“Sweet Bliss…”
“Please, don’t call me that… Please, don’t. I’m not sweet. I don’t know how to be. That’s why they threw me out. I was too mean to the women. I couldn’t be friendly with the women who were taking the men away from the club.
“If they didn’t want to have sex with me, then why would they protect me? I needed their protection. I still do. That’s why I wanted Shade so badly. If I could have made him care, he would have made sure Stark never came near me again. I can’t go back to the Devil’s Rejects.”
“You don’t need The Last Riders anymore, especially not Shade.” Drake forced her to turn around and face him. “I can protect you. Trust me.”
He would never understand what he was asking of her. He wanted her to stand still with the train roaring right at her and not try to jump out of the way. She had trusted Stark twice, and he had nearly destroyed her. She had trusted she would always be a Last Rider, and that had ended.
Bliss laid her head on his chest. “I’ll try.”
“I won’t let you down.”
She had faced fears many times in her life, but never had she felt the terror clutching at her heart. Trust didn’t come easily to her. She could count on one hand the number of people she had trusted during her lifetime, and they had all failed her. Bliss didn’t think she would survive if she was disappointed again.
Chapter 12
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“I guess not.”
No restraining order was going to make Stark stay away from her, but Bliss had decided to place her fragile trust in Drake for the time being. The only reason she hadn’t already disappeared was because of the man walking confidently by her side.
“Where you going now?”
Bliss shrugged. “I was just going to head back to the house.”
“I promised Cal I would take him to see his little sister this morning. Want to come?” he asked, before explaining, “With Cal’s father serving prison time, the courts thought it would be psychologically damaging to deny her seeing Cal. Her foster mother takes her to daycare for a few hours a day so she can play with other children her age and to give Cal a place to visit Darcy. She doesn’t feel comfortable with him coming to her home. It won’t take long. Then, if you want, we could have Jace bring a pizza home when he gets off work and watch a movie.”
“It’s better than what I had planned.” She really didn’t want to go home by herself. Stark was still sitting in his jail cell, but she knew she would just worry if she was alone.
Drake opened his car door for her, and Bliss wearily climbed inside.
He cast her a glance as he started the car. “You look tired.”
“I didn’t sleep well.”
“Afraid one of the Devil’s Rejects would come for you?”
“Yes.” Bliss rested her head on the window. Every sound in the house had her sitting up in bed, listening. She had fallen asleep near dawn with her cell phone in her hand and 911 keyed in so all she would have to do was hit the call button.
Drake squeezed her knee. “Don’t worry, no one’s going to interrupt your dreams but me.”
“I dreamed about you when I finally fell asleep,” Bliss admitted.
“Do you know that, when you dream about a person, it’s because they were thinking about you?”
Bliss smiled. “Were you?”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking about you a lot, actually.”
“What about?”
“About how good it feels when you’re sucking my dick.”
Bliss felt her mood lightening. “You’re a jerk.”
“A horny jerk. When are you going to break and spend the night with me or let me spend the night with you?”
“When Jace and Cal leave to join the service or Ginny spends the night away. I told you I don’t feel comfortable with Jace and Cal there, and I know Ginny wouldn’t at my place.”
“So, we’re going to keep fucking at my office and the hotel?”
“Look at it this way, it adds excitement.”
“Having you in my bed all night would be exciting enough.”
Bliss covered his hand on her knee with hers as they pulled into the driveway of his house. A minute later, Cal came out to squeeze into the back seat.
“Thanks for taking me, Drake.”
Cal and Jace had gone in together to buy themselves a car to share, but Jace ended up with it most of the time since his job was delivering pizzas. And right then, Jace had the car.
“No problem.”
Drake drove back to town, parking on the street a block down from Main Street. The daycare had opened a few months back in the building next to the one that held Diamond’s office.
Drake got out, and then Cal climbed out on his side. Bliss remained sitting.
“You coming?”
“I thought I would wait here.”
“Come on, he’s going to be at least thirty minutes.”
Sighing, Bliss got out, coming around the front of the car. “I like what they’ve done to the building.” The front of the old building had been painted a pretty shade of bright yellow. “Happy Friends” was printed boldly across the door.
“I do, too.”
Bliss went in after Drake to see a woman ushering Cal into a large room where several children of different ages were playing.
“Are you sure it’s okay we’re here?”
“I’m sure. Cal has the court’s permission to see Darcy for two hours a week. He tries to come by and see her every day before he goes to work at the grocery store. I know the owner. Jessie Hayes opened it last month. She bought the building from me and knows I’m Cal’s guardian until he graduates.”
Bliss unobtrusively studied the woman. She had brown hair and was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt that had Santa on it as she went to the little girl sitting by herself at a table, sucking her thumb and holding a small, worn blanket on her lap.
The little girl’s face didn’t light up when her brother crouched down next to her.
“Hi, Darcy. How’s my baby sister doing?”
Bliss winced at the sound of Cal’s voice. The sight of Darcy sitting off by herself had affected him.
