Risk (Gentry Boys #2)(85)

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR


CREED



I wanted to drive straight through but Truly begged me to stop in Albuquerque again. When I climbed out of her car, my knee was stiff as hell and she heard my grunt of pain.

Truly put her hands on her hips and scolded me. “That’s it, tough guy. You’re off that leg for the night. I’ll draw you a bath so you can soak it.”

I felt a little ridiculous when she ordered me into the tub. Once I got in the warm water though my body was grateful. My muscles relaxed and the throbbing in my leg subsided. Truly knelt by the side of the tub and examined my swollen knee.

“Hey,” I tugged at her shirt. “If I have to be naked then you have to be naked. It’s only fair.”

“And I do care about being fair,” she drawled as she pulled her clothes off. She looked down at my body and it seemed like she was trying not to smile. “You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

I pointed at my dick. “I can’t do a thing about him. He’s got a mind of his own.”

She laughed and then leaned over to jerk me off with her hand. Later, when we were in bed together and listening to a rumbling thunderstorm pass overhead she asked me what I was thinking.

I’d been thinking about people. It had always looked to me like everyone else walked alone except for the three us Gentry boys. My brothers and I were lucky enough to have each other in a world full of sad, lost souls. I didn’t see how I could have made it without Chasyn and Cordero. But there was more to life than brotherhood. I’d seen it first when Cord found Saylor. And now I had it for myself. I hoped Chase would someday find it too. If anyone ever needed a woman’s love it was him. Our fates would always be bound up together. But there was more than just the three of us now. I hugged Truly to my side and answered her.

“I was thinking that I had always kind of figured I would be on the outside forever. That the things which came so easy to almost everyone else weren’t meant to be mine so it was better if I never wanted them in the first place.”

She kissed my neck. “Like this? Us?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Like this. You know that Eric dude is pretty cool. We got to talking about women and about life. I told him what I just said to you, about being on the outside. He laughed and said, ‘The world is exactly how you decide to see it, Creed. Take it from a black cowboy in the middle of Oklahoma.’ Then he ate the rest of my French fries.”

Truly sat up suddenly. She straddled me and grabbed my arms, pinning them on either side of my head. I let her.

“Yield to no one,” she challenged me in the darkness.

“I’ll yield to you, baby,” I told her. She let go of my arms but continued to sit upright, watching me.

I touched the spot on her shoulder where she’d gotten a tattoo from Cord.

“She just turned four,” Truly said softly. She sighed. “I hope someday when she finds out her mother gave her away that she understands why. I hope she forgives me.”

I sat up and took her face in my hands. “Forgive yourself first.”

“I do,” she nodded. “I think I do.” She tilted her head. “Creed, I never expected any of this. I thought I knew what kind of man you were. It didn’t take me long to realize I’d been wrong. I’m glad I was wrong. I’m mad about you. Do you know that?”

I smiled. “I have my suspicions.” I pulled her to me, hungry to be closer. “I wouldn’t mind if you wanted to show me again though.”

“Do something for me first.”

“Anything. Just ask.”

“Sing?”

I sat up and held her to my chest, the way I had the first time I sang to her. I preferred to sing with my guitar but I had no problem adapting. Cord and Chase always teased me about sticking to what they called ‘old music’ but it was what always seemed to pop into my head first. Truly sighed with contentment as I launched right into an old ballad from the seventies called ‘The Air That I Breathe’. When I finished we made love quietly and then fell asleep together.

In the morning we left Albuquerque early. It had been nice, seeing something other than the Arizona desert. I was eager to get home though. I had talked to Cord briefly and he said Chase was struggling a little as his body adjusted to getting clean of pills. The folks at the substance abuse center had been great so far and Cord was optimistic that our brother would follow through. Still, I’d feel better if I could keep an eye on Chase myself.

As we crossed back into Arizona I remembered something Chase had said. Truly looked over at me when I cleared my throat. “Want to hear something wacky? Chase believes your roommate has a thing for him.”

To my surprise, Truly didn’t just laugh it off. She played with her hair and smiled mysteriously. “He might be right.”

“No way. She tell you that?”

Truly laughed. “Are you kidding? Stephanie doesn’t work that way. I’d say if she’s not telling him to piss up a flagpole then he’s already way ahead of the game.”

“Hmm,” I grunted. “Doesn’t seem like a good pairing if you ask me. They’ve got nothing in common.”

“So?” she teased. “Wouldn’t everyone have said the same thing about us?”

“Maybe,” I reasoned, still having a tough time picturing Stephanie doing anything to Chase other than kicking him in the nuts.