by Harley Wylde
“Dr. Larkin’s office,” a chipper woman said as she answered.
“I need to speak with Dr. Larkin or his head nurse. It’s about Adalia.”
“Oh, that poor girl. Dr. Larkin is in his office on a break. I’ll put you through.”
The line clicked and then started ringing again.
“Dr. Larkin,” the man answered.
“This is Badger with Devil’s Fury. I’m watching over Adalia and I need to know what she can and can’t do while she’s recovering.”
The line was quiet for so long I’d thought he hung up on me.
“She needs to rest, if you can get her to. She can even go to sleep if that’s what she wants. For the longest time, it was believed that sleep was bad when you have a concussion, but now we’re being told the opposite is true.”
I cleared my throat. “She, um, wants to have sex.”
“I see.” Dr. Larkin cleared his throat. “Well, her head bouncing around wouldn’t be a good idea right now. At least not for a few days. She’ll likely have headaches off and on over the next few months, maybe some dizziness, and she might be tired more often than usual. If I had to guess, I’d say she has a headache now.”
“Should I give her something for it?” I asked.
“A cold compress might help, but if she needs more relief she can have Tylenol. Until we know for certain if she’s pregnant, I don’t want her to take anything else.”
I felt like the floor had fallen out from under me, and I collapsed onto the nearest chair. Pregnant? Adalia had told me she didn’t think she could get pregnant. Had she lied?
“Pregnant?” I asked.
“Yes. With her condition, it’s not as likely, but it’s still a possibility. I don’t want to take any chances. If Adalia is pregnant, this could very well be the only baby she ever has, and it might not even make it to term. I’ve had several patients with endometriosis who tried for years to get pregnant, and none of the babies made it past the first trimester.”
Holy hell. My chest felt tight, and the room spun a little. Adalia pregnant, with my kid. I had no doubt she’d be an awesome mom, if she ever had the chance, but just thinking about her carrying my baby made it hard to fucking breathe.
“In a few weeks, we can do a blood test,” Dr. Larkin said. “If she skips a period before that, she can come in, but she’s never been regular. She might not know when her next one is due.”
I pulled the phone away from my ear and stared at it a moment. Was he seriously telling me about Adalia’s periods? What the fuck? All I knew about that time of the month was that you threw chocolate at the woman and ran as fast as you could, unless you wanted to be missing a few limbs. The sweetest woman in the world could be a raging bitch when it was that time of the month, and I’d always made myself scarce during those times.
“Thanks, Dr. Larkin,” I said. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“If she loses consciousness at any time, seems confused, or has memory problems, or starts vomiting, take her to the ER. Don’t wait.”
I swallowed hard, hoping none of those things happened to Adalia. I knew brain injuries could be fatal, and I hoped that wasn’t the case with the woman I cared about more than I should. I thanked Dr. Larkin again and hung up. There was a knock at the door once more, and this time I recognized it. Before Adalia could call out, I went to answer it. Max stood on the other side, several bags in each of his hands, and a grin on his face.
“I got everything on your list,” he said, stepping into the house. “Well, I got all the clothing and stuff. The groceries are being picked up by another Prospect and will be delivered within the hour. Griz called while I was out and needed me to take care of something, so I had to come back sooner than I’d planned.”
“Thanks.” I reached for the bags, surprised they felt as heavy as they did. Then my eyes narrowed when I saw two of the bags were from the Harley Davidson store. The others were from department stores at the mall. What the hell? I’d figured he’d just go to one of those cheap twenty-four hour places. Should I have been more specific? I wasn’t exactly hurting for money, but I didn’t need to drop a grand on this shit either.
“Griz said all this stuff was on the club. You saved his daughter, and he said it’s the least he could do.” Max paused. “I’ve come to care about Adalia. She’s like a little sister to me, and for what it’s worth, I’m glad you beat the shit out of that guy. He deserved what he got, and you got a shit deal when they sent you away.”
Fuck me. Why the hell did everyone around here act like I was some sort of fucking hero? I was just an asshole ex-con who got into trouble more often than I walked the straight and narrow. There wasn’t a fucking thing that was special about me.
“Thanks,” I said.
Max nodded and stepped back out onto the porch. “Adalia has my number programmed in her cell. Call me if you need anything. Unless I’m on club business, I’ll be here as fast as I can.”
Max slapped my shoulder and took off down the steps toward one of the club trucks we used for hauling anything from furniture to some of our more not so legal things. He waved as he pulled out of the driveway and I shut the door, not sure what the hell to do with all the bags I was holding. I’d just needed a few changes of clothes to get me by for right now, and some bathroom shit like shampoo.
Adalia appeared in the doorway. “Was that Max?”
“Yeah, he was just dropping off this stuff. Said someone else would bring the groceries. Your dad is sending him off on some errand.”
She nodded. “Want me to help you put that stuff away?”
“Put it away?” I stared at the bags in my hands before looking up at her.
“I was hoping you might want to stay here,” she said softly. “With me.”
Was she…
“You want me to move in?” I asked.
