Edge(62)
“I’m okay.” He gazed down at me, and I felt adored for the first time in my life. I was so incredibly lucky I adored him right back.
We didn’t waste time talking when we got to the room. Luke turned on a light so he could take off his suit jacket and tie and I dropped my purse on a table.
He took my face in his hands, kissed me and slipped my shirt off over my shoulders. Just as he was leaning down to my breasts, he froze.
“What’s that?”
“What?” My arousal came to a screeching halt.
He stood and looked down at me. “The marks on your shoulder. Who did that to you?”
I closed my eyes. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”
“I asked who did it. Answer me.”
“I don’t like your tone.”
“Don’t fuck with me right now, Dell. Who did this?”
I sighed deeply. “John.”
Luke’s eyes darkened. He threw a fist into the wall and I jumped. Small, chalky bits of drywall fell to the floor. He’d punched a hole in the wall. Seriously stupid for a man who made his living with his hands. And it had scared the shit out of me.
“Don’t,” I said softly. “Please don’t.”
“I’m sorry.” He reached for me and I fell against him, letting his broad chest and powerful arms enclose me.
“He tried to … force me.” I said. “In the locker room. My dad came in and stopped it. John was released from the team.”
Luke’s taut muscles relaxed a fraction. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just wanted to be with you. We don’t have much time together, and I didn’t want us to spend it sad and angry.”
“Baby, I’m so sorry. I wish I would’ve been there.” His mournful tone reached into my heart and tugged on it.
“My dad stopped it. Nothing happened.”
“Something happened, or you wouldn’t have bruises on your shoulder.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, but tears escaped anyway. “I wasn’t sure my dad was going to help me,” I said, my voice nearly a whisper. “Isn’t that awful of me? I was afraid he would just turn around and let it happen.”
“Dell.” His hoarse tone made me open my eyes and look up at him. “I love you.”
He brushed the hair back from my forehead with a thumb and then trailed it down to stroke my cheek. He loved me. I kept replaying the words in my mind. His proclamation made me feel giddy, scared and thrilled all at the same time.
“I love you, too.” The words spilled out before I’d even considered them. But it was true. I was smitten with a hockey player. In a matter of a couple months, Luke had gone from the last man in the world I wanted to the only one. I’d started out trying to get rid of him, and now all I wanted was to keep him.
“I want us to be together,” he said. “We’ll make it work. I’m relieved your dad did the right thing, but I want you to know I’ve got your back every minute of every day. I won’t let anyone hurt you or Kyler.”
His mention of my son brought tears to my eyes in an instant. It meant the world to me that Kyler was part of this. I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“What John did won’t go unchecked.” Luke’s tone was laced with a menacing promise.
“My dad stopped—”
He placed a finger over my lips, silencing me.
“It’s too late, Dell. I can’t live with that – with any man hurting you and me not showing him what a stupid fucking idea it was. I was starting to think I might be in love with you, but when I saw those marks …” He bent and placed a feather-light kiss on my shoulder. “When you told me what he did and that you weren’t sure your dad would help you, I felt it in my bones. I love you. But love is more than a word. It’s the actions we take every day. Just like I’ll be faithful to you, I have to stand up for you. I won’t be able to sleep at night if I don’t.”
My heart was overflowing. He had it all: ruggedly sexy sometimes, polished gentleman others. He could hold me down and fuck me into oblivion one night and make slow, gentle love to me the next morning. And now, the man who threw around the word ‘fuck’ as liberally as all hockey players was being sweet and eloquent.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Just remember that he’s Kyler’s father. Don’t do permanent damage and don’t get yourself arrested.”
“No worries, baby. I know how to fuck people up without crippling them. It’s part of my job description.”
“It’s part of his, too,” I reminded him.
“I’ve got an edge.”
“What’s that?”