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For Austen, I force myself to leave her to sleep. She’s been in McMurdo Valley for less than a day. I pushed her hard to get here. Tonight, I deprive myself of sharing a bed with her.
I nearly get sidetracked in the main family room. In my head, I make excuses about why I ought to return to Austen. She might get scared overnight. She could have a weird reaction to the pot. Staying close is smart and not at all selfish.
After circling the family room a few times, I head upstairs and deal with my hard dick in the shower.
Sleep comes surprisingly quick. My bed feels damn good. I dream of Austen running through the woods. I don’t know if anyone is chasing her. I can’t be sure if she’s laughing or crying. The dream unsettles me. I wake up just after dawn, feeling like Austen might be in danger.
Downstairs, I find Xenia brewing coffee. Hobo is outside on the deck. I spot Rose the Cat sniffing around near my club brother.
No one else is up. Or they’re hiding in their rooms. I want to check on Austen. Since waking her feels wrong, I settle my ass out on the back deck. Hobo tenses as if I might come talk to him. However, I want to think in peace.
After taking the coffee offered by Xenia, I look out at the flat land behind the lodge. I can picture Austen riding back here.
At Urick’s ranch, I saw pictures of a younger Austen on various horses. She looked so fucking carefree. I hate how those sick fucks stole something she loved.
My thoughts move to the future. She’ll need horses and stables on our property. Even if she never rides again, Austen needs to care for them. She loves horses in the way I do my motorcycles.
By the time Austen exits the Pigsty, looking sleepy-eyed and shy, I’ve made a few calls and gotten a surprise set up for her.
“My head is fuzzy about last night, but I distinctly remember the movie being too confusing and you going way past my elbows.”
“I won access to your hips. What’s the step after that?”
Austen sits next to me on the steps. “Bottom and breasts, I guess,” she says, sheepishly hiding her face against my arm.
“Was it too much?” I ask when she won’t look at me.
Austen shakes her head. “I really want you. I like when you touch me. I just can’t get out of my own way. I use my body issues to avoid putting myself in new situations,” she explains and then lifts her gaze and watches me in that intoxicatingly lovestruck way. “But last night, the cannabis distracted me from my usual avoidance tactics. It was freeing. Of course, I can’t be stoned all the time, but I liked how I felt with you. Was I too weird?”
“No, you were just you but calmer. Of course, you were incredibly horny for me, which I know is how you always feel.”
Austen laughs in a vulnerable way. She seems exhausted, yet she smiles easily for me.
“I want to spend time with Coco today,” she explains as Xenia starts working on breakfast. “She is second-guessing whether she wants to stay here. It might make sense for her to go home, but she doesn’t really have anyone to rely on back in Banta City.”
“This is your first, full day at the Pigsty. Settle in while I get everything back in order. Everything’s been in a rush, but we can slow down now.”
Austen and I head inside to see if Xenia needs help. She has a system, and I suspect others just interrupt her flow. Instead of helping her prepare the food, we take plates out to various people.
The scent of cooking bacon draws my club family out of their rooms. Austen takes a plate out to Hobo. As I watch them engage, I can’t help searching for signs of him rubbing her the wrong way. I know he’s stressed and hurting while Austen is easily frightened. Yet, they just make a little small talk before he starts eating.
That’s the moment I know Austen will do well here. Hobo scares a lot of people. He refuses to fake even the most basic human gestures. If he doesn’t want to smile, he won’t do it. Well, maybe for Xenia, but she’s a special case.
Tomcat could have been another problem, but Austen doesn’t even seem to notice him. She acted the same way around the Backcountry Kings, only engaging in a detached way.
Austen goes to check on Coco after delivering Hobo’s food. She returns to take a plate back to the bedroom.
“She wants to be alone for a while,” Austen explains before her gaze flashes behind me to where Ruin and Armor have arrived.
I introduce Austen to them, hoping they can view her as a real person rather than Urick Halvorson’s offspring.
“My sister’s looking forward to meeting you,” Ruin says immediately. “Wynonna’s nosy. As soon as we end the lockdown, she’s bound to come around here and talk you up.”
“That would be nice,” Austen replies, seeming completely exhausted even after only an hour awake.
After she finds refuge in Coco’s room, I bring her a plate of food and tell them to chill for a while. The women look comfy together.
Back in Banta City, I wasn’t sure how close they really were considering how different they seemed. However, they’ve turned out to be as tight as I am with my club family.
