Chapter 7 Leah
Leah
When I wake up, I’m welcomed to a room of darkness and a bed that is most definitely not my own. Wrapped up in the warmth that is Warden, it takes a few seconds of remembering what happened before I’m groaning and shoving my face into his chest to hide the horror I am feeling.
Horror and embarrassment.
Stirring at my movement, his grip on my body tightens, and his groan escapes from deep within. Pulling back to squint at me, sleep still dancing around on his expression, his voice rings out raspy. “You okay?”
I expect the answer to be an immediate no, but it isn’t. Thinking on it, I realize that my chest doesn’t feel as heavy as it normally does. Rather, it feels lighter. Like I’ve let so much weight tumble off of me.
I said so much last night. More than I ever planned to. And now? I don’t know how to feel outside of kind of strange.
This is weird. Deep down, it’s a dream come true, sure. But it’s still weird as hell. I never thought the day would come when he’d learn how I truly felt. Now I’m feeling a little vulnerable about the whole thing.
I… won’t take back what I said. So he can’t either. He can’t die. If we’re going to do this, he’s not allowed to.
“I want to go home and sleep in my bed.” Murmuring the words against his chest, I return his hug while trying not to squeeze too tight. “I want you to come with me and stay.”
Not wanting to scare him away with demanding he move in and all that, I hope the desperation under my words is light enough for him to believe I mean through the rest of tonight.
With a hum vibrating in the back of his throat, his hand glides past my stomach and leaves a warm trail against my thighs. Despite making my skin tingle, he doesn’t drag them where I want him to. Instead, he searches my pockets before finding my phone. Pulling it out, we’re blinded by the time.
Four in the morning. Is he going to try to convince me to change my mind? There are only a few hours before the sun rises.
Sitting up, my head swims, and I have to bite back a groan as I pull away from his ironclad grip. I’d forgotten how awful this feeling is. I can’t believe I caved so easily, cowardly looking for an escape.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, stop it.” Reaching toward me, he strokes the curve of my spine. “What happened to coming to me when you’re stressed?”
Hard to do when he’s the source of my issue. “I think sex would’ve made it worse, no offense.” For my head and my heart at the time.
“You know I’m always around to talk. I’m more than just my body, Leah.” Looking back at him, I’m relieved to see the amused curve on his lips. “My dick may be magical, but I’m pretty good at making people feel better through words, too.”
He grunts when I slap his chest.
Last night, I think I talked a little too much. Liquid courage is a scary thing. There’s no taking anything back now. The gears are moving, and I’ve got to move with them.
This is a good thing. This is what I needed. Even though everything is pretty terrifying right now, I’ve got Warden.
He’ll always make sure everything is fine. Even now, when things are really scary, he’s cracking jokes. This is fine.
“They’ve got my bike in the garage. Hammer gave me back my key earlier.” Standing and stretching, he pauses long enough to itch his stomach. When I scold him, he grins, relieved to see me back to my normal self. “Let’s go on a ride. We can snag your car once the sun is up.”
Knowing it’s been ages since the last time he’s been able to ride, I don’t put up a fight. I miss being tucked behind him. Nodding along to his request, I ignore the throbbing at my temple and shove my shoes on.
Leaving the clubhouse behind is easier than either of us expects. Figuring there’d be a few bodies between us and the entrance, even the bar is dead. I guess when everything’s peaceful, there’s no reason to stay up at this hour.
The late air is chilly, easily prickling at my bare skin.
Warden notices immediately, not even thinking twice about offering me up his cut.
Throwing it over my shoulders, I discover it’s much lighter than I thought it would be.
Smells like him, too. Hugging myself, it’s a near close to the same as his arms doing it.
For a second, he stops and stares. The look on his face says it all. He’s pleased. He’s acting like this is the first time I’ve taken something of his.
I guess this is a little different than strolling around in just one of his shirts after a night of fun. This cut means something.
If anyone else saw me right now, they’d know I’m his.
The realization creates a fluttering in my gut. It feels surprisingly good. Hard to notice my headache when I’m feeling like I could float away to cloud nine right about now.
