Page 30 of Wild Card (Foster Bro Code #2)

Dalton

Why was it so hot? And ugh, what was that smell ? I grunted with discontent, and something wet slid along my cheek.

What the fuck? I jerked back, eyes snapping open.

“Loki,” Axel rasped, throat still hoarse from sleep…or maybe the rough fucking I’d given it the night before. “Consent, man. We’ve talked about this.”

I scrubbed at my face, nose scrunching up as Taz panted doggy breath from his spot on the pillow by my head. My damn leg was asleep, Oreo’s full weight laid out on top of me, while Loki tromped all over my body, hitting my bruised thigh and coming perilously close to the goods.

I jerked to the side, swearing and shoving Loki from the bed. “Jesus, how do you live with all these goddamn dogs?”

Axel laughed. “You’re the one who wanted to spend the night.”

Last night, after I’d fucked out my frustration, I hadn’t wanted to leave Axel.

I’d helped him clean up outside, put out the fire, and sort out the dogs.

When he’d tried to send me on my way, I’d pinned him to the bed.

Axel had put up a token resistance before giving in and letting me wrap my body around his for the night.

“I’m about to die of heatstroke,” I grumbled, throwing the blankets off and struggling free of Oreo’s weight.

My damn leg started to wake up, pins and needles prickling through my ankle and calf, making me stagger.

“Damn, what’s that bruise about?” Axel said, sitting up and leaning closer.

I glanced down, scowling. “Dallas hit me with the car door.”

“What?” Axel looked up, blue eyes blazing. “That’s assault on an officer!”

I drank in his indignant reaction, my insides glowing, my outsides…growing. Damn, but I liked Axel getting all fired up over my well-being.

I climbed back into the bed, scattering dogs every which way, to kiss him, morning breath and all. By the time we came up for air, I was twice as sweaty and well overdue for a shower.

“Where can I clean up?” I asked. “Does this place have a working shower?”

“There’s one outside.”

My eyes widened, and Axel chuckled. “I only use it in the summer. We can go over to the house.”

“Really?” My eyebrows rose. “Not worried about your brothers seeing me?”

Axel rolled his eyes. “They know we’re fucking.”

“We’re more than fucking,” I said firmly. “It’s my day off. I was supposed to go see my family, but if you need me to hang around and prove to you that we’re more than hookups…”

He shoved me toward the edge of the bed. “I’d never get any work done. No. Go see your family, man. Enjoy your day off. I’ll be here when you get back.”

I grabbed a handful of hair and reeled him in for a quick kiss. “Good to know,” I murmured against his mouth.

“You’re going to make me regret growing my hair out, huh? Maybe I’ll shave my head so you can’t yank me around.”

I pulled his hair a little harder, tugging his head back to nibble at his throat. “Don’t you dare.”

He chuckled, goose bumps rising under my lips. “Just remember, you might like to pull my hair, but I’ve got all the control here.”

I drew back, meeting his gaze. “Of course you do. You always have.”

I stood and stepped into my faded jeans, then found my T-shirt tossed over the table a few feet away. Axel threw on some clothes behind me.

“Let me sort out the animals, and then we can go.”

I had watched this routine before, but this time, Axel detoured to the far end of the junkyard, where he put out food and water for a whole mess of cats. A few yowled plaintively, as if to scold him.

“It’s Dalton’s fault I’m late,” Axel told them as he poured out dry kibble.

The cats climbed all over one another—sometimes hissing or straight-up growling as they all competed for the first bite.

“Damn, they’re wilder than the dogs, huh?”

“Yeah, there’s a couple who’ll cozy up in the colder months. Won’t be long until Fireball makes himself at home.”

Fireball was easy to spot, a bright orange cat that was winding around Axel’s legs while he tried to move. He paused to give Fireball and a tabby a few pets, then placed the bag of cat food back inside a stack of tires where he kept it.

“All right, we can go now.”

We crossed the junkyard, picking up a few canine followers along the way, and headed over to the house with Loki, Oreo, and Taz on our heels.

Sugar had apparently taken herself somewhere for some peace and quiet.

Axel didn’t bother to knock. He opened the door and walked in like he lived there. I guess in a way, he did? He might stay out at the junkyard, but this was still his family home.

Gray and Emory were coming down the stairs in shorts and tank tops, hair still rumpled from sleep. They both stopped and stared.

“Mornin’,” I said as the silence drew out.

Emory smiled. “Good to see you, Deputy Harvey.”

I winced. “Call me Dalton when I’m not here in an official capacity.”

Gray gave me a once-over. “And what capacity are you here in, Dalton ?”

Axel scowled. “You can stop with the inquisition. We’re just here for the shower.”

Holden emerged from the kitchen doorway, a mug of coffee in hand. “You can stay for breakfast. Nothing fancy, just some waffles.”

