Chapter 9
When his Little girl roused from her snooze on his chest, Street loved the faint pink color of her cheeks as she met his gaze. “Hi, Little girl. Did you have a good nap?”
“Yes….”
When her voice trailed off, Street didn’t follow her answer quickly with another question or comment. He allowed her statement to linger in the air.
To his delight, she hid her face and whispered, “Yes, Daddy.”
Street pressed a kiss on her hair. “I love hearing you call me Daddy, Dinorosa.”
Her lips pressed firmly against his skin. She’d returned the kiss with one of her own. “Thank you, Little girl. Do you feel okay?” Her pussy had hugged him—tight and so wet. He’d moved as gently as possible inside her until she’d demanded more. He hoped she wouldn’t be sore.
“Daddy!” she whispered, sounding embarrassed.
He stroked a hand over her head. “Nothing is off-limits between us, Rosa. Tell Daddy the truth.”
She peeked up at him and said, “I’m good. More than good. I’ve never experienced anything like that.”
“Our lovemaking was special, Dinorosa.” Deciding to give her a break, Street changed the subject. “After that activity, I’m starving. Let me make us some lunch.”
“I can help,” she said, and her stomach growled loudly. “I might be hungry.”
Chuckles fell from his lips. She was adorable. “Let Daddy get you dressed, and we’ll get some food in that tummy.”
A few minutes later, Rosa stood dwarfed by one of Street’s T-shirts, while he wore a pair of long shorts. In the bathroom, Street reluctantly splashed water on his face, erasing Rosa’s sweet scent from his skin as she used the potty.
He wet a washcloth under the warm water and held out a hand for her as she emerged from the toilet area. “Come here, Dinorosa. Let Daddy help you get cleaned up.”
Her brows drew together in confusion as she walked forward. He knelt in front of her and lifted the hem of the shirt, saying, “Step your feet apart, Little girl.”
“Daddy, I can do it,” she protested as he wiped the inside of her thighs where her juices had dried on her skin.
“Daddy takes care of you, Rosa,” Street told her, forcing sternness into his voice as he controlled his smile at her appalled reaction. Helping Rosa become comfortable under his care would require patience. He hated that she’d had to do so many things herself. That stopped now.
When he threw the cloth into the hamper and smoothed her borrowed shirt into place, Rosa met his gaze shyly. “Thank you, Daddy.”
“You’re welcome, Little girl. Shall we stop to get Inky? I bet he’s hungry.”
She practically bounced down the hall. He’d never seen her so carefree and planned to do everything he could to keep her worry-free.
A short time later, Rosa sat at the small table in the kitchen as he crisped two quesadillas of cheddar cheese and ham in a skillet. He needed to grab groceries to feed her better. Little girls needed good nutrition.
“What veggies do you like, Rosa?”
“French fries.”
That wasn’t exactly a healthy vegetable in his book. “What else? Tomatoes? Cucumbers? Green beans?”
“Ew, I don’t like those. Vegetables really aren’t my favorites.” She wrinkled her nose.
“How about fruit? You must enjoy that better.”
“Apples are okay.”
“Bananas?”
“Not the mushy ones. I enjoy them when they’re just barely freckled.”
“What do you usually eat, Dinorosa? Are you purely a carnivore?” he joked, gnashing his teeth at her.
“I can eat anything for fuel.”
“For fuel?” he echoed.
“Yeah, you know to have energy to work. At the bar, I munched on things people sent back. A burnt hotdog isn’t too bad.”
Street stomped down on the anger that flared inside him at the thought of her consuming food not fit for others.
He took a minute to flip the melty quesadillas onto plates and cut them into triangles.
As he set a dish in front of her, he said, “It sounds like we need to experiment with a variety of foods to find out what you enjoy most.”
“Oh, don’t go to that work and expense. I’m happy with whatever you have,” she rushed to tell him. “A jar of peanut butter and cheap white bread rocks. I can make that last many meals.”
This time he let her see the sadness in his expression at her response. He leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “Those days of struggling to survive are over, Dinorosa. You’re here with me now. I plan on taking excellent care of you.”
Clearing his throat, Street forced himself to tell Rosa what Pirate had discovered. He would risk her being upset with them investigating her to share the positive news. “There’s no warrant out for you anymore, Little girl.”
Glaring at him, she pushed herself to stand next to the table. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you my real name.”
“Pirate is our tech guy. If information exists digitally, he can find it. The charges were sealed when you turned eighteen. If you’ll tell me your stepfather’s name, I’ll remove his teeth so he can’t eat for a while.”
