Fuck, that felt awesome.

“Well, that’s good.”

He grinned at me.

“I missed two,” I told him.

He kept grinning when he asked, “Those are…?”

“You’re a biker, and Dad likes you.”

He continued to grin, but it died slowly as he said quietly, “Let me take care of you, bao bei. Later, you can face the world and all the shit that’s goin’ down. Now, you take time for you. Yeah?”

I nodded.

“What do you want for breakfast?” he asked.

“I’m not very hungry.”

“How about fruit and toast, then?”

God, he was really good at this.

“That works. Plus coffee.”

“Coffee,” he murmured. Using his hand at my head to pull me to him, he dipped to me and touched his mouth to my lips. He moved away but not very far when he finished, “I’ll give you a coupla hours, then I’ll be back.”

He moved as if he was going to bring us both to our feet, but I curled my fingers around his biceps where they were resting and he stopped.

“If Dad wants me, let him come to me, will you?”

“Absolutely.”

I smiled at him.

He dipped to me again and touched his lips to my smile.

He brought us both to our feet and I watched him saunter to his tee and pull it on, followed by his socks and boots. Then he came back to me.

I got another lip brush before he left the room to get me breakfast, break the news to our family that he and I (with Lucien and Leah, Callum and Sonia) were fated to save the world or die trying, and give me space—all this taking care of me.

I’d had that from Dad all my life, part-time close, part-time distant, until he changed that last.

And if I’d made a list of what I wanted in a man, I’d have wanted to keep that. Having someone to take care of and love who gave the same back to me.

But I was glad I’d never made a list because it felt unbelievably cool whenever Abel ticked off an item on the nonexistent one, surprising me at the same time showing me what I needed that I didn’t know I needed until he gave it to me.

It felt good.

No, it felt great.

Actually, it felt like falling in love.

* * * * *

“Dad, sit.”

“Can’t.”

“Dad, please. For me?”

Dad didn’t look from where he was standing, his gaze aimed out the window at the sea.

I was back in the armchair. I’d had a bath. A light breakfast. A shitload of coffee. I’d done myself up and got my head together.

I’d had exactly what I needed but didn’t know I needed until Abel gave it to me.