Page 13 of Scythe (Devil Daddies MC #2)

W innie woke up wrapped in Scythe’s arms. The muscular man dominated the double bed in the guest room. She yawned in disbelief, noting the clock. She had slept and so had he.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to study him while he slept, Winnie was amazed he was interested in her.

Scythe’s powerful frame was trim, seemingly without an ounce of extra padding anywhere.

He must work out a lot or his job involved physical activity.

What did Scythe do? Just help out at Inferno?

His arm tightened around her, squeezing Winnie tight against him, dragging her from her thoughts. He opened his gorgeous blue-green eyes to meet her gaze. “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”

“I did sleep. It’s almost ten now. I need to get up and attack everything that needs to be done.”

“In a minute. First, I need a kiss.” He towed her easily on top of his body with one arm.

“Scythe! Let me down. I’m too heavy. I’ll squish you.”

“Right. Look how hard I’m breathing. Maybe you should give me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”

Winnie shook her head at his request and dropped a quick kiss on his lips. Scythe looked up at her with still puckered lips. Sighing like it was a huge imposition, Winnie pressed her mouth to his. Scythe drew his tongue along the seam of her lips, and Winnie allowed him in.

His flavor seduced her. He didn’t taste like toothpaste or a snack he’d had late last night but his own unique essence. She squirmed on top of him as he explored her mouth. Enjoying herself, Winnie only lifted her lips from his when she had to breathe.

“You’re good at that,” she admitted. “I don’t know how I ever gave you a C+.”

“I’m A+ material with the right woman,” he teased before grinning at her.

“I hope you believe I’m the right woman.”

“You’re absolutely the woman I’ve searched to find. And the Little girl I need to make my world complete. How about coming home with me after we go meet with your school district?”

“Can I decide later? I don’t know how I’ll get through all these tasks on the list. I may work until I have to fall into bed.” Winnie slid off Scythe to rest on the mattress with her torso propped up on his so they could discuss everything.

“That’s not healthy. Assign a few things to me that don’t require your personal touch, and I’m sure Belinda will help when she wakes up,” Scythe said.

Winnie mentally reviewed the things she needed to do. The funeral home would release her mother at some point when the investigators were satisfied that her death was natural. No one thought the decision would require more than a day when they reviewed her mom’s medical files.

“My first priority is the school stuff, I guess.”

“Do you want me to go with you?” Scythe asked.

“No. I really need to take care of my request for leave as a professional. Then my sub will need lesson plans. Surely, they’ll let me off for a few days,” she thought aloud.

“Do you like the staff in human relations at your central office?” Scythe asked.

“I do. She’s very sweet.”

“We go to the funeral home first to get everything set up. Then we split up. I’ll come back here and use the file to notify the medical supply place and the lawyer while you deal with the district.”

“You’re comfortable doing that?”

“Sure. I can be nice on the phone. Then I’ll head to work. You reach out when you’re ready to call it a night. I’ll come get you and make sure you eat.”

“And tuck me into bed with a bedtime story?” she asked with a smile. She’d look forward to that all day.

“Exactly.”

“Thanks, Scythe, for being here with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for spending time with you. If I had my choice, we’d always be together from now on.”

“You don’t think you’d get sick of me?” Winnie asked, holding her breath in hopes he wouldn’t say yes.

“Not going to happen, Little girl. All right. Go potty, and we’ll get that folder.”

Winnie patted her blotchy face in an attempt to mask the results from their visit to the funeral home. She sat in her car, pulling together her thoughts for a few minutes before going into her district’s HR office.

“Hi, Mandy. I’m Winnifred Bradley. I don’t know if Miss Oberson informed you….”

“I got an extensive report about you today,” Mandy said with a stern glance.

“I’m here to talk about bereavement leave. My mother passed away in the early morning hours,” Winnie told her and watched the woman’s expression soften.

“This morning?” When Winnie nodded, Mandy said, “I am so sorry. I didn’t have any notice of that. Did you tell your principal?”

“I did. She wanted my mother’s death certificate as proof. I don’t have that yet.”

“Of course you don’t. Let me update the reason for your absence. Good. That puts you back in the green zone.” She turned from her computer and waved Winnie into a seat in front of her desk. “How long do you need off, Winnie? Your contract allows you to miss up to five days.”

“It’s Thursday. The memorial service will be on Monday. How about through Tuesday next week?” Winnie suggested.

“Notify me if you want Wednesday as well, but I’ll arrange a good sub for you. You’ll need to leave plans for her,” Mandy warned.

