Page 14 of Street

Her eyes stung with tears at the sadness in his voice. Rosa couldn’t bring herself to deny herself the sweetness of his embrace. She curled up on his chest and tucked her head under his jaw. His slow heartbeat sounded beneath her ear. Surrounded by his arms, she relaxed and drifted off to sleep, feeling safer than ever before.

“No! No! Get away!” Rosa flailed her arms, trying to get free. Trapped by terror, she controlled her volume to not wake up her mother. This would be her fault again.

The rush of cool air on her skin jolted Rosa from her nightmare as she finally rid herself of the covers that trapped her like arms. She panted into the quiet space around her as her gaze darted around the room. Thankfully, a small nightlight dimly illuminated the new space. She was safe. Her stepfather couldn’t get her here.

An overwhelming need rose inside her to find the only man who’d ever made her feel safe. Rosa threw herself out of bed and dashed down the hallway to the darkness filling the main bedroom. Drawing on her memory, she edged forward toward the bed.

Street’s breathing changed. “Little girl? Is everything okay?”

Using his voice as a locator beacon, she hurried forward and bumped into the mattress. “I found you.”

“You did indeed. Did you have a bad dream?”

Rosa nodded and then, realizing he couldn’t see, she answered, “Always.”

“Do you want to come sleep in Daddy’s bed?” Street folded the covers away from him. “Let me put on some boxers.”

She climbed into bed before he could get out. “I’m good on the edge.”

“Rosa, I’m not wearing anything.”

“I promise. I’ll stay right here. You can sleep however you like.” She stretched out on her side, clinging to the side of the mattress. The mattress tilted slightly under his weight, creating a slide for her body to ease down to his. The feel of his warmth around her soothed something deep inside her, making her feel safe.

“You are not going to be comfortable, Little girl. Let me tuck the covers around you so you don’t freeze.”

As the material touched her skin, the old nightmare rebounded into her mind. Frantically, she pushed the sheet and comforter off. “No, no, no! You can’t trap me again!”

Immediately, the threatening bedclothes vanished. “Shh! Little girl, you’re okay. No one’s got you. Let’s take some breaths together to calm down. Put your hand on my chest.”

She reached out blindly and pressed her palm against his hard muscles. His crisp chest hair tickled her skin, reminding Rosa that this was Street. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. She slowed her breathing to match his. After several rounds, her fright faded away.

“Sorry,” she whispered.

“You don’t need to apologize. I’m sorry I tucked you into bed so snugly. I bet you woke up and panicked.”

“It’s not your fault I’m weird,” she said.

“You’re not weird, Little girl. Traumatized, I would say. I hope you’ll tell me what happened to you someday, but now you need some sleep, so you won’t be groggy tomorrow.”

He stroked his hand through her hair, smoothing the long locks from her face. She closed her eyes, loving his magic touch. All her worries melted away. The comfort of not needing to be vigilant allowed her to melt against him. Safe in Street’s bed, she relaxed and fell back to sleep, imagining the luxury of having him close forever.

Chapter 7

Walking away from Rosa curled on his bed the next morning was the hardest thing Street had ever done. She slept hard like she hadn’t rested for days. Her borrowed shirt had gotten rucked up, revealing her small, rounded bottom.

Feeling like a combination of a besotted fool and a horrible reprobate, he forced himself to grab clothes and dress in the guest room. The bed was destroyed with the sheets halfway off the mattress. He took a minute to spread the covers into place, erasing the reminder of her panic. What had someone done to her?

He left her breakfast wrapped up in the refrigerator. Rosa knew the Ravagers were searching for her, and she wouldn’t be safe outside the compound. Hopefully, she would make herself at home and rest. He doubted she’d had many days of leisure. He crossed his fingers that she wouldn’t leave, telling himself that he wanted to make sure she was safe, but understanding his desire to keep her close was selfish as well. Grabbing a piece of paper, he jotted a note to her.

After last night, he worded his message carefully. Terror and bad people had filled her path to him and the Devil Daddies’ compound. Street pledged to show Rosa she could trust him.

Street kicked himself for not thinking about getting her a phone. How would she get a hold of him in an emergency? Sure, all she had to do was run outside and yell for help. Everyone in the complex would converge immediately on his house.

Before he’d found the Devil Daddies, Street had lived in a random apartment in a random city. He hadn’t known his neighbors, and they only knew his last name from the communal bank of mailboxes. Here, people knew each other inside and out, and despite all the different personalities, they cared and watched out for each other.

Quickly, he arranged for a disposable phone to be delivered to Inferno that afternoon. He would stock the device with several hours of connectivity as soon as the cellphone charged. He had ordered some clothes yesterday after tucking her in bed. That thought triggered Street to give himself hell for the thirtieth time for snuggling her too well under the covers.

She had two beach towels on that mattress in her apartment. That must work better for her than sheets and a comforter. The package Lucien had given him when he joined the Devil Daddies MC popped into his mind. Maybe that blanket would be just what she needed to feel secure and to keep her from getting chilled. The material was much softer than a large towel.