Page 5 of Dark & Deceitful

Of course, he did—this man. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve him.

I glance over my shoulder to see if the little lady’s up yet. “Where’s Lily?”

“I fed her a bowl of cereal after my shower, and then I sent her home.”

He sent her home… but…

Confused by the turn of events, wrinkles bunch on my forehead and nose. “You showered upstairs?”

“Yeah. Because I didn’t wanna wake you.”

Looking him in the eye, I drop my hands on his shoulders. His skin’s hot and smooth to the touch. “You know I don’t mind.” There’s an entire caddy of his bathroom essentials under my sink. My bathroom is perfection. An oasis. He loves relaxing there after long weeks on the road.

“ButIdo,” he replies. “Lily said you watched three movies last night and voo-doo-hoo-doo’d the house. You needed the sleep.”

I chuckle at his choice of words. There’s nothing voodoo about smudging. “I always cleanse the house.”

Sunshine smirks, and his head tilts to the side knowingly. “Yeah. When Dark’s over.” He cocks his brow in question, daring me to argue.

He’s right.

I do it to get rid of Dark’s bad juju. Who can blame me?

As if summoned by the Devil himself, my front door opens, the blinds rattle, and thunderous footfalls echo through my house. Sighing at what’s about to go down, I peek over my shoulder to find the bane of my existence standing right where he was yesterday, this time in a pair of gray sweats, a blue, long-sleeved shirt pushed up his forearms, and a glower—an ugly one.

Not wanting to see him today of all days, I pretend Dark’s not here and bury my face in the side of Sunshine’s neck. It smells of manly soap and all things safe and yummy. Knowing damn well this won’t go over well, the man between my legs wraps both of his arms around me in protection from the big bad biker coming to start shit. It takes one to know one, and Dark knows he’s no match for Sunshine. But that won’t stop what’s about to ensue. Two bulls in the same room never end well.

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Dark roars at Sunshine when neither one of us addresses his existence. “My daughter comes home, and I look outside to not only find the stalker gone but also your fuckin’ van in Kali’s driveway. Aren’t you supposed to be out on assignment?”

“This is my assignment,” Sunshine replies, as smooth as butter.

“Bullshit.”

“It is. I got here at four this mornin’ and had time to spare, so I took care of the stalker. Why the hell do you care?”

Dark growls.

Sunshine snorts, not the least bit amused by Dark’s interruption. “That’s what I thought. Now go the fuck home and leave us to have a peaceful breakfast.”

Yes. What he said. That sounds perfect. You tell him, Sunshine.

“You know I’m not gonna do that.” A typical Dark response.

“Why not? Are you here to rub salt in wounds?” Firm palms run up and down my spine in reassurance as I squeeze my eyes shut in hopes Dark gets a clue and leaves of his own volition.

Another one of those angry growls surfaces. “What the hell are you yappin’ about?”

“Christ.” I can practically hear Sunshine’s eyes roll. “Look at a calendar, will ya? Do some soul-searching. Maybe stop being a selfish prick for once in your goddamn life.”

There’s shuffling, followed by a lovely paragraph or two of angry expletives courtesy of Dark. Suddenly, I’m no longer hungry, and I just want to go back to sleep for a year, maybe two—no more yummy bacon and syrup for this lady.

“Kali.” My name on Dark’s lips, soft and broken, aches in places I don’t wish to acknowledge.

Stiffening against me, Sunshine’s chest vibrates in a low, scary timbre. “Go. Home. Dark.”

“Fuck you, Pops. You know I can’t do that.”

Sunshine’s hand cuffs around the base of my neck. “Go. Home. Dark. I won’t tell you again.”

---