Her Shelter (Angels Halo MC Next Gen Book 6) Read online

  Blinking back the moisture from my eyes, I gave a nod. For some reason, I believed him when he said he wouldn’t hurt me. Maybe I shouldn’t, because he was a stranger, but he was the first person I’d been able to communicate with in months.

  Max reached out and stroked his thumb over my cheek, wiping away one of the tears that had spilled over my lashes. Turning his hand over, he looked down at it with a frown, and my face filled with embarrassed heat. I was filthy, and he was probably disgusted from the mere sight of me.

  “What’s your name?” he signed.

  I could have lied, but I wanted him to know my name. “Delaney.”

  “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” he demanded, his hands moving quickly, while his mouth twisted in anger again. “You could have gotten yourself killed walking out into the road in this fog.”

  I lowered my lashes, not answering. I didn’t want to tell him I’d been on my way to Aggie’s to find something to eat in the restaurant’s dumpsters.

  He lifted my chin with his forefinger, making me look at him again, his face softening. “It’s okay, little one,” he signed, his lips moving slowly. “Let me get you home.”

  Frantically, I shook my head, quickly signing that I couldn’t go home. To please, please not make me go home.

  “Okay.” His arms went around me, pulling me against him. He held me for a few moments, and some of my fear of having to face Uncle Tony eased. But all too soon, he was stepping back. “I won’t make you go home, but you can’t stay out here. Come with me.”

  He held out his hand, and I didn’t even hesitate to place mine in his. His hold was firm yet gentle as we walked back to his motorcycle. When we reached it, he seemed reluctant to release me, but after a brief hesitation, he let go. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he turned on the flashlight so he could examine the damage caused by the crash.

  Once he was satisfied it was drivable, he got on and started it up, then offered me the helmet he’d been wearing earlier. I took it, but my fingers fumbled with the clasp. Pushing my hands aside, he fastened it himself before helping me onto the back of the bike.

  Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my face into his back. I felt his chest vibrate and loosened my hold, worried I’d caused him more pain. He hadn’t limped any on the walk back to his motorcycle, but that didn’t mean other places hadn’t been harmed during the wreck.

  His hands wrapped around my wrists, pulling my arms tighter around his middle once more. I felt his thumb caress over the backs of my hands, and then he squeezed them, as if telling me to hold on tight.

  I’d never been on the back of a motorcycle before. It was kind of exciting and a little scary, but oddly, I felt safe with Max in control of the beast-like machine beneath us.

  When he pulled into the parking lot of the local mechanic, I was a little sad that the trip was over so quickly. The vibrations of the bike stopped, and then he was offering me his hand to assist me off.

  “I have an apartment above the shop,” he signed, and I turned to look back at the garage.

  The place was huge, with multiple closed garage bays. The storefront was dark, but the place was well cared for. There were no lights on above the shop, no way of telling me how big the apartment might be.

  With his hand at the small of my back, Max guided me around to the side of the garage and up the flight of stairs to the second floor. After unlocking the door, he reached in to flip on a light and then urged me forward. Cautiously, I stepped over the threshold, my eyes taking in everything all at once.

  A leather couch was against one wall, a simple coffee table between it and the large TV stand that held a giant television set. Pictures decorated the walls, and I spent a moment examining them as I took a few more steps into the apartment.

  Some were of Max with a girl who was drop-dead gorgeous. At a glance, I knew she must be his sister, with their matching metallic-blue eyes, dark hair, and impish grins. There were two of Max holding an adorable little boy, and for a moment, I thought maybe it was his son. Until I saw a picture of the girl holding the baby lovingly while a man covered in tattoos tucked them both against him. The pure love and adoration that glazed the inked man’s eyes told me this was his family.

  Others caught my attention. There were more pictures of Max with an older blond woman than there were with the girl I was assuming was his sister. In all of them, Max had his arm around the blond woman, and that impish grin was even more pronounced.

