Page 2 of Badger
“I’m glad you’re home,” she said, her voice soft and husky.
“It’s good to see you, pretty girl.Not a day went by that I didn’t think about you.”
“I tried to come see you a few times, but they always said you weren’t allowed visitors.”
I pulled away and smiled down at her.“I had a tendency to get into trouble inside.But now I’m glad you didn’t get any farther than the gates.Prison is no place for an angel like you.”
Her cheeks flushed and she smiled a little.“Welcome home, Badger.”
“There’s something you need to know,” Demon said from behind me.“Adalia is one of us now.”
I took another step back, trying to put more space between us.If she was someone’s old lady, the last thing I wanted to do was start a fight with a brother.My gut clenched at the thought of one of my brothers laying claim to her, but it wasn’t like I had any say in the matter.I’d been doing time while everyone else lived their lives and moved forward.She sure as hell deserved someone better than any of the fuckups in this club, though.
“Grizzly and May adopted me,” Adalia said.“After what happened, my foster family didn’t want me.Said I was tainted.So Griz and May stepped up.”
I didn’t want to analyze the relief I felt at knowing she didn’t belong to a brother, at least not as an old lady.I had no doubt the Pres and his old lady had taken good care of her.They’d always wanted kids and had never been able to have any.May had mothered all of us, even those who were too damn old for such nonsense.
My gaze scanned the crowd, looking for the momma bear who would kick my ass if she knew I’d gotten hard while hugging her daughter.“Where’s May?”
Adalia’s eyes teared up.“Gone.She got cancer three years ago.It was so advanced when we found out that she didn’t last more than three months.But she was an awesome mom, best I could have ever asked for.”
I found myself hugging her again, wanting to comfort the gorgeous woman who’d been a frightened little girl the last time I’d seen her.I found Griz across the room and hoped he’d see my gratitude for him stepping in the way he had.He gave me a smile and a nod, even though I saw the sadness in his eyes and knew he was missing May.The two had been together since they were just kids, and it hurt to think of the sweet woman being gone.Where Griz was rough and could be as mean as his namesake, May had been all light and laughter.
“Daddy made me promise to only stay until the cake was cut,” Adalia said.“He doesn’t like me hanging out at the clubhouse once the… other women get here.”
I bit my lip.“Is that your polite way of saying the club pussy will be arriving after cake?”
Her cheeks burned a bright red, and she ducked her head.Fuck, but that was adorable.I chuckled and hugged her again before blending into the crowd.If I’d stayed around her much longer, I might not have been able to pry myself away.There was something about this new, older version of Adalia that was far too tempting.I had no doubt Griz would hand my ass to me if I laid a finger on her, and that’s how it should be.That sweet girl needed someone to watch out for her, and while I’d kill any fucker who touched her, she didn’t need the kind of trouble I’d bring with me.Hell, I was on parole for the next ten years.If I took one step out of line, I’d be going right back to prison.
I tried really damn hard not to watch her, but I seemed to always know exactly where she was in the room.And after the cake had been cut and devoured, I knew the moment she’d left the clubhouse.The club sluts had arrived a short time later, and now the party was in full swing, but I couldn’t seem to find much enthusiasm for the overly made-up women.Their perfume was so heavy it made my head hurt, and their faces had such thick makeup, I wondered what they were hiding.Before I went away, I might have taken them up on their offers.But every time I even thought of pulling one of them closer, the scent of honeysuckle would stop me, and blue eyes that seemed to look right through me.I’d have to get over whatever infatuation I seemed to have for the older version of Adalia, before it got me into more trouble than I could handle.The last thing I wanted to do was piss off Griz, or anyone else around here.
Cobra eased up next to me at the bar.“Figured you’d be balls-deep in two or three women by now.You know we brought them here for you.”
“Got a headache,” I said and took another sip of my beer.I’d missed a good bottle of beer more than I’d missed women, probably because I’d had plenty of pussy in jail and hadn’t had a bottle of beer in ten years.Drugs were easy enough to smuggle inside, but beer not so much.Not that I’d touched the hard stuff while I was there.Prison hooch and cocaine smuggled in by someone swallowing it or worse?Yeah, I’d pass.Besides, I’d wanted to keep my head clear, never knowing when someone might come after me.Being vulnerable in prison wasn’t the best idea, especially for someone like me, someone who had enemies.
“She lives here on the compound,” Cobra said.“In case you were wondering.Griz set her up in the small cottage about two miles down the road.She lived with him and May until she turned twenty, then he decided she needed her own space.I think it had more to do with May, though.I don’t think Griz wanted her to watch May suffer, not that Adalia wasn’t there every chance she got.”
I didn’t even play stupid.I knew he was telling me so I could go after Adalia.Not that I had any business being anywhere near her.Even if my dick hadn’t gotten hard with all the club sluts hanging off me tonight, I didn’t trust myself around the angel who had hugged me earlier.That sweet honeysuckle scent had been too fucking tempting.Hell,she’dbeen too fucking tempting.I’d gotten harder from just a simple hug from Adalia than I had over the bare breasts being thrust into my face tonight.
“No one would think anything of you going to say hi,” Cobra said.“You just lost ten years of your life for her.Even Griz wouldn’t be pissed.”
“So, what?You think I’m going to ask her to repay me by spreading her legs?I’m an asshole, but I’m not that much of one.”
Cobra shrugged.“I don’t think she’d fight you.Everyone knows she has a case of hero worship.God help anyone who says something bad about you.She’d try to castrate them.”
I snorted.Yeah, a hero.Right.
“Just go talk to her,” Cobra said.
Talking wouldn’t hurt anything, right?I wanted to know about her life since I’d been put away.Wanted to make sure she had everything she needed.That was perfectly reasonable.
I might not have talked myself into going to see Adalia if I’d known she’d answer the door wearing my old shirt.And nothing else.
Chapter Two
Adalia
The old flannel shirt I preferred to sleep in was nearly threadbare now.When Griz and May had brought me home, I’d had a really hard time sleeping at night.I hadn’t felt safe, even behind the gates of the Devil’s Fury compound.After talking to May one night, she’d come back a short while later with this shirt in her hand.I hadn’t understood why she would think an old flannel shirt would help any, until she’d told me it belonged to Badger, the man who had saved me.
