by Lila Rose
My eyes flicked to his, and I nodded before turning to face the TV. It was on, but the sound was down. It had been all afternoon. No one interested in turning it up.
An opened beer bottle was shoved at me. I took it and then watched with wide eyes as Kalen moved the bedding into the middle of the couch so he could sit at the other end.
After he had taken a drink, he stated, “We gotta talk, Mena.”
I gulped back my own drink and nodded.
“How’d it all happen.”
With my eyes glued to picking at the label on the bottle, I told him everything. “My parents died when I was young. I was an only child, and so were they. I had no one except my best friend, Mark. I moved in with him. He had no one after his only family passed as well. It was like we were meant to be in each other’s lives. We, um, later, down the track, he asked me to marry him. I didn’t want to lose the only person I had left, so I said yes. I did love him. I just wasn’t in love with him.” God, why did I tell him that? “We never had much, and I never wanted anything except for us to be happy. However, Mark wanted it all. Over the years, he’d accumulated a lot of debt. I wasn’t strong enough to say no. I didn’t want him upset with me. Foolishly, I let him sink lower and lower into debt. I thought with both of us working we would eventually pay it off.” Biting my bottom lip, I added, “Then Mark died, and I was left with all the debt.” I shrugged. “I live in my car so I can pay it off.”
Kalen moved. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his beer in his clasped hands in front of him. “Why not still live in a place and pay off the debt slower?”
“I have a mark against my name. No one will rent to me. Besides, I’m okay with my situation. As soon as I’m in the clear, I’ll start building a new life. At least, I have to believe that.”
“You live in a fuckin’ car, Mena,” he sneered, his upper lip raised.
“I know, Kalen,” I snapped.
“For how long?”
“Nine months or so.”
“Fuck me. How in the hell have you kept safe doing it?”
“By learning, moving around.”
“Anyone fucked with you?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me, Mena.”
Sighing, I admitted, “One time, but nothing really happened. He scared me. I got in the driver seat and was out of there before he got in the car.”
“Shit situation, babe.”
Babe.
He’d said babe.
What? Why? How?
“I know,” I whispered.
“Should’a been smarter.”
“I know.” I nodded.
“Gotta stand up for yourself.”
Rolling my eyes, I snapped, “I know!”
“Like I said, you’re in the shed by tomorrow night. Do not fuckin’ think of paying me shit. You cook every day. That’s your payment. Koda would be lost without you around. I won’t let my kid feel that. You’re staying. Even if you tried to leave, I’d drag you back.”
“I wouldn’t, Kalen. This⦠you, I-I’m so grateful for what you’re doing.” Sitting up straighter, I looked at him and said, “I can’t say thank you enough, but you’ll see. I’ll cook the best meals you know.” I smiled. “So much so you might want to look at starting the gym.”
A smirk touched his lips, and then he rolled his eyes. “Get some rest, woman. Brothers will be here bright and early.”
Feeling silly because I was happy to be anywhere but cramped in the car, I saluted him and said, “Righto, captain.”
“Nutball,” he muttered before standing and walking down the hall to his room. Then he called out, “Your car’s out back unlocked. No one would bother taking that piece of crap, so you can get whatever you want outta it, but you ain’t getting’ the keys.”
Too happy to feel offended, I simply grinned. Maybe, just maybe, Kalen didn’t hate me after all.
After I went out to the car to grab my sleepwear, I came back in to make my bed. I knew that night I would be going to sleep smiling, feeling safe, warm and over-the-moon happy.
Chapter Thirteen
Dive
She was dead to the world sleeping on the couch. It gave me a chance to watch her without her noticing. She blew my mind. How could someone who was sleeping in their goddamn car have a heart of gold? If it was me, I would have been bitter and miserable, but not Mena. She still turned up at the house with a positive attitude and a smile on her gorgeous face.