He clears his throat, catching himself in the act. “I’ll talk to Judge about getting you one of your own. For now, you can steal that.”
Good to know we’re thinking about the same thing here.
Slipping into the garage, Warden’s bike doesn’t have a single scratch. But like most of the guys, he has to do a close-up look at it to make sure there aren’t any scuffs or damage, just because. Once he’s satisfied, he’s hopping on.
The roar of his bike is definitely going to be what gives us away, but I don’t bother waiting around to see who we’ve woken up. Carefully getting on behind him, it feels good to wrap my arms around him like this.
We’ve gone on plenty of rides before, but this doesn’t feel as casual as the others.
The world shrinks to the tunnel of our headlight, carving a path through the sleeping pines, and the engine’s growl echoes off the dense walls of forest on either side.
The road is a winding, dark ribbon, and he takes the curves with a lean that presses me closer.
I can’t lock my hands tight over his stomach, so I flatten my palms against the solid plane of his chest instead.
My right hand rests just left of center.
And there it is—the frantic, rhythmic hammering of his heart against my palm, a wild drumbeat felt through the soft cotton of his t-shirt.
Is it the thrill of the speed, the night, the stolen escape? Or is it… this? Us, pressed together in the roaring dark, me wrapped up in his leather?
I press my cheek against the space between his shoulder blades, the vibration of the engine humming through my bones. The wind is a cold slap, but where I’m fused against him, I’m warm.
The pines begin to thin, the darkness ahead softening from pitch to a velvety indigo. Pinpricks of gold appear—porch lights, a distant streetlamp—marking the outskirts of the small town.
Reaching my apartment complex doesn’t take long. Pulling into the parking lot, I note that I should apologize to my neighbors if any of them complain about the loud rumbling.
Hopping off and letting ourselves in using his key, we kick off our shoes. Hesitating on giving him back his cut, he doesn’t seem to be in any rush to get it back.
Instead, he’s too busy pouring me a cup of water and encouraging me to drink by taking one of my hands and wrapping it around the glass. It’s almost funny how often he cares for me. Coming from the person who always has to care for people, it’s nice to be concerned about.
Warden’s always been that way, though. He’s not road captain for nothing. He’s not the type of guy to take risks if it means anyone gets hurt under his watch. Even before that, when I first met him, he’d had plenty of experience when it came to tending another person’s health.
“I’m a pain, aren’t I? You don’t have to lie. It’s okay.” Sipping from the glass, the water is a blessing. “Thank you.”
His mouth slants, and he pauses long enough to make me wonder if he’d actually complain.
Then the corners of his eyes crinkle, giving away that he’s just messing with me.
He plucks the glass away once it’s empty and, without a doubt, considers making me drink a second one before setting it to the side. “Ready to go settle down?”
Oh. Now that I’m here, I feel more relaxed, but less tired. Will he be upset if I don’t fall back asleep? The ride created this rush, and I’m not entirely sure what to do with myself.
“I think I need a shower. I feel… gross.” I tug at my clothes and grimace at the few drops of whatever I drank last night that stained my shirt. Hot water is usually just what I need to drain my energy, so a quick wash may as well be a lullaby. “After that, totally.”
Nodding, he helps himself to my fridge as I drift away.
Once I’m alone in my bathroom, I take in a much-needed breath. Catching my reflection in the mirror, I grimace at the woman staring back.
These last few weeks have really done some damage to my appearance. More than any call I’d get at work. Poking and prodding at my face after turning on the shower, the reflection slowly fades, leaving behind a steamy surface. Stripping away the weight of today, I’m under the hot stream in no time.
The glass door separating me from the world barely has enough time to cloud over when there’s a knock at the door. Worried something is wrong, I’m swiping a path to see when Warden makes his way inside. As soon as the door is shut behind him, he’s pressing his back to it.
My skin warms hotter than the water itself as I feel his eyes try to see past the haze.
“Care for company?”
For such an innocent-sounding question, there is anything but when it comes to this man.