“He tends not to dig in with her. Tonight, he dug in. She seemed surprised he did it in front of you. But I’m not sure she was surprised he was doing it. They weren’t at each other’s throats, but it was clear it took effort for them to even be civil.”

Hattie had nothing to say to that.

So they had his mom gearing up to do whatever she might be doing, Hattie’s dad maybe being someone worthwhile, and Axl and his teammates were on a stalled mission to root out a pack of dirty cops.

“At least your stalker seems to have lost interest,” he remarked.

“You think?” she asked.

“It’s been a minute,” he said. “I told Hank and Eddie about it, gave them the pictures. I’ll call a meet. Sit down with them and Hawk. Ask their take.”

“’Kay.”

She sounded like she was getting sleepy.

He shifted so she had some of his weight and they were closer.

“You take a stalker in stride,” he murmured.

“I have people looking out for me,” she replied.

Definitely sleepy.

“Yeah, you do, baby. Go to sleep.”

“’Kay,” she repeated.

“Hattie?” he called.

“Yes?”

“We feel you’re clear from this guy fuckin’ with you, and you wanna go home, I’m givin’ you two drawers here, and I want one at your place.”

Her body tensed, then relaxed.

Completely.

“Two drawers. I need a diary,” she mumbled.

He chuckled.

She pressed her face in his neck.

Not long after, they were both asleep.

Chapter Eighteen

Off

Hattie

I was in my bed in a post-sex haze when suddenly I was no longer in bed.

Well, half of me wasn’t.

My upper half was in Axl’s arms and his face was buried deep in my neck.

It felt like he was giving me a hickey, I liked that feeling, then he sank his teeth in, and I liked that feeling so much better.

After he did that, he growled in my ear, “Creamer.”

I smiled.

Pulling my head back, he got my message and lifted his to catch my gaze.

“Take care of my guy,” I whispered.

He watched my lips speak before he kissed me hard and closed mouthed when I was done.

He let me go, touched his lips to my temple and then he was off the bed again and heading to the steps to my living area.

I settled back down and watched him go.

It was Friday morning, and after dinner with his folks on Monday, it had been an eventfully uneventful week.

Quick catch-up:

Nothing happened Tuesday, except when I went over to take care of Dad, he seemed reserved. Not unfriendly. Just quiet and in his head.

Which I guessed I should have expected.