“You don’t even know me, Sledge.”
“I see you though, sugar. I don’t need to talk to someone to know what kind of person they are.” He pressed a light kiss to my lips. “I didn’t have a good life growing up, either. Nothing like what you went through, but it wasn’t easy.”
“What happened?”
“My dad was never around. Mom and I lived with my grandma. They both did the best they could, but they couldn’t be everything I needed. Got into some bad shit trying to find my way after they both died. Did a couple of years behind bars, trusted the wrong people, and just fucked up. Finally got a job that didn’t involve breaking the law or running for my life.”
“The club?” This was his job, after all, though I wasn’t so sure they didn’t break the law.
“No. Met a guy in prison, and he owned a construction company. He told me when I got out he would have a job for me. Three days after I got out, I knocked on his door and he put a sledgehammer in my hand.”
“Sledge,” I whispered. That was how he got his name. “Your name is Sledge because you were good with a sledgehammer.”
A smile spread across his lips. “I was actually pretty shitty with it. I was constantly getting crap for breaking shit I wasn’t supposed to. They called me Sledgehammer for a while and then they just shortened it to Sledge.”
“And what was your name before that?” I asked coyly.
“I see what you did there, sugar.” He pressed his lips to mine and I leaned into the kiss. I gripped his shirt beneath my hands and leaned into him. His lips move over mine, and I gasped when he tugged my hair. My mouth dropped open, and he took it as an invitation to explore my mouth. His tongue glided over mine and a groan rumbled from his chest.
He abruptly ended the kiss and left me panting for more. I pressed my forehead to his and tried to take a deep breath.
“Rick. Rick Dirksen.” His eyes were closed. “It was my dad’s name. I hated it my whole life. The day they started calling me Sledge was the last day I ever thought if myself as Rick.” Sledge laughed flatly. “What’s funny is my mom named me after him because she thought it would make him stay. She thought if she named me Rick that he would be a man and stay.”
“Oh, Sledge,” I whispered. I couldn’t imagine being named after a man who didn’t want me. Flesh and blood and he walked away.
“It’s okay, Queenie. It sucked for a while, but in the end, it helped me. It made me be the person I am today. A shitty fucking lesson to learn when you’re so young, but at the end of the day, I know my mom and grandma did the best they could. I fucked it up for a while, but now I’m pretty sure I’ve got a handle on life.” His eyes opened, and all I could see in them was peace.
Right now, Gunner was set up to never have a dad in his life. Hell, I didn’t know if I was even going to be a good mom. He had the cards stacked against him for sure. “I don’t know how I’m going to make Gunner’s life good for him when I didn’t have a good life, Sledge. I know that he’s not home safe with me yet. I can’t help but be terrified even when he’s back home with me that I’m going to completely fuck up and give him an even worse life than the one I had.”
Apparently, it was confession time, and I wasn’t leaving anything out.
“Remember how I said I knew you without really talking to you?”
I nodded and bit my bottom lip.
“Because even though you were terrified and weren’t ready to raise Gunner, you took him with no question. You were there without anyone telling you to be there. You didn’t get a lot of unconditional love the past few years, but you sure as hell know how to give it, Queenie. You’d have to be blind and deaf to not see that.”
“Do you have to look so closely at me?” I whispered. He was speaking right to my heart, and he was telling me exactly what I needed to hear for so long. “I’m really not that great.” As a disclaimer, I needed to tell him all of the things that weren’t so great. There was a lot. “I get mad at dumb things and then I apologize two seconds later. I sometimes run when I shouldn’t, but I don’t know what else to do. I hate cleaning the fridge. I haven’t done it since I moved in and that was about five years ago. In the back corner, I’m pretty sure there is a science experiment any fourth grader would be proud of. I say I want Gunner, and I do, but there was a second where I wondered if he would be better off without me. If he truly had a chance at a good life that I wouldn’t mess up.”
