“Wow, that’s really sweet.”
“Don’t let them hear you call either of them sweet, Angel. They’re badass Navy SEAL bikers, don’t you know?” Her giggles blossom into full-blown laughter and I find myself joining her. “Are you ready for dessert?” I question seeing that her plate is now empty.
“I probably shouldn’t but why not?” I give her a once-over, my eyes liking every curve I see, especially when I superimpose what she looks like without at least her shirt on.
“Then let’s go see what they’ve got. I’m in the mood for banana pudding myself.”
“I make a mean one, or so Momma M says,” she replies, walking next to me as we investigate the myriad of desserts spread out before us.
“You’ll have to make me one.”
“I will,” she promises.
CeeCee
I can’t remember the last time I’ve enjoyed myself so much. I always have fun when I’m with Patsy, of course, but being with Loki this past hour or so has shown me that I have missed a lot because of my shyness. We each get several different desserts and end up sharing them. Except for the banana pudding, that is. We both got our own serving of that one! It’s good, but not as good as mine which I tell Loki after he raves over it.
“Really? Now you have to make me some,” he insists before he practically shoves his fork in my face. The ease with which we are sharing our food, like couples who’ve been together forever, makes my heart rate increase. “What do you think of that one?” he asks.
I chew then swallow before I say, “It’s not bad. But I have a recipe for Coca Cola cake that makes this seem like one of those awful box cakes.”
“You keep talking about all these things you can bake and I’m going to swoop in and marry you before someone else realizes what they’re missing,” he says.
My face heats up at his words because I don’t know whether he’s teasing or not. My heart wishes he was being serious, because he’s checked off every single box I have of what I want in a man. “I bet you say that to all the women who can bake,” I reply.
He shakes his head then smirks. “The women at the clubhouse can cook and bake but I’ve never thought of them in that manner.” Left unsaid, however, is that maybe, just maybe, he’s thinking about me like that, which has my heart rate increasing exponentially.
“I’ll make you one of those too. It’s the least I can do since you’re not letting me pay for my tattoo,” I tell him.
“Looking forward to it, Angel,” he replies.
We finish our desserts then Loki tosses some cash down for the bill and a tip. I notice that he’s generous, another plus on his side. Having worked as a waitress, even briefly, I remember how hard it was to make any money. I follow next to him, my hand clasped in his once again as he walks me to the car. “I’m so excited about going to the pet store!” I exclaim once we’re at my car.
“Let’s go see if they have what you want then,” he says.
“Thank you so much for helping me,” I say as he carries in the biggest box of all—the cage for my two new parakeets. Well, technically, they’re budgies, but it’s the same family of bird and after talking extensively with the pet store owner, I decided on them since he said they’ll learn to talk and sing. I’m now a ‘proud bird mom’ as the T-shirt I received claims. Two male budgies, bright blue, look at us from inside the temporary container I brought them home in.
“My pleasure, CeeCee,” he replies, carrying the box into my office. I have a corner that is perfect to set up their cage as it’s near the window. While I fuss around, unwrapping the perches, mirrors and bells that will go inside the cage, Loki quickly and efficiently gets it put together for me.
Since I don’t get the newspaper, I opted to get the stuff that George, the pet store owner, recommended, and I work to prepare the boys’ new home. “What should I name them?” I murmur, not realizing that Loki is within earshot.
“Well, they’re both males, right?” he questions. At my nod, he continues. “Bert and Ernie? Laurel and Hardy? Boo and Berry?”
“Boo and Berry? What the hell?” I ask, giggling.
“I don’t know,” he admits, grinning at me. “I was on a roll, I suppose.”
“Maybe I need to think a little more about their names,” I state as I go and get the container they’re currently in so I can put them in their new homes. “Hello, boys,” I coo as I gently pick each one up and place them in the cage. An idea pops into my head and I start laughing.
“What did you think of?” he asks.
“I watch a lot of Supernatural on television and one of the characters always says, ‘hello, boys’ to the two main guys, Sam and Dean. Except he calls them squirrel and moose.”
His laughter breaks free, and I stand there in awe as he bends over double. “T-that’s perfect,” he finally gasps out. “Squirrel and Moose, I like it.” I continue to giggle while I fill up their food trough while he takes the water bottle and gets it cleaned then filled with fresh water.
“Then that’s who they are. Squirrel is the one with the wider white band which makes Moose the other one by process of elimination,” I reply. “Now, what are you naming yours?” He didn’t get budgies. No, he apparently had a bearded dragon or as he called it, a beardy, when he was in high school. Because he needs to set up the cage first, he put his two beardys on hold until the weekend then bought the aquarium and all the requisite supplies to take care of them then someone he said was a prospect came with a truck and picked it up since he was on his bike.
“Thelma and Louise, I think,” he says, his lips twitching.
“Are they going on a cross-country trek?” I reply, grinning back.
“I don’t think so. It was either that or Lucy and Ethel, but I like Thelma and Louise better.”
“I do as well.” We watch Squirrel and Moose as they fly around their new home, their chirps filling my heart with joy. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I realize that it’s later than I expected. Yet, despite the fullness of the day, I hate for it to end.
