She proved me wrong a few seconds later when it popped right back out.
Along with half the mouthful of cereal.
I covered my mouth, trying to keep my laughter inside so I wouldn’t wake Missy. The doc had given her a fucking strong sedative last night—at my request—given I knew if she wasn’t forced to get some sleep, she’d probably be up and about doing God knows what today.
“Why is Mama sleeping?” Kadey asked as if reading my mind.
I leaned back against the counter, folding my arms across my chest and trying to figure out how much I should tell her. Her bright blue eyes watched me as she pushed the cereal in her bowl around and around. There was a lot of intelligence behind those eyes.
It felt like the second I tried to lie she’d know instantly.
“Mom got hurt last night, and she needs to rest so it can get better.”
Her little face changed instantly, and it was like the light behind her eyes had been switched off. She just stared straight ahead, not looking at anything in particular, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the hell was processing in her little mind. “Did Daddy hurt her?”
Well, it definitely wasn’t that.
I tried to keep my face from changing, fighting to keep the tone in my voice natural. “No, it wasn’t Daddy.” She nodded, satisfied with my answer and immediately directing her attention back to her food with another heaped spoonful loaded into her tiny mouth.
The hell did you say to that?
Her mom gets hurt, and her instant reaction is to question whether it was her dad?
“Does Daddy hurt Mama often?”
She didn’t falter or even stop to think about her answer. “He’s mean and hurts her feelings. It makes her cry,” she mumbled through a mouthful. “I say… Daddy, don’t be mean.”
I let out the breath I’d been holding, relaxing the tension in my shoulders. “You do, huh?”
Her little head bobbed up and down, her face full of pride. And as it fucking should be, standing up for her mom at four years old. This little girl was something else, just like her mother, and I could already feel the attachment growing, the protective nature burning so hot within me wanted to wrap her in its warmth.
I was honestly just relieved.
So he was a fucking asshole who liked to run his mouth and break Missy down, but by the sounds of it, that was all. Thank fuck for that because I was already making a list of people I could call to come look after Kadey if she’d indicated at all that her drop-kick father put his hands on her or Missy.
But it looked like he was going to live.
For now.
When Kadey finished her breakfast, I helped her down from the stool just as my phone began to vibrate deep in my jeans pocket. She rushed off to the sofa while I hung back, hitting the answer button when I saw Bishop’s number flash across the screen. “Hey.”
“How’s the girl?”
My eyes drifted to the bedroom door, not a single peep. “Painkillers must have really done the job. She’s still sleeping.”
“I’m gonna drop round those contracts you wanted,” he drawled, the sounds of his feet scuffing gravel, letting me know he was walking across the compound. “Text me her address.”
“Thanks, will do,” I answered, quickly hanging up and shooting him a message with Missy’s address.
The contracts were going to be something else.
Something that she may love or something that may have me kicked the fuck out on my ass.
That was how unpredictable Missy could be.
The girl was like this amazing storm, so fucking beautiful with her gloomy skies and electric energy that whipped around her. You couldn’t help but admire the magnificence and be in awe of the strength within.
But if you got too close or made the wrong move…
… that same storm would rip you to shreds.
Here we go.
10
MISSY
My head was pounding so hard I had to wonder if my brain had finally given up on me and was trying to escape my body by pounding against my skull.
“Shit,” I groaned, rolling my body across the bed and twisting myself in the sheet.
A move I regretted instantly.
The sharp, shooting pain that radiated from the back of my thigh was like someone turning on a light switch and highlighting everything that happened last night—the asshole, the cigar, the burn, the bath.
Hawk.
His gentleness.
The way he took control.
Something I often refused to let others do because I had been doing everything for myself for so fucking long. It felt strange to hand the reins over to someone else, to let them decide and answer the questions.
Strange, but good.
It was like having one weight after another lifted from my shoulders, and with each one, I could stand taller, I could breathe easier, and my smile wasn’t so forced. The throb in my leg slowly subsided as I stayed still, trying not to move so erratically. With a heavy sigh, I looked over to my bedside table. “Oh my God!” I hissed, seeing the time.
Four minutes after eleven!
Mrs. Dawson dropped Kadey off at seven-thirty.
My leg screamed, but I shuffled to the edge of the bed, ignoring the way my head spun, and my body tingled as I fought to get to my feet. I stumbled, catching myself on the bedframe before I hit the floor. My muscles were screaming at me, telling me to sit the fuck down. They were weak, and my mind was hazy, having trouble forcing the message through to my legs that they needed to move.
But finding my daughter was more important right now.
I’d fucking crawl if I had to.
Breathing heavily, I gripped the frame at the foot of the bed, working up the strength to move my feet again, but when the door to the bedroom suddenly swung open, and I saw him standing there—everything just simply gave way.
I sunk to the floor.
My hand on my heart, feeling it pound against my ribcage.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Hawk growled, stomping forward and hooking his hands under my arms, lifting me effortlessly from the floor. His arms snaked around my body, holding me steady while I found my footing again. “Get back into bed.”
