Page 27 of Storm

Storm chuckled, the sound deep and rich. “Yeah, baby. By cook, I mean I’ll pull the containers out of the to-go bag and put the food on plates. Have a good day, and I’ll pick you up at five.”

He turned her gently, giving her bottom a firm swat that made her giggle and yelp as she scurried into her office. Her cheeks burned, and her bottom stung faintly through her skirt, but as she sat at her desk, the warmth radiating from the slight sting only made her smile even wider.

It was going to be a very good day.

NINE

STORM

"So, are you girls still mad at me?" Storm asked, a mix of curiosity and hesitation rumbling in his deep voice as he leaned casually against the back of a chair in the common room of the clubhouse.

At the table, Carlee, Ivy, and Remi looked up from their coloring books. He felt a small wave of relief when he didn’t see any of them glaring at him.

“We weren’t mad,” Remi replied softly. “We were sad.” She glanced at the others before continuing, “But we’re not anymore. Our Daddies explained that it’s okay for you to want a house of your own and that we’ll still see you a lot. We thought maybe you wanted to move out of the clubhouse because you hated us.”

Storm pulled out a chair and sat beside Ivy, with Carlee and Remi across from him. The weight of their words settled uncomfortably in his chest. He loathed that they’d ever thought that. Sure, he wasn’t the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and his default setting was grumpy, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about the Littles.

Reaching out, he ruffled Ivy’s hair gently, her giggle relaxing the tension in the room. “I could never hate you,” he said, hisvoice firm but kind. “You girls are the fucking highlight of my day.”

“That’s ten dollars in the swear jar,” Carlee chimed in, raising her eyebrows like a disappointed schoolteacher.

Storm scowled, his brows knitting together. “Ten dollars? I thought it was five for the F-word.”

Carlee shrugged, an impish grin spreading across her face. “Inflation’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

“Carlee!” he snapped. While he sounded exasperated, he was more playful than angry.

All three girls burst into giggles, their laughter filling the room. Grumbling under his breath, he reached into his pocket and handed over a ten-dollar bill. The Littles practically robbed him blind on a daily basis with their swear jar antics. Maybe it really was time to work on his cussing.

“As I was saying,” he carried on, leveling them with a mock glare, “believe it or not, I love each and every one of you. I know I don’t show it like some of the other guys, but I do. I’m not used to so much energy, though. I’ve always kept to myself, and when it was just us guys here, it was easy to do that. Having a house of my own will give me a place to go when I need a break. That doesn’t mean I don’t like you. Does that make sense?”

The girls nodded, their heads bobbing in unison. Ivy reached out to touch his arm, her small hand resting lightly on his forearm. “Just so you know,” she said earnestly, “even though we’re sometimes naughty and pull pranks on you, we love you, too. We’re sorry if we kind of invaded your space. I guess you didn’t really get a choice in that, huh?”

No, he hadn’t. But looking at their wide eyes and genuine expressions, he couldn’t bring himself to hold it against them. Besides, with Brook now in his life, he knew his brothers hadn’t had much choice, either. Falling for Brook had been completely out of his control.

“No, I didn’t get a choice,” he admitted, his voice softening. “But that doesn’t mean I wish things were different. You’ve all brightened our lives in ways you don’t even realize. Everyone’s different, though. I like my quiet time. I’m sorry if I ever made you upset.” He looked at each of them in turn, holding their gazes to make sure they understood how much he meant it.

“We forgive you,” Carlee declared dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. Then, her eyes sparkled with mischief. “Bet you’re glad you’ve bought a house now so you can take Brook there and do wild things with her, huh?”

Storm chuckled, shaking his head. “We arenotgetting into a conversation about my sex life.”

Carlee feigning innocence, scoffing. “I didn’t say anything about your sex life, Stormy-Normy. I was simply talking aboutotherthings.”

His glare was sharp but laced with humor. “Don’t call me that, brat. And what ‘other things’ could you possibly be talking about?”

She shrugged, giggling as though she’d won some secret victory. “I don’t know. But since you brought up sex… are you in love with Brook?”

Jesus Christ. Storm pinched the bridge of his nose, already regretting sitting down for this conversation. “You girls are impossible,” he muttered, though the corners of his mouth twitched in reluctant amusement.

“Why are you asking about Storm’s sex life, baby? Don’t I keep you satisfied enough not to wonder about other people’s private lives?” Atlas asked as he strode into the room, a teasing edge to his deep voice. His gaze settled on Carlee, who immediately turned scarlet.

The way Carlee’s blush deepened made Storm laugh, a rare and genuine sound that rumbled from his chest. Carlee whippedher head toward him, narrowing her eyes and sticking out her tongue.

“Fucking Little girls,” he said under his breath, shaking his head, though his smirk betrayed his fondness. Why had he ever wanted to get away from them?

The answer came screaming through the room as Harper bolted past, squealing at the top of her lungs, with Eden chasing her in a bear onesie. Storm sighed.Right. That’s why.How was it possible for them to be so damn loud and chaoticallthe time?

“You didn’t answer the question,” Remi quipped, her voice sweet yet pointed as she leaned forward to rest on her coloring book. “Are you in love with Brook? We really like her, and she looks at you like you’re the most handsome man she’s ever seen.”

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