"She's good. We had breakfast." Dani glances back at me. "Take care of her."
"Always."
They exchange a look that I can't quite read, something passing between them that makes me think they've talked about me, about what happened. But I'm too tired to be annoyed about it.
Dani gives me a little wave and heads to her car. Dime watches her go, then steps inside, closing the door behind him. His eyes find mine immediately, scanning my face like he's looking for signs of damage.
"Morning," I say softly, turning to walk back to the couch.
He crosses the room in three long strides, dropping down on the couch next to me and pulling me into his side. I go willingly, tucking myself against his chest, breathing in the smell of leather and wind and him.
"How you feeling?" he asks, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.
"Better. Dani brought breakfast, we talked about the cookout she wants to plan. I'm still really damn tired," I admit. Part of me is afraid it's depression, another part of me knows it's because of the pain medication I'm still taking.
"Yeah? That's good." His hand runs up and down my arm, a soothing motion that makes my eyes heavy. "You need anything?"
"Just this," I murmur. "Just you."
He tightens his arm around me, and I feel his chest rise and fall with a deep breath. "You've got me, baby. For as long as you want me."
I don't say what I'm thinking, which is that I might want him forever. That feels too big, too scary, especially now when everything else feels so fragile. So instead I just let myself sink into him, let myself be held, and for now, that's enough.
Outside, I hear Dani's car pull away. Inside, the house is quiet except for our breathing, and I let my eyes drift closed. Sleep is tugging at me again, and I don't fight it. Not when I'm wrapped up in Dime's arms, not when I finally feel safe again.
"Sleep," he whispers against my hair. "I've got you."
And I do.
Six
Dime
As Allison lays sleeping in my arms, I think back to what I found out earlier today. When I woke up it'd been hard to leave her, but I knew I would need to. Devil wanted to meet, and I know if he wanted to, there's a reason why.
Somehow I disentangle myself from her, and get dressed without waking her up. Walking out into the living room, I'm not surprised to see Dani already sitting there, waiting.
"How is she?" She asks, drinking from a coffee cup.
"She's fragile, but don't treat her like that. She needs you." I run a hand through my hair. "More than anything she needs you to be the friend that treats her like she's strong enough for this."
"I can do that."
"I know you can. You've got her while I go meet Devil?"
Dani nods. "I've always got her. No matter what the two of you throw at us," her voice has an edge to it, and I know she's talking about me and Devil.
"I'm glad." And I mean that with everything I have, because if all of this blows up in our faces, they're going to need each other more than Devil and I ever will.
The ride to the clubhouse doesn't take long, but it gives me time to think. The wind whipping past me usually clears my head, but today it just makes everything sharper. The anger I've been holding back since Allison ended up in that hospital bed is right there under the surface, waiting for a target.
When I pull into the lot, I see Devil's bike already there, along with Storm's and Lee's. The Prospect's been with us for about six months now, proving himself more every day. If Devil called him in for this meeting, it means we're moving forward with something concrete.
I kill the engine and head inside. The clubhouse is quiet this early, just the four of us are in the main room. Devil's at the bar, Storm's leaning against the pool table, and Lee's standing near the door like he's ready to bolt if someone tells him to.
"Dime," Devil greets me with a nod. "Thanks for coming."
"Like I had a choice." I grab a chair and spin it around, straddling it. "What'd you find?"
