Page 22 of Hero: Claimed

“Right. I’m the girl with the great personality. Everyone’s best friend. Just once, I’d like to be the sexy woman a man can’t tear his eyes away from. The woman that if he doesn’t have her in his bed, he’ll metaphorically die.”

“You’re in my bed.”

“Not that way, and you know it. I’m tired of being the ‘sister I never had’ or worse, having to find creative ways to avoid being easy pussy for horny, drunk, or high brothers who’ve decided they don’t want to use their hand.”

I cringe at the last part.

“I don’t think of you like a sister, bird. And I’m not drunk or high.”

“But you don’t want to sleep with me, either.”

Don’t I? Not tonight, but I’m not so sure she’s right about that. I mean, I’ve never been with a woman her size before, but at this point, I’m wondering if it really matters. It wasn’t lip service. I really do like her the way she is.

Fuck me.

That realization is like hitting a brick wall.

“Do you have any happy memories from your childhood or was it all shit?” It sounds like I’m changing the subject to get out of answering her and I am, but not for the reason she probably thinks. Plus, there’s so much I still don’t know about her.

“Most of it was shit. When Dad moved from pills to shooting, money went from minimal to practically nonexistent. Mom did her best to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table. But one day, she just never came home. I guess she couldn’t take it any longer…”

Brinley’s so strong, she doesn’t cry. She simply lays it out there for me. It’s her truth. It happened. Period.

“But there was this one time,” she continues. “I was seven and Han was nine. It was just before Mom left. She took us to the zoo. Neither of us had ever been before and they had these baby giraffes—two of them. My mom called one ‘Brinley’ and the other ‘Hannah.’ We spent so much time watching those giraffes, talking to them. It was a big deal, the zoo having these babies. The crowds were huge, but we didn’t care. We stayed for what felt like forever, and before we left, Mom bought Han and me a stuffed giraffe to share because she didn’t have enough money for two. That was a really good day.”

“Sounds like it.”

I can think back to hundreds of happy memories with my dad throughout the years. Not to mention all the great ones since finding the Lords. She’s going to have more good days. I’m making sure of it.

As Brinley’s breaths even out, I watch her sleeping, thinking about what to plan for her tomorrow. It’s getting colder out, but we could go to a museum or some shit. Hell, we could even hit up a movie if she wants to.

That’s what I let myself think about as I drift off to sleep. Peace.

9.

Brinley

Consciousness pulls at me but I feel so warm. My head resting against something soft and hard at the same time. I nuzzle my bottom back and my eyes spring open.Holy crap! That soft and hard thing my head rests on is Levi’s bicep. The thing I just nuzzled my bottom against is his very prominent erection. His leg is slung over my thigh and his arm he’s draped over my waist.

I don’t know what to do.

He can’t find us all tangled up together. Not after last night, when he was being so kind. Waking up to this—to me? He’d be humiliated. I’ve never woken up in a man’s arms before. Never had tangled limbs holding me to him like I mattered. I feel like we’re becoming friends and I don’t want to lose that.

Slowly and as quietly as possible, I extract myself from his embrace. He moves once and I freeze like a deer caught in headlights, waiting to see if he wakes, hoping and praying that he doesn’t.

Luck actually on my side, I slide off the edge of the bed, stop at the dresser to pull out fresh clothing, and make a beeline for the bathroom. I don’t waste any time showering or getting ready for the day. After a final check to make sure he’s still sleeping, I slip out of the room, closing the door without even a click, to go help my sister prepare breakfast for the brothers who live at the club.

Hannah is up and looking as beautiful as ever. It amazes me that she can be up so early when she’s one of the star dancers at the club. She should be dragging on her feet. Saturday nights are her busiest nights.

“Hi, sissy. Can I help?” I walk up to give her a hug and then reach up to grab a mug from the cupboard. She already has a large pot of coffee brewing. I pour a steaming cupful and add the turtle creamer Caitlin gave me from the refrigerator.

“Yeah, actually… Do you still make that cheesy hash brown, egg, and sausage casserole thing?”

“Absolutely,” I answer before sipping on my drink.

“I was telling Blood about it the other night and he said he’d love to try it. Do you mind? I’ll be your sous chef, just like the old days.”

I set my mug on the counter to start gathering ingredients from the fridge. As she’s got everything I need to prepare it, I think her asking was more rhetorical.

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