10. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Ginger
I felt torn. Part of me wanted to squeal and dance in glee. But the part of me who’d only experienced pain before coming here urged me to be cautious. I could tell Bronx and Reno were good men, but I worried my newfound happiness would come to an end. Now that those men had found me, I knew I wouldn’t be safe. The club might say they would handle the situation, but what if they couldn’t? While Vegas seemed to have a cold side to him, I wasn’t certain these men could take on the monsters from my past. Not and survive.
I pushed the roller up and down the wall, adding a coat of light aqua to the living room wall. We’d agreed to make the bedroom a light gray. However, I’d liked the idea of having some color in here. The fact both Bronx and Reno kept asking my opinion on everything made me feel warm inside. I’d never met men like them before.
The plastic drop cloth under my feet crinkled as I moved a little to the right and started on a fresh spot. Warm hands landed on my hips and I slightly jolted. Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled up at Reno. He gave me a wink before kissing my forehead.
“Wall is looking good. Bronx wondered if you wanted us to order dinner in. We’re going to all be wiped the hell out later. Even if the place doesn’t deliver, one of us can run grab it, or send someone.”
“That sounds good,” I said. Would I get to try something else new?
“I’m going to run downstairs for a minute and ask KiKi if she’d mind fixing a plate of sandwiches for us in the next half hour. I’m sure you’re getting hungry, but I don’t want to stop for the day until we’ve got the furniture together, the wall opened up and patched, and this mess cleared from the floors.”
“I can make them,” I offered.
“No, honey. Not this time. Once we have our own kitchen, you can cook as much as you want. Although, it won’t be a full kitchen. Bronx and I will add a large toaster oven instead of putting in a regular one. And we’ll have a cooktop, as well as a sink and fridge. But it’s not going to be like the one downstairs.”
I wondered if they thought I’d be disappointed. I’d never had an apartment before. Even their room with the attached bathroom had been nicer than anywhere I’d stayed before. My uncle had kept me alive. That’s about as much as I could say. My bed at his house consisted of an old mattress on the floor. Springs dug into me while I slept. He’d kept me chained at night, and left a portable toilet in the corner. Then he’d made me clean it the next morning.
I’d tried not to tell these people how awful my life had been. Yes, I’d shared what those men had done to me, but… I didn’t want Bronx and Reno finding out I’d lived the way I had. The only time I got to bathe had been the days my uncle had given me to his friends or colleagues, or to pay off his debts. Even then, I’d been under observation and the water had been cold.
Lost in my thoughts, I hadn’t realized Reno watched me. Snapping back to the present, I gave him another smile. The way his gaze narrowed told me he wasn’t fooled. He knew I’d drifted off somewhere unpleasant for a moment.
“As soon as the walls and baseboards are finished, we’ll put up the drop cloth in here. Then we can start on the furniture.” He kissed me again. “Don’t tire yourself out. If you want to rest, you can lie on the bed in the other room.”
I looked through the new opening in the wall. They’d ripped down the old one, framed it out, and were currently smearing something over the new wood. I couldn’t remember what they’d called it. I’d tried to pick up all the terms they’d used so I could learn about something they seemed to enjoy. The way they’d laughed and joked as they worked made me smile. I loved seeing them so happy.
Reno had pulled his old bed out of the other room earlier, and they’d moved Bronx’s over there. They’d also taken out the two long dressers and piled their clothes onto the bed. I knew if I said I wanted to rest, they’d make room for me to lie down. But I didn’t want to be a burden, or make them stop before they were ready.
“I’m okay,” I said.
“All right. Just remember, you can stop whenever you want. Once we’re done with this part, the plaster will need to dry then you can paint it. Shouldn’t take long. Bronx and I will put the new bedroom furniture together while we’re waiting.”
“Because you can’t do the living room until I finish painting?”
He nodded. “No rush though, Ginger.”
I’d peered into the hallway earlier and noticed they’d blocked it past Reno’s room. I hoped no one needed to get down there anytime soon. The boxes for the furniture, new TVs, and whatever else they’d bought filled up the space. Bags even lined the wall the opposite direction past Bronx’s room. Although, I guess I needed to start thinking of this space as just our apartment and not in terms of their separate bedrooms.
The door opened and I waved at Houston. He gave me a nod before coming over. Letting him talk to Reno, I focused on the wall again. I doubted he’d come to speak with me. Even though things were better between us now, I didn’t think we’d ever be considered friends.
I did, however, listen to them. I probably shouldn’t have. Then again, if they’d been talking about something secret, they would have left the room, or at least lowered their voices.
“The club wants to help. The three of you have been working all morning and afternoon. We’re going to carry the futon downstairs, as well as your other living room furniture, and put it together for you. Then we’ll just have to bring it in once the room is ready,” Reno said.
