Page 8 of Badger
“Or I could make something for us here.You’ve only been out one night, and I doubt you stopped to check your bank account.”
I smiled and kissed her softly, my lips barely brushing against hers.“Worried about the state of my account?”
“I just don’t think you should spend money if you don’t have to.Besides, you’ll love my omelets.”
“All right, pretty girl.You make breakfast, and I’ll look into a few things while you cook.I need to do some shopping later.None of my clothes are going to fit right anymore.”
“Is that why you weren’t wearing underwear?”she asked, her eyebrow arched.
“Yeah.That and the elastic was shot after rotting for the last ten years.”
I hesitated, knowing I should mention the fact I’d just come inside her without a condom.She hadn’t stopped me, but that didn’t mean anything.With any other woman, I’d be freaking the hell out right now.For some reason, I liked the idea of my cum being inside Adalia.Hell, just thinking about it was making me hard again, but I didn’t want her to be sore.I hadn’t been gentle any of the times I’d taken her, and I was far from being a small man.
“I didn’t use a condom,” I said.
She blinked at me but didn’t seem bothered by the fact.I eased out of her body and braced her with my hands until I knew she was steady on her feet.
“I’m clean,” I said, in case she was wondering.“Got tested at the prison.”
“We should talk, but not in the shower.Let’s clean up, get dressed, and we can talk about some stuff after I make breakfast.”
My breath froze in my lungs at the serious expression on her face.Was going she going to tell me that she had an STD?As tight as she’d been, I didn’t think she had sex all that often, but if she was carrying something, that might explain it.She seemed like the type who would have said something before we had sex the first time, though.
We quickly washed and dressed, and as she made omelets in the kitchen, I made a few phone calls.It seemed the club had been taking care of me while I was away, and while I wasn’t overly rich, I wouldn’t have to worry about money for a few months at least.Maybe longer.The club accountant had been making deposits into both my account and my commissary over the past ten years.But I was a little confused, because the commissary deposits didn’t match up.Yeah, the first years the amounts deposited and what I’d received were the same, but about seven years ago, I started receiving a few hundred more than what the club had given me.At the time, I just thought the club had upped the amount they were putting in there, but it didn’t look like that’s what happened.So where the hell had that money come from?
Adalia was humming as she cooked, and when she placed a plate in front of me, my mouth watered.The biggest fucking omelet I’d ever seen took up the entire dish.I could see chunks of ham, onion, green peppers, and it was smothered in shredded cheese and sour cream.She set a container of salsa on the table, and I poured a little over my food.
“Eat up,” she said as she turned back to the stove.
A few minutes later, she joined me with a smaller version of the omelet she’d given me.I hadn’t touched mine yet, wanting to do the polite thing and wait for her.Didn’t seem right that she was cooking for us and all I’d done was sit on my ass.The least I could do was not eat until hers was finished.
“Oh!”She popped up and ran to the fridge, returning a minute later with a carton of orange juice.Then she pulled two glasses out of the cabinet near the sink and poured us each a glass before returning the juice to the fridge.
“Talked to the bank,” I said between bites.
“How bad is it?”
“It’s actually pretty good.The club has been putting money into my account the last ten years.Not a ton, since I wasn’t here to help with any jobs, but enough to keep my account open and buy me a few months to figure things out.Maybe more than a few.”
She smiled.“Well, that’s good news.But isn’t it part of your parole agreement that you need to find employment?”
“Yeah.I’ll ask Griz about the open mechanic position and see what he says.Even if I just work part-time, I think my parole officer will be happy.I need to talk to Griz anyway.My commissary numbers don’t match up to what the club was putting into the account.”
Her cheeks flushed.“That’s not necessary.”
I paused, my fork halfway to my mouth.“Why?”
“I put money into your account,” she said.“May knew I wanted to do something for you, so she let me get a job when I was sixteen.I didn’t really need money for anything back then, so I gave it to Mom and asked her to put it into your account.”
“Jesus, Adalia.Why the hell did you do that?”I asked, putting my fork down.
“I wanted to do something nice for you,” she said softly.“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t still be here.I can never repay you for what you’ve done for me.”
I closed my eyes and slowly opened them again.She looked nervous, but as I held her gaze, it told me she didn’t regret it even a little.I had no doubt if she could do it all over again, she’d do the same damn thing.
“Thank you,” I said.
The tension eased from her shoulders and the smile she gave me was damn near blinding.I’d never been good at accepting handouts, but I knew she’d been trying to help.And the funds had come in handy.Little did she realize that the things I’d purchased with most of that money had allowed me to make a few bargains inside, the kind that kept me alive.If she’d wanted to repay me, her account was paid in full.Not that she’d ever owed me shit.
