Page 29 of Deep in Her Marrow

“Hmmm, that doesn’t sound half bad,” he agrees before whipping his head in Cadie’s direction. “I’m Jax by the way since this big bastard doesn’t have any manners.”

“Hello, I’m Cadie.” She holds out her hand to him, but frowns when he stares at it before only giving her two fingers to shake. “What am I supposed to do with that?”

“Darlin’, my brother wasn’t wrong. You are damn tiny. I’m afraid if I use my whole hand, I’ll end up crushing yours and breaking a few fingers.”

Her response is immediate, and you can tell the second she says it, that she regrets it. “It’s no big deal; I’ve had worse.” She shrugs before her whole body goes ridged.

Jax shows about as much emotion as Draven does. The only reason I can tell he’s pissed about what she said is because I’ve known him for so long. His only tell is the way I could see him clench his teeth. “Maybe so, Darlin’, but Edge would kill me if you couldn’t work because your hand was all bandaged up due to my gripping your hand too hard. I know for a fact that bastard avoids paperwork as if his life depends on it.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” she mumbles before shaking his two fingers. Her cheeks are bright red, but I’m sure it’s because of what she said and not the fact that she shook his two fingers.

Jax pulls his hand back and stands to his full height. “I better get in there before he starts bitchin’ about how he does all the work or some other shit. He would spend his fuckin’ life complain’ if you let him.” He gives her a head nod. “I’ll see you around.” He gives me a look that lets me know he’ll be asking some questions later before giving me a chin lift and walking away.

I look down at Cadie who’s giving me an odd look. I decide not to let her dwell on anything. “You ready to go see your parents?”

Her blinding smile is all the answer I need.

Ihaven’tbeensonervous and excited at the same time like this in forever. I may actually get to see my parents for the first time in almost two years! Growing up as an only child, my parents and I have always been super close. It’s been killing me to barely talk to them, but I couldn’t take the chance of anything bad happening to them because of my stupid choice.

I guess that isn’t true either. According to my psychiatrist, I didn’t make a stupid choice, he didn’t show me who he really was until it was too late. Until I was stuck after alienating myself from those who cared about me. Until I felt as worthless as he told me I was. Until fear was all I knew. Until I really believed that he was all I had.

But I finally started to see the truth after a random call to my parents. After breaking down and telling them everything that had been happening for the three years I was with him.

I’m pretty sure I broke their hearts that day, but they gave me the courage to leave, even if it meant not seeing them. They wanted me to be safe, no matter what. And I am now. I’m finally safe and happy. I have a great job with people who treat me like family. A safe place of my own, money of my own, and the ability to choose how I want to live my life. The only scary thing about my life is the man currently setting up this video call.

Though I’m not so much scared of him, it’s what he could possibly represent and what that future could look like. I swore off men for the rest of eternity, yet I woke up in his arms after sleeping peacefully the entire night for the first time in years. That thought is actually going to take some time to get straight in my head. The fact that every part of me felt safe enough to sleep and to have a dreamless one at that boggles the mind.

I’m going to need more coffee to help clear my mind instead of keeping me awake. And if that isn’t a total mind fuck, I don’t know what is.

I look around the large office and smile when I see framed pictures of Marrow and an older woman I suspect is his mom all along the walls. I walk around looking at the different shots captured and see a few with a younger woman in them. She goes from smiling carefree to having shadows in her eyes in the last few. I know this is his sister and why those shadows appeared. A chill runs down my spine at how close I came to being just like her.

I continue looking at all of the pictures and see a few of Marrow in camouflage surrounded by other men wearing the same. He was much younger in these, like ones that had his sister in them. He looks more carefree. The newer ones with a bunch of guys from the club have the haunted look he now has when he doesn’t think anyone is looking. The look of a man who has seen and done things that have probably kept him up at night.

The last picture I see makes me laugh out loud causing him to look over at me.

He looks at the picture I’m standing in front of and shakes his head with a rueful smile. “I wore those under duress. I was forced, plain and simple.”

“Forced? How in the world could she force you to do anything?” I giggle while looking at the picture. It makes my heart happy.

He shrugs his massive shoulders. “She’s my momma. That woman can force me to do anything she wants with a simple look.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And that includes wearing Mickey Mouse ears while standing in front of Cinderella’s castle?” The picture is so cute and sweet. He’s wearing Mickey ears while his mom is wearing Minnie ones. It’s obviously one of those pictures that everyone takes while at Disney World, but it’s so adorable that I’m tempted to pull out my phone and snap a picture of it when he’s not looking. They both look so happy, their smiles big and bright, even if his seems a tiny bit annoyed.

“Exactly.” He nods his head. “I’m just lucky I talked her out of the matching shirts,” he mumbles.

“I can’t wait to meet her,” I say without thinking and promptly blush. I’m acting like we’re together and that I will actually get to meet the wonderful woman who gets her big bad biker son to wear Mickey ears.

I’m about to apologize for being so presumptuous, but his reply stops me. “I’m sure she’ll love you, Sprite. Although, I don’t know how I feel about having two women around that I can’t say no to. She’ll jump at the chance of having a partner in crime.”

My heart and mind aren’t ready for me to fully process those words, so I grab onto the last part of his statement. “Partner in crime? I never do anything criminal.”

“No,” he shakes his head with a small smile, “but it’ll be downright criminal what the two of you could get me to do.” My mind blanks and I just blink at him. My heart is pounding while my breathing has stopped. “Anyway,” he says quickly as if he knows the inner turmoil I’m currently going through, “come take a seat. I’ve got everything ready for you.”

My heart starts racing for an entirely different reason. My palms begin to sweat and I wipe them on my pants as I walk around his desk and take a seat in the chair he just vacated. A leather chair that is nice and warm from his body being in it. A chair that smells slightly of him.

Cut the crap Cadie! You’re about to see your parents for the first time in years and you’re thinking about his body in this chair.

He leans over me to press a few buttons on his keyboard and I accidentally inhale him. Okay, maybe not accidentally but a girl needs to breathe, it’s not my fault he’s so close. Close enough that I can feel the warmth emanating from his big, well-muscled body. Close enough that as he pulls back our faces are centimeters apart. Close enough that I can see his eyes dilate before they’re filled with a hungry look that makes me lick my lips. Like a magnet, I begin to feel myself being pulled closer to him, I can feel his breath on my face.

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