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“When she’s old enough, you’ll tell her the truth. Tell her how her brave mother stood up to a man who liked to beat her up. Tell her how strong her mom is, but I’m sure she’ll already know all about it.”
“Thank you for saying that, Mav,” she whispered, swiping at the tears that were running down her cheeks. “I’m sorry I’m crying. I guess it’s just been a long day. I need to get over Tilly’s. She’s expecting me.”
He grabbed her hand and she flinched, making him feel like a complete ass. Of course, she’d react to him that way. She had just had the shit beat out of her—Melody had the black eye to prove it. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’d never hurt you, Melody.”
“I—I know that, Maverick. I’m just a little shaky is all. I didn’t mean to react that way.”
“I just wanted to talk to you about staying with Tilly and Owen,” he said.
“Okay,” she breathed, “is there a problem with me staying with them?”
“Not a problem,” he said, “more like an issue. Owen is worried that after Adam gets out of jail, he’ll come looking for you here.”
“Right, and when he can’t find me here, he’ll search for me at Tilly and Owen’s place. God, I’m an idiot. He doesn’t want me there because he’s worried that I’ll put them in danger.”
“No,” Maverick said, “God, I’m screwing this all up. He’s worried that he won’t be able to protect you, Tilly, and June all by himself.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” she said. “Um, I guess I’ll just have to find another place for me and June to stay—you know until everything dies down with Adam.” He didn’t want to be the one to tell her that things might never die down with her soon-to-be ex. If he got out of jail, he might not ever leave her and June alone.
“How about you stay with me?” Maverick asked. She looked up at him as if he lost his mind, and maybe he had.
“That’s not a good idea,” she said. “I mean, won’t I be putting you in danger then?”
He couldn’t help laughing at the idea of him being put into danger by a mom and her kid staying with him. “I think that I’ll be able to handle him if he shows up to my door.”
“Yeah, you do seem capable,” she said, looking him over. He liked the way that she took in every inch of him, letting her eyes roam his body. They had always had some unspoken connection, but he never acted on it knowing that she had a husband waiting for her at home. “But I don’t want to put you out,” she insisted.
“You wouldn’t be putting me out at all,” he assured. “I can keep you and June safe, I promise, Melody.” He was making promises and getting involved—two things that he swore that he’d never do. But then again, Melody had him doing things he never thought he’d ever do, and with her, playing the protector, felt right.
Have you read the series that started it all? If not, what are you waiting for? You can pick up Book 1 of K.L. Ramsey’s Royal Bastards: Huntsville Chapter- Savage Heat is available here -> https://books2read.com/u/brq7pA
And here’s a special sneak peek at Savage Heat-Enjoy!!
Savage
Savage watched as his latest failure floated down from the atmosphere back to earth. At least this time the damn parachute deployed, and he wouldn't have to start from scratch again to rebuild his rocket. Last time that happened, his boss threw a major fit, telling him to get his shit and clear out of his office. A short week later, his boss was standing on Savage's front porch, proverbial hat in hand, begging him to come back to work. He even gave him some bullshit about the government needing his service and all that shit. Savage didn’t have the desire to tell his boss that he had not only served his government for almost twenty years, but he had also had the bullet holes and shrapnel in his leg to prove it.
Sure, he could sit around and complain about his past and wake up every day in pain, but where would that get him? It was his choice to join the Air Force and it was his choice to re-up when he could have gotten out. He saw active combat for the third time and that was when his copter went down and most of his buddies died. There was nothing he could have done differently that day but God, it was just about all he could think about every night when he laid down and tried to sleep. Theirfaces would flicker through his memories, and he knew that he was going to have another restless night ahead. It was who he had become since he was honorably discharged.
Of course, the Army was quick to jump on his specific skill set and make him the best fucking job offer he’d ever gotten. How could he refuse and why would he? He got to stay in Huntsville, Alabama, where his kid could stay in the same school with the only friends she had ever known. Uprooting Chloe wasn’t part of his plan—the poor kid hadn’t had much stability in her life. Chloe wasn’t really his kid, but that wasn’t something he liked to think about too often. It brought up too many bad memories and he tried to only look forward, never back.
Savage adopted Chloe when she was just six months old after her mother and father died in a horrible auto accident. She was his niece and when child services showed up at his doorstep with a baby in tow, claiming that his estranged sister had given him full custody in her will, what was he supposed to do? Savage didn’t have one fucking idea how to take care of a kid and they were handing him one that still needed twenty-four-seven care. He quickly learned how to change a diaper and what to feed and not feed a six-month-old. Honestly, that last part was learned the hard way because the kid ended up not being able to handle table food at such an early age. Everything he fed her seemed to run through her like sand in a sieve. But that was all behind him now. He wasn’t sure how he would have survived without that little girl. She had become his whole reason for living. Hell, she basically saved his life and gave him purpose and the will to keep going after his accident.
He had only been home for a few months when Chloe came into his life, and he was feeling pretty down and sorry for himself. Both of his parents were gone. His father was never really in the picture and his mom died the year he graduated from high school. Her death had sent him into a spiral that led tohim joining the Air Force after he graduated. It also was one of the reasons his older sister, Cherry, stopped talking to him. She begged him not to go into the military; and even tried to guilt him into feeling bad about leaving her with no one, since both of their parents were gone. But he didn’t listen. Hell, the only thing Savage wanted to do was ride his damn motorcycle and get the fuck out of that town. He was a punk-ass kid who didn’t know any better and the day he left to enlist was the last time he saw Cherry alive.
Now, every time he looked at Chloe’s sweet face, he saw his sister. He never met Chloe’s dad, but he had heard that his sister met a good guy and got married. He liked to imagine Cherry happy with her beautiful new family, at least for a little while. She deserved some happiness after all the shit life had thrown at her, including a punk-ass, eighteen-year-old kid brother who thought he knew better than she did. God was he wrong. His relationship with Cherry was the one thing he regretted in life, but Savage learned that regrets would only hold him back and he couldn’t allow that. He had too much going for him to wallow in self-pity.
“I think your rocket’s a dud.” Savage turned to find the hot guy who always seemed to follow him around Redstone Arsenal. It was as if the guy was his personal bodyguard with the way he watched Savage and he had to admit, he wouldn’t mind having his body guarded by him.
“Yeah, well, this is literally rocket science, so I can’t really use that old line.” Savage looked the guy up and down, liking the way he filled out his fatigues. Not having to wear a uniform was one of the many perks of no longer being enlisted. He usually wore ratty old jeans and a t-shirt when he was on base, partially out of defiance but mostly for comfort. The Alabama heat was quite unbearable, but he was used to it. He never really lived anywhere else except for being stationed overseas.
“I’m Bowie Wolfe,” the guy said, holding out his hand, waiting for Savage to take it.
He shook the younger guy’s hand and smiled. “Are you named after the singer?” Savage questioned.
“Yeah,” he breathed. “My mother was a huge fan and well, I got stuck with the name.”
Savage shrugged, “All in all, I’d say you did all right. David Bowie is a legend, man,” he said.
