Page 52 of Creed

I removed my arm from around her just long enough to place the lid over the fire pit, smothering the last of the flames. Once I had it secured, I reached for her hand and led her back inside.

Neither of us spoke as we made our way down the hall to my bedroom, and we remained silent as we crawled back into bed. She curled up next to me, and we spent the night tangled up in each other’s arms.

I drifted off with her hand resting over my heart, and for the first time in a long damn time, I felt like I could breathe. The next morning, I woke early. She was still sound asleep and curled into my side, and I let myself watch her for a minute,memorizing the way she looked in my bed. As far as I was concerned, she was right where she belonged.

I did my best not to wake her as I eased out of bed to make my way to the kitchen. Quietly, I eased out from under her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before I slipped out of the room. I walked quietly to the kitchen and turned on the coffee pot. I leaned against the counter, and I thought back over our night and everything that had been said. My chest tightened when I remembered her saying there was a story behind why she quit the force.

My curiosity had me reaching for my phone. I promised I wouldn’t, but curiosity got the best of me. I just wanted to know if Shep had anything about what had happened in her file. I pulled up the file Shep had sent me on Devin and started flipping back to the last few pages.

I thought I’d gotten everything I needed to know when I saw that she was divorced and was teaching nearby, so I stopped reading. I started flipping back and had almost reached the ending when I heard the soft pad of her feet coming into the kitchen. I looked up and found Devin standing in the doorway. I shoved my phone into my back pocket and smiled. “Morning, beautiful.”

“Morning.” She was still wearing my old T-shirt and her hair was a mess, but she couldn’t have looked more beautiful. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she grumbled, “Still an early bird, I see.”

“Afraid so.”

"I don’t get it… The sun’s not even up yet.”

“Early bird gets the worm.”

“Screw the worm. It’s too damn early.”

I let out a low chuckle as I set a cup on the counter for her. “You look good in my shirt.”

“Yeah, well, it’s too damn early for compliments, too.” She picked up her coffee and took a sip as she cocked her brow. “It’s also too early for snooping.”

“What makes you think I was snooping?”

“You said you would wait.”

“You’re right. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you.”

She tried to hide her smile behind the mug as she took a sip. I leaned back against the counter and took her in for a moment before letting reality set in. “I gotta head to the clubhouse. You should go back to bed and get more sleep.”

“Too late for that. I’m already awake now.” She glanced at the clock, and her expression shifted. “Besides, I need to get back home. The kids will be wondering where I am.”

“You got plans for tonight?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t really thought past this morning.”

“Come with me to the clubhouse tonight?”

“Seriously?”

“Absolutely,” I said, watching her reaction carefully. “It’s time you met the guys.”

“Even Preacher.”

“Even him.”

Her brows lifted, and a soft smile tugged at her lips. “I’d like that.”

“Good,” I said, pushing off the counter and stepping closer. “I’ll pick you up around six.”

“Okay. Sounds good.”

Her smile widened, warming something deep in my chest. We moved around the kitchen together, quiet and easy, as we finished off our coffee.