AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He held me, protected me, and I know he wanted to fight for me. Even when I insisted on leaving, I saw that fire in his eyes, blazing for vengeance.
After Rylan saved me, how can I let myself break?
And now he’s offering his support again. I want to fly to the door and fling myself in his arms, let his strength and comfort sink into me. Does that make me weak?
Is it a terrible idea to rely on this man who considers me only a friend?
I don’t care. After this horrendous day, I need him. So I peel myself off the bed and go over to the door, ready to let Rylan in.
“Charlie.” His eyes are so soft, green velvet caressing me. “Do you want some company?”
Emotion surges, tears burning behind my eyes. All the appropriate answers I could give get stuck in my throat, and I end up blurting, “Can you hold me? Just for a little while? Please?”
His jaw goes rigid, muscles working, and for a terrifying moment I think I really screwed up. But then his features all smooth out and he says, “Ah, hun, of course I will.”
And his arms come around me, so strong but gentle, my cheek pressing against his chest—warm and solid and his heart thumping reassuringly under my ear—and I feel my fractures start to knit together again.
I sink into Rylan, giving him all my weight, letting him support me. I focus on his piney scent and the softness of his shirt and the way his breath feathers across the top of my head as he murmurs, “I’ve got you.”
I absorb his strength, the breadth of his chest, the gentle pressure of his hand rubbing up and down my back. For a moment, I shut everything else out. It’s just me and this man I have too many feelings for, drawing comfort from his presence.
After a few minutes, but not enough, Rylan pulls away, his gaze searching out mine. Quietly, he asks, “Do you want to talk? Do you need anything? Or do you just want some silent company?”
“I…” What do I want? The thought of rehashing what happened at the restaurant makes me feel sick to my stomach. Another hug is what I’d really like, but I don’t want to admit it. I don’t want to come across as even weaker than I already am.
Rylan inspects my face, his brow coming down, eyes going even darker. Then he puts his arm around my shoulders and guides me over to the bed. I sit at the edge of the mattress like a puppet, strings cut. All my energy is going toward keeping myself from breaking.
Sitting down next to me, Rylan takes my hand and waits for me to speak.
He’s patient, not pushing me while I sort through my thoughts. Finally, I blurt out, “I’m sorry.”
He turns to me in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“I shouldn’t have gone in there.” And I feel so stupid for it. “You said not to go anywhere alone, but I didn’t want to get in trouble, so I did it anyway. I should have known better.”
“Charlie.” Rylan shifts so he’s facing me, his features a picture of guilt. “It is not your fault. At all. I understand why you went. I should have come up with better precautions. If anything, it’s on me. Not you.”
“No.” I squeeze his hand, insistent. “You saved me. If you hadn’t—” My throat closes, stifling my words.
Rylan stares at me with a pained expression. “Shit,” he says quietly, almost to himself. “I can’t”—he pauses—“just… Can I hug you, Charlie?”
My breath comes out in a relieved gust. “Yes.”
Then his arm comes around me, tugging me into his side. I lean my head on his shoulder, the weight of guilt and terror lifting a little. Rationally, I know I should be shoring up my own defenses instead of letting Rylan be my support. But I’m tired and scared and now he’s offering…how can I pull away from this?
“I thought things were looking up.” My voice comes out small and defeated. “Finally. With you and Leo working so hard, and then I found a job—I thought things were turning around.”
“Charlie…”
“I know I’m luckier than a lot of women. And having you and Leo helping me, and Blade and Arrow—I’m not complaining. It’s just… before we left, I was excited to go to work. To take a step toward rebuilding my life.”
Rylan’s hand freezes mid-stroke on my arm, and he grits out, “What happened wasn’t lucky.”
“But you came in time,” I explain, looking up at him. “And that is lucky. I should be focusing on that, focusing on having your help.”
Crap. The tears I’ve managed to hold off are straining to break free. “But it’s so hard… and I just don’t understand…” My nose prickles. “Why me? I don’t know what I did. How I made someone so angry they would do this. And I’m scared, Ry. What if it keeps getting worse? I don’t know if I’m strong enough.”
“Oh, hun.” He hugs me closer to him, brushing a tear away with his free hand. “You are so damn brave, and you don’t even see it. But I wish you didn’t have to be. And I’m so damn sorry we haven’t solved this for you yet.”
