Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!“Please let me come in.”
My fists clenched as I swore at him under my breath. Then I opened the door. “I said I was coming out in a minute. Here I am.” I moved past him and glanced at the bed where one of my outfits was splayed on the sheets. “I see you chose my clothes for me.”
“If you want something else—”
“It’ll do. How about you let me change so we can get out of here?”
His hands fondled my waist. “You’re shy of me now?”
I fucking slapped him. I couldn’t take this anymore, and my palm rang across his face.
“What the fuck, Jo?”
I slapped him on the other cheek. “If you think you’re gonna see me naked or lay a hand on me any time soon, you’re delusional.”
He fumed, his chest heaving, his face crimson with my fingers marking it. He looked like he was about to pounce, but he just closed his eyes and nodded. “I get it. Of course, you need time. I’m sorry. I just miss you.”
“Close the door on your way out.”
When he did, I locked it and changed. Then I gathered my personal belongings in a purse. I glanced at the note I’d left Laius, tears threatening to spill. “I’m sorry. I hope one day you’ll forgive me and understand I did this for you,” I whispered, lifting my chin so I wouldn’t cry, and headed out of the room. “I’m ready.”
Ty was on the phone, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. Then he hung up and wiped under his eyes. Was he crying?
Tirone wasn’t a man afraid of his tears, and I hated it when he did that because…I was a sucker for it. He tore me apart every time I saw his tears, and I couldn’t feel anything soft for him right now. “Who are you talking to?”
“Mom. I was asking her to get my things ready for me to pick it up so we won’t be late. It’s almost eight, and the movers will be here at nine.”
“Did you…tell her about me?”
“I told her everything this morning, but, for your safety, I didn’t give her your name or told her you were my teacher. Don’t worry. We have her blessing.”
I was neither worried nor did I care about her blessing. That ship had sailed weeks ago. But I saw a little window of opportunity here. “Ty, if you’re that attached to your mother, you have to stay with her. You’re her only son, and both of you went through hell with the attack. You can’t just take off. We can work out a different plan that doesn’t involve—”
“Nice try, but you can’t get rid of me that easily.” He grimaced, and I cursed my luck. “I wasn’t crying because I was leaving Mom. I'll see her again soon, and she’ll be fine with my stepdad. My prick of a father can’t hurt her anymore. I’ll make sure of it. I was crying because I never thought there would come a day when you wouldn’t let me touch you. I was crying because I screwed up and almost lost you, Jo.”
I hated that my first reflex was to hug him, and that tears pricked my eyes. Ty was my first everything, and a few weeks ago, he was my only everything. Despite what he’d done, the things that connected and bonded us, the things that attracted me to him and eventually made me fall in love, the dark before the light, were pulsing in him. The part of me that loved him to death was still there and couldn’t be denied.
That was a weakness I couldn’t afford.
“Well, you’re here, and so am I. Let’s see if you can keep your promises this time.”
He strode toward me and kissed my hand. “I will. You’ll see.” His gaze spied the purse. “What’s in there?”
I opened it for him. “My contacts, medicine for the road, water. It’s late, and I don’t know how far we’re going. I like to be prepared for anything.”
He just smiled and took it from me. “It’s heavy. Let me carry it for you.”
“Thanks.”
He ushered me and the suitcases out. Then he loaded them in my car and drove to his house.
“What are you going to do about your bike?” I asked.
“It’s coming with the boxes. I know how much you love it. We can still get our rides off with the sunset, baby.”
“Great.” I pressed my thumb against the top of my stomach and moaned.
“Something wrong?”
