Broken Songbird (Vicious Games #2)

20. Chapter 20

A J naps peacefully in my lap, his head tucked under my chin while I’m finalising my notes for my assessment. I actually finished them Sunday, after spending half the day being turned down on helping around the warehouse.

This is my third check-over. There’s nothing missing, but I haven’t been to any classes this week and the work my teachers sent I’ve already completed and sent over.

I’m restless.

And it’s Wednesday. With this lockdown, I’m going to miss my café date with Del tomorrow. I’m already craving a croissant.

As if she heard my heart’s plea, my still-cracked phone lights up next to me with Del’s name and a distorted photo of us.

“Hey,” I say quietly.

“Why are you whispering?” she asks.

“Sleeping child on my chest.”

“Did you steal me a niece or nephew?”

I try not to laugh and jostle too much. “I’m the only one who can get this kid to nap during the day. He’s been running everyone around in circles.”

“You lull him to sleep with your voice, don’t you?”

I smile. “Maybe.”

When Del first came to the Sakura mansion, I used to sing to her after her nightmares, which helped her go back to sleep. According to her, my voice is angelic, which apparently matches my face, and that’s why she’s called me Angel Face ever since.

Del snorts out a laugh, and then sighs. “I miss your face.”

I groan softly. “I miss yours.”

“Speaking of, how is your face?”

“Arnica and Vitamin K creams have helped. The bruising is already dissipating. The cut itches and I can brush my hair a little easier.”

“Good,” Del breathes. “We’re going to miss café day.”

“I know,” I groan softly. “I would do so many things for a croissant right now.”

“Do Creed,” Del purrs. “I’m sure he’ll let you do anything after that.”

I snort softly. “Fiend.”

“You know I’m right.”

“Jumping his bones isn’t going slow.” I called her Sunday and gave her the whole low-down with Creed.

“Slow is overrated,” she declares. “Plus, you’ve both been dancing around each other since your birthday. That’s nine months. You can grow a human in that amount of time. You’ve already done slow.”

“Gestational length on average is thirty-eight to forty weeks, which is ten months,” I point out.

“Don’t avoid the topic by going all ‘nurse’ on me.”

“I didn’t see him for four months,” I counter.

“Okay, five months then,” she corrects sarcastically. “Do you like him?”

“Yes.”

“Are you seeing anyone else?”

“With what time?” She waits for a proper answer. “I haven’t thought about it.”

“Any of the other bikies make you tingle?”

“Delphine,” I chastise softly.

She laughs. “So, you don’t want to see other people, you like him, you know he’s definitely interested; what’s stopping you?”

“I’ve gotten to the part where you leap,” I whisper into the phone.

“The leap is not comfortable,” Del agrees.

“This is…” I clear the lump in my throat. “This is the part I got to with Matteo. And the universe took him away from me.”

“ Adrian took him away from you,” Del corrects.

“And Creed is actively trying to eliminate him,” I point out. “Purposely putting himself in a position for that monster to take someone else from me.”

Del sighs. “I know, love, I know. I feel the same about Enzo.”

“He’s got his men after him—Creed being that man. I’m not saying there’s no risk to Enzo, but I… I’m scared.”

“I know, Scar,” she says softly.

We’re silent for a moment and then Del clears her throat.

“I’m going to say to you what you said to me. If you say no, are you going to regret it?”

I release a long sigh, the answer on the tip of my tongue before she even finished the question. “Yes.”

“Well. Make sure you take your contraception. Unless you actually want to give me a niece or nephew.”

I chuckle softly, and AJ stirs. “You’re incorrigible. And I have to go.”

“Love you, Scar.”

“Love you too, bye.”

Flash bursts into the warehouse, heaving in air as he crosses to me, helping Maya into an armchair.

“Baby,” he huffs, getting on his knees next to the chair, his hands sweeping over Maya, looking for injuries. “You fell?”

She bats his hands away, but he takes them in his. “Hardly. I slipped on water and caught myself on the bench. I didn’t even go down.”

“But you’re hurt,” Flash stresses, looking up at me, worry in his green eyes.

“Nothing but maybe a tender hip,” I say. “And an overstretched back muscle.”

“Hip?” Flash questions, looking back at his wife.

“I bumped the bench corner.” She takes his face in her hands when she sees the panic increase in his face. “It was mostly my fleshy ass. I’m completely fine.”

“I’ll get you something for the pain,” I say and turn back to the kitchen as Flash kisses Maya sweetly.

Melissa is patting the floor dry with paper towels as Rita and Alexis continue to fill the dining table with food. They have a new set of hands in Creed assisting them.