She had missed her brothers when they had been taken away, and Bliss wondered how her life would have turned out if she had been able to stay in contact with them. Maybe she would have never met Stark, or maybe her brothers would have been killed even earlier.
She was glad the sad child had her brother. It was obvious Cal loved his little sister as he ruffled her hair, trying to bring a smile to her face.
Bliss and Drake sat down on a couple of chairs that had been placed against the wall while the children all watched them curiously as Cal picked a book to read to his sister.
One brave, blue-eyed little boy wandered closer. “What’s your name?”
Bliss felt uncomfortable for a second, waiting for the daycare owner to rush the child away from her. “Bliss. What’s yours?”
“I’m not allowed to talk to strangers.”
Bliss didn’t mention the fact that he had been the one to approach her.
“Want a carrot stick? I have some left over from snack time. I don’t like carrots.”
She tried to keep a solemn face as the little boy took out three carrot sticks from his jeans pocket. Bliss didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but there was no way she was going to eat one of the unappetizing sticks nestled in the palm of his hand.
“No, thanks. I don’t like carrots, either. I think Drake likes them, though.” Bliss raised a brow, trying to keep from laughing.
“I’m not hungry. I had my snack before I came here.”
“You sure?” The boy’s face fell.
It didn’t affect Drake. “I’m sure.”
“Come back to the group, Devon. You’re missing the best part of the story.” Jessie came up from behind the boy to lead him back to the group.
Bliss had tensed, expecting her to ask her not to talk to the children. She was floored w
hen she was given a friendly smile instead.
“He’s adorable,” Bliss remarked, relaxing back on her chair.
“I think he knows it, too,” Drake remarked. “I’m going to have some serious competition in a few years.”
Bliss didn’t think so. Drake would be hard to beat, even though she wouldn’t use the word “adorable” to describe him.
Bliss watched as Jessie read to the small group that had gathered around her. When she finished, the children played around the room in different areas. Jessie then came to stand next to their chairs, keeping a watchful eye on the children while speaking to Bliss.
“Hi. I’m Jessie.” She held out her hand, which Bliss shook as she introduced herself.
“You’ve gotten another child since the last time I was here,” Drake commented.
“I’m at full capacity until I can hire another worker.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“You would think so, but the women applying for the position aren’t passing their drug tests, or they have a police record. I have three children on a waiting list, and I can’t take them until I find someone.”
“If I think of anyone who might be interested, I’ll let you know.”
“I would appreciate it. One mother is going to lose her job if she doesn’t find someone soon. Her last babysitter moved away.”
“I could help out until you find someone you want to hire permanently.” Bliss wanted to take the words back immediately. There was no way this woman wouldn’t realize she used to belong to The Last Riders. While the outfit she was wearing wasn’t as sexually suggestive as most of the clothes she usually wore, it didn’t scream babysitter, either.
Jessie’s face became ecstatic, however. “That would help out a lot. Do you have any experience with children in a preschool?”
“No.”
“Do you at least like children?”
“Yes.”
“Right now, I’ll take that. I don’t mean to be personal, but to save us both some time, will you pass the drug test?”
“Yes.”
Bliss felt Drake’s sharp glance. He had given her the joints, but she hadn’t smoked them. She had taken them to keep him from smoking them. She didn’t like the taste of them and hadn’t wanted to tell him that.
“Do you have a police record?”
“No,” Bliss lied. Shade had made sure her juvenile record had been destroyed. However, none of those charges would endanger the children; they would only embarrass her.
“You’re hired … pending your drug test and the police record coming back clean. I’ll get you an application.” Jessie went to the desk in the corner and pulled out some papers, bringing them back to her with a pen. “If you want, you can do them now, and I can get everything started. It should only take a couple of days if you stop by the hospital when you leave here for the drug test.”
“That’s fine.” Bliss took the papers and pen from Jessie.
What in the hell was she doing? She was going to have to leave when Stark came back after her, so why was she tying herself to this town?
Jessie went to break up two girls squabbling over a doll while Bliss began filling out the paperwork to avoid Drake’s curious eyes.
“You sure about this?”
“No, but I’ll stick with it until she hires someone else. It’ll give me something to do besides fuck you when you’re bored during the day.”
“I hope she finds someone to replace you soon.”
“Me, too,” Bliss said fervently.
Chapter 13
“Do angels fly?” Devon asked as Bliss wiped the glue off his small hands.
“Some do.” Bliss picked up the picture of an angel he had been coloring. It was soggy because he had used so much glue to apply glitter to the wings. “If they’ve earned their wings.”
“How do you become an angel?” Devon tagged along behind her as she pinned his picture to the wall.
Bliss took her time answering the delicate question.
“My mama’s an angel.” Darcy wobbled over to the picture, pointing to the one she had colored with blue hair. Her blue-green eyes filled with tears, a contrast to her expensive, festive dress with little Christmas trees and her long, blondish-brown hair that was braided and had a big red bow at the end.
Bliss leaned over, picking the child up into her arms. Despite herself, Bliss was becoming attached to the motherless little girl.
