Page 111 of The Convict Gets His Girl

She shrieked, her hands going to his shoulders. "Chase! What are you doing?"

He grinned and spanked her ass as he stepped them over the threshold before setting her gently on her feet in the foyer. "What? I wanted to carry you over the threshold and welcome you home properly. Is that too much to ask?"

He stood staring down at her with one eye, the other already swollen shut. Her eyes softened and her hands squeezed his biceps, her mouth working open and closed in surprise. His chest ached, half afraid that she'd run away from the significance of this moment, so he cleared his throat.

"Now, where do you want to patch me up at? Kitchen table?"

She licked her lips and nodded, saying softly, "Yeah, let me grab my bag from the study."

He bent down and gave her a swift, hard kiss to her lips. Even with the sting of a split lip, he wanted to linger in the softness of her mouth. She was the only welcome home he'd ever needed, a balm to his bruised and battered soul.

She broke the kiss, stepping back with a hand on her lips before spinning on her heels and half-running down the hall to the study.

"So," Raul said, his voice low. "You and the lady?"

Chase's good eye met Raul's. A lifetime of communication passed between them. The protective energy between them was palpable—a bond forged in the crucible of shared survival. Prison friendships were different. Deeper. More primal.

Chase said, "We have a fifteen-year-old daughter. She'll be moving in next weekend."

Raul's brows rose, hitching his backpack higher. "I'll be long gone by then and out of your hair, don't worry. Where can I crash? That couch looks comfy."

He sighed and strode through the living room to the kitchen. "Probably the guest room upstairs but come to the kitchen first. She'll want to look you over too. She's a vet and used to stitching up animals like us."

Jewel came into the kitchen as he sank into a chair at the table, frowning as she set an emergency kit on the table. "You're not animals, even if you're both filthy from rolling around on the ground."

She pulled a bottle from the bag and set two pills in front of each of them before hurrying to the cabinets, opening and closing each one before finding the cups.

"Water might be all there is. I've not done anything but the bare minimum for grocery shopping," Chase said.

"Water's fine," Raul said, accepting the cup from Jewel with a thanks. "Honestly, a roof is more than I expected. Thank you both."

Jewel pulled out a bottle of alcohol and gauze, dabbing at his head softly. He tried not to wince, but it was difficult. The smell of her mixed with the dirt on his clothes and the antiseptic.

He pulled his mind away from her and to the conversation. "I furnished a room upstairs for me. Destini's room is done, as is the master bedroom. You can stay in my room."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly. That couch looked comfy enough."

Jewel frowned, glancing at Raul and pausing her ministrations. "You can stay in Chase's room. He'll sleep with me in mine. I want to keep an eye on him tonight with this head wound."

Chase caught Raul's gaze across the table as Jewel turned to toss the pink gauze in the trash. Raul wiggled his eyebrows dramatically, and Chase grinned, crossing his arms.

Chase watched her, memorizing every detail—the way her hair fell across her forehead, the concentration in her eyes, the slight furrow between her brows.

Raul cleared his throat. "So. A teenage daughter. That's... unexpected."

Chase's good eye never left Jewel. "Long story."

"I've got time," Raul said, leaning back in the chair.

Jewel paused, antiseptic-soaked gauze hovering near Chase's split eyebrow. "You want to tell it?"

Chase exhaled. "Not tonight."

Raul nodded, understanding passing between them. Some stories weren't meant for first nights, for strangers, for moments right after violence.

"Tell me about how y'all met then," Jewel said, her tone no-nonsense and mixed with the soft sounds of cleaning Chase's wounds. Her touch was gentle but precise, her medical training clear in every careful dab and bandage placement.

"Prison," Chase said simply.

---