Ride Steady (Chaos #3)(112)

I checked my son, putting my hand to his chest, feeling his warmth, his steady breathing. Then I lifted my hand to my mouth, touched the tips of my fingers to my lips, then put them to his soft, chubby cheek.

He didn’t move. He was out.

Quietly, I left the room and carefully closed the door behind me.

When I got out to the living room/dining area, Joker’s eyes were again to me.

“He okay?” he asked.

Gosh, he was so amazing.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Can I… um, talk to you?”

His brows drew together, then he looked to the men before he pushed up to his feet.

I took in the guys lounged on my couch, unmoving, eyes glued to the screen, bottles of beers in their hands and scattered over surfaces. There was a burly guy with a pointy beard and a bald head wearing strange glasses on the TV talking while sparks flew in a cement room behind him.

I had no idea what that program was, just that it probably wouldn’t interest me. I wasn’t into sparks flying.

Then again, who knew? I thought I wasn’t into bikers and I was really wrong about that.

I also had a feeling I liked, seeing my big couch covered in men drinking beer. I’d picked it hoping one day it would get crawled all over by babies and then lounged all over by babies grown big.

But I’d take bikers.

For now.

I felt Joker get close and I looked to him right before I turned away and walked down the hall.

I went right to my room and Joker followed me.

I took four steps in and turned to see Joker closing the door behind him.

He stayed right in front of the door.

I thought this was strange but I didn’t comment on it.

I asked, “Something you should have told me?”

He looked toward the wall on the other side of which was the living room then back to me.

“Shoulda said somethin’, Butterfly,” he said quietly. “You don’t want the boys around, that’s cool. I’ll go out and—”

I threw out a hand and spoke, interrupting him. “They’re welcome here whenever you want them here. Or whenever they want to show up. That’s not it.”

His head jerked and he asked, “If that’s not it then what is it?”

“Something you should have shared yesterday,” I pressed.

“Carrie, just spit it out.”

“Wilde and Hay?”

Joker’s expression turned funny.

“Tyra called me,” I told him. “She said she got the call yesterday and she told you yesterday.”

I waited, he didn’t reply, so I kept going.

“She told you yesterday but you didn’t mention it to me.”

Joker just kept looking funny and doing it not saying anything.

“Sweetheart, that’s huge.”

He shrugged.

I stared.

“Carson, that’s amazing,” I kept at him.

“Build cars for a livin’, Carrie. Ride’s got press before. This isn’t out of the ordinary.”

“It is,” I said softly. “Because this isn’t about Ride. According to Ty-Ty, it’s about you.”

“It’s about both.”

“It’s about you.”

We stared at each other. This lasted a while.

To get past it, which would bring me to maybe getting a hello kiss (belatedly), I stated, “You’re magnificent, Carson Steele. And if you wanna pass this off as nothing, okay. You’re a manly man biker. I have to give that to you. But everyone knows it’s incredible. You’re incredible. So we can know that and you can go about your business. I’ll do cartwheels later and then maybe share a bottle of champagne with the old ladies. You don’t have to be involved. Now, that’s done and I want a hello kiss.”

“That, I’ll oblige,” he muttered, his lips curved up, all this while coming to me and promptly obliging.

When he finished obliging, I had my arms around his shoulders, one hand in his hair, and was pressing myself close.

“Go, commune with your brothers,” I ordered a little breathlessly. “I need a snack and then I need to go to bed. I have a day shift tomorrow.”

“Get rid of them soon’s the show’s over,” he told me.

“Get rid of them whenever,” I murmured, rolling up on my toes to kiss his jaw. I rolled back and caught his eyes. “But kiss me when you come to bed.

He smiled at me with his eyes. “I’ll be happy to oblige that too.”

I smiled back. “And I’ll be happy that you do.”

He bent in to touch his mouth to mine before he broke from my hold. Then he claimed me right back with an arm draped around my shoulders which he used to guide me to the door.

I slid my arm along his waist and we walked that way, having to shift sideways to get through the door while connected, but we stayed connected down the hall.

We broke off at the mouth of the hall after he gave my temple a light kiss.

Joker went to the couch.

I went to the kitchen, calling out to ask if anyone needed a fresh brew.

I got four yays. I took four bottles out to the boys and got a soft look from my biker when I did.

After that, I ate some crackers and cheese, washed them down with some flavored fizzy water, and shut down the kitchen. I gave verbal goodnights to the boys.