“So by that you mean I got through?”

Her head again tipped to the side just as her eyes lit.

“Well, you are Carson Steele, the boy every girl crushed on in high school. And you are Joker, the Chaos member who Wilde and Hay think is an automotive design genius. And you are lying on me, declaring your devotion to my… um, special parts after making me climax twice. So I think I’m pretty happy lying beneath you in your tee because if you like my whole package, just to say, I like your whole package a whole lot more.”

Finally, Joker relaxed and started chuckling.

She kept going.

“So yes, I’d say with all that, you got through.”

“Good,” he muttered, still laughing.

She took a hand from his back to put it on his cheek and she slid her thumb across his heavy stubble but did it holding his eyes.

“I’ll survive whatever he has in store,” she said quietly. “But you may have to bear with me.”

That made Joker stop laughing.

“I’ll bear with you, Carrie, but while I do it, you’re gonna have to accept the honesty.”

And finally for her, with that, she smiled. “I like your honesty.”

“Good,” he muttered again.

“I also like couch sex,” she declared.

“Got that yesterday when I rode you here and you got off for me.”

She kept smiling.

It started to die as she lifted her head and touched her mouth to his before she dropped it back to the cushion. Her face was dead serious.

“I’m still falling in love with you, Carson.”

Fucking brilliant.

“Same here, Butterfly.”

She gave him what he needed with her eyes.

So he gave her what she needed by taking her mouth.

They made out. They cuddled. They felt each other up. They whispered about important things, like Linus and Mrs. Heely and her dad and gramma. They did it a long time and through all that, he got her to peace.

And putting their plates in the sink to soak was the last thing he did before joining her in bed, where Carissa fell asleep against him wearing his tee.

* * *

His phone on the nightstand rang and Joker opened his eyes.

Carissa was pressing against him, stretching and lifting her head as he reached out and nabbed it.

He looked at the display, saw who was calling as well as the time, and he tensed and took the call. “Yeah?”

“Sorry, brother, know you’re in Carrie’s bed so fucks me to say this, Nightingale found Heidi,” Tack told him. “But not the Nightingale you put on it. Hank.”

Lee’s brother.

A cop.

Shit.

He had a feeling this was not good.

“Joke, hate sayin’ this more, but what was found was ugly. I gotta call all the brothers in.”

“Where?” he grunted.

Tack gave him the address and finished with, “Mount up.”

“You got it,” Joker replied, disconnected, and turned to his girl.