Free Craving Redemption by Nicole Jacquelyn

tightened in my hair. “Nothing for you to be sorry about. You coulda been covered in shit and vomit and I still woulda carried you outta there. I got you, Sugar, nothing’s gonna change that.”
    He waited until I nodded, acknowledging his words, and looked around my bathroom. “You need to take a shower and get dressed. Can’t get on my bike the way you are,” he informed me, embarrassing me again before clarifying, “shorts and a tank top ain’t gonna work. You want me to grab you some clothes?”
    “Yes, please.”
    “Okay, you get in and I’ll bring them to you,” he mumbled into my forehead, kissing me there before letting go and walking out.
    I stood there for a second, watching him leave, as my body started to shake. Once he was out of the room and the door was closed, I walked to the shower and turned it on, my hands trembling so badly that I didn’t even worry about trying to change the temperature. I got undressed and climbed in, trying to blank my mind as I quickly washed off, but it wasn’t long before the memories assaulted me and I lost all feeling in my legs, sliding to the shower floor in a heap.
     

Chapter 10
    Grease
    She was taking a long-ass time in the shower.
    I went through her shit, finding all sorts of sexy underwear that I hadn’t expected, and finally picked the least appealing ones for her to wear. She was a mess, and I didn’t want to be thinking about how badly I wanted to see her wearing a lacy pink pair of boyshorts with little half-moons of her ass hanging out the bottom—but I was twenty years old; most of the time I was thinking with my dick. I grabbed a bra, hoodie, and some jeans and set them on the bathroom counter, thinking I should probably say something, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to scare her any more than she already was by letting her know I was in the bathroom while she was showering.
    Fuck, but I had no idea what I was going to do with her. I couldn’t be her bodyguard, I didn’t fucking live anywhere near her—but I couldn’t just leave her, either. It was my shit—Aces shit—that got her into this mess and I had to find a way to get her out of it. I found a messenger bag full of school shit, reminding me how young she was, and dumped it onto her bed. Ignoring the pencils and assorted mess, I started stuffing a couple changes of clothes into the bag. I had no idea what she’d need, but she wasn’t going to be able to come back, so I figured anything would help.
    Dragon and Tommy were standing by the door talking quietly, but I ignored them as I looked around her room, trying to decide if she’d need anything else. As I grabbed the charger for her phone and her iPod off the nightstand, Dragon finally raised his voice.
    “Grease, man, what’s your plan? We’re fuckin’ sittin’ ducks here.”
    “Not sure. Gonna take her to her grandmother’s and figure it out from there. Just need to get her outta this fuckin’ house first,” I answered him distractedly.
    “This ain’t our problem, man. We can just fuckin’ drop her off—”
    I cut him off, turning my head in his direction as anger made my muscles tighten. “It is my fuckin’ problem. You’re too pussy to have my back, then fuckin’ kick bricks.”
    He stared at me for a moment then nodded once, “Always have your back, brother.”
    Tommy usually kept to himself, never getting in the middle of arguments and steering clear of drama, but for once he spoke up, ending the stare down between us. “Brother, she’s been in there a long-ass time. Need to get outta here—you better go check on her,” he advised, being the sound of reason for the first time since I’d known him.
    I’d been trying to give her some time to herself, but obviously I’d waited too long, because when I opened the door and called her name she didn’t answer me. I turned and tossed the bag in my hand to Dragon and went in the bathroom, leaving the door cracked a bit as I made my way to the shower. I said her