I laugh and nod my head.
“I wouldn’t even touch a female again until I was sixteen years old. I was scared to fuckin death that if I even kissed a girl I would knock her up!” He shakes his head smiling. “But when Tatiana started talking full sentences and calling me daddy… it was amazing. I was so young, Tatiana and I would both piss off ma and dad making messes and shit. The first time they left me alone to take care of her by myself, I didn’t know what the hell to do. She kept asking to bake cookies. Do I look like I can bake fucking cookies? No. I get the cookie dough out, and I’m trying to read the directions, which, by the way, was hard with her tugging on my leg screaming for cookies. I open the cookie dough, and I throw some at her. She looks up at me with her big shocked eyes, and then she smiles and starts reaching up for the cookie dough. I break off a chunk of it and hand it to her, and a cookie war fight breaks out. Jesus, you shoulda seen mom’s face when she came home. She was ready to blow up until Tatiana turned around and said, ‘he don’t know how to make cookies mamaw’. Ma immediately softened and ordered me to give her a bath while she cleaned up the kitchen. That was the moment I realized she was mine. She was my daughter. She wasn’t my little sister, and I needed to start acting that way. So every once in a while when Tatiana and I fight, we call a truce by bringing one another chocolate chip cookies.”
Tears slide down my face. I can’t help it. He just shared something so very personal with me. Right now, his head is turned, and he’s just staring off into space with a smile all over that gorgeous face of his. This is why I’ve been drawn to him. Something about his presence just reassures you that underneath all this badass biker is a really fucking hot, sexy, sensitive male waiting for the right woman to make an honest man outta him. My body is so sore from the accident and the D&C, but I don’t care in this moment. I reach up and turn his face back to mine, and his smile disappears when he sees the tears rolling down my cheeks. I give him a reassuring grin as I bring his lips to mine. It’s a soft kiss. His body is hesitant, and I wonder in the back of my mind if it’s because he thinks he’s going to hurt my wounds or my heart.
I pull away and look into his brown eyes. “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
“I…,” he says but is interrupted by his prepay.
“WHAT?” he snaps into his phone. “Are you fuckin shittin me? Oh man, Braxxon is gonna have a fuckin cow when he hears this. Have you fuckin told Winter? Oh fuck, she okay? Yeah man, be right there.”
I try to sit up, and he growls at me, and points his finger. “Don’t fuckin leave this bed. I’ll send one of the prospects up here to watch you.”
“What the hell ZZ?”
“Look, more fuckin Russians are in town. I don’t want you leavin the compound, all right? We have no idea if these Russians are a friend or enemy. We don’t know if they’re from Winter’s uncle or Winter’s mom side. Stay the fuck on the compound Storm. I mean it. Please don’t fuckin piss me off. I can’t worry about the three of you while I help figure shit out.”
By the three of us, I’m guessing he means Berry, Tatiana and Me.
“I get that, but why can’t I leave the bed? I’m not on bed rest. I’m just supposed to rest.”
“Fuck, seriously? You just got into a car accident darlin, and you just lost a baby. Your ass is getting catered to whether you like it or not. I understand this is new to the both of us. Let’s just compromise, all right? Let me be the man, and you be the sick woman right now. We’ll figure out how to deal with one another’s shit another time.”
“You mean we’ll figure out how to deal with the man always getting his way another time?”
He smirks. “Such a smart little pussy cat.”
“Awe… such a silly little fucker that seems to forget I have to heal before he can touch me again. I should tack on a few extra weeks, you know for more healing and stuff.”
His cocky ass smirk disappears. “Not fuckin funny darlin, I can withhold too. I have a lovely little gal I call Rosey. Grant you, I haven’t had to use Rosey since I was fifteen, but I’m sure she’ll come outta retirement.”
We can go at it like this for another hour so I decide to give up.
“How about this be one of the things we talk about another time?”
He looks down at his phone to check the time. “You gonna be good?”
“ZZ, go, I’ll be just fine.”
“Storm… don’t do that.” He sighs, looking sad.
“Do what?”