Axel shook his head. “He doesn’t have time for all that.”

I slipped my arm around his waist, giving him a squeeze. “Oh, I’m not in a hurry. Thanks, Holden. I’d love some waffles.”

Axel huffed a breath. “You’re enjoying this.”

“Maybe just a little.”

He crossed the living room, leaving me to follow along like a puppy. “Come on, let’s get you that shower before Gray and Emory get in there. They’ll fuck around and run it out of hot water.”

“Rude!” Gray called behind us.

“Also accurate,” Holden said with a small smile.

Bailey opened a door and poked his head into the hallway, looking disgruntled. “Why do you guys have to be so loud ? I was trying to sleep.”

“It’s late enough,” Holden said. “Come get some breakfast.”

Axel pushed me into the bathroom. “There are towels in the bottom drawer.”

I turned. “Okay?—”

The door closed in my face.

I frowned, a little disappointed he wasn’t joining me, but it wasn’t like we hadn’t already fucked around once this morning. I was getting greedy.

I turned on the water and rinsed quickly, not wanting to keep everyone else from their morning routines when I was the unexpected interloper.

When I emerged, Axel was nursing a cup of coffee at the table. Holden worked the waffle iron while Bailey polished off the last few bites on his plate. Gray was stealing bacon from Emory’s plate, his already bare of anything but a pool of syrup.

“I can’t believe you stole my dog,” Axel said to Holden, trying to look put out, but his eyes gave him away, crinkling at the corners. Here with his brothers, he looked happy. Less guarded.

“Hey, I can’t help it if she has good taste,” Holden shot back while breaking off a piece of bacon to feed to the gorgeous Samoyed.

Bailey snorted. “He says while he bribes her with bacon.”

“I don’t blame him,” Gray said. “It’s the only way to keep your little demons under control.”

He shuddered and tossed a bit of bacon to Taz. Axel and Bailey broke into snickers.

“Yeah,” Holden said, “but Banshee actually likes me.”

“She does seem rather smitten,” Emory said.

Axel huffed. “She does, doesn’t she?”

I spoke up from my position at the hall entrance. “I’m not going to have another dognapping case on my hands, am I?”

Axel’s gaze snapped to mine. “Hey,” he said.

“I’d never actually steal Banshee,” Holden said. “She just visits.”

“You don’t have to steal her,” Axel said. “She chose you, and it’s her choice.”

“Really?” Holden transferred a fresh waffle onto a plate already stacked with three. “Dalton went to a lot of trouble to get her back for you.”

“Shit, sorry,” Axel said. “I probably seem like an ungrateful fucker.”

Holden held out a plate stacked with waffles. “Here. Eat up.”

“Oh, this is too much.”

“Share with Axel, then. He hasn’t eaten.”

Had he waited for me? That was unexpectedly sweet.

I carried the plate to the table and sat down beside Axel, nudging his foot with mine as I settled. “If you’re happy and Banshee is happy, then I’m happy.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course. I got her back because you were worried about her, and she deserved better than Rusty.”

Bailey nodded. “Yeah, that guy’s a real douche.”

“Bailey,” Holden said with a sigh.

“Oh, it’s true,” I said with a laugh.

“How did you get him to give her up, anyway? Wasn’t she a big payday?” Gray asked.

“I have my ways.”

“Mysterious,” Emory said with a chuckle. “I like it.”

I cut a bite of waffle and tried to look innocent. I really didn’t want to get into the details of how I’d convinced Rusty to give her up. It didn’t matter. As long as Axel was happy and she was happy.

“Dalton’s good at his job,” Axel said with a surprising amount of pride in his tone. “He can talk reason into just about anyone.”

“That must be true if he got through to you,” Gray joked.

Axel stole a piece of bacon from my plate to flick at him. It hit Gray’s shoulder and bounced onto the table.

“Mm, more bacon for me.” He picked it up and took a bite. A little growl sounded from under the table, and he visibly startled, then hurriedly broke off a piece and tossed it to Taz. “Here, take my offering. Don’t hurt me, demon.”

“I thought Taz liked everyone?” I said, baffled.

Axel snorted coffee out his nose he laughed so hard. Bailey and Holden were losing it, too. I exchanged a look with Emory.

He smiled. “There’s a whole story about Taz trying to gobble Gray’s dick?—”

“What?” I exclaimed.

The brothers only laughed harder while Gray glared at them. “Laugh it up, assholes. I’m gonna get a goat and teach it to bite you all in the ass!”

They continued to taunt and tease and laugh at each other, and I could see now why Axel had hurled himself into the bar fight when Dallas hit Gray with a chair. Bailey had jumped into the fray, too. These guys might not be related by blood, but they were tighter than most families.