“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because gunshot wounds require police reports. Not doing that to Snow and his boys. Not to mention, with that weather, I doubt we’d have made it there. Besides, I was in good hands, and like I said, I’ll be fine once I’m home.” He sounded tired, so I decided to let the issue drop for the time being. I hadn’t slept well either, so I decided to see if I could nap.
I pulled out my dirty hoodie, wadded it up, and shoved it between me and the door.
The next thing I knew, I was being gently shaken awake. Sleepily, I blinked and then popped upright when I realized I was staring right at Decker’s crotch. I’d obviously decided his lap made a better pillow than my stinky hoodie.
“Oh, shit! Sorry!” I whispered. Embarrassment burned my cheeks as I cautiously looked around. We were parked outside of a huge building out in the country.
“I thought we were going to Ankeny,” I said through a yawn.
“We’re just north of town. Come on, sleepyhead, let’s go inside,” he said as he tenderly cupped my cheek. I wanted to nuzzle into him like a cat, but I grabbed my few belongings and climbed out of the massive truck.
The packed snow crunched under my feet as I followed the men inside. There were several that I must’ve missed coming out thanks to being crashed in Decker’s lap. Two older men were quietly behind me as I stepped into the warm interior of the building.
Color me shocked when the industrial-looking building turned out to be a big bar. It was decked out in Christmas lights, with Christmas music playing through the speakers. Surely they didn’t get a lot of business out in the country?
Realizing the men were talking and the one named Angel was helping Decker take off his jacket and shirt, I stopped gawking around and watched. When I saw the blood-soaked bandage, I was instantly pissed.
“I knew it! I knew you didn’t need to be traveling! What the hell, Decker?”
At my outburst, all the men looked at me strangely.
“What are you all looking at me like that for? Do I have a booger in my nose? Snot smeared across my face?” The anxiety of Decker being injured was amping me up, though I knew I needed to calm down.
“Hey, darling, it’s okay. We’re gonna get him fixed up,” the man with serious salt-and-pepper hair said as he laid a hand on my neck. He had a leather vest on that read HAWK.
Wow. I thought Decker was a silver fox, but he truly isn’t old enough. But this guy? Yeah, this guy is the definition of a silver fox.
Everyone chuckled, and Decker was scowling at me. Initially confused, I suddenly realized I’d said that out loud. But I was honestly so relaxed and chill that I didn’t care.
“You want me to show you where your room is so you can take a nap? It must’ve been a long trip and an exhausting experience for you yesterday.” The man named Hawk still had his hand on me, and I blissfully nodded.
“You make Decker better so he can come snuggle with me. Okay? I really like snuggling with him, you know. Who would’ve thought that a grumpy ol’ guy like him would like to snuggle, huh?” As I carelessly ran off at the mouth, the men in the room tried to hide their laughter and smiles, but Decker looked mad as hell.
“Why you mad? It’s sexy when you’re mad, but you need to turn that frown upside down,” I said with a sleepy grin.
“Jesus, show her to the room,” Decker muttered, then said to me, “I’ll be in to check on you in a bit.”
“And snuggles. Don’t forget snuggles,” I was compelled to remind him as I happily went with Hawk into a short back hall, then turned and went to the other end.
He opened a door for me, and I shuffled to the bed before tumbling in and curling up in a ball.
I vaguely remembered someone slipping my shoes off and putting a blanket over me.
Then I drifted off to sleep, where I dreamed about doing really bad things to the man who’d gotten me pregnant.