He kissed me.
Then he fucked me in his shirt.
After that, per protocol regardless of the location change, Tonks joined us, Moxie joined Tonks, and Hannibal snored in his bed on the floor at Hutch’s side.
And he and I fell asleep.
Hutch
The next afternoon,Hutch stood, leaning on the jamb in the doorway to the romper room, but he wasn’t worried about any puppies escaping.
Because Hannibal was nosing them where they needed to be.And Tonks was dropping down on her front paws then racing away, with a puppy chasing her.
And Mabel was on her back in the middle of the floor, knees bent, soles of her boots to the wood planks, giggling herself breathless with three puppies crawling all over her.
She was out of danger.
And he was still in this.
But he’d be in this until some man walked into her shop, or passed her on the street, or sat next to her at an auction and asked her for a coffee.
And then she’d realize she didn’t have it all, she wanted it all, and she deserved it all.
He’d be good with that man, even if doing it would gut him.
But he’d be good with that man.He’d be friendly.He’d twist himself into knots to make true the lie that what they had now was nothing, and it was then, it was over, and they’d moved on.He wasn’t a threat.
He’d do everything to prove he was just a man who stepped up at a time of trouble for Mabel, and then he stepped back when she didn’t need him anymore.
And that was all he was.
Yeah.
He’d do all that, so he wouldn’t lose her.
He’d do whatever it took, so he never lost Mabel.
TWENTY-FOUR
Mutiny
Hutch
The next Thursday afternoon, Hutch was headed through town when his dash rang.
He looked at it, took the call and greeted, “Yo, Harry.”
“Was that your truck I just saw pass my window?”Harry asked.
“Yup,” Hutch told him.“On my way to May’s.Emma has the flu, and Abigail has to stay home with her.May is minding the store, but she had a certain window she had to pick up some stuff she won from an online auction.She couldn’t go.I got it and I’m takin’ it to the store.”
“Can you drop in when you’re done?We got a few things breaking.Thought you might be interested.”
“Fuck yeah, I can,” Hutch told him.
“See you in a few.Heads up, Cade is coming in too.”
Hutch didn’t wonder why Harry tapped into a local resource that might give them deep insights into what was happening at The Lion and The Lamb.
