Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Merrick
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Giana said in a sing-song voice, breaking through the haze of sleep still clinging to me.
“Morning, beautiful.” My voice was still rough from sleep as I rubbed a hand over my eyes. “Are you up early, or did I sleep in?”
She leaned against the doorframe, the afternoon light shining brightly through the window behind her, the golden glow highlighting her like a goddess sent from above. She was too gorgeous for words, and if I didn’t think she’d scold me, I’d get on my knees to worship her right now.
“I think we all slept in.” She chuckled. “We needed it after last night.” She eased into the room, drawing my attention to the two plates she grasped, one in each hand.
“Giana.” I leaned forward to get out of bed to take the dishes from her, but she was faster. She set them on the nightstand and placed a hastening hand on my chest before I could move more than a few inches.
I did my best to hide my wince, but her keen amber eyes narrowed on me, catching everything.
“I think I can handle carrying a few plates upstairs.” She giggled and sat on the edge of the bed, handing me a plate of eggs, sausages, and toast along with a fork. “I thought I’d change it up from the soup.”
“Thank you, babe.” I caressed my thumb over her cheek, unable to hold back my smile even if I wanted to.
“You’re welcome.” She bent to place a chaste kiss on my lips before setting up the trays like we normally ate while on bed rest.
I’d stayed up waiting for them last night, hoping Giana would take her usual spot in my bed, but Spade had stolen her away. He barely let her give me a goodnight kiss before he was dragging her out of my room and into his.
“How did it go?” My jaw ticked. I hated that I had to get the information secondhand rather than being there to back them up myself.
“Good.” She grinned as she slipped into bed with her tray and leaned into my side. I already had my arm around her, tucking her into me.
“Now how are you going to eat?” She tried to sit up, but I tightened my hold on her.
“I don’t care. I just need you here with me.”
She shook her head, but I didn’t miss the smile that curled on her lips. “I guess you’re going to get your wish.”
Before I could get out my question, she was picking up my fork and spearing some eggs before bringing it to my lips.
My heart jolted at the tender smile she was giving me, the organ sputtering as I tried to rationalize how I got so lucky to not only have this woman back in my life but to call her mine.
I used my good arm to take her fork, feeding her the same way she was helping me. This was so much better than the alternative. Looking after her just as much as she was taking care of me was how things were always supposed to be.
Once we finished our breakfasts, I let my fingers thread through her soft hair, wishing the two of us could spend the rest of our lives curled up like this, forgetting the world outside. Unfortunately that wasn’t our reality.
“So how did last night really go?” I crooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze.
She sighed, clearly understanding I wouldn’t let her get away with the one-word answer. “Spade and I took out a group of six outside the hardware store. They grabbed a woman, but they were planning to break into the store.”
I cupped her cheek, tracing the line of her lips with my thumb, needing to reassure myself that she was here with me. Safe. I was done with this bed rest shit.
“Then there was a group over by Francine’s store, but we stopped them before they could get in.
I think they were trying to find the truck, but she hid it like we told her to.
Then there was another group who went after the diner.
They trashed the parking lot before we got there, but that was the least of what Greg and Pam deserved.
Our guys made it out of there unscathed. ”
Some of the tension eased from my chest, my frantic pulse finally slowing at the confirmation the world hadn’t burned down around us because I wasn’t there.
“Our guys?” I couldn’t hide my smile.
“I mean, yeah.” Her brows pinched together as she tried to read my face. “We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without them.”
“I know.” I pressed my lips to her forehead. “When I built the Devil’s Demons, I did it for you, but I wasn’t sure if you’d embrace it or run from us because you wanted to remove yourself from that life entirely. So hearing you call them our guys, is the best case I could’ve hoped for.”
“I’d never run from you,” she said, sincerity blazing in her amber eyes. “We’ve been going day to day, just trying to fight for ourselves and the town, but I guess we should think about the future. Is this something you think you’d continue?”
My lips pursed, and I trained my gaze on the smooth white ceilings, trying to picture a future where we weren’t fighting for our lives.
“I don’t think so. We’ve been fighting for a normal life, for a town not under the control of a gang, so it doesn’t feel right to potentially bring danger to the town’s doorstep again. ”
I held my breath, warily glancing at my girl, but there was no need to worry. Her smile was soft as she met my gaze. “I agree, and I think the rest of the Demons would say the same. Besides, you’ve always wanted to work with cars, and I’m assuming running a gang doesn’t give you much free time.”
“No, it doesn’t.” I chewed on my bottom lip and for the first time in years, I thought of my future outside of working for or running a gang.
“We wouldn’t be able to completely disband; otherwise, it would create a power vacuum that a crime lord like Angelo might take advantage of.
But I’d like to open another shop in town, or maybe beside the bar. ”
“You want to keep the bar?”
“I think I do. With your help, I think we could make something great.”
“With you guys by my side, I truly think we could achieve anything.”
“I think so too.” I captured her lips in a tender kiss. “What do you see in the future?”
“I’m not sure yet.” She nestled her head into my chest. “It doesn’t feel right stopping at the Barones.
There are so many people both in the town and in the town council, and the police, senators, and other political figures who took the Barones’ blood money.
I want to hunt them and take them down one by one. ”
“Like you said, we can do anything we put our minds to, and I’ll help you every step of the way.”
“I know you will.” She grinned, her fingers lazily tracing the muscles beneath my thin sleep shirt. “I think the best way to smoke them out is by ingratiating myself into politics so I can access their records and be the person on the inside.”
“You’ll destroy them all. You’re not called ‘little devil’ for nothing.”
“You always say such sweet things to me.” She tipped her head up, and I closed the distance. I deepened the kiss this time, quickly turning it from tender to scorching.
I was about to throw everything off the bed and strip the baggy shirt and pajama pants off her, to hell with the doctor’s orders, when the door opened.