“I need to find Kadey!” I hissed, challenging his stern frown. “She should’ve been back at seve—”
“Mama!” He turned us together, so I could see my girl’s bright smile as she stood in the doorway. “You feel better?” She inched inside, my forever sweet baby so cautious and kindhearted when she knew I was hurting or sad. We were so connected that I knew she could sense my emotions. It was why I tried too hard to be strong and act like I was this hard nut to crack, so Kadey wouldn’t have to feel that rollercoaster of my pain and struggles.
I cleared my throat, continuing to hold tightly to Hawk so she didn’t see me hurting. “Yeah, bub,” I announced with confidence. “I’m still a little sore, but I feel much better.”
Kadey nodded sharply, satisfied with my answer.
I knew because she’d quickly tell me if she wasn’t.
“We’re playing Go Fiss,” she added brightly, reaching out and tugging on my hand.
“We?” I questioned, looking up at Hawk.
“Bissup and Cain like the candy.” Hawk chuckled under his breath at the way she obviously repeated how someone had described the name to her. “Come play?”
“Mom will come play in a minute, baby girl,” Hawk answered before I could even open my mouth. “I just need to speak with her for a second.” Kadey skipped out happily, like having this man in my room, his arms around me, telling my kid what to do was the most natural fucking thing in the world to her. Had I slipped into some alternate universe?
Hawk continued to hold my wobbly body as he reached over and gave the door a push, sending it swinging closed.
“I’m confused,” I admitted instantly, my brow pinching.
“The old lady banged on the door this morning, so I got up, fed the kid, now sh
e’s fleecing my brothers for all their change.” I scrubbed my hand over my face, trying to evict the sleepiness that had made itself at home inside me. “You had some pretty strong painkillers last night. It’s gonna take a while for them to wear off completely. How’s the leg?”
I heard what he was saying, but one question hung on my mind. “You stayed here last night?”
His brow raised for a second. “Of course, I did. What the fuck did you expect?”
“I thought…” I shook my head, not wanting to repeat how I thought he was just going to drop and run. Like every other fucking person in my life. “Never mind.”
I tried to pull back, but his arm tightened around me, and he hooked a finger under my chin, tilting my face up to meet his penetrating gaze. “Whoever you’re comparing me to, whatever the hell kind of man you think I am, I can assure you, I’m fucking not,” he asserted firmly.
He was right.
And I knew it.
He wasn’t going to yell at me in front of our daughter. He wasn’t going to tell me I was trash and kick me out of the house when I make a mistake. And he sure as hell wasn’t going to force me to perform sexual favors when I found myself in a bad place and asked for help.
Those were the kind of men I’d had in my life.
He wasn’t those men.
“Thank you,” I whispered, feeling a surge of emotion clog my throat. “For looking after Kadey… and for looking after me.”
His hand curled around the side of my face, cupping my jaw. He dipped his head, tugging me forward at the same time.
When our lips brushed, nothing else mattered. I slipped my hands under his club cut and grabbed hold of his shirt. It kept me stable as I leaned further into him, looking for something deeper. And not one to disappoint, he took that as an invitation and captured my lips hard and passionately.
Even with our bodies pressed tightly together, I kept pushing forward, wanting more, needing more.
I gasped when my feet were lifted from the floor and spun for a second until my back was pressed hard to the wall. I leaned back into it, letting it hold me up while his hands explored my body. One found my ass, and with a hard squeeze, my hips ground forward. The other cupped my breast, his thumb brushing over the thin fabric of my shirt, my nipple growing hard in delight.
I moaned against his mouth. I couldn’t stop it. I had no control over my body’s response to this man. I’d been trying to figure out since the moment we met why he made it so hard to speak. Or why I felt like I couldn’t help but gravitate toward his energy.
An energy that made me smile, laugh, and wrap around me like a protective blanket.
My pulse was racing. I could feel it in my chest, throat, and between my legs.
I couldn’t remember the last time I got this turned on by just a kiss where I was rubbing my legs together to try to ease the ache between them. My hips had a mind of their own, pushing forward, and I could feel his hard length pressed against me, straining against his jeans.
That was the only invitation I needed.
His mouth escaped mine, trailing kisses along my jawline.
My head fell to the side, urging him on while my fingertips skimmed down over his stomach until I found the buckle of his jeans. It took one flick and I had it open, the button next, and the zipper in my fingers before he managed to grab my wrist.
We both paused.
Our chests rising and falling at the same pace.
His nose grazed the length of my jaw as he pulled back, just enough so I could see his eyes. They were dark, dangerous and animalistic. He wanted this just as badly as I did. “What I wouldn’t give to bury myself deep inside you right now and make you come in more ways than you even knew possible,” Hawk growled, the low rumbling whisper doing nothing to calm my body. “But your girl is in the next room, and she’s been watching this bedroom door, waiting to see you for four hours.”
Where did this man come from?