Fuck me. She’d tucked her shoulder-length hair behind her ear to get it off her face. I wanted nothing more than to lean over her, run my hands through her hair, and then take hold while she sucked me off. Which was the image I wanked to last night.
Did I feel guilty taking my cock in hand with thoughts of Mena?
Hell no.
How could I when she was everything pure and sweet.
She was in a shit situation and having her move into the shed would hopefully help her out more. At least she’d have a bloody roof over her head. Not a goddamn car roof either. Bile had risen in my throat when I’d realised where she’d been sleeping, and I knew I’d do anything for her never to sleep inside a car again.
The house had a spare room, but I knew if she was constantly in the house, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back. Neither of us were ready for where I wanted things to go.
But it’d happen.
One day soon.
If I didn’t chicken out and let guilt take hold.
My head lifted from Mena on the couch to the door, where I heard Harleys coming down the drive. I shifted off to the kitchen before Mena woke and saw me staring at her like an obsessed tool. Besides, I had to get Koda’s breaky ready; he’d be awake soon. My kid was the best fuckin’ sleeper. I couldn’t have been luckier with my son. I’d heard so many bad stories about people getting no sleep with their kid waking through the night. Not Koda, he liked his sleep like his dad.
My whole body locked when I heard movement behind me, and I found myself picturing Mena coming up and placing her hands on my waist while she got to her pretty toes to kiss my neck.
Fuckin’ hell.
“Morning,” she said groggily.
Turning, I had to smile at her messed-up hair and half-mast eyes. She wore a pair of track pants, low riding on her hips and a tee that was two sizes too big for her. Still, she looked good enough to eat.
Shit a brick. I had to stop my thoughts.
“Morning. Sleep okay?”
She smiled so wide I got all teeth. “The best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”
Chuckling, I said, “Just wait until you’re in a bed tonight.”
Her head jerked back. She wiped at her eyes and said, “But I don’t have one.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. You wanna go check Koda? My brothersâ” There was a knock on the front door.
“I’ll get it,” she just about sang. A good night’s sleep did wonders for her. I hadn’t seen her that bubbly before. Then again, I never gave her the opportunity to be like that.
God, I’d been a cunt.
I heard the door open, and then she said with an audible sexy-as-fuck gasp, “Oh, my God.”
Not liking her breathy tone at fuckin’ all, I stalked into the living room to see her standing in the doorway looking up at Dallas.
“You gonna cry?” Dallas barked.
“Um, no,” Mena offered. I came up behind her and smiled at my scary-as-fuck brother.
“Good, I hate crying women.” He lifted his head and sent me a chin lift. Dallas wasn’t one to smile. “Brother, good to see you.”
“You too, man,” I said and looked down to Mena, who was still staring up at Dallas. “You wanna let my brothers through, sunshine?”
Her whole body jerked. She shook her head and then looked up at me before she nodded and took a step back. Dallas walked in. Quick to follow were Knife, Muff, and Beast.
“There’s more of them,” I heard Mena mutter.
After a quic
“Ah, yeah.”
“They aren’t gonna hurt you,” I said quietly.
Her hand came to her chest. “Oh, I’m not worried about them. I’ve just never seen so many good-looking men in one room.” Colour touched her cheeks, her hand moved up to cover her mouth. She was embarrassed she’d blurted out what was meant to be a thought, no doubt.
Annoyance burned low in my gut. She thought my brothers were good-looking, the bastards. She’d better well count me in there also, or shit would hit the fan.
“Maybe you should take Koda to Mum’s today,” I ground out low.
She bit her bottom lip and looked up at me with uncertainty in her eyes. “Do you want me out of the way?”
Fuck.
“No, shit, Iâ” Thank fuck that was when Koda started calling. “Look, go grab him, get changed, and see how things go, okay?”
“Okay.” She nodded and ran down the hall.
Running a hand over my face, I walked back into the kitchen. “The ride up good?” I asked as Muff slid a mug of coffee my way.
