“My old lady is a volatile thief. I win.” - Grinder

 

A burly shadow filled the hospital room doorway several hours later. Grinder had no idea of the time, Luxe had confiscated his cell phone one of the boys dropped off so he’d sleep. With her curled up against his ribs, her bare feet tucked into his calf and her hand rested on his belly he’d only dozed a little.

He had too much on his aching mind.

The nurse had checked on him a bit ago to give him pain pills, eyed Luxe on the bed and he only shook his head. There was no removing his woman. He needed her where he could see her. Still not recovered from seeing her there tonight, or was it yesterday now? Fuck knows.

On one end of the spectrum his girl loved him. The other was going to be the fallout of just what Rider had to agree to for Grinder to be here holding his girl. Fuck.

There was no panic seeing the body in the doorway. Grinder recognized the man. “Pop. I told you I was good, you didn’t have to come.” He spoke quietly. The only light came from a small yellow lamp hung above his head.

“I hear my boy is in the hospital, you think I’m staying home to grill steaks? Your uncle is parking the Rig. I had to stop your aunts from coming, they’ll fuss over you at home, fair warned.” Dylan Frazier was a gruff, gentle graying man of sixty and Grinder smiled as his Pop leaned over and kissed his forehead like he was four years old again. “Rider said you’re doing okay. You can tell me all about it.” His eyes flit to Luxe and Grinder found himself inhaling pride for his girl, dying to introduce her but that would have to wait, she was exhausted and he wasn’t waking her if he could help it. “First, you can tell me all about this lovely girl. She’s yours, I take it?”

Emotion caught at Grinder unexpectedly. His arm tightened around her. She stirred but didn’t wake. “Yeah, she’s mine. This is Luxe, Pop. She’s a firecracker.”

His dad chuckled pulling the chair nearer to the bed. “The good ones usually are, Son. Keeps you busy.” He smiled sadly. They were both thinking of his mom. Grinder had thought he’d dealt with her leaving them both all those years ago and then dying suddenly in a car accident a few years after that, but it had taken loving Luxe to realize he’d only masked it in the club, in his shady work, booze, women, anything so he didn’t attach himself to anyone else.

Was that the same way for his dad, he wondered? He’d never remarried. Only had a handful of not so serious girlfriends over the years. Was he still pining for the lost love? Fuck, he hoped not. It twisted his guts. His dad was still young enough to have that someone special in his life. Loving Luxe was opening his damn idiot eyes to a lot of new things.

“She’s moving in.” He announced.

“In that tiny shithole you call a condo?” Grinder grinned. His dad said it like it was. The condo wasn’t good enough for his girl, he agreed. “We’ll house hunt for something better. Jerry knows a guy.” His uncle knew a guy for everything. No doubt he’d get Grinder a good deal. And that was fine by him.

“Despite you looking like ground beef, you look happy.” He noted quietly. Those dad eyes of his saw everything.

Luxe stirred once again in her sleep, her hand pushing through the blanket he had over her and crawled up his chest until her fingers were touching the side of his neck, she settled and resumed her sleep.

His dad watched it all.

“Yeah, I am.” He really was.

Being in love with a thief never felt so good.

 

******

 

A few miles away inside the Renegade Souls compound two serious presidents conversed.

"I helped get your boy back, I hope you know we're square now, Rider, you don't have a favor to call in anymore."

Rider's jaw was granite tight, he felt the relief ease from his shoulders that they'd found Grinder relatively in one piece, thankfully still fucking breathing. It could have so easily gone the other way, an all-out bloodbath and high body count. Too much death and carnage this last year without bringing a new gang war.

He wasn’t ready for that.

Pulling the bandana off from around his neck, he tossed it down on the table, sucked back the full glass of scotch before he poured them both a fresh one.

"You ever gonna let on it was you who got your old man sent to jail?"

Steele's eyes flattened out, a dark blue turned black, the pupil masking his irises, he paused with the glass to his mouth before swallowing heavily,

"Or that you were the one who helped me load the gun? What do you think? We were both cleaning our respective houses at the same time, Rider. Shit gets messy, you ought to know that more than most, especially now you really have the attention of the bratva."

Working a kink out of his shoulder, Rider thought better of having a third drink, he needed to take his old lady home, get her tucked up safe in their bed. It might be two leaders in their own presidential right in that room debriefing yet more close call with murder, but as far as his Icy was concerned he was just a man taking care who what he loved most. Priorities shifted so subtly it was hard to see sometimes, but when she’d come back into his life his priorities had taken a hard swerve in her favor, and he didn’t apologize for it.

