She cries out my name, and I watch as her chest rises and falls, her legs trembling against me before her whole body goes slack. Slowly, I cradle her closer to me and walk us to the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed. I take my time climbing in beside her, ready to draw her back to that edge so that I can watch her unravel all over again.
The sound of the sirens and lights flashing snaps me back to the present, but it takes my body a few moments to catch up. Myheart still beats rapidly in my chest, and I feel as though I just ran a marathon.
“Whoa,” Billy says, laughing as he turns them off and jumps down to head over to me. “Welcome back, Captain King.”
I grunt, my brows dropping as I narrow my gaze.
“No way, big guy. You don’t get to look at me like that after what I just saw. I know the face of a man who’s had a good night, and that was definitely it.”
“Don’t make me hurt you, Billy.” I turn my gaze upward, silently asking God to give me patience to deal with this buffoon.
He laughs, and I’m starting to miss the days when these guys feared getting on my bad side.
“Don’t worry about it, Levi. I’m just glad you and Tris are happy.” He rubs his jaw, looking off to the side. “Maybe she can put a good word in for me with Ainsley.”
Now it’s my turn to laugh.
“Maybe she wouldn’t have to if you’d stop taking everything with a pulse home to bed with you.”
“Wow.” He clutches his chest. “That’s a low blow. I don’t takeeverygirl home. I have standards.”
“Yeah?” I ask, entertaining him. “And what are they?”
“Uh. Well,” he stammers.
“It’s not Billy’s fault,” Mark chimes in. “He’s cursed with always being the perfect wingman, but never the perfect guy.”
“What the hell?” Billy responds. “That’s hurtful.”
Mark and I exchange glances, then look back at Billy.
“Okay, it’s true, but hurtful.” Billy continues his truck check as the engineer, making sure there’s fuel and water. “At least I’m helping people. Look at the chief. I had a hand in all of that.”
“The outcome for chief is still up in the air, buddy, so I wouldn’t go counting your chickens before they hatch,” Mark points out.
Billy’s brow rises to a comical height. “Where the hell did you get that phrase from?”
“It’s something I heard Ainsley say once, and it stuck.” Mark shrugs.
“I don’t think the chief wants either of you meddling in his business. And I sure as hell know that Rory doesn’t.”
I tilt my head down, waiting for them to acknowledge that I’m right, but Billy smirks.
“I’m like the brother that Rory never wanted. It’s my job to meddle at this point.” Billy smiles like the confident idiot he is.
“Pretty sure she already has a brother,” I point out.
“Yeah, but she wanted that one. I’m the bonus,” he beams.
Mark cackles as he walks away, and I shake my head.
“Alright, but I won’t protect you if you trigger her mighty wrath.”
“Pinky loves me,” he says with a smile, and I can see it. The way that he loves Rory, too, but not in the way most would expect him to.
“Guess in this case, the saying is you can’t choose familyonce they’ve chosen you,” I tease.
“Ha, see. You get it.” Billy’s whole face lights up. “By the way, I grabbed you those gummy bears you like.” He pulls a bag out of his pack, and I struggle to hide my surprise.
