Damaged and the Dragon (24 page)

“
Yeah,” he said, taking me
by the hand. “See you around.”

Leaving behind the pervert, we carried the
bag with his belongings and headed to the Harley. I was nearly
bouncing by the time we got off the elevator.

“
You’re officially mine,” I
said. “I own your sexy ass.”

Nick just grinned, but I knew how lucky I
was to be with someone like him. As a reminder of what I left
behind, we found a past mistake standing next to the Harley.

Deputy Ennis Dickhead tipped back his stupid
hat and smirked at me. “Hello, Bailey.”

“
What do you
want?”

“
I came to talk to your
friend here. Just wondering if he’d seen his dad?”

Nick showed no reaction, but I was pissed to
have an asshole ruining my good mood.

“
If his dad was smart, he’d
have run the fuck away once out of jail.”

Dickhead tried intimidating Nick with a dark
glare. When that didn’t work, he focused on me. “Bailey, I want to
talk to you alone.”

“
No way. Nick and I are
going home to have lots of sex. Now go away.”

“
Why are you slumming it
with this loser?” Dickhead asked, poking his thumb at Nick. “You’ve
got options and here you are settling.”

“
Fuck the hell off,
asshole!” I yelled, gaining the attention of a lot of people who
immediately looked away when I glared at them. Focusing my rage
back on Dickhead, I growled, “You need to learn your place, loser.
The only time I was slumming it was when I dated a
rent-a-cop.”

“
Listen here,
bitch...”

I never saw Nick move. One moment, he was a
few feet away, looking passive then his fist made contact with
Dickhead’s face. The cop toppled back against his car as Nick stood
in front of me. Since he looked hotter than sin, I wanted to feel
him up. I was thinking naughty thoughts when Darling forced his
cuffs on Nick’s wrists and shoved him against the car.

“
I guess I’m the one who
gets restrained this time,” Nick said, trying to keep the moment
light.

Dickhead was going to ruin Nick’s chances at
teaching and I refused to allow anyone to steal my man’s dream.
Love made people do weird shit and I was no exception.

The Taser from Dickhead’s belt felt good in
my hand as I aimed it at his ass. The idiot cop didn’t even realize
I’d stolen his weapon until the volts surged through his system. My
ex-nobody fell to the ground and twitched. A cuffed Nick stepped
back and looked between Dickhead and the Taser.

“
He wet himself,” I said to
Nick.

“
I see that. Now what? You
just assaulted a cop.”

“
So did you.”

“
True. We’re both
fucked.”

“
No way,” I muttered. “He
attacked me and I was defending myself.”

“
You shot him in the ass
with that thing. I don’t know how you make self-defense stick,
babe.”

“
What a pessimist,” I said,
digging the keys out of Dickhead’s pocket. “Let’s throw on some
Jerry Reed and race home like the cops are on our
asses.”

“
They might be soon
enough,” Nick said, rubbing his wrists before cupping my face. “My
hero.”

Kissing me softly, Nick glanced at Dickhead
who was wobbling to his knees. Still holding the Taser, I followed
Nick to his Harley. Soon we were racing to the house where I hoped
a magical Reapers’ fix awaited. I got halfway home before it
occurred to me to throw the Taser into the woods we were speeding
past. Evidence was a word my brain suddenly locked onto.

Pulling the Harley towards the house, Nick
parked next to the garage then we got off. He seemed calm, but that
meant nothing. Nick knew how to hide his feelings, but I had more
trouble keeping my cool.

“
I’ve ruined things for
you,” I said, eyes hot and tears threatening to fall. “I fucked up
and now you’ll end up with a record. You’ll never have your dream
because of me. I’m so sorry.”

Wrapping me in his strong arms, Nick sighed.
“I punched him and made the first move. It’s not your fault.”

“
You had to punch him. He
was calling me names and you’re my man.”

Nick smiled down at me. “Yeah, I couldn’t
let him trash my girl.”

“
I should have just ignored
him or been polite.”