The last one was a dousy. I had never dared speak that thought out loud. I held it in the pit of stomach and knew the second I spoke it I would be anything but a good person to raise Gunner.
Sledge laughed.
He. Laughed.
I just poured out all of my bad traits to him and then bared my deepest, darkest secret, and he laughed.
LAUGHED.
“You ass!” I slugged his shoulder and tried to push him away.
“Queenie,” he laughed. “Stop.”
“No,” I insisted. “I just told you something I have never breathed a word of before and you laughed.”
“Because it was funny, Queenie.”
I struggled against his hold, but he pulled me close. He leaned in for a kiss and I turned my cheek to him.
“It’s funny because you think a normal human response isn’t to wonder if you’re doing the right thing. If you’re the right person for the job. I would think you were Superwoman if you sat there and told me that you were born ready to take care of Gunner.”
“Normal, right,” I scoffed.
“It is,” he insisted. “We’ve all felt it before. I can tell you without a doubt, I would feel it every second of every day if I were in your shoes. But it would also drive me to do everything right. It would make me better.”
“You laughed at me, Sledge,” I grumbled. Not cool at all. Maybe it was normal to have those types of feelings, but he didn’t have to laugh at me.
He hooked his thumb under my chin and tipped my head back. “I’m sorry, sugar. I didn’t mean to hurt you by laughing, but I couldn’t stop it. Hell, I feel that way when I think about being with you. You deserve a whole hell of a lot better than I can give you, but then it makes me try to be better.”
“I’m not better than you,” I argued. “I don’t even know why you would think that.” I curled back my lip. “I should have had braces growing up, but we couldn’t afford them. My front teeth are wonky and my nose is too big for my face.”
“Still perfect,” he mumbled. He pressed a kiss to my nose and then my lips.
“I think we need to get you glasses,” I muttered.
“I see you, Queenie. Every inch of you, I see.” His hand pulled up the hem of my shirt. “Well, not every inch of you yet, but I will soon.”
His fingers trailed over my skin, and a shiver ran up my spine.
“Don’t you think this is kind of moving a little fast?” I couldn’t think straight when Sledge touched me. One second, I thought this was amazing, and then, the next, I thought it was crazy. I was in the middle of trying to get Gunner back, and now, I was perched on top of table with Sledge kissing me senseless.
“Does it matter how fast it is if it feels right?” His lips brushed against mine. “So right.”
My hands moved up his arms and I delved my fingers into his hair. “I think we’re both crazy but all I want to do is kiss you more.”
“I ain’t stopping you, sugar.”
I boldly leaned forward and my lips connected with his. My kisses matched the slow and sensual way his hands roamed over my body and pulled up my shirt.
A moan fell from my mouth as his fingers traveled further up and then pulled my shirt over my head.
Sledge kicked into overdrive and his hands cupped my breasts through my lace bra. “Feels like I’ve been waiting forever for you, Queenie,” he whispered against my lips.
His mouth trailed light kisses down my neck while his hands slid around to my back and unhooked my bra.
“Holy shit!”
Sledge jumped and
instantly gathered me in his arms.
“What the fuck!” he growled.
I peeked over his shoulder and saw Kimber standing there with her hand over her eyes and a laundry basket at her feet. “I just want to do some laundry, not watch you two screw!”
“Then fucking knock next time.”
Kimber moved her hand from her eyes but kept them shut and blindly reached up to touch around the doorframe. “I would totally do that if there was a damn door to knock on.”
“Oh, hell!” Fancy shouted behind Kimber. “This is the laundry room!”
“I know, right?” Kimber glanced over her shoulder to where she thought Fancy was. “I was just about to tell them that and then he tells me to knock. Do you see a door?”
“I don’t see anything right now because I’m not opening my eyes until I hear zippers zipping and buttons, uh, buttoning.” Fancy blindly reached her hand out and smacked Kimber on the shoulder.
“What are you doing, woman?” Kimber grunted.
