Tore Up (Mississippi Smoke Series Book 1)

“Locke in the guest room again?” Ransom asked as he walked into the kitchen, going straight for the coffee machine.

I yawned and nodded as I stood over the stove, adding bacon to my omelet.

“Curious about what’s gonna come of that?” he asked me.

I knew he wasn’t talking about Locke. It was Saylor and Gathe he was referring to. Since finding out about Halo and the baby, she’d been clinging to Gathe. That also meant crying and dramatic fits regularly. Which was why Locke wouldn’t stay at the house he shared with his brother. It was annoying as fuck.

“I reckon Gathe will eventually get what he’s always wanted,” I replied, not caring either way.

Ransom took his espresso and turned to me. “You’re gonna need to see a chiropractor if you keep sleeping with your back against a wall.”

I cut my eyes at him.

“What? My room is closest to the stairs. I heard you go up when she was screaming and not come down them until six thirty this morning.”

I didn’t want to talk about that.

Last night, well, I hadn’t really had a fucking option. Whatever the doctor had given Halo, it kept her asleep all right, but it didn’t stop her nightmares. I couldn’t wake her up. Tears rolled down her face, and she gasped out Crosby’s name over and over. The only thing that calmed her was me getting in that tiny-ass bed and holding her. She’d clung to me as her sobbing eased and finally went back to sleep. I tried to move twice, and she whimpered. The fact that I’d fallen asleep and slept peacefully for the first time in two fucking months wasn’t lost on me. I was going to believe it’d had nothing to do with holding Halo, but finally watching the son of a bitch who had killed Crosby die.

“You could move her to the guest room. It’s a king-size bed. No sleeping against a wall,” Ransom suggested. “Of course, Locke won’t fit in that twin on the third floor. He’ll have to either put up with Saylor’s shit or send her ass home.”

Why did this fucker always wake up so damn chatty?

I moved my omelet to a plate, then turned off the burner. “It’ll be fine,” I said when he kept looking at me, waiting for a response. “She’s pregnant, and after she gets over all the shit that has happened to her in the past week, this will pass.”

At least I hoped so because I could not climb into that damn twin bed another night with her body all pressed up against me. That had fucked up my head. I’d woken up with my nose in her hair, smelling her like a psychopath. When I realized just how tangled up together we were, I snapped out of it real damn fast and got the hell out of there, making sure to straighten her covers. Last thing I’d needed was her waking up and seeing another body imprint in the sheets.

“You make extra bacon?” Ransom asked, walking over to the fridge and turning on the news. He and Than were the only two who ever used that screen.

“No,” I replied gruffly, then sat down at the bar with my breakfast.

I heard footsteps and paused, but they were too heavy to be Halo’s. I’d hoped to get the hell out of this house before she came down this morning.

Yesterday had been too much. Seeing Crosby’s son and knowing she was carrying him hit me in an unexpected way. I found myself instantly softening toward her. Wanting to keep her safe. That baby had become the most important thing in my life. I needed it to be okay.

Hearing Ares talk about her life before hadn’t helped. It’d only prodded me.

A need to protect her was trying to inch its way to the surface. I wouldn’t allow it though. And I would not let her think my concern for my nephew meant she and I were friends. We would never be friends. She was the vessel holding the life that was giving my family a piece of my brother. Nothing more.

Than entered the kitchen, and his gaze locked on me instantly. I shoved some omelet into my mouth before he started asking the same nosy shit Ransom had. They all had heard her scream, just like they’d all heard me go upstairs last night. It wasn’t something I could hide. She was fucking loud.

“Mornin’,” he said.

“I’m making bacon. Want some?” Ransom asked him.

“Yes, please,” he drawled and grabbed a mug from the cabinet.

He was shirtless again. That annoyed me. Was it so hard to put on a fucking shirt?

“Meds didn’t work, huh?” Than said as he leaned back against the counter while the machine made whatever coffee option he’d chosen.

“What? Did the screaming give that away?” Ransom replied sarcastically.

Than swung his gaze to Ransom. “Don’t be a dick. She can’t help it.”

He chuckled, putting some more bacon on the skillet.

“Sounds like Than here wouldn’t mind sleeping against the wall at night. Why don’t you let him go running up the stairs tonight?”