He sees where I’m looking and says, “As much as I don’t want to, I need to run. Got an early appointment tomorrow morning.”
“I didn’t think it would take so long,” I admit. “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you from doing anything important.”
“I was right where I wanted to be,” he advises, gathering the empty box and heading to the door. “I’ll take it out for you.”
“Thank you for everything, Loki. I-I enjoyed today,” I rush out, shyness engulfing me.
He stops then turns to face me. Setting the box down, he reaches out and lightly runs his finger down my cheek. “I did as well, Angel. Looking forward to spending more time with you and I wish my schedule wasn’t so full this week because I’m anxious to start your tattoo.”
“It’s okay.”
“Not really. I don’t want to wait that long to see you again. Would you like to go out this week? Check your schedule and let me know what day works best.”
He wants to see me outside of getting my tattoo? My inner cheerleader, the one who has been campaigning for him since I first met him, has set up a constant ‘Rah, rah, rah’ in my head, complete with pompoms. “I’d like that a lot,” I admit.
“Then it’s a plan, Angel. Be sure to lock up behind me,” he instructs as he picks the empty box up once again.
“I will. Bye, Loki.”
“Bye, CeeCee. I’ll look to hear from you as soon as you know what your week looks like.”
“I’ll let you know, I promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
Once I know he’s gone and the house is locked up, I jump up and down like someone who has just won the lottery.
Chapter Five
Loki
I grin the whole way back to the clubhouse, my mind on the woman I left. She has no clue, but we started as an us today. Once I’m back and my bike is parked alongside the others, I head inside for a much-deserved beer or two. “Yo, Loki,” Atlas calls out
. I head in his direction after shooting Nate a nod to bring me a beer.
“Hey, brother, how’s it going?” Out of all of us, I think our last mission fucked Atlas up the most. He used to be easy going and laid back, despite being a ginger. Now, however, he’s cautious almost to the point of paranoia. I know his injuries caused PTSD and wish that he would let us help him. However, like me, he prefers to deal with shit on his own. Regardless, if there’s a way to help him, I’ll be there because that’s what brothers do.
“Long day. Hell, it’s been a long few months to be honest.” I look closely at him and notice that he’s got deep circles under his eyes as if he’s not sleeping well and it seems like he may have lost some weight.
“Brother, you okay?” I ask.
He nods while sipping his beer. “As okay as I’ll ever get, I imagine. Just not sleeping much.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“Naw, but I appreciate you having my back,” he replies.
“We’ve all got you, Atlas,” I remind him.
“I know and trust me, it’s probably why I haven’t eaten a bullet,” he admits, his voice almost a whisper. “Fuck, Loki, I gotta do something.”
“Have you tried finding a support group?”
“Yeah, but it was making shit worse instead of better.”
“How so?”
“More nightmares, more flashbacks. Just more of everything.”
I’m not a psychologist or anything but after that last mission, I did seek out someone to talk to because my head was fucked up. Pulling on those sessions, I state, “I remember that when I was going. The guy I was seeing said it was harder in the beginning, but it was because I was dealing with the emotions now that I wasn’t able to at the time everything happened. Could that be what’s happening to you?”
He shrugs. “Maybe. All I know is it sucks to wake up in the fucking closet with my back against the wall, my gun in my hand just waiting to be attacked.”
“Brother, have you talked to Poseidon? He has contacts, maybe there’s something else that would help.”
“I haven’t yet but only because he’s had a lot of shit going on. First with Lilli’s situation, then them having the baby. I don’t wanna dump this shit on his head, y’know?”
“He’s also your brother, Atlas,” I state. “You know damn good and well that he takes that seriously even though we’re not still in the Navy. I bet he already knows something’s going on and is waiting for you to approach him. But, you also know him, and he won’t wait forever.”
He chuckles but there’s no mirth behind it. “Yeah, I know. I promise, I’ll talk to him soon. So, I saw one of the prospects bringing a bunch of aquarium shit in. What’s that about?”
I start telling him about my adventures with CeeCee in the pet store and how I’ll be picking up two beardys in a few days, but I have to get their habitat set up first. “You wanna give me a hand?” I ask.
“Sure, why not. Nothing else going on and it beats watching fucking reruns,” he says.
“Then let’s see what damage we can accomplish.”
“This is totally badass,” Atlas says looking at the finished project. Well, as finished as it’s gonna get until I bring my girls home that is. Even though I’m single, I’ve got one of the bigger suites, so I took one wall and made it into a helluva beardy habitat. Two of the biggest tanks that the shop offered now sit next to each other, with tunnels in place so that the girls can freely roam. I’ve got ‘sunning’ rocks set up beneath the lamp, greenery for them to hide in and a nesting area for their sleep. Not that I expect them to utilize any of it the way I envision because they tend to do what they want, but it does look pretty damn cool.
“Appreciate the help, brother,” I reply as I gather the trash and place it in the black garbage bag I grabbed on our way up. “Can’t wait to see how they like it.”
