Page 63 of Keys

Chapter 24

At first, I was ready to ring my little sister’s neck when I heard the shit that she was saying to Quickshot. Though, I sort of expected it when I saw her follow after him when he went to the breakroom to get me coffee. That was the whole reason I was there, to hear everything she had to say.

Then I started paying attention. It didn’t take an expert in body language to realize she wasn’t really that into him. Aubrey was pretending to be and by the time she said what needed saying, and offered a cheeky little wink to me on her way out, I knew what that had been about. My sister was trying to fix something she thought she had broken.

While I appreciated her initiative, she was wrong. Things between Quickshot and me were broken long before she came around. It was sweet of her to try and set the record straight about whether or not they actually had sex though. I wasn’t sure if there could ever be a Quickshot and me again if they had gone there.

I couldn’t have expected him to be celibate when we weren’t together, and I knew he wasn’t since I’d seen one of the club whores attempt to shove his cock down her throat. Still, that was different. I could kick the club whore’s ass and put her in her place if there was an issue later, but my sister was a different story – no matter how strained our relationship was.

As Aubrey left and Quickshot turned to see who she was winking at, his face fell. I’m sure he was wondering if my sister’s bullshit had harmed his cause or helped it. Reassuring him that we weren’t together when they had been dating didn’t seem to change his distraught demeanor though.

“I’m sorry about the things I said that made you run from me. I’m sorry that you’re going through all this shit with your family and I somehow, unknowingly, played a part in them trying to harm you. I’m sorry that my actions may have led you to not trust me – more than normal. And I’m sorry that we’re about to bust your father, not that he doesn’t deserve to go down, but because you deserved a better father to begin with.”

Well, shit. What the hell could I do when faced with that kind of apology from the man, except try not to fall in love with his dumb ass? I moved to Quickshot and wrapped my arms around his waist. It took a moment for him to catch up and wrap his around me too. He pulled me in and kissed the top of my head again. It was something he had done a lot when we were together, and I found it incredibly comforting.

“I meant what I said,” he whispered against me as we both started rocking back and forth.

“About what?”

“Everything is going to turn out all right. Despite the shitty stuff, you’ll at least have closure. This shitshow is over. Your mom can go back home to her new husband and be okay again. Your sister is… well… she’s your sister.” I chuckled at that as he continued to rock us gently back and forth. I turned my head up so that he was looking down just as my eyes met his.

“Thank you,” I whispered. The words were barely audible and instead of answering in words, Quickshot’s lips feathered over mine in a tentative gesture before he really leaned into it and sucked on my bottom lip. He playfully nipped at the same spot before letting go. As he did, his hands slipped down from my waist to cup my ass.

“You never have to thank me for doing things that make your life better. Give me hell when I make things harder, because we both know I probably will, but when shit’s getting done to ease your burden, it’s selfish on my part.”

“How so?” I asked, completely enamored with his answer already.

“My precious, beautiful, keyboard warrior, anything that makes your life easier means I can slip between those gorgeous thighs of yours more often than not.” The dimpled grin that bloomed across his face and made his whiskey brown eyes twinkle caused me to laugh.

“I see. Well, considering how unselfish you are during sex, I’m guessing that train of thought will continue to benefit me too.”

“You think?”

“I know,” I agreed.

“Hey, they’re just about done out here,” Crusher called from the doorway.

I reached around Quickshot and grabbed the coffee he had been making before my sister cornered him. I snapped it back and shot the whole thing down my throat without even tasting it.

“Damn girl, that was kind of hot!” Quickshot and I both glanced over to see Diamond standing there with admiration flashing in his eyes.

“Mine!” Quickshot called out as he squeezed my ass cheek tighter.

“Yeah, brother. I got that by all that shit you have going on there,” Diamond told him as he swirled a hand in front of his body indicating our closeness. He tapped the edge of the doorway where he and Crusher stood smiling at us before walking away.

“We were about to head out to spend the night at the Sierra High Chapter.” Crusher moved into the room a few steps and glanced back over his shoulder before continuing. Then he looked right at me. “Your sister wanted to know if she could catch a ride since she was ‘basically kidnapped’.” He threw up the air quotes around the last two words, letting us know that those were her words, not his.

I nodded. “She has a life back there. I don’t know how much of it was fake or necessary to get away from life with her own parents, so if she wants to go back, take her.”

He tipped his head in a quick nod and then followed in the direction Diamond had gone a moment ago. I turned my full attention back to Quickshot. “I guess we should get my mom back to her house.”

“Do you think she’s going to be okay to go back there?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Quickshot sighed and seemed to struggle with what he was about to say to me before just coming right out with it. “You know she slept with your dad while he had her. When her head clears, when everything pulls back into focus, she’s going to have regrets and guilt about it. Do you think it’s wise to take her back to a husband who has been worried about her well being while she’s been with her ex intimately?”

“Her therapist is on standby still, right?” I asked while glancing around as if the therapist would pop out of the woodwork like a fairy godmother who could cure whatever ailed my mother. Obviously, it would never be that easy, but Quickshot was right about one thing. We needed to be sure my mother was ready to go home to her husband before we took her there, for both of their sakes.

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