by Harley Wylde
Cobra eased up next to me at the bar. “Figured you’d be balls-deep in two or three women by now. You know we brought them here for you.”
“Got a headache,” I said and took another sip of my beer. I’d missed a good bottle of beer more than I’d missed women, probably because I’d had plenty of pussy in jail and hadn’t had a bottle of beer in ten years. Drugs were easy enough to smuggle inside, but beer not so much. Not that I’d touched the hard stuff while I was there. Prison hooch and cocaine smuggled in by someone swallowing it or worse? Yeah, I’d pass. Besides, I’d wanted to keep my head clear, never knowing when someone might come after me. Being vulnerable in prison wasn’t the best idea, especially for someone like me, someone who had enemies.
“She lives here on the compound,” Cobra said. “In case you were wondering. Griz set her up in the small cottage about two miles down the road. She lived with him and May until she turned twenty, then he decided she needed her own space. I think it had more to do with May, though. I don’t think Griz wanted her to watch May suffer, not that Adalia wasn’t there every chance she got.”
I didn’t even play stupid. I knew he was telling me so I could go after Adalia. Not that I had any business being anywhere near her. Even if my dick hadn’t gotten hard with all the club sluts hanging off me tonight, I didn’t trust myself around the angel who had hugged me earlier. That sweet honeysuckle scent had been too fucking tempting. Hell, she’d been too fucking tempting. I’d gotten harder from just a simple hug from Adalia than I had over the bare breasts being thrust into my face tonight.
“No one would think anything of you going to say hi,” Cobra said. “You just lost ten years of your life for her. Even Griz wouldn’t be pissed.”
“So, what? You think I’m going to ask her to repay me by spreading her legs? I’m an asshole, but I’m not that much of one.”
Cobra shrugged. “I don’t think she’d fight you. Everyone knows she has a case of hero worship. God help anyone who says something bad about you. She’d try to castrate them.”
I snorted. Yeah, a hero. Right.
“Just go talk to her,” Cobra said.
Talking wouldn’t hurt anything, right? I wanted to know about her life since I’d been put away. Wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. That was perfectly reasonable.
I might not have talked myself into going to see Adalia if I’d known she’d answer the door wearing my old shirt. And nothing else.
Chapter Two
Adalia
The old flannel shirt I preferred to sleep in was nearly threadbare now. When Griz and May had brought me home, I’d had a really hard time sleeping at night. I hadn’t felt safe, even behind the gates of the Devil’s Fury compound. After talking to May one night, she’d come back a short while later with this shirt in her hand. I hadn’t understood why she would think an old flannel shirt would help any, until she’d told me it belonged to Badger, the man who had saved me.
It fell nearly to my knees and hung on me. I always rolled up the sleeves, but just feeling the soft material against my body, and knowing it had been his was enough to make me sleep like a baby. Or it had until I hit about fifteen. My hormones had been out of control by my fifteenth birthday. I hadn’t wanted anything to do with boys at school, though. I’d spent every night dreaming of Badger, and as I’d snuggled in my bed with his shirt wrapped around me, I’d imagined it was his arms holding me. Not that he’d have wanted anything to do with a kid like me. He’d been in his late twenties when he’d been sent to prison and had only seen me as a child. I couldn’t blame him. Didn’t stop me from daydreaming or fantasizing about him, though.
Hell, he probably saw me as a kid now. He had to be at least fifteen years older than me. I sighed and sipped at the hot tea I’d brewed when I’d gotten home. I hadn’t even stopped to think before throwing my arms around him. He’d walked through the door, and it was like every nerve in my body came alive. Just knowing he was that close was more than I could handle. I’d made myself wait, to hold still and not throw myself at him. And then he’d seen me, and I hadn’t been able to hold myself back.
He’d been polite, and pulled away as soon as he’d been able. I felt like an idiot. Everyone in the club knew about my crush on Badger, and I didn’t doubt that someone would tell him before the night was over. I didn’t know if I could ever look him in the eye again. In the last ten years, I hadn’t gone on a single date. Not a real one. One of the Devil’s Fury had taken me to prom and other school events, only because May had insisted I go even when I’d refused. Twister wasn’t much older than me and had been nice enough to take me, both as protection and insurance I’d actually go. He was like a brother to me. All of the Devil’s Fury felt like family, either brothers or uncles. Except Badger.
There was a knock on my door, and I wasn’t sure if it was Dad, here to tell me that I’d made a fool of myself, or someone else checking to see if my heart was broken. I don’t know what I’d expected. The man had been away in prison for ten years, hadn’t seen me since that night. It was stupid to think he’d take one look at me and fall in love. That shit only happened in the romances I liked to read. I set my cup of tea down and answered the door, but as it swung open, I froze, my eyes going wide and my jaw dropping a little.
Badger. He was on my doorstep, looking all kinds of sexy. His gaze dropped down to the shirt I was wearing, and I hoped like hell he didn’t recognize it. I’d be beyond embarrassed if he knew I’d been sleeping in his shirt every night for ten years. What kind of psycho did that? Slept in a stranger’s shirt, and pictured her wedding to said stranger every time she closed her eyes. Me, apparently.