  Max touched my arm, pulling my gaze to him. “That’s my mom,” he signed. “Raven.” He pointed to the ones with the girl, baby, and inked man. “This is Lexa, my older sister. Her son, Finn, and her husband, Ben.”

  “Finn looks like you,” I signed back, and he grinned.

  “Yeah, and Ben hates it.” He gently caught hold of my wrist and tugged me toward the kitchen. Flipping on the light, he guided me over to the small island and pulled out one of the two stools. Lifting me like I weighed no more than a feather, he placed me on the seat before crossing to the fridge and pulling out containers of food.

  I felt my stomach growl, and he snapped his head around with a frown. Embarrassed, I lowered my gaze to the island until he placed the containers on the counter in front of me. Tipping up my chin, he skimmed his thumb over my bottom lip for a moment.

  I held my breath as his metallic eyes lowered to my mouth for the longest time, causing my heart to pound almost painfully against my rib cage. Max had to be the most beautiful guy I’d ever seen in my life—and I had the crazy idea that maybe he wanted to kiss me.

  But he quickly dropped his hand and straightened. “My mom keeps my fridge stocked. I’ve got lasagna, chili, pot roast, and meatloaf,” he signed with an easy smile. “What do you feel like eating, little one?”

  I glanced down at all the offered food and felt my stomach growl again, this time painfully. Wrapping my arms around my middle in hopes of easing the ache, I licked my lips. It all looked so delicious, and I couldn’t decide which one I wanted more.

  When he touched my chin again, I closed my eyes, savoring the touch. When was the last time someone had touched me?

  Marta hugging me before making me run away filled my head, and I had to swallow the sudden lump that clogged my throat.

  Max stroked the backs of his fingers over my cheek, encouraging me to open my eyes. “You can have it all,” he assured me. “Whatever you want, just say the word.”

  My teeth sank into my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. It took a few moments before I could get my emotions under control. “Can I…take a shower?”

  2

  Max

  I stood in front of the microwave, trying not to think about the ethereal angel currently naked beneath the spray of my shower.

  A part of me wondered if this was all just some dream. That maybe I was in a coma after wiping out on my bike earlier. My mom was probably standing over my hospital bed. Tubes would be coming from various parts of my body, while wires connected to machines told her I was still alive. No doubt she would have that stoic, emotionless look on her face so she could stay strong for my dad. While deep inside, she would be an emotional wreck because her baby boy was clinging to life by a thread.

  But the pain along the entire right side of my body told me that this wasn’t a dream and that I was very much awake. I hadn’t examined the damage yet, but I could feel the road rash on my leg and side. Nothing seemed broken, but my ribs were no doubt bruised all to hell, and my knee was throbbing.

  Yet while Delaney had been right in front of me, I hadn’t felt so much as a twinge of discomfort. My focus had been solely on taking care of her, making sure that she was unhurt, that she wasn’t frightened of me.

  From the looks of her, I could tell she’d been living on the streets for a while. The sheer terror on her face when I first met her pretty brown gaze told me she was running from something—or someone.

  She was dirty, hungry, and all alone.

  But I would make sure she didn’t have to worry about anything ever again.

  The lasagna finished heating, and I replaced it with the pot roast. With the way her eyes had lingered on both of their containers, I knew she would enjoy those the most. I reheated both of them first so they would be ready and waiting for her once she was finished showering.

  Closing the microwave door, I punched in the time Mom had said to set it for and then rubbed my hand over my chest again. I felt a pressure that had been there since I first set eyes on Delaney earlier. It wasn’t painful, or even uncomfortable, but the feeling was something I was unused to. When she was close enough that I could touch her, the pressure eased somewhat, but when I didn’t have my eyes on her, it intensified.

  I wasn’t sure if I should be worried about it. Mom would be able to tell me if I should go to the ER or not, get Doc to check me over. But I didn’t want her to know I’d wiped out on my way home.

  And for the moment, I didn’t want her to know about Delaney. Selfishly, I wanted to keep her all to myself for a while. Get her to trust me. Let me take care of her.