“Pulled the nurse card to get her to sit down?” he asks as he brushes past with a huge bowl of roasted potatoes.

“Sure did,” I say, using the side door into the pantry to search for the kids’ painkillers.

I see him enter after me in my periphery and close the door as I’m browsing the shelves. He suddenly disappears out of my sight and the air vibrates with charged energy. My lungs forget how to work correctly as I feel heat radiating off him behind me before his hand lands on my waist.

He nudges me to the left, shifting me one step, and then he leans forward, his body pressing into mine. His scent, that worn leather, smoke and touch of sweet, wraps around me and I just want to fucking bathe in it. He reaches forward and plucks the box I need, holding it in front of me.

“Thank you,” I croak out, my limbs frozen.

The most Creed and I have touched in the last three days since Two-Shot’s patch party is at night when we tangle together to sleep. Maybe sometimes Creed brushes a chaste kiss in my hair, but it hasn’t progressed. It’s been comfortable and easy despite my ridiculous hesitations.

But this touch has somehow made me lose the ability to function.

Creed turns me, his hands remaining on my waist as he does, and backs me into the shelving.

His honey-brown gaze hides nothing of what he wants, his fervour consuming all thoughts I have, tempting me to fall into his vortex.

I want to. Very much. But I just…can’t.

“I need to go to school,” I blurt out, trying to kick my systems back online.

Dimples make their appearance. “Right now?”

I roll my eyes. “Not now , tomorrow.”

His lust-filled expression drops a little as he frowns. “We still haven’t found the Navarro hide-out.”

“Then Friday. I have a practical assessment. Plus, majority attendance is compulsory to pass the course. And if I fail the semester, then my mum will definitely drag me back home.” I press my body further into him, batting my lashes. “You don’t want me to be locked up in that mansion, do you?”

His hand cups my jaw, his thumb tracing over his bottom lip. “I know what you’re doing, princess.”

I give him a small smile, pressing my hand on his chest over his heart. “Is it working?”

“Normally it would, but—”

I cut off his words by curling my fist into his T-shirt and tugging him closer, pressing my lips to his. He takes the opening, his hand moving from my jaw to my ponytail, twisting the length around his fist.

His hand on my waist moves to squeeze my ass before lifting me under the thigh. I automatically wrap my legs around his waist, which makes his obvious erection press into my core in the most delicious way.

Our teeth and tongues duel in a fevered dance, neither of us needing to come up for air. My hands claw at his solid shoulders, pulling his body closer to mine, craving more . Creed presses me further into the shelving behind me, moulding my body to his like he’s trying to make us one.

We have too many clothes on in this damn pantry.

Pantry.

The knowledge of where we are and who is outside is like cold water dousing the fire within just enough for me to pull back.

“People,” I pant softly.

“Let them watch,” he growls.

He tries to kiss me again, but I turn my head. He uses the opening to trap my earlobe in his teeth, the sting making me squeeze my legs around him.

“Creed,” I attempt to chastise, but even to me, it sounds like I’m begging.

He drags his teeth across my skin, sending pleasure shooting through my body before pulling back.

“I need to go on Friday,” I say again.

He keeps his eyes on me as he tips his head forward, pressing his forehead to mine. “Fine, but you’re taking Phantom with you.”

“Why Phantom?”

He smirks. “He looks the least like a biker. Less chance of someone calling the cops.”

I laugh softly. “I guess you do give off that ‘your mother hates me, but your daughter fucks me’ energy.”

Creed tips his head back and laughs, loosening his grip on me so I can untangle myself from him and stand on my own feet.

“Are you trying to tell me that your mum already hates me?” he asks jovially.

“She doesn’t know about you yet.” I’ve gone from a mobster to a biker. She’s probably going to have a coronary.

Creed cups the back of my neck with a blissful smile and hooded eyes. “‘Yet.’ I like that.”

He kisses me sweetly and then straightens, plucking the medication box from the shelf behind me and presses it into my hand.

We walk out to a fuller warehouse, most of the guys filling the seats around the food.

“Jesus, did you take long enough?” Flash comments. He’s still diligently at Maya’s side, who’s smirking at me. She knows what went down.

“Not enough time, clearly,” Rita comments as she breezes past.

If only some of the club assumed what just transpired, Creed smacking me hard and loudly on the ass gets everyone’s attention. Heat floods my cheeks and neck as I elbow him in the side and cross over to Maya.

She snatches the box from my hands. “Go finish what you started.”

I take the box back with a smirk. “I got what I needed. He can wait for what he wants.”

She chuckles. “That’s my girl.”