Dallas grunted. “If you mean were we followed, fuck no. We know the drill, man. But you gotta think one day soon brother about coming back. Isolated up here, even with all your camera and security shit, is a risk. Being within your brothersâ reach is better than anything. Even you should know this.”
Dallas didn’t talk much, and when he did, people listened. Beast was the same. Though he’d get across what he wanted to say with only a few words. It wouldn’t surprise me if he said nothing that day.
I knew Dallas was right, but I’d been thinking it for a while, gettin’ back to Caroline Springs. Still, something in me wasn’t ready.
“I know, brother. I feel it, and soon I’ll listen to it, just not yet.” His reply was a chin lift. “Everyone know what the plan is?”
“Yeah, not sure we understand why you want your shed set up as a room, but we’re more than willin’ to help a brother out. The delivery of furniture should be here by lunch time,” Muff explained.
“Who’s the woman?” Knife asked, a smirk playing on his lips. The dick.
My hand tightened around my mug, and I raised it and took a sip. “Koda’s nanny and my housekeeper.”
“Damn fine.” Knife grinned. It was my turn to grunt before I turned away and added, “Let’s get this shit done.” Then they’d fuckin’ leave and forget all about Mena being damn fine. Bloody woman being too fuckin’ sexy for her own good that even Knife saw it through her over-sized sleepwear and her hair all over the place. If she wasn’t gonna head to Mum’s with Koda, then I’d have to keep her busy with other shit.
Mid-morning, the side door opened, and Mena walked out with a tray of coffees. Fuck me up the arse. She was wearing denim shorts and a tight tee. I didn’t know she fuckin’ owned clothes that actually fit her body.
“Coffee break?” she called.
Knife bloody rushed over to her side. “Let me help you with that, baby.” He took the tray from her hands while I watched her cheeks heat.
Stalking over, I barked, “Where’s Koda?”
She gave me an annoyed look and said, “In the living room. I put down a plastic table cloth, and he’s playing with Play-Doh.”
Shit, I was doing it again, but fuckin’ Knife was pissing me off with how he was panting after her.
“Maybe change your clothes,” I suggested quietly. Knife coughed back a laugh. I glared at him, and Mena gasped.
“Why?” she whispered.
“You’ve never worn shit that hugged your body before. Why start today when my brothers are here?” I asked and wished to Christ, Knife would be struck down by lightning seeing the smug smirk on his face.
“It’s the weekend, Kalen.” Mena glared up at me. Her hands went to her hips, and I felt like gettin’ in her face and placing my hands over hers.
“So?”
As her cheeks pinked, she got close and leaned up to whisper, “I only have a few clothes. These are my weekend clothes. This and the sundress that I wore yesterday.”
I was a cunt once again.
“Right,” I said. I closed my eyes but felt her move back. My eyes opened to see her looking at me. “Thanks for the cuppas, sunshine.” I smiled.
Her tinted pink face was back, and I fuckin’ liked that I caused it. I wondered if she’d blush seeing me naked. It had me thinking about how I could make that scene happen, so I could find out for myself.
“Um, I’ll bring out some lunch later.”
I gave her a chin lift. She took a glance to Knife, who was smirking away, and turned, walking back inside.
“Why she need a room?” Knife asked.
“She’s had a hard time of it lately,” I said with a shrug.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was yours?”
We started back to the other brothers before I answered, “She’s not.”
“Sure, brother. Think I might test that theory out later.”
Stopping still, I looked at him. His laugh was loud. The fucker was riling me up and nothin’ else. He wouldn’t do shit. Actually, he was full of shit. Just liked giving me hell for not admitting to myself what Mena was.
Hell, what was she?
Nothin’ yet. Like I said, it was too soon. I had to see how things went with her being around all the time. She could have a habit I fuckin’ hated. Then again, she could end up hating me.
Handing out the coffees and even the bloody cookies she’d put on the tray for everyone, my mind went to one thought.