  That feeling was somewhat alien as well. Other than a few select people, I’d never wanted to take care of anyone besides myself. I’d only known Delaney for less than an hour, and she was already twisting me inside out.

  By the time the microwave alerted me that the last container was reheated, I’d plated everything else, as well as pulled out the cake Aunt Flick had made for me and dropped off the day before. It was my favorite—lemon, with a lemon custard in the middle and a lemon cream cheese frosting. Between her and Mom, I never had to worry about cooking for myself. But if I had any hope of keeping Delaney around, I needed to figure out how to feed her without either of them suspecting I had a houseguest.

&nbs
p; At least for the moment.

  From the bathroom, I heard the water turn off and bit back a groan as I pictured my little treasure rubbing my towel over her sweet little body. She would smell like me since I didn’t have any girlie shampoo or body wash. That thought had my cock turning to steel in my jeans, and I quickly adjusted myself.

  I’d left her some sweats and a T-shirt to change into. Tomorrow after work, I planned on getting her some new clothes and personal items. But I liked her being in my clothes a hell of a lot, so I wasn’t in a hurry.

  Grabbing us bottles of water, I set the drinks by our plates and waited for Delaney to join me. When she walked out of the bathroom with her long, damp hair falling over her shoulders and my clothes hanging off her, I nearly swallowed my tongue.

  Covered in dirt and grime, the girl had been so hauntingly beautiful I was sure she was an angel sent from above to take me to heaven. Freshly showered, her brown eyes no longer filled with fear, she stole the air from my lungs. Her skin had a natural sun-kissed tone to it, her dark hair dropping almost to her waist. She had the prettiest little nose that slightly turned up at the end, and her lips…

  Fuck, those lips.

  I wanted to taste them, see them wrapped around my cock…

  No, I mentally snarled at myself. I was not going to treat my sweet little treasure like one of the sheep at the clubhouse. She was too precious. I had to take my time and earn her trust…and hopefully more.

  Shyly, she stood in the kitchen doorway, her cheeks a rosy pink from the heat of the shower. I forced down the urge to grab her and fuck her against the nearest wall. Giving her a smile I hoped set her at ease, I motioned for her to join me at the island.

  “Let’s eat, little one,” I said aloud as I signed to her. I’d never been so happy that Mom had taught me ASL. I’d taken it as my required language class in both middle and high school too. My dyslexia had put me off trying to learn Spanish or French, and American Sign Language was something Mom had pushed to be taught in our local school system.

  Delaney sat down beside me and slowly picked up her fork. Her movements were measured, as if she were forcing herself to hold back and not devour the food set before her, like she was starving. The thought of her hungry made my hands clench at my sides. Growing up, I had never had a lack of food in my life, but I knew that wasn’t the case for other kids. Knowing my little treasure had gone without caused me physical pain.

  The pressure on my chest doubled until I lifted my hand and carefully pushed her hair back from her face so I could see her better. “There’s plenty more where this came from. Eat whatever you want.”

  She licked her lips as she watched my hands, and then she nodded. She took a small bite of the pot roast first. As her lips wrapped around her fork, her eyes closed and a moan slipped from her. The sound was so innocent, yet so fucking erotic, I had to grip the side of the island to keep from reaching for her.

  Her eyes snapped open, and she blushed, mouthing, “Sorry,” before taking another bite, this time with some of the baby potatoes and carrots.

  Groaning, I turned my attention to my own plate. I’d gone for the meatloaf, leaving the chili in case Delaney was still hungry after she finished her lasagna and pot roast. Given how tiny she was, I wanted to feed her until she begged me to stop…

  And then I wanted to feast on her.

  Holding back yet another groan, I ate in silence for a while, watching her out of the corner of my eye. Each bite she took was delicate, almost artful. I enjoyed watching her more than I did eating—and considering Mom’s meatloaf was one of my favorite things in the world, that was saying a hell of a lot.

