Page 47 of Dancin' with Demons

“Oh, no,” she says quickly, “I can’t imagine what you paid for this. That would be completely fuckin’ rude to ask you that, it just threw me for a second.”

Bringin’ both my hands up to holdin’ her head still, I lean down and slant my lips over hers. She sighs into me as she opens, allowin’ my tongue to slowly find hers. I try not to let my primal fuckin’ need for this woman ruin the moment, and keep this kiss calm. When I finally pull back, I relish in watchin’ the smile that takes over her face.

“Relax, babe,” I whisper, “I built this house, and even with that, I’d sell it in a heartbeat and buy you whatever you wanted, wherever you wanted.”

“Hmm.” Raylynn pushes forward, layin’ her head against my chest and lettin’ her arms slide around me. “Thank you for calmin’ me down.”

Rubbin’ her back, I kiss the top of her head. “Anythin’ for you, little love. Now, let’s go see you freak out over the inside.”

We both laugh, and she’s better when we stand apart and head around to unlock the back of the car. Raylynn is half the broken woman I found, and half a stranger I’ve never seen. I’m not sure if I did anythin’ to push her into a moment of healin’ or if it’s Somethin’ she did on her own, but I do know that I love seein’ the part of her that’s a stranger to me. More and more, she findin’ the parts of herself that she lost three years ago. The woman she was won’t ever come back fully. It doesn’t work like that when you go through what she did. And the part of her that’s been here since that trauma is slowly ebbin’, but won’t ever fully go away. So, to me, this is like watchin’ a butterfly come out of it’s cocoon. I get to be the first person to see the mergin’ of those two versions of her. And I know for a fact it’s gonna be the stronger version of herself that she’s ever been.

Headin’ through the front door of the house, smilin’ as Savior ohs and ahs every step, and how Raylynn just slowly turns, takin’ everythin’ in, I consider these thoughts and already know how lucky I am. I’m gettin’ to love of version of this beautiful woman that no one else has ever met before let alone loved. Which means I get to be both the first person to be loved by her, and to love her. The last few weeks makes it almost like I didn’t spend the last three years tryin’ to flush my life down the toilet. If it weren’t for Catacomb’s contacts at the District Attorney’s office, my ass would be in a jail cell still, not out here with my woman and little one.

“Renegade,” Raylynn calls from down the hall.

I nod toward Savior while catchin’ Reaper’s gaze and head to find Raylynn. The moment I pass the open door to my office, a quick flash of her shirt catches my attention, and I step back before turnin’ and movin’ through the doorway. My gut drops a little. I probably should’ve cleaned this room before bringin’ ‘em here, or at least locked the door. Raylynn seems a little overwhelmed. Aside from the desk and normal office shit, I’ve got two cork boards. One is to her right, hung on the wall and pinned to it are all my arrest documents and court papers from the last three years— and there’s a lot of ‘em. The board in front of her is a mobile one, and it’s littered with pictures, maps, notes, and just about every other lead I had on her for the last three years.

It is literally a snapshot of thirty six months of dead ends.

Raylynn just glances between the two, her eyes movin’ back and forth rapidly as she tries to take it all in. She jumps a little when I step up behind her and rest my arms on her shoulders.

“Not exactly what you expected to find in my office, huh, little love?” Kissin’ the back of her head, she brings one arm across her chest to rest her hand over mine.

“This is what everyone was hintin’ at? Just you drownin’ in chaos of tryin’ to find me and gettin’ arrested all the time.” Raylynn sighs before turnin’ to face me and forcin’ me to move my hands. “I’m so sorry, Renegade. I never meant to put you through this.”

Cuppin’ either side of her face, I shake my head. “It’s okay, little love. You did what you had to, and I see that now. I respect it. The only thingthat matters to me is that you’re here now and you’re mine.Speakin’ of, we need to get settled so I can check your brand.”

I’m surprised when she groans and rolls her eyes. “It’s two weeks old, Renegade. It’s fine. It’s scabbed over, healin’ fine. Leave it the hell alone.”

Lettin’ out a playful growl, I quickly grab her by the ass and haul her into the air against me. She doesn’t hesitate to wrap her arm and legs around me to hold herself up, a big smile on her face. “Maybe I just like seein’ my initials on your skin,” I whisper, nuzzlin’ her neck.

She chuckles, and a light moan escapes her lips a second before someone clears their throat. Leanin’ my head back enough, I find Reaper in the doorway, one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. He glances down and I follow his gaze to Savior in front of him with her hands on her hips, eyes narrow, lips pressed together.

“Hey, little one,” I say, tryin’ not to laugh as I turn some so I can see her better, “you pick a room?”

She slowly nods, her expression not changin’ a bit. “Touchin’ Mommy’s butt is in-ah-pro-prit, Ren-Ren.”

Raylynn throws her head back and lets out a bark of a laugh. This moment has its humor and I crack a smile, but realizin’ I’m askin’ Raylynn to raise Savior in my lifestyle means we need to have some discussions early, and this is one of ‘em. Gently settin’ Raylynn on her feet, I move to Savior and kneel in front of her. “It’s inappropriate, little one. And actually me touchin’ your mom’s butt isn’t.”

Savior tilts her head to the side, her arms droppin’ flat to her sides as confusion clouds her face. “It’s not?”

Shakin’ me head, I reach out and tap her on the nose. “Do you know why it’s not inappropriate?” Savior shakes her head. “Because your mom said I could. She gave her consent for me to touch her like that. Someone should only touch you if you say they can, Savior. Do you understand that?”

This precious little girl stares at me for a long moment but finally nods. “But what if Mommy says not to touch her like that?”

“Then I wouldn’t,” I say, keepin’ my tone stern but light. I don’t want to confuse Savior but I want her to understand I’m bein’ serious right now. “That goes for you, too, Savior. Just because you’re a child doesn’t mean people can do what they want to you. If you say no to someone, it means no. Okay?”

Savior nods, and then launches herself to hug me. Wrappin’ my arms around her, I stand and turn toward Raylynn, who’s starin’ at me with her head held high and if I’m not mistaken pride in her eyes.

“Okay, enough heavy,” Reaper says, “who wants to have a cookout because I’m starvin’?”

We all chuckle, and I put Savior on her feet, lettin’ her zoom out of the room on Reaper’s heels. As Raylynn walks past me, she trails her fingers up my arm. “You make one hell of a father, Renegade.”

Without waitin’ for me to respond, she steps out of my office and turns to follow the others. For a moment, I’m a little stunned. I didn’t know that I needed to hear her say that to me, but my next breath feels lighter than any I’ve taken since Raylynn and Savior walked into my life. I don’t know what I’m doin’, not a hundred percent, when it comes to Savior. Yes, I helped raise my siblings, but that ain’t the same as raisin’ your own kid. As long as Raylynn approves, I’ll keep doin’ it the way I have been, though.

Chapter 18

Raylynn

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