Blood & Bones: Cage (Blood Fury MC 5)

He knew. Her brother was smart. He just didn’t want to tell her. He probably thought she was still a baby and wouldn’t understand.

But she was smart, too.

One good thing that happened that day... The day the police stormed the house and Ox grabbed her to use her as a shield from the guns being pointed at him...

She never had to see Trixie or Ox again.

She never had to listen to any women cry in that warehouse again.

She never was forced to sit in anyone’s lap again.

She never had to hide in her secret spot again.

Jemma’s heart began to thump heavily in her chest.

Holy fuck, she hated Manning Grove.

She fucking hated it.

She scrubbed roughly at her eyes and sat up in bed, trying to control her breathing.

Tilting her head, she listened carefully.

Nothing but silence.

She had woken up a few times during the night, once from a nightmare and twice from hearing Dyna cry. She had waited to see if Cage would come ask her for help, but he didn’t. He handled whatever his daughter had needed.

She smiled. Yeah, he was going to knock this fatherhood thing out of the park.

She rolled out of bed and tugged down the long T-shirt she wore. An oversized tee she had pilfered from her last boyfriend. She had loved the T-shirt, just not the man. So, she kept the one and got rid of the other.

Wearing the Rolling Stones shirt to bed gave her more satisfaction than he ever did. He wasn’t a dick, but he didn’t give good dick, either. She could only deal with the bad sex for so long.

He had been a big guy, so the T-shirt was loose and long enough to hit her mid-thigh.

With a sigh, she opened her bedroom door and went still at the sight before her. She didn’t know what to expect her first morning living with Cage, but what she saw wasn’t it.

Bare-chested and bare-footed, he was sprawled across the couch fast asleep. One arm was folded behind his head like a pillow, the other held Dyna, who only wore a diaper, to his chest. From what Jemma could see, she was sleeping just as soundly as her father.

That view was enough to melt any cold, dead heart.

On the end table next to the couch were two empty bottles—one baby, one beer—a spit-up towel and a cell phone.

She tiptoed past, figuring she’d leave them undisturbed for a few minutes while she emptied her full bladder, brushed her teeth and at least washed her face.

When she finally came back out of the only bathroom, she headed to the couch, where Cage’s mouth was now open, and he snored softly.

She shouldn’t be standing over him and watching him like she was, but she couldn’t resist. While, yes, his face was still fucked up, there was something about it being relaxed in sleep that reminded her of when he was a kid. He looked as vulnerable and innocent as Dyna, even with the busted nose, slightly swollen lip and black eyes.

Her fingers curled to fight the itch to run them through his messy hair. To brush it away from his face and assure him everything would be okay.

Holy shit, she was fucking losing it.

She didn’t want to get caught staring, so she concentrated on Dyna instead. The baby shouldn’t be sleeping on her belly, so she decided to take her and put her in her bassinet for now.

As she slowly peeled his fingers off her back, trying not to wake either of them, his grip on his daughter automatically tightened.

His blue eyes popped open. “Wha—”

“I was only going to put her down. She shouldn’t be sleeping on her stomach.”

He glanced down and muttered a soft, “Fuck.”

“Let her go,” she whispered.

Jemma gently pried Dyna from his hold, moved away from the couch and checked her. Her belly was full and her diaper empty. She should sleep for a little bit.

When she looked up, she saw Cage was now sitting, his bare feet planted apart, his elbows on his knees and his head in both hands.

He looked drained.

“How much sleep did you get?”

He sat upright and shook his head. “Not much.”

“You have to be at work in an hour. Do you have time for breakfast?”

“You makin’ it?”

“Sure, since I have to eat, too. When’s the last time she ate?”

“A half hour ago.”

That gave Jemma time to make them something. “Don’t let her sleep on her belly. Even when she’s on your chest. A little bit of tummy time is okay but not when she’s sleeping. Go grab a clean blanket and put it on the floor for now but add a playpen to your shopping list.”

She heard his groan and turned her face away to hide her grin. “Ever hear that condoms are cheaper than babies?”

“Used a wrap.”

Her head snapped back to him. “You used a condom?”