“What will you do on runs?” he asks. Because I manage the shop, I don’t often go out on runs unless it’s a day one, but it’s happened a few times when we got skip traces in multiple areas.
“If I’m gonna be gone for a few days, I’ll make sure to leave detailed instructions on how to care for them. Their lamp is set on a timer, but they would need their water freshened as well as food.”
“I know you don’t go on them very often any more with the shop, I was just curious.”
“It’s a valid concern. But I think we have enough people working here that my girls will be just fine.”
“Even your two-legged one?” he teases.
“She doesn’t even know she’s mine yet,” I admit.
“You might wanna get on that then, brother.”
“Working on it. I’m honestly trying to decide my approach.”
“Wait, you haven’t made your move?” he asks.
“I kind of did. She’s so fucking different, Atlas, that I can’t use my normal lines.”
“How is she different?”
“For one, I can tell that she does everything she can to blend into the background. You know that’s not me, brother. So, there’s that for starters. I can see so much beneath her surface, but I worry that she might not be able to handle this lifestyle. That would create an issue for me because this club and y’all are my life now. If she can’t accept it, then she might not be who I think she is.”
“You’ve always had good instincts. It’s one of the reasons that you were Poseidon’s right hand back in the day and of course, now. I bet from what you’ve shared about her scars that those caused her to be more introverted than most and once she gets around the women here, she’ll come into her own. Kind of like Gianna has.”
I start laughing because Miss Prim and Proper has shown she is a biker babe at heart. While she can’t drink because she’s pregnant, she has no problem tossing down challenges to the brothers when we’re all together in the common area. So far, she’s managed to best several of us when it comes to darts, eating hot dogs, and yes, coming up with the best insult for someone. “Every time something comes out of her mouth, I see Trident grin while shaking his head. You can tell how happy he is that’s for damn sure.”
“I want that someday, brother, but I don’t think any woman will be able to handle my baggage,” he says.
“Then we’re just gonna have to find a way to unpack that shit. I know none of us will ever really get over what we saw or what happened to us, but there’s gotta be a way that you can learn to deal with the memories so that you can fucking live, brother. Because just existing ain’t working.”
“No, it isn’t and, on that note, I’m gonna head to my room. Appreciate tonight, brother. Can’t wait to meet your girls.”
“Hell, I appreciate the help. When they arrive and get settled, you need to come meet them. Some of the best damn pets a person can have, that’s for sure.”
He slaps me on the back and heads out of my room. I finish cleaning up then set the full trash bag by the door to carry down to the dumpster in the back tomorrow morning. While I could get a prospect to come take care of it now, I’d rather be alone so I can think about the woman who has captivated me. Now it’s time for a shower and then some shuteye.
CeeCee
After Loki left, I changed into something a bit more comfortable then went into my office so I could hang out with the birds. Since I want them to get used to me, I close my door then open up their cage. “Hello, Squirrel, hello, Moose,” I coo as I reach into the cage and lightly stroke their feathered heads. “We’re going to get along so well, aren’t we?” Their chirps make me smile as I sit down at my desk to watch them explore. They flit around, their heads turning every which way as they examine my bookshelves, walk across my desk, nudge my arm with their heads.
When I boot up my computer and start a transcription job, I see the two of them perch on the edge and look down, which has me giggling. “Boys, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to see what I’ve already typed with your heads in the way,” I say.
I soon lose myself in what I’m doin
g, and the birds settle once again in their cage, chittering away as though they’re talking. As one job bleeds into another, they settle on their perches in such a way that I realize I need to cover their cage so they can rest. “Just like George said to do,” I state. “Good night, boys, I’ll see you in a few hours.” Assured that the work I’ve done has been saved then forwarded to the correct doctor, I leave my office and head out to make sure the house is locked for the night. Since Patsy isn’t coming home tonight, I make sure that the alarm is set then head into my room. Once I’ve gathered clean nightclothes, I decide that a warm bubble bath will be the perfect ending to a pretty good day.
Chapter Six
CeeCee
I’ve been counting down the days until Monday when I get to start my tattoo. I’m not sure how much of it is because of the time I’ll get to spend with Loki, all I know is there’s a sense of anticipation that greets me every morning. I’m putting spaghetti sauce together so it can simmer all day when I hear a knock on the door. Wiping my hands on the kitchen towel, I head to the front door and look through the peephole.
“Loki? What are you doing here?” I ask after opening the door.
“You never got back to me about how your week looked,” he replies. “Plus, I wanted to see how Squirrel and Moose were acclimating.” I notice he has a bag from the local sandwich shop.
“What’s that?” I question, pointing at the bag.
“I brought us lunch,” he states.
My heart speeds up knowing that he went out of his way to bring me something to eat. “Follow me then,” I say. While he pulls the subs out of the bag, I grab drinks and napkins, then sit down at the table across from him. “Thank you for this. I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you yet. One of my doctors I transcribe for was in a bad accident, so her office is in an uproar and I’ve been going crazy trying to decipher the stuff that’s been sent on her behalf from the doctor who is seeing her patients.”
Loki's Angel: A Poseidon's Warriors MC novel - Book 3 Page 5
