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“You need help, holler. Now isn’t the time to hurt yourself worse.” I’m sure I already made her pain ten times worse already. Greedy, that’s what I am when it comes to Beatrice “Birdie” Robertson. Any place, anywhere, and any damn time I’m around her.
“I hear you.” She doesn’t look back as she walks her sultry self into the bathroom and closes the door behind her. I’ve been inside her pussy, her ass, her mouth, and taken numerous showers with her. Yet, going to the bathroom, she closes the door. Some things never change. Since I’m not heading back to Mom and Dad’s anytime soon, I pull my phone out of my back pocket. I’ll bet Birdie hasn’t eaten yet either. Maybe hermom will bring us both a plate or at least maybe mine will set dinner aside for when I head back home.
Me: Not gonna make it back. You think you can make up two plates?
I hear Birdie making noises and pocket my phone. She doesn’t need to worry or think I’m ruining my night by hanging with her.
“Birdie, you good, babe?” I hear the flushing of the toilet, the on and off of the water, yet she still isn’t out. My mind plays the what-if game. What if she’s in too much pain? What if she fell? What if she’s breaking down and I’m not there to hold her? I’m not a damn fool. Birdie may have put up a good front for now. In the quiet of the night or when she thinks no one is around, that’s when she’ll break down.
“Yeah,” she replies through the fucking door. I’m moving from my place, hand reaching out to turn the handle, when she appears in the doorway. “I went ahead and brushed my teeth. Sleep didn’t come easy last night, and who knows if I’ll wake up before morning.” She lets out a yawn. She’s so damn pretty, even with dark circles beneath her eyes, hair a tangled mess, and lips that are plump from her biting on them. The part that hits me in the solar plexus every damn time is that she has no damn idea how beautiful she truly is.
“Good idea. You need anything else? A glass of water?” She lets out another yawn, and I know it’s time to get her in bed before she falls asleep standing up.
“No, I only need my bed and you in it with me.” Her head lowers, hair cascading along the side of her face and covering her eyes from mine.
“You couldn’t pry me away, Birdie.” I tip her chin upward, needing to see the warmth of her eyes. We’ve still got it, and we’re going to keep on until we take our last breath. Birdie may not have realized it, but she gave me the name of her attacker, and while the cops may be conducting their investigation, I’ll be damned if I’m not doing my own.
“Thank you, Lane.” She gives me what I want, and her gaze locks on mine.
“You got nothing to thank me for, Birdie. Now, let’s get to bed.” My arm wraps around her lower back, she places her head on my chest, and we make the short walk to her room.
In a perfect world, we’d be at my place, and her dog would be there with us. She wouldn’t be dealing with the fallout of a dickhead, and she damn sure wouldn’t be hurting. Then I wouldn’t feel bad for eating her pussy while unknowingly adding to her injury. Birdie can say it didn’t hurt, but I’m not stupid. I’ve broken and bruised my ribs before, and not from being beaten either. Nope, the rodeo shirt she’s wearing is a testament not only to my younger years but today, too. I stillride in the local circuit during the spring and fall. Back then, I did it for extra money. Now, we do it as a sponsorship for the farm. The winnings we make now are donated to a charity Mom picks, and it’s a damn good time.
“Mom never changed anything, so I hope you don’t mind sleeping in a bed of flowers, literally.”
“Get in bed, woman. I’m pretty sure my balls won’t shrivel up and die for one night.” I pull the comforter and sheets back. We didn’t usually spend a lot of time here. It’d be kind of hard for Birdie to keep quiet. Plus, with my work schedule, it worked better with all the coming and going I did and still do.
“And I’m pretty sure they’re blue,” she jokes. I chuckle. She’s not right and she’s not wrong. Nothing kills a boner quite like seeing the woman you love hurting.
“Don’t worry about my balls. You get better, and you can have them any way you want.” Her eyes heat with desire. While she likes receiving, she’s also a giver, and I know it’s killing her to leave me hanging. Even though I give zero fucks about my cock right now.
“I’ll hold you to that.” Finally, once she’s in the bed, head lying on her pillow, and I’ve got the covers up to her chest, I breathe easier. It’s damn inconvenient when I can’t even carry her to bed. “Where are you going?” she asks when I take a step back.
“Nowhere. I’ve got boots on. I can’tnecessarily climb into bed with them on.” I step out of one, then the other, leaving them at the foot of the bed and out of the way in case Birdie needs to get up.
“Oh, okay.” I move to the other side of the bed, pulling out my wallet, keys, and phone before climbing in beside her. I try my hardest not to jostle her, an impossible feat with her whole damn stomach covered in battle wounds.
“You think you can lie on your side?” I ask, my hand going beneath her neck. She used to lie in the crook of my arm, her head on my shoulder and a leg tossed on top of mine.
“Yeah, this side doesn’t hurt.” She settles in right where she belongs. Her hand rests over my heart, and I place mine on top. She settles in more, this time using me as her pillow. “Lane?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“I really missed you.” Her words are muffled. She’s already half-asleep.
“Missed you, too, Birdie.” I don’t tack on that had she not come home when she did, I was ready to get in my truck and hightail it to her. The only other option was packing my shit and moving. I’d already talked about the possibility to my parents and brothers. Dad, being Dad, got it. He hated seeing one of his boys leaving the family business, but if he were in my shoes, he’d be doing the same exact thing.
Birdie doesn’t respond. A soft puff of air tickles my neck and throat, tellingme she’s already sleeping. I close my own eyes, unaware of the buzzing from the nightstand or the fact that both of our parents come into the room at one point. It seems both Birdie and I need sleep, this time with one another.
6
LANE
Birdie slept wrappedin my arms the whole night, barely moving unless it was to get closer to my body. One time, I thought she was awake and asked if she needed medicine. She mumbled something I couldn’t decipher and still can’t figure out. As much as I tried to hold out on sleeping, it wasn’t possible. Birdie being back made everything in my chest settle.
It didn’t matter that when I did finally drag myself away from my woman, I was greeted by her mom in the kitchen. I figured she already knew I was there since my truck was parked in the driveway. Still, I grabbed my keys, phone, and wallet off Birdie’s nightstand, trying to be as quiet as possible. Then I scooped up my boots to carry those as well.
Eleanor greeted me in the kitchen, a mug of coffee in front of her. She wasn’t drinking it, onlyholding the ceramic flower cup. She looked at me, nodded, and said, “Thank you.” I’m sure there’s more to the story that Eleanor wanted to say yet didn’t. Birdie thinks she’s keeping shit under wraps, but anyone with two eyes and common sense can see what she’s hiding. Eleanor didn’t say a word when I told her I was grabbing a bottle of water and some pain relievers to put out for Birdie.