“We appreciate it,” Reno said.
“And the girls are downstairs making a bunch of food. Just stuff like cheese sticks, potato skins, and other finger foods. I think one of them plans on bringing a bunch of it up to you shortly. Want me to put the kitchen table together and set it in the other room? You can move it later,” Houston said.
“Thanks, VP. And tell everyone the same. We want this as finished as possible by tonight. The kitchen and closet will take more time, but I’d like for at least the living room to be completely done for Ginger.”
“We’re here to help however we can,” Houston said. “And Vegas is trying to keep track of those assholes who wanted to hurt Ginger. No plan as of yet, but we’ll figure something out.”
Houston left only to appear in the next room, and started putting the little dinette set together. While he did that, I finished the wall I’d been working on, then sat on the floor to rest for a moment. I watched Bronx and Reno finish off the doorway, then Bronx came over and kneeled in front of me.
“You okay, beautiful?” he asked.
I nodded. “Just taking a short break. My arms are getting a little sore.”
“You can stop. Reno and I can finish painting.”
“But he said the two of you needed to put stuff together while I painted.”
Bronx glared at Reno, who just shrugged a shoulder. Although, if the club planned to help with the furniture, then maybe it wouldn’t hurt for the guys to finish the painting. I really did worry I wouldn’t be able to lift my arms tomorrow. I’d never done this sort of work before. Or any work really. My uncle might have treated me like a slave, but this sort of thing was beyond anything I’d ever done.
“We’ll get the two chests put together, then if you want to help without overdoing it, you can put our things away. That way the bed will be cleared off. Sound good?” Bronx asked.
“Sure, I can do that.” I smiled up at him. I just needed to wash my hands and arms really good first.
Reno stepped into the hall and returned a moment later with two sacks in his hands. I noticed they were full of clothes, and he carried them into the bedroom, then motioned for me to follow him. Houston had finished putting the legs on the table and started on the chairs. I stepped around him and Reno led me into the bathroom.
“Go ahead and shower. Put on some of your new things, then you can work on the clothes. We should have the chests put together by the time you’re done. Let the hot water hit your muscles for a bit. Otherwise you’ll be stiff tonight and tomorrow.”
“But I can still…”
He pressed a finger to my lips. “No arguing, Ginger. It’s an order.”
I nodded and stepped into the bathroom. He’d already moved all of our things over earlier so my shampoo and body soap were in the shower. I shut the door and twisted the lock, feeling uneasy about Houston being on the other side of the door. Now that I belonged to just Reno and Bronx, I didn’t like the idea of other men seeing me naked. It seemed odd since I hadn’t had a problem with it before.
I started the water and stripped out of my clothes. While I waited for it to heat, I stared at my reflection in the small mirror. The dark circles under my eyes were still there, but I looked happier than I had in a long time. I only hoped this would be my new normal. Was I really going to get my happy ending? I was too scared to dare hope for such a thing, and yet I yearned for it.
Bronx
I could tell Ginger had worn herself out. Even though she’d never painted before, she’d done a good job. There were a few spots I’d have to touch up later, but I’d do it when she wasn’t paying attention. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings by making her think she hadn’t done an adequate job.
Thanks to the club, all the furniture was already put together, and all we had to do was to place it where we wanted it. Or rather, where Ginger wanted it. Although, getting her to give us feedback hadn’t been easy. If I ever got my hands on her uncle, the bastard was a dead man.
We’d pulled up the drop cloth after painting the new doorway. While I’d have loved to get the bedroom finished today, Reno made an excellent point when he’d suggested waiting to paint in there until we’d built the closet. So now the bedroom was about as finished as it could get for tonight. I stood in the doorway, arms folded, as I watched Reno and Ginger. They’d placed a colorful rug in the middle of the room, and both stood back, studying it.
“You know, we can move it later if you decide you’d like it better at a different angle or placed elsewhere,” I said. “Try figuring out where you want the futon first. We can arrange everything around that.”
Ginger’s eyes went wide, and she nodded before studying the room again. Reno flipped me off, making me grin. Yeah, he’d been toying with her. I think he just liked drawing this out more. I could tell he enjoyed setting up our home with Ginger. Couldn’t blame him. Seeing her go from hesitant to excited made me happy, too.
“What about there?” she asked, pointing to the wall where I’d had my bed. There would be a window on the right side of the futon, which meant I had to be careful where I placed the TV or there would be an awful glare during the day. Of course, Ginger may want to add curtains or something. I was fine with whatever she wanted. Hell, she could have asked me to hang flowered wallpaper everywhere, and I’d have done it.
Reno glanced from where she pointed to the opposite wall and winced. Yeah, he didn’t want to tell her about the glare either. On the other hand, I didn’t want to remount the TV if she decided she didn’t like it later.
