Chapter 21 - Charlie
I have almost an entire week off and I have nothing to do but help Porter out at the bar. Dante and Ace leave for their mission in a few days and he insists on taking care of Mila by himself. If she takes a turn then he’ll contact me but because we all seem to think she's gone through the worst of it and the baby is strong and growing perfectly, it's okay for me to step back for a few days.
It's a bit ridiculous to say but for the most part I forget that Dante and Ace are putting their life in danger when they go away like this. They just seem so invincible and the more I've gotten to know them the less I can see them in that war type environment, let alone accept something might happen to them.
It's a weird thing to send your loved one out the door in the morning and know somewhere deep down that they might not come home because of the job they do. I can't even imagine what Mila or Nova feel because I'm only on the outside looking in. Sure, I care for them both but I'm not in love with them.
It's so obvious that Nova and Ace are soulmates, I can't even fathom the reasons why they aren't together yet, and it's clear to anyone with eyes that Dante and Mila are a match made in heaven.
Porter on the other hand is safe and sound at the bar. I know he can handle himself. His scowl alone can stop men in their tracks so I don't have to worry about him like that, but I still do.
All it takes is some drunk idiot with a knife or an unseen hit to the head. Everything could change in the blink of an eye, so even though he's not running into danger like Dante and Ace, there is still a risk something could happen and it makes me unsettled to know I might not be there to save him if it does.
In fact, I might make that my job for the day, checking all of his first aid supplies and making sure he has the proper things on hand for typical bar fight wounds. Come to think of it, I don't know if I've even seen a first aid kit at all.
Opening the bathroom door I call out to Porter, admiring his body as he takes a shower. The water drips over his muscles, highlighting the dips and shadows as his tattoos dance across his skin. The pendant he wears around his neck, iridescent in the light.
“I'm going to check out your first aid supplies down in the bar. I’ll be back in a little bit,” I say grinning at him, actively resisting the urge to join him.
“Could you help me scratch an itch instead?” he says, as he leisurely strokes his heavy cock. “I barely had my fill when you sat on my face during breakfast, my cock needs a taste of your pussy too.”
Well fuck.
The way this man can stop me in my tracks when he talks like this. I've never met someone so confident and relaxed when he talks dirty and I am absolutely here for the times he catches me off guard.
“It's tempting,” I moan, squeezing my thighs together to ease the throbbing in my clit, “But I need to check what supplies you have in your first aid kits, you do have first aid kits right?”
“Of course we do. I don’t know when they were last used but we have them.”
Shaking my head at his response, I say, “I’ll take stock and update them then. I'll feel better knowing you have everything you need in case something happens.”
“ Has something happened? Where is this coming from, baby? I've had the bar for years and nothings gone wrong in all that time,” he says, leaving the shower running and walking over to stand in front of me, water dripping to the floor, concern etched on his face.
“It's nothing, just with Dante and Ace leaving. I just have a feeling and I think it's made me a bit unsettled knowing they're going into a dangerous situation. I've had enough therapy to know I should try and focus on what I can control so it will make me feel better to stock up your supplies.”
Reaching out I put a hand on his chest, directly over his heart, before leaning in and kissing the exact spot I was touching.
“Let me wash this off and I'll come down and show you what I have, but be warned, it's not much,” he says, brushing his lips across mine, a small smile on his face as he walks back into the shower spray and ducks his head under the water.
Marching into the bar a few moments later, I always forget how dark it is without the overhead lights on. There are several high windows in the space but it's more like we're in a basement because they’re placed high on the walls, letting only a small amount of daylight in when everything is shut down for the day.
The faint smell of cigarettes gets stronger as I walk toward the main light switch. I didn't think Porter allowed smoking in the bar but someone must have had one last night because the smell is almost fresh in the quiet space.
A small red ember gets my attention just as I'm about to turn on the lights. The faint silhouette of a person sitting in the near dark, now visible to me as the smoke curls around their shadow. Without hesitation, I turn on the main overhead light, blinding me for a second as my eyes adjust to the brightness, gasping at the man sitting on the other side of the bar with a glass of amber liquid in front of him.
Taking a drag of his cigarette, a wicked grin spreads across his face as we lock eyes.
“Miss me?”
I can't help but scream in excitement. A little piece of home, coming to surprise me.