I've been with plenty of beautiful women in my time, but none of them compares. One look, and my chest is screaming that I've been looking for her forever. That every woman before her was just a pitstop, but she’s the final destination.
I’m talking about wife material here.
Now for the important question. Who is she?
Smoke's saying something beside me. Words. English probably. I can't hear a single one. The toddler's still sniffling, but even that sound is miles away.
Freeing myself from his grip and stumbling over to her, I try to prepare my words. I’m the talker, Smoke’s the listener. Together, we always work to solve whatever problem. Can’t do that if I leave my tongue tied in a knot. Clearing my throat, I take the last few steps before she's only a couple of feet away.
Close enough that I could brush one of those escaping brown strands behind her ear if I wanted to. Fuck, do I want to.
As she stands back up, I take in her shorter height. If I stepped a little closer, I bet I could measure the top of her head to my chin. Unfortunately, she sits back down next to her daughter before I can take in any mental measurements.
"Got a name, sweetheart?" Nudging closer, I offer a hand, hoping to see if she's as soft as she looks. She doesn't take it. "I'm Ace."
Unlike my desperation to learn something about her, she gives us both a quick look over before I can see a wall being built up. She's still scared, even of us. From the way she hesitates, I consider making a bet on whether she'll try to think of some silly alias or not, but then she stumbles with her voice. "Um, Penny."
Is it just Penny, or is that short for Penelope? I don't ask, but my desire to know more only grows the longer I attempt to ignore it.
"What a pretty name for a pretty woman." Giving her a grin, even in her discomfort, I don't miss the way her cheeks tease me with a hint of a blush. Even more when I crash down next to her to get comfortable. My arms extend, my hand clamping down on the back of the bench so I don't cave and touch her. "So,Penny. What can we do for you?"
If someone's bothering her, then I'm feeling in a pretty charitable mood. Hell, I'll offer to take care of whatever the threat is, no matter the danger level.
Just as she's about to answer, I hear a sniffle—not from her, but from the kid. The child has similar brown hair to her mother's, but watery green eyes, and both cheeks and nose are pink from crying.
The little girl looks at us with big, wide eyes, and I'm starting to wonder if we actually look scary.
"I'm sorry, we've been traveling for most of today. She's hitting her limit, I think." Turning away from me, she swipes at her daughter's wet cheeks before wiping at her own eyes with a soft sigh.
She's too distracted by her daughter. I won't be able to get her full attention unless we can reassure her that everything's fine.
Nodding toward the upset kid, Smoke understands and swoops down and picks up the little girl without warning. His hands easily swallow up her middle before suddenly releasing her.
Penny panics and lets out a soft gasp. "Wait, she's a little grumpy from—"
The little girl explodes with a laugh as she's launched into the air. Smoke has no issue catching her, and I'm even a little surprised by the shift on my brother's face. A slight smile appears on his grumpy face.
"Smoke's got a weak spot for kids. Trust me, he's great with them." Shifting forward, I catch her gaze. Reaching out to brush Penny's knee, there's something about the look onherface that does something far more twisted to this thing in my chest. I've never been conscious of how my heart is beating until now.
The sound of her daughter's laugh has left her eyes misty. I can see the exhaustion rolling off of her, like she's reaching her limit, too.
"Penny..." Catching her attention, my mouth curves. Keeping my voice soft, I can't pull my fingers from her knee. She's radiating a warmth I want to suck up through my fingertips. "You're safe now. No one is going to chase after you here. Just tell me what you're running from, and we'll see what we can do."
Steelwood's always been about helping those in need. Here in Meadow Falls, I can say there are a lot of people who mingle with the wrong crowd. Some of them knock on our door asking for help, and some of them wear our patch on their backs and return the favor for what was done for them.
Bunny picks the perfect time to return with a glass of water for Penny, and she's found a plastic cup with a straw filled with orange juice for the kid. While she smiles softly at Penny, she gives Smoke a more amused look as she approaches him with her offering.
After taking a few sips of her drink, Penny's shoulders cave in. "I don't even know where to start..." Her brows pinch together before her eyes close tight. "Leliah's father, Johnny... He's the one who got mixed up with them. Drugs, out of all things? I didn't know he had a problem, I just..."
There's something about seeing this woman in this state that claws at my chest. All I want to do is lift this weight off her chest so she can breathe again. So she can find a reason to smile without her eyes getting glassy.
"Let's pause. Who is 'them'?"
Her eyes crack open, and she hesitates before meeting my eyes. "They call themselves the Outlaw Sinners."
Smoke, having busied himself enough to make sure her daughter didn't spill her drink, pauses to look at me. From his lowered brows alone, I can already tell what he's thinking.
"You know them?" Penny notices too, straightening up. At my nod, she sighs. "Johnny disappeared without a word, having packed a bag one day while I was at an appointment for her.Next thing I knew, those bikers had trashed my home, broken so many of our things, and one of them..." Her shoulders start to quake, and I can't take it anymore.