“Damn,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
“I thought you’d be partying all night.”
“Wasn’t in the mood.”
I bit my lip and stepped back, opening the door wider. “You could come in, if you want.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea, pretty girl. Seeing you in my shirt is fucking with my head.”
I dropped my gaze, and my breath caught when I saw just how tight his jeans had gotten. Holy hell! I’d dreamed of Badger being the one to claim me, but my imagination hadn’t done him justice if that bulge was all him.
“Fuck.” He groaned. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m barely holding on, Adalia. Griz would kick my ass if I did even half the things I’m thinking of right now.”
My heart started pounding, and I squeezed my thighs together. If he was trying to scare me off, it wasn’t working. If anything, I wanted to jerk him into my home, slam the door, and throw all the bolts. I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more than for Badger to step over the threshold. Having him here was like a dream come true, and I was worried he’d come to his senses at any moment and run.
“Come inside,” I said, moving back even farther.
He hung his head a moment, then entered my small home. I closed and locked the door before taking his hand and leading him into the living room. He sprawled on the couch, and I fidgeted, not knowing what to do now that I had him here.
“Do you want some coffee or something? I could make some tea.”
He winced.
“Okay, no tea.” I smiled. “Coffee? I have one of those Keurig machines, and I have three different flavors of coffee. Hazelnut, vanilla, and just regular, which is what Daddy prefers. Tastes nasty to me, but he calls my flavored drinks girly shit.”
“Let’s not bring up Griz while I’m here. I’m trying not to think about him murdering me for entering your home. Every time I hear you call him Daddy, I just want to run as far and as fast as I can.”
“Okay. He won’t kill you, though.”
Badger grunted, apparently not agreeing with me.
“Hazelnut,” he said after a few minutes. “I haven’t had a cup of flavored coffee in a long-ass time. And holding onto something might help keep my hands to myself.”
Now I was regretting asking about that coffee. I’d much rather have his hands on me tha
n wrapped around a mug. I went to the kitchen and brewed him a cup, taking down the mug I’d bought when my dad gave this house to me, in hopes that one day Badger would come visit. It was a Superman mug, but the cup was a matte charcoal gray and the logo was a glossy black. I’d found it at a discount store and it had immediately reminded me of my very own superhero.
I carefully carried the mug into the living room, where Badger was now standing by the fireplace, and staring at one of the two pictures I’d hoped he wouldn’t find. May had given it to me for my sixteenth birthday. It was my mom, Dad, and Badger, their arms all slung around one another as fireworks lit up the sky. Mom said it had been taken not too long before Badger had saved me.
There was another in my bedroom, one I would have hidden if I’d known he was stopping by. It was Badger out in front of the clubhouse, leaning against his Harley with his arms and feet crossed. There was a hint of scruff on his jaw, much like now, and he had a bandana covering his hair. A sexy smirk graced his lips, and I had no doubt that very look had melted panties everywhere. May had framed it for me when she’d realized my infatuation with Badger was getting stronger. I’d kept it in my bedroom when I lived at home, then put it by my bed when I moved into this place. I sometimes wondered if she’d ever hoped we’d end up together once Badger was released from prison. She’d been a hopeless romantic, and I was just like her.
“That was a good day,” Badger said, not turning to face me.
“Mom gave it to me for my birthday one year. I was always asking questions about you, wanting to know more about the man who had saved me.”
“I didn’t do such a great job of that. I got there too late.”
I still had nightmares about that night, and probably always would. But despite what Badger said, I knew he really had saved me. The vile man who’d been on top of me had made sure I knew I was going to die. If Badger hadn’t come down that alley when he had, I wouldn’t have been breathing for much longer. At first, I’d wished that he’d just let me die, but once I came to live with Griz and May, I’d been thankful that I was still alive. They’d given me a good life, and had given me more love than I knew what to do with.
“He was going to kill me,” I said, as I studied Badger’s profile. “When he was finished, he was going to slit my throat. He told me as much. Said if he’d planned it better, he’d have kept me around a few days, so he could enjoy his time more.”
Fury blazed in Badger’s eyes as he turned to face me.
“So, you did get there in time. And because of you, Griz and May offered me a home, gave me a family. My life turned out pretty good, and it’s all because of you. So don’t think for one moment that I’m not grateful for what you did that day.”
“You mean murdering someone in front of you?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I never shed a tear over that man’s death. I did cry when they sentenced you to prison, though. It didn’t seem fair, when you’d only been trying to protect me.”
“I could have detained him and called 9-1-1.”
“So why didn’t you?” I asked.
“Because seeing how damn scared you were, knowing what he was doing to you, something inside me broke and I couldn’t stop myself. Once I started hitting him, I wasn’t able to stop, not until I knew he wasn’t breathing anymore. The justice system doesn’t take kindly to people solving problems with their fists. Or killing people, even if they are rapist assholes.”
