Chapter 10
Nitro
“You moving to the front, or staying back there?” I ask Fox, peering at him in the rear view.
“Back here, I feel like a proper passenger princess,” he grins, his blonde hair flopping across his forehead.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think he couldn’t drive. Instead he’s lazy and prefers me carting his ass around whenever we’re in a cage.
“So, what do we know about lupus?” I ask, giving Jasmine one last wave before pulling onto the road.
“Just looking it up now,” Fox murmurs, brows pulled in.
I leave him to do the research, he’ll tell me when he’s well and good. Whatever it is sounds painful, tiring, frustrating and like it’s sucked the life out of Jazz. Not just life, but hope. Sure she loves her job and the kids, but outside of her work, I don’t know what else lights her up or brings her joy.
Fox hisses between his teeth, and my gaze flicks to him in the mirror. His brow is furrowed and his jaw clenched. His chocolate brown eyes meet mine in the mirror, and a look crosses over his face, before determination.
“Tell me,” I urge. I still don’t think I’m good enough for Jazz, or even Fox, but the thought of Jazz dealing with this on her own does something to me.
“It’s an autoimmune condition that she’ll have to live with and manage for the rest of her life,”
“OK,” I nod.
“I mean, it sounds pretty rough. It’s like her immune system is her body’s bouncer but instead of throwing out the bad guys it’s just like taking punches at her.”
I frown at Fox in the rear view but he’s so focussed on what he’s reading that he’s not even paying attention to the shitty look I’m giving him. I turn into the long drive leading to the farmhouse and pull in neatly next to the other two DRMC SUVs, parked off to the side of the bikes. It seems odd, seeing less bikes here than usual, but ever since Dex took the president position in The Keep chapter, along with a few of our members, it’s been like this.
I get out of the SUV, slamming the door behind me before stretching my body out, waiting for Fox. He wanders closer, eyes still glued to his phone screen. He scrolls a little more, then meets my gaze.
“If we do this, claim her, we need to be all in. This disease sounds like a real mind fuck, and stress makes things worse. We can’t be stressing her out,” His gaze bores into mine and I know what he’s telling me.
If we’re serious about this I need to leave my baggage at the door. I can’t be bringing up my shit childhood and all the trauma that I’m carrying around. I can’t hole up in my room when I don’t feel deserving or good enough. I can’t ghost her or get stuck in my head or one of my moods. Shit, even Fox doesn’t deserve it when I do those things but he’s known me long enough to accept my shortcomings and I try my hardest to show him I love him by sorting through my shit. Jazz, though, shedoesn’t know my history, and I almost don’t want her to. I don’t want to taint her with that shit.
“Hey, look at me.” Fox grips me around the back of my neck, forcing me to look at him. “You deserve it all. Me, Jazz, anything your heart desires. And I’m going to make sure you get it.”
I nod, not able to find my voice just yet.
“So, no stressing out our girl, OK?”
I clear my throat, sniffing. “What do we need to do to take care of her?”
A small grin grows on Fox’s face. “Is that you saying…?”
“I want her. I want you. I want all of it.”
“Then you’ll have it, my love.”
Fox
“Have you finished being in love yet?” Rider’s voice calls out, all high pitched and squeaky. “Marx is calling church.”
I slap Nitro on the ass and follow him inside after he rolls his eyes. He also hits Rider with his shoulder on the way past because my man hates being interrupted.
“Oh, you wound me!” Rider whines dramatically, even dropping to his knees writhing in pain.
“You better not bring up the nip-”
“First I lose a nipple and then my brother, my brother of my own choosing assaults me as if I mean nothing, why? Whyyyyy?”
