The brightness of the daylight is blinding even behind my closed eyelids. The pillow beneath my head feels like a stone boulder. My mouth is dry and cotton filled. My stomach feels empty and my body is sore. I roll over onto my back placing my arm over my eyes, trying to smother the glow of the morning.
“Bet you feel like shit, huh, Sugar Tits?”
Groaning, I continue to roll to my side towards the sound of Lick’s voice. I force my eyes open. “Only slightly.” My voice is scratchy.
“You shouldn’t hang with the big dogs if you’re still a pup.” He stands and walks towards me, handing me a big glass of water and two pain pills. I sit up and take what he’s offering. “Try to keep the water in your stomach. I’ve had enough of your puke on me to last a lifetime.”
“I did puke on you, didn’t I?” I drop the pills in my mouth and chase them back with the water. The sudden movement of my head has my brain pounding against my skull. “Good grief, my head is trying to detach itself from my body.”
“What were you thinking drinking like that?”
His anger surprises me. “We were just hanging out. I was bored.”
“Ain’t no fucking reason for you to drink like that.”
“I really don’t need any lectures from you. Not now, not when I can barely stomach the sound of my own voice.” I hand him the glass before easing myself back down into the comfort of the bed. Staring at the ceiling, I realize that I’m not in my bed at Bianca’s.
“Why am I in your bed?”
“Figured you’d ask why you’re in my T-shirt before asking why you’re in my bed.”
“Well, that’s because I didn’t know I was in your shirt until you just pointed it out.” Turning my head against the pillow, I meet his gaze. “Did you dress me?”
“Yes, I dressed you. I stripped you naked, washed the stink from your body, dressed you and put you to bed. You’re welcome.” He turns his back towards me, heading for the door.
“Tylan.” My voice comes out in a plea. He stops and turns around. “Thank you.”
“No problem, Sugar Tits. Get some rest because we’ve got shit to talk about.”
Before I can say anything more, he’s out the door.
I feel the bed dip next to me. The smell of leather, motor oil and Tylan engulfs my senses, making my eyes flutter open.
“You know you sleep like the dead.” The huskiness of his voice sends chills through my body.
Stretching my back, I moan as the stiffness works through my body. “Your bed is comfortable, nowhere near as hard as the bed at Bianca’s.” My eyes flutter open. “What time is it?”
“Late afternoon.”
I pull myself up, leaning against the metal of the headboard. “Thanks for letting me sleep.”
“It’s a first, Sugar Tits.”
My head swings to him. “What’s a first?”
“I’ve never had a bitch sleep in my bed. Not once. It’s a first.”
Memories of the stories the girls were telling me last night come flooding back. Recounting the sexcapades these walls have held, now knowing that none of them have had the honor of sleeping in Lick’s bed, puts an unknowing worry at bay.
“I feel honored,” I tell him.
“You should.” He laughs, bringing his feet up, and pulls his boots off. Stretching his legs back out, he crosses his now sock clad feet. “I wanted to talk to you a bit.”
The sincerity in his voice has me a little on edge. “Okay…”
“You should know by now, I’m not the sharing kind. I don’t like to talk about shit, and I don’t like to work through shit. I just like to be. That’s who I am, and I’m not gonna start changing now. I don’t see no fucking reason to. That being, I’m going to tell you, and you’re going to listen. You got me?”
“Yeah, I got you.”
“This shit ain’t easy for me.”
I chance a glance at him and see that his arms are crossed, just like his feet, and he’s staring straight ahead. I want to reach out to him. I want to reassure him that whatever he needs to tell me will be okay. But if I do that, then I’m going to chance him breaking his concentration and pulling away from me.
“I need to apologize for the way I treated you back at the M.E.’s office.”
“You don’t–”
“Shut it,” he commands, and I clamp my mouth closed. “That shit wasn’t cool, but I’m not used to having someone there for me. I know your ass is trying to help because you see that I need it, and maybe I do. But you’ve got to give me some space too, you know, not just shove your kindness up my ass every chance you get.” He takes a deep breath. “From the moment, you stepped foot on this compound I knew you didn’t belong. You’re nowhere near right for this club, just like Savannah isn’t meant to be some biker’s old lady.”
I start to object, but he puts his hand up, stopping the objection. “But I guess that’s why she ended up with Sin, because he’s not your typical biker.” I nod in agreement. “I can use the calm to my storm, a smooth to my rough and baby, that’s you. I need a partner to help me in dealing with two kids who just lost their mama. Because I don’t know shit on how to raise kids, but they do need a chance and they do need a family, and I’m their only option.”
Shocked, I turn to face him, a smile plastered on my face. “Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
I leap towards him and throw my hands around his neck. He wraps his arms around my back, pulling me to him. “Thank you,” I whisper.
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m probably gonna be shit at this, but they deserve a chance, and I can’t bear the thought of you not getting what you want.” He nuzzles his nose into my mess of curls. “Forget you heard that last part,” he tells me, making me laugh.