Adalia’s gaze darted off to the side, and she shifted from foot to foot. “If you don’t want to, then…”
I dropped the bags and reached for her, pulling her close. Tipping her chin up, I kissed her softly.
“If you want me here, sweet girl, then I’ll stay. But the minute I think you’d be better off without me, I’m out of here. I was serious when I said you deserved better than me. I’m not the hero you seem to think I am. I’m just a fucked-up ex-con with a really long rap sheet.”
“You’re my hero,” she said. “And you always will be. Colton, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. Stop painting yourself as some villain and accept the fact that other people don’t see you that way.”
“You don’t understand, Adalia. Even when I was a kid, I was all kinds of fucked-up. I’ve done things you never want to hear about. Dark things. My parents…” I swallowed hard. I always tried not to think about that part of my life.
She reached for some of the bags in my hands. “Let’s put your things away, then you can tell me what has you running scared. And don’t deny that you are. Something in your past has scared the shit out of you. Maybe talking about it will help. I promise not to judge you.”
“All right.” My heart ached because I knew she was just telling me what she thought I needed to hear. Once she knew who I’d been, what I’d done, she’d never look at me the same way again. She’d be disgusted by me. No one knew about the shit in my past except our ex-Pres, and he’d taken it with him when he’d left the club to Griz and decided to travel in his last years on earth.
She was quiet while we put my new things away. She cleared out some closet space and two drawers for me to use. It felt so damn domestic, putting my things in that closet next to hers, the new boots Max had bought lined up next to her small, dainty shoes. I stared at the closet for a few minutes, wondering why I wasn’t panicking. Anytime a woman had tried to get close in the past, I’d shut that shit down fast, and booted their ass to the curb. Adalia was different, though. I wanted her acceptance, wanted all of her, even if I didn’t feel deserving of someone so pure, so sweet.
I sat on the bed, and
she eased down next to me, reaching for my hand. She laced our fingers together and stared up at me patiently. When I didn’t say anything for a few minutes, she nibbled her lower lip.
“Will it help if I tell you something about me first?” she asked.
I shrugged. I wasn’t really sure if that would help, but I did want to know more about her.
“You were my first,” she said.
My brow furrowed. “First what?”
“The first man I’ve ever kissed.” Her cheeks flushed. “The first man I’ve slept with. I might have lost my virginity when I was thirteen, but I haven’t been with anyone since then. The only man I’ve ever wanted was you.”
It was hard to breathe as I absorbed her words and what they meant. She’d waited for me, all these years? No one had ever wanted me that much before.
“My birth mother was a rape victim,” she said softly. “She signed me over to the state the day I was born. I found one of the nurses who was working that night. My mom never even wanted to hold me, and refused to look at me. If I’d had a baby as a result of what happened to me, I’d never have been able to do that. I would have loved that baby regardless.”
My throat tightened and my eyes burned as I stared at her. I hated that so much evil had touched her life, and it sickened me that I would only add to it once she knew who I really was.
“When I was in the system, I thought I had it pretty good. I’d only had three foster families in thirteen years. All of them were kind enough, I suppose, even if they weren’t all that loving. But I never knew what it felt like to belong, to be part of a family, until May and Griz adopted me. And I know they did that because of you. They knew you’d want them to take care of me.”
“They wanted a kid,” I said.
“Maybe. But they would have never known I existed if you hadn’t been in that alley that night. Because of you, May came to find me. She wanted to check on me and see how I was faring. When she found out my foster family was about to get rid of me, she and Griz asked to adopt me.”
“I’m not who you think I am,” I said, looking anywhere but at her. “I’m not who anyone in this club thinks I am. I’ve done things none of them know about, and I’ve kept it a secret for a reason.”
I felt her hand slip into mine and she squeezed lightly. “I won’t tell anyone, Colton. Not even my dad. But maybe talking about your past will help you heal. I went to therapy when May and Griz adopted me. And talking to someone about what happened to me helped, more than I’d thought it would.”
“My parents weren’t good people. They lived in another town, about two hours from here. They were mixed up with some really fucked-up people, and had no problem using me to get what they wanted.” I swallowed hard. “When I was fourteen…”
My chest felt like someone was squeezing it tight and I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak. I sometimes still relived those horrors in my mind, but I hadn’t put them into words since I’d told the old Pres why I wanted to prospect with the Devil’s Fury. He’d listened and hadn’t judged, but we’d agreed that it would be best if no one else knew about my past.
“If you can’t talk about what happened then, what was your childhood like before you were fourteen?” she asked.
“Got into trouble with the law a lot. In order to escape my parents’ house, I often boosted cars. Got caught twice and went to Juvie. I got out the last time when I was fourteen, and my parents decided I owed them something.”
I closed my eyes, trying to block the images that battered my mind. The things my parents had made me do before I got the courage to run away, and had ended up here. If the old Pres hadn’t taken me in, there’s no telling what would have happened to me. I wasn’t good for much back then. Mentally and emotionally damaged from being forced into what amounted to prostitution, my father nearly killing me anytime I refused. I didn’t want to share that part of myself with Adalia, or anyone else. Shame still burned inside me from those days. I might be a big guy now, but I’d been a small, scrawny kid until I’d hit sixteen. I tried to tell myself that I was defenseless, but a voice always whispered that I should have fought harder, run away sooner.