“
I love you enough to know
ignoring him and doing the polite shit was never happening. It’s
not your way and I don’t want you to pretend. Maybe other people
need that from you, but I love all of you even the crazy
temperamental parts.”

“
I ruined your dream
though.”

“
I’ll get a new
dream.”

My heart broke at how easily Nick accepted
his lost dream. “You wanted that one so bad.”

“
I want you
more.”

“
Maybe we can run. I have
money. Let’s run and hide. You’re giving up your dream. I can give
up my home, so we’ll be even.”

Nick grinned then looked behind me. “This is
my home now too and I’m not giving it up.”

Turning to follow Nick’s gaze, I saw my
parents approaching. Pop tossed his cigarette on the ground then
laughed.

“
I always figured Sawyer
would be the one to attack a cop,” he said as Mom
smiled.

“
He called me a bitch and
Nick punched him.”

“
Seems fair.”

“
Then he was going to
arrest Nick, so I had to do something.”

“
I can see that,” Pop said,
hugging me. “Did he rough you two up?”

“
No. Well, his face might
have hurt Nick’s fist.”

“
I’m fine,” Nick said,
giving me an amused look.

“
Pop,” I mumbled, panicking
despite attempts to find the situation funny. “Dickhead is going to
ruin Nick’s future as a teacher. You have to do
something.”

My pop grinned at Mom then shook his head.
“All this drama is Coop’s problem now. I’m retired.”

Frowning, I wanted Pop to
wave his hand and fix things like he normally did. Instead, he
expected me and my brothers to behave like adults.
Had he never met us?

“
It’ll be fine,” Nick said,
lacing his finger in the loop of my shorts and tugging back against
him. “Darling can file charges if he wants, but he’ll put a target
on himself too. It’s his choice.”

My dad smiled and nodded while Mom threw a
ball at the dogs.

“
Nick ain’t wrong. Dickhead
might have a big mouth and show off, but he knows his place. He
went to school with your brothers and understands what happens when
the family feels threatened.”

“
Okay,” I said, still
worried. “I can’t believe I lost my temper like that.”

Mom and Pop laughed first then Nick started
up. I just rolled my eyes.

“
You and that temper,” Mom
said, patting my cheek. “You had it before you were born. Trust me,
I still remember you kicking the shit out of me.”

Frowning, I glanced at Nick. “Babies really
suck. We’re never having any.”

“
Okay.”

“
Well, maybe one,” I
said.

“
Whatever you say. Can we
get something to eat? Even though I stopped all the training, I’m
still hungry a lot.”

Nick and I followed Mom and Pop into the
house. Eating leftover meatballs and rice, we didn’t talk about
Tasers or injured cop asses. Instead, Pop casually mentioned a
rundown house for sale on a farm road.

“
Dylan would know how to
fix it up,” Nick said.

Out of nowhere, I started laughing at how
weird my day had gone. During the ride home, I thought I might lose
Nick. Now he was talking about buying a house and fixing it up just
like I had always dreamed. After a lifetime without a family, Nick
bullshitted easily with my parents. He was theirs now, just as much
as mine.

Autumn didn’t mean an end to the summer heat
around Ellsberg. After a long day at school, Bailey told me to get
into a pair of swim trunks. Instead of walking to the pool though,
she led me into the woods. Along a winding path and down an endless
stairwell, we walked hand in hand.

“
I used to think the woods
were magic,” Bailey said, looking embarrassed under her baseball
cap. “I imagined fairies watched me when I played. There was a tree
near the river that I was sure was their home. When I was twelve,
the tree fell over in a bad storm. It’d been dead and rotting, so I
don’t know why I was so surprised when the tree disappeared into
the river. I still cried because I thought the fairies died and
that’s why I didn’t feel them anymore. Does that seem stupid to
you?”

“
I used to think a dragon
would destroy all my enemies,” I said, squeezing her hand. “So no,
I don’t think fairies sound stupid.”

Sharing her smile, I followed Bailey down
the winding staircase to a deck below.

