Chapter 5
A half hour later, Street stood in the doorway.
Her relaxed face fascinated him. The stress lines around her lips had evaporated along with her usual guarded expression.
With her stuffie tucked under her chin, she looked younger.
What had happened in her life to land her in a bar that drugged customers and God knew what else?
He’d called Wraith to ask about her room.
According to his MC brother, Wraith barely had space to turn around inside.
A toilet and sink occupied one corner. She had strung up bits of rope knotted together to make a clothesline.
The Ravagers had sliced up a pair of jeans and a bar employee’s T-shirt left to dry.
Wraith had found one other pair of jeans and two more T-shirts undamaged.
No underwear. No socks. Not even an extra bra.
Rosa had a stained mattress on the floor covered by two beach towels.
Wraith wasn’t bothered by much, but Street could hear the disgust in his voice that she’d had to sleep on that.
“That trash disguised as bedding might be better than the floor,” Wraith had shared.
The big biker hadn’t sounded convinced. Of course, the Ravagers had slit that open several times as well, exposing the filth inside.
Street had barely controlled his anger. Not at the Ravagers but at whoever had abandoned Rosa to this desperate existence. Where was her family?
Wraith hadn’t chosen to pack more in the duffel bag.
Nothing else was of any value or use. Her only other shoes had holes in the bottom and were a different size from those she’d given him today.
Street would order her some new ones but wanted to get her the right size. She hadn’t even owned a coat.
He forced himself to leave the doorway. Rosa needed sleep. He didn’t want to disturb her. Street walked into his bathroom and stripped off his clothes. Afraid she would run away, even in the compound, he hadn’t changed since he’d returned home. Now his skin itched from sleeping in the hay.
Before jumping into the shower, he took a wild chance and messaged the MC.
Does anyone have one of those shoe-size measuring things?
Shaking his head, Street set his phone down on the vanity. They’d have fun answering that question.
His phone buzzed with a message from Pirate. Surely he didn’t really have the sizing device? Opening the text, Street read:
Rosa Serrano, 14, accused of theft of food by her stepfather.
Two officers refused to write up the charges.
The third completed the report but couldn’t locate Rosa.
The case was sealed after Rosa turned eighteen.
The school reported her for truancy a month after the robbery charge.
Her mother never filed a report for a runaway.
No other violations are available in her hometown or elsewhere.
Street instantly understood what had happened.
Her stepfather had driven her away. Over food.
What an asswipe! And her mother had not only allowed him to levy charges against Rosa, but she hadn’t searched for her daughter at all.
Rosa had existed on her own since she was fourteen, still believing she was under the threat of a warrant for her arrest.
Funneling his anger into action, Street turned his attention to helping her settle here. Street wanted Rosa to have some comfortable clothes to wear around the house. Eventually, he’d take her out of town to try on a few things if she didn’t know her correct size.
“Leggings,” he announced to the empty room as he tossed his dirty clothes into the hamper. He could guesstimate her size in those. Somewhat relieved to have solved part of the dilemma about some additional clothes for Rosa, he stepped into the large shower stall.
By the time he’d finished washing every inch of his skin and erasing his night in the barn, Street had an entire list in his head. Before he could forget anything, he grabbed his phone and started filling up his online cart. He’d have the items delivered to Inferno.
A small gasp from the doorway made him glance up from his device.
Rosa stood frozen in the opening, staring.
When he moved, she whirled around to face the wall.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you were naked. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.
Who leaves the bathroom door wide open for anyone to waltz in anyway? ”
He grinned at her burst of indignation to cover her embarrassment. “Sorry, Rosa.”
She turned to talk to him and found him still exposed and dripping water. “Could you like put a towel over that thing?”
He chuckled as he grabbed a towel and wrapped the material around his waist. She struggled to keep her eyes on his face. He loved her pink cheeks and had never been more pleased with his own body. Her embarrassment was adorable. “Better?”
“Thank you!”
“Of course. Anything to make you comfortable. Come here, Little girl. Let me work on your hair. I should have dried it before sending you to bed.”
Before she could refuse, he wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to the mirror. She leaned against him without seeming to realize she’d responded to his touch. His Daddy instincts flared into place. He wanted to take care of her.
Rosa shook her head as she studied her reflection. Her long hair stuck out at weird angles and was smushed on one side. He could tell at a glance that the ends at least were wickedly tangled.
“Fuck,” she cursed.
“No bad words, Rosa. I’ll fix it.”
“Do you have your cosmetology degree or something?”
“Nah. But they train Daddies to handle a wide variety of emergencies.” He picked up a brush and carefully held one section of her hair, so he didn’t tug at her scalp as he smoothed the tresses below where he gripped it. To his delight, the snarls cooperated with him.
“You’re good at that,” she whispered, studying him in the mirror.
“Thank you. Did you have a good nap?”
She hadn’t slept as long as he would have liked, but she appeared more rested.
“I didn’t nap.”
