Deeks gripped the end of his beard and smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “I think I lack the right qualifications to stay.”
“He means he has a dick,” Autumn said from the kitchen where the smell of coffee was slowly stealing all of my sense of focus.
“God damn, woman, I love it when you talk dirty.”
“Get the hell out of here,” she said, sticking her head outof the kitchen and blowing him a kiss. “Call me later, and I may give you some real food for thought.”
“Shit,” Deeks drew out the vowels of the word, sounding more Texan than I’d ever heard him. With a backward glance, he shook his head, grabbed his keys from the small table by the door and left without another word.
I watched him head across to his bike and swing his leg over the beast, his smile broad and his head still shaking in wonder. I loved being around the two of them so much. They didn’t have a conventional love. They weren’t even married, and by the looks of things, they probably wouldn’t bother now. They were happy and comfortable. This kind of lifestyle suited them just fine.
“Sugar?”
“Yeah?” I asked, looking up at Autumn. Her gray hair was in its usual braid and hanging over her shoulder. She looked happy. Happier than I’d seen her in a while.
Autumn held up her cookie jar and grinned. “I got your favorite. I figured this was coming.”
I smiled and headed toward her, allowing her to tuck me under her arm as she led us to the screen porch out the back.
“You want some bourbon in your coffee?” she asked once we were settled.
“Bourbon?”
“The look you’re wearing calls for ice cream or alcohol, and it’s too early for ice cream.”
I snorted out a laugh and started shaking my head. “No, it’s not bad really.”
Autumn didn’t say anything, she just looked at me, and I could feel the tears start to prickle once again. I was so tired of crying. I wasn’t sad or upset or weak or broken.I was confused and sometimes frustrated all to hell, but I could survive that. It was just hard to contain all of the shit sometimes, especially when I was with someone who didn’t mind so much when I let my guard down.
“Have you ever done something that surprised you?” I finally asked, my voice low and quiet.
“Now that’s a loaded question. You’re gonna have to give me some context here. I’ve been to jail twice in my life, and I was too drunk to remember either time.”
I laughed and wiped one of the stray tears after it had escaped before I explained what had happened the night before. The explanation wasn’t in great detail, and I didn’t get too graphic. I just told her the facts, including the fact that I’d enjoyed what had transpired.
By the time I’d finished,shehad looked impressed, while I felt flustered.
“What kind of bruises we talking about?” she asked. “There are several different kinds… holy shit.”
The last part of her sentence had come out as I’d lifted the hem of the hoodie and shirt I was wearing under it. The bruises had darkened a bit more since I’d taken a shower that morning and they were looking a bit more substantial.
“You look like you’ve gone five rounds in an MMA ring.”
She prodded a bruise just above my hip bone and shook her head, her fingers then spreading to fit the profile of Drew’s hand.
“Was he trying to drill you to China?”
I pushed the material back into place and looked at her with a smile plastered on my lips.
“Stop.”
“Sorry.” She held her hands up in surrender.
“He’s gonna freak, isn’t he?”
Autumn tipped her head to the side, her lips pressed together in amusement. She didn’t have to say a word. It was all the confirmation I needed.
“I knew it.” I sighed.