“
Don’t be afraid,” she said
then jumped off the deck and into the river.

I watched her splash into the water then
reemerge seconds later wearing a big grin.

“
The water feels
nice.”

“
I don’t know how to swim,
remember?”

“
I’ll keep you
safe.”

“
You can’t make that
promise.”

“
Swimming is nothing more
than kicking your feet. I’ve seen you kick guys plenty in the
Thunderdome,” she said, flashing a tit at me. “Besides, there’s an
inner tube down here for you to hold onto while I feel you
up.”

My erection made the decision for me. Diving
into the water, I hoped the water cooled my arousal. So focused on
how much I wanted to be inside Bailey, I didn’t think about how I
couldn’t swim. Once under water, I kicked my legs until hitting the
surface where she waited topless.

“
I wanted to reward your
bravery,” she murmured as I wrapped one arm around the tube and the
other her waist. “I’m proud of you.”

“
Prove it.”

“
However will I do that?”
she said, wiggling her hips against mine.

Cupping her face, I brushed her lips with my
thumb. “You’re medicine for my soul, Bailey. Never forget
that.”

Her naughty gaze shifted into something
softer. “Thank you for being brave enough to love me.”

Despite her earnest expression, I laughed.
“Like I had a choice.”

My inability to swim and the public nature
of our tryst didn’t matter next to my need for her. Soon, my trunks
floated next to her bikini bottom.

Once I was inside Bailey, I felt like
Dragon. I didn’t need to hurt anyone or bleed myself to be
powerful. I just needed Bailey.

Watching Maddy walk down the aisle of the
church, Tucker was a smiling fool. I’d only seen my brother so
happy at Scarlet’s birth. Now he was finally making things official
with the woman he loved.

I stood next to Farah, Tawny, and Raven,
wearing matching pale yellow bridesmaid dresses. With a little
alteration, I could see wearing it again on a normal occasion.
Redneck chic turned out to be pretty awesome.

Unable to attend, Lark still watched the
ceremony live. Aaron sat up front and sent the feed to his wife.
Later, she would say she missed most of it from crying so much. I
could understand since Maddy made a beautiful bride and my brother
looked pretty spiffy too. Hell, even demon spawn Sawyer looked like
an angel in her yellow flower girl dress.

The reception was a blast. We enjoyed messy
food and a Blue Grass band. The open bar certainly didn’t hurt
either.

Watching my brothers dancing with their
wives, I saw them as men for the first time.

“
This is my family,” I said
to Nick.

Instead of making a snide comment about how
I was stating the obvious, Nick understood. A girl could be
forgiven for being proud of a family like mine. I finally had great
friends who supported me no matter what, but also knew when to tell
me to shut the fuck up.

“
I dance like shit,” Nick
said, taking my hands. “Fortunately, no one will be looking at
me.”

Grinning, I liked how comfortable he was
these days. A storm still sent him into a dark mood and he
continued to shower more than a normal guy. Otherwise, he felt at
home in Ellsberg. With a new job allowing him time for school, he
also had friends who watched his back. Nick finally had a family
too. At dinner with Pop, Mom, Sawyer, and me, he never kept them at
a distance. He was like a third son and even managed to help me get
along with my little nemesis.

Even growing up the princess of a powerful
family, things didn’t fall into my lap. I finally stopped whining
about wanting more and took charge of my life. My reward was the
man of my dreams.

All through college, Bailey and I lived in
the garage apartment. Those years cooking with Jodi, swimming with
Bailey and Sawyer, and hunting with Kirk and his boys changed how I
saw the world. Even more important, it changed how I saw myself. By
the time Bailey and I married on the deck overlooking the river she
loved growing up, I rarely thought of my life before Ellsberg.

Bailey wanted a tropical honeymoon which
meant I walked around shirtless 99% of the time. The old Nick
wouldn’t have gotten through the two weeks without fearing the
opinions of strangers. The new Nick only cared about enjoying his
sexy overjoyed wife. Bailey in a bikini certainly kept me focused
too.