“I think we should leave, but I don’t know which way to go. I’m blind.” Fancy slowly moved her arm to the side and banged it against the wall. “Which wall is this?”
“Oh, my God,” Sledge groaned. “Would you two get the hell out of here?”
Kimber wagged her finger in the air in our direction. “Don’t be snippy with me, Sledgehammer.”
“Oh, she called you your full name,” Fancy laughed.
I smothered a laugh with the back of my hand. “You guys can open your eyes. Um, Sledge is covering all of my bits.”
“The good bits,” he whispered in my ear.
“Stop it,” I scolded.
“Oh, God. I know that stop it. He’s touching you while we’re standing here, isn’t he? Oh, God.” Kimber backed up and slammed into Fancy. “Abort, abort. I cannot see you two getting it on and be able to look at you again.”
“Stop stepping on me,” Fancy whined. “I’m trying to backpedal as best as I can, but I’m all confuddled on which way is which.” Fancy backed up two steps and banged into the wall. “See! Stop rushing me!”
Kimber stepped forward to let Fancy move and then she tripped over the laundry basket at her feet. Hands and feet flailing, she fell over the basket and right at Sledge’s feet. “Fancy?” she asked as she reached out and touched Sledge’s foot.
“No,” he growled.
“Oh, my God! I touched his foot while he’s giving it to Queenie.” Kimber scrambled backward and tipped the basket of laundry over.
“He’s still giving it to her?” Fancy squawked. “I don’t know if that’s commendable or not.” Fancy was inching along the wall trying to make her escape, but she was headed the wrong way. She bumped into the end of the hallway and let out a squawk. “Please tell me that was the wall and not Sledge’s dick.”
“What in the fuck is going on here?”
Uh oh.
Of course, in all of the commotion, Fancy and Kimber had called attention to themselves.
Quinn stood in the entrance to the laundry room with his arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face.
Kimber reached up into the air. “Quinny? Is that you? I can’t see, but that sounded like your growl.”
“Oh, God. This is like an orgy now. Someone get me out of here.” Fancy pounded on the wall and stepped back.
Right into Quinn.
“Everybody stop!” Dyno called.
Oh, great. Another person to add into the mix. Sitting on the table with Sledge covering me with his body was not how I expected our first kiss to go.
“What in the ever-living fuck is going on here?” Quinn thundered.
“I’m just trying to do laundry and these two were getting their freak on,” Kimber shouted. She pointed at what I’m sure she thought was Sledge and me, but she actually pointed at Quinn.
“I heard Kimber shout so I did what any good friend would do and came running to defend her honor.” Fancy reached blindly behind her. “Was that my Dinosaur who told us to stop moving?”
“The fact you two don’t know the voice of your guys is slightly troubling,” I laughed.
“We’re blind!” they shouted in unison.
“Because when you close your eyes, your ears stop working.” Quinn reached down and lifted Kimber off the floor. She curled into his body and held onto him like a monkey. “I’m seriously going to start limiting where you can go. You’re getting into trouble everywhere.”
“Hey,” Kimber protested, “I was just trying to wash your boxer briefs. How am I the one in trouble?”
Quinn hoisted her over his shoulder and turned around. “You gonna leave your woman searching for a fucking exit or pick her up?” he grunted at Dyno.
Fancy whimpered as she reached back for Dyno. “Help,” she squeaked.
“Woman,” Dyno grumbled. He grabbed her hand, pulled her into his body, and lifted her into his arms. “You’re acting like you’ve never seen a porno in your life.”
“I don’t wanna see a porno of people I know!” Fancy gagged and smacked Dyno on the arm. Her eyes were still closed and she pointed in the direction of the wall. “Get me out of here, perv.”
Dyno grumbled that he wasn’t the one who walked in on Sledge and me getting it on.
“We weren’t getting it on,” I shouted.
“Right,” Quinn drawled. He ducked out of the laundry room, followed by Dyno and Fancy.
