Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35452 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 177(@200wpm)___ 142(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Carnage knelt down by the opening of their tent. “You listen to me, kid. I’ll always protect you. I don’t have to be in the same room with you to do that. Especially when you’re here. This whole club will keep you safe, Theo.” He said it with such conviction, even I believed it. My heart wanted to sing, but I knew better than to read more into it than it was. Deep down, Carnage was a white knight. We were in distress, and he was charging to our rescue. I’d even had that same thought before. Carnage was our white knight. Once we were safe, Carnage’s interest would fade. We’d be safe but alone. He’d move on.
“It’s fine, Theo. He’ll just be in the other room.”
“If we need him, we can go get him?” Sebastian looked from me to Carnage.
“Absolutely. You need me quick, you just holler out. I’ll hear you.”
Sebastian nodded. “All right.” Theodore didn’t acknowledge either of us.
Carnage turned to go. “Leave the door open.”
I nodded, but followed him to the door. I had no idea why I did, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. I wanted him to stay. With me. In my bed. I just wanted him near. Where I could touch him when I needed to.
“I’ll be right here, Calliope.” Carnage reached out and cupped my cheek, stroking his thumb across my lower lip. Then he leaned in and gently brushed his lips over mine before turning to leave.
Chapter Four
Carnage
Leaving Calliope in that room with her boys had been hard. I wanted to stay with them, to be there if any of them had nightmares or just woke up scared in a strange place. I reasoned with myself that the boys had each other and I’d never be able to stay out of Calliope’s bed if I stayed. I wasn’t sure why Theo was angry with me, but I suspected he just wanted his mother not to be alone.
As I lay on the couch, one arm behind my head and looking out the sliding patio door at the moon shining through the glass, I thought about how much I wanted to be in there with Calliope. She had to be terrified. I could see she was trying very hard to believe me when I told her I’d never let anyone take her kids away, but I could also see flashes of hurt because she thought I would always side with my club. The fact was… yeah. Until I met Calliope, I’d have done whatever Cain told me to without question. But if my president told me to convince Calliope to let Chase have access to those boys now, I knew there was no way I’d do it.
Calliope was a surprise. Sure, I’d met her under less-than-ideal circumstances, but she was a remarkable woman. The more I was around her, the more I wanted her. That kiss tonight was the beginning of the end for me. I’d probably kissed hundreds of women in my time. None of them compared to the innocent enthusiasm Calliope showed me. She wasn’t looking for what I could give her -- materially or physically. She was simply riding the sensations I shoved at her. Never would she have kissed me on her own, but she welcomed my kisses when I gave them to her. She was clever, strong, and protective of those kids, and that put her high in my estimation.
When Cain and Angel had dinner with me and the boys, it was to get a feel for what their life was like. Cain had walked his way skillfully through the boys where he’d botched his interview with Calliope. I was pretty sure Angel was the reason for his gentleness with the boys. Though Cain and Angel were both parents, Cain could still be abrasive at times. His kids would roll their eyes and call him “cranky Daddy.” Theodore and Sebastian wouldn’t have reacted in the same way. They’d have equated his actions with what they were familiar with. Their mother’s boyfriend, Mark.
All this ran around in my head, making sleep impossible. I’d just sat up, thinking about going outside and sitting on the patio and listening to the ocean when Theo walked into the room. He was so quiet he almost got the drop on me. Hell, if I’d been dozing, he would have been on me before I was aware he was anywhere around.
“Carnage?”
“What’s wrong, Theo?” My instinct was to stand, to ready myself, but I didn’t want to intimidate the kid.
“You need to go stay with Mom.” Little did the kid know that was exactly where I wanted to be.
“She OK?”
“No. She’s crying.” Theo looked back over his shoulder in the direction of his mother, as if he could see her even now. “She’s trying to be quiet so we won’t hear, and Sebastian’s asleep. But I hear her.”