Storm
PRESENT
Over the following week, Keira didn’t pull away from me, which was my biggest fear after having come face to face with Kendra.
We didn’t move closer, but that was okay too. She needed time, time to accept some things, time to see herself in a different light.
Life, as always, was busy. What with homeschooling Cy now, then the club and its many businesses, shit never quit, with Kendra remaining as much of a problem as a nagging tooth that needed extracting.
I had a couple of the guys who wouldn’t get drunk on her pussy and wouldn’t lose their minds watching over her ever since Rex had requested she stay down here for a few weeks until Giulia cooled off.
Apparently, a very pregnant Giulia was more of a hothead than a regular Giulia, which wasn’t terrifying in the least.
Kendra had escaped down here, not come for a fucking visit, when Giulia had found her trying to come onto Nyx.
I didn’t think Nyx had cheated, didn’t think he even had fucking eyes for any other bitch. Hell, he was more whipped than I was for his Old Lady, so I thought Giulia had been jonesing to get rid of Kendra for a while, probably for Keira’s sake, and had never anticipated that the snatch would run to Coshocton.
My Old Lady had said it herself—Kendra was the snake in Eden.
Even though Rex had requested I let her stay here for a couple weeks, I thought that was a fucked up thing to ask considering, so I’d had my brothers drive her over to Pittsburgh. With her a state away, I felt better, even if it made us a few brothers short as I had them keep an eye on her.
Still, gimme that over Keira finding out she was in the vicinity. The last thing I wanted was her doubting me. I’d never wanted fucking Kendra anyway, but that didn’t mean Keira wasn’t sensitive about that shit—rightly so considering our situation.
With all that crap going on, it was a relief to get my hands on something that needed repairing.
What was that saying? Idle hands were the devil’s tools? Well, I didn’t mind that so long as hard work kept me on the straight and narrow because, fuck, it was impossible to sleep some nights.
A soft wolf whistle stopped me thinking about how goddamn tired I was, and I smiled, peering up at the woman in question as she wandered into the kitchen.
"Well, hello, handsome," she teased, drooling over me like I was a Butterfinger she wanted to devour in two bites.
That soft purr had my cock reacting, but to be honest, I was rocking a semi nearly all the time I was around her. It didn’t have the chance to get full blown anymore, because the padlock hurt too fucking much.
I smirked at her, then returned to fixing the garbage disposal unit. Until, of course, I felt her eyes on me. My smirk deepened and I asked, "You watching the show?"
"Never understood how a guy like you could be good at arguing about politics and be able to fix anything you put your mind to." She shook her head. "You never did fit any stereotypes."
"You should probably be glad about that rather than grumbling," I retorted.
"Not grumbling. Not really." She took a seat at the breakfast bar. "Anyway, don’t let me disturb you."
I snorted when she settled in, reaching for an apple in the fruit bowl on the counter. The sounds of her teeth biting into the crisp flesh shouldn’t have made me ache, but they really did. My body was messed up. My mind even more so.
The bitch of it was, this was like old times.
She’d often done this, watched me fix shit around the house. I knew it got her hot. Knew it and wanted to deal with the aftermath of it, but how could I? Would it be too much temptation? Would I beg her to unlock my cock, to let me slide into the haven between her thighs?
I always managed to sleep after sex, and I needed that something fierce.
But no.
I had to stay strong.
As I fixed the busted unit, I tried to think about what I should do.
This wasn’t the first overture she’d made, but it was the first one when we were alone, and in the scheme of things, was pretty innocent.
Okay, her interest didn’t feel innocent, but I wasn’t about to complain, was I? My mom had raised many things, but a fucking fool wasn’t one of them.
"I take it back."
"What do you take back?" I questioned as I finally got the unit parts collated into place.
"That I’m mad about you being the package." She squinted at me. "It’s wrong how right you are. You should be in a magazine or something."
I snorted. "What kind of magazine? Addicts Unite?"
She frowned. "Stop it."
"Stop what?" I asked as I started adjusting the unit.
"Being so hard on yourself."
Taking my attention off of the parts, I shot her a look. "Honey, you need to accept that I’m always going to think I’m a piece of crap for letting you down."
"And you have to know that that hurts my heart to believe that you’ll do that, Storm."
"Maybe the day I make it up to you is the day my opinion will change about myself."
She huffed out a breath, but simply said, "I don’t think there’s anything I can do to change that. Aside from loving you, that is."
That boded well, didn’t it?
"Where’s Cyan?" I asked after she fell quiet.
"At MaryCat’s."
I arched a brow at the unit. "Not her day for French."
"Cyan wanted to play with Maddox."
My brows surged as I recognized that Keira clearly didn’t think MC needed help with her personal monsters, otherwise she’d have been there to watch over the kids with her.
"It’s a good day?"
A smile danced on her lips. "Nah. The PPD is… she’s good right now. I knew a girl back in West Orange in the same mother and baby group who just slipped into it and then slipped out. I’m hoping that’s how it’s going to be for her.
"She’s not checking out as much when I’m there, and I know things are easier all round. Digger’s been so supportive and I know that’s helped a lot."
"I’m glad you didn’t have to go through that."
She pulled a face. "Me too."
"I’m surprised Cy likes playing with Maddox so much. I can’t imagine her wanting to change diapers."
Keira laughed. "I told MC to give her the full experience."
"Ouch."
"She has to take the rough with the smooth," Keira joked. "Babies are cute, for sure. I just don’t want her forgetting that they’re not always cute.
"This can be her first sex-ed class. She doesn’t have to know about how you get the baby in the first place to know that they’re a lot of work."
I growled as a screw dropped loose, but asked her, "You and MC are getting to be good friends, aren’t you?"
"She’s very sweet." A soft breath escaped her, loud enough for me to hear it and recognize it as my arms strained while I tightened a couple of nuts and bolts.
That breathy gasp told me exactly where her mind was at, and it wasn’t MaryCat.
I heard the stool scrape the tiles, felt the soft vibration of her footsteps before I could look away from my work. When I did, I watched her place one foot on either side of me as she swept down into a kneeling position, straddling me like she’d done a thousand times before.