“Hope we’re not interrupting.” Spade whistled a jaunty tune as he strode into my room with Kellan right on his heels.
“Get out,” I growled, feathering my hand through Giana’s hair to keep her close to me. Her lips twitched as she tried and failed to hold back her giggle.
“Don’t be like that, Mer,” Kellan said with faux reproach, his eyes sparkling with mirth. “We just want to spend some time with you.”
“More like cockblock me,” I muttered under my breath, reluctantly loosening my hold on my little devil as Spade squeezed into the bed beside her.
“You’re supposed to be on bed rest, Merrick.” Spade waggled his finger in admonishment. “Therefore we’re saving you, not cockblocking you.”
I scowled at Spade over Giana’s head, wishing I could shove him off the bed without jostling my little devil.
“I am not getting in the middle of this.” Giana went to get out of the bed, but I tightened my hold on her.
“There’s no way I’m letting you get away, little devil.” My lips brushed the shell of her ear. I didn’t miss the shudder that rolled over her body. My girl wanted to break the rules just as much as I did. Now if only I could think of some way to make these fuckers leave us alone.
“We decided to have a family movie day.” Kellan moved the trays off the bed and went to curl up right on top of Giana, but Spade scooped her up first, laying her in his lap and jostling my arm off her at the same time.
“Seriously?” Kellan grumbled, narrowing a glare at our soon-to-be-dead friend.
Giana only giggled and patted the space beside her. “There’s enough room for all of us.”
“We need a bigger bed.” I sighed, tugging her over to lean against my shoulder, drawing both Kellan’s and Spade’s ire. I shot them a smug smile and threaded my fingers through Giana’s hair. Her answering moan went straight to my cock.
Fuck. This girl was perfection. And I was going to kill my best friends if they didn’t let me have some alone time with her soon now that she was feeling better.
“We need a bigger room too.” Kellan eyed the cramped space. “I love this old house, but they didn’t make rooms big enough for four people and the giant bed we’d need to sleep us all.”
“Maybe we need a new house?” Spade mused, his eyes locked on the back of Giana’s head as his jaw ticked. I could tell he was debating pulling her back to him.
“Stop following me!” Sophia’s scream vibrated off the walls despite the closed door.
“Knowing you, you’ll manage to get taken from the house next,” Zane barked, his stomping footsteps echoing down the hall.
“You don’t know anything about me!”
Were they seriously arguing right outside my room?
“I wish I didn’t.”
Yes, they definitely were.
“Yeah, one with thicker walls and fewer guest rooms,” I grumbled.
“Hey.” A crease formed between Giana’s brows as she glared up at me. “That’s my best friend. Wherever I go, there’ll always be room for her.”
I bent to kiss her forehead, and it immediately smoothed out. “Yeah, room for Sophia, not for the other two.”
“I heard that,” Zane said from the other side of the door.
“My point exactly. You shouldn’t be close enough to my room to hear us.”
“Yeah, fuck off, Zane,” Sophia sang, and the doorknob jiggled.
No, please no.
Sophia bounded into the room and slammed the door in Zane’s disgruntled face, locking it behind her.
“I should’ve remembered to do that,” Kellan said under his breath.
“What are we doing today?” Sophia beamed, way too fucking chipper for the morning. Well, I guess it was afternoon now.
“We’re going to watch a movie.”
Sophia didn’t notice my emphasis, though, and plopped down on the bed and flopped back onto Giana, making her lean back onto Spade instead.
I glowered at the smug asshole beside me, who was all smiles now that he had our girl fully in his lap.
“Oh cool, what are we watching?” Sophia asked.
At the same time I said, “Watch her leg.”
“Sorry.” Sophia grimaced. “How’s it doing today?”
“Sore. But it’s better than it was a few days ago.” Giana winced, moving her leg out a bit further, but she didn’t kick her friend out. No, she hugged her.
Dammit, if it wasn’t bad enough that these pricks came and ruined our alone time, it was even worse now.
Kellan rubbed a hand over her shoulder in a soothing motion, but she jerked at the touch.
“What the fuck?” I growled, ready to launch myself at Kellan if he hurt her.
“My shoulder’s just a little bruised,” Giana said.
“Who the fuck did that to you?” I glowered at Spade and Kellan; they were both supposed to have her back last night.
I cupped her face with both hands, uncaring of the pain that seared through me as I shifted the shoulder with the bullet wound.
“Please tell me they’re dead; otherwise I’m going out to—”
“I did it to myself,” she huffed, pursing her lips. I didn’t miss the slight quiver to them, though, like she was fighting off a smile. “I dodged out of the way of a shot and hit the pavement hard. And before you march out of here like my hero, yes, he’s already dead.”
“Good girl.” I caressed her cheek with my thumb, loving the blush that spread across it. “You tell me if you’re hurt so I can take care of you next time.”
“Yes, sir,” she purred, her words making my cock twitch.
“Eww, stop that,” Sophia groaned, snapping us both out of the moment.
I reluctantly released my girl, my jaw ticking as I held back the flood of curses that begged to roll off my tongue.
I was reaching my limit. Not only did Giana get hurt while I wasn’t there to protect her, I couldn’t even get a damn minute alone with her.
I had to have her soon. I had to have her splayed across my lap, my hand reddening her ass cheek for ever putting what was mine in danger.
“So I think we need a comedy.” Giana cleared her throat. “We have enough action in real life.”
“I wish I was able to get some action,” I groaned and flopped back against my pillows, ignoring the laughter that came from every-fucking-body in the room. “Assholes.”
I grabbed Giana’s hand and threaded my fingers through hers. We relaxed into a comfortable silence as Kellan put something on the TV. This was all I needed: my friends, my family, and the only woman I would ever love by my side.