A thought that made me smile.
A thought that caused my heart to stumble over a beat in eagerness.
And that thought was making Mena mine.
Though, I had to calm everything down and go slowly. I didn’t want to fuck anything up by starting something and then have stuff about Simone pop back up, possibly causing me taking it out on Mena.
She didn’t deserve it.
She was too sweet. So she deserved sweet.
She was my sunshine in the darkness.
Chapter Fourteen
Mena
Something was different with Kalen. Ever since I woke up that morning, I noticed a new light to his eyes. What had caused the change I didn’t know. And I didn’t mind not knowing because I was enjoying it too much. All except when he barked at me when I’d gone outside with coffee. Then he’d calmed, and the light was back when I mentioned about my clothing situation.
Sunshine.
He’d done it twice now.
Sunshine.
And each time was something special. It got my heart racing, my clit tingling, and my cheeks heating. Even when he was cruel and mean, my body was addicted to everything Kalen related. He consumed my mind. Everything I didâwashing, cleaning, tidying, and playing with KodaâKalen was there in the back of my mind. That smile. His eyes. His voice.
Oh, God. How was I going to survive living so close to him?
An engine caught my attention. Picking up Koda, we went to the window to see a big truck pull up out the front. Kalen walked around from the back and greeted the driver once he got out.
Pointing to the truck, I said to Koda, “Truck. Broom, broom. Truck.” Then I pretended to place my hands on a steering wheel and drive along a bumpy road, jiggling Koda up and down in my arms. He loved it.
My breath caught in my throat when I saw what was being pulled from the back of the truck. It was a bed. Then a couch. Then some drawers. A TV and stand, and a coffee table.
I was out the front door and striding to Kalen. He was holding up his end of the coffee table when saw me coming, so he stopped.
I got close and whispered, “What are you doing?”
“What’d’ya mean, sunshine?”
The man at the other end, Beast I think, looked everywhere but at us, which I appreciated. “I-I can’t afford these things, Kalen.”
“Did I say you were paying for them?”
My head jerked back on my shoulders. He couldn’t be that nice. He couldn’t have done this because I was a good housekeeper and nanny⦠then again, I was a good cook, and the Brooks’s boys loved to eat.
“Dada,” Koda cried. My breath hitched when Kalen leaned into his son, who was in my arms and kissed him on the check. He didn’t pull right back. Instead, he got in my face and said, “Not one word about this shit, Mena. Just get in there and make us some lunch.” Then he moved back, adjusted the coffee table, and sent a chin lift to his biker brother. Apparently that meant get walking because he did.
Watching them move, I knew I shouldn’t have when my eyes trailed over Kalen’s body. He was fit, very fit and the sight of his back, his arms, and his butt walking while carrying something was a sight I could stare at all day.
Maybe, if he was still a dick to me, my mind and body wouldn’t be obsessing over him in a way an employee shouldn’t for her boss.
Rather than standing there like an idiot, I went back inside with a struggling Koda. He wanted to go be a man with his daddy. He saw other men around and thought that was where he should be. The poor monster didn’t know he couldn’t play with the big boys while they were doing the heavy lifting and moving around too much.
For lunch, I made pizza, enough to feed an army. Though I was sure bikers would get through it all. My eyes kept drifting out the kitchen window to where the shed was. The men stayed in there doing whatever they were doing. Still, eager for a chance to see Kalen, I kept watching while cooking.
After all the pizzas were ready, I went to the side door to call out, “Lunch time.” And then headed back to dish up Koda’s before it all disappeared. My nerves kicked up when I heard the door open and men stomping in. Turning from my seat in front of Koda’s high chair, I smiled in greeting to all.
“Looks good, babe,” the one who helped me with the tray earlier said with an easy grin.
“Thanks. I wasn’t sure what you all liked, so I hope you’ll find one at least with something you eat.”
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