Page 112 of Cross To Bear

“So was the client.” Bjorn pressed a kiss to our girl’s temple, stopping for a second, like he heard her whisper something, right before he grinned. “Yeah, not so delicate, especially during the ‘aftercare’ session.” He turned to me. “Cress had some rich fuck in the gallery, ready to buy a bunch of pieces when they caught wind of a sound scape from the studio that wasn’t some intellectual exploration of the pornification of contemporary society.”

“Couldn’t stay quiet, huh?” I fought back a hiss as Crash stood in the space between me and Maddie. “What did he do to you? You stayed real quiet in the cinema for Hawk and me.”

“You didn’t stick me with a million sharp objects over and over,” she replied. “Or one blunt one.” Maddie shifted restlessly. “I’m never going to be able to look Cress in the eye again.”

“Don’t let that worry you.” My tone came out far too sharp, the command clear. Look at me, Maddie. Look at me. “She’s told us plenty of stories about what she got up to before she connected with Jack.”

“And we’ve heard plenty. Remember when she and that cute art chick got it on in the cleaning cupboard?” Crash said with a grin. “She just licked her lips and cleaned her fingers like a fucking cat.”

“And those two groupies I turned down.” Bjorn shook his head. “We couldn’t work together without being comfortable with crazy shit. If we don’t care, you don’t need to, but you should have something to eat.”

“On it.” Hawk swept in with some gourmet shit, a selection of treats laid out on a platter, looking picture perfect. He then handed her a tall glass of orange juice. “No G&Ts. You need some of those fancy painkillers the hospital gave you.”

“I’m not even going to fight you on that.”

Crash pulled out a chair for her at the dining table, tucking it under her as she sat down. Hawk had drinks, food, plates and cutlery deposited in front of her before she could settle. Bjorn kept his arm around her shoulders as he sat down beside her, pointing to the cling wrapped tattoo, talking her through how to look after the new ink, as if he wouldn’t be massaging in the vitamin E cream on a daily basis, while I… just fucking stood there, an outsider in my own home, staring in at the happy family.

“You don’t have to…”

Maddie’s voice trailed away as Crash leapt to his feet. We’d eaten dinner, Bjorn wanting something in her stomach before she took powerful painkillers, so the minute she was done, my brother was up and going to her room to retrieve the packet.

“Let him.” She looked at me, starting to smile, but something stopped her. “It gives him a feeling of purpose. The fucker’s got too much damn energy, so expending it looking after you gives it somewhere to go.”

Maddie nodded slowly, as if acknowledging my insight, but not much more. Somehow taking her as my mate had erected another wall between us, not broken the others down. Well, I was pretty damn good with a sledgehammer. I turned to Bjorn.

“So, what’s the plan after dinner?”

“Sleep?” He looked down at Maddie, and she flushed then nodded. “I know what you’re thinking…”

He did? That was what the elders always said happened during a mating bond, but she’d claimed me. I’d bitten her and—

“But you’ll need some rest. Once the painkillers hit”—Crash appeared beside them, putting the box in front of her—“you’ll be pretty damn tired.” He paused, watching her smile widen, just like I did, but getting something else from him. “Later.” His tone was firm, but full of smug pleasure. “We’ve got plenty of time for that.”

For what? I needed to know, but when Hawk came to join us with the next course, I forced myself to look away.

“You need help making sure our girl ‘sleeps,’ I’m always willing to lend a hand,” I said, trying to keep my voice as light as possible.

“Not tonight.”

Bjorn didn’t even look my way, not until a little growl escaped my chest. Golden eyes met mine, the bear staring out. That was fine because mine was right at the edge, staring right back. As far as he was concerned, black bears were sneaky fucking bastards and we were much better off tossing Maddie on our back and stomping out of here. Polar bear beat black bear by about a hundred kilos and one swipe of my paws would have the little prick scuttling back.

But that wasn’t how this sleuth worked.

“I just formed a bond with Maddie. She sleeps in my bed tonight.”

His words were part plea, part command, and my bear and I rankled at both. Bjorn got to cuddle her all night, but she wouldn’t go running out the front door, like she did when she claimed me. This was her home, we were her sleuth, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

Well, not near me.

I nodded to Bjorn in agreement, even though my heart was not satisfied with his explanation. This was what we wanted, I told myself over and over. This is exactly the way it was supposed to happen. So I watched my sleuth, my family eat the food that Hawk made and chatter about their days, soaking every single bit of it in but contributing nothing.

Because all too often, that was what they needed from me.

My words cut. It was how I got my road name, wasn’t it? Mouthing off to Draco, the leader of the Steel Dragons, when I was just little more than a cub, having taken fur exactly one time. But as I got older I learned that an effective knife was one that stayed in its sheath more times than not.

“What about you, Razor?” Crash asked, always ready to go where angels feared to tread. “You get that bike going for Animal?”

“Animal has his ride back, not that it’ll do him any good,” I replied. “He was showing off for Roxy when he dropped it, but she didn’t even see it. No doubt I’ll see it again. So, it’s my turn to do the dishes?”

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