“Really? You know it would have been okay if you had. Sleeping is allowed in this house.”
“Are you really building another home? Why not stay here?” she asked, surprising him with the change of topic.
“I could, but the MC recommends that everyone customize the interior of their own cabin. You know, move walls, add space where you need it. I’d like to have a kitchen that opens up to the family room. I want to see my Little girl playing while I cook dinner.”
A wistful look appeared on her face for a split second before she composed her expression. “That sounds nice. What else would you like?”
Was she sad about her past or was she wishing to be Little? Street focused on her question. “An enormous tub for bubble baths with my Little girl.”
“That one’s not big enough?” she asked, pointing to the small tub that Street considered a big sink.
“No way.”
She snickered. “Yeah, I could see you in a pond with rubber duckies floating around.”
“Me too.”
Rosa’s eyes widened in the mirror. “You’re not kidding.”
“No, I’m not. Are you anti bubbles? The bath police?” he teased.
“No.”
Her expression told him she had more to add, so he stayed silent as he continued smoothing her hair. A full minute later, she said, “I loved bubble baths when I was a kid.”
“Sounds like a good reason to try soaking in suds again. Good thing I’ve got space reserved for a big tub. I can’t decide between a clawfoot or whirlpool bath. What do you think is better?”
“Clawfoot,” she answered immediately.
“Why?”
“Those jets have to destroy the bubbles, right? And how do you find the toys if the water is all whirling around?”
“Good points. I was leaning that way too. I’ll have to put the faucet on the side, though, so we’ll each have an end to recline against,” he said, including her in his plans.
“Oh, I won’t be here by then.”
Her response concerned him. Not that she wouldn’t be bathing with him. Rosa had simply reminded him she planned to leave town. “You don’t have to leave. This is a pretty good place to hang around.”
“I’ll need to get a job somewhere else. If I hang around here, the Ravagers will find me.”
“Not if you get a job in the warehouse. I could teach you how to drive a forklift.”
“Right. Like they’d hire me there,” Rosa said.
“One Little girl already works for the Devil Daddies. Angel, Vex’s Little girl, is working on the computer records, starting with the health files.”
“Health files? You mean Razor is an actual doctor for the MC?”
“Yes. He takes care of us. We’ll have him make sure you’re in good health.”
“Oh, I don’t get sick.”
“I’m glad to hear that. If you do, he’s at the clinic. He can also make sure you’re up to date on your immunizations.”
“I don’t need shots either,” she said, staring at him challengingly in the mirror as he finished her hair.
“Afraid of needles?”
“No. I just don’t like shots.”
“I understand that. How would you like to tour the house I’m building this afternoon?” he asked as he smoothed the brush through the length of her hair from root to the ends all over her head. Her eyes closed partially with an expression of pure enjoyment.
He loved bringing her pleasure. What does she look like when she comes? Immediately when that thought popped into his mind, Street clamped down on his self-control as desire coursed through his body and his cock twitched. This towel wouldn’t disguise his reaction.
“Thank you for fixing my hair. I hate tangles.”
Street met her gaze in the mirror. He smiled as if he hadn’t pictured her petite body spread out like a buffet for a starving man. Stop it! Rosa called to his basest instincts. Deliciously.
“You’re welcome. Ponytail or braids?”
“You can do that?”
“I’ll give whatever you choose my best shot,” he promised.
“High ponytail,” she requested, lifting her hand to show him. “I don’t have any elastics.”
Street opened a drawer. Way in the back, he’d stashed a package of wrapped hair bands. “Here. Open this for me and pick your favorite color.”
“You just happen to have these?” she asked.
“Daddies are always prepared.”
She considered him skeptically as she selected a yellow one.
Street didn’t comment but continued to smooth her hair together into the style she wanted.
In a few moments, he plucked her choice from her hand and secured the fastener in her new do.
He looked at his finished handiwork and was impressed. Not bad, Street.
“How’s that?”
Rosa turned her head from side to side to check out the shining cascade before admitting, “I’m impressed.”
Street raised his hands above his head and cheered. Of course, his towel chose to unwrap itself at that moment and tumble down to the ground. As he bent to collect it, Rosa giggled.
Wrapping the fabric around his hips, Street adopted a serious expression and shook his head at Rosa. “Little girl. Never laugh at a man when he’s naked. I might not recover from that.”
“Oh! I wasn’t laughing at your… man thing.”
“Man thing?” he repeated, trying not to chuckle.
“Yeah. No one would make fun of that. It’s too big.”
That statement bolstered his ego. “Thank you, Rosa. It’s nice to be appreciated. Before I parade my cock in front of you again by accident, I’ll grab your clothes from the basket and bring them to you. Let’s go get dressed and we can tour my house.”
“Good idea,” she said quickly and proceeded him toward the door, humming while raising and lowering her right hand.
Just like a drum major. Street chuckled at her antics. His Little girl was going to keep him on his toes.