Lucky cradled her in his lap and gently rocked back and forth. “You have no idea how much I want to take your hurt away, sugar. I would do anything to take away your pain and keep you from hurting ever again.”

“You can.”

Lucky kissed the top of her head, “You know I can’t do that. I won’t let you kill yourself. We both know that’s what you’re trying to do.”

She released her tense muscles. “I don’t want to feel anymore.” She sobbed until she blacked out.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Lucky

Lucky let her cry, embracing her while they sat entwined on the bathroom floor, holding her until her body went limp. Out of tears, Baby whimpered until she fell into a deep sleep. He decided not to move.

He craved the Baby Jade he knew before. He craved her touch and her kiss. He had only been given a small amount of time with her before he drove her into Slade’s arms. If only he had been there for her instead of bailing. Leaving her to deal with all this shit on her own. And now, he was left feeling empty, like the best part of him was dead.

Holding her in his arms brought a small part of him back to life.

“I love you,” he whispered into Baby’s hair.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Baby Jade

Baby stirred. It took her a second to piece together why she was in the bathroom lying on Lucky’s lap. Turning her head up toward his face, she was startled to find him staring back at her.

“Hey,” he said with the slightest hint of a grin.

Baby gave a content sigh and pressed her head into his chest. “Hey.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke again. “How long have you been here?”

He stroked her hair. “Four days.”

She sat up and tilted her head to the side. “You can’t be serious? I’ve lost four days? And you’ve been here the whole time?”

“There’s nowhere else I’d be right now. How do you feel?”

She climbed out of his lap and stood. Her legs were still weak, but not shaking. “I think I’m a little better. Sore as hell, but not feeling like I’m going to explode. And seriously starving.”

“That sounds promising.” He stood and took her by the hand, leading her to the couch. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“Lucky, I’m sorry. I can’t believe you stayed and took care of me after everything.”

He hooked his index finger under her chin and looked her in the eyes. His jaw tightened. “Don’t apologize. I had no right to turn my back on you. I could have at least given you a chance to talk. I should have thought about how much you were hurting. I’m the one who let that son of a bitch prey on you. Shit, Baby. I left you alone. Can you forgive me?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. We’re not going to get anywhere if we keep beating ourselves up. You stayed. You took care of me and did more for me than anyone else.”

“That reminds me, Ma’Linn has been here every day to check in on you. She helped clean up and made sure I ate. She’s been worried about you.”

Baby’s face fell. “Damn, it must have been hard on her with everything she’s going through with Phillipe. I need to let her know I’m ok, or at least that I’ll be ok.” She made a feeble attempt at a smile.

“You’re still going to feel like shit for a while. We need to get some electrolytes into you.” Lucky went to the refrigerator and popped open a Gatorade.

“Seriously?” She looked at him through her long lashes.

“Damn skippy. It’s gonna go down easy, but drink it SLOW,” he warned.

Her eyebrows arched. “I doubt that.” She sipped on the blue liquid, surprised at how good the tanginess tasted on her tongue. She guzzled from the bottle until Lucky pulled it away.

“It’s gonna be nasty when you throw that shit up.”

Baby Jade nodded. He had been taking care of her for days. He obviously knew what he was talking about.

“Do I still have a job?”

Lucky paced the room. “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to anyone from the club since the night I carried you out.”

“I had to be carried out?” She found the knot on her head and rubbed it with her fingertips. She remembered bits and pieces from that night.

Lucky filled her in on the details, clear down to Slade threatening to silence her if she had been taken to the emergency room. They both knew he meant it. That’s why he brought her home and nursed her through the detox.

Baby dropped her face into her hands and shook her head. “I’m embarrassed. I can’t believe you saw me like that.” She was all too aware what coming down looked like. She was able to piece information together like a puzzle. She remembered yelling and throwing things. The vomiting and diarrhea. The way she attacked him and offered to give him a blowjob for dope. She didn’t want to look at him in the face ever again, especially after the way she had tried to whore herself out for a taste.

“I told you, I wouldn’t have been anywhere else.” His gentle tone soothed her as he massaged her shoulders.

His words triggered a memory, but she thought she must be mistaken. “I remember something that wasn’t exactly bad.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” His firm hands kneading away at the tension in her back.

Baby tilted her head and turned toward him, flashing a full smile. “I thought I heard you say you love me.”

His lips curled into a lopsided grin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You must have been hallucinating.”

Her eyes danced, drinking in the pink flush of his cheeks. “Yeah, maybe. What do we do now?”

“Well, I’ve had a few days to think about that.” Lucky sat beside her on the couch. He rubbed his hands together and rested his elbows on his knees, giving her the impression he had something on his mind. “I have that business meeting tomorrow. After that, I’m free to do whatever. When things were still up in the air, I put in my notice with both Mickey and Rodney.”

“You were quitting because of me?”

“I thought it was time to move on.”

Baby’s face fell. She couldn’t bear to think of him leaving town.

“Hey, don’t look like someone kicked your dog. I didn’t know you cared that much.” He reached over and ran the back of his hand across her cheek.

With every part of her screaming out in pain and her brain beating against her skull, the man still made her body hum.

Lucky smirked. She had no doubt that he recognized how easily he got under her skin.

“Listen, I was thinking maybe after my board meeting, we could take off for a while. Go on that trip we were talking about.”

Baby Jade’s green eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

“Oh my God!” Baby leaped up and landed on Lucky’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her lips crashed down onto his. When she came up for air, she said, “Yes! Yes! I can’t wait!”

He chuckled. She hadn’t planned on acting like a schoolgirl who was being asked to her prom by the star quarterback. She was taken aback. It was exactly what she needed. There was nothing keeping her here. Nothing but Ma’Linn and her job. She would have to make sure her friend would be ok while she was gone, but the job, she was sure to be unemployed when she got back anyway. That is if she wasn’t canned already.

“What about Mickey?” she asked. “I have to make a living.”

“Don’t you worry about him. Your job will be waiting for you when you get back if you still want it.” Lucky gathered her into his arms and stood. She locked her legs around his waist.

“Do you have to go home?”

“Nope. I packed my shit and only kept what would fit in my saddlebags. I’m all good. Hope you don’t mind me staying the night. I let my studio apartment go too.”

Still wrapped around him like a spider monkey, Baby beamed. “What will we do to get through the night?”