Ride Steady (Chaos, #3)(89)

“I… I… c-can’t believe I didn’t recognize you!” I cried into his skin.

He held me with one arm and stroked my hair with his other hand, ordering, “You didn’t. The minute I looked like me you did. Get over it. I am.”

I tipped my head back and declared loudly, “I hurt you!”

“Just f*cked you, Butterfly, gonna do it again as soon as I can, so I think I’m over it.”

I blinked through my tears.

Then I slapped his arm. “We don’t f*ck,” I hissed, making it plain I did not like to be forced to use the f-word. “We make love.”

My breath stopped when his face all of a sudden was close and his voice dipped low to say, “Yeah. That’s what I just did to you. I’m glad you finally get that. And that’s what I’ll keep doin’ to you. But prepare, Carrie, ’cause I’m also gonna f*ck you and from what I just got outta you, I know you’re gonna like it.”

I started breathing, but erratically, and said nothing.

I apparently started breathing erratically and doing it visibly because he asked, “You want me to do that now?”

I totally did.

Unfortunately, I had to answer, “I’m moving today.”

He looked perplexed for a second like he forgot our plans for the day, which was cute and sweet. I’d never seen Joker be the former, and I liked it, but I had experienced him being the latter, and I’d always liked that.

Then his face cleared and he muttered, “Fuck.”

“Yes,” I agreed.

“We better do that,” he said.

I didn’t want to do that. My exhaustion had been swept away in the drama and lovemaking but now, especially after the drama, and most especially after the lovemaking, all I wanted to do was curl into his heat and go to sleep.

I couldn’t do that so I repeated, “Yeah, we better do that.”

He gave me a squeeze but didn’t let me go.

He looked deep into my eyes and said gently, “I should say I’m sorry I didn’t give you that after givin’ you a nice night out like you deserve. But I’m not sorry. Just in case shit twists for you, I wanna be sure it’s clear. I like that it went down in a way that I’ll never forget. I hope you’re over the shit that warped it for you because it’d mean a lot to me you feel the same.”

I closed my eyes, pressed closer, dipped my head, and pushed my face in his throat.

“I’m over that warped stuff,” I whispered there. “And I feel the same.”

“Good,” he murmured into the top of my hair. “Now, sucks, but we gotta move you.”

“Yes, it does suck.” I tipped my head back. “But then I’ll be moved. Travis and me will be safe and in a nice place. And that’ll be that.”

“Yeah,” he replied on a grin.

“So maybe you’ll kiss me so we can get on with that and get it over with,” I suggested.

“Yeah,” he repeated on a smile.

But he didn’t kiss me.

So I called, “Joker?”

“Carissa Teodoro in my arms in my bed askin’ me to kiss her,” he said quietly like he wasn’t talking to me and he couldn’t quite believe his words were true.

I felt my body grow still.

Then I forced the stillness out and rolled Carson “Joker” Steele to his back, with me on top, murmuring, “He won’t kiss me, I’ll kiss him.”

And I commenced in doing just that.

Lucky for me, Carson “Joker” Steele liked it.

So he kissed me back.

*

I stood in Tyra’s house—my house—dead on my feet but still taking it all in as Joker closed the door on the last to leave, Tabby and Shy.

I was in.

Not in in the sense that tomorrow I had to unpack all I could before starting back to work the next day at the same time getting laundry done and also getting to the grocery store as well as back to my old place to do a deep clean.

In as in everything was unpacked, my pictures were even hung on the walls, the boxes were taken away, and I didn’t have to go back to my old place except to take back my keys.

This was because the men had moved the stuff, put together the furniture, set up the TV and asked me where I wanted things so they could put them up on the walls. Snapper had even mounted my Dustbuster in the utility room.

This was done while the women unpacked, and it wasn’t just Tyra, Tabby, and Lanie. Elvira had showed, bringing with her women named Gwen and Tess (who were gorgeous, nice, and had tons of energy). Not to mention other Chaos women came, including, to my disbelief but in the end deep gratitude, Stacy (Joker had understated it; she wasn’t just a decent woman, she was really nice).

My dishes were in the cupboards. My bed was made. Travis’s toys were in their baskets. My TV was good to go and the cable already worked. My clothes were in the closet. And with Stacy leading the crew at my old place before showing at the new, my apartment was spotless and I had a bunch of images on my phone that she took and texted to me to prove that fact should my landlord decide to mess with me.

“Carrie?” Joker called.

I looked to him and announced, “I’m gonna need to buy more pastries.”

His lips twitched and I liked it.

But seriously, I really missed the beard.