Not happening.

“If you want a break, I can do it,” he immediately offered.

I lifted my eyes from my plate and leveled them on him. “She’s pregnant with Crosby’s son.”

He nodded. “I’m well aware.”

My grip on the fork tightened. “She’s not going to be your next fuck friend.”

Than straightened as his face hardened, along with his now-tense body. “Do you actually think I’d do that? To her? The girl my best friend was in love with?”

I took another bite of my food. I didn’t know what he’d do, but I knew what she looked like. I knew he sure as hell was finding ways to spend time with her. Like their movie night they’d had.

“She’s young and emotional. Don’t mess with her head,” I said as I stood up.

He hadn’t heard all the things that Ares had said last night. He had shown up and cut the bastard’s tongue out before he could spew any more shit.

“I’m being her friend. She needs one of those. It doesn’t help for us to treat her like she’s alone and unwanted here. Crosby wouldn’t have wanted that.”

I was so fucking tired of hearing what my brother would have wanted. I knew Than was his best friend, but I was his brother. I knew what he’d have wanted, and I knew I wasn’t doing it right, but I was trying to handle it the best way I could. My sanity was an issue, too, and Halo moving into Crosby’s room was not happening.

“Just remember it’s friendship you’re offering her,” I said, dropping my plate and fork into the sink.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” he shot back at me.NôvelDrama.Org exclusive content.

“He’s just pointing out that she’s a smokeshow. You get close to her, and … well, you’re a guy. Lines could blur for you. Don’t let it,” Ransom told him.

Why were they all so fucking focused on how she looked? She wasn’t the only beautiful female they’d ever seen. We had hot ass here on the regular. Halo did not own the fucking market with her looks.

I punched the coffee machine harder than necessary, trying to tamp down my annoyance.

“Don’t break it,” Than said. “Forge broke off the fucking with that chick whose dad owns the company that makes it. And with all the bitching you did when we replaced the Keurig with it, I doubt you’re gonna pay to have it fixed.”

I wasn’t responding to that.

The sound of footsteps caused me to pause. They were softer. Way too light to belong to one of the swinging dicks in this house. I’d not gotten out fast enough.

Fuck.

“Good morning, little momma.”

Than’s greeting grated on me. What the fuck was he calling her that for? She had a name.

I grabbed my coffee and turned to leave. Her bright-eyed look caused me to pause. She smiled at Than, then shifted her attention to me.

“Good morning,” she replied to me as if I’d been the one to say it. “I was hoping to talk to you before you left,” she told me.

Damn. Had I not fixed the covers good enough?

I raised an eyebrow as I drank from my cup, not wanting her to feel exactly comfortable with me. If she brought up the fact that I’d been in her bed most of the night in front of these two fuckers, I’d never hear the end of it.

She cleared her throat in a nervous way, and her gaze flickered past me to Than.

Don’t go doing that. He will get the wrong idea, and I don’t trust him or his cock.

“I, uh … who cleans the house? I noticed it’s always so tidy, and I … well, I can’t just sit around all day. I need something to do. I could clean and do laundry. Go buy the groceries, if you have a list I could use,” she finished with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

“Wilma might be upset if you take her job,” I told her.

The instant disappointment in her expression was hard to miss.

Why the hell did she want to clean up after us? Did she have any idea about the mess this bunch had made yesterday in the game room alone? She’d not had to clean up after we had a race-watching party or a fight night. There was also the issue that I couldn’t stomach watching her fucking clean. Not after what she’d grown up with. How she had been treated. That wasn’t happening to her again. Ever.

“Oh, I hadn’t seen anyone, so I didn’t realize,” she said softly. “Well, could I perhaps look for a job? I would need transportation, and I know that can be a hassle, but if there is a bus system, I could use it.”

Was she serious right now? Did she honestly believe I’d let her get on a bus and work a job? She was carrying Crosby’s baby. She didn’t need to do shit that could hurt my nephew.

“Your job is to keep my brother’s son safe. Do whatever you can to make sure this pregnancy is healthy and he is thriving. That’s your only job,” I told her, then took my coffee and got the hell out of that damn kitchen.

Those eyes of hers were a weapon. The damn sky on a clear day couldn’t even compete.