she was so young.
“Pretty Damn Quick,” I explained.
She didn’t look thrilled, but she didn’t complain, either. She simply nodded tiredly and kept her mouth shut and I appreciated that she didn’t give me any shit so I got up, hooked a hand behind her head tenderly, and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
She sighed out in such a way I couldn’t identify the meaning behind it, but I could tell you that I liked it. The way the tension drained from her sexy form, the way she swayed gently on her feet, and especially the way she tucked herself beneath my arm as I led her across the street to the back door of the club where Little Bird stood, reaching out, grasping with her hands, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly.
“You’re home early!” she cried as we approached the back step.
“Something came up,” I said, giving her a one-armed hug as I went by, digging the feel of having two beautiful women, one in each arm, for the fleeting moment I had them both there.
“Hey, Kestrel,” I murmured. “Good to be home.”
She left my embrace and went to hug my little zaychik enthusiastically. Marisol smiled and it was a genuine one, not forced in the slightest. I could read my girl like a book for the most part now. The barriers had all come toppling down with her confession. I was determined now, to build her a strong foundation but to do it, I would need help.
“How are you?” Little Bird asked her, and my girl smiled tiredly, her bandana around her neck.
“Tired,” Marisol murmured.
“Let me get her comfortable,” I said with a chuckle. “It was a long ride.”
“Of course! You want me to order some food? Are you guys hungry?”
“Oh, man! I’m fuckin’ starving!” Nine called out on the approach.
“Somebody say food?” Cipher asked, perking up.
“In a minute, it’s gotta be ordered,” I called back.
“Fuck,” Tic-Tac griped.
“Fen, what’s wrong with you?” Little Bird asked alarmed. I looked back at my enforcer who looked like he was hurting. He held an arm stiff across his middle and chuckled.
“Just played a little too hard, babes. It’s all good…”
I went in the back door of my club, past my office, and took Marisol to the front, and the ring of leather couches and love seats around the thick glass and iron coffee table. I eased her down on the couch and kneeled in front of her, putting a booted foot atop my thigh, covered by my chaps, to work at the laces.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a tired laugh.
“Taking care of my lady. Making sure she’s comfortable,” I murmured.
Deacon came in the front door and looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. I ignored the look and went back to tugging on Marisol’s laces telling our chaplain, “Go dig out a bottle of antibiotics from our stores and make sure Fen takes ‘em. Check and see if we got any painkillers, but he’s allowed to be a stubborn asshole about those.”
“He get hurt?” Deac asked and I shook my head some.
“Slash across the belly. Some stitches. Way he’s holding himself and how much pain he’s in leads me to believe he might have scored an infection. Check him out for me.”
“You got it, man.”
Deacon moved past me and into the club, disappearing into my office to hit up the cache well hidden from any LEO’s that could come lookin’ while I tended to my girl.
“Thirsty?” I asked her.
“Yeah,” she said softly.
“Yo, Little Bird?”
“Yeah?” My SAA’s woman looked up from under Fen’s arm as she helped him into a seat nearby.
“Could you get my woman a drink?” I asked.
“Sure! What you want?” she asked.
Marisol smiled and said, “A Coke, if you’ve got it.”
“Sure do.”
I slid her boot off and worked on the other one, cursing at the knots she put in her laces.
“Damn, girl.”
“I can do it, if you’d like,” she said with a mischievous smile.
“Naw, I got it,” I said, and I did, pulling the laces loose and easing the other boot off her, setting the footwear aside.
“Thank you,” she murmured, and I smiled up at her, massaging the tops of her thighs through her layers of chaps and jeans.
“Curl up, get comfortable, food’ll be on the way soon. You just relax and let me take care of some business and we’ll be home before you know it.”
“Okay.” Her smile grew and I leaned up and kissed her. When we parted, Little Bird held down