Page 3 of Badger
It fell nearly to my knees and hung on me.I always rolled up the sleeves, but just feeling the soft material against my body, and knowing it had beenhiswas enough to make me sleep like a baby.Or it had until I hit about fifteen.My hormones had been out of control by my fifteenth birthday.I hadn’t wanted anything to do with boys at school, though.I’d spent every night dreaming of Badger, and as I’d snuggled in my bed with his shirt wrapped around me, I’d imagined it was his arms holding me.Not that he’d have wanted anything to do with a kid like me.He’d been in his late twenties when he’d been sent to prison and had only seen me as a child.I couldn’t blame him.Didn’t stop me from daydreaming or fantasizing about him, though.
Hell, he probably saw me as a kid now.He had to be at least fifteen years older than me.I sighed and sipped at the hot tea I’d brewed when I’d gotten home.I hadn’t even stopped to think before throwing my arms around him.He’d walked through the door, and it was like every nerve in my body came alive.Just knowing he was that close was more than I could handle.I’d made myself wait, to hold still and not throw myself at him.And then he’d seen me, and I hadn’t been able to hold myself back.
He’d been polite, and pulled away as soon as he’d been able.I felt like an idiot.Everyone in the club knew about my crush on Badger, and I didn’t doubt that someone would tell him before the night was over.I didn’t know if I could ever look him in the eye again.In the last ten years, I hadn’t gone on a single date.Not a real one.One of the Devil’s Fury had taken me to prom and other school events, only because May had insisted I go even when I’d refused.Twister wasn’t much older than me and had been nice enough to take me, both as protection and insurance I’d actually go.He was like a brother to me.All of the Devil’s Fury felt like family, either brothers or uncles.Except Badger.
There was a knock on my door, and I wasn’t sure if it was Dad, here to tell me that I’d made a fool of myself, or someone else checking to see if my heart was broken.I don’t know what I’d expected.The man had been away in prison for ten years, hadn’t seen me since that night.It was stupid to think he’d take one look at me and fall in love.That shit only happened in the romances I liked to read.I set my cup of tea down and answered the door, but as it swung open, I froze, my eyes going wide and my jaw dropping a little.
Badger.He was on my doorstep, looking all kinds of sexy.His gaze dropped down to the shirt I was wearing, and I hoped like hell he didn’t recognize it.I’d be beyond embarrassed if he knew I’d been sleeping in his shirt every night for ten years.What kind of psycho did that?Slept in a stranger’s shirt, and pictured her wedding to said stranger every time she closed her eyes.Me, apparently.
“Damn,” he said, his voice low and gruff.
“I thought you’d be partying all night.”
“Wasn’t in the mood.”
I bit my lip and stepped back, opening the door wider.“You could come in, if you want.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea, pretty girl.Seeing you in my shirt is fucking with my head.”
I dropped my gaze, and my breath caught when I saw just how tight his jeans had gotten.Holy hell!I’d dreamed of Badger being the one to claim me, but my imagination hadn’t done him justice if that bulge was all him.
“Fuck.”He groaned.“Don’t look at me like that.I’m barely holding on, Adalia.Griz would kick my ass if I did even half the things I’m thinking of right now.”
My heart started pounding, and I squeezed my thighs together.If he was trying to scare me off, it wasn’t working.If anything, I wanted to jerk him into my home, slam the door, and throw all the bolts.I couldn’t think of anything I wanted more than for Badger to step over the threshold.Having him here was like a dream come true, and I was worried he’d come to his senses at any moment and run.
“Come inside,” I said, moving back even farther.
He hung his head a moment, then entered my small home.I closed and locked the door before taking his hand and leading him into the living room.He sprawled on the couch, and I fidgeted, not knowing what to do now that I had him here.
“Do you want some coffee or something?I could make some tea.”
He winced.
“Okay, no tea.”I smiled.“Coffee?I have one of those Keurig machines, and I have three different flavors of coffee.Hazelnut, vanilla, and just regular, which is what Daddy prefers.Tastes nasty to me, but he calls my flavored drinks girly shit.”
“Let’s not bring up Griz while I’m here.I’m trying not to think about him murdering me for entering your home.Every time I hear you call him Daddy, I just want to run as far and as fast as I can.”
“Okay.He won’t kill you, though.”
Badger grunted, apparently not agreeing with me.
“Hazelnut,” he said after a few minutes.“I haven’t had a cup of flavored coffee in a long-ass time.And holding onto something might help keep my hands to myself.”
Now I was regretting asking about that coffee.I’d much rather have his hands on me than wrapped around a mug.I went to the kitchen and brewed him a cup, taking down the mug I’d bought when my dad gave this house to me, in hopes that one day Badger would come visit.It was a Superman mug, but the cup was a matte charcoal gray and the logo was a glossy black.I’d found it at a discount store and it had immediately reminded me of my very own superhero.
I carefully carried the mug into the living room, where Badger was now standing by the fireplace, and staring at one of the two pictures I’d hoped he wouldn’t find.May had given it to me for my sixteenth birthday.It was my mom, Dad, and Badger, their arms all slung around one another as fireworks lit up the sky.Mom said it had been taken not too long before Badger had saved me.
There was another in my bedroom, one I would have hidden if I’d known he was stopping by.It was Badger out in front of the clubhouse, leaning against his Harley with his arms and feet crossed.There was a hint of scruff on his jaw, much like now, and he had a bandana covering his hair.A sexy smirk graced his lips, and I had no doubt that very look had melted panties everywhere.May had framed it for me when she’d realized my infatuation with Badger was getting stronger.I’d kept it in my bedroom when I lived at home, then put it by my bed when I moved into this place.I sometimes wondered if she’d ever hoped we’d end up together once Badger was released from prison.She’d been a hopeless romantic, and I was just like her.
“That was a good day,” Badger said, not turning to face me.
“Mom gave it to me for my birthday one year.I was always asking questions about you, wanting to know more about the man who had saved me.”
“I didn’t do such a great job of that.I got there too late.”
I still had nightmares about that night, and probably always would.But despite what Badger said, I knew he really had saved me.The vile man who’d been on top of me had made sure I knew I was going to die.If Badger hadn’t come down that alley when he had, I wouldn’t have been breathing for much longer.At first, I’d wished that he’d just let me die, but once I came to live with Griz and May, I’d been thankful that I was still alive.They’d given me a good life, and had given me more love than I knew what to do with.
“He was going to kill me,” I said, as I studied Badger’s profile.“When he was finished, he was going to slit my throat.He told me as much.Said if he’d planned it better, he’d have kept me around a few days, so he could enjoy his time more.”