Maybe that’s why I still felt like I’d failed Adalia. Even though I’d killed the man who had raped her, I hadn’t gotten there soon enough to stop it from happening. Even after all these years, I was still damaged from what had happened to me, and it was possible that I always would be. I should have gotten help sooner, like she did. Despite what Adalia had been through, she seemed like she was doing well.
“Whatever they did to you, whatever they made you, that isn’t who you are,” Adalia said. “It doesn’t define you. It’s a part of your past, and something that happened to you, but it’s not… you. If that makes sense,” Adalia said. “You have to forgive yourself. What happened wasn’t your fault. You were a kid, and those people were supposed to protect you, to love you.”
“You don’t understand, Adalia.”
“You were sexually abused, weren’t you?” she asked softly. “That’s part of why you reacted so violently when you found me in that alley.”
Maybe she understood more than he’d given her credit for.
“Colton, I don’t know the details of what happened when you were a kid, and I don’t have to. What I do know is that you’re a courageous, honorable man. You’re loyal to this club, and you saved a young girl when you could have just walked away. Do you think you’re the only person who walked past that alley that night? Because you weren’t. The other people kept walking, didn’t even hesitate when I cried out. But you stopped. You did something. And you paid the ultimate price for your sacrifice. Not just anyone would do that.”
I didn’t say anything, just processed her words, and took comfort in her soft touch.
“If you’re worried the guys would look down on you, if you think they would feel like you’re less of a person because of what happened, then you should know that this isn’t the same club from ten years ago,” Adalia said. “One of your new brothers was a male prostitute before Griz found him, got him cleaned up and off the hard stuff, and let him prospect for the club. His past was probably similar to yours. Parents who didn’t give a shit and used him as they saw fit. Dagger is bi-sexual, and no one here cares. He has everyone’s back, and that’s what matters. One of the current prospects is gay, and the club accepts that without question. They don’t give him a hard time because of it.”
“For someone who doesn’t exactly know what happened to me, you sure know just what to say,” I murmured. Yeah, I’d been worried that if my club found out I’d been forced to service men when I was a kid they would sneer at me, think I was garbage. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d ever been wrong. I should have opened up to them sooner.
“We’ve both had darkness in our lives, Colton. Most of this club has, if not all of them. But we’re fighters, we’re survivors. We’re still standing, and we have each other. This is a family, even if it is a bit dysfunctional. It’s time to let go of the past, let go of the darkness inside, and learn to be happy.”
I smiled a little. “You’re awfully smart for someone so young. Are you sure you didn’t get a degree in counseling while I was gone? I think you’d be good at it.”
Her cheeks flushed at the compliment, and she ducked her head before looking up at me again, a slight smile on her lips.
“You work for Griz as a way to pay him back, don’t you?” I asked, everything suddenly becoming very clear. “It wasn’t your dream to work in the office at the shop. You feel you owe it to him, to the club.”
She shrugged.
“Adalia, you’re smart. Way smarter than most guys in this club. You should have gone to college, gotten a degree. Do you think Griz would be happy to know you held yourself back on purpose?”
“No, and you’re not going to tell him. I’m content. And as unconventional as it is, he told me that one day the garage would be mine. Although, I think he’s honestly hoping some car savvy guy will claim me bef
ore that happens because I can run the office well enough, but I know shit about cars.”
I chuckled and pulled her into my lap.
She gave me one of those sexy looks with sultry eyes that women seem to be born knowing how to do. Her tongue flicked out and slicked her lower lip, and I knew she was about to try manipulating me. And I was probably going to let her.
“Maybe you could teach me about cars,” she said, her voice husky as she wet her lips. “For every car lesson, I could pay you. Any payment you’d like.”
She wiggled on my lap, her ass pressing against my hardening cock, and I knew she meant the sexual type of payment. I wasn’t certain if I was pissed that she’d do that to herself, or amused that she’d try her feminine wiles on me. We both knew all I had to do was kiss her, touch her, and she’d turn to putty in my hands. I’d be willing to bet that just sitting in my lap was making her wet. Her nipples were showing through her shirt, hard and begging for attention.
The doctor’s words of caution were all that kept me from bending her over the kitchen table and fucking her until neither of us could stand. If I wasn’t worried about her, I’d pull her jeans down, smack that fine ass of hers, then take her hard and deep. We both needed it, but I could be patient. Her health was more important than dealing with blue balls.
She squirmed again and I could tell she was doing it on purpose, trying to get me to lose control. Such a naughty little minx. When she was better, I’d definitely have to punish her. Just the thought of that was enough to make me even harder. Oh yeah, my hand swatting that fine ass of hers, alternating between making her ass cheeks sting and making her pussy beg to be fucked. I’d have her worked up so good that she’d be begging me to take her.
Christ, I needed to think of something else. I still remembered how fucking good she’d felt on my bare cock as I took her in the shower. We needed to be careful and not slip up like that again, but I didn’t like the thought of having to wear a condom again. Now that I’d tasted paradise, I didn’t want to go back.