Page 154 of Steel

Reaching across the console, I tuck my finger under her chin and turn her face toward me.

Sorrow sits heavily in her eyes, and her bottom lip is bruised from where she’s been chewing on it.

I run my thumb lightly over the mark on her lip, needing to soothe the pain I’m sure it’s caused.

She winces, her tongue poking out and flicking against my thumb. I don’t think she’s trying to be sensual, but that’s how the move comes across. When her teeth scrape against the pad, I withdraw my assumption, but I also know she’s trying to distract herself from what’s going on and I’m not going to let her.

“Baby girl, don’t much care for killin’, but it also ain’t goin’ to make me lose sleep at night. Not when it’s someone like that motherfucker.”

Her hand lifts to my cheek. “I’m still sorry you had to kill someone.”

Grabbing her chin, I bring her face to mine, sealing our lips together. I keep it short because Wraith will be sending someone to us shortly, and it’s easy for us to drown in each other.

With that thought in mind, I snag her lip between my teeth on the opposite side of the marks she left behind. It’s just a small nip before I pull away.

“Stop worryin’ so much, Hummingbird. Said it once, say it again. I got you always.”

Bailee stares at me, those gorgeous fucking eyes of hers speaking volumes. “You make me happy, you know that?” Her thumb brushes across the bruise on my cheek.

“Fucking undo me,” I growl, stealing her mouth again.

The roar of pipes breaks through the haze Bailee surrounds me in.

I pick my gun up from where I set it within easy reach on the floorboard and hold it at my side. “Get down until I’m sure these are my guys.”

She doesn’t put up any resistance, squeezing herself between the front seat and the floorboard.

I put my back to her, protecting her as much as I can.

When familiar faces come into view, I lose the tension that’s locked my body tight.

I flip the safety back on but continue to hold it loosely just to be on the safe side.

Jagger, Linc, and Bender pull up with Prospect Keaton at their side. Prospect Poe, better known at Tex around the club, arrives in the cage behind them. Prospect Marcus, the one the brothers have taken to calling Cowboy, rides shotgun. My brothers climb from their bikes, their eyes scanning our surroundings, alert and ready for any threat coming our way.

They each pull me in for our standard hand clasp and black slap greeting.

“You both good?” Bender asks, his eyes drifting to Bailee when she climbs from the floorboard.

“Yeah,” I grunt. “Got a mess in the woods over there.”

He nods. “We’ll take care of it.”

Heading around to the back of the Bronco, I open the hatch and grab a clean shirt from the go bag I keep there. “‘Preciate it. Got to get to the clubhouse.”

“We’ll make sure this is good with the prospects, then we’ll be there too.”

“Sounds good.”

Bender and Linc lift their hands to their foreheads and give Bailee a two-fingered salute in goodbye. Jagger doesn’t say anything because he rarely does, and the prospects give her a respectful nod.

She gives them all a small smile and a little wave in return as I grab my cut from the back of the seat and pull it over my shoulders.

Jagger smacks his hand on the roof in a drive safe gesture after I start the engine.

Before I back out, Bailee reaches over and grabs my hand, entwining her fingers with mine. “Me and you, bossman. We face this fire together.”

Instead of answering, I give her hand a squeeze, lifting it to my lips and kissing the back of it before dropping it to my thigh.

---