“Honey, we can put it wherever you want. Just keep in mind one thing. The TV will hang on the opposite wall, and there’s a window right there,” I said, pointing to it. “So the sun is going to shine on the TV for part of the day.”
“Oh.” She chewed on her bottom lip and looked around the room again. She looked down at her feet, then glanced one way, then the other. “What about here?”
“In the middle of the room?” Reno asked.
“Yeah. It could face the wall.” She waved a hand at the spot where she’d wanted to put the futon a moment ago. “Would that work?”
“Let’s find out,” I said.
Reno and I moved the futon where she’d indicated, then took another ten minutes adjusting it so we could walk behind it, and yet it wouldn’t be too close to the TV. The room wasn’t exactly tiny, but it hadn’t been made for something like this either. Once we had in the perfect spot, I went ahead and worked on mounting the TV on the wall while Reno helped her with the other furniture.
The bookshelf looked bare since we hadn’t purchased books yet, but I’d make sure Ginger had a chance to fill it with anything she wanted. There would be enough room to add either a chair or another bookshelf on the same wall. We’d placed the small table and chairs near the window.
“I think we’re done for tonight. We can rest tomorrow and figure out when we want to tackle the kitchen and the closet,” I said.
“Closet first.” Reno leaned against the futon. “It will be the easiest and quickest. The kitchen will take a while since we have to shut off the water, remove the sink, toilet, and tub. Is it wrong I almost want to call a plumber to tackle it?”
“I’ll message Vegas and Houston. They may let us bring someone in. I just don’t want Ginger anywhere near them,” I said.
I pulled out my phone and texted the Pres and VP. You okay with us hiring someone to gut the bathroom?
I didn’t get a response. Since I had no idea what the club was doing today, I figured they were in a meeting or busy with other shit. They’d get back to me when they could. It wasn’t like we would be solving the issue tonight, anyway.
“I’m going to shower, then Reno can take one. We’ll sit down and order food when we’re done.”
Ginger looked from me to Reno and back. “You could take one together.”
I cleared my throat and held Reno’s gaze. I wasn’t opposed to it. The heated look I got from Reno said he wouldn’t mind, either. Although, I hated to leave Ginger alone. We’d just be in the other room, but today was supposed to be a bonding day for the three of us. A way to get our home set up while spending time with one another. Sadly, there was no way all three of us would fit into the shower. Reno and I could barely fit in there together. If we had more space, I’d had a new one installed, but we’d have to take over yet another room for that to happen. I didn’t see Vegas being quite that generous.
“Why are you hesitating?” she asked.
“Seems wrong for just the two of us to be together like that. I don’t like leaving you out,” I admitted.
She tipped her head to the side and studied me. “Will there be times I’m only with one of you?”
“Probably.”
“Then what’s the difference? The two of you were a couple long before I came along. I’m not going to get between the two of you. It’s important for you to have time without me. It won’t hurt my feelings or make me feel left out.”
Reno smiles. “She’s something, isn’t she? The perfect woman for us.”
“You’re right. She is. Okay, Ginger. You win. Come on, Reno. Let’s get cleaned up.”
He followed me into the bathroom. I left the door open as we stripped out of our clothes and stepped into the shower. The water came out ice cold at first, but I welcomed the cool spray on my heated skin. Reno winced and glared at me.
“If you make my dick shrivel up, we won’t be doing more than a quick wash in here,” he said.
“Guess I better make sure that doesn’t happen then.” I gave him a wink before reaching for his cock. I gave it a firm stroke, and he tilted his head back as a groan slipped past his lips. I knew just how he liked it. Long, slow tugs that would build anticipation and make him explode.
“God, that feels good,” he said. “Don’t stop.”
“Wasn’t planning to.”
I leaned in and kissed him, sliding my hand down his shaft again, then cupping his balls. He bucked against me and I could tell he wouldn’t last long. It only took a few more strokes before he was coming. The heat of his release splashed against my abdomen, and my dick jerked in response. A shudder raked his body as Reno dropped to his knees.
He took my cock into his mouth, sucking on it long and hard. I braced my hand on the wall, knowing my legs wouldn’t hold me for long. Reno took me to the back of his throat and swallowed on the head of my dick. I bit back a cry as I nearly came right then and there. I wasn’t ready yet. It felt too damn good, and I wanted more.
Looking through the open bathroom door, I saw Ginger watching us, a slight smile on her lips. I held her gaze as Reno sucked me off. When I got close, I reached town to grip his head and forced my cock further into his mouth. I pumped my hips until my cum filled his mouth. He swallowed every drop. Even from this distance, I could see Ginger’s nipples were rock hard. As soon as Reno and I recovered, I had plans for our woman.
It was going to be a long night. But a satisfying one.