Page 128 of Patching Over

As incendiary fire flows through my body, I realize we’re probably going to combust by the time we make it to an actual bed. As our lips mold together, she surprises me and swipes her tongue along my lower lip, causing me to open my mouth. Soon, we’re plastered so close together, a sheet of paper wouldn’t fit, as we kiss underneath the stars. When I pull slightly back, I hear her low moan, and hide my smile as I place a soft kiss on her lips.

“Didn’t expect that,” she murmurs, her fingers lightly touching her swollen lips. “But I liked it, a lot.”

“Yeah, me too,” I admit, turning her back toward the clubhouse. “We should probably head back in before your brother comes looking for us.”

Her giggles soon have me chuckling, especially when she says, “He probably threatened you already, if I know him.”

“He did, but I promised I’d never hurt you intentionally,” I tell her, helping her over a fallen log.

We make it back inside with no issues, and I walk her up to her room, then kiss her thoroughly again before I tell her good night. As I move to my own door, I find myself adjusting my dick behind my jeans. I foresee a lot of cold showers in my future.

Whimpers and small cries break through my slumber, and have me jumping from my bed to follow the sound, only to stop at Belle’s door. I realize I’m only in my boxers, so I hurry back to my room to slip on a pair of sweatpants then go back to her room and slip inside.

She’s tossing and turning, tears covering her face in her sleep. Moving to her side, I reach out and touch her while quietly calling her name. “Shhh, Belle, I’m here, babe,” I croon. Once she calms, I pull the recliner next to the bed and take her hand in mine. I don’t want to climb into the bed; well, I do, but I also don’t want to face the business end of Sleeper’s gun either, so until he and I have another conversation, this will have to do.

Despite the fact I’m chilled, I don’t move because every time I try, she starts crying again as though she’s afraid to be left alone. I have no idea what her nightmares entail, but can guess they have to do with what happened when she was a prisoner of those fuckers.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Belle

When I wake up the next morning, I’m surprised to see the recliner right next to my bed, only no one is in it. “Wonder what happened?” I ask myself as I gather clean clothes and head into the bathroom to take a shower. I’m all hot and sweaty, as though I spent the night running or something, but I don’t remember any of my dreams.

Once I’m ready for the day, I head out of my room and down to the kitchen to find something to eat. I’m not surprised to see several others eating, including two men I don’t recognize, although they’re wearing a Royal Bastards cut that says Cedar Creek on the bottom rocker. Wonder if they’re the two men Brick talked about over dinner?

“Belle, this is Dragon and that’s Wrecker,” Banshee says once I’ve made myself a plate of eggs and toast.

“Nice to meet you both,” I reply, sitting down at the table.

“The pleasure’s ours, darlin’,” the one Banshee indicated was Dragon replies.

I wonder where Jingles is but don’t want to ask in case it oversteps, but when he walks through the doors to the kitchen, I can’t help the smile that crosses my face. He fixes his own plate and sits next to me, reaching over to lightly kiss my lips, which has me blushing while the other men chuckle.

“Are they here to see Moira?” I quietly ask Jingles, leaning into his side.

“You too, if you agree to it,” he replies.

“Why me?” I question. I wasn’t treated nearly as badly as Mo was, so I don’t understand why they’d want to see me as well.

“Did you know you have nightmares?” he asks.

“If I am, I don’t remember them,” I admit, my head hung down.

He lifts my chin with the tips of his fingers so we’re looking at each other. “Hey, now, none of that. What you went through was traumatic, and it makes sense that you’d have nightmares,” he murmurs compassionately. “Wrecker has the ability to dream walk and go through your memories so they’re not as scary or in-your-face,” he tells me. “Dragon can manipulate the mind, memories, and other things having to do with the brain, and can help you get a handle on what happened. But only if you want them to, they won’t do it without your permission.”

“But Mo can’t give hers,” I say.

“No, she can’t but it’s because right now, she’s locked away in her head,” Dragon adds. “We’ll go into her catatonic mind and seek her permission, see what we’re able to do in order to dull or remove those memories that have her locked away, so she comes out of the state she’s currently in and begins the healing process.”

I’d like that; I miss my friend. I know she was violently raped multiple times, so I worry holding onto those memories will keep her bound to a time that has passed. “You really think you can help her?”

“We do,” Wrecker replies. “We’ll do you first, so we can see what happened that day, and get a lay of the severity of the situation you two faced if it’s okay with you.”

“I’m a little nervous,” I admit, my appetite suddenly gone.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” Dragon says.

---