The flush across my cheeks was burning, and I just knew they were bright red.
I cleared my throat and let out a soft laugh. “Is it wrong that you saying that just made me want you even more?”
He put my daughter first before his own wants and needs.
Her own fucking father couldn’t even do that.
And I couldn’t think of anything sexier.
Hawk dipped his head, pressing a soft kiss to my lips before stepping back, rearranging himself, and tightening his belt. “Just as a heads up,” he started, putting his arm around me and helping me shuffle toward the door. “Bishop and Cain are here, and there’s something I need to tell you.”
He pulled the door open, and we stepped outside just as Kadey slammed her little hand down on the table. “Go FISS!” she called with glee, scooping up the pile of cards and pulling them toward her like a big-time poker player who’d just won the game.
Then she jumped off her chair and began her victory lap.
I knew it well.
I giggled, watching the two grown men sitting with her huff and puff dramatically like they were so disappointed at their loss. Hawk eased me into one of the chairs at the table, my body cringing as my bandaged wound rubbed slightly against the edge of the wooden seat.
“Coffee?”
I nodded. “Please.” Though he had already moved into the kitchen, so I assumed he knew the answer.
“How you feeling?” Bishop asked while he collected the cards that were still left on the table and shuffled them.
I tried to force a smile, but I could already tell it was more of a cringe than anything. “My leg hurts when I stretch or move it wrong, and the rest of my body is just tired. It is like I’m asking it to move, but it’s just like… eh, maybe later.”
“Good,” he answered with a nod. “That means you’ll be forced to rest.”
“I’m meant to work tonight.”
“I handled it,” Hawk announced, placing a cup of coffee down in front of me before rounding the table to take Kadey’s vacated chair. Luckily, my daughter sometimes had the attention span of a goldfish, so halfway through her victory lap, she’d spotted her favorite cartoon playing, and now she was sprawled out on the floor.
My brow furrowed, and my head fell to the side. “What do you mean?”
He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. That was how I knew he’d done something he thought I might not like. He was ready for me to protest and ready to defend it. “I called Mitchell and told him you wouldn’t be in this week. You can’t get on stage with your leg like that. You need to keep off it and let it heal.”
Several responses shot to mind.
Who do you think you are?
That’s not up to you!
And how will I pay my bills?
I could feel my heart begin to race, my thoughts instantly going to my bank account, questioning how much I had leftover from last week and whether I could stretch it out because honestly, he wasn’t wrong. Not only would it be painful, but I’m not going to make any money with a bandage around my leg.
Men don’t find that sexy.
They won’t pay.
“You done panicking now?”
I blinked a few times, bringing me back to the present where Hawk was staring at me with his brow raised, and the other two men beside him were simply smiling. “I have bills to pay. I’ve told you this before.”
Hawk nodded, and Bishop tossed some papers across to me. “That’s what these are for.”
My eyes scanned over them, my brow pinching harder together with the further I got down the page. “A job?”
“At our new place. We need a couple more bartenders.”
“And after last night, I know you’re good,” Bishop added.
Was this my way out? Making and serving drinks was something I actually enjoyed. I liked playing with flavors and talking to customers who weren’t just dirty old men looking to touch my ass. “I can’t make as much pouring drinks as I do getting on stage,” I explained, looking back down at the contr
act I thought was probably too good to be true.
“We’ll pay you enough to make what you would stripping, plus you’ll get tips.”
“And Gem, too?”
Hawk looked to Bishop, who just shrugged. “Sure.”
“Why?”
That was my defenses speaking. The ones that reminded me how you couldn’t get something for nothing. This kind of shit didn’t come for free.
“Because that’s what you fucking deserve,” Hawk snapped, tilting his head like he was challenging me to argue. And honestly, I couldn’t. I’ve been fighting for better for years, determined that Kadey wouldn’t grow up knowing what I had to do to keep us going. And that one day she could tell the teachers and kids at school what I do, and she wouldn’t get teased.
I rubbed my temple, feeling a headache start to form. “Can I… just think about it?”
Hawk nodded, getting up and holding his hand out to me. “I’ll help you get on the sofa, so you can spend some time with your girl.”
11
MISSY
“I won’t be long,” I told Gem as I climbed out of her car.
“No problem, babe. I need to run into Target, and it’s not far from here,” she answered with a wave. “Just text me when you need me to pick you up.”
I stepped back, waving her off before turning on my heel and taking a good look at the place behind me. I tried to ignore the barbecue area as I walked through the gates and across the open area the front of the clubhouse.
There was some grass, some asphalt, but it was mostly stone. The two large buildings were separate, the clubhouse off to the left in an L-shape that followed the fence line, and on the right a three-bay garage where there were a handful of men working on a motorcycle.
The long line of Harleys that sparkled in perfect formation between the buildings was something to be admired—the chrome, the leather, the power beneath you.
Though I quickly realized the formation wasn’t perfect.
And it was because of just the man I was looking for.
Twisted Steel: An MC Anthology: Second Edition Page 47