Reign (Riders of Apollo #1)

Chapter 52: Roman Hayes

Trying to get Peyton to sit the fuck down is basically impossible. She's flittering between the brothers, talking to all of them and trying to fight a few of them. Besides that she's lingering around Runner and I, after basically smothering Lexie while she was having a nap in the next room.

"Peyton, come here." I sat down about ten minutes ago, hoping that me sitting down would get my hyperactive woman to do so as well but she continued to run about like a maniac despite the hole in her heart that's just been sewn up. She notices the anger and tension in my voice and heads over slowly, her head bowed like a child that's about to get scolded. "Baby, you need to chill out."

"I just missed everyone." She pouts but allows me to pull her into my lap where she settles swiftly. To be honest, I just want to go home and have a long nap considering I've hardly slept while she was in the coma, I didn't eat much either since I felt sick to my stomach the whole time. "Let's go home and get some sleep, I'm hungry too."

I pass my hand through her hair as she buries her face in my shoulder, "You're gonna have to carry me." She whispers which makes me chuckle softly, I guess after all that over-exertion she's likely exhausted by now.

I stand up with her in my arms and she declares that we are leaving, I decide to take her car back to hers so that she doesn't have to worry about being on the back of my bike. "I missed you." She whispers softly, squeezing my hand tightly and kissing the back of it.

"I missed you, too. Now come on, both of us need some sleep after the last few months." I lift her back into my arms and carry her into the house, settling her down at the kitchen counter so that I can grab her some food.

"I can do that." She fixes to move and I glare at her, immediately stopping her movements and allowing me to take care of her. "I'm guessing you've been upgraded to nurse, Mr Hayes?"

"Something like that Miss Lennox." I hand over some food and eat some myself. Before basically rushing up the stairs to get some fucking sleep. You never realise how much you treasure it until you've gone without, though that's the idea for almost everything.

I help Peyton change into my shirt, trying not to wince at the expanse of bandages wrapped around her chest, before stripping down to my boxers and climbing in beside her, pressing her into my chest as tightly as I can without injuring her further.

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"Wake up! We're going shopping!" I roll over and see Lexie and Marielle at the door of the bedroom, finding Peyton still in my embrace but awake this time.

"Oh my God, it better be after eleven." Peyton grumbles, we slept all through the night and morning for over seventeen hours and I feel much better. "How did you get in our house?" She looks adorably disgruntled as she stares down her friends.

"It's midday and I opened the front door with Runner's key, he's waiting downstairs for us. Bear and Hunter are there too, protection." Lexie replies before diving into our closet with a happy bounce in her step. That's very different to how she's been for the last few days, just like me she's been moping around so I suppose she's excited to have her girlfriend back. "Here's your outfit for today." Lexie launches clothes at her face and Peyton looks extremely unamused.

"Oh, you are so lucky I am unarmed right now, Lex." Lexie rolls her eyes and drags Marielle from the room, Peyton throws the clothes on while still sat on the bed before side rolling off the surface and landing on the floor ungracefully. "You're coming with me, by the way."

"I gathered." I slip from under the covers and click my back, neck and shoulders before grabbing some jeans, a v-neck, my cut and my combat boots, dressing while Peyton puts some makeup on. We brush our teeth together before making our way downstairs. 

"Hurry up, lovebirds! Money doesn't spend itself." Lexie sings up the stairs from her place in the lounge, I can assume that everyone else has made themselves comfortable in our house. Rude bastards.

The girls go in Peyton's car while Bear, Hunter, Runner and I flank it for protection. Even though HR has been toppled we still have tension with a few other people and we can't risk them hurting our women.

Thankfully, after considerable arguing, we're able to convince Lexie to eat first since we were starving and couldn't follow her around all day with empty stomachs. The girls volunteer to grab the food as long as we grab a table and we do so in a place where we can see them and all the entrances to the food court.

Unfortunately, almost as soon as we've left their side, three men approach Peyton, Lex and Mari with their jeans hung low and their hats on backwards. They walk with fake swagger as if their balls are too big to walk like a normal person and surprising confidence considering what they look like.

They gather around them, licking their lips and air groping all three of them. Lex and Mari look a little scared, their eyes flicking back to us with help written in their eyes so all four of us stand and head over. Peyton is stood in front glaring at the idiots who continue to perv on them, I can almost feel her skin crawling from here.

I lean over Peyton and the main guy grins with satisfaction. "This must be the husband you were talkin' about, darlin'." Peyton grabs my arm and wraps it around her waist, my palm flat on her stomach.

"Yes it is, leave us alone before I'm more prone to shoot you." She moves her leg so that he can see the holster on her thigh with a Beretta inside. "Either that or my husband will, please go away." She sounds completely exasperated but husband sounds good from her lips. We'll have to make good on that soon.

"Fine, girl, just know you missed out." He throws his arms open to show himself off and Peyton actually reaches for her gun, in reaction all three men scurry away in fear.

God, I love her.