Jessie had told her Darcy had been placed in a foster home when her mother had passed away and Cal’s father had been sent to prison. Bliss didn’t tell her that she already knew, not wanting to bring up her connection to The Last Riders until she had to. She really liked working with the children, and she didn’t even mind getting out of bed in the morning to rush there. Surprisingly, she had also asked Ginny to go to the department store with her to pick out more appropriate clothes.
Bliss didn’t care for the woman taking care of Darcy. Lisa West was a bitch; Bliss was an expert at recognizing them, because she was one.
“How did she become an angel?” Devon asked Darcy.
“Jesus missed her, so he took her home. I miss her, too. Do you think he would bring her back if I asked Santa?”
Bliss considered her heart unbreakable, but Darcy was putting a crack in it. A big one.
“Sweetheart, I don’t think Santa can do that. Santa brings presents to good little boys and girls.”
“I’ve been reeeal good.”
“I have, too!” Dalton chimed in.
“Not as good as me.” Darcy was crying with big, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
Bliss carried her to the reading corner where Jessie had placed a rocking chair. Sitting down with the girl on her lap, Bliss began humming a song she had thought she had long forgotten.
Darcy’s chubby hand reached out to grasp her blanket, brushing the satin ribbon at the end against her wet cheek.
“What’s the name of that song? It’s pretty.”
“‘Hush Little Baby,’” Bliss choked out.
“I like it.”
“I do, too. My mama used to sing it to me when I was little.”
Darcy’s head fell to her breast as Bliss slowly rocked the chair and hummed. Her lids lowered, and her breathing evened out as she fell asleep.
Jessie had laid out the napping cots, so Bliss carried the girl to the one closest to the desk. That way, she could watch over Darcy as she napped. She covered her with a blanket Jessie handed her, and then Bliss helped Jessie lay the rest of the children down. Most of them fell asleep as soon as they lay down, while the rest wiggled before settling down and drifting off.
“She’s a sweet kid,” Jessie remarked, throwing herself down in the chair behind the desk.
“Yes, she is,” Bliss replied as she went around the room, picking up the toys and straightening the learning centers.
Jessie sat at her desk, watching her as she ate her lunch. “You’re very good with children,” she complimented.
“I like them. I always have. I would babysit a friend of mine’s twins whenever they let me.”
“They let you?”
“I had to stand in line. They had several friends volunteering.”
“Oh. Sit down and take a break.” Jessie pulled out the chair next to hers then handed Bliss a sandwich. “I made extra. I noticed you have a habit of not eating lunch.”
“I’m not a very good cook.”
“I’m going to give you a secret recipe with only three ingredients.”
Bliss unwrapped the sandwich, taking a bite of the gooey goodness.
“Bread, peanut butter, and jelly.”
“I can add another recipe to my file. Microwavable macaroni and cheese, cups of soup, and now peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.” Bliss chewed the sandwich, expecting to be assailed by bad memories of the many times she had eaten them when she was a child. It was a staple at homeless shelters.
When she had been living with the Devil’s Rejects, it was o
ften the only thing she could scrounge together for a meal. After she had been rescued, she had sworn never to eat one again. Some things in life were inevitable, though, and peanut butter and jelly was one of them.
“Keep it up and you’ll become as good as me.”
“You’re a good cook?” Bliss opened the carton of milk Jesse handed her from the small refrigerator under her desk.
“My recipe file is slightly bigger than yours,” Jessie teased. “I can reheat pizza.”
The women finished their lunch then woke the children. The afternoon flew by as they played with the kids, having them expend their energy with the snowy day outside.
All the children had been picked up early since the snow had grown heavier. Darcy was the last one, and the sky was becoming darker.
“Lisa is late again,” Jessie muttered under her breath so Darcy wouldn’t hear.
“You go ahead. I’ll stay with her and turn out all the lights and lock up.”
“I can’t ask you to do that. You’ve been opening every day.”
“I don’t mind. I can walk home. You live farther out of town. If you wait much longer, the roads will be too bad for you to get home.” Bliss carefully went over all the nap mats with disinfectant, stacking them meticulously before putting them back in the closet.
“You don’t have to twist my arm. I’m gone,” Jessie said, going for her coat and purse.
Bliss went around the classroom, doing the chores to prepare for the next day and letting Darcy help. The girl looked adorable as she wiped down her desk as if it were the most important task in the world. When they finished, she read to Darcy until her foster mother came in to pick her up.
Lisa West looked around the empty room. “She’s the last one?”
“Pick-up time is six.” Bliss pointedly stared at the clock on the wall that showed seven-fifteen.
“My hair appointment ran late.”
Bliss ignored the woman’s lies, knowing full well no beauty salon in Treepoint stayed open past six.
She gently helped Darcy into her coat, buttoning it carefully. The coat wasn’t very thick, unlike the one Mrs. West was wearing, nor had she brought a cap or gloves for the little girl.
“The temperature has dropped to almost zero. She doesn’t have a hat—”