Wind Therapy - A.J. Downey Page 0,9
to happen again. We have rules, it’s in our bylaws, no women, no children. Rebel and the rest of them fucked that up, but as far as I know, Goner and the two other guys out there? They didn’t know anything about it. You know something that I should about that?” He looked at me steadily, his eyebrows going up as he pressed the pad of one thumb to his sexy bottom lip.
I swallowed and shook my head.
“Right,” he said and pulled out a chair. “Have a seat. We need to discuss terms.”
“Terms?” I echoed.
“Yeah, terms. What you are and what you aren’t willing to do to work off this debt.”
I slid the straps of my pack off my shoulders and set it on the table as he held out a chair for me. I sat down and he pushed me in. He took a seat at the end of the table at a ninety-degree angle from me and leaned way back in his seat, elbows on the arms, hands steepled in front of him, fingertips pressed together.
“I thought it was whatever you wanted,” I said, caught off guard. “Isn’t that how these kinds of things usually work?” I kept my voice measured; my tone cool.
“Surprise,” he said, arching an eyebrow.
“What do you expect of me?” I asked. “I mean, what would you want me to do?”
“You cook?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“Clean?”
“Also, yes… you want me to be your housemaid?”
He nodded. “It’s a start.”
“Sex?” I asked and he smiled.
“With your consent, if you’re down for it.”
I eyed him carefully and nodded slowly. “I thought that was what I was signing up for.”
He gave a little blasé shrug and said, “Just wanted to be clear.”
“We’re clear,” I said.
“There’s something I’m not clear on,” he said. “Why’d you volunteer as tribute like that?”
I raised an eyebrow of my own. “Do I have to talk about it?”
“Not if you don’t want to,” he said.
“I don’t want to,” I said a little too sharply and he smiled. “Just to be clear,” I added quickly, a little embarrassed.
“I take it you and your grandmother haven’t gotten along for a while.” His dark blue eyes raked over me and I chewed my bottom lip.
“No. It’s been five years.”
“What started that?” he asked.
“I became a teenager?” I asked and he chuckled.
“Don’t want to talk about that either, huh?”
“Not really, no.”
“What do you want to talk about then?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “A month is plenty of time to figure it out.”
“That’s true,” he said, nodding slowly.
“So, will I be living with you?” I asked after the silence drew out for a time, though the silence wasn’t uncomfortable, surprisingly enough.
“Yes,” he said. “You’ll be sleeping with me, too. I’ve only got the one bed.”
“That’s alright,” I said with a crooked smile. His smile was slow, an echo of mine and I said sarcastically, “I mean, oh no, the hardship!” I even put the back of my hand to my forehead and he laughed outright.
“Point taken. Fucking you is going to be fun; I can already tell.”
“We’ll see if you…” I cleared my throat, “measure up.”
He leaned forward and put his booted feet to the floor, saying “Once I rail that sweet ass, you’ll never look at another dick the same way again.”
His confidence made me smile and made my pussy clench.
“We’ll see,” I murmured.
“Just wait until we get home.”
Home. Now that was something I didn’t have anymore. Something must have made it to the surface, flitted across my face, because he lost the easy smile and searched my eyes with grave concentration, nodding slowly at whatever he found there.
“You hungry?” he asked, and it wasn’t quite what I expected but I’d take it.
“More thirsty.”
“Well, you need to eat. Come on. Let’s get us all fixed up.”
He got up and I rose with him, taking up my pack again.
“Where are we staying tonight?” I asked.
“The pool table,” he answered, and I laughed. I thought he was kidding.
What was for dinner was decided, food was ordered, and the men raided the bar for beer, whiskey, or whatever their poison was. It looked like we were in for the night, and I was alright with that. Although, I was beginning to come to grips with the notion that Maverick hadn’t been joking about sleeping on the pool table.
“What are you drinking?” Maverick asked me from behind the bar, and I thought it was nice of him to serve his men. I didn’t know many leaders that did that… although, for as many faults