my body was covered with delicious goosebumps.
I put all my weight on my good leg but managed to lean against the mattress as he cupped my breasts, thumbing them into tight buds.
“You have the most perfect tits,” he breathed out before leaning down to suck a nipple into his mouth. “Do you know how long I’ve been dreaming about doing this?”
I smiled, grasping his shoulders in order to keep myself up. “How long?”
“Since you strutted your heart shaped ass into the parking lot of Nocturn, pretending not to be scared of me.”
“I wasn’t scared of you,” I lied.
Primal Fury (Primal Howlers MC Book 5) Page 13