“That’s next on my list. I’ll send them to you as well, so you’ll be aware that I followed through,” Winnie told her.

“That’s not usually what people do. Is there a reason you want HR to have proof you’ve created plans and left them organized for the substitute?”

“Yes.”

“Gotcha. I can read between the lines of the mistake in your rationale for missing today and the concern that the sub’s information will mysteriously evaporate.”

“Thank you, Mandy.”

“Of course. I’m going to run off some paperwork for you to sign before you get to return to the hundreds of tasks you need to do,” Mandy told her before turning back to her computer.

In minutes, Winnie walked out the door with the approval papers in her hands.

She drove next to her building and let herself in the entrance closest to her classroom.

Apologizing to the substitute for interrupting, she talked to her second graders to explain her absence.

Enlisting their help in cooperating with the substitute, Winnie stressed how proud she was of how much they’d learned this year and that she’d look forward to them dazzling her with the information they mastered while she was gone.

With their promises to do their best each day, she sat at a small desk in the back of the room and made her lesson plans, using the teacher textbooks while the sub coached the kids through their afternoon subjects. Taylor walked to the tissue box to blow her nose and stopped next to Winnie.

“Thanks for telling Mrs. Kelley about our signal,” Taylor whispered.

“Of course. That’s at the top of my list of important things for the substitute to know,” Winnie assured her and returned the child’s hug.

“I’m sorry about your mom.”

Tears gathered in her eyes as Winnie smiled at the young child. “Thank you, Taylor. Now, go back and learn all you can.”

The sweet student slid back into her chair and immediately focused on the substitute.

Winnie quickly finished her lesson plans and sent them to the printer as well as to the other second-grade teacher, and Mandy at the district office, and her bestie, Abby, in case something happened to the printed copies she left for the substitute.

Scythe might think Lorraine would stop causing problems, but Winnie didn’t trust her at all.

After straightening her area and returning the teacher’s editions for the sub, she slipped out of the classroom and headed for home.

Pulling into her mom’s driveway, Winnie burst into tears for what felt like the tenth time that day. She didn’t want to walk in there. The house wasn’t the same without her mother.

A soft knock on her driver’s side window made her look up in surprise. Scythe leaned close, studying her with a concerned expression. “Unlock the door, Chipmunk. I need to hold you.”

Winnie hit the unlock button fast, allowing Scythe to pull it open. As she tumbled out of the car, he wrapped her in his arms and hugged her tight to his hard chest. Stroking over her hair, he whispered soft words that she couldn’t focus on. They reassured her, nevertheless.

“She’s not here,” Winnie whispered.

“She’s not. Your mom is with your dad and stepdad in heaven, wondering why you’re so sad,” Scythe told her.

She bit back a rueful laugh. “You’re so right. She wouldn’t be happy with me.”

“She’ll love you forever, Little girl.”

“I know. It’s just hard.” Winnie tried to pull herself together. She pushed on Scythe’s hard chest, and he relaxed his grip on her.

“Okay. Let’s go check that file and see what we need to do next,” she suggested.

“We’ve checked off every item that can be finished now, Winnie. The medical equipment people were in the area, so they already stopped by to retrieve their stuff. We have an appointment in a half hour with the minister.”

“Wow! Thank you.” Her eyes landed on a duffle bag sitting on the driveway. “What’s that?”

“I packed some of your things. You’re coming to stay with me, Little girl.”

“I am?”

“Yes. Do you trust me, or would you like to see if I missed anything?”

“As long as I have underwear, I’m happy. How did you sense I didn’t want to go in there?” she asked, looking back at the house.

“I know you, Winnie. Follow me over to the church and we’ll get everything started. Then, I’ll take you home.”

Home. That word echoed in her head. Her mom had made this place a home. “I came back to live here when she needed my help.”

“You were a very sweet daughter, Winnifred Abigail Bradley.”

Her gaze rebounded to meet his. “How did you find out my middle name?”

“Your sister and I picked out photos for the funeral service. She was good at finding fun pictures to show how much your mother enjoyed her life. I spotted a birth announcement in your baby book. Ten pounds, five ounces. You were healthy when you were born.” He stroked a hand over her spine to cup one of her butt cheeks.

“You still have the same cute badonkadonk.”

“Oh, my, God! You saw the naked picture of me as a baby.”

“I did.” Scythe waggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

“You!” Winnie slapped his chest, laughing. Only Scythe could change her mood in a flash.