Page 25 of Trusting Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #8)

Chapter Twenty-Three

Ash

W hen Lexie comes out of the bathroom, she gives me a shy grin. I think our hike did her good.

She rolls her head on her neck. “I’m so out of shape.”

“It feels good though, doesn’t it?” I ask, throwing another piece of wood on the fire I started.

“If I say yes, are you going to make me go even farther tomorrow?”

I flash her my most charming smile. “I’ll always push you to go farther but,” I hold up a finger, “only if it’s in your best interest.”

“Is making every muscle in my body hurt in my best interest?”

“It is if it makes you stronger.” I move to her side. “Here, let me help. Sit down in front of me.”

“I’m okay,” she says, rubbing the back of her neck.

I drag her off the couch and gently encourage her to sit on the floor between my legs. She stills when I begin to massage her shoulders. “Oh my gosh, girl. You’re all knotted up.”

It takes a few minutes but eventually she succumbs to the magic. A groan leaves her lips that rouses my libido, but I have more control than that. I’ve held my position for as long as forty-eight hours for the perfect shot. I’m not going to blow this before I’m sure she’s ready.

“I don’t think all of this is from our walk,” I surmise.

“Oh, that hurts,” she complains, trying to shift away from me.

“We’ve got to get some of this broken up. Geez, these knots are terrible.”

The fire crackles, and the wind picks up outside. “The storm missed us last night, but I don’t know if we’ll be so lucky tonight.” Lightning flashes across the sky, making the trees outside look more ominous than they really are. “If you get scared, don’t be afraid to wake me up,” I tell her.

Her gaze goes to the windows. “I won’t be scared because you’re here,” she says softly.

It’s still a shock to my system to hear her admit her feelings so freely. I trace my fingers lightly over the back of her neck. “Brody sent me a text while you were in the shower. They made it safely.”

“That’s good. Did you tell him to thank Daisy for the necklace?”

“I did.”

She makes a soft humming noise. “I’m worried about her. Her parents didn’t tell her she was adopted. She feels betrayed by them. Now she’s hiding.”

The girls must have done a lot of sharing last night.

“Brody will take good care of her. He’ll keep her safe,” I assure her.

“I know.”

“I’m glad you two talked. You’re usually so quiet.”

My heart stops when she lays her head against my thigh and sighs. “It’s easier to talk when you find people who listen.”

Rain starts to patter against the windows as I press my fingers into the soft spot behind her ear, continuing to massage away years of stress and anxiety.

“When I was in eighth grade, I quit talking for two whole months,” she confesses.

“To your parents?”

“To everyone.”

My hand stills. “To everyone? How does that even work?”

She draws invisible circles over my leg. “I just didn’t talk.”

“But how did you answer questions? Like, I believe you. I’m just curious.”

“No one asked me anything.” Lexie lifts her head and wraps her arms around her legs, hugging herself. “No one even noticed.”

My heart breaks clean the fuck open. I don’t say anything. There’s nothing I can say to make it better. So, I slip to the floor behind her and hug her with my entire body, hoping the little girl inside her feels how sorry I am that everyone in her life failed her.

“Not my friends, not my teachers, not our housecleaners, and especially not my parents.”

I squeeze her tight, desperately trying to fuse all her broken bits together.

“By the time someone initiated a conversation with me, I was beyond starved for attention.”

“You’ll never know neglect like that again, Lexie. I promise.”

She’s deep in thought, but she shakes her head as if trying to dispel old memories. “I don’t want to talk about my past anymore. I want to watch you carve something.”

I hug her one more time and then hop up. “I’ve got a piece I started for my sister. It’s for her new baby.”

“I didn’t know Willow was pregnant. How far along is she?”

“Four months. I just found out when I got home. She was waiting to tell everyone until she was sure the pregnancy was moving along as expected. She’s having a girl.

” I grab my bag and then sit back down across from her so that our knees are touching.

“I usually like to go outside to avoid the mess, but I’ll sweep it up. ”

“What are you making her?”

“A wooden bug mobile for her crib.” I pull out a few of the pieces I’ve already finished. “I’m working on a caterpillar now.”

She smiles as she picks up the ladybug piece. “This is such an adorable idea. This baby is lucky to have you as an uncle.”

“They’ll look better once I paint them.”

Her gaze goes to my hands as I take my knife to the already formed caterpillar, giving him a little more character.

“My sister is weird. She’s always had a peculiar admiration for bugs,” I explain.

“Oh, you know what would be so cute? You should write a children’s story including each of them as a character,” she tells me excitedly.

“My sister would love that. We’re both book nerds. You know her non-profit, Willow’s Words, provides books for underprivileged kids all over the country. If she had a book written for her firstborn it would put her over the moon, but I don’t have a storytelling bone in my body.”

“It wouldn’t be that hard. Like, what’s this one’s name?” She holds her hand in front of her face, the little ladybug resting in her palm.

“Dolores,” I tease.

She wrinkles her nose at me, and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

“No?” I ask.

Lexie looks thoughtful for a moment. “Lucy,” she finally announces, pleased with herself. She sets it on the floor beside me and rushes to the kitchen table. She comes back with the pen I bought for her and a tablet.

I pause, wondering what she’s doing.

“Okay, we have Lucy the Ladybug. What about this little guy?” The next creature that has the pleasure of her attention is a bumblebee.

“Barry,” I blurt out, thrilled to see Lexie passionate about something. To know I had a small part in it makes all the hard work I’ve put into getting here worth it. I knew I just needed to be patient with her.

“Barry the Bumblebee,” she rolls it over her tongue. Her head tips side to side as she considers it. “I like it.”

Her pen scratches over her notebook before her attention returns to my hands. “You make it look so easy. Aren’t you afraid you’ll cut yourself?”

“No risk, no reward,” I tell her. “So, what about this one?”

“Oh, his name is Coco,” she announces without hesitation.

I laugh lightly. “Coco the Caterpillar. You know, you’re going to have to write this book now. They can’t have names without a story.”

Her cheeks turn pink. “Oh, I don’t know.”

“My sister would love it so much.” Innocently, I blink my eyes.

“Stop,” she says shyly, pushing at my leg.

I lean forward and kiss her on the lips. “So you’ll do it?”

“I’ll … I’ll give it a try.”