Rosa’s mouth rounded in an O as she processed his desire to get revenge for the charges filed by her mom’s husband. “You’d do that for me?”
“Gleefully. I have a rusty pair of pliers.” Street let her see the anger in his eyes. “I’ll pull out more than his teeth if you tell me he’s the one who traumatized you with covers.”
She hesitated before nodding bravely. “Every night he’d tuck me in so tightly I couldn’t move. I’d be stuck there until someone released me the next morning.”
Furious, Street forced himself to soften his tone. “That bastard. Did he touch you? Hurt you?”
Rosa shook her head. “No. Just eliminated me. With me confined to bed, they could be a family of three.”
“Your mother didn’t help you?”
“Never.”
His vision went red with more anger than he’d ever experienced. How could anyone treat a child like that?
Her hand covered his. “It’s okay, Street. I left. They don’t matter now.”
He looked into her dark eyes and vowed mentally to provide the happiest future possible for his Little girl. “That life is over now, Rosa.”
“I don’t have to hide anymore?” she whispered.
“Well, the Ravagers are on the warpath, but we’ll handle them soon.”
“Wow.” That single word held hope. Street wished he’d found her years ago. He could have saved her so many unhappy years. Somehow, he’d make sure karma struck her mother and stepfather.
“I’d love for you to choose to stay here with me, Dinorosa.” His phone rang, preventing Rosa from responding. Street glanced at his cell phone, regretting the interruption, but the caller’s name told him this was important. “Eat, Little girl, while it’s hot. I’ll take care of this quickly.”
Street stepped into the garage and answered. “Razor?”
“First, I got the results of the blood work. Lucien did well to send you home. The drug you were given lasts for a long time. By tomorrow, that substance should be totally out of your body. I want you to flood your system with water. Try to drink an eight-ounce glass of liquid every hour until bedtime tonight. Non-alcoholic stuff, Street.”
“I’m going to float away,” Street joked, thinking he’d never manage that.
“Either get my recommendation done or you’ll be off again tomorrow,” Razor threatened.
“Fine,” Street responded, bristling that the doctor had the power to keep him from being at the warehouse.
“Good. Second, how’s Rosa?”
“She’s settling in. She’s had a tough life. I may need some guidance with the nutritional needs of a Little girl who’s gone without proper food for a while.”
“Bring Rosa in next Saturday for an exam. I’ll run some tests. Are you both interested in birth control?” Razor asked.
“Yes. Could you help us with that?”
“After checking on her health, definitely. Wraith said the only groceries in her apartment were a couple of dented cat food cans. I don’t think she owns a pet.” Razor’s tone revealed his anger at Rosa’s desperate efforts to survive.
“Fuck,” Street swore, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Feed her.”
“I’m making a snack for her now. Would you arrange a barbecue for me this week? Rosa needs to meet the rest of the MC and the girls.”
“Already in progress. Wraith’s driveway at six on Sunday. We’ll take advantage of the early closing time at Inferno so more people can attend.”
“I owe you one, Razor.”
“No, you don’t. Go drink some damn water. And I put a small helmet in your garage.”
The line disconnected before he could acknowledge Razor’s gift. That smart bastard noticed everything. Street shook his head at the screen. Razor definitely didn’t mince words with his MC brothers. He headed inside.
“Sorry, Dinorosa. Razor wanted to check on me.” Street headed for the cabinet and pulled down two plastic tumblers. Might as well get started. He filled one with water and grabbed the milk from his fridge.
“He seemed nice. Inky appreciated him,” Rosa said. She picked up one triangle and took a huge bite.
“You didn’t need to wait for me, Little girl. Next time start without me.”
She wrinkled her nose at him adorably and shook her head as she chewed before mumbling, “That’s rude.”
“Not if you’re hungry, Dinorosa.”
Rosa waved the quesadilla at him and changed the subject. “Yum. This is good.”
“Do you want something to put on your quesadilla?” Street asked, pouring her a healthy portion of milk and setting the glass in front of her. “Salsa? Mustard?”
“You have mustard?” she asked, sitting up straighter as if she were excited.
“I do.” Street returned the milk to the refrigerator and grabbed a big bottle of yellow mustard from the door. Shaking the mixture up as he walked, he placed the container on the table by her plate and slid into his own chair. “Help yourself.”
As he watched, she poured a tiny amount onto the edge of her plate and barely dipped the tortilla into the yellow mixture. Her eyes closed as she took a bite and chewed. “That’s even better,” she mumbled around the food.
“No talking with your mouth full, Little girl. I don’t want you to choke.”
“Sorry!” She repeated the action, barely making a dent in the mustard puddle.