Creed (Unfinished Hero #2)(62)

It seemed I’d been waiting for years to be just like this with Creed.

And having it…

It was divine.

He moved back half an inch and, eyes locked with mine, he whispered, “My Sylvie.”

I smiled and felt warm through and through and not just from the Kentucky sun beating into me.

His hand slid back into my hair, tipped my head forward, he kissed the top of my hair and murmured there, “Let’s take care of Bootsie.”

Then he kissed me, got to his feet taking me with him in his arms and when he was up, he put me on my feet.

Hand in hand, we walked to his truck.

Hand in hand, me and Creed, the way I knew down deep in my heart we were always meant to be.

Finally.

Chapter Fifteen

Give Me That

Present day…

“She’s with Dixon.”

Creed lay there, his sky blue eyes just staring. Not at the bacon sandwich he could smell which was set just out of reach but at Daddy.

He didn’t believe it. He’d lost track of time. He’d been there days, maybe weeks but he didn’t believe. His Sylvie wouldn’t do that. Not in a few days. Not in a few weeks. Not ever.

“She’s with Dixon,” Daddy went on. “Right now. It didn’t take her long with you being gone to realize she’s better than you. She’s a Bissenette. You may have your Daddy’s blood but you’ve got more of Winona in you. I know this. I know it because you’d set your sights on a teenage girl. Fuck with her head. Take her virginity. You’re trash, Tucker Creed. You were trash before that whore shoved you out. You’re trash now. Jason Dixon isn’t trash. Jason will give her everything you can’t, never could, never will. Jason will hand her the moon.”

Creed said not a word. He just lay there, staring.

Daddy got impatient and bent deep, leaning close.

“Promise to let her go, leave, never return, let her have the life she should have and we’ll feed you, we’ll unchain you, get you medical attention for that cut. I’ll give you ten thousand dollars and you can set up somewhere else. Promise to let her go, leave and never come back, never enter her life again, never phone her, never see her and this will be over.”

Creed spoke then.

And he did it to say in a cracked, parched, weak voice, “Never.”

* * * * *

I shot up to sitting in bed, the room dark, Creed’s strong arm along my stomach and I was breathing heavily.

The dream still had me.

I threw the covers aside and started to catapult myself from the bed but Creed’s arm tightened. Instead of jumping one way, I found myself flying the other. I landed in the bed on my back then Creed’s weight was on me.

“It was a dream, baby,” he whispered through the dark. “Just a dream. It’s over.”

It wasn’t a dream. It was real. He told me. He told me all about it. Even the new stuff.

Now I knew everything.

I thought I was ready.

I’d never be ready.

It hit me I was shaking so I did the only thing I could to get rid of the shakes. I wrapped my arms around his solid, warm bulk, lifted my head and shoved it in his neck taking in his scent, letting everything that was him envelope me.

“These dreams are kicking my ass,” I whispered back.

“Just hold on,” he murmured.

I sucked in breath, tightened my arms and held on.

The shaking left me and I found my mouth saying, “I don’t want you to go.”

It was early morning Friday, three days after the shit went down with Drake Nair. Outside of the three girls who got targeted needing a lot of TLC, things seemed settled. Creed and I were working my jobs as well as keeping an eye on Knight’s business but it seemed Nair had worked alone. Creed didn’t trust it, not yet, he wanted to do more digging and he wanted to be around in case something went down. So he spoke to Knight, Knight agreed and we were still nosing.

But the weekend was upon us and it was Creed’s weekend with his kids. He was flying back to Phoenix. He got them Friday afternoon and took them back to Chelle Sunday evening.

We’d discussed this and decided that this visit, Creed would tell them about me and he’d take some time to tell Chelle. He didn’t want her blindsided by the information coming from one of the kids that a woman named Sylvie was in his life. I thought that was cool of him to do but I didn’t envy him that conversation.

He wanted me to come with him but I talked him into going alone. His kids stayed with him and he was okay with me staying with all of them, telling me his kids were good kids, they’d adjust, they loved their Dad, sense his happiness and be cool with it.

He obviously knew his kids better than me but I disagreed. I thought they should get a head’s up and not be confronted with me on their turf until they had time to prepare. Creed didn’t like it but he agreed. I had a feeling he agreed more because he thought I needed time to prepare to meet his kids, not the other way around, but whatever. He’d agreed. So he was leaving that day and wouldn’t be home until late Sunday.

Now that the hour was nearly on us for him to leave, I didn’t like it.

Not at all.

I didn’t want him away from me.

Shit.

“Sylvie –”

I interrupted him, “Forget I said that. I didn’t say that.”