Page 13 of Guarding Glenda

“Yeah, it was. I need a nap.”

They both helped while I brushed my teeth, put on deodorant, and then Linny helped dress me without showing him all my goodies.

He helped walk me back to bed, then left once I was settled.

“That was a fucking ordeal,” I said as Linny brushed my damp hair.

“That it was. But do you feel any better?”

“Loads. I was so gross. But now I’m tired as fuck.”

She kept brushing. “Sam said we had to keep you moving. Have a rest, then later we will try for a little walk down the hall. Bama is bringing Sofie over after school, so maybe we can sit out back while she plays with Bruce. She’s obsessed with him.”

“Is she doing okay?” I asked.

Linny started adding French braids on either side of my head. “She’s doing well. Ollie’s funeral was a little sad for her. But she’s so resilient. And she’ll need loads of therapy when she’s older, but for now, she’s good. She’s so happy you’re okay.”

“I missed his funeral.”

She kept braiding. “You were out. It was nice though. But it’s been hard. The clubhouse has been pretty sullen. But for now, Bama feels it’s best for us to stay there.”

“Since it was at your house.” I reached up slowly, finally gripping her hand. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, we both went through some shit. But we’re still here. We can’t stop living, ya know? We’ll go back home eventually.”

“I wish I was at the clubhouse,” I said, finally letting go of her hand.

She finished the other braid, then sat. “As soon as Sam clears you, we’ll bust you out of here. Promise.”

I closed my eyes, hoping to get a little rest while I could.

Chapter 6

Leigh

Having her in my house was harder than I thought. I wouldn’t let her be anywhere else right now, but I was clearly a masochist. Watching her from the sidelines for the last year and a half was hard. Having her in my arms over and over with no chance of her embracing me back was a new kind of fresh hell.

Still, my dumbass wouldn't have it any other way. Part of me hated she couldn’t even look me in the eye, but the other part of me was glad. If I did catch a glimpse of those gorgeous hazel eyes staring up at me, I wasn’t sure I could keep it together.

I remembered them staring at me vividly. The warmth of her skin on mine. Her sweet cunt wrapped around my cock. Her nails digging into my sides. I knew that night I loved her. Which made it all so much more fucked up.

But Reggie wasn’t just my club brother. We’d been friends for life. What he did was no different than most of the brothers. We’d been around plenty of clubs, even before prospecting for RBMC, and it was just the way things were.

And I knew him well. Even though it was fucked to me how he did her, Reggie thought he loved Glenda. He’d been sucked into the lifestyle hard and fast. Hell, I was too. That was how I ended up with her in my bed. But something clicked for me that night. Something I could never undo.

But having a turn with your boy’s woman at his request was one thing. Deciding you wanted her all to yourself was a no-go. Whether he was shitty to her or not, he’d already claimed her as his. And that was that.

So when he asked me, man to man, to watch out for her when he wasn’t around, I agreed. The night he died, that was his last wish. His last thought. His last words. “Take care of Glenda.”

I promised myself long before that I’d always watch out for her. But when he asked me that again that fateful night, it only reinforced the fact: I had to protect her, no matter what.

But when she learned Reggie died, she snapped. She blamed me. Well, she blamed everyone that was there. But she blamed me more than anyone. She didn’t understand.

I didn’t get a chance to correct her then. Once I tried to talk to her, she’d decided she hated me. Hammer and Rogers both told me to give her some space, so I did.

The next few months were rough on her. And the darker things got for her, the more her hatred for me grew. No matter what I did or said I couldn’t get her to sit still long enough to listen to me. I finally gave up after Sam said she was processing a lot of shit. Losing Reggie rehashed her old wounds from the military and she was in a bad spiral.

But I watched her back. Bama mentioned they’d been fucking around but said something to me because he was worried about her. I asked him then and there if he had feelings for her, and he said he didn’t. She needed to blow off steam, so he let her. At first I thought he was full of shit. She’s fucking gorgeous and wild but still sweet to the core… well, to everyone else. After a chat, brother to brother, he realized she was more than just Reggie’s girl to me. But everyone knew she was holding a grudge on me about what happened. So I told him to carry on if he wanted. He started reporting back, leaving off the private details, and I appreciated the updates.