Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 10487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 52(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 10487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 52(@200wpm)___ 42(@250wpm)___ 35(@300wpm)
“Why are you two awake?” Macie mumbled, her voice muffled by Joke’s chest.
“The storm is passing, princess,” Joke told her as his hand left my hip so he could run his fingers through her hair. “And it’s probably around midday. You and Mason slept for a while.”
I grunted. It wasn’t often I slept in, but Joke and Macie had worn me slap the fuck out, drained my balls, and emptied my fucking brain. Couldn’t blame a man for passing the hell out and being cold to the world for hours.
“What?” Macie rolled over and pushed up onto her elbow to look out the window. Her brows furrowed, and her lips pulled down into a frown. Something akin to sadness and… loss burned in her pretty blue eyes. My chest constricted. I didn’t like seeing her anything but happy.
“What is it, little one?” I asked softly, my hand raising to cup her cheek and turn her head down to look at me.
She coughed as she laid down, not completely over her cold yet but getting there. Tears burned in her eyes, and her chin wobbled. She was tearing me the fuck apart.
Scooting closer, I tugged her into my arms, my left hand coming up to cradle the back of her head. She sniffled, and Joke frowned, moving over until he was pressed against her back, sandwiching her between us. Parka, still pressed against me, only wiggled a tiny bit before settling again, not the slightest bit bothered by the heightened emotions in the room.
“I don’t want you to leave,” Macie croaked. Joke’s brows furrowed, and he pressed his lips to the back of her head. “Do you have to go?”
“We do,” I told her quietly, hating having to say it to her. Joke met my eyes over her head, and a silent conversation happened between us. The tightness in my chest loosened, and I pressed my lips to Macie’s forehead. “You can come with us,” I suggested.
“But I don’t have anything, and Parka—” She lifted her hand to stroke a finger over Parka’s soft fur. “I can’t leave Parka.”
“We can stay a little longer,” Joke said, not sounding happy about it, but I knew he didn’t want to leave her. Neither of us did. We wanted Macie with us for the long haul, and if that meant we had a kitten tagging along, too, then so be it. “Just long enough to buy a cage that you can drive in.”
Macie frowned, but her tears were drying, and I could see the hope in her eyes. Good. We were making headway. There was nothing holding her here—that I knew of, anyway. And if she did have family here, they weren’t that great of family if she couldn’t call them for help when she was in need.
“A fucking cage?” I grumbled, distaste clear in my voice.
“What’s a cage?” Macie asked as Joke snorted.
“A cage is a regular vehicle, princess,” Joke informed her. He arched a brow at me. “You want our woman riding on the back of one of our bikes for hours on end? She’ll be much more comfortable in a car or truck, babe. Or if we get her an SUV, we won’t have to get motels anymore; we can all pile in the back of the SUV when we’re on the road.”
I sighed. I knew it made sense. Just didn’t mean I liked it. Cages were called that for a reason; they made me feel caged.
“Not giving up the motels,” I warned him. “Vehicles are too damn small. Too cramped. Can’t fucking stand it.”
Joke shrugged. “Motels it is then. But she’s getting something comfortable and something she wants.”
“But I don’t need—” Macie started. Joke simply pressed his hand over her mouth. She huffed, the sound muffled by his palm, annoyance flashing in her eyes. My lips twitched in amusement.
“You want to be ours, princess?” She crossed her arms over her chest but nodded. Fuck, she was adorable. “Then you let us take care of you. You’ll need a new wardrobe and a car, just to begin with. We’ll sort out what else you and Parka need later down the road.”
When he removed his hand, she grunted but nodded, conceding. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. I cuddled her closer and leaned down to softly kiss her. “Ready for life on the road?” I asked her.
She smiled and nodded, burrowing her face against Parka, who hadn’t budged but was still purring loud enough that she sounded like a car motor. “Yeah,” Macie said quietly. “I’m ready for life with you two.”
EPILOGUE
Joke
ONE YEAR LATER
Mason slipped quietly into the apartment we were using at the mother charter’s clubhouse, the door making a barely audible shnick as he shut it. Macie was passed out in bed, soft snores leaving her lips. We’d worn her out about two hours ago, both of us taking turns inside of her. And fuck, she took us so well, just like she did every single time.