“I’m glad you’re home,” I told him. “I wanted to go with Demon to pick you up, but everyone thought it would be better if I stayed here. They weren’t sure how you’d feel about seeing me.”
He reached out and gently tipped my chin up. “I never, not once, blamed you for what happened. You were a victim. A child. It’s not your fault I was sent away.”
“I’m not a child anymore.”
His lips twitched. “I noticed.”
I handed his mug to him before I did something stupid. Like kiss him. He accepted the coffee and walked back over to the sofa. He sprawled across the cushions, and took a sip. His eyebrows lifted, and he looked pleasantly surprised.
“This is pretty good.”
“I just stuck a pod in the machine. Even a monkey could do it.”
He chuckled, and it sounded a little rusty, probably because he hadn’t had a reason to laugh in so long. It made me feel good that I’d been the one to bring out that laugh, and I suddenly wanted him to smile more, to laugh more. And I wanted him to do those things with me. Along with some really naughty things I’d read about in books. I wasn’t a virgin, not after what had happened to me, but I’d never willingly been with a man before. I’d always wanted Badger to be my first, but if I told him that, he’d probably run so far and so fast he’d be three counties over before I could count to ten.
“I’m glad that Griz and May stepped up to help you,” Badger said. “I worried about you while I was inside. Some of the guys from the club came by a few times, but I had to focus on the shit happening inside and not outside. Everyone knew that, so I didn’t really get any news about home while I was locked up. I didn’t know if you’d ever overcome what happened to you, and maybe I should have asked, but I think I preferred thinking you’d gone on to live happily ever after.”
“They’ve been good to me. Dad’s been a little lost since Mom died. I know he stays busy with the club, only going home to crash for the night. I tried to stay over after Mom died, but he sent me back here. I worried that he’d be lonely in that house by himself. As far as I know, he hasn’t even looked at a woman since Mom died. He keeps those other women around for the club, but he ignores them.”
“May and Griz were together since they were just teenagers, and they wanted kids for as long as I can remember. You made their dream come true.”
“What’s your big dream?” I asked.
“Never really had a dream except to escape my home when I was a kid. I managed that by joining Devil’s Fury. The guys here are my family now. They took me in when I had nowhere to go.”
I wanted to know more about his past, about what had sent him running to this club, but I wasn’t going to press him. Not right now anyway. Maybe one day he’d open up and tell me about his life.
“So what are you going to do now that you’re free?” I asked.
“Try to stay out of trouble for a few weeks. Maybe longer. I’d rather not go back inside anytime soon, and I have parole for the next ten years. I doubt Griz will ask me to handle any jobs for a little while, not if he knows it could send me back.”
I nibbled on my lower lip. Was I about to overstep? I didn’t think my dad would be angry, but I never really made the big decisions without him. I just answered phones and handled the paperwork at one of the Devil’s Fury businesses. One of the only legit ones anyway.
“Any good with engines?” I asked.
He grinned. “I was fixing cars when I was twelve, then started tinkering with bikes a few years later.”
“I don’t know if you’ve kept in touch with anyone while you were… gone. The Devil’s Fury owns a few legit businesses, one of which is a garage. It stays pretty busy, and Dad makes sure nothing illegal goes down there. We need another mechanic.”
“Griz let you hire all the mechanics?” he asked, rubbing a hand across the scruff on his jaw.
It wasn’t a full-out beard, but it was still sexy as hell. Made me want to reach out and touch it, see if it felt soft or rough. I’d never kissed a man before, much less one with a beard, and I wondered how it would feel.
Wait. He’d asked me something. Mechanics. Right.
“I work in the office,” I said. “And no, I don’t usually do the hiring, but we do have an opening, and I know Dad would be thrilled to have you.”
“I’ll talk to him about it in the next day or two. Right now, I’m just enjoying breathing fresh air whenever I want.”
I shifted on the couch, bending my knee and tucking my foot under me. He stopped mid-sip, his gaze dropping to where the shirt
barely covered my lap. Badger kept staring even as he took a swallow of coffee, and I had to admit, I’d never felt so feminine, so desirable as I did in that moment. Men never really looked at me. Well, they looked, but not for long. Once I’d become Griz’s daughter, a well-placed glare from my new dad, or the Devil’s Fury members, made any interested males scatter. And I’d been really grateful for that. I hadn’t been interested in boys in high school, and the only man I’d ever wanted was sitting with me now.
“I don’t remember that shirt ever looking that good on me,” he said, taking another swallow of his coffee.
“I hope you don’t mind that I have it. When May and Griz first brought me home, I had really bad nightmares. May gave me this shirt and told me it was yours. It made me feel safe.”
“Does it still make you feel safe?” he asked.
I squirmed a little. Should I be honest and see what happened? Or play it safe. I didn’t have any experience with guys, especially ones like Badger who could have any woman they wanted. Did he like it when women played games with him? I decided to go for honesty.
“When I can’t sleep, I imagine that it’s you wrapped around me and not the shirt.”
“You imagine me in bed with you?” he asked, his voice dropping a little, sounding even gruffer than before.