Club responsibilities sorted for now, that shitstorm would brew again another day, he wasn’t lucky enough to think Grigori would forget, but now he wanted home with his girl.

“Debt is cleared,” he said finally. “I appreciate you pitching in tonight.”

“It’s what we do, Rider. I have a gut feeling we’re gonna be banding together again against this guy, he has a hard on for Armado, not long before he turns those same desires towards my town.” Rising to his height, Jamie sighed wearily, Rider felt much the same, feeling every one of his thirty-seven years, it had been a long ten years so far climbing to the top and once a president was there it was no easy feat staying there.

The dye was cast now. Nothing Rider could do about Grigori. He’d invited the mafia in. With restrictions.

When it came time to pay he could only hope he didn’t lose the things he’d fought long and hard for.

 

******

 

Luxe clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. No one told her how men were reduced to toddler age when they were sick. She stopped in the middle of the living room, holding a glass of juice in one hand and his medication in the other. She glared at the man she loved. “You’re being a damn baby. Now shut up and sit down, Nathan.”  

“I’m sick of sitting. Come and climb on my cock.”

Heat fused into her nervous system, stuttering her breath. All thoughts angled towards his lap.

He was hard under the gray basketball shorts he was wearing. No shirt, feet bare, bed hair standing up in sexy black tufts. He’d been crabby for two days ever since signing himself out of the hospital insisting he was fine. He was far from fine, but she’d quietly allowed it just to have him home. Trying to get him to rest was next to impossible. Having to engage tactics never used before. Mainly sexual bribery. If he napped she’d suck him off. If he rested and took his meds like a good boy she’d stroke him while they watched a movie.

It all worked until today.

His family and friends had been in and out of the condo all day. They brought food, booze (she confiscated until he could drink liquor again) his dad and two uncles came to visit for several hours, men just like Nathan, they were rowdy and kind and she liked all of them.

But as the day had gone on she’d watched him fade, blinking slower and slower until she’d seen the last guest out.

“You’re tired.”

“I’m hard up for your pussy. Get over here, Luxe.” He put extra oomph in his growl. Admitting she loved it, she kept strong, when all her body wanted to do was fold down on the sofa with him and do as he asked. He ground the heel of his hand to his hardness, her eyes flickered closed.

Strength. She needed strength to allow him the time to sleep and heal fully.

Every time she saw his bruises she felt sick, heartsick he’d endured that kind of abuse because of her.

No amount of sorry made up for that.

Ungluing her feet, she made him take the meds and drain the juice.

His hand caught her wrist. Not yanking, not releasing her either. “I’m good, baby. I need only you to feel fine.” He walked his lips over her knuckles. Luxe felt herself soften inside. Curling up at his side, careful not to knock his ribs, she rested her head on his shoulder. “You need rest more than you need an orgasm. Sleep first.”

“I can’t let you come between me and having my woman.”

Luxe blinked. And again. Her pink lips opened and closed. “But. I’m your woman. So, it’s a moot point.”

He grinned. “Yes. So, you see how serious I am, my dirty rotten thief, not even you will get in the way of what I want, what I will have, there’s only two options here, it’s up to you which you pick, but either way I’m getting you where I want you.”

Smiling, she nipped teeth on his bare shoulder, her hand sliding around his belly and rested there. “You have all of me, chico,” she wanted to relent so badly she could taste the sex they’d have, the same sex reflected in his eyes. “But you’ll sleep. I’ll nap with you.” She played her ace card since he took taking care of her seriously as a heart attack, she let her voice drift lower. “I’m tired, too, and could do with a nap.”

His eyes snapped down, face serious and then he was standing, hand out to her. “Come on, love, climb into bed with me. We have a big trip coming up if we’re gonna fly down for your stuff next week.” Arms locked around her waist tight enough to stop oxygen. Her knowing smile was sly, being taken care of by him was going to be fun.

And perfect.

She made sure it was his massive, battered body that slid into the large bed first, settling against the bank of pillows, his eyes watchful as she followed suit.

Because what Nathan needed to realize was, she would take care of him, too.

Being in love meant she was open now. Open for him, he had all of her, the good and the bad and with all that she was, thief and lover, she was his.

Arms came around her, her face found the right nook in his neck and collectively they sighed. A noise of content happiness for them both.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you did, love,” she grinned and didn’t say anything. “Feel free to manipulate me into bed any time. Cause after we sleep I’m waking you with my mouth in your panties.” As if to mark his place one of his hands slid down into the back of her underwear and stayed there while she tried to still the cyclone of need.

Luxe knew one thing. Life would never be boring with her kidnapper.