“Couldn’t you sleep?” I’d always loved his voice. I let myself feel everything this man brought out in me and the strongest of those feelings in that moment were safe and loved. It took very little effort on my part to turn around and walk the distance to him. He stood near the punching bag, his hands fisted but at his side as he watched me, like a predator tracking his prey.
“Dad encouraged me to live my life, to stop letting it pass me by. He liked you, liked you for me, but he worried we were both waiting on something that might never happen.”
“He wasn’t wrong to encourage you.”
“I didn’t move on, not until I got your letter.” Pain moved over his expression. “I hated that letter.”
“I hated writing it.”
“Why did you?”
His shoulders tensed as the muscle at his jaw knotted. “I escorted a fallen brother home to his young wife and baby son. Her pain and grief were palpable and thinking one day that could be you…that you waited so long and that was our ending. I couldn’t do that to you.”
Tears burned the back of my eyes. I couldn’t even imagine so heartbreaking a scene. “And now?”
He touched my chin to keep my gaze on him. His eyes softened and a smile touched his lips, which made what he said more harsh…but in a really freaking awesome way. “I hate that another man knew you in the way only I want to know you. I fucking hate him. I want to take you right here, everything in me demands that I reclaim you, brand you as mine, but you’re not just a fuck. The priority right now is your safety.” His voice lowered before he added, “But after, I want it all—every kiss, every breath, every moan, every orgasm, every memory…good and bad.”
He already had all of me, but I nodded my head because words simply weren’t happening.
“Have you kept up with your self-defense?” Priorities and his right now were for my safety.
“Dad and Cam insisted.”
“Have you ever had to use it?”
“A few times.”
Concern shifted to really scary in a blink of an eye. “It wasn’t anything as terrible as I am guessing you are thinking. Just overzealous boys who needed to step back.”
“Have you ever worked a bag?”
“A little.”
“Do you want to give it a go now?”
“It helps you?”
“Yeah.”
Fighting always had been an outlet for him. “The night of our first kiss, I was mesmerized watching you fight and heartbroken at the same time. I wanted so much to hold you, to love you. It was a stroke of luck that you were thinking the same.”
The sound that rumbled up his throat was sexy as sin. “When this is all over…” He let the promise hang in the air between us before he moved to stand behind the bag. “Show me what you’ve got.”
And I did. I channeled all of it; fear, anger, confusion even love, into the bag and he was right, it did feel good.
I slept until lunchtime before Damian drove me back to my apartment. We pulled up in front of the building; Damian hit his hazards before climbing out and meeting me at the curb. At my door he waited for me to key into my apartment. “I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I didn’t know why he was seeing me tomorrow night, but I loved that he was seeing me tomorrow night. He clarified, “Your friend’s show.”
Sunshine’s show, I’d forgotten all about it, but under the circumstances I think that was to be expected. “Yes, tomorrow.”
He waited for me to close the door and lock it and I didn’t move until I heard his heavy footsteps retreating. I stripped as I made my way to my bed then dropped facedown. I woke when it was dark outside and my stomach growled.
I pulled on my pajamas and headed to the kitchen. I didn’t have much to eat so I grabbed a pack of crackers and a glass of wine before settling in front of the television. I tried to watch a movie, but I was on overload between the fantastic moment at the club, the heart to hearts and the news that someone tried to scare off my brother. The wine took the edge off, so I finished the bottle before I fell asleep on my sofa.
I woke on my bathroom floor in a puddle of my own drool. A bottle of wine on a relatively empty stomach and no water spelled hangover. The cold tiles felt so good on my clammy skin. And it was while I lay there in a pathetic bundle that I remembered the showing…a showing Damian was joining me for and I felt like death warmed over. I pulled myself up and looked into the toilet bowl wondering if the suction was enough to kill me. I would love to read that police report.
There was only one thing to do about my hangover. I reached for my phone and called Anton.