“Don’t be ashamed of getting it on, girlfriend. Just maybe next time take it to you room. Or at least a place with a door,” Kimber called.
I buried my face in Sledge’s shoulder. His body rumbled beneath me and a deep chuckle rolled off his lips.
“Why are you laughing now?” I shrieked. “That was the most embarrassing thing ever.”
“It was embarrassing, sugar, but then Kimber and Fancy made it fucking funny.”
I growled and pushed him away. “You see the humor in things way more than I do, Sledge.”
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “Good. I’ll be your humor, and you’ll be my anchor.”
I wrinkled my nose. “An anchor?”
“Yeah, sugar. You keep me grounded.”
Oh, well. That sounded better than an anchor. “That isn’t going to be my new nickname though, is it?”
“I think I’ll stick with sugar.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “And now I think we better get your clothes back on before Petra and Rhino walk in on us.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned. “Kimber and Fancy are probably already telling them everything. Grab my clothes so we can get out there and stop the tall tales.”
Sledge grabbed my shirt and bra and handed them to me. “You’re probably right. They’re probably going to say I had a five-foot dong and you were doing cartwheels and standing on your head.”
I hooked on my bra and slipped my shirt over my head.
“Lord have mercy, if that is the story they are going to spin, I have to think Petra will know it’s not true,” I laughed. I hopped off the counter and grabbed the basket of folded clothes.
“I can carry that, sugar.”
I shook my head and nodded to the dryer. “You’ve got that load to get yet, handsome.” I threw him a wink and flounced.
I had tall stories to squash and my heart beat to settle.
Sledge had set my body on fire, and he didn’t get around to putting out the flames before we were interrupted.
Next time.
*
Chapter Fourteen
You coming?
Sledge
“Did she call yet?”
“No, Queenie.”
“Oh, my God,” Queenie moaned. “It’s been almost twenty-four hours since Quinn told her everything. What in the hell is taking so long?” She was sitting on the other end of the couch with her knees raised and her feet tucked to her butt.
I didn’t have clue what was happening. There had to be a plan, and I’m sure it wasn’t something that they were just going to think up and execute in a
couple of hours.
After Queenie and I had gotten caught in the laundry room, we stayed at the clubhouse for takeout and then headed back to her apartment. I had wanted to just stay at the clubhouse to sleep in my bed, but Queenie had only brought enough pain pills for the day and not for overnight. Running to her place to get them would have been easy enough, but I could tell she was ready to get home.
She fell asleep on the short ride there, and I carried her into the apartment. She had mumbled something about Mr. Squishy and needing her blanket, but other than that, she fell back asleep.
Now, she was driving me crazy asking me every five minutes if Kaye had called.
She hadn’t.
“We’ll give her a couple of more hours, and then, we’ll call, okay?” I understood she was restless, but we had to have a little bit of patience.
“Fine,” she grumbled, “but what are we going to do until then? We handed out the last of the fliers yesterday so we can’t do that, and I’m still a little embarrassed about yesterday at the clubhouse.”
I reached over and grabbed her foot.
“Hey. Don’t tickle me.”
I ran my fingers under her bare arch. “What are you gonna do about it?”
She snorted and pulled her foot away. “Probably kick you in the face because I can’t control myself when I’m tickled.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, sugar.” I was all for having fun, but taking a foot to the face didn’t really seem like it would be enjoyable to anyone.
“Do you think Lynn hates me?”
I tipped my head to the side. “The shrink?”
She laughed and nodded. “Yeah, though I don’t really know if she’s a shrink or if she likes being called that.”
“I don’t know why you’re thinking about her.”
“Because I yelled at her, and now, I feel bad because honestly she didn’t deserve that.”
I grabbed her foot again and pulled it onto my lap.
“Sledge,” she murmured.
I rubbed her foot, careful not to tickle it at all. “Just a foot rub, babe. Try to control your kicking,” I smirked.
Midnight Wreckage (Kings of Vengeance MC Book 4) Page 9