  After only a few minutes, she set down her fork and then wrapped her arms around herself, a pitiful sound leaving her throat. Her face turned red when she noticed me watching her with concern, and her chin began to tremble again.

  Instead of asking her what was wrong, I uncapped her bottle of water and offered it to her. Hand trembling, she took it from me and sipped from it. After a while, she began to relax again, and I figured her stomach pains had passed. Without looking at me, she picked up her fork and thankfully began to eat once again.

  When her gaze fell on my plate, I lifted a bite of the meatloaf and mashed potatoes to her lips. Without hesitation, she opened her mouth and accepted the bite. I was rewarded with that little pleased moan, and I couldn’t help grinning.

  “My mom makes the best meatloaf in the world,” I signed as I spoke. “It’s my favorite.”

  Her eyes brightened. “My mom made the best enchiladas. It’s one of a million things I miss the most about her.”

  “She’s gone?”

  Delaney gave a tiny nod. “She and my dad died in an explosion. When I lost my hearing.” She shuddered, and I was quick to wrap an arm around her shoulders in case she was cold. “I was sent to live with my dad’s sister and her husband when I was ten.”

  “I’m sorry you lost them.” I tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, wishing I could offer more comfort than just words, but suddenly, I needed to know how old she was. At first glance, I thought maybe she was at least twenty, but the longer I looked at her, the younger she seemed. “How long did you live with your aunt and uncle?”

  “Eight years. I left…” Her hands paused before continuing. “I left the night before I turned eighteen. That was about ten weeks ago.”

  Relief washed over me that she was legal. Not that I was all that confident I would have been able to keep my hands to myself if she weren’t. This little treasure was filling me with emotions I didn’t even have a name for, but I knew I would kill anyone who tried to take her away from me.

  When Ben and Lexa started dating, I’d scoffed when my sister told me their love had been instant. One look and she knew she wanted to be with him. That he was the sheriff had been the only thing that had stopped her. With our dad the Angel’s Halo MC president, Lexa hooking up with the law hadn’t been the smartest decision she’d ever made.

  But Dad eventually realized having Ben in the family was a good thing. My brother-in-law would break every law known to man if it meant protecting Lexa and making her happy. He’d covered up shit left and right since she’d told him she loved him. For her, Mom, the MC.

  Me.

  Killing a man and having the sheriff cover it up was one thing, especially when that man had been Carlo Santino.

  Ben finding out I had an underage girl in my apartment? Probably not so much.

  Fuck, who was I kidding? If Mom or Lexa found out I had an underage girl in my apartment, they would murder me.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that. Delaney was eighteen. No one would come after me with a sawed-off shotgun.

  I pushed my plate away and gave her my undivided attention. “You’ve been on the streets for ten weeks?”

  She shrugged, using her fork to pick at her lasagna.

  Grasping her chin, I tipped her head back so she had to look at me. “Did your aunt and uncle do anything to hurt you?” I asked between clenched teeth as I signed.

  She was quick to shake her head, but there was something in her pretty eyes that told me different.

  “Then why did you run?” I demanded.

  Tears filled her eyes. I felt like an asshole for making her cry, but I needed answers. If someone had harmed her, they would be meeting the angel of death very, very soon. There was no fucking way I would let anyone who hurt her breathe another day.

  “Marta, their housekeeper…she told me to run,” she responded after a moment. “She didn’t tell me why. But I knew. Uncle Tony isn’t a good person. The people who came to the house…” She shuddered again. “I don’t know who they were. They always kept me in my room when I wasn’t at school. But I could just tell…you know?”

  I tilted my head to the side as I studied her. “You were scared of your uncle, but not of me?”

  She shook her head. “You won’t hurt me. I can feel it. Here.” She touched her hand to the center of her chest.

  I wanted to laugh, but I stopped myself before the sound could leave me. She couldn’t hear it if I did, but that was beside the point. She could feel me in her chest just as I could feel her in my own.