“No,” she says again, her fingertips trailing over my jaw. “You won’t. You can’t. His family owns half of Chicago. You’ll only get yourself behind bars, and your brothers will be left with nobody to look after them.”
Dammit. Fucking hell. My jaw aches from grinding so hard. “I can’t promise you I won’t.”
“No. I told you. This is my life, my past, and my decisions. You don’t get to do this because you’re angry, not when I tell you I don’t want you to. I want to forget the past, not make its consequences worse.” Her hand drops to my shoulder. “I’m asking you to not approach Sean Anholt for any reason, okay?”
Unable to reply to this in any acceptable manner, I open the door of the jeep and jump out. The world is spinning faster now, and as I turn to close the door, it tilts and starts going black. I grip the car door to keep my knees from buckling and blink furiously, waiting for my eyes to clear. I feel as if I can’t get enough air in my lungs, and my harsh breathing echoes in my ears.
Slowly my eyes clear, and I make out the street lamps, the house with its yard of overgrown weeds—and Tessa’s worried face.
She steps closer, wrapping an arm around my back. “You really are wiped out, aren’t you? Dylan?” She waits until my acknowledging nod, before she says, “Let’s get you inside.”
I say nothing, letting her drag me down the path to the front door. Then I dig in my heels, and my pulse starts pounding again.
A piece of paper is stuck on the door, fluttering in the wind.
It reads, ‘Judgment Day is coming.’
Chapter Thirteen
Dylan
“So you’re saying your dad put that piece of paper on your door?” Tessa is asking. “What for?”
“Believe me,” I say, “I have no fucking clue.”
Tessa’s arm is around my back as she tugs me into the house. I put mine around her slender back, too, and pull her to me. She’s warm, pressed to my side, and I try not to lean on her too much. I don’t want her to see how dizzy I still am. Don’t want to think about it, either.
She’s here. That’s all that matters. I thought I’d never get to hold her in my arms again.
Second chances.
Dakota comes out of the kitchen to meet us, wiping her hands on a towel. “Tessa! We were so worried. Dylan, you said you’d call me if you found her.”
“Shit. I forgot.” A full body shiver goes through me. “Is the heater off? It’s fucking cold in here.”
“Heater’s on. If you ask me, it’s hot like the pits of hell in here.” Dakota’s eyes narrow on Tessa. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry I got you worried. I was at work, running late, that’s all.”
Dakota nods. “I was about to leave. Need a lift?”
“Nah, I’m fine,” Tessa says, leaning into my side. “I have my car.”
Another shiver goes through me. I clench my teeth to keep them from chattering.
“Dylan, you okay?” Dakota shifts from foot to foot. In her short dress and with her wild dark hair, she looks a bit like a dark version of Tinkerbell.
“I’ll be fine,” I mutter.
A beat goes by in absolute silence.
Dakota shakes her head, gives a faint smile, then gathers her stuff and leaves us alone.
Tessa and I don’t move. We’re standing in the middle of the room, arms around each other. The feel of her pressed against me is so distracting that finding something to say is a struggle.
A huge shiver goes through me, rattling my joints.
“You’re so cold,” she mutters. “Maybe a hot shower will warm you up. That’s the only thing that helps when I’m cold.”
I nod, strangely reluctant to move.
“So,” I say, “you’re seriously moving out of your apartment? No more going back to your castle?”
She lifts her head. Emotions flicker in her wide eyes. “I’ve given up my castle, and my servants and my unicorns,” she mutters. “I swear.”
“Fuck, Tess.” My pulse beats erratically in my ears. So much I could read in those words, and my resolve is fraying faster than ever. “You shouldn’t be here.”
She pulls away slightly, her mouth twisting. “Don’t worry. I’ll go.”
“Dammit, Tessa, that’s not what I meant.” I scrub a hand over my face. “It’s just that… I can’t control myself when you’re with me, I can’t… Can’t keep away. I want you to stay. I want it too much.”
Her blue eyes darken, and this need for her, this urge to kiss her and fill her, grows with every passing second.