Devils & Daughters (An MC Romance)

Chapter 2: A Ball In A Court

"'Bout the girl who wept stones. She's born in dry dirt. Where every woman is cursed or crazy. I know how it hurts, all the way to God." -Brother Dege, The Girl Who Wept Stones

Jacko
3 Months Later

Abruptly ending the phone call, I casually strode back through the small cluster of pine trees to the open lot where the newly built house sat. The fresh concrete grey paint on the siding caught the budding sunlight and allowed it to spread across the darker blue trim around the large windows. In an upstairs window, sheer curtains gently blew back and forth with the small breeze and created waves of soft cream fabric to glide in and out of the house.

Stopping on the porch, I took a deep breath as my hand hesitated to knock. Why the hell am I even knockin'? I sort of live here too. Relegated to a downstairs bedroom when I do choose to sleep here, but I live here nonetheless. I sighed and grumbled a bit under my breath, "Who am I kiddin'? It's hard to be stuck in a tiny fuckin' room like some overnight guest overstayin' their welcome."

A frustrated scream carried on a sob as it resonated through the door, and I moved at incredible speed to cross the threshold and enter the living room. Sarin sat cross-legged in the middle of the open kitchen, surrounded by a cluster of brown boxes. Her hand cupped her mouth as tears careened down her cheeks.

"I can't do this!' she choked out amidst another sob.

"What's the problem, Beautiful?" I leaned against the grey marble of the kitchen island as I frowned.

"How the hell am I gonna do this alone?" She slammed the flaps down on the box and looked over her shoulder with puffy red eyes.

"The unpackin' or the livin' part?"

"Both," she admitted in defeat.

Maneuvering around the island, I wrapped my arms under hers to hoist her up. Slowly turning her, I lifted her chin up. She clenched her eyes closed as moisture leaked from her clumped lashes.

"He's never coming back," she whispered as I pulled her close to my chest.

"We don't know that... So till we know for sure, how about we deal with one thing at a time." I rubbed my thumb across her cheek and her eyes slowly fluttered open to expose whites that were patchy with red and pink and her flushed cheeks beckoned me to run my palm across them. I sighed instead. "Let's get some shit unpacked before your Ma gets here for the boys. You got your bag ready to go?"

Sarin nodded before she looked down at the floor. Her breathing started to calm but as my arms tightened around her she tensed. I pulled away with another small sigh and eyed the slew of boxes.

"Where should we start?" I tried to distract myself from the overwhelming urge to cradle her and the fierce desire to push her up against the marble counter as my tongue made a delicacy of her skin.

"Could you deal with those over there? I don't know where to even put his stuff," she tearfully admitted. "Do I tuck it away in a dark corner of the closet and basically say that he's never coming back or do I put it places and be constantly reminded that once again life's fucked me?"

"I can't answer that for ya but I'd be pissed as shit to eventually come home and my shit's been stored away like I don't matter. So how 'bout we put some of it away. The rest we can deal with when we know somethin'." I stacked a few boxes on top of each other before bending to pick up the heavy pile. "Sound like a plan?"  
    
"I suppose it's a start." She stood silently for a few long moments as she rubbed the tears from her cheeks.
 
Her eyes greedily traced my flexed muscles as I maneuvered the boxes and I tossed her a soft smile. Yeah. You can't hide that you want me... Just like I'm having a shit time of hiding how I feel. My jeans were uncomfortably snug—all thanks to the woman who had essentially bewitched my penis, condemning it to only want to stand at attention and salute her presence like she was the Captain of my fleet. Sarin fucking James is going to be the death of me... literally.