Page 40 of The Jester and His Outlaw: Part 2

“No, take me to your place.” The overgrown stubble on his chin gathers pieces of my hair when he kisses the top of my head.

“Okay. I’ll go get all your stuff, say goodbye to everyone, alright?” I nod, frustrated with myself, but I have to remember to be kind to myself. We’ve been through a lot lately and with Jonas lurking, I’m a little on edge.

CHAPTER18

RIGGS

Charley sleptmost of the ride home, dozing in and out. I’m not sure what turned her mood so sour, but the switch was instant. One second she was fine and chatting, the next the despair rolling off her was so thick it was uncomfortable.

Whatever it is, I want to take it from her.

I navigate the Jeep into the front spot where I usually park my bike. My R1 is safe at J’s place for the night. After twisting the key to off, I turn to Charley. She’s tucked her head into the corner, half on the headrest and half against the side of the SUV, and her long tan legs are crossed in the seat. Her hands rest in the open center as if in her sleep, her fingers got too cold. Soft snores slip from her slightly parted lips. Maybe I can carry her in without her waking. I haven’t spent enough time with her to know if she is a light sleeper or not.

I take that chance because she needs to sleep off all the brandy she consumed. Without letting her fall sideways out of the car, once I open the door, I scoop her up. Charley is thin, but she isn’t tiny. She’s tall and has legs for days and plenty of muscle from years of hockey. It’s no secret I’m not a big guy. Tall and muscled up a bit, sure, but I’m not a big guy. Add in my lack of proper nutrition lately and I’m not the best person to be carrying her.

I will let no one know that. So I move as fast as I can, scaling the stairs quickly. What I don’t account for is the fact that it’s difficult to unlock the door and hold her at the same time. The best I can, I shift her into a hugging position and press her back against the wall. It’s unconventional, and she’s too far gone to wrap her legs around me, but I can at least use one hand. I unlock the door and hoist her up once again.

We make it as far as the couch before I have to put her down. The bedroom would have been better, but this will have to do. I hope Kai is up to training me. Charley will not care if I’m the strongest in the world or not, but I need to keep her safe. As much as she claims she isn’t fearing Jonas, it’s clear that she is. That motherfucker already got the best of me once, and I won’t let it happen again.

I want to be the one that helps her. That sees her through this, that can carry his girl with no problems.

She shifts on the couch, curling in on herself. Laying the afghan that Gramma made for me over her, I venture into the kitchen to pour her a glass of water and get her some Advil. I fix a glass for myself, then dig in the fridge for one of the meals she sent home with me. Some food in her stomach would do her some good, but I will not wake her yet.

When it’s all heated and my stomach is growling from the hearty scent, I carry everything back into the living room. Not my most graceful moment, but I manage to do it without waking her up. For a few hours I entertain myself with some video games, then end up diving down the Youtube rabbit-hole watching traffic fails and trying not to laugh at the stupidity.

A soft cry registers amidst my laughter, then a sob. Charley screams, jerking awake. I jump to my feet and stumble across the living room to join her on the couch. Tears stream down her sun kissed face, soaking into the throw pillow under her head. She has a death grip on the blanket and hasn’t noticed yet that I’m here.

I drop on the couch beside her, and she gives a twitch.

“You okay?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. She spares a sad look in my direction and a spark of relief ignites in her eyes. Her hand inches its way out from under the blanket to seek mine. Slender fingers wrap around me and grip hard. “I’m here, Outlaw. Can I do anything?”

“Lay with me,” she croaks out.

“Okay, but first you need to drink some water and take some pain relievers. How does your head feel?”

“Like there are little elves drilling into it to find the brain cells I lost tonight.” I keep my chuckle quiet and she grimaces. “Don’t pick on me.”

“Sorry, can’t help it. You’re just so pitiful right now I want to wrap you in my arms and never let you go.”

“You mean you don’t want to do that all other times? Only because I’m pitiful now?” If only she knew how much I need her. If I had my way, I’d never let her out of my sight ever again.

I shake two pills from the small, white bottle, then lift the glass from the table. When the pills land on her tongue, she swallows them down and takes another few gulps of water. After that, she downs the entire glass. I take it from her and place it back on the table. “Do you want to go to the bedroom? It’s kind of late.”

A nod is her only response. I want to pry, to know what woke her up, but I also know I don’t like to talk about shit when I have a nightmare, so it doesn’t feel right to push her. Then again, she would push it out of me. It’s how she already knows my secret.

My secret...shit, she knows my secret, and she’s still here. She hasn’t left, and she hasn’t once brought it up. How the hell did I get so lucky? Where did this girl come from?

Before my thoughts get too deep and I end up sending her back home, I take a page out of her book and accept my past for what it is. My past.

At least for today.

“C’mon, let’s go get some sleep.”

I ready the bed for her to crawl in while she brushes her teeth with an extra toothbrush and empties the alcohol from her bladder. I’m getting pretty good at stocking some things for her here to make her feel more at home. I know my place will never compare to her family home, but I do the best I can.

By the time she makes it back in, the wells of color are still beneath her eyes, but she appears a little more fresh faced.

She stops in front of my sitting position on the bed and wiggles her way in between my legs. I place my hands on her hips as she strips her shirt off. “You doing okay?”

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