Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 306(@250wpm)___ 255(@300wpm)
“Are you okay?” I asked, squeezing her tight for a moment before letting my hands drift up and down her back.
“I am now,” she said, holding me tighter still as Jack and Coach both silently stood up, and walked out of the office, giving us some privacy. “I knew you would come.”
“But you saved yourself,” I reminded her. “Even without all of your usual weapons. You were so fucking strong, darlin’.”
She made a sniffling sound, and I just held her tighter, letting her work through the tears as she clung to me.
“He’s never going to touch you again,” I vowed.
That had her finally pulling back, her lashes still gathering some tears, but her eyes were clear.
“Never again,” I added, voice firm, watching the understanding cross her pretty eyes.
“Good,” she said, nodding. “But…”
“There’s nothing to worry about,” I told her. “It’s all being handled.”
She’d asked once if the club ever killed people. And I’d been honest with her. We did when it was necessary, when people were trying to hurt us.
She understood what had happened.
And what, exactly, I meant by things being handled.
“How about we go back home?” I asked, chafing her arms with my hands. “Get something warm to drink, decompress, play with Vernon…”
“Okay,” she agreed, leaning her forehead against my chest for another moment before finally pulling away.
I wrapped an arm around her, and turned us outside to find that someone, likely Coach, had moved my car right outside the office, so I didn’t have to bring Vienna back where the van was located again.
“Come on, darlin’,” I said, shuffling her into the passenger seat, then getting us the hell out of there.
The ride back to the clubhouse was relatively short, but the silence grew between us as I kept sneaking glances at Vienna, but found her turned away, facing out her side window, hiding whatever she was thinking from me.
Morgaine was waiting inside the front door of the clubhouse holding Vernon, who she quickly passed to Vienna, who immediately snuggled him close as she walked across the clubhouse, heading toward the stairs.
“Go be with her,” Morgaine said.
“Maybe she needs you,” I said, knowing that I was her comfort person, but that Morgaine understood what she was going through better.
“No, she needs you,” Morgaine said, pushing me forward.
By the time I made it upstairs, Vienna was placing Vernon onto his tree stand, pressing a kiss to his head as she kicked out of her sneakers, then started to unbutton her jacket.
“V?” I called, feeling completely fucking clueless as to what to say.
“I want to take a bath,” she told me as the jacket fell to the floor, and she moved over to the dresser to find a change of clothes. “I need to… wash that away,” she added.
“Okay,” I agreed. “Do you want me to get it ready for you?”
“Sure,” she agreed, voice small.
With that, I rushed across the hall, giving the tub a quick scrub, then filling it with water the exact level of hell she liked it at, then dropping in soap and a bath bomb, watching the colors spread and the bubbles build.
The door opened behind me, and Vienna moved in, placing her clothes on the sink, then methodically gathering her towels and a luffa.
“Wait,” she called as I silently started to back out of the bathroom to give her privacy.
She was setting her phone on the sink counter, selecting one of her playlists full of calming music, and turning it up before facing me.
“Stay,” she demanded.
I didn’t want to make her ask again, so I closed the door behind me, locked it, and leaned against it.
“Okay,” I agreed.
“Come in with me,” she added, hands already going for her pants, working the button and zipper free, then pushing them down her legs.
We silently undressed together, and it was maybe the first time since knowing her that her being nude didn’t immediately make my cock hard.
This wasn’t about that, though, and the tension in her body seemed to seep into mine as well.
When she paused by the tub, seeming to wait for something, I moved to step in first, lying back against the tub.
And then she was sliding in with me, curled up into herself, hugging her knees for a moment. Then slowly lowering back against me.
Only then did I wrap my arms around her, one arm around her center, the other over the top of her chest.
It was like all of the tension that was coiled in her body released in a wave at the contact, leaving her lax against me.
“How are you doing?” I asked, at a loss of what else to say.
“I’m okay,” she said, sucking in a deep breath. “I feel like I should be… less okay than I am.”
“It might still come,” I said, shrugging. “But that’s okay. We can take a trip to see Dr. Swift tomorrow, if you need.”